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UNIT 03. The Mediterranean World, 600 BC. Nature of the Heroic, The. Bridge between humans and the divine Euhemerus = gods were first humans and then heroes Obviously less than divine, but somehow more than human Still bound by human limitations, such as injury and death
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Nature of the Heroic, The Bridge between humans and the divine • Euhemerus = gods were first humans and then heroes • Obviously less than divine, but somehow more than human • Still bound by human limitations, such as injury and death Appeal of the “local hero” • Provides “community engagement” through service to city • Sometimes intervene between the gods and their home city • Goes to far off places, meets weird creatures, kills them • Does things that you and I might never dream of (wish fulfillment) • Still does things wrong but makes up for them in a superhuman way • Makes people proud to be from their home city
Famous Greek “Local” Heroes Heroes and their locales • Heracles – Argos (then pan-Hellenic) • Theseus - Athens • Perseus - Argos • Jason - Iolcus • Bellerophon – Corinth • Peleus - Phthia Public Affairs Mission and Heroes • Hero was considered a leader of his town (often a king) • Hero was a source of civic pride • Hero killed monsters, fought wars for his town • Hero interceded with gods for his town • Hero was someone city could look up to
Entertainment Value of the Heroic Why do these stories need to be entertaining? • Remember that Greek civilization was largely non-literate • Who wants to remember a boring old list of facts? • Exaggeration is fun! Soap Opera Theory (Oprah, Brangelina) • We all wish we could be rich and/or beautiful too • We also enjoy watching rich and/or beautiful people suffer Wish Fulfillment Theory (Rambo, Madonna, Chuck Norris) • We all wish we could go crazy and live like rock stars or cowboys • We also want to avoid the risks of illness and death Who are some modern individual heroes?
Random modern heroes Military heroes • George Washington • George S. Patton • Dwight D. Eisenhower Culture heroes • Bill Gates and/or Steve Jobs • Madonna L. Ciccone • Elvis A. Presley • Oprah Winfrey Sports heroes • Tiger Woods • Michael Jordan
THE HEROMETER • Divine birth on one side • Weird events from birth onward • Hero faced with opposition(0% or 100% chance of success) • Proves heroic stature by overcoming opposition(or not) • Love interest(sometimes more than one) • Helper, human or Divine(sometimes more than one) • Labors(one big labor, several canonical labors, or both) • Confrontation with death(katabasis, immortality)
Young Heracles Birth of Heracles • fathered by Zeus (disguised as Amphitryon) and Alcmena. • Amphitryon gone to avenge Alcmena’s brother’s deaths from war. • Zeus boasts; Hera speeds up Eurystheus’s birth • Alcmena has twins: Heracles (Zeus’s son) and Iphicles (Amphi’s). Heracles's Trials by Hera • Eurystheus - cousin of Heracles for whom he performs his labors, becomes king of Mycenae (whomever born first, got to be king) • Snakes, beast master/demigod,-sent by Hera, strangled. Now identities of children are known • Saves Thebes, king gives him daughter, Megara, for wife. Hera strickens him w/ madness and he kills family. • Goes to Oracle and must perform 12 labors for Eurystheus.
Heracles’s Personality Negative traits • Homicidal tendences – kills his music teacher Linus. Kills his first wife Megara. • Regret and Atonement - exiled to Thebes. On mt. w/ shepherds. Kills threatening lion. • Sexual Promiscuity – 50 daughters of Thespius. Cheats on Deianeira. Positive Traits • Sense of humor – Cercopes, Omphale • Work ethic – does his labors without complaining • Loyalty – Hylas, keeps promise to Meleager
Heracles’s First Six Labors • Nemean Lion- invincible skin. Taken by beating and using own claw. Provides armor. • Lernaean Hydra - Many headed dragon w/ immortal head. Cauterizes others, buries immortal head under rock. Dips his arrows in the Hydra’s blood to make them poisonous • Cerynean Hind- Artemis's sacred (rein)deer with gold horns. Has to catch and bring back. (w/ permission). • Erymanthian Boar- chases into deep snow, catches. • Augean Stables - dirty for 10+ years, clean in one day by having 2 rivers run through stables. Refused to pay Heracles. • Stymphalian Birds - dirty, man eating, scared them w/ bronze rattle, & shoots to get out of area.
