GREEK MYTHOLOGY
What is mythology?
-the term mythology can refer to either the
study of myths, or to a body of myths.
What is a myth?
-it provides people with explanation,
histories, role models, entertainment, and
many other things that enable them to
direct their own actions and understand
their own surroundings.
- In Folkloristics, a myth is sacred narrative
usually explaining how the world or human
kind came to be in its present form.
- A story that serves to define the
fundamental worldview of culture by
explaining aspects of the natural world and
delineating the psychological and social
practices and ideals of a society.
Purpose of Myths
1. To explain inexplicable
2. To justify an existing social system and to
account for its rites and customs
3. To illustrate moral principles, frequently
through feats of heroism performed by
mortals
Nature of Myths
-Main characters are usually gods or
supernatural heroes
-Endorsed by rulers and priests and closely
linked to religion
-Usually regarded as a true account of
remote past
-Generally take place in a primordial age
Comparison with other stories:
Legends
Set in more recent time, when the world
was much as it is today
Generally feature humans as their main
characters
Folktales
Can take place at any time and any place
and they are not considered true or sacred
by the societies that tell them
Origins of Mythology
Euphemerism
One theory claims that myths are distorted
accounts of real historical events. According
to this theory, story tellers repeatedly
elaborated upon historical accounts until
the figures in those accounts gained the
status of gods.
Allegories
The 19th century Sanskritist Max Muller
supported an allegorical theory of myth. He
believed that myths began as allegorical
descriptions of nature, but gradually came
to be interpreted literally: for example, a
poetic description of the sea as “raging”
was eventually taken literally, and the sea
was then thought of as a raging god.
Personification
Some thinkers believe that myths resulted
from the personification of inanimate
objects and forces .According to these
thinkers, the ancients worshipped natural
phenomena such as fire and air, gradually
coming to describe them as gods. For
example, according to the theory of
mythopoeic thought, the ancients tended
to view things as persons, not as mere
objects.
Myth – Ritual Theory
According to the myth- ritual theory, the
existence of myth is tied to ritual. In its
most extreme form, this theory claims that
myths arose to explain rituals.
Functions of Mythology
According to Mircea Eliade:
1. to establish models for behavior
2. provide a religious experience
3. members of traditional societies detach
themselves from the present and return to
the mythical age, thereby bringing
themselves closer to the divine
According to Lauri Honkei:
1. to reproduce the conditions of the
mythical age
2. to connect with a perceived moral past,
which is in contrast with the technological
present
According to Joseph Campbell:
1. Mystical Function- experiencing the awe
of the universe
2. Cosmological Function- explaining the
shape of the universe
3. Sociological Function- supporting and
validating a certain social order
4. Pedagogical Function- how to live a
human lifetime under any circumstances.
Pre- Modern Theories
-The critical interpretation of myths goes
back as far as the Presocratics.
-Euphemerus was one of the most
important pre- modern mythologists. He
interpreted myths as accounts of actual
historical events, distorted over many
retellings.
-The view of myths and their origin is
criticized by Plato in which Socrates says
that this approach is the province of one
who is “vehemently curious and laborious,
and not entirely happy…” The Platonists
generally had a more profound and
comprehensive view of the subject.
-Sallustius- for example, divides myths into
five categories – theological, physical (or
concerning natural laws), animastic (or
concerning soul), material and mixed. This
last being those myths which show the
interaction between two or more of the
previous categories and which, he says, are
particularly used in initiations.
- Interest in polytheistic mythology revived
in the renaissance, with early works on
mythography appearing in the 16th century,
such as the Theologia mythological(1532).
19th Century Theories
-E.B Tylor interpreted myth as an attempt at
a literal explanation for natural phenomena:
unable to conceive of impersonal natural
laws, early man tried to explain natural
phenomena by attributing souls to
inanimate objects, giving rise to animism.
-According to Tylor, human thought evolves
through various stages, starting with
mythological ideas and gradually
progressing to scientific ideas. Not all
scholars –not even all 19th century scholars-
have agreed with this view.
-Lucien Levy Bruhl claimed that “the
primitive mentality is a condition of the
human mind, and not a stage in its historical
development.”
-Max Muller called a myth a “disease of
language”
-He speculated that myths arose due to the
lack of abstract nouns and neuter gender in
ancient languages: anthropomorphic figures
of speech, necessary in such languages,
were eventually taken literally, leading to
the idea that natural phenomena were
conscious beings, god.
-The anthropologist James Frazer saws
myths as a misinterpretation of magical
rituals; which were themselves based on a
mistaken idea of natural law.
-According to Frazer, man begins with an
unfounded belief in impersonal magical
laws. When he realizes that his applications
of these laws don’t work, he gives up his
belief in natural law, in favor of a belief in
personal gods controlling nature-thus giving
rise to religious myths.
-Robert Segal asserts that by pitting
mythical thought against modern scientific
thought, such theories implied that modern
man must abandon myth.
20th Century Theories
-Swiss psychologist Carl Jung (1873- 1961)
tried to understand the psychology behind
world myths. Jung asserted that all humans
share certain innate unconscious
psychological forces, which he called
archetypes. Jung believed that the
similarities between the myths from
different cultures reveals the existence of
these universal archetypes.
-Joseph Campbell believed that there were
two different orders of mythology: that
there are myths that “are metaphorical of
spiritual potentiality in human being” that
there are myths, “that have to do with
specific societies”.
-Claude Levi Strauss believed that myths
reflect patterns in the mind and interpreted
those patterns more as fixed mental
structures- specifically, pairs of opposites(
i.e. good/evil, compassionate/callous)- that
as unconscious feelings or urges
-Mircea Eliade attributed modern man’s
anxieties to his rejection of myths and the
sense of the sacred.
-In the 1950’s , Roland Barthes published a
series of essays examining modern myths
and the process of their creation in his
book.
Comparative Mythology
-Is the systematic comparison of myths
from different cultures.
-It seeks to discover underlying themes that
are common to the myths of multiple
cultures.
-In some cases, comparative mythologists
use the similarities between different
mythologies to argue that those
mythologies have a common source.
-This common source maybe a common
source of inspiration( e.g. certain natural
phenomenon that inspired similar myths in
different cultures) or a common
“protomythology” that diverged into the
various mythologies we see today.
STORY OF CREATION OF GREEK
MYTHOLOGY
-In the beginning ,there was nothing but
Chaos out of the chaos,night and Erebus
(the personification of death and
shadow)materialized. They gave birth to
Love,who in turn created light and day.Then
came Gaea (earth) and Tartarus ( the
deepest pit in the world). Gaea first bore
Uranus (heaven) and then she brought forth
terrible creatures.The hundred- handers
,who had hundred hands and fifty heads,the
cyclopes, enormous creatures with only one
eye,and the Titans.Uranus hated the
hundred- handers, and imprisoned of them
in Tartarus, Gaea didn’t like this.She
decided to have Cronus (one of the Titans)
castrate behind him and from the bloody
drops earth conceived the Furies and
Giants.
