Seminar 2

1. Read the Supplement and speak on: the definition of myth and
mythology; special features of a myth; the difference between myths,
legends, and folktales.

myth (Gk mūthos, ‘anything uttered by word of mouth’) In general a

myth is a story which is not ‘true’ and which involves (as a rule)
supernatural beings – or at any rate supra-human beings. Myth is always
concerned with creation and explains how something came to exist.
Myth embodies feeling and concept . Nowadays a myth tends to signify
a fiction, but a fiction which conveys a psychological truth.

Mythology (from the Greek mythos for story-of-the-people, and logos for word

or speech, so the spoken story of a people) is the study and interpretation of
often sacred tales or fables of a culture known as myths or the collection of such
stories which deal with various aspects of the human condition: good and evil;
the meaning of suffering; human origins; the origin of place-names, animals,
cultural values, and traditions; the meaning of life and death; the afterlife; and
the gods or a god. Myths express the beliefs and values about these subjects
held by a certain culture.
What one calls “mythology” in the present day, it should be remembered, was
the religion of the ancient past. The stories which make up the corpus of ancient
mythology served the same purpose for the people of the time as the stories
from accepted scripture do for people today: they explained, comforted, and
directed an audience and, further, provided a sense of unity, cohesion, and
protection to a community of like-minded believers.
Ten Characteristics of a Myth

1. A myth is a story that is, or was considered, a true explanation of the

natural world and how it came to be.

2. Characters are often non-human and are typically gods, goddesses,

supernatural beings or mystical “fist people.”

3. Setting is typically ancient, or prior to the time when actual records were
kept. Myths are typically set in a world very similar to our own, but with
supernatural monsters or areas.

4. The plot of a myth may take place between a supernatural world and our
present day world. Myths do this to highlight the basic human behaviors that are
essential in any setting.
5. Myths possess events that bend or break natural laws. This is often done
to magnify the “super-naturalness” of the mythical world.

6. Promotes “Social Action”—myths try to tell people how to act and live. Core
values such as individualism, family and community are often instilled in
mythical heroes.

7. Myths have sense of mystery, or the unknown.

8. Dualities (or complete opposites such as night/day, good/evil) often play

important roles in the plot of a myth.

9. Myths often have an emphasis on language… Mythical heroes are often

sophisticated storytellers.

10. Myths are often metaphoric—that is, myths are created to comment or
analyze a real world event. Real world questions that myths often attempt to
answer are:
 Why are we here?
 Who are we?
 Why are we living? What is our purpose?

Folktale
Folktales also stem from an oral tradition, passed down by the 'folk' who told
them. The term 'folktale' is often used interchangeably with fable, since
folktales can have a lesson at the end. Folktales are different from fables
because they feature people as their main characters, but often with a twist. For
example, stories like 'Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox' and the American
cowboy Pecos Bill lassoing a tornado, show people and animals performing
amazing feats of strength. Just as there are folk in every country, every country
has its own folktales. Sometimes, countries as far apart as China and France can
have very similar traditional tales. The story of 'Stone Soup', for example, is one
told all over the world. 
A common version of 'Stone Soup' begins with three soldiers, hungry and tired,
entering a village. The villagers are greedy, not looking to share their food, but
the strangers are smart. They put large stones in a pot to boil in the town square,
and the villagers stop by one-by-one to ask what they are making. 
Soon, each villager is convinced to add an onion or some carrots or a handful of
beans to the 'stone soup'. At the story's end, a delicious feast is enjoyed by the
entire village, brought together by strangers. Found in different countries across
the world, the folktale of 'Stone Soup' serves as a reminder to people to work
together, share their resources and show hospitality to the needy among them.
A myth is a story that was made up by people who wanted to explain how or
why our world works, how it came to be, how we should treat each other, why
hurricanes happen, and so on.
Myths were sort of like our ancient ancestors’ version of science. Myths
explained how natural events occurred and are set in really ancient times; before
history even began. These myths are generally passed on from parents to kids,
and when those kids grew up to be parents, they would tell their kids, and so on.
The word “Myth” actually comes from the Greek word “mythos” meaning
“word of mouth.”
Myths were shared by groups of people all throughout the world and became a
really big part of their community. Greek mythology is one of the most popular
examples of this. Their myths generally centered around various gods and
goddesses. Sometimes days were even set apart to have big celebrations because
of these myths.

Legends! Legends are stories that people made up as well. However, legends

are about real life people and what they did. Legends always have an
important purpose, but the facts are always a little exaggerated to make them
more interesting and exciting! Generally, some of the facts are dramatically
altered and the person the legend is about never really did what the story says.

Now, a fable is also a story that is passed down. A fable’s overall purpose is to
teach a lesson. However, all the characters in a fable are things that can’t
normally talk. A fable is about animals, plants, or forces of nature that can talk
and act like humans.
Fairy tales are probably one of the most popular today. Fairy tales are
specifically for kids, and often have a lot to do with magic; like a fairy
godmother, elves, or any supernatural character. Animals can also be characters
in a fairy tale. Fairy tales always have good characters and evil
characters. A lot of times fairy tales begin by saying “once upon a time.”

So let’s do a quick review:

Myths- are stories that are passed down about how or why something came to
be.
Legends- are designed to teach a lesson about a real person in History, with a
few facts dramatically changed.
Fables- are stories that are passed down, with a good lesson to be learned, and
are about animals, plants, or forces of nature that are humanlike.
Fairy tales- are stories that are specifically for kids, involve magical characters,
have good and evil characters, and generally start with “once upon a time.”

2. Consider major types of myths and comment on their basic

characteristics.
Major types of myth

a). Myths of origin. The Greeks had a number of creation myths.

Cosmogony (refers to the origin of the world in a neutral fashion)
and creation myth (implies a creator and something created). Cosmogony
sets the pattern for everything else; other myths are related to it or
derived from it. The goddess-worshipping Pelasgians, who supposedly
entered Greece around 3,500 BCE, proclaimed (according to a myth
reconstructed by Robert Graves) that creation began when Eurynome
Юриноум, the goddess of all things, arose from Chaos, separated the sea
from the sky, and started to dance. As she whirled (turned) around, she
generated the wind, which swelled into a giant serpent and mated (they made
love) with her, whereupon she turned into a dove and laid the cosmic egg.
Then the serpent (snake) wound its body around the egg seven times and
remained in that position until the egg was hatched. When the shell cracked
open, the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, and all the plants and animals
tumbled forth. Afterward, Eurynome and the serpent, whose name was
Ophion, retired to Mount Olympus. Ophion tried to take credit for creation,
and Eurynome banished him to an underground cave. Some time later, she
gave birth to the Titans. Chief among them were Kronos and Rhea, who
gave birth to Demeter (goddess of earth), Hades (underworld), Hestia,
Poseidon (the sea), Hera, and Zeus, king of the gods.
The 8th century poet Hesiod tells a different story. In the beginning, he
writes, there was Chaos - not a deity, not a personality, but simply a
“yawning void”. From Chaos came Earth (Gaia), Night, Darkness, the
underworld (Tartarus), and Eros. Eros is not really a god, though. He's a
quality, a kind of energy. Think of him as the force of attraction (Cupid).
But don't think of him as a character for he doesn't interact - at least not in
the myth Hesiod tells. He reports that Gaia gave birth by herself (“without
pleasant love”) to the hills, the sea, and the starry sky, a deity named Uranus
with whom she mated.
Her children with Uranus included: the three one-eyed Cyclopes; the three
Hecatonchires (insolent monsters, each of whom had a hundred arms and fifty
heads; and the twelve Titans. The Titans are: Oceanus, Tethys, Koios, Phoebe,
Hyperion, Thea, Krius, Iapetos, Themis (Justice), Mnemosyne (Memory), Rhea,
and Kronos. They paired off and had thousands of children, a few of whom are
also considered Titans. They are:
• Atlas (holding the sky), Prometheus ПромІсіас(stole the fire from Zeus), and
Epimetheus ЕпІмесіс + ПЕндера ;
• Helios (the sun), Selene (the moon), and Eos (dawn);
• Leto, the mother of Artemis and Apollo.
The last to be born was Kronos, who attacked his father, Uranus, married his
sister Rhea, and was conquered by his son, Zeus.

