I.

Folk Literature
 Folk literature, also called folklore or oral tradition, the lore (traditional knowledge and
beliefs) of cultures having no written language. It is transmitted by word of mouth and
consists, as does written literature, of both prose and verse narratives, poems and songs,
myths, dramas, rituals, proverbs, riddles, and the like. Nearly all known peoples, now or
in the past, have produced it.
 Until about 4000 BCE all literature was oral, but, beginning in the years between 4000
and 3000 BCE, writing developed both in Egypt and in the Mesopotamian civilization at
Sumer. From that time on there are records not only of practical matters such as law and
business but increasingly of written literature. As the area in which the habitual use of
writing extended over Asia, North Africa, and the Mediterranean lands and eventually
over much of the whole world, a rapid growth in the composition of written literature
occurred, so that in certain parts of the world, literature in writing has to a large extent
become the normal form of expression for storytellers and poets.
 Nevertheless, during all the centuries in which the world has learned to use writing, there
has existed, side by side with the growing written record, a large and important activity
carried on by those actually unlettered, and those not much accustomed to reading and
writing.

Origins And Development

 Of the origins of folk literature, as of the origins of human language, there is no way of
knowing. None of the literature available today is primitive in any sense, and only the
present-day results can be observed of practices extending over many thousands of years.
Speculations therefore can only concern such human needs as may give rise to oral
literature, not to its ultimate origin.

The nature of oral traditions

 Nor can any evolution in folk literature or any overall developments be spoken of
explicitly. Each group of people, no matter how small or large, has handled its folk
literature in its own way. Depending as it does upon the transmission from person to
person and being subject to the skill or the lack of skill of those who pass it on and to the
many influences, physical or social, that consciously or unconsciously affect a tradition,
what may be observed is a history of continual change. An item of folk literature
sometimes shows relative stability and sometimes undergoes drastic transformations. If
these changes are looked at from a modern Western point of view, ethnocentric
judgments can be made as to whether they are on the whole favourable or unfavourable.
But it must be remembered that the folk listening to or participating in its oral literature
have completely different standards from those of their interpreters.
 Nevertheless, two directions in this continually changing human movement may be
observed. Occasionally a talented singer or tale-teller, or perhaps a group of them, may
develop techniques that result in an improvement over the course of time from any point
of view and in the actual development of a new literary form. On the other hand, many
items of folk literature, because of historic movements or overwhelming foreign
influences or the mere lack of skillful practitioners of the tradition, become less and less
important, and occasionally die out from the oral repertory. The details of such changes
have been of great interest to all students of folk literature.
The beginnings of written literature in Sumer and Egypt 5,000 or 6,000 years ago took
place in a world that knew only folk literature.

 During the millennia since then written literature has been surrounded and sometimes all
but overwhelmed by the humbler activity of the unlettered.
 The emergence of the author and his carefully preserved manuscript came about slowly
and uncertainly, and only in a few places initially—the literary authorship that flourished
in the Athens of Pericles or the Jerusalem of the Old Testament represented only a very
small part of the world of their time. Nearly everywhere else the oral storyteller or epic
singer was dominant, and all of what is called literary expression was carried in the
memory of the folk, and especially of gifted narrators.
 All societies have produced some men and women of great natural endowments—
shamans, priests, rulers, and warriors—and from these has come the greatest stimulus
everywhere toward producing and listening to myths, tales, and songs. To these the
common man has listened to such effect that sometimes he himself has become a bard.
And kings and councillors, still without benefit of writing, have sat enthralled as he
entertained them at their banquets.

