Daedalus and Icarus

• Key characters: Daedalus (master craftsman), Icarus (son), King Minos (imprisoner of Daedalus and Icarus), wax wings as the escape method.
• Plot overview:
  • Daedalus builds the Labyrinth for Minos on Crete.
  • After guiding the Minotaur, Daedalus and his son are imprisoned to prevent further escape planning.
  • Daedalus crafts wings from feathers and wax for himself and Icarus to fly away.
  • They escape Crete, but Icarus flies too close to the sun; wax melts, wings fail, and he falls into the sea and drowns.
• Major themes:
  • Hubris vs. prudence: Icarus’s overconfidence leads to demise; Daedalus warns but cannot shield him from risk.
  • Innovation and risk: human ingenuity paired with consequences when imagination exceeds caution.
  • Freedom vs. confinement: flight as symbol of escape but with moral complexity.
• Symbols and motifs:
  • Wings: human aspiration and risk.
  • The sea near Icaria: geographic marker of tragedy.
• Connections to broader myths:
  • Labyrinth motif echoes in later architectural metaphor and Ariadne’s thread (Theseus and the Minotaur relates to labyrinth design).
• Ethical/philosophical implications:
  • The danger of overambition; the limits of parental guidance in preventing tragedy.
• Quick facts for study (quiz-ready):
  • The escape relied on a contrived technology: wings made of feathers and wax.
  • Icarus’s fate teaches caution in pursuit of glory.

The Labors of Heracles

• Key characters: Heracles (Heracles/ Hercules), Eurystheus (king who assigns tasks), Athena (aiding guidance), Iolaus (helper in Hydra task).
• Plot overview:
  • Heracles is tasked with completing 12 labors as penance/proof of worth: 12 tasks.
  • The labors are geographically dispersed across Greece and near regions (Nemea, Lerna, Arcadia, Ceryneia, Calydon, Erymanthos, Stymphalia, Cithaeron, Tiryns, Atlas, Hesperides, Cerberus).
• List of the 12 Labors:
  • 1) Slay the Nemean Lion; wear its impenetrable hide as armor.
  • 2) Slay the Lernaean Hydra; Iolaus aids by burning neck stumps to prevent regrowth; collect the immortal head and cauterize the neck.
  • 3) Capture the Ceryneian Hind (stag) of Artemis; bring it alive to Eurystheus.
  • 4) Capture the Erymanthian Boar.
  • 5) Clean the Augean Stables in a single day; reroute rivers to wash away filth.
  • 6) Slay the Stymphalian Birds.
  • 7) Capture the Cretan Bull.
  • 8) Steal the Mares of Diomedes.
  • 9) Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.
  • 10) Obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon.
  • 11) Retrieve the Apples of the Hesperides.
  • 12) Capture and bring back Cerberus from the Underworld.
• Major themes:
  • Heroism and penance: redemption through arduous tests.
  • Human mastery over nature: from beasts to sacred sites.
  • Trickery, resilience, and strategic alliance (e.g., assistance from others, including Athena and Hermes in various tasks).
• Symbols and motifs:
  • The labors themselves as ritual purification; the lion’s hide as armor; the hydra’s heads and cauterization technique; the golden apples as a test of cunning.
• Connections to broader myths:
  • Heroic trials are a common motif; many later heroes undertake series of tasks as tests of virtue.
• Ethical/philosophical implications:
  • The line between courage and arrogance; using cleverness vs. brute force.
• Quick facts for study:
  • The total is 12 labors; many tasks involve beasts, sacred prerogatives, and divine aid.

Echo and Narcissus

• Key characters: Echo (nurse nymph with long speech restriction), Narcissus (beautiful youth), Hera (influential interfering goddess in motifs).
• Plot overview:
  • Echo is punished by Hera so she can only repeat the last words spoken to her.
  • Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection; he pines away, unable to access the source of the image, and dies, transforming into the narcissus flower.
• Major themes:
  • Vanity and unrequited love; self-absorption vs. echoing others; the consequences of self-obsession.
• Symbols:
  • Narcissus flower; echo as lost voice and longing.
• Connections:
  • Reflection imagery appears across myths as a cue to vanity and self-awareness.
• Ethical/philosophical implications:
  • The dangers of self-absorption and lack of empathy; the need to balance self-regard with social connection.
• Quick facts:
  • Echo’s curse leaves her with only the ability to speak by repeating others’ words.