b). Myths of origin of the gods – theogony: Uranus (sky) – Chronos (time)–
Zeus – Olympian gods and goddesses. Recall the names of the Olympian gods
(the Twelve Olympians), their Latin names (Athena / Minerva (Roman);
Apollo; Aphrodite / Venus Венера; Ares / Mars; Artemis / Diana; Demeter /
Ceres (fertility); Dionysus (extasy, wine) / Bacchus; Hermes / Mercury; Hestia /
Vesta (home); Hera / Juno; Hephaestus / Vulcan; Zeus / Jupiter), point out their
functions, and compare what unites and separates them.
c). Myths of eschatology and destruction
Why are tales of the flood so widespread? Was the destruction so awesome
that, all over the world, people tell similar stories of near-universal
punishment? Whatever the reason, the repetition of narrative elements,
ranging from plot (a mortal is told to build or aboard a ship of peculiar size)
to symbols (the dove) to the names of characters (Noah in the Bible, Nu Gua
or Nuwa in a Chinese tale), seems mysterious.
Flood myths usually follow this pattern:

• Cause: The flood is humanities punishment.

• Size: The flood covers the whole land or world.
• Survivors: A few people survive because they are good.
• Signs: There’s a sign of hope, e.g., a rainbow, a dove – to show that
life will go on.
When Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, the violence of the act
terrified people. Panic swept through the population and “the whole
world shuddered”, wrote the Roman poet Ovid (who was not born until
the following year). That reaction reminded Ovid of the way the gods
felt when they heard that Lycaon, the king of Arcadia, was scheming
against them. So, Jupiter decided to investigate. He appeared at Lycaon's
door and announced himself. Lycaon, doubting the stranger’s identity,
asked him to submit to a test. He sacrificed a prisoner, roasted and
boiled the victim’s flesh, and piled the steaming meats on a platter,
which he set in front of the god. Jupiter detected the human meat
immediately. It made him so angry that he turned Lycaon into a wolf and
 decided to destroy humanity and start all over again. Fortunately, just as
he was about to let loose a barrage of thunder and lightning, he
remembered the one force greater than himself: fate, which had decreed
that at some unspecified time in the future the world would erupt in
flames and the universe would collapse. Not wanting to spark that final
fire, Jupiter decided to put the lightning bolts aside and destroy the
world with another weapon: water. Or maybe Zeus flooded the earth
because he was angry that Prometheus had stolen fire and given it to
mankind, thereby granting human beings powers that the other gods
didn’t wish them to have. In any case, the water rose so high that the
birds, unable to find a place to alight, fell into the sea, exhausted.
Everyone might have died were it not for Prometheus, who had warned
his son Deucalion, the best man who ever lived. Deucalion constructed
an ark (kovcheg) for himself and his wife Pyrrha, and so they survived
the storm.

The honored American poet Robert Lee Frost (1874–1963) wrote his classic
poem “Fire and Ice” (1920) as an original modification of the ancient
eschatological myth and a variation of Canto 32 in Dante’s Inferno. Speak on
the influence of the old mythology and the political situation of actual time
(between two World wars) on the imagery and spirit of the poem.

He was sure the WWI was the last one.

Flood – 1) destructive force
2) covers the land

d). Myths of origin of humans (anthropogenesis)

Many mythologies report that no matter what substance they use to form
human beings, be it as fine as gold or as course as stone, the gods had to
make repeated attempts before they got it right, even when that meant
wiping out an entire species and starting anew. In these stories, one form
of humanity – or one mythological era – follows the next until, at last,
we come to ourselves and the present day. Whether each “age” of
humanity represents a historical epoch or a developmental stage such as
infancy, adolescence or adulthood, this much is clear: the current crop of
human beings is not the first and not necessarily the best but simply the
most recent prototype of an evolving race.
• Prometheus (‘a person who looks forward, predicts) as the first creator
– he made a man from clay; Deucalion дікейліон (son) and his
wife Pyrrha піра were the sole survivors after the flood. When they were
finally able to get back on land (on Mount Parnassos), they gave thank
offerings to Zeus and consulted the oracle how they might replenish the
earth with humans once again. They were told to throw the bones of
their mother behind their shoulder and the human race would reappear.
Since the mother of all is Earth, they threw stones and reformed the
human race. The stones thrown by Pyrrha became women; those thrown
by Deucalion became men. They consulted an oracle (orare – speaking)-
a person who speaks with the God (or pretends to); information that this
person gives to us; when we want to know the future, we come to an
oracle (only men, the female’s future was predicted- merry a man, give
birth to kids)
• During the reign of Kronos, the gods of Mount Olympus created the
first race of mortals. Hesiod says they were made of gold. The Roman
poet Ovid characterizes the time in which they lived as a Golden Age.
Both agree that their lives were idyllic, for (as Hesiod says) “they lived
with happy hearts/ untouched by work or sorrow”. They drank from
rivers of milk and ate honey, cherries, acorns, and corn that grew of its
own accord, even though the ground was uncultivated. They experienced
neither sickness nor “vile old age” but died easily in their sleep. In those
days, there were no laws and people were not stressed by judges. Yet
men behaved as they should, without fear or compulsion. Eventually,
Zeus overthrew Kronos, who was banished to the dark recesses of
Tartarus, and the people of the Golden Age died out. Hesiod says that
they still exist as spirits who give us wealth and keep us safe from harm.
The gods next created a silver race, inferior to the gold both in stature
and in mind. Also at that time, the world changed. Spring was no longer
perennial. The year divided into seasons and, for the first time, rainy
weather caused people to seek shelter. Ovid says they began to live in
caves, built dwellings out of branches, and cultivated corn. Hesiod's
picture of the Silver Age is considerably stranger. Growing up, a child of
the Silver Age “was raised at home a hundred years/ And played, huge
baby, by his mother's side”. That long childhood was followed by a
brief, anguished, out-of-control adulthood in which the people of the
Silver Age injured one another. Worse, they failed to sacrifice to the
gods, which angered Zeus so much that he got rid of them. The silver
race was buried in the ground but, like the golden race, they still exist.
They are the spirits of the underworld, “inferior to the gold”, Hesiod
says, “but honored too”. Zeus then fashioned a third race of mortals.
Terrible and strong, the bronze people ate no bread, and they loved
violence and war. They killed themselves off and went to Hades. The
fourth race was a definite improvement, for this time Zeus created the
demigods (the Greeks called them heroes (masculine – feminine;
heroine – Helen of Troy, Sparta, daughter of Zeus and Leda, the most
beautiful woman of the world). That was a special name for semi-gods,
just as Jesus Christ. One of the parents was a god and the second – a
mortal. E.g., Hercules – the beloved son of Zeus and the mortal
 Alcmene; Achilles, from Greek Ахіл– the hero of the Trojan War, one
of the most well-known heroes in Greek mythology, he was the ideal
hero for Alexander the Great. So his father was mortal, but his mother
was a Nymth. The heroes fought in Thebes фіби and sailed to Troy.
Many of these noble heroes died and were buried. Others live a carefree
existence in the Blessed Isles Ілізіум at the edge of the earth. Finally,
Zeus made a fifth race: the miserable race of iron, which work, grieve,
grow weary and die. During the Iron Age, men began to sail in ships and
to survey and divide the land. Crime, treachery, robbery, and greed
appeared. Friends fought, brotherly love was rare, and according to
Ovid, “Husbands waited eagerly for the deaths of their wives, and wives
for that of their husbands”. Things reached such a sorry pass that Justice,
the last goddess to remain on earth, finally abandoned it and joined the
other immortals, leaving behind only demigods, spirits, fauns, satyrs,
nymphs, and human beings. “I wish I were not of this race”, Hesiod
wrote.