Cultural exchange in written and oral traditions

 This folk literature has affected the later written word profoundly. The Homeric
hymns, undoubtedly oral in origin and retaining many of the usual characteristics of
folk literature, such as long repetitions and formulaic expressions, have come so far in
their development that they move with ease within a uniform and difficult poetic
form, have constructed elaborate and fairly consistent plots and successfully carried
them through, and have preserved in definitive form a conception of the Olympic
pantheon with its gods and heroes, which became a part of ancient Greek thinking.
 Not everywhere has the oral literature impinged so directly on the written as in the
works of Homer, which almost presents a transition from the preliterate to the literate
world. But many folktales have found their place in literature. The medieval
romances, especially the Breton lays, drew freely on these folk sources, sometimes
directly. It is often hard to decide whether a tale has been learned from folk sources or
whether a literary story has gone the other way and, having been heard from priest or
teacher or doctor, has entered oral tradition and has been treated like any other
folktale or folk song. The unlettered make no distinctions as to origins.
 As the Middle Ages lead into the Renaissance, the influence of folk literature on the
work of writers increases in importance, so that it is sometimes difficult to draw a
sharp line of distinction between them. In literary forms such as the fabliau, many
anecdotes may have come ultimately from tales current among unlettered storytellers,
but these have usually been reworked by writers, some of them belonging in the main
stream of literature, like Boccaccio or Chaucer. Only later, in the 16th and 17th
centuries, in such works as those of Gianfrancesco Straparola and Giambattista
Basile, did writers go directly to folk literature itself for much of their material.
II. MORE ABOUT FOLK LITERATURE
Elements of Folk Literature

1. The oral tradition – sharing of stories by word of mouth

2. The Importance of The Story Teller

 Stories in oral tradition were created thousands of years ago

 No one knows the first storytellers
 New storytellers add and change details
 Cultural perspective – view of the world
 Viewpoints are shaped by story teller’s background and experiences

3. Theme – the central idea, message, or insight about life that a story conveys

 Universal themes – themes that are repeated across many cultures and over many time
periods – express insights into life that many people understand
For example: the struggle of good against evil
 Moral – a lesson about life that is stated directly, usually at end of story

4. Purpose of Folk Literature – the reason it was written

 For example: to explain or teach, to entertain

Forms of Folk Literature

1. Myths – tales that relate the action of gods, goddesses, and the heroes who interact with them

 For example: Greek mythology

 -mythology – collection of myths

2. Legends – traditional stories based on real-life events…as retold, fact often changes to fiction

 For example: Robin Hood, King Arthur, Knights of the round table

3. Tall tales – often focus on a central hero who performs impossible feats

 For example: Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and Johnny Appleseed

4. Folk Tales – may deal with real people or magical characters, and they reflect the values &
beliefs of the culture

 For example: Little Mermaid, Chinese folk tales about respect, and Cinderella

5. Fables – brief stories or poems that often feature animal characters who act and speak like
humans, and they usually end with a moral

 For example: Aesop’s Fables

6. Epics – long narrative poems important to the history of a nation or culture, and they tell of
great hero going on a dangerous journey, or quest

 For example: Beowulf

Characteristics of Folk Literature

1. Heroes and heroines – larger-than-life figures who over-come obstacles or participate in

exciting adventures.

 Often featured in….myths, legends, epics

2. Trickster – a clever character who can fool others but often gets in trouble.

 Often featured in….folk tales, fables

3. Personification – a type of figurative language in which nonhuman subjects are given human
qualities.

 Often featured in….myth, fables

4. Hyperbole – a type of figurative language that uses extreme exaggeration.

 Often featured in….tall tales, myths, epics

5. Dialect – language spoken by people in a particular region or group

 Often featured in….tall tales, folk tales

Additional Academic Vocabulary

1. Main Idea – what the text is mostly about.

2. Supporting Details – additional information that explains, defines, proves, illustrates, clarifies
and describes more about a main idea. They can be facts, examples, and statements.

3. Textual Evidence – the details you get from your readings that support your answers and
claims.

4. Allusion – an implied or indirect reference in literature to a familiar person, place, or event

5. Analysis – using a close reading of texts to examine the relationships/connections among

ideas, details, and/or examples

6. Inference – a judgment based on reasoning rather than on a direct or explicit statement. An

understanding based on “reading between the lines”.