Heracles’s Second Six-Pack • Cretan Bull - father of Minotaur. • Mares of Diomedes -flesh eating horses. Killed Diomedes and fed to horses. Change to nice ponies. • Girdle of Hippolyta(Queen of Amazons) to take off means to undress for intercourse. Kills after Hera intervenes. • Cattle of Geryon - Go edge of world to take cattle from 3 headed monster Geryon. Brings them back in the cup of sun god Helios. • Apples of Hesperides - tree of life guarded by dragon "Ladon". Nereus prophet instructs w/ Atlas help. Apples = immortality • Cerberus - 3 headed hound of hell-captured w/ permission from Hades; Heracles promises to marry Meleager’s sister Deianeira.
Heracles’s Side Labors (parerga) • Antaeus (son of Gaea, wrestled and choked to death) • Atlas (tricked into taking the world back) • Busiris (cruel Ancient Egyptian king, killed) • Centaurs (gets them drunk and kills them) • Cercopes (beware the man with the black bottom) • Olympian Games (to honor his daddy Zeus) • Prometheus (freed from his rock)
Centaurs Definition of Centaurs • Half-men, half horse • Reaction of a culture which doesn’t ride horses to one that does • Aztecs thought this way about the Spaniards • Seldom very sweet-tempered Ancient Greek Centaurs • Children of Centaurus (son of Ixion and cloud-Hera) • Chiron – tutor of young Jason • Nessus – tried to carry off Deianeira • Famous battle with the Lapiths (their cousins)
Death of Heracles • Deianeira “man killer,” sister of Meleager • Nessus the centaur offers her a honeymoon ride, gets killed • Heracles tires of family life with Deianeira, wins Princess Iole in an archery contest in Trachis • Kills Iole’s brother, incurring miasma, has to be auctioned to Omphale (Lydian Queen) dress up as maid for a year. • Returns to claim Iole, Deianera hears about this, sends favorite cloak w/ potion on it..he dies. • Philoctetes lights funeral pyre and receives bow and arrows. • Mortal part goes to underworld, immortal part goes to Mt. Olympus • He marries Hebe, Goddess of youthful bloom (daughter of Zeus and Hera (Hera finds him now worthy).
Heracles through the ages • Heracles in the Iliad (shoots Hera in the breast with a three pronged arrow) and Odyssey (whines to Odysseus in the Underworld) • Heracles at the Crossroads of Vice and Virtue: picks Virtue (played by Roseanne) over Vice (played by Paris Hilton) • Heracles in the Aeneid: one big long Public Affairs Mission • The Emperor Commodus as Heracles: Marcus Aurelius’s son declared that he was Heracles, dammit. The cultural elite were aghast but the common folk of Rome found it very cool • TV shows and cartoons beyond belief
Legends of Athens King Erichthonius -1st king of Athens. • When Athena born, Heph runs after to claim prize, • his seed spills on Athena’s thigh and she wipes it on Gaia • autochthony - a creature w/ body of snake, head of human • Daughters of Cecrops saw it and went crazay Cephalus and Procris • Cephalus dresses in disguise to prove his wife Procris. • Wife unveils herself and Cephalus curses her. • Artemis gives her dog and spears that always get target. • Cephalus gets spear, lies under tree and asks wind (aura) to come. • Procris hears this and rustles bush behind him…he kills her.
