The Wives of Hercules

Through my research, I have found that Hercules had 3 wives. What a pimp! I thought he only had two, Megara and Deianira. However, apparently the third wife's name was Hebe, the daughter of Zeus and Hera.

               Megara

I was so excited when this came up after typing in Megara into Google Images. I hadn't made the connection that "Meg" from the Disney movie was Megara. Now, I was a little bit upset too because I am aware after being in Mythologies class that Hercules killed Meg and their 3 children in a fit of madness, even though it was Hera that basically made him go crazy. After he had realized what he had done, he wanted to commit suicide, but was stopped by his friend Theseus. Hercules then went on to perform his 12 labors that he is most known for to gain immortality.



                 
Deianira

The photo above shows the scene that we read about in class. That is Hercules on the right, shooting at the Centaur that has Deianira. Hercules won Deianira's hand in marriage by fighting the river-god. When the centaur bled all over the cloth, he told her that it contained a powerful love potion that would renew Hercules' love for her. One night she presented it to him, but of course it was not a love potion but a deadly poison that would ultimately lead to the death of Hercules.



Hebe

Hebe is the youngest daughter of Zeus and Hera, Hercules' mysterious third wife. She is the goddess of youth and was married to Hercules upon his ascension into Mt. Olympus and godhood. She was also the cupbearer of the gods and was possibly an attendant for Aphrodite. Hercules was not a very good husband to her though because he left her on Mt. Olympus while he went to have fun adventures on earth.

The Odyssey's Deeper Meaning

I recently read The Odyssey in my Text and Critics class and thought it would serve as a good topic to blog about, being such an old, classic myth that contains a lot of meaning and symbolism.

Life is full struggles when we try to reach our destination. We might struggle to cross the street because the snow is too deep, or on a larger scale, getting to Europe because our flight was delayed. We also struggle with less literal objectives, such as falling in love, becoming stable, and being ultimately happy. Throughout The Odyssey, Homer uses fantastical and/or imaginative elements to describe obstacles and other events in life and portray ideas.

Odysseus is on a journey home to Ithaca. It had been ten long years since the fall of Troy and he is the only Greek hero that has not returned. He encounters many complications throughout his long journey, but there are a few specific events that are most relatable. When Odysseus reaches the island of the Cyclopes’, his cunning personality is truly revealed. He makes three major decisions that are helpful to him and his crew. First, he decides to blind, not kill, Cyclopes, as he is the only one that has the strength to move to boulder blocking the door aside. He also tells Cyclopes that his name is “Nobody” so his neighbors will not worry when he says “Nobody has hurt me”. Odysseus also uses the sheep to disguise his men. Six of twelve men are lost, but had he not been so clever, all of them would have met their doom. Homer used this event with these characters to convey the importance of intelligence and cleverness, and how it can be just as important, if not more than strength.

Odysseus later runs into two things that both deal with the same thing: temptation. First, he is given assistance by the god of wind, Aeolus, who presents to him a bag of winds, leaving out only the west wind, which will guide him home to Ithaca. He becomes within seeing distance of his land, but is betrayed by his crew, whose curiosity was too much for them to stand. They opened the bag from Aeolus and unleashed the other winds, sending the ship backwards in a violent storm. The second event that deals with temptation is the run-in with the Sirens. He plugs the crew members ears with beeswax and has them bind him to the mast. The seductive, beautiful song of the Sirens becomes so powerful that he begs the crew to release him, but they only bind him tighter.

Both these events describe the outcomes and possible outcomes of temptation. The unbearable curiosity of the crew members led to years and years of prolonging their return home, and had Odysseus not been bound to the mast, he would have given himself to the enticing Sirens. Temptation leads to horrible outcomes in reality as well. For example, cheating, spying, and simply doing exactly what we are told not to. Homer is perhaps warning us what can happen when we give into our every desire and impulse.
The last and most challenging obstacle that Odysseus faces is when he is trapped on Calypso’s island. The idea of being stuck on an island with a seductress such as Calypso, is not an uncommon occurrence when you think about it. Too often we are confronted with feelings of being “trapped” in a relationship or situation. Calypso is in love with Odysseus and will not let him leave, so he is ultimately held prisoner. Many of us are held prisoner by things that seem inviting or pleasant. For example, as a college student, I am well accustomed to procrastination. We do things that are fun and make us happy, instead of writing an essay, such as this one. One could say that we are held prisoner by the easy route, and it leads us astray from our final objectives.

