I hope you all know how to say SEGUE - 'cos obviously I don't know 'How To' segue!
I jumped from The Greek Gods all the way to Spiderman/Superheros without even creating a lead-in, bridge, whatever............segue!
(BTW-this often works on the comedy stage - but - definitely not in blogging lol)
Segue (segg - way):
Means - to make a transition smoothly from one section, theme, discussion or topic!
So - since I missed the opportunity, I'm going to head right straight back to OLDER mythology and characters again. Spideyboy will have to wait until I can learn how to transition better!
Here is a correspondence of Greek to Roman deities:
(from the Olympian, II-Generation group)
Greek: to Roman:
Zeus to Jupiter
Poseidon to Neptune
Hades to Pluto
Hestia to Vesta
Hera to Juno
Ares to Mars
Athena to Minerva
Apollo to Apollo
Aphrodite to Venus
Hermes to Mercury
Artemis to Diana
Hephaestus to Vulcan
Here are the correspondences from the I-Generation (1st) group:
Greek: Roman:
Gaea to Terra
Asclepius to Aesculapius
Cronus/Kronus to Saturn
Demeter to Ceres
Dionysus to Bacchus
Eros to Cupid
Hypnos to Somnus
Rhea to Ops
Uranus to Uranus
Nike to Victoria
Showing posts with label Gods and Goddesses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gods and Goddesses. Show all posts
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Myth and The Stars
The Ancient Greeks placed their deities in the night skies. Perseus, Poseidon, Oceanus and Cassiepoiea are just a few of the Greek deities whose symbolic representation in the night sky have carried right through into our age.
Most people recognize what we call 'The Big Dipper' and also 'The Little Dipper' which are both 'sets' or 'patterns' of stars called constellations by both scientists and storytellers.
The 'tail' of the Big Dipper is actually the tail of 'The Great Bear - Ursa Major.' (Approximate physical location - for those who are astronomy buffs: right ascension 10.67 hours, declination 55.38). The tail of The Great Bear can be used to connect the viewer's eye with another important constellation which will be explained shortly. The Ancient Greek myth, wrapped up within the Ursa Major - Great Bear star pattern, is as follows:
Zeus had another wife 'on the side,' named 'Callisto' - besides also having his more 'famous' wife, Hera. When Hera found out about Callisto (also spelled, Kallisto), and after Callisto had a son with Zeus, Hera then turned Callisto into a bear! As Callisto's son grew, he became a skilled hunter. One day, Hera - still seeking revenge over Zeus' adulterous past - put Callisto out in the open to be killed by the skilled hunter-son, named Arcas. Zeus, realizing what was happening in time and seeing that Hera intended for Callisto to be killed by their (Zeus' and Callisto's) own son - snatched Callisto in her bear form, and placed her in the sky among the stars! At least there, she was safe from harm.
Ursa Major=The Great Bear is Callisto, another of Zeus' wives, placed into the sky - safe forever.
Ursa Minor, which most of us call 'The Little Dipper,' (approximate location: right ascension 14.78 hours, declination 74.36) is also known as 'The Lesser Bear.'
The Lesser Bear is conveniently and directly related to The Greater Bear, and is said to be Callisto's son, also and later placed into the sky by Zeus.
More deliberately than through these Greek tales, the constellations are important because they are part of the first accurate navigational system ever used. Even to use them to navigate on land or sea, one must 'navigate the eye' through the two constellations. Navigation with the eye through the 'Greater' constellation allows you to find the more important star in the 'Lesser' constellation that will allow one to find their way on earth or by sea.
Actually, the stars of Ursa Minor are quite hard for the naked eye to pick out - however, the last star in the tail of of the constellation (remember - also called 'Lesser Bear') is fairly distinct and bright to us down on Earth, once we know where to be looking for it.
This star in the Lesser Bear tail is The North Star. The North Star has guided everyone from ancient peoples, the Magi, and sailors of old. It is still an excellent emergency marker for anyone who gets lost at sea or on land in our day and age.