Legends of Crete • Queen Pasiphae asks Poseidon to send beautiful bull for sacrifice; • Poseidon sends bull as ordered, but Pasiphae does not kill it. • Pasiphae made to fall in love for punishment. Daedalus builds wood cow for her to “entice” the bull • Pasiphae gives birth to Minotaur – bull-headed baby boy • Daedalus builds the Labyrinth to keep the Minotaur out of sight • Labyrinth = actually the magnificent palace at Knossos • Daedalus gets seriously weirded out in the process • He builds wings for himself and his son Icarus, who flew too high and drowned in the Icarian sea. Hubris!
Birth of Theseus • King Aegeus could not impregnate wife. Oracles said not to undue hainging ft of wine skin. • Pittheus knows what this means and gets him to bed his daughter Aethra. • Alternate explanation = Aethra raped by Poseidon (Aegeus may originally have been a sea god, not a king) • Aegeus buries sandals and sword underneath rock. • If the child is a son, he should claim the sandals and sword and come to Athens • Theseus becomes a young man and leaves to meet dear old dad.
Theseus’s Highly Inventive Early Labors • Periphetes (clubman) beat upside of head w/ club to punish (reversed) • Sinis (Pine Bender) bend trees, put man in middle-thwap (reversed) • Man Eating Sow -Theseus eats it • Sciron (hero of Megara) Sits on cliff, tells strangers to wash feet and push over edge for giant turtle to eat. • Cercyon (wrestler) lifted off the Earth and crushed to death – just as Heracles did to Antaeus • Procrustes (the stretcher) stretches/cuts of protruding/smaller bodies on bed. (reversed)
Theseus vs. Minotaur • Aegeus is married to Medea (Thinking Woman) and does not recognize Theseus. • Medea recognizes Theseus and tries to poison w/ wine. • He recognizes his old sword and hits the cup out of Theseus’s hand. • Theseus goes to prove himself in ship with black sail. He will sail back with a white sail if he makes it. • Ariadne gives him magic to get thru maze and kill her half-brother, the Minotaur • Theseus leaves her on way back to Athens on island of Naxos, where Dionysus picks her up • Aegeus sees the black sail on the horizon (Theseus forgot to change it) • Aegeus jumps in sea, giving it the name of Aegean Sea.
Perseus’s Childhood • King Acrisius of Argos was told by an oracle that his grandson would kill him • He imprisoned his only child, his daughter Danae, in a forest • Zeus enters in shower of gold sunlight-conceives baby Perseus. • Acrisius puts Danae and Perseus into a box which he throws in the sea (assuming they will drown) • Washed up on island of Seriphus, ruled by evil king Polydectes, who covets Danae. • Perseus has to satisfy Poly w/ gift to gain admission to party of rich (usually one horse). • Perseus says he could just as easily bring back the head of Medusa the Gorgonette. • Polydectes said “You’re On!” • Perseus’s chances are either 0% or 100%, depending on how you look at it.
Perseus’s Excellent Adventure • Perseus befriends Athena (lends shield) and Hermes (gives Cap of Darkness, winged sandals, magic bag) to help him conquer. • Graeae (3 goddesses of Old Age sharing one eye and tooth) tell him how to win after he takes their eye. • Walking backwards, using shield as a mirror, cuts Medusa's head off (out come Pegasus and Chrysaor). • On his way back, saves and marries Andromeda (her mother said she was prettier than Goddesses) from a sea monster • Shows Polydectes the head and turns him to stone • Gives magical stuff to Hermes and shield to Athena-Medusa’s head on shield). • Goes back to Argos; King Acrisius flees in fear. • Goes to discus contest, hits Acrisius in foot, incurring miasma • Wanders around, eventually founds Mycenae.
Background of the Argonauts Jason’s early years • Sent Jason to Mt Pelion, raised by Centaur Chiron. • Went back to Iolcus to claim throne from Uncle King PeliAS. • Lost shoe carrying Hera in disguise thru river (fulfilling prophesy of Pelias getting killed by man w/ one shoe). • Goes to town, Pelias tells him he has to go get golden fleece. Origin of the Golden Fleece • King Athamas and Queen Nephele had two children:Phrixus and Helle. He tired of her, got 2nd wife Ino, who bribed an oracle to order Athamas to sacrifice Phrixus. • Gold ram appeared before sacrifice, Phrixus and Helle soared away on its back. • Helle lost grip and fell to Hellespont to death over sea. • Phrixus landed in Colchis, sacrificed ram to Zeus, and gave skin to Aeetes (son of the sun god Helios) for thanks.