Cupid and Psyche

• Key characters: Psyche (beautiful mortal woman), Cupid/Eros (god of love), Venus (Aphrodite), Psyche’s sisters, Hermes (messenger).
• Plot overview:
  • Psyche’s beauty incites Venus’s envy; Cupid is sent to make her fall in love with something unworthy, but Cupid falls for Psyche.
  • Psyche must complete a set of arduous tasks to win back Cupid and earn a place among the gods.
  • Tasks include sorting seeds, collecting wool, filling a vases with water from a perilous spring, and retrieving beauty from Persephone’s realm; she ultimately ascends to Olympus as a goddess via divine intervention.
• Major themes:
  • The trials of love, trust, jealousy, and divine favor.
  • The transformation from mortal to divine status through perseverance and virtue.
• Notable episodes:
  • The ants aid in the seed task; the golden wool task is aided by a reed or trees depending on version; the water task is aided by an eagle; the Underworld task ends with Psyche obtaining Persephone’s beauty in a box.
• Symbols:
  • Psyche (soul in Greek), eros (love), the box as temptation and risk, divine intervention.
• Connections:
  • Explores love as a transformative force, bridging mortal and divine realms.
• Ethical/philosophical implications:
  • Trust, obedience, and the role of the gods in human affairs; mercy and reward for virtue.
• Quick facts:
  • Psyche becomes immortal and married to Cupid; the couple features prominently in later art and literature.

Jason and the Argonauts

• Key characters: Jason, Medea, the Argonauts (heroes such as Orpheus, Heracles, Atalanta in some versions), the ship Argo, Pelias (uncle who holds the throne).
• Plot overview:
  • Jason is tasked with reclaiming the Golden Fleece from Colchis to restore his throne.
  • The voyage of the Argonauts includes numerous trials and adventures; Medea aids Jason with magical knowledge.
  • The voyage ends with the fleece secured and many adventures in different lands.
• Major episodes:
  • Assistance from Medea; the clashing rocks; the Harpies; the Fire-breathing bulls; the killing of the dragon guarding the fleece (often told with Medea’s sorcery).
• Themes:
  • Quest for legitimate rule; the cunning and resourcefulness of heroes; the moral ambiguity of Medea’s aid.
• Connections:
  • The voyage frames later heroic journeys and the “quest” motif in myth and literature.
• Quick facts:
  • The Argo’s crew includes many legendary heroes; the Golden Fleece remains a symbol of authority and kingship.

Deucalion and Pyrrha

• Key characters: Deucalion (son of Prometheus), Pyrrha (wife of Deucalion).
• Plot overview:
  • A great flood wipes out humanity except Deucalion and Pyrrha, who survive by building an ark or vessel.
  • They repopulate the earth by throwing stones over their shoulders, which become humans; stones thrown by Deucalion become men, Pyrrha’s stones become women.
• Major themes:
  • Rebirth and renewal after catastrophe; human responsibility; pietistic piety and divine favor after a cosmic reset.
• Symbols:
  • The stones as seeds of humanity; the flood as a cleansing myth.
• Connections:
  • Classical flood narratives connected to other ancient Near Eastern flood myths in structure and function.
• Quick facts:
  • The myth explains the origin of human populations post-catastrophe.

Odysseus

• Key characters: Odysseus (the trickster-hero), Penelope (his wife), Telemachus (son), Athena (goddess aiding him), Telemus (various gods and antagonists like Poseidon).
• Plot overview:
  • After the Trojan War, Odysseus wanders for years trying to return to Ithaca; he faces many trials: the Cicones, the Lotus-Eaters, the Cyclops Polyphemus, Aeolus (the wind), the Laestrygonians, Circe, the Underworld, the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, and finally the voyage home.
  • He returns home in disguise, defeats the suitors, and reclaims his throne with Penelope’s recognition and divine assistance.
• Major themes:
  • Cunning and resilience; the cost of long absence; the tension between fate and free will; hospitality and xenia (guest-host relationships).
• Notable episodes:
  • The blinding of Polyphemus; the bag of winds; Circe’s transformation; his visit to the Underworld; the Sirens’ song; the bow contest; the fight with the suitors.
• Symbols:
  • The bow, the ship, the olive tree (Penelope’s loyalty), the sea as a space of testing and transformation.
• Connections:
  • Odyssey as a template for modern travel narratives; a map of human cunning and resilience.
• Quick facts:
  • Odysseus’s long voyage is often cited as a model of the hero’s journey and a meditation on homecoming (nostos).

