Week 2.1 Beginnings Part 1 Greek and Roman Mythology PDF

CLASSICS 102 (GS03) GREEK AND ROMAN MYTHOLOGY C. Myles Chykerda Sessional Instructor, Department of Humanities WEEK 2.1 May 6th – 10th The beginnings Hesiod and his Theogony Aetiological First Generation of gods CREATION STORIES Many and varied Iliad 14.201 For I am faring to visit the...

CLASSICS 102 (GS03) GREEK AND ROMAN MYTHOLOGY C. Myles Chykerda Sessional Instructor, Department of Humanities WEEK 2.1 May 6th – 10th The beginnings Hesiod and his Theogony Aetiological First Generation of gods CREATION STORIES Many and varied Iliad 14.201 For I am faring to visit the limits of the allnurturing earth, and Oceanus, from whom the gods are sprung, and mother Tethys, even them that lovingly nursed and cherished me in their halls, when they had taken me from Rhea, what time Zeus, whose voice is borne afar, thrust Cronos down to dwell beneath earth and the unresting sea. Hesiod Explains Everything Theogony, Θεογονία Θεός, ὁ God Θε- Γονή, ἡ Offspring -γονια HESIOD Ca. 700 BC Boeotia Shepherd/farmer who is inspired by the Muses, daughters of Zeus Kind of a cranky guy who hates women and his brother Earliest written account HESIOD Attributes his ability to write poetry to the Muses These divine personification of inspiration provide a god-inspired text. Infallible knowledge The Dance of the Muses at Mount Helicon by Bertel Thorvaldsen (1807). Chaos (χάος) In truth at first Chaos came to be, but next widebosomed Earth, the ever-sure foundation of all the deathless ones who hold the peaks of snowy Olympus ἦ τοι μὲν πρώτιστα Χάος γένετ᾽, αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα Γαῖ᾽ εὐρύστερνος, πάντων ἕδος ἀσφαλὲς αἰεὶ ἀθανάτων, οἳ ἔχουσι κάρη νιφόεντος Ὀλύμπου Left – image of black hole at centre of M87 galaxy FROM CHAOS… Gaia/Ge: Earth Tartarus: A dark place deep in the depths of the earth Eros: Love. The most beautiful of all the immortal gods Erebus: Gloomy darkness of (above?) Tartarus. Nyx (Night) Chaos Ge Tartarus Eros Erebus Night/Nyx ALTERNATIVE FACTS Aristophanes A different form of the creation myth is told by a chorus of birds Perhaps a different myth path that was used in Orphism Ar. We’ll talk Orphism later in the semester Ovid Roman poet: Metamorphoses Much later treatment of various myths, some of which he changes substantially OVID’S CREATION Perseus Text ARISTOPHANES’ BIRDS Perseus text At the beginning there was only Chaos, Night, dark Erebus, and deep Tartarus. Earth, the air and heaven had no existence. Firstly, blackwinged Night laid a germless egg in the bosom of the infinite deeps of Erebus, and from this, after the revolution of long ages, sprang the graceful Eros with his glittering golden wings, swift as the whirlwinds of the tempest. He mated in deep Tartarus with dark Chaos, winged like himself, and thus hatched forth our race, which was the first to see the light. That of the Immortals did not exist until Eros had brought together all the ingredients of the world, and from their marriage Heaven, Ocean, Earth and the imperishable race of blessed gods sprang into being. Thus our origin is very much older than that of the dwellers in Olympus. We are the offspring of Eros; there are a thousand proofs to show it. We have wings and we lend assistance to lovers. How many handsome youths, who had sworn to remain insensible, have opened their thighs because of our power and have yielded themselves to their lovers when almost at the end of their youth, being led away by the gift of a quail, a waterfowl, a goose, or a cock. THE FIRST PROCREATION “…and