e). Myths of heroes and culture heroes

The Pattern of Hero Myths
Most myths have a hero who is brave, clever or strong. Some examples are
Achilles (the glory of Hera), Perseus, Heracles, Theseus, Jason and others.
The hero brings important gifts to his people. He is a role model of right
behavior and is greatly admired. The life story of a mythical hero usually
follows this pattern:

• He has a special birth.

• He has unusual skills as a child.
• He is tested as a young man.
• He goes on a journey or quest to find something.
• He has difficult tasks to do.
• He has one weakness.
• He is rewarded for his effort.
• He dies a special death.
3. Main Greek heroes:

• Hercules:a role model, has unusual skills Hercules is the Roman name for

the Greek hero Heracles, the most popular figure from ancient Greek
mythology. Hercules was the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene.
Hercules was born a demi-god with incredible strength and energy. He
performed amazing feats, including wrestling death and traveling twice to
the underworld, and his stories were told throughout Greece and later
in Rome, yet his life was far from easy from the moment of his birth, and
his relationships with others were often disastrous. This was because Hera,
the wife of Zeus, knew that Hercules was her husband's illegitimate son and
sought to destroy him. In fact, he was born with the name Alcaeus and later
took the name Herakles, meaning “Glory of Hera”, signifying that he would
become famous through his difficulties with the goddess.  Hercules was a
kind of super-powered everyman who suffered disappointments, had bad
days – even bad years – and eventually died due to another’s trickery. These
stories, besides simply being entertaining, would have served an ancient
audience by letting them know that, if bad things could happen to a hero like
Hercules, they had nothing to complain about regarding the disappointments
and tragedies in their own lives. Hercules served as a symbol of the human
condition where, to use Ernest Hemingway’s phrase, “a man may be
destroyed, but not defeated”. An interesting aspect of Hercules’ character is
that, because of his divine strength and abilities, he did not have to willingly
submit to any of the labors or punishments imposed upon him. He chose to
suffer indignities such as his famous Twelve Labors or his servitude to the
queen Omphale and did so willingly. His inner strength and ability to endure
hardships made him an inspirational figure to the people and a symbol of
stability in the midst of chaos.

4. The Twelve Labors of Hercules were:

5. 1. To kill the Nemean Lion who was impervious to all weapons.

Hercules trapped the lion in a cave and strangled it with his bare hands.
He then skinned it and ever after wore the skin as his cloak.
6. 2. To kill the monster known as the Hydra who had nine venomous
heads and, when one was cut off, two more would grow in its place.
Hercules dipped his arrows in the Hydra's blood for future use; since it
was so venomous, it killed quickly.
7. 3. To capture the Cerynitian Hind who was sacred to the
goddess Artemis. Hercules spent over a year trying to catch the deer
with the golden antlers alive.
8. 4. To capture the Erymanthian Boar. This labor took Hercules to the
land of the Centaurs.
9. 5.  Cleaning the Stables of Augeius in a day. The stables of King
Augeius were immense and his herd vast, and there seemed to be no
way for anyone to clean them in a month. Hercules said he would do it
but made Augeius promise him a tenth of the herd if he succeeded.
Augeius agreed since he knew he could not lose, but Hercules diverted
two rivers to flow through the stables and clean them completely.
Augeius then refused to honor the deal he had made.
10. 6. To drive away the Stymphalian Birds who were ravaging the
countryside. He accomplished this with a rattle given to him by Athena.
 The rattle startled the birds who flew away, and Hercules shot them
down with his arrows in flight.
11. 7. To bring back the Cretan Bull. The bull belonged to King Minos
of Crete and was sacred to the god of the seas, Poseidon; accordingly, it
could walk on water. Minos no longer wanted the bull because his wife
had fallen in love with it and, in fact, had become pregnant by it (giving
birth to the Minotaur), and so Minos happily gave the bull to Hercules
who rode it across the sea from Crete to Athens and brought it to
Eurystheus.
12. 8. To bring back the Mares of Diomedes. Diomedes was a king who fed
his horses with human flesh. Hercules fed Diomedes to the horses and,
when they were full, brought them back to Eurystheus. It was during
this labor that Hercules stopped to visit his old friend Admetus whose
wife Alcestis had recently died. Hercules wrestled death for the soul of
Alcestis and returned her to her husband.
13. 9. To bring back Hippolyte’s Girdle. Hippolyte was the queen of the
Amazons, and her belt (girdle) was a symbol of her right to rule. The
Amazons originally welcomed Hercules but Hera, disguised as one of
them, spread a rumor that Hercules had come to kidnap the queen and
enslave them. The women attacked Hercules and Hippolyte was killed
in the fight; Hercules then took had her belt and left.
14. 10. To bring back the cattle of Geryon. Hercules had many side-
adventures on this labor, including building the Pillars of Hercules at
Gibraltar and threatening to shoot the sun with his arrows for making
him too hot. When he finally reached Cadiz (Spain), he had many
problems rounding up the cattle. Bringing the cattle back to Greece,
Hera sent gadflies to sting the beasts and scattered them, so Hercules
had to round them up again. Then the princess Celtine saw Hercules and
fell in love with him. She hid the cattle and would not disclose their
whereabouts unless he had sex with her. This he did and so became the
father of Celtus, progenitor of the Celts. He finally brought the cattle
back to Eurystheus.
15. 11. To bring back the Golden Apples of Hesperides. En route to the
sacred grove where the apples grew, Hercules found Prometheus bound
to his rock and set him free. Prometheus was grateful and told him that
the apples were guarded by a dragon who could not be conquered, and
so Hercules should try to get the titan Atlas, who held up the earth and
heavens on his shoulders, to get the apples for him. When Hercules
reached the grove, Atlas agreed to help, but Hercules would have to
shoulder the weight of the world while Atlas went to get the apples.
Hercules accepted the load and Atlas got the apples. When he returned,
however, Atlas did not want to take the weight back and was going to
leave Hercules in his place. Hercules cheerfully agreed to stay and hold
 up the universe but asked Atlas if he could take the weight again for just
one moment so that he could adjust his cloak to cushion his shoulders.
Atlas took back the universe and Hercules picked up the apples and left.
16. 12. To bring back Cerberus, the guard dog of the underworld. For the
last labor, Eurystheus decided on something he knew would be
impossible: to bring back, alive, the three-headed dog who guarded the
entrance to Hades. Hercules was allowed by Hades to take Cerberus
provided he did not hurt the dog. He wrestled Cerberus into submission
and brought him back to Eurystheus who was so terrified of the animal
that he told Hercules all the labors were done and to bring the dog back
to where he’d found it.