Through The Odyssey, Homer teaches us things and portrays ideas or warnings in an innovative way; he writes of the hero’s journey. Instead of simply saying “do not give into temptation”, he tells a story about someone who did. Describing what someone else goes through is often a good way to get a point across because the audience may put themselves in that position. Visioning an outcome results in either wanting to pursue it or wanting to stray away from it. It these cases that I’ve discussed, he is both warning us to stray away from the mistakes made by the crew and Odysseus as well as use our brains in situations instead of going strictly by instinct.

2/16 Notes

differentiation- separating

3 stages of gods:
1. forces of nature
2. embodiment
3. become individuals

sacred marriage= fertility

Heroes

*how would I define a hero?
        -accomplishes something
        -teach a lesson
        -change

hero- cultural
   *extraordinary
   *purpose
   *establishes a dynasty


monomyth= universally shared story

***when the hero is born, it is exposed, saved, and then brings something to culture


TIMELINE

1871 (Taylor)- exposed, raised, return

1909 (Rank)- distinguished parents, prophecy, exposed, raised, return and "kill" father (metaphorical)

1949 (Campbell)- departure (separation of familiar world), initialism (trials, aid, temptation), return (boon, knowledge, object, authority, King Arthur)


*psychological vs. religious

*Campbell's pursuit of the hero

Campbell was inspired by Carl Jung, who was a student of Freud

Freud's Beliefs:::
- conscious>>>>sub-conscious>>>>unconscious (dreams, myths)
- outline of hero
       *archetypes- a very typical example of a person or thing
       *stereotype

2/11 Notes

*dracula tale
*knowledge
*rescue souls
*seer

BEES IN MYTHOLOGY
-womb-like
-queen

male human +goddess

where does Telipine come from?

Grove/trees
*the suspension of something on a tree ensures the return of life


*boar hunts (recurring myth)

Quiz:

*axis mundi
*fecundator
*allophones
*sparagmos
*creation myths
*gods/goddesses
*microcosm
*macrocosm
*anthropomorphic
*homologies
*matriarchal/matrifocal
*phantasis
*creatrix
*wombness
*pantheon
*hiero gamos
*goddess transition

2/9 Notes

3000 B.C.

Internal
cities
laws
military
storage
writing

External
spoked wheel
chariots

2/7 Notes

Seth + Nepthys = <3

Osiris + Isis = <3

Nepthys + Osiris = Anubis (god of mummification)
                                   -jackle, scavenger, agent of rebirth, judge of underworld

Nepthys + Isis = sisters

sparagmos

-Seth builds a box, puts Osiris in it, pours led over it and throws into river
-Isis finds box in a tree
-Tree used as a pillar in a palace
-Mouth to mouth
         wind/breath=life>>>alloform
-Full moon hunting= cuts him into 14 pieces
-re membering= cresent
-new moon= back to life

Seth= ox, donkey (harvest)>>>>>dismember the grain (Osiris, god of grain)

Isis=star
- Sothus/Serius >>>> pregnant>>>>as Nile floods, Isis is pregnant- new life

3 Stages of Godess
       1. Virgin
       2. Mother
       3. Crone

2/4 Notes

creatrix
      - medicatrix
      - formacatrix

Athena
   matriarchal >>>> patriarchal
   out of Zeus's head

homology- saying the same thing

moon-
    new moon: Gaia produces Cronos
    full wax: marries her consort
    wane: lost him in some way
                       -dismemberment
                       -death

Zoe- life with no end or beginning (eternal)
              goddess
Bios- life (mortal)
             consort

"The Golden Bough"- Sir James Frayer

***heiro gamos- sacred marriage

Queen of Heaven
     Inanna - Ishtar - Tiomat - Iris - Aphrodite - Venus - Mary

1/28 Notes

West wind- Zephyrus
East wind- Eurus
South wind- Notus
North wind- Boreas

1st generation=naughty
         male+female
Deucalion + Pyhma (sp?)
escape/salvation
dismemberment of mother earth >>>>bones=stones=allophones

*heat + moisture

Nephilim= sons of God (angels)
     - Goliath

homologies
     -baptism and underworld (hero)

Etiological consequences: rainbow, lightning, animals in boats

covenant

1/26 Notes

Alloforms-  breath of the gods is life

breath::life
death::breath

Hesiod- theogony
    
       1. Generalites- force- uranus+gaea
       2. Embodiments- titans
       3. Duties + gender- olympians

fecundator- fertilizer

"The Woman That Fell From the Sky" - earth diver

etiological- why things are the way they are

1/24 Notes

"The Emergence" - emergence...duh

"The Creation" - ex nihilo


Morpheus- god of dreams, imitates humans
Icelon- nightmare god, pobos: phobia
Phantasas- fantasy

false: ivory      true: horn

Study Guide: Quiz 1

So for the quiz, we need to know the following topics, and I will go into each one in greater depth.