III. THEORIES RELATED TO STUDY OF

MYTHOLOGY (slides pdf)
Creation Myths

Myth

 a story about the origins of a culture’s beliefs and practices

 usually derived from oral tradition
 set in an imagined supernatural past
Myths are narratives (stories)

They ask questions about the world and human existence:

 How did the universe come to be?

 Who are we?
 How should we behave?
 What are the larger forces that regulate our lives?

Cosmogony

“Cosmogony” is a technical term for “creation myth.”

 derived from two Greek words meaning order and beginning:

 cosmos (kosmos) = order, form, arrangement, the world or universe -gony = production,
genesis, origination; used in the formation of compound words: cosmogony, theogony
 theogony = an account of the origin of the gods, a genealogical account of the gods
 earliest Western written cosmogony, or creation myth, comes from ancient Mesopotamia

Ancient Mesopotamia

Some Features of Creation Myths

 a god or gods act upon pre-existing chaos

 the myth is an integral part of religion
 the myth makes an affirmation of a culture’s values and practices
 the myth establishes an axis mundi, a “world axis,” a point where the natural and divine
worlds intersect
 it asserts a central reality, then structures values in relation to it

Five types of creation myths

Ex Nihilo

 “out of nothing”
 a diety (a god) creates the cosmos through thought, dream, word, or other means Creation
of Adam
 Example: The Book of Genesis from The Bible

Chaos or a Cosmic Egg

 a breaking of primordial chaos to form a unity

 Example: earliest Babylonian creation story, called Eridu Genesis
 Example: a primal being, Pan Gu, is contained within an egg. When the egg breaks, Pan
Gu Pan Gu appears as a giant who separates chaos into the many opposites of yin and
yang, Chinese
 Other cosmic egg myths have twins within the egg: for example, the Mande people of
West Africa, have twins who represent male and female, who became the first people

Earth Diver

 a deity sends a bird or animal down into the primal waters to bring up a bit of mud from
which the earth is made
 Example: a water beetle dives and brings up soft mud, Cherokee tribe Turtle Island
 Example: a bird, the water wagtail, splashes water and stomps his feet to make pieces of
earth, thus making islands where the Ainu people of Japan would live.
  Example: in an Ojibwa myth, a giant tortoise rises from the primordial waters and the
back of it forms land, called Turtle Island.

Emergence

 Creation is a gradual process featuring human-like creatures who must travel through
many worlds before reaching this one.
 Example: three worlds below with events which shape Hopi Emergence the Fourth
world, the one in which we now live,Navaho, but similar myths are common among
many Native America tribes.
 Example: Ra, the sun-god, emerging with new land after the annual flood, Egyptian

The World Parents

Two types:

 1. A primal pair is separated, sometimes turning against one another, with little care for
their Tiamat and Marduk offspring. The pair might be Sky and Earth or other features of
nature.
 Example: The Epic of Creation (Enamu Elish) where Apsu and Tiamat are fresh
and salt water
 2. Creation comes from the dismemberment of one of the parents in order to create
heaven and earth.
 Example: The Epic of Creation (Enamu Elish)

Greek creation mythology

HOW DID THE GREEKS VIEW CREATION?

 Here is the short answer:

 Scary old gods came first, they got stomped down by their kids who were better
looking, younger gods. These gods created humans. Humans and gods fought for
supremacy and won a few rounds but eventually got trounced and became more
and more miserable.

NOW, THE LONG ANSWER

 In the beginning the universe was without form. It was nothing; there was matter, but it
was unorganized, shapeless, mixed up and dark. This was called CHAOS.

AFTER CHAOS, GODS CAME INTO BEING

 Gaia, the Earth, held up Uranus, the sky. They fell in love and had a bunch of children.

THE TITANS

 The first children of Gaia and Uranus were monsters including the Cyclops.
 The next generations were Titans. Uranus hated the Titans and he was cruel to them.
 Gaia was ticked at Uranus for being such a jerk to their kids, so she helped her son
Cronus overthrow him.