Pegasus and Bellerophon

• Key characters: Bellerophon, Pegasus (winged horse), Athena/Zeus (divine aid and tests), the Chimera (monster).
• Plot overview:
  • Bellerophon tames Pegasus with a golden bridle from Athena; he defeats the Chimera by luring it with a lead in the fire-breathing creature’s mouth and then killing it with a spear from above.
  • He later attempts to fly to Olympus, becomes prideful, and is punished, either by being dismounted or banished.
• Major themes:
  • The double-edged sword of divine gift; hubris vs. humility; the limits of mortal power despite divine assistance.
• Symbols:
  • Pegasus as a symbol of poetic inspiration and elevated power; the Chimera as a composite monster representing chaos that only intelligence and courage can confront.
• Quick facts:
  • The idea of “flying too close to the gods” appears in many versions as a warning against excessive ambition.

Atalanta

• Key characters: Atalanta (a swift huntress), Meleager (ally who later dies), Hippomenes (Athens-born hero who wins Atalanta’s hand), Aphrodite (goddess who assists Hippomenes via golden apples in some versions), Calydonian Boar (another notable event in her story).
• Plot overview:
  • Atalanta is famed for her speed and prowess; she participates in athletic contests and is initially opposed to marriage.
  • In some versions, Hippomenes wins a race against Atalanta by dropping three golden apples given by Aphrodite to distract her during the race; she is then married to him.
• Major themes:
  • The tension between female agency and societal expectations; the use of wit and divine aid in achieving a goal.
• Connections:
  • Her presence in the Calydonian Boar Hunt links to a larger network of heroic kinship and collective battles against monsters.
• Quick facts:
  • The three golden apples motif appears in multiple myths as a test of speed and cunning.

Theseus and the Minotaur

• Key characters: Theseus, Ariadne, the Minotaur, King Minos, Daedalus (architect of the Labyrinth).
• Plot overview:
  • Theseus volunteers to descend into the Labyrinth to slay the Minotaur and end the tribute from Athens to Crete.
  • Ariadne provides Theseus with a thread to navigate the Labyrinth; Theseus kills the Minotaur and exits with the thread.
  • He abandons Ariadne on exile in some versions or later returns with her; his father is left with a note about the fates of the ship’s sail color.
• Major themes:
  • Courage and ingenuity; leadership and political consequences; the labyrinth as a metaphor for complex challenges.
• Symbols:
  • The Labyrinth; Ariadne’s thread; the Minotaur as a symbol of internal beasts.
• Quick facts:
  • The color of the ship’s sail (black vs. white) is a recurring motif representing fate and parental worry; the myth explains why the Aegean Sea is named after King Aegeus.

Demeter and Persephone

• Key characters: Demeter (goddess of agriculture), Persephone (daughter), Hades (god of the Underworld), Zeus (king of the gods).
• Plot overview:
  • Persephone is abducted by Hades, leading to Demeter’s grief and the withering of the earth.
  • Demeter searches for Persephone; her absence causes the earth to become barren until Persephone's return each year.
  • Eventually, Persephone spends part of the year with Hades and part with her mother, explaining the seasonal cycle.
• Major themes:
  • The agrarian cycle; mother-daughter relationships; the hidden mechanisms behind seasonal change.
• Symbols:
  • The annual cycle of planting and harvest; the pomegranate seeds Persephone eats in the Underworld.
• Connections:
  • The Eleusinian Mysteries are connected to this myth and the agricultural rites of ancient Greece.
• Quick facts:
  • The myth provides an etiological explanation for the seasons.

Pygmalion and Galatea

• Key characters: Pygmalion (sculptor), Galatea (statue brought to life by divine intervention), Aphrodite/Venus (goddess who grants life).
• Plot overview:
  • Pygmalion sculpts an ivory statue that resembles an ideal of beauty; he falls in love with it.
  • Aphrodite grants life to the statue, and Pygmalion marries Galatea.
• Major themes:
  • Art, beauty, and the transformative power of love and divine grace.
• Symbols:
  • The statue as an object of art becoming a living partner; the life-giving power of the gods.
• Quick facts:
  • The myth raises questions about the boundary between art and life.

Midas

• Key characters: King Midas, Dionysus (or Pan in some variants for the “Midas touch” tale), the river Pactolus (where his golden touch is washed away).
• Plot overview:
  • Midas is granted the golden touch by a deity; everything he touches becomes gold, including food and loved ones, causing catastrophe.
  • He begs to revert the gift; he is instructed to wash in the river Pactolus, which then bears gold-bearing sands.
• Major themes:
  • The dangers of greed and unintended consequences of gifts.
• Symbols:
  • The Golden Touch; the Pactolus River as a source of wealth and ruin.
• Quick facts:
  • The myth explains the origin of gold-rich sands in the Pactolus River.