Because the smaller, dimmer constellation is harder to see, when trying to locate the North Star, one should look for Ursa Major - The Big Dipper - first. Then locate where the two stars in 'the cup' of the Big Dipper are opposite the tail.....and follow them straight out. The first star that you will come across is the North Star, which is in the constellation Ursa Minor - The Lesser Bear - The Little Dipper.
From this star you will always be able to find your way, and always know what direction you’re facing. It never sinks below the horizon, so it is always able to be seen...which brings us back to MYTH again...
Hera was more than upset that Zeus saved Callisto/Kallisto. Hera was infuriated that Zeus had made Callisto 'forever eternal' and that Callisto would be honoured and noticed by everyone looking to the stars for all time. Hera went to Olympian brother, Poseidon, and convinced him (more likely, 'tricked him') to make sure that Callisto would never have the luxury of ever bathing in the sea again.
This is why the North Star never sinks below the horizon, according to Mythology.
To the ancient Greeks, the point at which the eye could view the horizon was, to their knowledge, where Poseidon's Realm and Zeus' Realm joined - that is, Sky and Sea joined at the horizon. Since Zeus controlled the realm of Sky and Poseidon, the vast areas of the Seas, Hera made sure that if Callisto was going to live forever in Zeus' sky - she wouldn't have the option of also touching Poseidon's Seas to bathe. Poseidon forbade Callisto to ever touch his waters. Thus, The Greater Bear never wanders low enough to breach the horizon, to dip in Poseidon's seas, and we can always see it.
The common modern name of 'The Big Dipper' also has some connection back to the ancient myth, for some say that Callisto often 'wanders' near to the sea, to ask Poseidon to change his mind and let her 'dip' into the sea to bathe. Poseidon always refuses her request, afraid that Hera will find out and punish him. This added piece corresponds with the need to explain the motion of the constellations to our sight - how the constellations appear to 'shift' during certain seasons and how stars appear to 'sink' lower in the sky or 'drop into the ocean.' It explains why some stars actually disappear from view during certain seasons (they are in Poseidon's sea, they are being cleansed by the Poseidon, or they are deities/heroes who visit Poseidon for part of the year).
There are, of course, several other versions of mythical explanation surrounding the Great and the Lesser Bear constellations. Another version has Artemis as the angered deity who transforms Kallisto into a bear. Here, Artemis' reason for being upset was that due to Kallisto's sexual relationship with Zeus, Artemis lost a chaste and pure companion...so the 'constellation explanation,' this second version - probably acted as a multiple message about 'sexuality,' 'virginity,' and 'loyalty,' at one time as well.
Most people recognize what we call 'The Big Dipper' and also 'The Little Dipper' which are both 'sets' or 'patterns' of stars called constellations by both scientists and storytellers.
The 'tail' of the Big Dipper is actually the tail of 'The Great Bear - Ursa Major.' (Approximate physical location - for those who are astronomy buffs: right ascension 10.67 hours, declination 55.38). The tail of The Great Bear can be used to connect the viewer's eye with another important constellation which will be explained shortly. The Ancient Greek myth, wrapped up within the Ursa Major - Great Bear star pattern, is as follows:
Zeus had another wife 'on the side,' named 'Callisto' - besides also having his more 'famous' wife, Hera. When Hera found out about Callisto (also spelled, Kallisto), and after Callisto had a son with Zeus, Hera then turned Callisto into a bear! As Callisto's son grew, he became a skilled hunter. One day, Hera - still seeking revenge over Zeus' adulterous past - put Callisto out in the open to be killed by the skilled hunter-son, named Arcas. Zeus, realizing what was happening in time and seeing that Hera intended for Callisto to be killed by their (Zeus' and Callisto's) own son - snatched Callisto in her bear form, and placed her in the sky among the stars! At least there, she was safe from harm.