Cronus then began to fear for his own life
when he was given a phophecy that one of
his own children (birthed by Rhea, who was
his sister and wife) would overcome him as
he did with his father.So he ate them one
by one as they were delivered by
Rhea.When Zeus was born however,Rhea
hid him in a cave on crete, and gave Cronus
a rock wrapped in a blanket instead Cronus
swallowed the rock , thinking it was Zeus.
When Zeus became fully grown, he forced
Cronus to vomit out his brothers and
sisters. After this they went to war with the
Titans.The Gods, with the help of the
hundred-handers ,who they released from
Tartarus,eventually won over the Titans and
threw all of them into Tartarus, with the
exception of Atlas who was condemned to
hold the world up for eternity.The Gods
however faced more challenges to their
authority. Gaia had given birth to a terrible
monster named Typhon who rose up
against the gods. Zeus managed to strike
Typhon down with a lightning bolt.
Afterwards, the giants who had arose from
Uranus’s blood,also rose up against the
Gods.Zeus defeated them too, and threw
them into Tartarus. After this when all
threats to the God’s authority were
crushed, Zeus and his two brothers
Poseidon and Hades,drew lots to see what
part of the world each would rule.Zeus
ended up ruling the sky, Poseidon the sea
and Hades the underworld.
THE CREATION MAN
The Greek created many accounts of how
man was created.These were the two most
poular .
-In the first account, it is said that
Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus ,
decided to create living creatures on the
earth.
-Epimetheus created animals but gave them
all of the best gifts such as fur, feathers,
strength, and cunning, leaving nothing for
mankind.
-Prometheus then created man , and is brother-husband to Hera. In artwork, he
decided to still make mankind superior was depicted as a regal, mature man with a
account, the Gods created mankind. sturdy figure and dark beard. He’s usual
attributes are the royal scepter and the
-First they made mankind out of gold.This lighting bolt, and his sacred animals are the
golden race lived a life without toil and eagles and the bull.
worry.However , they were mortal, and
Zeus grew up in secrecy raised by Geia.
eventually they died out.
Zeus was all grown up, he returned to his
-After this. The Gods created mankind out father and fulfilled the prophecy that had
of silver.They were very stupid and ended been for warned to Cronus. Zeus killed his
up killing each other. father and freed his siblings who had grown
up inside Cronus.
- In the third attempt, the Gods made
The Children of Zeus
mankind out of Brass. They enjoyed war,
built up strong armies.Eventually , they -Ares
destroyed themselves through war. -Athena
-Apollo
-The last race was out of iron.They were -Artemis
very evil, and are the race that now inhabit -Aphrodite
Earth. -Dionysus
-Hermes
CHIEF GODS -Heracles
Zeus -Helen
-Troy
-The chief.
-Also known as Jupiter.
-Lord of the sky, The Rain-god, and the Poseidon
cloud gatherer.
-Wilded the awful thunderbolt. -Zeus’s brother.
-Hera’s Husband -Also known as Neptune
-His breastplate was the aegis, awful to -The ruler of the sea.
behold. -Only second to Zeus
-His bird was the eagle. -His wife was Amphitrite; granddaughter of
-His tree was the oak. the titan ocean.
-His oracle was Donna in the land of the oak -He has a splendid palace beneath the sea
trees. but oftener found in Olympus.
-Gave his first horse man.
He is the king of the Gods, the ruler of -Commonly called earth-shaker
Mount Olympus and the god of the sky, -Often seen carrying a trident, a three-
whether thunder, law, order, and faith. He pronged spear.
is the youngest of Chronus and Rhea. Zeus
-He has a connection with the bull and the
horse.
The gods of the sea, rivers, floods, droughts,
earthquakes. He is a son of Cronus and
Rhea and brother to Zeus and Hades.
Poseidon was married to Amphitrite. In
classical artwork he was depicted as a
matured man of sturdy build with a dark
beard and holding a trident. The horse and
the dolphin are sacred to him.
He sometimes called “Earth shaker”. When
he was mad and felt like he was being
ignored he would stomp his feet and hit the
ground with his trident, causing tidal waves,
floods, and earthquakes. It is said that
Poseidon was the creator of horses.
Poseidon’s Children
-Triton
-Polyphemus
-Orion
-Belus
-Agenor
-Neleus
-Atlas
Hades
-Zeus’s brother
-Also known as Pluto
-Third brother among the Olympians.
-Ruler of the underworld and rule over the
dead
-The god of wealth, of the; precious metals
hidden on earth
-Has a far-farmed cap or helmet which
made whoever wore it invisible
-It was rare that he left his dark realm to
visit Olympus or the earth
-He was terrible but not an evil god.
-His wife was Persephone; whom he carried
away from the earth and made Queen of
the Lower World.
-He was the king of the Dead not Death
himself
King of the underworld and god of the dead
and the hidden wealth of the earth. His wife
Persephone and his attributes are the key
of Hades, the helm of darkness, the three-
headed dog, Cerberus. The screech owl was
sacred to him. Despite being the son of
Cronus and Rhea and the elder brother of
Zeus, he is rarely listed among the
Olympians.
Hestia
-Their sister
Pure goddess of the heart. Home and
cooking. She is a daughter of Rhea and
Cronus and sister of Zeus. She was depicted
as a modestly veiled woman whose symbols
are the heart and kettle.
She was very passive in nature, she even
gave up her seat on Mount Olympus and
gave up one of the Olympian gods to
Dionysus so Hestia could go to tend to the
sacred flame on Mount Olympus.
Hestia is both the oldest and the
youngest of all her sisters; Demeter and
Hera, and her brother Zeus, Hades and
Poseidon. She was the first to be born and
eaten by Cronus. But that she was the last
to be set free from within Cronus belly.
Hera
-Zeus’s wife and sister.
-Also known as Juno.
-The titans Ocean and Tethys brought her
up.
-Protector of Marriage, and married women
were her particular care.
-She was chiefly engaged in punishing the
many women Zeus fell in love with.
-Ilithyia or Eileithyia who helped women in
childbirth was her daughter.
-The cowb and the peacock were sacred to
her.
-Argos was her favorite city.
Hera is the Queen of the Gods. She is
known for being the goddess of marriage
and birth. Despite being the Goddess of
Marriage, she was known to be jealous and
vengeful towards the many lovers and
offspring of her husband Zeus.