*fecundator
*allophones
*sparagmos
*creation myths
*gods/goddesses (greek/roman)
*microcosm vs. macrocosm
*anthropomorphic
*homologies
*matriarchal vs. matrifocal
*phantosis
*wombness
*creatrix
*hiero gamos
*goddess transition


VOCABULARY

fecundator = fertilizer, agent of creation

alloform = same thing in different form... breath :: life, breath :: death

sparagmos = ripping or rending of flesh

anthropomorphic = attributing human form or characteristics to non-human things (deities)

homologies = similarities such as that of baptism and a hero coming out of the underworld
creatrix = the goddess that created the world

hiero gamos = sacred marriage

etiological = why things are the way they are

cosmogeny = beginning of order

pantheon = collection of gods for a certain culture


CREATION  MYTHS

Ex-Nihilo:  created out of nothing, void

Earth Diver: an animal or other life form dives down to the bottom of a body of water and brings it back up...LIFE!

Emergence: life as we knows it emerges out of different layers, or in some cases, a giant vagina

Primal Unity: separation of light/dark, earth/sky, etc.

Dismemberment: sparagmos is usually involved and parts of a body become parts of the earth

Axis Mundi: a connection between the natural and the divine



THE 12 OLYMPIANS

Aphrodite (Venus) - sexual desire, beauty

Apollo (Phoebus Apollo) - medicine, poetry, archer

Ares (Mars) - war

Artemis (Diana) - hunting, moon, virginity

Athena (Minerva) - wisdom, weaving

Demeter (Ceres) - grain

Hades (Pluto) - underworld

Hephaestus (Vulcan) - forge and fire

Hera (Juno) - marriage, childbirth

Hermes (Mercury) - messenger

Hestia (Vesta) - hearth

Poseidon (Neptune) - sea

Zeus (Jupiter/Jove) - sky



MICROCOSM VS. MACROCOSM

Mircrocosms refer to human life, and life in general here on Earth. Macrocosms are referring to everything outside our immediate world, such as gods, stars, etc.


MATRIARCHAL/MATRIFOCAL

Society is focused around women, as we are more powerful than men.

PHANTASAS

fantasy


SYMBOL OF THE WOMB/GODDESS




PANTHEON

GREEK     (ROMAN)     Area

Gaea     (Terra)    mother earth, nourishes all life

Uranus    (Uranus)     ruler of the sky

Briareus     (--)     hundred-hand giant

Cyclopes     (--)     one-eyed metalsmith

Titans     (--)      immortals who ruled the universe before the gods

Cronus     (Saturn)     god of sky after Uranus, youngest Titan

Rhea     (Ops/Cybele)      goddess like Gaea

Helios    (Sol)    god of sun

Selene     (--)     goddess of moon

Oceanus      (Nereus)     god of the great river

Atlas    (--)      holds up the sky- strong

Themis    (--)     prophecy

Prometheus    (forethought)     creative, intelligent

Epimetheus       (afterthought)      husband of first mortal woman

Aphrodite     (Venus)     sexual desire/beauty

Zeus     (Jupiter, Jove)      god of sky after Cronus

Poseidon     (Neptune)      god of the sea

Hades     (Pluto)      god of the underworld

Hera    (Juno)       goddess of marriage/childbirth

Demeter      (Ceres)     goddess of grain

Hestia     (Vesta)       goddess of hearth

Apollo     (Phoebus Apollo)      medicine, poetry, archer

Artemis     (Diana)      hunt, moon, virgin

Ares     (Mars)      war

Athena      (Minerva)       weaving, wisdom

Hermes      (Mercury)        messenger of the gods

Persephone       (Proserpine)        underworld

Hephaestus        (Vulcan)       forge


GODDESS TRANSITION

There are 3 stages or manifestations of the goddess, expressing each special phase of femininity. These stages are also associated with the moon and its cycle.

1. Virgin (Waxing): new beginnings, growing, birthing ideas, learning


2. Mother (Full): fullness, full of life, most fertile

3. Crone (Waning): wisdom and experience, knowledge, approaching death

Pantheon

GREEK     (ROMAN)     Area

1/21 Notes

ORIGIN MYTHS
*Earth diver
*Breaking up primal unity
*Axis mundi
*Dismemberment
*Ex-nihilo
*Emergence

EBADEE!!!

