UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHEASTERN PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Bo. Obrero, Davao City

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EL 2310 MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLORE

2020-2021
Second Semester

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REFLECTIVE ESSAY
The Pantheons and their Counterparts: An Overview

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Submitted to:

MS. EDILHYNIE JAMBANGAN, MED-LT

Instructor

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Submitted by:

MEREYL T. DEL PUERTO, BSED-ENGLISH III

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April 2021
 The unit centers on the disparate yet interrelated mythological figures from Greek,
Roman, Norse, Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino mythologies. The reporters have
articulated their thoughts and insights about the primordial gods and goddesses and
their counterparts in other countries. They've also discussed the intricate genealogy of
these gods, particularly Zeus, who was known to have innumerable romantic affairs. He
had had other wives before Hera. The first was Metis, the goddess of wisdom, whom
Zeus swallowed just before she gave birth to Athena because he knew that her second
child would dethrone him. Yet to allow Athena to live, as Metis' firstborn, Zeus had
Hephaestus take an axe and cleave his forehead open, and from Zeus' head, sprang
Athena, fully armed. This narrative exemplifies the peculiarities of ancient mythology.

The stories were indeed full of dramatic and exhilarating events. With that, some
may even call them "ancient soap operas.” Through these stories, I have realized that
the gods and goddesses were nothing like humans. Some of these gods were often
depicted in human form exhibiting human traits. Anthropomorphism, in this case, is
referred to as anthropotheism. The gods held all kinds of jealousies, betrayal, and
infidelity that one finds in the human world. For example, Athena herself, being the
goddess of wisdom, often makes imprudent decisions. Some may view her as a jealous
and self-absorbed goddess who has unjustifiably punished Medusa for breaking her
vow of celibacy. The timeless tale of Medusa's curse, which can be found in Ovid's
Metamorphoses, was one of the most notable and debated topics in the history of
Greek Mythology. Legend states that Medusa was once a ravishingly beautiful maiden.
Her hair was her crowning glory. Due to Medusa's ethereal beauty, many people adored
her, and a plethora of suitors came up to vie for her hand. However, she was
uninterested in them all as she devoted almost her entire life as a priestess, praising
and glorifying Athena, the goddess of wisdom and War. Hence, Medusa spent her days
pious and virtuous, knowing not that a tragedy was to befall her soon.

The fame of the beautiful priestess had spread far and wide and even reached the
ears of the powerful sea god, Poseidon. One of the most temperamental and greedy
gods, Poseidon set out to possess the famed beauty. Having heard of the news, Athena
rebuffed Poseidon. The sea god was infuriated and ravaged the innocent maiden in the
temple of Athena. Upon knowing the incident, Athena was incredibly enraged and chose
to punish Medusa for her part in the whole affair. At this point, Medusa's beautiful hair
becomes a tangled mass of snakes. Should anyone at all look upon her eyes, would
instantly be turned into stone. With that said, many have expressed their dissent and
condemnation towards Athena's decision. They contended that it speaks so much of her
character. She doesn't come off as a big women's advocate, for she could have helped
and defended her impotent priestess against Poseidon. She could have used her power
for good and chose the side of the victim instead of blaming her for the entire incident.

On the contrary, I believe that Athena did it for a greater purpose. Athena was not
trying to curse Medusa but instead help her. When Poseidon raped Medusa, she called
out to Athena for both forgiveness and guidance. Athena transformed Medusa into a
hideous creature with a petrifying stare to insulate her from the perpetrators, may it be a
god or a mortal. Thus, her decision was not an act of rage but rather an act of
protection. Since Athena could not punish Poseidon, she did the only thing she could
do, which was to protect her former priestess. Giving Medusa the ability to turn people
to stone becomes a mechanism of self-defense than it does anything else. It grants
Medusa the power to never feel helpless again when faced with similar situations.
Certainly, Medusa's power cost her beauty, but it had also made her unassailable and
capable of defending herself.