Hera was also known to turn her anger
towards mortals who crossed her. In images
and statues, Hera is portrayed as being
majestic and solemn, crowned with the
polos—a high cylindrical crown worn by
many of the Great Goddesses.
The peacock was sacred to her. She never
forgets an injury. The Titans Ocean and
Tethys brought her up. Hera is often
described as “cow-faced”, although she was
also called the chief among the immortals in
beauty. Though she may have been
attractive, her vindictive personality makes
her less so.
Hera had no concept of justice when angry
or jealous; she could not forgive the women
with whom Zeus had sexual relations—even
if they were innocent of wrongdoing.
Ares
-Also known as Mars
-Son of Zeus and Hera
-God of War
-Lover of Aphrodite
-His Bird was the vulture
-The dog was wronged by being chosen as
his animal
Ares was the Greek God of war and perhaps
the most unpopular of all the Olympian
gods because of his quick temper,
aggressiveness, and unquenchable thirst for
conflict. He famously seduced Aphrodite,
unsuccessfully fought with Hercules, and
enraged Poseidon by killing his son
Halirrhothios.
Ares was noted for his beauty and courage,
qualities which no doubt helped him win
the affections of Aphrodite with whom he
had a daughter and son.
Athena
-Pallas Athena
-Also known as Minerva
-Daughter of Zeus alone
-No mother bore her
-Full grown and in full armor, she sprang
from his head
-Pre-eminently the goddess of the city, the
protector of civilized life, of handicrafts and
agriculture; invention of the bridle
-Goddess of wisdom, reason and purity
-Zeus’s favorite child
-He trusted her to carry awful aegis, his
buckler, his devastating weapon, the
thunderbolt
-Of the three virgin goddess she was the
chief and was often called the Maiden,
Pathernos
-Her temple was the Pathernon
-Athens was her special city
-The olive created by her was her tree
-The owl was her bird
Athena is an ancient Greek Goddess
associated with wisdom, handicraft, and
warfare who was later syncretized with the
roman goddess Minerva. Athens was
regarded as the patron and protectress of
various cities across Greece, particularly the
Athens, from which she most likely received
her name. She is usually shown in art
wearing a helmet and holding a spear. Her
major symbols include owls, olive trees,
snakes, and the Gorgoneion.
LESSOR GODS
Demeter – goddess of corn, grain, and the
harvest. She is the daughter of Cronus and
Rhea. It is Demeter that makes the crops
grow each year. The first loaf of bread from
the harvest is sacrificed to her. She is
associated with the seasons.
Demeter is also known for founding the
Eleusinian Mysteries. These were huge
festivals held every five years.
Persephone – the daughter of Zeus and
Demeter. After her abduction by Hades she
became his wife and Queen of the
underworld.
Dionysus- the god of vine. He invented wine
and spread the art of tending grapes. He
has a dual nature. On the one hand bringing
joy and divine ecstasy. On the other brutal,
unthinking, rage. Thus, reflecting both sides
of wines nature. If he choses Dionysus can
drive a man mad. No normal fetters can
hold him or his followers.
He is the only god to have a mortal parent.
Dionysus is also one of the very few that
was able to bring a dead person out of the
underworld. Dionysus became one of the
most important gods in everyday life. Unlike
other gods Dionysus was not only outside
his believers but, also within them.
Eros – the son of Aphrodite. Eros is the god
of love. In particular erotic, romantic, love.
He is often represented blindfolded
because, love is often blind. His “weapon” is
darts or arrows. In either case the tips have
been magically treated to produce either
uncomfortable love or unsurmountable
disinterested in the first person seen be
Eros’s victim after wounding.
Hebe – is the daughter of Zeus and Hera.
She is the goddess of youth. She, along with
Ganymede are the cupbearers to the gods.
Hebe is Hercules wife.
Eris – she is the goddess of discord. In
addition to her main activity of sowing
discord, she frequently accompanies her
brother Ares to battles. On theses occasions
she rides his chariot and brings her son
Strife.
Eris is unpopular and frequently snubbed as
a guest by the other gods and mankind. This
was not always a safe thing to do. The most
dramatic example of being the Trojan War,
which was an indirect result of not inviting
Eris to a wedding.
Helios – was the Greek sun god. He may be
thought of as a personification of the sun.
He plays little role in the myths. He became
rather overshadowed by Apollo the lord of
the sun. He was the son of Hyperion.
Thanatos – was the Greek god of death. He
may be thought of as a personification of
death. He plays little role in myths. He
became rather overshadowed by Hades the
lord of the sun.
Pan – son of Hermes. He is the God of
goatherds and shepherds. He is mostly
human in appearance but, with goat horns
and goat feet. He is merry and playful
frequently seen dancing with woodland
nymphs. He is at home in any wild place
but, is favorite is Arcady, where he was
born. He is always in pursuit of one of the
nymphs but, always rejected because he is
ugly.
His name is the basis for the word “panic”.
There are two differing explanations for
this. The first is that he was present when
Zeus defeated the Titans and claimed that it
has his yelling that caused the Titans to flee.
However, this seems at odds with his being
Hermes son. The second is that he created
the noises in the woods at night the scared
travelers.
Nemesis – means righteous anger, due
enactment, or divine vengeance. This god
helped to avenge those who were wronged.
The Graces – they are daughters of Zeus
and Eurynome. There are three Graces:
Aglaia (Splendor), Euphrosyne (Mirth), and
Thalia (Good Cheer). The are known for
singing and dancing for the gods.
The Muses – they are daughters of Zeus
and Mnemosyne. They are known for the
music of their song, which brings joy to any
who hear it. There are nine Muses, each
with her own specialty: Clio (History),
Urania (Astronomy), Melpomene (Tragedy),
Thalia (Comedy), Terpsichore (Dance),
Calliope (Epic Poetry), Erato (Love Poetry),
Polyhymnia (Songs to the Gods), Euterpe
(Lyric Poetry).
The Erinnyes – also known as the Furies,
punish crime. They pursue wrong doers
relentlessly, until death, often driving them
to suicide. There are three Erinnyes,
Tisiphone, Megaera, and Alecto. The
Erinnye came from the blood of Uranus
when he was castrated.
The Fates – the fates have the subtle but,
awesome power of deciding a mans destiny.
The assign a man to good or evil. There are
most obvious choice is choosing how long a
man lives. There are three Fates. Clotho, the
spinner, who spins the thread of life.
Lachesis, the measurer, who choses the lot
in life one will have and measures off how
long it is to be. Atropos, she who can not be
turn, who at death with her shears cuts the
tread of life.
The Fates are old and predate the gods. It is
not entirely clearly how far their power
extends. It is possible that they determine
the fate of the gods as well. In any case, not
even the most powerful is willing to triffle
with them.
