Week 8 - Heroes

READING: Beginning to the story of Danae and Perseus

• Acrisios is a king, and Danae is his daughter

• The story involves a prophecy that foretells Acrisius’ death at the hands of his grandson

• Fearing this prediction, Acrisios locks Danae in a bronze chamber to prevent her from having any children

• Despite his efforts, the god Zeus impregnates her in the form of a shower of gold - she gives birth to Perseus, who later fulfills the prophecy unknowingly

• King hears about this and locks the child and daughter in box and throws her into ocean

  • he can’t kill her so he leaves her fate in the gods hands

• Poseidon spares their life and puts them on shore of Seriphos island

• They wash ashore on Seriphos, where Dictys rescues and shelters them due to their family connection

READING: what happens after Perseus slays Medusa

• After slaying the Gorgon Medusa, Perseus traveled to Ethiopia, where he rescued Princess Andromeda from a sea monster

• he married her after the heroic feat

• he returned to Seriphos, and turned the people who threatened his mother into stone using the medusa head

• he then went to Argos to reconcile with his grandfather Acrisios but he inadvertently caused his death during an athletic competition

• he traded kingdoms with Megapenthes, ruling Tiryns, and had children

READING: What does Bellerophontes Doubt?

• he expressed doubt about the existence of the gods in heaven

• he argues that the injustices and suffering in life, such as tyranny and the mistreatment of the righteous, make it difficult to believe in the presence of gods

• he suggests that those who pray without taking action to improve their lives are misguided, and he questions the effectiveness of religious practices in the face of adversity

READING: Where did the first king send Bellerophon?

• when exiled, B came to stay at king Proetus’ palace

• the kings wife, Stheneboea fell in love with him

• he refused to sleep with her, so she lied to her husband that B forced himself on her

• the king heard and wrote a letter and sent b to the wife’s father

• King Lobates refused to kill him, so he sent him to be killed by the Chimaera (breathes flames out of three mouths)

• B rides on the backs of Pegasus - he kills the Chimaera and dislocated his hipbones by falling

• king praised him and gave him his other daughter in marriage

• when the wife heard, she committed suicide

READING: Rational explanation from Palaephatus

• Narrator challenges the mythical account of B riding the winged horse Pegasus and slaying the Chimera - instead shows a more plausible version

• B was a Corinthian exile who engaged in piracy using a ship named Pegasos, not a winged horse

• The Chimera is described as a lion’s front, a serpent back, and a goat in between is debunked as an improbable entity due to the practical challenges of such a combination

• B faces threats from a lion and a serpent in a mountainous region, set fire to the area and eradicated the beasts

  • this is a more grounded explanation for B’s actions

READING: Birth of Heracles

• born to Zeus and Alcmena, who is married to Amphitryon

• Hera is jealous of Heracles divine parentage, she tried to thwart his birth but is unsuccessful

• Alcmena gives birth to Heracles and his mortal half-brother, Iphicles, on the same night

• Galanthis, the nursing mother, tricks Hera during birth, allowing Heracles to be born

• Heracles means “glory of Hera” to please the goddess

• Hera sends two serpents to attack the infant Heracles, but he strangles them, showcasing his strength

• He grows up and embarks on various youthful adventures, which include wrestling a lion

Hercules’ Side quests

• killed Antaeus in Libya and Busiris in Egypt

• - defeats Mars’ son, saves hesione at Troy, and killed various threats to his family, such as Lycus and Neleus

• Hercules’ death is associated with Mount Oeta 

• He broke off Achelous’ horns, killing Eurytus for rejecting marriage, and slaying Nessus and Eurytion for harming his wife 

Difference between Herodotus and Thucydides

H: tells history/stories because he asked people and they told the story (could be passed down 4 times)

T: only can write with evidence; first hand experience from real people or things he has witnessed himself; must be trustworthy sources

Local Tradition, Cult & Myth, Legends

• Relics of pre-Greek civilizations

• Ancestor worship

• Hero worship

• genealogies (chronology)

• history = myth (verify) (tied together) (stories told and retold) (in the town they lived in)

• Linked real kings and heroes

  • myths of kings building monuments

2 types of Heroon (Heroa)

1. Distant, less historical

   1. Perseus, Bellerophon, Heracles

2. Trojan war: closer, more historical

   1. Achilles, Oedipus

Link between these; and a pattern as well

Pattern of Greek heroic myth

• Unusual concept

• childhood difficult

• challenged by someone in power

• victory over major challenge/monster

• loses favor

• ends tragically

Story of Bellerophontes

• he committed a crime - was banished - found his way to King Proetus (xenia which means hospitality)