Countless Screaming Argonauts • Jason sails on the Argo, a ship built by Argus and Athena. • Best fighters (B-Movie Heroes) go on trip, recruited by Hera. • Island of lonely Lemnian women who offended Aphrodite and made stinky. Argonauts stay and heroically beget children. • Next island they meet King Cyzicus, mistakenly killed after being swept back into harbor. • Stop on Cios after Heracles broke oar, loses Hylas (Herc’s boyfriend) to sea nymphs. Hercules goes away too. • Island of Phineus- cursed w/ harpies taking food for revealing too much of divine plan. Harpies (1/2 woman and bird) befoul food. Drive off Harpies • Pass through Symplegades (clashing rocks), and send a dove through to confirm passage.
Adventures in Colchis • On Colchis, King Aeetes of Aea received the Argonauts. • Hera makes Aeetes’s daughter Medea fall in love with Jason • Aeetes tells Jason he can have fleece if • he yokes 2 fire breathing bronzed hooved bulls and plows earth • sowed the dragon’s teeth left over from Thebes • destroy warriors springing from their teeth. • Medea helps Jason accomplish the labors and take the fleece. • Medea chops up her brother for Aeetes to pick up en route.kill son. • Back in Iolcus, Pelias is unwilling to step down. • Jason kills the other menfolk and Medea tricks Pelias’s daughters into chopping him up and killing him. • Town people drove Jason and Medea away to Corinth.
The Medea of Euripides Plot • Medea and Jason have moved to Corinth • Local king Creon wants Jason to marry his daughter Creousa • Medea offers to go along with the plan – does she mean it? Questions: • Is this a typical midlife crisis story? • Is Jason heroic or sleazy? • Is Medea a crusader or a witch? • Who do the gods blame? • What is Aegeus doing here?
Bellerophon • While in Corinth he incurs miasma, goes to Argos. • Purified by King Proetus whose wife Sthenoboea falls in love with him. • He refuses, She writes note accusing him of trying to rape her. • King Iobates has him perform labors. • Labor #1: Solymi • Labor #2: Amazons • Labor #3: Chimera • gets big head, tries to fly to Olympus on Pegasus • Thunderbolt kills him -- HUBRIS!!!! • Pegasus stays on Mt. Olympus
The Amazons Lineage • Name comes from a+mazon = Greek for “no breast” • Supposedly chopped their right breasts off to make them better archers • Total matriarchy under Queen Hippolyta • Supposedly male children were exposed at birth and only female babies raised Purpose of the Amazons in Greek Myth • Get beat by various Greek heroes • Heracles • Theseus • Bellerophon • Somebody has to be the bad guys (or girls) in these legends • Also, a possible lesson for uppity females
Atalanta • Father abandons Atalanta to be raised by hunters and a she-bear. • Atalanta becomes a famous runner; her dad becomes proud and holds race for her hand in marriage. • Hippomenes (aka Milanion) brings 3 golden apples to the race • Every time she gets ahead, he throws an apple and she stops to pick it up. • Atalanta and Hippomenes get married and consummate marriage in Artemis’s temple. • Artemis changes them into a lion and a lioness (supposedly could not procreate)
Calydonian Boar Hunt, The • Sent by Artemis to ravage Calydon after she is dissed • Meleager and men go to hunt it. • Atalanta (either the famous runner or not) hits it first, • Meleager finishes it off. • Uncles tease him about giving skin to a girrrrrlllll • He kills his uncles • Mom takes log from box (when it burns, Meleager dies) • Throws it into the fire, killing Meleager • In the underworld, Meleager fixes up Heracles with his sister Deianeira