THE LESSER GODS IN ANCIENT GREECE
in Greek Mythology, there is a fascinating,
diverse range of lesser gods or minor
deities, which personify elements of nature
or spiritual concepts.
These lesser gods can be broadly
categorized into five groups, based on
either the realm of the ancient cosmos that
they existed(gods of sky, sea, Underworld),
on an important area of ancient Greek life
(gods of love and health).
Lesser gods of sky
Iris: Iris, possibly the personification of the
rainbow, was, together with Hermes, the
Olympian gods' messenger. She was the
daughter of Thaumas and the
oceanid Electra and granddaughter
of Gaia and god Poseidon.
Most writers describe her as a virgin,
although according to one myth, she lay
with Zephyrus and gave birth to Eros.
Iris carried the waters of the river Styx, on
which the immortals took oaths. She also
conveyed Zeus's orders to the other gods
and changed form to convey the will of the
gods to mortals.
The ancient writers cite only one place
where Iris was worshipped: The island
of Hecate near the island of Delos.
Charites(Graces): The Graces were lesser
gods which personified attraction, charm
and desire. They symbolized graces and
happiness in nature and in the lives of the
mortals.
There are several myths surrounding their
exact number, their names and their
parents. According to Hesiod, they were
three and their names
were: Euphrosyne, Aglaia and Thalia. They
were the daughters of Zeus and the
oceanid Eurynome.
Others claim that their mother was
either Hera, Eunomia, or Lythe. Others
claim that their father was Uranus.
The Charites were givers of all goods. They
used flowers and fruit as symbols to civilize
the mortals' lives and they were the
providers of inspiration for all forms of art.
They were invited to all the celebrations on
Mount Olympus and they had a special
close relationship with goddess Aphrodite.
HORAE: The Horae were lesser gods which
guarded the gates of heavens and Olympus.
They symbolized the seasons and later, the
subdivisions of the day and the hour.
They were daughters of Zeus and Themis.
Their names
were Eunomia(Order), Dike(Justice)
and Eirene(Peace).
The Horae were deities of both natural and
moral order; inseparable the gave mortals
the gifts of justice, equality before the law
and a peaceful life.
NINE MUSES
MUSES: The Muses were lesser gods of
music and intellectual creation. Their cult
seems to originate from Thrace.
According to Hesiod, there were in total
nine of these Muses, who were born in
Pieria and were the daughters of Zeus
and Mnemosyne. Each one of them, was
considered to be a patron of a particular
form of art. These were:
Clio, the Muse of History
Euterpe, the Muse of music and lyric poetry
Thalia, the Muse of comedy (not to be
confused with the other Thalia, one of the
three Graces)
Melpomene, the Muse of tragedy
Terpsichore, the Muse of dance
Erato, the Muse of love poetry and music
songs
Polymnia, the Muse of sacred song and
oratory
Urania, the Muse of astronomy
Calliope, the Muse of epic or heroic poetry.
The Muses' favorite place of residence was
Mount Helicon, from which they would
descend wrapped in a cloud to chant the
events - past, present and future.
HELIUS: Helius (Sun) was the son of the
Titan Hyperion and Theia. He was brother
of Eos and Selene. According to myth, he
would tirelessly cross the sky on a chariot
that was drawn by horses with breaths of
flame, thus bringing light to gods and
mortals. At night, he would rest in a boat or
a chalice in the ocean, from where he rose
every morning.
Omniscient, proud and ruthless, the god
would punish anyone who came into
conflict with him. Once, when a son
of Nereus bragged that he was faster than
him, he punished him by turning him into a
mollusk.
There are many references of the god's
unions with both goddesses and mortal
women. Best known among his mortal
mistresses was Rhodes, after whom the
well-known greek island of Dodecanese got
its name. From their union, Helius acquired
seven sons and through them, his
grandchildren Lindos, Ialyssos and Cameiro
sfounded the island's ancient cities.
EOS: Daughter of the Titan Hyperion and
Theia and sister of Helius and Selene, Eos
was the eternally young goddess of the
dawn.
According to Homer, she would rise from
her bed each morning, to bring life to gods
and mortals.
SELENE: Selene, daughter of Hyperion, was
the personification of the moon. She was
also known as Mene.
According to myth, she lay with Zeus and
bore him the beautiful
daughters Pandia, Nemea and Herse, who
was the personification of morning dew.
The poet Mousaios is also considered to be
her son.
The cult of Selene was widespread in
Peloponese, and the Spartans would always
make sure to embark on military
campaigns, only in favorable lunar phases.
In Nemea, a city in Argolid, it was believed
that the Nemean lion killed in one of the
labors of Hercules, was Selene's son.
Because the moon's crescent resembles a
bull's horns, the goddess was depicted
seated on a bull or a cow, or on a chariot
driven by these horned beasts.
Lesser Gods of the Sea
Nereus and Nereids: Nereus was the eldest
son of Pontus and Gaia and brother
of Thaumas, Phorcys, Ceto and Eurybia. He
lived at the bottom of the Aegeian Sea and
had the gift of foretelling the future and the
ability to change its form.
Nereus lay with Doris, daughter of Oceanus.
With her, she had the Nereids, which were
lesse gods, allegedly amounting to fifty or
one hundred. The nereids lived with their
father at the bottom of the sea and helped
sailors in distress.
The most well known of the Nereids
were Amphitrite, who was the queen of the
Sea as she was married to god Poseidon,
and Thetis who was married to Peleus and
was the mother of the hero of the Trojan
War, Achilles.
Proteus: According to most mythological
accounts, the sea god Proteus was of
Egyptian origin. From Egypt, he went to
Thrace, where he married the
nymph Coronis and fathered two sons.
Like Nereus, Proteus had the ability to
transform himself, as well as the ability to
foretell the future.
Historian Herodotus mention an old
Egyptian story, according to which Proteus
was king of Egypt during the time of the
Trojan War and gave shelter
to Paris and Helen. In this version, Proteus
kept Helen, whom he later returned to her
husband Menelaus.
Sirens: The Sirens or Seirenes were lesser
gods believed to be daughters of Phorcys, or
they had been born from the blood of the
horn of the river god Achelous. Either Gaia
or one of the Muses (Terpsichore,
Melpomene or Calliope)was believed to be
their mother.
The Sirens were believed to be three in
total, their names being either Parthenope,
Leucosia and Legeia (according to the
version of the muse Terpsichore being their
mother), or Thelxipeia, Aglaope and
Pecinoe (according to the alternative
version that claims that the muse
Melpomene was their mother).
They were sweet-voiced women who had
human heads and bird bodies. They
inhabited islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea and
they were man-eaters of sailors who,
enticed by their sweet singing,would make
the mistake of approaching the shores of
the Siren's island. But, there was a horrid
omen linked with the formidable deities:
The Sirens were condemned to crash into
the sea and drown, if they once failed to
lure the sailors into their deadly trap.