17. The death of Hercules. Hercules married Deianira and lived happily
until he accidentally killed his father-in-law's cupbearer. Although it
was an accident, and he was forgiven by the king, Hercules could not
forgive himself and so decided to leave the city with Deianira. They
reached the river, and there met the centaur Nessus who offered to carry
Deianira across on his back. Upon reaching the other side, however, he
tried to rape her and Hercules shot him with one of his arrows. These
were the same arrows Hercules had dipped in the blood of the Hydra.
The centaur was dying quickly and he told Deianira that his blood
possessed a special quality as a love potion and that she should take
some of it. If ever she felt that Hercules was losing interest in her, he
said, she should sprinkle the blood on his shirt and he would be in love
with her forever. This was Nessus’s revenge for Hercules’ arrow.
18. Hercules and Deianira settled in another city and, again, were happy for
a time until Hercules went to war against Eurytus who had insulted him
earlier in life. He killed Eurytus and took his daughter as his concubine.
Hercules then prepared a victory feast and sent word to Deianira to send
him his best shirt to wear at the festival. Deianira, fearing that Hercules
would fall in love with the princess, soaked the shirt in Nessus’s blood.
As soon as Hercules put the shirt on, he was seized with agony and
began to burn. He tore the shirt from his body but the poison was
already grafted to his skin. Since he was a demi-god (a hero), he could
not die quickly and so suffered as the poison penetrated his body and he
became weaker and weaker. Deianira, realizing she had been tricked by
Nessus and had killed her husband, hanged herself.
19. Hercules climbed Mount Etna where he built his own funeral pyre in a
clearing, gave away his possessions, and then lay down with his head
resting on his club and the Nemean lion’s skin covering him; then the
torches were lit and the pyre took flames. Zeus enveloped him in a
cloud, and took him up in a four-horse chariot to dwell among the stars.
20. The myths of Hercules show the world as it is: everyone has monsters
they need to conquer and seemingly impossible tasks they are faced
with and tragedies that seem too hard to bear. When faced with some
difficult situation in life, one can take comfort in the thought that, if
Hercules could endure his sufferings, one can survive one's own.
21. • Achilles is the only hero in The Iliad who is fighting for pure heroics.
Heroic work in Homer's day was measured in fighting pure and simple.
Skill on the battlefield was ranked supreme, high above any
considerations of morality. Achilles urges Hector to show his “worth”
and fight like a man: “worth” means simply ability to fight. Achilles is
an immensely talented fighter and he considers himself a “prince among
men”. His bravery is not restricted to humans. He is angry with Apollo
for deceiving him and he fights with the river god Xanthus. Achilles is
the embodiment of the ancient “heroic code” that was understood as a
form of agon, as a desire to excel. For the heroes “excellent” was the
norm. Nowadays Achilles is understood as the archetype of an ideal
warrior.
22. • Theseus killed the monstrous Minotaur in Labyrinth with the help of
Ariadne’s thread;
23. • Odysseus (Roman Ulysses) is almost an ideal epic hero. He is an
articulate speaker, and his poise aids him on his journey. His endless
curiosity has gotten him into dilemmas, while his superb displays of
strength and cunningness have helped both him and his crew escape
danger. His arrogance sets him back, but his loyalty is what drives him
forward on his long and treacherous expedition. In the first lines of The
Odyssey, Odysseus describes himself as “formidable for guile in peace
and war”. He knows that he is a formidable opponent, and there are
instances in which his guile has caused both harmony and violence. An
important trait that an epic hero must have is intelligence. Odysseus
demonstrates quick thinking, combined with his eloquence in speech
and bravery. This helps him and his crew to get out of many tight
situations. One situation, for example, was when Odysseus and his men
were trapped in the Cyclops Polyphemos’ cave. Odysseus manages to
win over Polyphemos in the story with a few well-spoken words and an
offering: “Kyklops, try some wine. / Here’s liquor to wash down your
scraps of men. / Taste it, and see the kind of drink we carried / under our
planks. I meant it as an offering / if you would help us home. But you
are mad, / unbearable, a bloody monster! After this, / will any other
traveler come to see you?'” Odysseus plays with the Cyclops’s emotions
by luring him with the wine and calling him “a bloody monster”. The
Cyclops is obviously pleased with the spoken words and gestures, and
as a result, he gives in to his greed as he takes the wine. Odysseus’s
confidence in his own ability was the first step towards his success with
 the Cyclops. However, he has to take it a step further in order to make a
successful get-away. Once again, a demonstration of his sharp intellect
shows how Odysseus is smarter and more cunning than the average
human. A quote that demonstrates his intelligence is, “But I kept
thinking how to win the game: / death sat there huge; how could we slip
away? / I drew on all my wits, and ran through tactics, / reason as a man
will for dear life, / until a trick came-and it pleased me well. / The
Kyklops’ rams were handsome, fat, with heavy / fleeces, a dark violet”.
Odysseus is not only clever and witty, but he is also fiercely loyal to his
family and home. Throughout the poem, Odysseus was completely
focused on trying getting home to Ithaka and Penelope. His loyalty to
his family and to his people is what kept him going through the hard
times. Odysseus’s final goal is to be able to see his home and family
again, but difficult situations continue to hinder him. The only reason
why Odysseus did not give up during his journey was because of his
dedication and loyalty to his family.

24. • Perseus obtained the deadly head of snaky-tressed Medusa;

