Wait is Cerberus actually Medusa's child or is it just because they both have wacky heads?

Orpheus is a lot more dedicated to his wife than all the heroes and gods we've seen thus far in the course.

Gods often disguise themselves as animals. Was this a terrible accident or the work of the gods?

Interesting how it doesn't mention anything about the boys' status but describes the girls as "unmarried". Were girls considered women once they married?

Interesting how a lot of the sentiments are capitalize even though they're mostly in the middle of the lines. Perhaps Virgil wanted them to be accentuated?

Wait is this human sacrifice or just animal sacrifice?

I like how in greek mythology, everyone who had done evil in their lives on earth is punished differently in the afterlife based on what they did.

I can't think of many other cultures where the living can "descend" into the underworld/after life. It's usually reserved for the dead.

It's interesting how Elpenor still made it to the afterlife even though he wasn't yet buried. It seems like many other cultures have burial rituals that need to be done before the deceased person's soul can move on.

Just some comrades being friendly ;)

But not wise enough to avoid this situation in the first place

I would've thought Odysseus would be smart enough to not steal a giant's feast considering that he managed to convince everyone to give him Achilles' armour instead of Ajax. Perhaps Odysseus is only smart and not wise.

It bothers me that the land the cyclopes inhibit is described so positively, but the cyclopses themselves are not. It reminds me of descriptions given of Native Americans when America was being colonized (yikes).

I find that the stories of the Trojan War involving mortals highlight the differences between mortals and gods. A big thing when we read the creation myths was Uranus, Kronos, and Zeus not wanting to have sons more powerful than them, painting the gods as power-hungry. In contrast, mortals don't seem too phased by this and even encourage it, wanting their offspring to be better than thing (as is seen here with Hector and with Achilles' father, Peleus)

I didn't realize the gods were so prominent in the Trojan War. I knew some supported the Greeks while the others supported the Trojans, but I didn't assume they'd physically involve themselves in a mortals quarrel as its seemed to go much further than its original cause (with the apple). I guess it makes sense though since Apollo eventually kills Achilles.

Did divorce have the same stigma in Ancient Greece as it did like 50+ years ago? If it did, I would've thought Hera/Juno would give Jason a beating for leaving Medea.

Even though this poem was written so long ago, the pain and betrayal of Medea's dialogue reminds me a lot of modern songs. It carries the same themes of love and betrayal and the pain that comes along with it that modern songs do. It's just very timeless.

I wonder if the use of the word golden to describe Jason's hair alludes back to the Golden Fleece. Perhaps it serves as a reminder that Jason will be forever tied to Medea because of their journey together

Kind of ironic considering he's going to have to live with all of them on Mount Olympus later on.

It's interesting how Theseus and the play in general sees Heracles' madness and murders as solely Hera's fault. I feel like this would kind of piss off Hera since Heracles doesn't have to deal with any outward consequences from society like a normal murderer would.

Did the stories of Heracles and Theseus actually overlap or is this just for storytelling purposes in the play?

The fact that Pittheus convinced Aegeus to sleep with his daughter in the hopes of bearing a child but then spreads rumours of the same child being the son of Poseidon is interesting. Did he think he'd have better luck of having a successful lineage by claiming Poseidon was Theseus' father instead of Aegeus? Or did he just want to give Theseus two options to ensure his success? It seems like this could've backfired really easily if no one believed him since Pittheus could've become the boy who cried wolf.

I learned about Aristotle in my philosophy class so it's really interesting to see him mentioned in greek myth as well!

It's interesting how Tiber, the river Remus and Romulus get abandoned on later, was historically a boundary between two significant groups like the Etruscans and the Latins. Will this have significance later on?

This definitely seems more historical than myth. I feel like it has a lot more intricate details than the pure, straight-forward myths we've read before. There's definitely a few mythological aspects, but for the most part it (at least this paragraph) seems to concern more mortals than gods and other, clearly mythological, figures.

It's interesting how in this myth, the "grasp" of the fates lasts so long. Like he was to found the "Roman race" and his descendants many many years later would found the city itself. Like the fates are really playing the long game here instead of just being occupied with a couple generations like in most of the myths we've seen so far.

It's interesting how Julius Caesar and then Augustus claimed to be related to big figures from myth such as Aeneas. Could anyone make huge claims like this? It definitely seems like a stretch considering how much time had passed between their lives. I wonder if many people believed Caesar's claim at the time.