As the legend goes, the Sirens met their fate
when the hero Odysseus was passing by
their island, on his return trip to Ithaca from
Troy: Being knowledgeable about their
deadly ploy, he tied his sailors to the mast
of the ship, plugging their ears with wax. He
was thus able to sail away, managing to
avoid the Sirens. As the prophecy went, the
Sirens subsequently fell into the sea and
drowned.
Ancient Greeks believed that Sirens were
responsible for the nightmares that
haunted their sleep. Yet, they also believed
that they were beneficial deities, for those
who managed to appease them.
Scylla and Charybdis: Scylla was a monstrous
creature with twelve legs, six necks and six
horrible heads, each equipped with three
rows of strong teeth. She lived on the top of
high cliff in Lower Italy overlooking the
Messenean straits and ate marine creatures
and unsuspecting travelers.
Once a beautiful nymph, she was
transformed into a monster by Amphitrite
or Circe, as a punishment for falling in love
with either Glaucus, or Poseidon.
Charybdis, another sea monster, lived
across the sea opposite Scylla and she was
the personification of whirlpools. She was
the daughter of Poseidon and Gaia, but was
changed into a monster by Zeus, as a
punishment for stealing Hercules's cattle.
Half woman, half fish, she would suck down
the waters of the sea three times a day,then
throw them back up, sucking sailors and
ships into the vortex.
Both monsters symbolized the dangers of
the open sea and the difficulties faced by
ancient sea travelers.
Oceanids: Oceanus's and Tethys's 3,000
daughters were lesser gods known as
Oceanids. The most well known of these
were two, Eurynome and Persa, wife of
god Helius and mother of sorceress Circe
and Aeetes, king of Colchis.
GODS AND NYMPHS
Nymphs: The nymphs were deities which
protected springs, forests, meadows, trees
and caves. They personified the benign
forces of nature and were especially
honored by young women, preparing to get
married.
Depending on the origin and the object they
protected, they were either
called Naiads(protectors of rivers and
wells), Orestiades (protectors of
forests), Dryads(protectors of trees)
and Agronome (protectors of meadows).
The nymphs were daughters of Zeus, while,
according to Hesiod, some of them were
born from the blood spilled by Uranus, as
narrated in the creation myth. Some others,
where allegedly the daughters of various
rivers, such as Achelous, Cephisus, Ismenus,
or Asopus.
Lesser Gods of Love
EROS
In Greek Mythology, the primary god of love
is Eros, which embodies the mutual
attraction and union of men and women.
Besides its important function in human
relationships, Eros is featured in the
creation myth narrated in "Theogony", as
one of the primary god creators of the
Universe.
In Plato's Symposium, it is mentioned that
Eros is not a god but a demon - in other
words he is one of the lesser gods - who is
the son of Poros (Wealth)
and Penia(Poverty), thus symbolizing the
fact that Eros is the driving force behind the
creation of life and the struggle for social
advancement.
In classical mythology, Eros is indeed
considered to be one of the lesser gods, son
of Eilythia, goddess of childbirth,
or Iris and Zephyrus; in other myths he is
considered to be the son
of Aphrodite and Zeus, Ares, or Hermes.
In art, he is mostly depicted as a
beautiful,playful and winged boy who
carries his bow and arrows, which carry the
sweet poison tormenting the souls of both
mortals and immortals, when they are hit.
Lesser Gods of the Underworld
Dike: Existing in the underworld realm, Dike
personified justice through retribution.
According to Hesiod, Dike was one of the
three Charites (or Graces), daughter of Zeus
and Themis.
Dike is linked with the ancient greek custom
of persecution of the guilty, either by the
community or by the victim's family. Her
assistants were the Erinyes (Furies), who
hound criminals.
Nemesis: In Greek Mythology, Nemesis was
one of the lesser gods that personified the
retribution casted upon all mortals who had
been sacrilegious, disrespectful, or arrogant.
In other words, it embodied the gods'
frustration against the mortals who had
exceeded the boundaries of moderation -
even extreme success.
The cult of Nemesis was quite widespread
in Asia Minor. In Smyrna, in particular,
coins have been found which depict the
head of Nemesis on their face. In addition,
she was depicted in statues in Olympia and
on the island of Thassos, as well as on
reliefs in Thessaloniki.
Keres: Ker, or "the lady of death" as Homer
describes her, was a goddess of destruction,
violent death and vengeance who wandered
around battle fields with Eris(Discord)
and Kydoemus, a war demon who is the
personification of the noise of the battle. Ker
wore a garment which was dyed red from
the blood spilled during a battle.
In other accounts, the Keres were two
demons who were blood-soaked, black,
winged figures with human form. The
ancient Greeks believed that the Keres
followed anyone who was destined to have
a violent death, from the day he or she was
born, until the day he or she died.
Harpies: Harpies were winged, predatory
deities, who snatched the souls of the
mortals to bring them to Hades.
They were the daughters of Thaumas, son
of Pontus and Gaia, and the oceanid Electra.
They were sisters of Iris.
Erinyes (Furies): The winged Erinyes were
horrible, subterranean lesser gods of destiny
and revenge.
According to Hesiod, they were born from
the drops of blood that fell on the earth was
Uranus was castrated.
The Erinyes persecuted and haunted all
those who upset the order of things by
performing deeds which are generally
unacceptable. Notable examples of such
cases, were the persecution of Oresteswho,
according to the relevant myth, committed
matricide and the case of Oedipus, who
committed patricide.
There were different versions about their
exact number and their names. According
to the most prevalent one, they were three
and their names were Alecto (she who is
not mollified), Tisiphone (the avenger of
murders) and Megaera (the spirit of
hatred).
Black and wearing black clothes, they had a
fierce look, foul-smelling, fiery breath, foam
around their mouths, snakes in their hair
and hands and they flew through the air
chasing their victim. Neither mortals nor
gods could escape their rage.
Charon: The son of Nyx (Night) and Erebus,
the ferryman Charon would deliver the souls
of the dead to Hades, in return for a fee of
one obol.
Over time, the ferryman who would
transport the souls across the Acheron
River, became a personification of death Especially in Cos, according to local
and the underworld. mythology, two sons of Asclepius settled on
the island and became the founders
Lesser Gods of Healing of Asclepieiades, doctors who formed a
guild and passed their knowledge about
medicine to posterity, through secret
Asclepius: According to the most prevalent
rituals.
myth, Asclepius was the son of god Apollo
and Coronis, daughter of king Phlegyas of
Hygeia, which was a deity that personified
Thessaly. His birth was quite
good health, appeared to be a daughter of
adventurous, as described in the relevant
Asclepius,as well as, according to other
chapter of Apollo's profile.
myths, his wife.