Perseus and Medusa

• Key characters: Perseus, Medusa (one of the Gorgons), Athena (goddess), Hermes (messenger with winged sandals), Andromeda (princess rescued by Perseus).
• Plot overview:
  • Perseus, aided by Athena and Hermes, quest to behead Medusa; he uses reflective shield to view Medusa without turning to stone.
  • He obtains Medusa’s head and uses it as a weapon in later adventures; he rescues Andromeda from a sea monster.
• Major themes:
  • The hero’s cleverness and divine aid; the transformation of a mortal into a legendary figure.
• Symbols:
  • Medusa’s head as a powerful, petrifying weapon; the reflective shield as prudence and perception.
• Quick facts:
  • The Gorgons’ gaze turns onlookers to stone; Perseus’s victory is a turning point in many later myths.

Pandora

• Key characters: Pandora (the first woman), Prometheus (creator of humanity’s fate), Epimetheus (brother of Prometheus), Zeus (king of gods).
• Plot overview:
  • Pandora is created and given a jar (often mistranslated as a box) containing all evils; curiosity leads her to release them into the world, leaving only Hope inside.
• Major themes:
  • The origin of suffering and the presence of hope as a counterbalance.
• Symbols:
  • Pandora’s jar/box as the source of human troubles; hope as a sustaining force.
• Quick facts:
  • The myth explains why humans face hardship but also why there remains hope in life’s struggles.

Orpheus and Eurydice

• Key characters: Orpheus (mortal musician), Eurydice (his wife), Hades (Underworld ruler), Persephone, Hermes.
• Plot overview:
  • Orpheus descends to the Underworld to retrieve Eurydice; his music softens hearts of gods, who allow her to return on one condition: he must not look back at her until they reach the upper world.
  • He looks back too soon, losing Eurydice forever; he later meets a tragic demise at the hands of maenads.
• Major themes:
  • The power and limits of art; love’s endurance; the peril of looking back when the path is uncertain.
• Symbols:
  • Music as a force that can move gods and the dead; the Underworld as a realm of testing and consequence.
• Quick facts:
  • Orpheus’s story influenced later literature and music as a symbol of artistic longing and loss.

The Trojan War

• Key characters: Helen, Paris, Menelaus, Agamemnon, Achilles, Odysseus, Nestor, Athena, Hera, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Zeus, the Greeks and the Trojans.
• Plot overview:
  • The war begins with the abduction (or elopement) of Helen; the Greeks form alliances and embark on a decade-long conflict against Troy.
  • Key episodes include the duel between Achilles and Agamemnon, the death of Patroclus, Achilles’s return to battle, the death of Achilles, and the wooden horse deception that leads to the fall of Troy.
• Major themes:
  • The capriciousness and influence of the gods on human affairs; the fate of cities; heroism and fatal flaws of legendary figures.
• Symbols:
  • The Trojan Horse as a symbol of cunning and deception; the shield and weapons of heroes.
• Connections:
  • The war influences many later Greek myths and serves as the backdrop for many heroes’ journeys, including Odysseus’s voyage home.
• Quick facts:
  • The duration is commonly depicted as about 10 years in classic tellings.

Prometheus

• Key characters: Prometheus (the Titan who defies Zeus), Zeus, Io (in some versions), Heracles (as the liberator in some adaptations), an eagle (punisher who gnaws Prometheus’ liver daily).
• Plot overview:
  • Prometheus steals fire for humanity and is punished by Zeus by being chained to a rock where an eagle eats his liver daily, which regenerates each night.
  • In some versions, Heracles eventually frees Prometheus.
• Major themes:
  • The price of enlightenment and the risks taken to benefit humanity; rebellion against divine tyranny; the burden of knowledge.
• Symbols:
  • The iron chains; the eagle as a symbol of eternal punishment; fire as knowledge and civilization.
• Quick facts:
  • The Prometheus myth provides etiological context for human progress and is often cited in discussions of free will and rebellion.

Note: The above notes summarize each myth listed in the transcript and expand on key characters, plots, themes, and cultural significance. Use these sections to study the major arcs, motifs, and moral questions that recur across ancient Greek myth, and to connect them to broader literary and philosophical themes studied in prior lectures.