greek & roman myth passage id for exam 2

Homeric Hymn to Demeter

"She was having a good time, along with the daughters of Oceanus, who wore their waistbands low, picking flowers—roses, crocus, and beautiful violets. Up and down the soft meadow she went, gathering blossoms until she reached for the wondrous narcissus, grown as a lure by Gaia to please Hades. At once the earth opened wide beneath her, and the Lord who receives many guests came forth, driving his golden chariot. Against her will, he seized the maiden, and as she cried out to Zeus for help, not one of the immortals heard her voice, save for Hecate and the shining Helios."

Homer Hymn to Demeter

"For nine days the Lady Demeter wandered over the earth, holding blazing torches in her hands. In her grief she neither ate ambrosia nor drank nectar, nor did she bathe her skin in water. She roamed among mortals, searching for her daughter, but none would tell her the truth. On the tenth day, Hecate came bearing a light in her hands and told her what she had heard. Together they approached Helios, the all-seeing god, and Demeter asked him to reveal who had taken Persephone away. The sun told her that Zeus himself had consented to the marriage."

Homeric Hymn to Demeter

"Then Demeter withdrew her gifts from the earth. The seed lay hidden in the soil and sprouted no more, and the whole race of mortals would have perished had not Zeus intervened. Only when Persephone was allowed to return from the underworld for part of the year did the goddess make the fields fertile again. Thus the earth blooms when mother and daughter are reunited, and lies barren when they are apart."

Perseus Myth (Apollodorus)

"When Acrisius learned from the oracle that his daughter would bear a son destined to kill him, he shut Danaë in a brazen chamber underground. Yet Zeus entered to her in the form of a golden shower, and she bore Perseus. Enraged, Acrisius placed mother and child in a chest and cast them into the sea, but the waves carried them safely to the island of Seriphus, where Dictys found and reared the boy."

Perseus Myth

"Guided by Hermes and Athena, Perseus came upon the Gorgons as they slept. He gazed not upon them directly but upon their reflection in the polished bronze of his shield. With Athena's aid he struck, severing Medusa's head, from whose neck sprang Pegasus and the warrior Chrysaor. The cries of her sisters rose behind him, but Perseus escaped, hidden by the cap of invisibility."

Perseus Myth (Ovid)

"When Perseus came to the land of Ethiopia, he found Andromeda chained to a rock, offered as prey to a sea monster. He loved her at first sight and promised to save her if she would be his wife. The monster rose from the waves like a ship driven by the wind, but Perseus descended from the air on winged sandals, striking it through the neck with his curved sword. The sea ran red with its blood, and he freed the trembling maiden, winning her for his bride."

Cupid & Psyche

"Rumor spread through every land that Venus herself now walked the earth in human form, for a mortal maiden named Psyche rivaled her in beauty. Temples of the goddess stood deserted, their ashes cold, while crowds worshipped the girl instead. Venus, enraged that her honors were stolen, called for her son Cupid. 'Revenge your mother,' she commanded, 'and make this girl fall in love with the most wretched of men.'"

Cupid & Psyche

"Left upon a lonely mountain crag to meet her supposed monstrous husband, Psyche wept as the wedding torches smoked to ash. Yet a gentle breeze, Zephyr, lifted her from the rock and carried her softly down into a valley, laying her upon a bed of flowers. There she saw a palace of gold and ivory, built by divine art, with voices that served her unseen. She dined, bathed, and slept surrounded by luxury, though her heart trembled with fear and wonder."

Cupid & Psyche

"At night her unseen husband came, whispering gently in the darkness, and she felt his love though she never saw his face. Her sisters, visiting later, envied her splendor and planted doubt in her mind. They urged her to take a lamp and knife, to discover whether her husband was a serpent. Torn between love and fear, Psyche lit the lamp—and the god of love himself lay sleeping beside her, beautiful as the stars. A drop of hot oil woke him, and he fled, leaving her alone."

Bellerophon (Apollodorus)

"Having slain his brother by accident, Bellerophon fled to Proetus for purification. But Proetus' wife, Stheneboea, fell in love with him, and when he spurned her, she accused him of trying to seduce her. Unable to kill him himself, Proetus sent Bellerophon to his father-in-law, Iobates, bearing a secret message that demanded his death. Iobates, unwilling to murder his guest outright, ordered him to slay the fire-breathing Chimera instead."

Bellerophon (Pindar)

"Then the goddess Pallas Athena came to him in a dream, bringing a bridle of gold. 'Are you asleep, prince of Aeolus' line?' she said. 'Take this charm, sacrifice a white bull, and you shall master the winged horse.' When he awoke, the bridle lay beside him. He obeyed the goddess, caught Pegasus at the spring of Pirene, and, mounting him, soared into the sky to battle the Chimera and the Amazons."

Bellerophone (Hesiod/Homeric Tradition)

"Mounted on Pegasus, he rose high into the cold air and rained arrows upon the fire-breathing beast below. When he had slain it, he fought the Solymi and the Amazons and triumphed again. Yet pride entered his heart, and he sought to fly to the very heavens, but Zeus sent a gadfly to sting Pegasus, and the hero fell back to earth."

Atlantis

"O Solon, Solon," said the old Egyptian priest, "you Hellenes are never anything but children. There is no old belief among you, no science hoary with age. Many times has mankind been destroyed, sometimes by fire, sometimes by flood, and you have forgotten all that came before. But here in Egypt, the records are preserved, for our waters rise from below and do not destroy the land. You are young in mind, O Solon, for you remember nothing of ancient days."

Atlantis

"There were of old great and marvelous deeds of the Athenian people which have passed into oblivion through the lapse of time. One in particular was greater than all the rest: the war against the mighty power of Atlantis. In those distant days, Athens stood alone, defending Greece and all mankind, after the sea-kings of that island sought to enslave the world. Their city lay beyond the pillars of Heracles, rich and vast, but swollen with pride."

Atlantis

"Once upon a time Phaethon, the son of Helios, yoked his father's horses but could not guide them, burning all that lay upon the earth. This tale, said the priest, is not a mere myth, but an account of the motions of heavenly bodies and the great conflagrations that recur after long ages. Thus the stories of the gods veil the truths of nature, teaching that fire and water alternately destroy mankind."