He was then given by his father to centaur
Cheiron to raise him and teach him the
science of healing. Asclepius's skills as a
doctor became so advanced, that he could
even raise the dead, prompting the jealousy
of the Olympian gods and the rage of Zeus,
who struck him with a lightning bolt.

Asclepius became so revered across Greece

for his extraordinary healing skills, that he
was worshipped everywhere in thw ancient
Greek world and its colonies. In classical
times, Epidaurus was recognized as the
metrolopis of Asclepius's cult.
The places of his worship were
called Ascleipeions. The most famous of
these which were spread in Greece, was
located at Epidaurus. Patients who were
coming from the four corners of Greece to
be healed by Asclepius, stayed within the
temple overnight. As they believed, the god
would appear in their sleep, thus restoring
their good health.
The Ascleipions were usually built in healthy
environments - for instance in woods or
near thermal spas. The cure included baths,
diet and exercise. Prominent sanctuaries
were located in Athens, in Piraeus, on the
island of Cos and in Trikala.
STORIES
Pandoras Box
Characters:
1. Prometheus – Prometheus and
Epimetheus were members of ancient tribe
of Greek Gods called the Titans.
Prometheus means “forethought” and he
could see into the future. His brother was
Epimetheus, or “hindsight”.n Prometheus
created man from clay and water. When the
gods called Olympians denied man
knowledge fire, Prometheus stole it from
them and give it to man.
2. Zeus – Zeus was the king of the Greek
Gods called Olympians. The Greeks
worshiped him as a god of the sky, law,
justice and morality. He ordered Pandora’s
as retribution for Prometheus rebellious
behaviour.
3. Hephaestus – Hephaestus was the god of
volcanoes, fire, blacksmiths and craftsmen,
especially those who worked with metal. He
sculpted Pandora out of Earth and water.
4. Aphrodite – According to the poet
Hesiod, Aphrodite was born when the Titan
Cronus castrated Uranus, Father of the
gods, and threw his genitals into the sea.
Aphrodite rose from the resulting foam. she
was also the goddess of love, sexuality and
beauty.
5. Apollo – Apollo was the son of Zeus and
the Titan Leto and twin brother of Artemis,
goddess of the hunt. He is the god of light,
music, prophecy, medicine, plague, dance,
poetry, intellectual curiosity, herds and
flocks.
6. Hermes – Was the god’s of messenger
and the god of travellers, merchants,
weights, measures, orators, literature,
athletes and thieves. He is known for his
shrewdness, cunning and trickery. He
granted Pandora a thieving sconniving
personality.
7. Athena – Was the goddess of wisdom,
the arts, justice, skill and war. She sprang
fully grown and fully armed from her
father’s skull. Athena became the patron
goddess of Athens After contest with
Poseidon to see who could give the people
the better gift. Poseidon presented sea
water but it too salty to be useful.
Summary:
The story of Pandora’s box begins with
the story of Zeus, Prometheus, and
Epimetheus. Prometheus and his brother
Epimetheus were Titans but pledged their
loyalty to Zeus and the Olympians, since
Prometheus was born with special power of
prophecy and knew that Zeus would defeat
the Titans. Zeus rewarded Prometheus And
Epimetheus for their loyalty and gave them
job of creating the first creature to live on
Earth.
Epimetheus formed the animals and
gave each a special skill and form
protection. Prometheus took his time
molding man, and was less with no forms of
protection since Epimetheus had already
given them all away. Prometheus knew man
needed some form of protection and asked
Zeus if he could let man have fire. Zeus
refused. Fire was the only for the gods.
Prometheus ignored Zeus and gave man fire
anyway. For this Prometheus was punished.
Zeus tied him with chains to a rock far away
in the Caucasus Mountains where nobody
would find him. Everyday Zeus sent an Eagle
to feast upon Prometheus’ liver, which grew
back everyday so that Prometheus would
have to endure this torture daily until
Heracles found Prometheus and killed the
eagle and let Prometheus go.
This torture wasn’t enough of a
punishment for Zeus who also believed that
humans should punished for accepting the
gift of fire from Prometheus. To punish
man, Zeus created a woman named
Pandora. She was molded to look like the
beautiful goddess Aphrodite. She received
the gifts of wisdom, beauty, kindness,
peace, generosity, and health from the
gods.
Zeus brought her to earth to br
Epimetheus wife. Even though Epimetheus
brother, Prometheus, had warned him of
Zeus trickery and told him not to accepts
gifts from gods, Epimetheus was taken too
with her beauty and wanted to marry her
anyway.
As a wedding present, Zeus gave
Pandora a box (in ancient Greece this was
called a jar) but warned her never to open
it. Pandora, Who was created to be curious,
couldn’t stay away from the box and the
urge to open the box overcame her,
Horrible things flew out of the box including
greed, envy hatred, pain, disease, hunger,
poverty, war, and death. All of life miseries
had been let out into the world Pandora
slammed the lid of the box back down. The
last thing remaining inside of the box was
hope. Ever since, humans have been able to
hold onto this hope in order to survive the
wickedness that Pandora let out.
“Pandora’s box” now means anything that is
best left untouched, for fear of what might
come out of it.
The Fall of Icarus
Character List
Daedalus:
Daedalus was an Athenian inventor,
sculptor, and architect. His parentage
are conflicting, many saying he was the
son of either Athena, Alcippe, etc.
Among the many things he constructed,
was the labyrinth requested by King
Minos. However, he was eventually
locked up inside the labyrinth with his
son, Icarus. Eventually, he was able to
escape.
Icarus:
Icarus was the son of Daedalus. Together
with his father, they are locked up in the
labyrinth. Due to his rashness and
juvenile character, he flew too close to
the sun during their escape, and
plummeted into the ocean, and died.
King Minos:
King Minos was the ungrateful king of
Crete. He is known for angering many
gods, and causing suffering to his
subjects. Among the many consequences
he suffered was the creation of the
Minotaur, prompting him to persuade
Daedalus to build the labyrinth. He later
locked Daedalus inside the labyrinth.
Minotaur:
The Minotaur is a half-man, half-bull
creature, son to Queen Pasiphae, King
Minos' wife, and a white bull, as a
punishment towards King Minos'
ingratitude towards the gods. He was the
reason the labyrinth in Crete was
created.
Theseus
The man who volunteered to be a
sacrifice in order to defeat Minotaur. Fell
in love with the king’s daughter.
Adriadne

The daughter of king Minos and lover of
Theseus.
Setting
The setting of the story Fall of Icarus is
Crete. Crete is said to be the largest island
in Greece, and it is the home of many
stories in Greek Mythology.