Ursa Major=The Great Bear is Callisto, another of Zeus' wives, placed into the sky - safe forever.
Ursa Minor, which most of us call 'The Little Dipper,' (approximate location: right ascension 14.78 hours, declination 74.36) is also known as 'The Lesser Bear.'
The Lesser Bear is conveniently and directly related to The Greater Bear, and is said to be Callisto's son, also and later placed into the sky by Zeus.
More deliberately than through these Greek tales, the constellations are important because they are part of the first accurate navigational system ever used. Even to use them to navigate on land or sea, one must 'navigate the eye' through the two constellations. Navigation with the eye through the 'Greater' constellation allows you to find the more important star in the 'Lesser' constellation that will allow one to find their way on earth or by sea.
Actually, the stars of Ursa Minor are quite hard for the naked eye to pick out - however, the last star in the tail of of the constellation (remember - also called 'Lesser Bear') is fairly distinct and bright to us down on Earth, once we know where to be looking for it.
This star in the Lesser Bear tail is The North Star. The North Star has guided everyone from ancient peoples, the Magi, and sailors of old. It is still an excellent emergency marker for anyone who gets lost at sea or on land in our day and age.
Because the smaller, dimmer constellation is harder to see, when trying to locate the North Star, one should look for Ursa Major - The Big Dipper - first. Then locate where the two stars in 'the cup' of the Big Dipper are opposite the tail.....and follow them straight out. The first star that you will come across is the North Star, which is in the constellation Ursa Minor - The Lesser Bear - The Little Dipper.
From this star you will always be able to find your way, and always know what direction you’re facing. It never sinks below the horizon, so it is always able to be seen...which brings us back to MYTH again...
Hera was more than upset that Zeus saved Callisto/Kallisto. Hera was infuriated that Zeus had made Callisto 'forever eternal' and that Callisto would be honoured and noticed by everyone looking to the stars for all time. Hera went to Olympian brother, Poseidon, and convinced him (more likely, 'tricked him') to make sure that Callisto would never have the luxury of ever bathing in the sea again.
This is why the North Star never sinks below the horizon, according to Mythology.
To the ancient Greeks, the point at which the eye could view the horizon was, to their knowledge, where Poseidon's Realm and Zeus' Realm joined - that is, Sky and Sea joined at the horizon. Since Zeus controlled the realm of Sky and Poseidon, the vast areas of the Seas, Hera made sure that if Callisto was going to live forever in Zeus' sky - she wouldn't have the option of also touching Poseidon's Seas to bathe. Poseidon forbade Callisto to ever touch his waters. Thus, The Greater Bear never wanders low enough to breach the horizon, to dip in Poseidon's seas, and we can always see it.
The common modern name of 'The Big Dipper' also has some connection back to the ancient myth, for some say that Callisto often 'wanders' near to the sea, to ask Poseidon to change his mind and let her 'dip' into the sea to bathe. Poseidon always refuses her request, afraid that Hera will find out and punish him. This added piece corresponds with the need to explain the motion of the constellations to our sight - how the constellations appear to 'shift' during certain seasons and how stars appear to 'sink' lower in the sky or 'drop into the ocean.' It explains why some stars actually disappear from view during certain seasons (they are in Poseidon's sea, they are being cleansed by the Poseidon, or they are deities/heroes who visit Poseidon for part of the year).
There are, of course, several other versions of mythical explanation surrounding the Great and the Lesser Bear constellations. Another version has Artemis as the angered deity who transforms Kallisto into a bear. Here, Artemis' reason for being upset was that due to Kallisto's sexual relationship with Zeus, Artemis lost a chaste and pure companion...so the 'constellation explanation,' this second version - probably acted as a multiple message about 'sexuality,' 'virginity,' and 'loyalty,' at one time as well.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Basic Roles of The Olympians
Zeus, you might say, had the JOB of basically screwing all the women - but that's a little RUDE of me to say......however, he did have sex with MANY MANY females, both deity and human
(and also, at least one inanimate OBJECT that Hera 'animated' to trick Zeus *shaking my head* Ahhhh those deities and their games!). I like to say that he is the God of ADULTERY!