25. • Jason was sent to capture the Golden Fleece and the Argonauts were
his crew, and Medea became his wife;
26. • Orpheus. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is the tragic love story.
Perhaps one of the most famous Greek myths, it has inspired many
important painters, such as Peter Paul Rubens and Nicolas Poussin.
Moreover, many operas, songs and plays have been composed to honor
these two great lovers who tragically lost the chance to enjoy their love.
Orpheus is known as the most talented music player of the ancient
times. It is said that god Apollo was his father, from whom he took his
extreme talent in music, and the Muse Calliope was his mother.
Orpheus had a divinely gifted voice that could charm everyone who
heard it. When he was presented first the lyre as a boy, he had it
mastered in no time at all. The myth says that no god or mortal could
resist his music and even the rocks and trees would move themselves to
be near him. According to some ancient texts, Orpheus is accredited to
have taught agriculture, writing and medicine to the mankind. He is also
attributed with having been an astrologer, a seer and founder of many
mystic rites. The strange and ecstatic music of Orpheus would intrigue
the mind of people to things over natural and had the power to broaden
the mind to new unusual theories. However, apart from a musical talent,
Orpheus also had an adventurous character. He was believed to have
taken part in the Argonautic expedition. In fact, Orpheus played a vital
role during the expedition because, playing his music, he put to sleep
the “sleepless dragon” that was guarding the Golden Fleece and thus
Jason managed to get the Fleece. Moreover, the music of Orpheus saved
 the Argonauts from the Sirens, the strange female-like creatures who
were seducing men with their nice voice and then they were killing
them.
27. Humans and beasts alike would be enchanted by Orpheus’ music and
often even the most inanimate of objects would yearn to be near him.
Well into his youth he had mastered the lyre and his melodious voice
garnered him audiences from near and afar. It was at one such gathering
of humans and beasts that his eyes fell on a wood nymph. The girl was
called Eurydice, she was beautiful and shy. She had been drawn to
Orpheus enamored by his voice and such was the spell of beauty in
music and appearance that neither could cast their eyes off each other.
Soon they felt in love, unable to spend a single moment apart. After a
while, they decided to get married. The surroundings were filled with
laughter and gaiety.
28. However, things would soon change and grief would shadow
happiness. There was one man who was despising Orpheus and desired
Eurydice for his own. Aristaeus, a shepherd, had plotted a plan to
conquer the beautiful nymph. And there he was, waiting in the bushes
for the young couple to pass by. Seeing that the lovers were
approaching, he intended to jump on them and kill Orpheus. As the
shepherd made his move, Orpheus grabbed Eurydice by the hand and
started running through the forest. On and on they ran and suddenly,
Orpheus felt Eurydice stumble and fall, her hand slipping from his
grasp. Unable to comprehend what had just happened, he rushed to her
side but stopped short in dismay, for his eyes perceived the deathly
pallor that suffused her cheeks. Looking around, he saw no trace of the
shepherd for Aristaeus had witnessed the event and had left. Few steps
away, Eurydice had stepped on a nest of snakes and had been bitten by a
deadly viper.
29. After the death of his beloved wife, Orpheus was no more the same
carefree person he used to be. His life without Eurydice seemed endless
and could do nothing more than grief for her. This is when he had a
great idea: he decided to go to Underworld and try to get his wife back.
Apollo, his father, would talk to Hades, the god of the Underworld, to
accept him and hear his plea. Armed with his lyre and voice, Orpheus
approached Hades and demanded entry into the Underworld. Standing
in front of the rulers of the dead, Orpheus said why he was there, in a
voice both smooth and disquieting. He played his lyre and sang out to
King Hades and Queen Persephone that Eurydice was returned to him.
Not even the most stone-hearted of people or Gods could have
neglected the hurt in his voice
2. Characterize the myths of heroes and culture heroes.
Main Greek heroes:
• Hercules:a role model, has unusual skills Hercules is the Roman name for
the Greek hero Heracles, the most popular figure from ancient Greek
mythology. Hercules was the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene.
Hercules was born a demi-god with incredible strength and energy. He
performed amazing feats, including wrestling death and traveling twice to
the underworld, and his stories were told throughout Greece and later
in Rome, yet his life was far from easy from the moment of his birth, and
his relationships with others were often disastrous. This was because Hera,
the wife of Zeus, knew that Hercules was her husband's illegitimate son and
sought to destroy him. In fact, he was born with the name Alcaeus and later
took the name Herakles, meaning “Glory of Hera”, signifying that he would
become famous through his difficulties with the goddess.  Hercules was a
kind of super-powered everyman who suffered disappointments, had bad
days – even bad years – and eventually died due to another’s trickery. These
stories, besides simply being entertaining, would have served an ancient
audience by letting them know that, if bad things could happen to a hero like
Hercules, they had nothing to complain about regarding the disappointments
and tragedies in their own lives. Hercules served as a symbol of the human
condition where, to use Ernest Hemingway’s phrase, “a man may be
destroyed, but not defeated”. An interesting aspect of Hercules’ character is
that, because of his divine strength and abilities, he did not have to willingly
submit to any of the labors or punishments imposed upon him. He chose to
suffer indignities such as his famous Twelve Labors or his servitude to the
queen Omphale and did so willingly. His inner strength and ability to endure
hardships made him an inspirational figure to the people and a symbol of
stability in the midst of chaos.

The Twelve Labors of Hercules were:

1. To kill the Nemean Lion who was impervious to all weapons. Hercules
trapped the lion in a cave and strangled it with his bare hands. He then
skinned it and ever after wore the skin as his cloak.
2. To kill the monster known as the Hydra who had nine venomous heads
and, when one was cut off, two more would grow in its place. Hercules
dipped his arrows in the Hydra's blood for future use; since it was so
venomous, it killed quickly.
3. To capture the Cerynitian Hind who was sacred to the
goddess Artemis. Hercules spent over a year trying to catch the deer with
the golden antlers alive.
4. To capture the Erymanthian Boar. This labor took Hercules to the land
of the Centaurs.
5.  Cleaning the Stables of Augeius in a day. The stables of King Augeius
were immense and his herd vast, and there seemed to be no way for
anyone to clean them in a month. Hercules said he would do it but made
Augeius promise him a tenth of the herd if he succeeded. Augeius agreed
since he knew he could not lose, but Hercules diverted two rivers to flow
through the stables and clean them completely. Augeius then refused to
honor the deal he had made.
6. To drive away the Stymphalian Birds who were ravaging the
countryside. He accomplished this with a rattle given to him by Athena.
The rattle startled the birds who flew away, and Hercules shot them down
with his arrows in flight.
7. To bring back the Cretan Bull. The bull belonged to King Minos
of Crete and was sacred to the god of the seas, Poseidon; accordingly, it
could walk on water. Minos no longer wanted the bull because his wife
had fallen in love with it and, in fact, had become pregnant by it (giving
birth to the Minotaur), and so Minos happily gave the bull to Hercules
who rode it across the sea from Crete to Athens and brought it to
Eurystheus.
8. To bring back the Mares of Diomedes. Diomedes was a king who fed
his horses with human flesh. Hercules fed Diomedes to the horses and,
when they were full, brought them back to Eurystheus. It was during this
labor that Hercules stopped to visit his old friend Admetus whose
wife Alcestis had recently died. Hercules wrestled death for the soul of
Alcestis and returned her to her husband.
9. To bring back Hippolyte’s Girdle. Hippolyte was the queen of the
Amazons, and her belt (girdle) was a symbol of her right to rule. The
Amazons originally welcomed Hercules but Hera, disguised as one of
them, spread a rumor that Hercules had come to kidnap the queen and
enslave them. The women attacked Hercules and Hippolyte was killed in
the fight; Hercules then took had her belt and left.
10. To bring back the cattle of Geryon. Hercules had many side-
adventures on this labor, including building the Pillars of Hercules at
Gibraltar and threatening to shoot the sun with his arrows for making him
too hot. When he finally reached Cadiz (Spain), he had many problems
rounding up the cattle. Bringing the cattle back to Greece, Hera sent
gadflies to sting the beasts and scattered them, so Hercules had to round
them up again. Then the princess Celtine saw Hercules and fell in love
with him. She hid the cattle and would not disclose their whereabouts
unless he had sex with her. This he did and so became the father of
Celtus, progenitor of the Celts. He finally brought the cattle back to
Eurystheus.
11. To bring back the Golden Apples of Hesperides. En route to the
sacred grove where the apples grew, Hercules found Prometheus bound
 to his rock and set him free. Prometheus was grateful and told him that
the apples were guarded by a dragon who could not be conquered, and so
Hercules should try to get the titan Atlas, who held up the earth and
heavens on his shoulders, to get the apples for him. When Hercules
reached the grove, Atlas agreed to help, but Hercules would have to
shoulder the weight of the world while Atlas went to get the apples.
Hercules accepted the load and Atlas got the apples. When he returned,
however, Atlas did not want to take the weight back and was going to
leave Hercules in his place. Hercules cheerfully agreed to stay and hold
up the universe but asked Atlas if he could take the weight again for just
one moment so that he could adjust his cloak to cushion his shoulders.
Atlas took back the universe and Hercules picked up the apples and left.
12. To bring back Cerberus, the guard dog of the underworld. For the last
labor, Eurystheus decided on something he knew would be impossible: to
bring back, alive, the three-headed dog who guarded the entrance
to Hades. Hercules was allowed by Hades to take Cerberus provided he
did not hurt the dog. He wrestled Cerberus into submission and brought
him back to Eurystheus who was so terrified of the animal that he told
Hercules all the labors were done and to bring the dog back to where he’d
found it.