Summary
The story of Icarus is one of those legends
of Greek mythology that fascinates
audiences especially because of the
character’s desire to go beyond human
boundaries as well as for the tragic
consequences this brought about.
The myth of Daedalus and Icarus tells the
story of a father and a son who used wings
to escape from the island of Crete. Icarus
has become better-known as the flyer who
fell from the sky when the wax that joined
his wings was melted by the heat of the
sun.
The legend of the mythological Icarus is
closely related to a number of other
narrations centered on Crete, the place
where Dedalus worked as a craftsman and
built a maze to keep the feared Minotaur
under control.
The tragic fall of Icarus begins with his
father, in fact, he suffered and paid for
Daedalus deeds.
Daedalus used to work as an artisan in
Athens, together with a skillful apprentice
named Talus. In a moment of rage and
jealousy, Daedalus pushed Talus off the
rock of the Acropolis but was unable to kill
him. Goddess Athena turned the apprentice
into a bird and Dedalus, charged with
murder, was forced to seek refuge on Crete.
Once on the island of the Minotaur, Dedalus
started a new life working in the palace of
King Minos. He married Naucrate, a slave,
who gave birth to Icarus.
Under King Minos’ orders, Daedalus was
asked to build a space able to contain the
Minotaur. But instead of coming up with a
prison cell, Dedalous decided that a
complex labyrinth would be the best place
to hide the monster. It was such a perfect
construction that those entering the maze
were never able to leave.
However, the existence of a Minotaur was
secret to most of the inhabitants of the
island and wanting the monster to remain
so, the king locked up Daedalus and his
family so that the secret would never be
revealed.
Cunningly, Dedalus elaborated an idea to
escape that did not require going through
land or sea. The only possible way that they
could leave the island would have been to
be able to fly. Thus, Dedalus started
gathering feathers from birds which later
transformed into wings stuck together with
wax. One pair of wings was going to be for
him and the other for Icarus, his son.
When the moment to escape arrived,
Dedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close
to the sun, but he did not listen to his father
and fell into the sea when, after getting to
close to the sun, the wax in his wings
melted and fell apart.
Expressions of human fears and nature,
symbols represent deep intuitive wisdom
and truth. They put into words everything
that is hard to comprehend by reason.
The flight of Icarus might be seen under the
light of balance, equilibrium, and
moderation. A compromise between the
risk for flying too high, thus melting the wax
with the sun, or too low, weighing down the
wings by the spray of the water.
The moral of the myth warns against the
needless search of instant satisfaction, in a
way underlying the idea of sophrosyne
(Greek: σωφροσύνη), a term that stands for
healthy-mindedness, implying self-control
guided by knowledge and balance.
PROMETHEUS BOUND
By Aeschylus
CHARACTERS
Prometheus - The protagonist of the play.
Prometheus aided Zeus against his fellow
Titans only to be punished for giving fire to
human beings. Prometheus demonstrates
the value of thought and knowledge in
progress as well as in the opposition and
temperance of tyrannical power. He is a
rare example of a Greek tragic hero whose
faults, such as excessive pride and
stubbornness, ennoble him. Prometheus
opposes Zeus because of his anger over his
punishment, bolstered by his anger over the
mistreatment of his brothers and Io. He is
also driven to opposition by a belief in the
value friendship. His friendship for
humanity is the cause of his punishment,
but he views as equally important Zeus's
inability to recognize the importance of
friendship. Prometheus shows that if
intellect and force cannot work together,
then intellect must oppose force, since it is
useless if dominated by power.
Zeus - Though he does not appear in the
play, Zeus clearly deserves mention as a
major character. He rules by his own laws,
creating a world where no one but him can
be free. Both the objects of his hatred and
his love can easily fall to misfortune since
Zeus, unfamiliar with sympathy and pity,
does not concern himself with the welfare
of others. Unable to rule through any
means other than brute force, Zeus is
presented as a perfect example of a fairly
stupid but powerful tyrant who shows no
regard for others not because he is evil but
because he hasn't given it any thought.
Zeus's servants take it for granted that
everyone must be taught to love him and
hate his enemies. Zeus's rule demands that
his servants surrender any trace of
individuality in obedience to his will.
Hermes - A mindless servant of Zeus.
Hermes appears in sharp contrast to
Prometheus. Like his master, Hermes
understands neither friendship nor pity, but
only force and obedience. Hermes is certain
that he is on the right side, and certain also
that his master is all-powerful. Though he
comes down from Olympus to question
Prometheus about the future threat to
Zeus's power, Hermes clearly does not take
this threat seriously. He is highly arrogant,
but not horribly bright as illustrated in a
scene where every insult and accusations he
throws at Prometheus gets turned around
by the recipient and shipped back in force.
Io - A victim of Zeus's love. Io is exiled from
her home because Zeus wishes to deflower
her. Transformed into a cow, she wanders
the earth awaiting salvation. Io is seen as a
parallel to Prometheus: though she suffers,
in the end she will be freed and rewarded.
Her descendant will free Prometheus,
bonding their fates together. As the only
human, despite being technically bovine, in
the play, Io ties the cosmic conflict of gods
to known human history and geography as
Prometheus documents her wanderings and
the future of her offspring.
Oceanids - Serve the proper role of a
Chorus in Greek tragedy. The Oceanids
advocate adherence to the moral norm to a
protagonist who has deviated from that
norm. Until the end, the Oceanids maintain
two moral orientations. First, they
consistently demonstrate sympathy with
the hero's suffering and avow their
friendship. Second, they counsel him to bow
down to a greater power and tone down his
defiance since nothing good can come of
opposing Zeus. By deviating from the moral
norm at the end, however, the Oceanids
manage to establish a new moral norm that
contradicts Zeus's own laws.
Oceanus - Comfortable in his service to
Zeus, Oceanus believes that one should not
rock the boat but simply obey. He agrees
that Zeus is too harsh and extends his
sympathy to Prometheus with an offer of
help. Something about Oceanus's advice
and his demeanor seems a little off-putting,
however. First, he suggests that one should
simply give up and accept injustice rather
than fighting it—Prometheus should stop
being defiant and not provoke a stubborn
and excessive Zeus. Second, Prometheus
clearly does not trust Oceanus, telling him
much less than he had told the Chorus only
a moment ago. Oceanus, while counseling
his friend and expressing sympathy, seems
to be waiting to leave the entire time—he
does not get off his winged animal and
states that it is eager to fly home, as if his
visit to Prometheus was only a chore on a
long list.
Hephaestus - Like Oceanus, Hephaestus is
an obedient but unwilling servant. He bows
to Zeus's force, but wishes he did not have
to. Hephaestus first introduces pity and
friendship into the tragedy while chiding
Zeus's servants for their insensitivity. Yet
Hephaestus does what he is told, showing
him to be closer to Kratus than to
Prometheus in his outlook. Hephaestus,
however, seems to obey more out of fear
than out of a complete identification with
his ruler, which seems more the case with
Kratus and Hermes.