*Note - sorry 'bout the terminology - 'screwing' - but face it, your sensibilities WILL BE DISTURBED if you don't understand RIGHT NOW that the Greek Gods did a LOT of things that seem 'far-out- there' to us now-a-days. (Be THANKFUL I favour the Greek Gods on this blog - over 18th Century British Literature - or you'd be more than 'screwed'!). If you can deal with the fact that I started this post with that BLUNT term, you'll be okay once I get to the myths where 'fertility celebrations' are commonplace.
Now - back to what ROLES the deities played in the grand scheme of things.
Zeus is the 'father' of both deities and of men.
Hera - is Zeus' sister AND Wife. She presides over matters
involving families.
Poseidon is ruler of the seas.
Hestia - the 'hearth-keeper', fire-watcher (domestic).
Demeter - sister to Zeus, in charge of fertility on earth.
Hades - ruler of the great Underworld which is usually also
called 'Hades.'
Hephaestus (there's a glitch here - Hephaestus is Hera's son but
not Zeus' son...but Hera did not commit adultery. Hephaestus
was born from Hera alone).....he is the eternal craftsman, brings
inspiration to metal-workers and 'smiths.'
Ares holds sway over WAR.
Athena governs practicality, operates in the realm of women's
skills, and is even involved in the 'Arts of War.'
Apollo is often called by an alternate name, Phoebus, and is the
god of healing and prophecy. (Very COMPLEX dude, as far as
God-dudes go!).
Artemis - the Huntress, guardian over wild animals.
Hermes - The Trickster and god of wide open spaces - the
traveller god, master of COMMERCE........also, conveniently,
master of lies and deception.
Well, well....that's TWELVE so far...
That's not the end though!
Aphrodite - goddess of sexual love, sexual attraction.
Dionysus - god of wine, instinct, life force (fertility, sometimes,
'zest for living' other times).
Okay - so again we have extras. But they're important.
It is highly probably that Dionysus was a 'lesser' personality for a long time while most of the aforementioned deities grew in popularity...until such a time as he displaced Hestia and filled
her 'greater' Olympian role.
A decline in the popularity of Hestia seems apparent by the lower count of myth-stories that revolve around her, as compared with other Olympians. Likely, the other goddesses represented 'enough' domesticity and femininity at a certain early time - and Hestia's need to represent these things became less pronounced.
Actually a 'decline in popularity' might be a dishonorable thing to say about the goddess, Hestia...rather, her 'persona' may have been stunted somewhere along the line while other female deities were allowed to blossom in 'personality' and grow more complex. Hestia isn't really LESS IMPORTANT, in the grand design - it's just that SOMETHING HAPPENED in Greek society and in the formations of myth...to include her less and so that her character didn't become more intricately wrapped about the other deities.
There are certainly some interesting details about Hestia in numerous mythological accounts - and she is still considered one of the more benevolent 'true domestic' goddesses.
Maybe, like a lot of women in ancient times, she just faded into the background as Heroes emerged to take the spotlight, as children grew up and displayed antics and had children of their own.....
And that is why I've dedicated several paragraphs to mentioning Hestia's presence among the Olympians while saying only a few words about some of the other deities.....it's because Hestia will basically 'fade away' as I continue this blog. I will re-visit her 'persona' from time to time, however, other personalities and 'events' will simply emerge.
Dionysus - that little, WILD, rascal! Out-positioning Hestia...
More later...
(and also, at least one inanimate OBJECT that Hera 'animated' to trick Zeus *shaking my head* Ahhhh those deities and their games!). I like to say that he is the God of ADULTERY!