Eros, the most handsome among the immortal gods, dissolver of flesh, who overcomes the reason and purpose in the breasts of all gods and all men. Out of the Chasm came Erebos and dark Night, and from Night in turn came Bright Air and Day, whom she bore in shared intimacy with Erebos.” This is our first actual pairing where two entities come together to bear more things. ἐκ Χάεος δ᾽ Ἔρεβός τε μέλαινά τε Νὺξ ἐγένοντο: Νυκτὸς δ᾽ αὖτ᾽ Αἰθήρ τε καὶ Ἡμέρη ἐξεγένοντο, οὓς τέκε κυσαμένη Ἐρέβει φιλότητι μιγεῖσα. IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Ge/Gaia begets Uranus, the mountains, and Pontus without a union. “Gaia first brought forth starry Uranus, equal to herself, so that he might surround and cover her completely and be a secure home for the blessed gods forever. And she brought forth the lofty mountain ranges, charming haunts of the divine nymphs who inhabit the hills and dales. And she also bore, without the sweet union of love, Pontus, the barren deep, with its raging surf.” (126–132) Ge/Gaia – female goddess of fertility and earth whereas Uranus is male principle and god of the sky. Hieros gamos – holy marriage This sacred pairing is repeated many times Female earth divinity pervasive in early cultures HOMERIC HYMN TO GAIA I will sing of well-founded Earth, mother of all, eldest of all beings. She feeds all creatures that are in the world, all that go upon the goodly land, and all that are in the paths of the seas, and all that fly: all these are fed of her store. Through you, O queen, men are blessed in their children and blessed in their harvests, and to you it belongs to give means of life to mortal men and to take it away. Happy is the man whom you delight to honor! He has all things abundantly: his fruitful land is laden with corn, his pastures are covered with cattle, and his house is filled with good things. Such men rule orderly in their cities of fair women: great riches and wealth follow them: their sons exult with ever-fresh delight, and their daughters in flower-laden bands play and skip merrily over the soft flowers of the field. Thus is it with those whom you honor O holy goddess, bountiful spirit.Hail, Mother of the gods, wife of starry Heaven; freely bestow upon me for this my song substance that cheers the heart! And now I will remember you and another song also. HOMERIC HYMN TO GAIA γαῖαν παμμήτειραν ἀείσομαι, ἠυθέμεθλον, πρεσβίστην, ἣ φέρβει ἐπὶ χθονὶ πάνθ᾽ ὁπόσ᾽ ἐστίν, ἠμὲν ὅσα χθόνα δῖαν ἐπέρχεται ἠδ᾽ ὅσα πόντον ἠδ᾽ ὅσα πωτῶνται, τάδε φέρβεται ἐκ σέθεν ὄλβου. 5ἐκ σέο δ᾽ εὔπαιδές τε καὶ εὔκαρποι τελέθουσι, πότνια, σεῦ δ᾽ ἔχεται δοῦναι βίον ἠδ᾽ ἀφελέσθαι θνητοῖς ἀνθρώποισιν: ὃ δ᾽ ὄλβιος, ὅν κε σὺ θυμῷ πρόφρων τιμήσῃς: τῷ τ᾽ ἄφθονα πάντα πάρεστι. βρίθει μέν σφιν ἄρουρα φερέσβιος ἠδὲ κατ᾽ ἀγροὺς κτήνεσιν εὐθηνεῖ, οἶκος δ᾽ ἐμπίπλαται ἐσθλῶν: αὐτοὶ δ᾽ εὐνομίῃσι πόλιν κάτα καλλιγύναικα κοιρανέουσ᾽, ὄλβος δὲ πολὺς καὶ πλοῦτος ὀπηδεῖ: παῖδες δ᾽ εὐφροσύνῃ νεοθηλέι κυδιόωσι παρθενικαί τε χοροῖς πολυανθέσιν εὔφρονι θυμῷ παίζουσαι σκαίρουσι κατ᾽ ἄνθεα μαλθακὰ ποίης, οὕς κε σὺ τιμήσῃς, σεμνὴ θεά, ἄφθονε δαῖμον. χαῖρε, θεῶν μήτηρ, ἄλοχ᾽ Οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος, πρόφρων δ᾽ ἀντ᾽ ᾠδῆς βίοτον θυμήρε᾽ ὄπαζε: αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καὶ σεῖο καὶ ἄλλης μνήσομ᾽ ἀοιδῆς. THE NEXT GENERATION Chaos Ouranos Ge Tartarus Mountains Pontus Eros Erebus Night/Nyx Day Aether ALTERNATE CHART FORM Chaos Ge Tartarus Ouranos Mountains Eros Pontus Erebus Day Nyx Aether NOW THINGS GET A LITTLE MORE COMPLEX Charts used in following slides ripped straight from Wikipedia