Kratus - or Force, simply accepts Zeus's
orders completely. Zeus's justice, for Kratus,
is the only possible justice. Kratus cannot
understand how someone might fail to hate
an enemy of Zeus. He shows an absolute
identification of a slave with his master,
taking Zeus's thoughts as his thoughts and
Zeus's orders as his maxims. Unlike
Hephaestus and Oceanus, Kratus
experiences no friendship or pity because
he has no value system outside the one
imposed on him by Zeus. The name Kratus
means force, so as a representative of Zeus,
this character demonstrates the nature of
Zeus's rule.
Bia - Bia's name means violence,
representing the nature of Zeus's power.
Bia is a silent character, helping Kratus bring
Prometheus to the rock to be chained. We
can assume that what holds for Kratus holds
also for Bia.
PLOT SUMMARY
The scene is a rocky wilderness in Scythia,
the "end of the earth" according to the
Greeks. Prometheus has been brought here
by Force and Violence, led by Hephaistos,
the god of fire. They have been ordered by
Zeus to chain Prometheus to a cliff and, to
be sure he stays put, to drive a spike
through his chest. Although Hephaistos has
reason to be unhappy with Prometheus, he
is reluctant to so humiliate a fellow
immortal. But Force has no qualms.
Violence, significantly, says nothing
throughout the scene, but happily does the
dirty work. They leave Prometheus alone.
As Prometheus laments his fate, a chorus of
sea birds fly in to console and to mourn for
him. He explains to them that he has helped
humans out of pity for their helplessness.
He also hints that he knows how Zeus can
be overthrown.
Ocean, the spirit of the sea, comes riding in
on a grotesque sea monster, offering to
make a personal plea before Zeus in
Prometheus' behalf. When he is warned just
how dangerous this might be, he thinks
better of it and leaves.
Next, Io blunders into the scene. She was
one of many human women in whom Zeus
had taken a romantic interest. Hera
punished Io by turning her into a
halfwoman; half-cow, and set a gadfly to
chase her around the world. She is another
victim of the gods' indifferent cruelty to
humans. To her, Prometheus reveals that
Zeus will be defeated by another amorous
relationship, but he will not give details. He
also reveals to Io what her future will be
and how, many years later, one of her
offspring, the hero Herakles, will release
him from his suffering. Io then flees, stung
by Hera's gadfly.
The chorus of sea birds speaks solemnly of
the danger inherent in traffic with the gods,
vowing to live their lives according to the
situation Fate has allotted them.
At this point, Hermes, messenger of the
gods, arrives to demand from Prometheus
just what this secret is about Zeus.
Prometheus refuses to tell what he
foresees. Hermes then threatens him with
further punishment. He will be crushed
under an avalanche. Then, many centuries
later, after he struggles to the surface, he
will be imprisoned again and an eagle will
arrive every day to eat away his liver, which
will grow back again at night. (A Titan is
immortal; he cannot die. This means that
Prometheus' suffering can go on as long as
the earth lasts. When it perishes, all
creation, including the gods, will disappear.)
Prometheus still refuses and Hermes leaves,
warning the chorus members to save
themselves. They say they will stay with
Prometheus. Then thunder rolls; it is Zeus,
who calls the mountain down upon the
Titan, who shouts his defiance to the end.
And so the first part of the trilogy ends in
dramatic fashion, with thunder and an
avalanche. While the second and third plays
have been lost, scholars can piece together
basic plots for them, using surviving
fragments and the general outline of the
myth. In them, Prometheus suffers further
punishment - the liver-eating eagle - until
he is finally set free by Herakles and
reconciled with Zeus, the king of the gods
whom Prometheus has so stubbornly
defied.
King Midas and the Golden Touch
Charcters
King Midas, king of Pessinus Dionysus, god
of wine
Silenus, a satyr and friend of Dionysus
Phaedra, daughter of King Midas
Setting
The play takes place in the ancient Greek
city of Pessinus, the capital of Phrygia.
Midas was a king of great fortune who ruled
the country of Phrygia, in Asia Minor. He
had everything a king could wish for. He
lived in luxury in a great castle. He shared
his life of abundance with his beautiful
daughter. Even though he was very rich,
Midas thought that his greatest happiness
was provided by gold. His avarice was such
that he used to spend his days counting his
golden coins! Occasionally he used to cover
his body with gold objects, as if he wanted
to bath in them. Money was his obsession.
One day, Dionyssus, the god of wine and
revelry, passed through the kingdom of
Midas. One of his companions, a satyr
named Silenus, got delayed along the way.
Silenus got tired and decided to take a nap
in the famous rose gardens surrounding the
palace of king Midas. There, he was found
by the king, who recognized him instantly
and invited him to spend a few days at his
palace. After that, Midas took him to
Dionyssus. The god of celebration, very
grateful to Midas for his kindness, promised
Midas to satisfy any wish of him. Midas
though for a while and then he said: I hope
that everything I touch becomes gold.
Dionyssus warned the king to think well
about his wish, but Midas was positive.
Dionyssus could do nothing else and
promised the king that from that following
day everything he touched would turn into
gold.
The curse
The next day, Midas, woke up eager to see
if his wish would become true. He extended
his arm touching a small table that
immediately turned into gold. Midas
jumped with happiness! He then touched a
chair, the carpet, the door, his bathtub, a
table and so he kept on running in his
madness all over his palace until he got
exhausted and happy at the same time! He
sat at the table to have breakfast and took a
rose between his hands to smell its
fragrance. When he touched it, the rose
became gold. I will have to absorb the
fragrance without touching the roses, I
suppose, he thought in disappointment.
Without even thinking, he ate a grape but it
also turned into gold! The same happened
with a slice of bread and a glass of water.
Suddenly, he started to sense fear. Tears
filled his eyes and that moment, his beloved
daughter entered the room. When Midas
hugged her, she turned into a golden
statue! Despaired and fearful, he raised his
arms and prayed to Dionyssus to take this
curse from him.

The atonement

The god heard Midas and felt sorry for him.

He told Midas to go to river Pactolus and
wash his hands. Midas did so: he ran to the
river and was astonished to see gold flowing
from his hands. The ancient Greeks said
they had found gold on the banks of the
river Pactolus. When he turned home,
everything Midas had touched had become
normal again.

Midas hugged his daughter in full happiness

and decided to share his great fortune with
his people. From now on, Midas became a
better person, generous and grateful for all
goods of his life. His people led a
prosperous life and when he died, they all
mourned for their beloved king.