*Note - sorry 'bout the terminology - 'screwing' - but face it, your sensibilities WILL BE DISTURBED if you don't understand RIGHT NOW that the Greek Gods did a LOT of things that seem 'far-out- there' to us now-a-days. (Be THANKFUL I favour the Greek Gods on this blog - over 18th Century British Literature - or you'd be more than 'screwed'!). If you can deal with the fact that I started this post with that BLUNT term, you'll be okay once I get to the myths where 'fertility celebrations' are commonplace.
Now - back to what ROLES the deities played in the grand scheme of things.
Zeus is the 'father' of both deities and of men.
Hera - is Zeus' sister AND Wife. She presides over matters
involving families.
Poseidon is ruler of the seas.
Hestia - the 'hearth-keeper', fire-watcher (domestic).
Demeter - sister to Zeus, in charge of fertility on earth.
Hades - ruler of the great Underworld which is usually also
called 'Hades.'
Hephaestus (there's a glitch here - Hephaestus is Hera's son but
not Zeus' son...but Hera did not commit adultery. Hephaestus
was born from Hera alone).....he is the eternal craftsman, brings
inspiration to metal-workers and 'smiths.'
Ares holds sway over WAR.
Athena governs practicality, operates in the realm of women's
skills, and is even involved in the 'Arts of War.'
Apollo is often called by an alternate name, Phoebus, and is the
god of healing and prophecy. (Very COMPLEX dude, as far as
God-dudes go!).
Artemis - the Huntress, guardian over wild animals.
Hermes - The Trickster and god of wide open spaces - the
traveller god, master of COMMERCE........also, conveniently,
master of lies and deception.
Well, well....that's TWELVE so far...
That's not the end though!
Aphrodite - goddess of sexual love, sexual attraction.
Dionysus - god of wine, instinct, life force (fertility, sometimes,
'zest for living' other times).
Okay - so again we have extras. But they're important.
It is highly probably that Dionysus was a 'lesser' personality for a long time while most of the aforementioned deities grew in popularity...until such a time as he displaced Hestia and filled
her 'greater' Olympian role.
A decline in the popularity of Hestia seems apparent by the lower count of myth-stories that revolve around her, as compared with other Olympians. Likely, the other goddesses represented 'enough' domesticity and femininity at a certain early time - and Hestia's need to represent these things became less pronounced.
Actually a 'decline in popularity' might be a dishonorable thing to say about the goddess, Hestia...rather, her 'persona' may have been stunted somewhere along the line while other female deities were allowed to blossom in 'personality' and grow more complex. Hestia isn't really LESS IMPORTANT, in the grand design - it's just that SOMETHING HAPPENED in Greek society and in the formations of myth...to include her less and so that her character didn't become more intricately wrapped about the other deities.
There are certainly some interesting details about Hestia in numerous mythological accounts - and she is still considered one of the more benevolent 'true domestic' goddesses.
Maybe, like a lot of women in ancient times, she just faded into the background as Heroes emerged to take the spotlight, as children grew up and displayed antics and had children of their own.....
And that is why I've dedicated several paragraphs to mentioning Hestia's presence among the Olympians while saying only a few words about some of the other deities.....it's because Hestia will basically 'fade away' as I continue this blog. I will re-visit her 'persona' from time to time, however, other personalities and 'events' will simply emerge.
Dionysus - that little, WILD, rascal! Out-positioning Hestia...
More later...
Monday, March 26, 2007
The Olympians
(Most??) Prominent Account of Who They Olympians Are:
The Olympians are usually considered as 12 deities, or 'The
Twelve' deities who interacted directly with mankind. Their
parents were not typically known to interact directly in human
affairs, however, the Olympians certainly did, to a startling
degree. Zeus had several sexual liasons with human females,
creating demi-gods/goddesses (half-deity and half-human) who
had mortal lives accompanied by some special, supernatural
'powers.'