Like the lecture said, the combination of the indigenous myth and the foreign myth is a lot more obvious here than in the foundation myth for Thebes. It seems like they're really working hard to combine the two together.

It's interesting how the Roman capital was named after its mortal founder instead of its patron god like Athens. I wonder if this signifies the greeks putting more emphasis on their gods than the romans?

I always associate dragons with the Middle Ages (like in Merlin and Sleeping Beauty), so it's interesting to see them also in ancient mythology. I wonder how old the myths of dragons go considering they're seen all throughout history and in many different cultures.

Fun fact: cows tend to lay down before rainfall so they'll have a dry spot for later. Maybe the cow was just tired or perhaps it was going to rain. If it were going to rain, it paints Thebes as a prosperous city since rain generally signifies prosperity and growth (as seen with plants), whereas drought is associated with famine and bad things.

I wonder what the significance of cows were in greek culture. They seem to make their way into a lot of myths (like the myth where Hermes stole Apollo's sacred cattle). Was in simply because cows were a primary source for the ancient greek diet or is there another significance?

What ever happened to her? Was she stuck on Crete forever?

It's so weird to see such a seemingly modern saying in an ancient context.

The devotion of these women show how charming and charismatic Dionysus is, typical of a trickster.

I feel like tricksters generally don't have a motive behind their immoral actions, but here it's very clear that Dionysus is plotting his revenge.

It's interesting how sex is only seen as bad/immoral if it's with a mortal, but women are free to have sex before marriage if it's with a god. I wonder if women would be shamed for rejecting a god's advances if accepting them is seen as good. Also, it's interesting to compare this to christianity, where Mary's carries God's son, but it's very clear that they never "get together".

This line seems a little arrogant/hubris to me, but I'm not sure if it's just for the audience's sake so they know what's going on (like stage directions spoken out loud) or if it's actually develops Dionysus' character.

Interesting how they describe Apollo as "faultless and strong" here when they thought he was going to be horrible before he was born. Was everyone just wrong about their assumptions?

It's interesting how everyone thought Apollo would be a "haughty", arrogant god before he was born, both not great qualities, but there seems to be so much love for him in this passage. Perhaps this is just because the greeks really loved music, poetry, archery, and medicine, and could look past his faults since he brought so much good.

I'm also a bit confused as to why they thought Apollo would scorn the earth he was born on. Is it just because they thought he would be a "haughty" god? Did anyone have any basis to make this claim? Or was it just prophecy?

Ares seems to be all bark and no bite

I'm crying this is so funny. Zeus really teared him a new one.

Ares??? Condemning violence??? I thought I'd never see it. Seriously though, this seems contradictory since everything we've seen from Ares so far has been very 'bloodthirsty'. I guess he only likes violence when it is thrust upon others/mortals, and not when it's upon himself. Seems ironic though, since he's the god of war. It reminds me of how kings in the past would fight alongside their armies in battle. Ares seems like the king who would choose to opt out.

This seems really harsh to me although it makes sense if I think about it. Nobody likes war, which could explain such a harsh description, but Ares seems like such a major god, who isn't inherently bad like satan is in christianity, to have such a mean description laid upon him. I've personally never liked Ares and from the secondary readings and this harsh description I suppose the greeks didn't either.

I wonder what the greeks would've pictured Aphrodite like to have all objectively beautiful features. I like the idea that she changes her appearance for every individual depending on what they find beautiful (I think I might be getting that from Percy Jackson but I don't remember). Anyways, to me there's no one true definition of beauty and I think this is reflected in this folktale because of the fact that Psyche is more beautiful to some than Aphrodite herself despite them probably both being beautiful women/gods.

I feel that Psyche's descriptions here are very reminiscent of a Disney princess. She's the embodiment of good (in this case a virgin), and her outside appearance reflects the pure goodness of her heart. In contrast, disney villains are usually the opposite, ugly because of their evilness, but in this case Aphrodite is the embodiment of beauty despite her torturing a pure/good girl like Psyche.

Already, this seems a lot different than a myth. This first sentence is more reminiscent of a fairytale which would usually start with something like "Once upon a time...". Most of the myths we read seem to jump right into the action whereas this folktale has more of a structure/introduction.

I kinda forgot about Adonis being shared with Persephone until now. Is his death then considered a win for her since she'll be able to see him in the underworld?

It's interesting how the goddess of beauty is shown here "unkempt". I would assume the goddess of beauty would always be in a beautiful state. Perhaps this passage is demonstrating that love is beautiful in all its forms, even heartbreak.