The death of Hercules. Hercules married Deianira and lived happily until he
accidentally killed his father-in-law's cupbearer. Although it was an accident,
and he was forgiven by the king, Hercules could not forgive himself and so
decided to leave the city with Deianira. They reached the river, and there met
the centaur Nessus who offered to carry Deianira across on his back. Upon
reaching the other side, however, he tried to rape her and Hercules shot him
with one of his arrows. These were the same arrows Hercules had dipped in the
blood of the Hydra. The centaur was dying quickly and he told Deianira that his
blood possessed a special quality as a love potion and that she should take some
of it. If ever she felt that Hercules was losing interest in her, he said, she should
sprinkle the blood on his shirt and he would be in love with her forever. This
was Nessus’s revenge for Hercules’ arrow.

Hercules and Deianira settled in another city and, again, were happy for a
time until Hercules went to war against Eurytus who had insulted him
earlier in life. He killed Eurytus and took his daughter as his concubine.
Hercules then prepared a victory feast and sent word to Deianira to send
him his best shirt to wear at the festival. Deianira, fearing that Hercules
would fall in love with the princess, soaked the shirt in Nessus’s blood.
As soon as Hercules put the shirt on, he was seized with agony and began
to burn. He tore the shirt from his body but the poison was already
grafted to his skin. Since he was a demi-god (a hero), he could not die
 quickly and so suffered as the poison penetrated his body and he became
weaker and weaker. Deianira, realizing she had been tricked by Nessus
and had killed her husband, hanged herself.
Hercules climbed Mount Etna where he built his own funeral pyre in a
clearing, gave away his possessions, and then lay down with his head
resting on his club and the Nemean lion’s skin covering him; then the
torches were lit and the pyre took flames. Zeus enveloped him in a cloud,
and took him up in a four-horse chariot to dwell among the stars.
The myths of Hercules show the world as it is: everyone has monsters
they need to conquer and seemingly impossible tasks they are faced with
and tragedies that seem too hard to bear. When faced with some difficult
situation in life, one can take comfort in the thought that, if Hercules
could endure his sufferings, one can survive one's own.

• Achilles is the only hero in The Iliad who is fighting for pure heroics. Heroic
work in Homer's day was measured in fighting pure and simple. Skill on the
battlefield was ranked supreme, high above any considerations of morality.
Achilles urges Hector to show his “worth” and fight like a man: “worth” means
simply ability to fight. Achilles is an immensely talented fighter and he
considers himself a “prince among men”. His bravery is not restricted to
humans. He is angry with Apollo for deceiving him and he fights with the river
god Xanthus. Achilles is the embodiment of the ancient “heroic code” that was
understood as a form of agon, as a desire to excel. For the heroes “excellent”
was the norm. Nowadays Achilles is understood as the archetype of an ideal
warrior.
• Theseus killed the monstrous Minotaur in Labyrinth with the help of
Ariadne’s thread;
• Odysseus (Roman Ulysses) is almost an ideal epic hero. He is an articulate
speaker, and his poise aids him on his journey. His endless curiosity has gotten
him into dilemmas, while his superb displays of strength and cunningness have
helped both him and his crew escape danger. His arrogance sets him back, but
his loyalty is what drives him forward on his long and treacherous expedition.
In the first lines of The Odyssey, Odysseus describes himself as “formidable for
guile in peace and war”. He knows that he is a formidable opponent, and there
are instances in which his guile has caused both harmony and violence. An
important trait that an epic hero must have is intelligence. Odysseus
demonstrates quick thinking, combined with his eloquence in speech and
bravery. This helps him and his crew to get out of many tight situations. One
situation, for example, was when Odysseus and his men were trapped in the
Cyclops Polyphemos’ cave. Odysseus manages to win over Polyphemos in the
story with a few well-spoken words and an offering: “Kyklops, try some wine. /
Here’s liquor to wash down your scraps of men. / Taste it, and see the kind of
drink we carried / under our planks. I meant it as an offering / if you would help
us home. But you are mad, / unbearable, a bloody monster! After this, / will any
other traveler come to see you?'” Odysseus plays with the Cyclops’s emotions
by luring him with the wine and calling him “a bloody monster”. The Cyclops is
obviously pleased with the spoken words and gestures, and as a result, he gives
in to his greed as he takes the wine. Odysseus’s confidence in his own ability
was the first step towards his success with the Cyclops. However, he has to take
it a step further in order to make a successful get-away. Once again, a
demonstration of his sharp intellect shows how Odysseus is smarter and more
cunning than the average human. A quote that demonstrates his intelligence is,
“But I kept thinking how to win the game: / death sat there huge; how could we
slip away? / I drew on all my wits, and ran through tactics, / reason as a man
will for dear life, / until a trick came-and it pleased me well. / The Kyklops’
rams were handsome, fat, with heavy / fleeces, a dark violet”. Odysseus is not
only clever and witty, but he is also fiercely loyal to his family and home.
Throughout the poem, Odysseus was completely focused on trying getting
home to Ithaka and Penelope. His loyalty to his family and to his people is what
kept him going through the hard times. Odysseus’s final goal is to be able to see
his home and family again, but difficult situations continue to hinder him. The
only reason why Odysseus did not give up during his journey was because of
his dedication and loyalty to his family.