"Origin of life and fire"
-ex nihilo (vomiting, spitting, etc.)
-not emergence (going through worlds)

Nigerian story
-breaking up primal unity (light/dark, earth/sky, etc.)

inspire >>> creativity
spir: spirit

inspire: breath of God

*alloforms: alternatives shapes for something

microcosm: human life
macrocosm: everything outside our world (gods, stars, etc.)

fecundator: fertilizer

1/19 Notes

Anrtrhopomorphize
man           change

*Lot's of myths about creation!!

Story of origins:
-void
-humans
-world/earth
-animal
-where we came from
-expections (worldview)
-purpose

Examples:
*Big bang
*Judeo/christian (7 days)
*ducks/fox
*stork
*primal unity
*reincarnation
*ex nihilo (out of nothing)
*earth-diver
*sparagmos (tearing of flesh) icky!
*axis mundi

1/14 Notes

The following are used to explain things:

*Science
*Imagination
*History
*Religion

-where science ends, the myths pick up

*sometimes we have to change our colors to survive

*what does the myth say about US, not just the world around us?

Heaven

(If you are super religious or super not-religious, just skip this paragraph and start at the next one)
Some believe that when you die, nothing happens. It is an eternal nothingness. Some believe that if you are a faithful Christian, you will go to heaven. I have the belief that God will have mercy on the ones that might not have followed Him, but lived their life like he wanted them to. I think they should go to heaven over someone who might not have been a good person, but preached the word of the Lord. Too often people look down on others because they aren't believers and aren't "Christian", while the person they are looking down on might act like a much better Christian than they do. I am a faithful Christian, but I just don't think such a caring and loving God would send a good person to hell when they might not have grown up with Christianity. It would not be fair to punish someone to an eternity of hell when they were a good person.

When I get to heaven, I don't think there will be any pearly white gates or whatnot. All I can see right now is being reunited with my dad and other lost loved ones. He is what I miss most in the world, so I think that will be the first thing that I see in heaven. I want to see Jesus and just be close to God. Basically, whatever you want heaven to be, will be. I wonder what it will be like, especially since it will be perfect...what then is perfection? Since everyone's "perfect" is different, then is everyone's Heaven different? I might say that there will be an unlimited supply of macaroni and cheese and moberry frozen yogurt, but then I wonder if I will have to eat at all? Also, what about emotions? If I were to die young, I don't think I could not be sad about leaving my loved ones behind and watching them suffer (they better be a little bit sad) without lots of drugs or something. Does heaven have drugs? How is it possible for everyone to be so happy? That weirds me out a little bit. I think I might want to be sad sometimes. Hmmmm...what would heaven look like? For some reason I think about clouds, but it seems weird and a bit chilly to live in the clouds, plus that would mean that we are still part of the world when we die. Is heaven on earth? Where is heaven? I guess that is not an answerable question. After my dad died, I had a dream and he said to me in that dream that if I wanted to get ahold of him, I just had to write him a letter. I could see where he was and it looked like an abandoned ghost town, but there was a white mailbox. I told him that I didn't know the address and asked where to send it so that it would get to that mailbox. He said that I just had to write the letter and it would get to him. After waking up to that, I just thought "what the hell" and I wrote a letter to him and in I asked him to just give me a sign that he was still with me somehow. The next night I woke up and I saw him standing right over my bed, as clear as could be, it was him. Now I'm not one to normally believe in ghosts or anything like that, but if I hadn't seen him die myself, I would not have even questioned his presence there. There he was wearing that worn, ugly, green and purple striped sweatshirt. He just smiled at me, and I shut my eyes and opened them again....still there. I even shook my head and he did not disappear. To me, that showed me that there is something more after death, and somehow he heard me. This also leads me to believe that we still have some sort of connection to heaven. We might not always be able to communicate with them, but I know that they are listening.

The End of the World

This is what the end of the world looks like to me. I think it is not going to end because of anything humans do, because there will always be people to freak out and go, "AH! That's enough!".

Many think that a nuclear war will be the end of us. I doubt that. If we have potential to be that stupid, then we would've been gone already...and to have so many bombs go off at once, enough to kill everyone in the world, sounds so ridiculous. The people orbiting space, safe from the nuclear war, will write in the history books how we blew up the human race. How embarrassing.

Global warming...nah...we will eventually change our ways enough to prevent that, if it is a real thing.

An ice age would be more likely to end us because that involves Earth's natural cycle.

Maybe a giant flaming meteor will crash to the earth like in the above photo. Whatever it is, we won't be able to control it.