There's no exact conclusion to Medusa's story, so the readers can deduce that
she's still with some hero waiting to be used as a weapon again. Medusa is not just a
mere fictional character; she represents all the women who were victims of sexual
assault/abuse. The story illustrates the stigmatization of female sexuality and the
blaming of women for the consequences of male lust. Thus, If I were to give this story
an ending, I would grant Medusa the justice she deserved. Athena could have done
something to alleviate Medusa's terrible situation. After all, she has been so faithful in
her.

After reading the text, I can assert that the author sought to teach us some
significant life lessons. First, it made me realized that beauty can be both a blessing and
a curse. Beauty is undeniably a blessing, for it gives anyone that innate power to make
other people do as they wish. Thus, beauty is power. However, it may also have its
drawbacks. One of which is in how other people perceive you on the first impression.
Sometimes it feels like your value as a person becomes rooted in your appearance and
having a personality and experiencing the spectrum of human emotions shatters
whatever image of you someone has created in their mind. Moreover, people tend to
misconceive you. They would think that you are taking advantage of your beauty to get
things done or turn everything in your favor. Beautiful women may also be great targets
of sexual harassment or assaults, just like what happened to Medusa. Secondly, the
story suggests that humans and those with godly blood can be the same at heart.
Although gods and goddesses believe they are superior to non-immortals, humans and
gods share the same qualities in certain situations. For example, both feel vengeance,
anger, and lust. In the myth, Poseidon was viewed as a very lustful and selfish god,
especially when it comes to women. He was known for his fast-changing temperament
and being easily offended. And because he was also dignified and competitive, it was
important not to offend him or argue with his statements and actions. Those who anger
him became the victims of his wrath.

I believe that the most dominant character in the story is Athena, because her
decisions had greatly affected and even dictated Medusa's fate. Her actions attest to the
notion that "with great power comes great responsibility." Due to her immense and
boundless power, she was considered to have control over every part of people's lives.
She was responsible for peace, justice, harmony, and the natural phenomena
throughout the ends of the earth. Thus, she must always opt to use her power for good.
 As an emerging student leader, I can really resonate with these kinds of
situations. I view power as a great tool for spreading ideas and causes. It is the
influence that leaders possess over their followers, thus using this power correctly may
awaken the best out of all individuals to reach the top. The idea that I have this power,
propels me to be better as a person. I have to prove that I am worthy of such power and
that I should use it to ameliorate the lives of others, especially my fellow students in the
university. I will use this power to shed light on certain issues that concern us, students.
Through this, I will be able to empower them to speak up and let their voices be heard.
However, I have also recognized that I still have a lot to improve and change. One of
which is the belief that power and its consequences are absolute. Upon pondering
about it, with the help of the things that I've learned from the discussion, I have realized
that the more successful you are in life, the greater becomes your power and influence,
but also the more complex and multilayered your responsibility would become

This responsibility is not easy to define, as the multilayered liability includes for
some to know what kind of consequences their actions could have and to be
accountable for these, whereas others consider their social responsibility as a part of it
as well. To successfully facilitate this power, I have to discipline myself to not let my
emotions get the best of me. I should develop a clear and forthright mind to be aware of
the fatal effects of greediness, jealousy, and apathy. In that way, I would be able to
epitomize the truest essence of being a leader.

These newfound learnings would surely be of great help in my future career, for I
could employ these in managing the classroom, like in making significant decisions for
the general welfare and improvement of my students. As is known, teachers are leaders
all day. They are the ones who facilitate the classroom as well as students’ learning.
They lead by example in the way they act, speak, and behave. Trusted by students and
staff alike, teachers are known to make decisions based on students' needs. Thus, If I
would keep those learnings and principles in mind, I would be able to create a
classroom culture that fosters inclusivity, understanding, and love; a great avenue for
students to grow and acquire new knowledge, values, and skills.