• Perseus obtained the deadly head of snaky-tressed Medusa;

• Jason was sent to capture the Golden Fleece and the Argonauts were his crew,
and Medea became his wife;
• Orpheus. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is the tragic love story. Perhaps
one of the most famous Greek myths, it has inspired many important painters,
such as Peter Paul Rubens and Nicolas Poussin. Moreover, many operas, songs
and plays have been composed to honor these two great lovers who tragically
lost the chance to enjoy their love. Orpheus is known as the most talented music
player of the ancient times. It is said that god Apollo was his father, from whom
he took his extreme talent in music, and the Muse Calliope was his mother.
Orpheus had a divinely gifted voice that could charm everyone who heard it.
When he was presented first the lyre as a boy, he had it mastered in no time at
all. The myth says that no god or mortal could resist his music and even the
rocks and trees would move themselves to be near him. According to some
ancient texts, Orpheus is accredited to have taught agriculture, writing and
medicine to the mankind. He is also attributed with having been an astrologer, a
seer and founder of many mystic rites. The strange and ecstatic music of
Orpheus would intrigue the mind of people to things over natural and had the
power to broaden the mind to new unusual theories. However, apart from a
musical talent, Orpheus also had an adventurous character. He was believed to
have taken part in the Argonautic expedition. In fact, Orpheus played a vital
role during the expedition because, playing his music, he put to sleep the
“sleepless dragon” that was guarding the Golden Fleece and thus Jason
managed to get the Fleece. Moreover, the music of Orpheus saved the
Argonauts from the Sirens, the strange female-like creatures who were seducing
men with their nice voice and then they were killing them.
Humans and beasts alike would be enchanted by Orpheus’ music and often
even the most inanimate of objects would yearn to be near him. Well into his
youth he had mastered the lyre and his melodious voice garnered him
audiences from near and afar. It was at one such gathering of humans and
beasts that his eyes fell on a wood nymph. The girl was called Eurydice, she
was beautiful and shy. She had been drawn to Orpheus enamored by his
voice and such was the spell of beauty in music and appearance that neither
could cast their eyes off each other. Soon they felt in love, unable to spend a
single moment apart. After a while, they decided to get married. The
surroundings were filled with laughter and gaiety.
However, things would soon change and grief would shadow happiness. There
was one man who was despising Orpheus and desired Eurydice for his own.
Aristaeus, a shepherd, had plotted a plan to conquer the beautiful nymph. And
there he was, waiting in the bushes for the young couple to pass by. Seeing that
the lovers were approaching, he intended to jump on them and kill Orpheus. As
the shepherd made his move, Orpheus grabbed Eurydice by the hand and started
running through the forest. On and on they ran and suddenly, Orpheus felt
Eurydice stumble and fall, her hand slipping from his grasp. Unable to
comprehend what had just happened, he rushed to her side but stopped short in
dismay, for his eyes perceived the deathly pallor that suffused her cheeks.
Looking around, he saw no trace of the shepherd for Aristaeus had witnessed
the event and had left. Few steps away, Eurydice had stepped on a nest of
snakes and had been bitten by a deadly viper.
After the death of his beloved wife, Orpheus was no more the same carefree
person he used to be. His life without Eurydice seemed endless and could do
nothing more than grief for her. This is when he had a great idea: he decided
to go to Underworld and try to get his wife back. Apollo, his father, would
talk to Hades, the god of the Underworld, to accept him and hear his plea.
Armed with his lyre and voice, Orpheus approached Hades and demanded
entry into the Underworld. Standing in front of the rulers of the dead,
Orpheus said why he was there, in a voice both smooth and disquieting. He
played his lyre and sang out to King Hades and Queen Persephone that
Eurydice was returned to him. Not even the most stone-hearted of people or
Gods could have neglected the hurt in his voice

3. Speak on Hercules: his names, labors, glory, and death.

 Hercules:a role model, has unusual skills Hercules is the Roman name for
the Greek hero Heracles, the most popular figure from ancient Greek
mythology. Hercules was the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene.
Hercules was born a demi-god with incredible strength and energy. He
performed amazing feats, including wrestling death and traveling twice to
the underworld, and his stories were told throughout Greece and later
in Rome, yet his life was far from easy from the moment of his birth, and
his relationships with others were often disastrous. This was because Hera,
the wife of Zeus, knew that Hercules was her husband's illegitimate son and
sought to destroy him. In fact, he was born with the name Alcaeus and later
took the name Herakles, meaning “Glory of Hera”, signifying that he would
become famous through his difficulties with the goddess.  Hercules was a
kind of super-powered everyman who suffered disappointments, had bad
days – even bad years – and eventually died due to another’s trickery. These
stories, besides simply being entertaining, would have served an ancient
audience by letting them know that, if bad things could happen to a hero like
Hercules, they had nothing to complain about regarding the disappointments
and tragedies in their own lives. Hercules served as a symbol of the human
condition where, to use Ernest Hemingway’s phrase, “a man may be
destroyed, but not defeated”. An interesting aspect of Hercules’ character is
that, because of his divine strength and abilities, he did not have to willingly
submit to any of the labors or punishments imposed upon him. He chose to
suffer indignities such as his famous Twelve Labors or his servitude to the
queen Omphale and did so willingly. His inner strength and ability to endure
hardships made him an inspirational figure to the people and a symbol of
stability in the midst of chaos.

30. The Twelve Labors of Hercules were:

1. To kill the Nemean Lion who was impervious to all weapons.

2. To kill the monster known as the Hydra who had nine venomous heads and,
when one was cut off, two more would grow in its place.
3. To capture the Cerynitian Hind who was sacred to the goddess Artemis.
4. To capture the Erymanthian Boar.
5.  Cleaning the Stables of Augeius in a day.
6. To drive away the Stymphalian Birds who were ravaging the countryside.
7. To bring back the Cretan Bull.
8. To bring back the Mares of Diomedes.
9. To bring back Hippolyte’s Girdle
10. To bring back the cattle of Geryon.
11. To bring back the Golden Apples of Hesperides.
12. To bring back Cerberus, the guard dog of the underworld.
The death of Hercules. Hercules married Deianira and lived happily until he
accidentally killed his father-in-law's cupbearer. Although it was an accident,
and he was forgiven by the king, Hercules could not forgive himself and so
decided to leave the city with Deianira. They reached the river, and there met
the centaur Nessus who offered to carry Deianira across on his back. Upon
reaching the other side, however, he tried to rape her and Hercules shot him
with one of his arrows. These were the same arrows Hercules had dipped in the
blood of the Hydra. The centaur was dying quickly and he told Deianira that his
blood possessed a special quality as a love potion and that she should take some
of it. If ever she felt that Hercules was losing interest in her, he said, she should
sprinkle the blood on his shirt and he would be in love with her forever. This
was Nessus’s revenge for Hercules’ arrow.

31. Hercules and Deianira settled in another city and, again, were happy for
a time until Hercules went to war against Eurytus who had insulted him
earlier in life. He killed Eurytus and took his daughter as his concubine.
Hercules then prepared a victory feast and sent word to Deianira to send
him his best shirt to wear at the festival. Deianira, fearing that Hercules
would fall in love with the princess, soaked the shirt in Nessus’s blood.
As soon as Hercules put the shirt on, he was seized with agony and
began to burn. He tore the shirt from his body but the poison was
already grafted to his skin. Since he was a demi-god (a hero), he could
not die quickly and so suffered as the poison penetrated his body and he
became weaker and weaker. Deianira, realizing she had been tricked by
Nessus and had killed her husband, hanged herself.
32. Hercules climbed Mount Etna where he built his own funeral pyre in a
clearing, gave away his possessions, and then lay down with his head
resting on his club and the Nemean lion’s skin covering him; then the
torches were lit and the pyre took flames. Zeus enveloped him in a
cloud, and took him up in a four-horse chariot to dwell among the stars.
33. The myths of Hercules show the world as it is: everyone has monsters
they need to conquer and seemingly impossible tasks they are faced
with and tragedies that seem too hard to bear. When faced with some
difficult situation in life, one can take comfort in the thought that, if
Hercules could endure his sufferings, one can survive one's own.