The Olympians are 6 main siblings, headed by Zeus in the
dominant 'leader' role. What Zeus says, GOES...whenever Zeus
can clearly make up his mind - and if he doesn't change his mind
too often!
Zeus' SISTERS: Hera, Demeter, Hestia.
Zeus' BROTHERS: Poseidon and Hades.
Altogether, the largely accepted siblings are Zeus, Hera,
Demeter, Hestia, Poseidon, and Hades.
To round out the twelve, six of Hera and Zeus' children are
counted: Apollo and Artemis, Athena (reputed to be Zeus' favorite), Hephaestus (least liked by Zeus), Ares, and Hermes.
What about Aphrodite, you ask? Yeah........ she's in there - but
we already have 12 Olympians. There's no room for more. Mount
Olympus is FULL ALREADY!
Okay - so let's regroup these Olympia-based deities then:
How 'bout......Zeus and Hera, with their kids - or Zeus' kids along
with Hera's kids:
Aphrodite, Dionysus, Athena, Apollo and Artemis, Hephaestus,
Ares, Hermes..........wait a minute.....that's EIGHT kids...
Yeah I know, I know - it's confusing isn't it?
Okay - THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS - final answer:
Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, Aphrodite, Hades, Apollo and Artemis, Athena, Hephaestus, Ares, Hermes, Dionysus (He is Zeus' son) - there you have it - the most common list of 14 of the TWELVE OLYMPIANS!
Yeah - I know, I know, again...it appears that I cannot count.
All I can say is.....
GET USED TO IT.
Make a choice...pick two deities and toss them OUT for now -
add them back in later when the 'myth' accounts require them!
That's all I can say. I cannot decide WHO of the 14 deities is
TRUE OLYMPIAN....they all are, according to dozens of
mythological renderings. I cannot say which 12 of the 14 are
MOST IMPORTANT.....because they all are.
As a really long strettttttttch of a notion, one may say that
because one of Zeus' daughters was born from his body (from his thigh) without a mother, that 'birth' is considered OUT...and take 1 other of the 12 'births' away because Apollo and Artemis are TWINS so there was only 1 birth experience.....that will get you to 12 instances of Olympians created.
No - this last part (about taking 2 away due to only 12 'birthing'
experiences) is NOT in a text-book - it was an explanation offered
by a peer during READING WEEK at the University when we
were collectively CRAMMING for mid-terms in
Mythology/Classics! As far as explanations go - you'll find that
it makes MORE SENSE than some of the ancient Greek
explanations or compared to instances where no explanations at
all can be found for deities who suddenly pop up where least
expected. Actually - the far-fetched explanation is almost 'Greek/myth' itself because it is INCONSISTENT with the fact that one account of another of Zeus' children, 'birthed' from his body alone tells of a daughter being born from a split in his head.....as if he 'thought her up??' LOL So.......then we can take away another 'birth' that wasn't 'regular' and have only 11 Olympians!
Yeah - I don't like that last bit, either - it's EASIER to just accept
that there are more than Twelve original Olympians, call them
"THE TWELVE" and move along to the GOOD STUFF!
By the way, along with these 12-14 deities, there are also Hebe
("Youth"), Eileithyia, Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, and Eros
included under this Olympian family tree!
Don't check these latter folk out yet 'cos they're likely to damage
your sensibilities as they come from brother-sister unions,
mother-brother unions...........yeah, it all gets very complicated
FAST!
Actually - if you've read up to this point, you're probably
confused as all heck. This is about enough information for one
sitting!
More on the Olympians next time. I'll post about what the
Olympians were 'in charge of' - example, Zeus plays a leader and
father role, Hera's concerns were for 'the family,' Poseidon ruled
the seas, etc...
The Olympians are usually considered as 12 deities, or 'The
Twelve' deities who interacted directly with mankind. Their
parents were not typically known to interact directly in human
affairs, however, the Olympians certainly did, to a startling
degree. Zeus had several sexual liasons with human females,
creating demi-gods/goddesses (half-deity and half-human) who
had mortal lives accompanied by some special, supernatural
'powers.'