I think the misery Aphrodite is facing in the moment is really interesting. She is the goddess of love and yet she cannot save herself from heartbreak. Perhaps this reminiscent of Ancient Greek culture since it shows that they believed heartbreak is inevitable/cannot be avoided; even the goddess of love herself cannot escape it. We are bound to lose the ones we love; death is inevitable.

I guess Persephone is in the underworld for 2/3 of the year in Alberta, we really don't get a fall and spring doesn't start till late May :/

Is this the same Kalypso/Calypso as island Calypso?

I wonder if there was a drought/famine that inspired this myth or if it's simply relating to the seasons

It's interesting how Metaneira is described as "headless" and generally foolish when I believe Demeter would've acted the same way if the child were Persephone and she didn't know the "stranger's" intentions. It's a little ironic how Demeter gets angry at Metaneira for reacting in this way because her child's in danger when Demeter kinda did the same thing earlier.

Demeter's hair must really be beautiful if they keep mentioning it over and over

It's interesting to see glimpses of Persephone's personality here. She's obviously an optimist. Also, despite the misogynistic descriptions we've gotten of some feminine greek mythological figures in past units, Persephone is only described in a positive light.

Ugh the fact that Zeus is basking in all his glory while his daughter is suffering like this just makes my stomach churn. It goes to show how strong the patriarchy was in Ancient Greece. Father's dictated their daughters lives even if it meant they wouldn't be happy

Did hyacinth come before the myth of Hyacinthus and Apollo or is the flower meant to be a result of spoiler Hyacinthus's death?

This brings into question just how accurate Prometheus's foresight is if he couldn't foresee the type of punishment he would receive. I wonder then how clearly he can see the future.

The fact that humans still worshiped this guy after he wanted to destroy them is shocking

I wonder how they did this with props in the play considering it was so long ago that it was first performed.

the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something (google).

Again, this reminds me of the more christian belief of working hard during life/seeking no pleasure in order to secure a spot in heaven (more prevalent in history rather than modern times). Prometheus's punishment seems to be a warning for humans; don't seek pleasure in life or you will be punished in the afterlife/by God's hand. Prometheus's actions were selfless, sacrificing himself for humankind, but if a human were to make these same actions, it would be selfish since it's benefiting themselves.

I find it interesting that so many gods have a role to play in Prometheus's punishment. Hephaitos has to be the one to chain him up and Apollo and Artemis are also involved with the day-night transition (more so Apollo with the sun chariot). I think this would give Prometheus more reason to be angry with the state of the gods/Zeus's tyranny since all the other gods are going along with it.

Did the ancient greeks really value hope or was this just an explanation for the evils of the world and the only thing that can overcome them?

Obviously, the bitch means female dog which this is referring to, but how did female dogs get such a bad reputations? Or is it just dogs in general applied to human women? Cause I gotta say my female dog is the sweetest and also very smart.

It's interesting that the greeks worshiped Zeus as their main god even after he clearly didn't want humans to succeed, develop cultural, or be at the top of the food chain. Especially considering the Epicureans of Ancient Greece, who believed God must not exist because he is a good, all-powerful being and yet there exists evil in the world (which God could and would be willing to abolish if he was good and all-powerful).

This reminds me of the more christian belief (stronger in the Middle Ages) that if you suffer on Earth, then you can be happy in the afterlife when you get to heaven. Did the ancient greeks also believe in this? (That is, working hard in life to get to a happy afterlife)

It seems here that this is a description of the dilemma we covered in the lecture. I actually find it so hilarious that the Ancient Greeks thought so little of women and hated them so much. It reminds me a lot of the "kill all men/hate all men" movement that most men think encompasses modern feminist. Of course, most of the women who say things like this are saying them satirically but a lot of men get really offended anyways, which is hilarious when looking at what society thought of women for so long. (I'm sure not every Ancient Greek man hated women but it is still kinda funny)

a small or relatively simple crown, especially as worn by lesser royalty and peers or peeresses. (google)

Did Zeus just not like the bones because there was no meat on them and therefore they were useless? It seems odd for bones to be considered unideal for sacrifice when it seems as though they're used often for sacrificial purposes (especially in media involving witches). Perhaps this myth is just an explication for why bones are considered sacrificial. It also reminds me of how native Americans used every part of the animal (including bones) and just their practicality over time with them being used in weapons, clothing, jewelry, etc..