4. Analyze Heracles’ and Orpheus’ lives according to the pattern of Hero

Myths.
The life story of a mythical hero usually follows this pattern:
• He has a special birth. (Hercules was Zeus's illegitimate son, that god
Apollo was Orpheus’s father, from whom he took his extreme talent in
music, and the Muse Calliope was his mother)
 • He has unusual skills as a child. (Hercules had incredible strength and
energy;When Orpheus was presented first the lyre as a boy, he had it
mastered in no time at all.)
• He is tested as a young man. (Herucles’s 12 labors, Orpheus mustn’t
have turned around to look at his wife in the Underworld)
• He goes on a journey or quest to find something.
• He has difficult tasks to do.
• He has one weakness. Venom blood, Oprheus’s wife
• He is rewarded for his effort.
• He dies a special death. A shirt poisoned with venom blood, brought by
his wife/ killed by irate women

5. Explain the mythological origin of English words/ set expressions and

their modern meaning:
the Aegean stables (to clean), -
In modern speech the Augean stables are a symbol of worthless lumber a reform
er must sweep auray before his work can .begin. The phrase to cleanse the Auge
anstables means to bring about a drastic reform in some (usually public) evil. It 
comes from Greek mythology. Augeas, a fabled king of Elis, in Greece, was the 
owner of some3,000 beautiful oxen; the animals, however, were so wild that the
ir stalls had not been cleaned once in thirty years. The stables were in a terrible 
state of filth. The taskof cleansing them was assigned to Hercules, the popular h
ero of ancient Greek legends, who easily effected it by breaking down a part of t
he wall, and turning throughfhe stables two rivers that flowed close by, thus was
hing out thoroughly the horrible mire and filth within. Performing the task was 
one of the twelve labours ofHercules.

Amazon, - An amazon is a big, strong, warrior-like woman, someone who

reminds you of the mythical Greek women-warriors, the Amazons.
Describing someone as an amazon can sometimes have a negative tinge. If you
call a tennis star an amazon, you may be suggesting that she's got an unfair
advantage over her competitors because of her size, and for some, strength in a
woman is not attractive. But amazon can also be an admiring term for a
statuesque, athletic woman. After all, Wonder Woman was an amazon.
Arcadia, -Arcadia (Greek: Αρκαδία) refers to a vision of pastoralism and
harmony with nature. The term is derived from the Greek province of the same
name which dates to antiquity; the province's mountainous topography and
sparse population of pastoralists later caused the word Arcadia to develop into a
poetic byword for an idyllic vision of unspoiled wilderness. Arcadia is a poetic
shaped space associated with bountiful natural splendor and harmony.
Furthermore, it is seen as a lost, Edenic form of life, contrasting to the
progressive nature of Utopian desires.
Atlas, - a book containing map, a Titan compelled to support the sky on
his shoulders as punishment for rebelling against Zeus

centaur, - A centaur (/ˈsɛn.tɔːr, -tɑːr/; Ancient
Greek: κένταυρος, kéntauros, Latin: centaurus), or occasionally hippocentaur,
is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the
lower body and legs of a horse.[2][3] Centaurs are thought of in many Greek
myths as being as wild as untamed horses
The Greek word kentauros is generally regarded as being of obscure origin.
[13]
 The etymology from ken + tauros, 'piercing bull',

chaos, - a state of total confusion with no order:

Chaos (Ancient Greek: χάος, romanized: kháos) refers to the void state

preceding the creation of the universe or cosmos in the Greek creation myths, or
to the initial "gap" created by the original separation of heaven and earth.[1][2]

cosmos (cosmetics), -
The Cosmos is the world regarded as a complex and orderly system; the
opposite of Chaos. It is the location that is the greatest and all exists inside it,
such as the Universe, the worlds and the planets. The Cosmos was also seen as
a personification and once used to be in control, however, after a deal gone
wrong, the cosmos was trapped in the bounds of one ruler and only one could
rule it.

Golden Fleece, - In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece (Greek: Χρυσόμαλλο

δέρας, Chrysómallo déras) is the fleece of the golden-woolled,
[a]
 winged ram, Chrysomallos, which was held in Colchis.[1] The fleece is a
symbol of authority and kingship.
It figures in the tale of the hero Jason and his crew of Argonauts, who set out on
a quest for the fleece by order of King Pelias, in order to place Jason rightfully
on the throne of Iolcus in Thessaly. Through the help of Medea, they acquire the
Golden Fleece. The story is of great antiquity and was current in the time
of Homer (eighth century BC). It survives in various forms, among which the
details vary.
Nowadays, The heraldic variations of Golden Fleece is featured frequently in
the Republic of Georgia, especially for Coats of Arms and Flags associated with
Western Georgian (Historical Colchis) municipalities and cities, including the
Coats of Arms of City of Kutaisi, ancient capital city of Colchis.
hydra, - The Roman goddess Ceres, the equivalent of the Greek Demeter, was
a calm goddess who didn't take part in the quarrels of the other gods. Her
particular responsibility was the food-giving plants, and for that reason the
food grains came to carry her name. Cereals of the ancient Romans included
wheat, barley, spelt, oats, and millet—but not corn (maize), which was a
cereal of the Americas. 

Milky Way, - a broad band of light that stretches across the sky and is caused
by the light of a very great number of faint stars
the actual name “Milky way” was derived from Greek word for milk.(in Greek,
“Galaxias”). According to mythology Milky Way was created by Heracles
when he was a baby. Father of Hercules (Zeus, King of the gods) was fond of
him, who was born of the mortal Alcmene. He decided to let the Hercules
suckle on his divine wife Hera’s milk when she was asleep, an act which would
bless baby with god like qualities. When Hera woke and realized that she was
breastfeeding an unknown infant, she pushed him away, resulting in a stream of
divine milk spilling across the sky.

Muse, - The Nine Muses were: Clio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomeni, Terpsichore,
Erato, Polymnia, Ourania and Calliope.
According to the Greek Myths, God Zeus bewildered the young woman
Mnemosyne and slept with her for nine consecutive nights. The result of their
encounter was the Nine Muses, who were similar to everything.

a person/abstract thing that inspires

to muse – to meditate
nymph, - A nymph in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female goddess.
Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as
personifications of nature, are typically tied to a specific place or landform, and
are usually depicted as beautiful maidens. They were not necessarily immortal,
but lived much longer than humans before they died.[1]
now – a beautiful young woman

Odyssey, An odyssey is a long exciting journey on which a lot of things happen.

a Greek epic poem, attributed to Homer, describing the ten-year homeward
wanderings of Odysseus after the fall of Troy

siren, - A siren is a warning device which makes a long, loud noise. Most fire
engines, ambulances, and police cars have sirens.
Some people refer to a woman as a siren when they think that she is attractive to
men but dangerous in some way.
Greek mythology
one of several sea nymphs whose seductive singing was believedto lure sailors
to destruction on the rocks the nymphs inhabited

titan, - If you describe someone as a titan of a particular field, you mean that
they are very important and powerful or successfulin that field.
a person of great strength or size
Greek mythology
any of a family of primordial gods, the sons and daughters of Uranus (sky) and
Gaea (earth)

cereal. - a plant yieldingan an edible grain also : the grain itself

2: a prepared foodstuff of grain (such as oatmeal or cornflakes)
The word "cereal" comes from 'Ceres', the name of the Roman goddess of
harvest and agriculture.