• Wife of king tries to sleep with him - he says no, she mad and accuses him of forcing himself on her

• King sends him to father in law - FIL wine and dine for 9 days, cant kill him either so he sends him to the Chimera to fight

• B has to accept so he goes- talks to Polyeidos - the gods bless him with Pegasus

  • killed Chimera with a piece of lead (low melting point) in fire breathing goat mouth - lead melts and it is stabbed to death

• He heads back to Lycia where he is granted kingship

Alternate explanation for Bellerophon story

• steep, rocky, bottom marsh; this is where you had to walk through snakes (the tail of the chimera)

• fissures in earth which release gas (combustible) burning flames (the breathing fire part of chimera)

• There is a cave lion that you have to go fight (body of chimera); but you have to go up the steep mountain on a goat (the fire breathing head of chimera)

Bellerophon side quests

• fight amazons (woman warriors)

  • amazos - 1 breast

  • “destroyer of men”

  • men not allowed in pack

What happens after Bellerophon wins against the Chimera

• he heads back to Lycia

• he is granted kingship and gets cocky

• he tries to fly up to mount Olympus to be with the gods because he thinks he is so awesome

• Zeus flicks him and as he falls and hits ground, he breaks every bone in his body and has his eyes torn out

• but the Pegasus makes it up to Olympus! yay

What happens after Danae and Perseus are found

• after 2 decades, Polydectes falls in love with her; she says yes to marriage; Perseus (son) isn’t happy

• son and future husband fight; at wedding, P does not bring gift - brings gift of services of warrior

• Poly sends him to kill medusa

• he agrees and goes

Perseus Quest to kill Medusa

• goes on expedition to Island of Graeae (where 3 hags are that share 1 eye 1 tooth)

• he snags eye and demands they tell him how to defeat Medusa

• He must go to Hera’s sacred orchard, give offerings, (this is all east- to the edge of earth)

• he prays and receives tools from the gods

• goes to the Gorgons (Stheno and Euryale are immortal but Medusa isn’t)

• he uses mirror shield to see him, fly’s and cuts off head and puts it in a bag (some myth say Pegasus fly’s out from chopped head)

• he devotes the head to Athena

What tools are given to Perseus to kill Medusa

• Hermes: Flying sandals

• Hades: “Helm of Darkness” (cap of invisibility)

• Athena: Polished shield (mirror) ~ protect from gaze

• Zeus: harpe (unbreakable sickle sword)

• Hesperides (nymphs): Leather purse

  • Kibisis (satchel, overnight bag)

Perseus side quest after the medusa fight

• he meets his future wife (Andromeda) who was tied to a rock

• her parents sacrificed her to the sea monster bc the father committed sacrilege

• he said if he kills the monster - she has to marry him

• he puts on his swag and kills him

• when he comes home- turns the king to stone and becomes king

• his grandfather in Argos hosts an athletic competition- he goes and kills grandpa accidentally

  • killed by throwing a discus that hits off rock and kills

Herakles Family history

• Parents: Zeus and Alcmene; great-grandparents: Perseus and Andromeda

• Alcmene tells her husband Amplitron to go avenge her brothers death; he leaves to go to war in Thebes

  • she stays back; Amph comes back fast and they have sex and kids; but it wasn’t Amph - it was Zeus in disguise

• Amph comes back all battered and bruised, and then they have sex

• she ends up pregnant with both men (superfecundation)

• the two kids are Herakles and Iphicles (secondary citizens)

• Zeus says he will give power to a child who is born; but Hera does not like that so she goes down when Alcmene is giving birth and shuts her legs

• He is born and named after Hera by Zeus

• Athena takes pity- nurses him; he bites; she ripped head and milk sprays (milky way)

Hero’s Theos

• Both human and god

• children are called Heracleid

  • Myceneans - Dorians

  • Sparta, Corinth, Macedon

Herakles sent out to find his fortune

• first goes to Mount Cithaeron

  • sent on a quest to defeat a lion

    • comes back and reward is to sleep with 50 daughters or he will be executed

    • they all have children

• Hera is still mad and curses him - he kills his wife and kids

• Cursed with Miasma

  • goes to Delphi

  • has to serve 10 years under Euryteus in Argos (Hera had influence)

  • Gives him 10 labors in 10 years; this turns into 12 labors because there were 2 added on by the Gods