The Olympians are 6 main siblings, headed by Zeus in the
dominant 'leader' role. What Zeus says, GOES...whenever Zeus
can clearly make up his mind - and if he doesn't change his mind
too often!
Zeus' SISTERS: Hera, Demeter, Hestia.
Zeus' BROTHERS: Poseidon and Hades.
Altogether, the largely accepted siblings are Zeus, Hera,
Demeter, Hestia, Poseidon, and Hades.
To round out the twelve, six of Hera and Zeus' children are
counted: Apollo and Artemis, Athena (reputed to be Zeus' favorite), Hephaestus (least liked by Zeus), Ares, and Hermes.
What about Aphrodite, you ask? Yeah........ she's in there - but
we already have 12 Olympians. There's no room for more. Mount
Olympus is FULL ALREADY!
Okay - so let's regroup these Olympia-based deities then:
How 'bout......Zeus and Hera, with their kids - or Zeus' kids along
with Hera's kids:
Aphrodite, Dionysus, Athena, Apollo and Artemis, Hephaestus,
Ares, Hermes..........wait a minute.....that's EIGHT kids...
Yeah I know, I know - it's confusing isn't it?
Okay - THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS - final answer:
Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, Aphrodite, Hades, Apollo and Artemis, Athena, Hephaestus, Ares, Hermes, Dionysus (He is Zeus' son) - there you have it - the most common list of 14 of the TWELVE OLYMPIANS!
Yeah - I know, I know, again...it appears that I cannot count.
All I can say is.....
GET USED TO IT.
Make a choice...pick two deities and toss them OUT for now -
add them back in later when the 'myth' accounts require them!
That's all I can say. I cannot decide WHO of the 14 deities is
TRUE OLYMPIAN....they all are, according to dozens of
mythological renderings. I cannot say which 12 of the 14 are
MOST IMPORTANT.....because they all are.
As a really long strettttttttch of a notion, one may say that
because one of Zeus' daughters was born from his body (from his thigh) without a mother, that 'birth' is considered OUT...and take 1 other of the 12 'births' away because Apollo and Artemis are TWINS so there was only 1 birth experience.....that will get you to 12 instances of Olympians created.
No - this last part (about taking 2 away due to only 12 'birthing'
experiences) is NOT in a text-book - it was an explanation offered
by a peer during READING WEEK at the University when we
were collectively CRAMMING for mid-terms in
Mythology/Classics! As far as explanations go - you'll find that
it makes MORE SENSE than some of the ancient Greek
explanations or compared to instances where no explanations at
all can be found for deities who suddenly pop up where least
expected. Actually - the far-fetched explanation is almost 'Greek/myth' itself because it is INCONSISTENT with the fact that one account of another of Zeus' children, 'birthed' from his body alone tells of a daughter being born from a split in his head.....as if he 'thought her up??' LOL So.......then we can take away another 'birth' that wasn't 'regular' and have only 11 Olympians!
Yeah - I don't like that last bit, either - it's EASIER to just accept
that there are more than Twelve original Olympians, call them
"THE TWELVE" and move along to the GOOD STUFF!
By the way, along with these 12-14 deities, there are also Hebe
("Youth"), Eileithyia, Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, and Eros
included under this Olympian family tree!
Don't check these latter folk out yet 'cos they're likely to damage
your sensibilities as they come from brother-sister unions,
mother-brother unions...........yeah, it all gets very complicated
FAST!
Actually - if you've read up to this point, you're probably
confused as all heck. This is about enough information for one
sitting!
More on the Olympians next time. I'll post about what the
Olympians were 'in charge of' - example, Zeus plays a leader and
father role, Hera's concerns were for 'the family,' Poseidon ruled
the seas, etc...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