THE GOLDEN AGE

 A Titan named Prometheus made men. For a while men lived in harmony and everything
was hunky dory. This was called The Golden Age.
CRONUS

 Cronus was the strongest and best Titan of all. After Gaia helped him, Cronus became
king and married his sister Rhea – another Titan.
 Cronus heard a prophecy that one day one of his sons would dethrone him. So he did the
only logical thing – every time Rhea had a baby, Cronus swallowed it.

TRICKERY

 Rhea got sick of Cronus swallowing her babies, so when she had her sixth child, she
tricked him by wrapping up a rock to look like a baby and he swallowed the rock instead.

ZEUS

 Zeus was the sixth child that Rhea had. After tricking Cronus she hid Zeus.
 Zeus grew up to be beautiful and strong – too strong for Cronus to do anything.

RESCUE

 Rhea and Zeus prepared a special drink for Cronus of nectar mixed with mustard and salt.
The drink made Cronus vomit up the stone, then the other children he had swallowed.

THE OTHERS…

 The other children were gods of course, and therefore there were undigested and still
alive. They immediately chose Zeus to be their leader because he rescued them.
 They were: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon.

WORLD VIEW

 The Greek view of the world was a little different than ours. They believed the world was
flat, but circular, like a paper plate.
 Greece was at the center of the universe.
 Their world was divided by Mediterranean which means, “Middle of the Lands” in Latin.
 The river Ocean flowed around the world in a clockwise motion.

THEIR WORLD: THE HYPERBOREANS

 In the north lived the Hyperboreans – and extremely happy people for whom life was
sweet. This was a place of constant vacation where people were said to live for 1,000
years. When the old people became tired of living, they threw themselves into the sea.

THEIR WORLD: THE ETHIOPIANS

 If I say I parked in Ethiopia this morning, would that mean that I parked close or far
away?
 In the south lived the Ethiopians. In Greek drama, mention is often made of various gods
being in Ethiopia, meaning really far away. The Ethiopians were said to be on good terms
with the gods and liked to entertain them.

THEIR WORLD: ELYSIAN FIELDS

 To the west were the Elysian Fields. This was the closest the Greeks got to the idea of
heaven; only the best and brightest of the dead people got to go there.
NORSE MYTHOLOGY
Intro to Norse Mythology

 Norse mythology is the myths and legends of the Vikings, and of the people who lived in
what is now Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, and many other parts of
Northern Europe.
 Later on in their history, the Norse people converted to Christianity. The conversion was
likely eased along by the fact that many of their myths and beliefs bear a striking
resemblance to Christianity, as well as the myths of other cultures that we have studied.

Odin

 Leader of Aesir tribe of gods

 Often leaves the god kingdom of Asgard on solo quests
 Contradictory:
 War God and Poetry God
 Tribal Leader, yet solo, uninterested in community affairs

Loki

 Trickster, God of Mischief

 Father of Hel, the goddess of graves, and Jormungand
 Represented as shallow, concerned with selfpreservation, but familial ties with gods, not
the giants that represent evil

Thor

 God of Thunder
 Traditional Warrior/Hero
 Defender of Asgard and Midgard
 Enemy of Jorgmund, a sea serpent that surrounds Midgard and bring misfortune

Similarities to Other Mythologies

Norns and Fates

 Norse and Greek mythology have two very similar concepts of three wise old
women who sit under a tree and weave the destiny of everyone and everything. In
Norse they are known as the Norns, or magic-practicers, and in Greek mythology
they are known as the Fates.
 Norse has a creation of humanity story similar to the biblical story of Adam and
Eve
 The Norse Aesir gods created one man, called Ask, represented by an Ash tree,
and one woman, called Embla, represented by a water pot.
 They were given the human world from the gods, called Midgard
 Mythical Creatures and Beings
 Like many other cultures, the Norse culture had legends of supernatural
creatures.
 Elves
 Dwarves
 Valkyries
Creation Myths

 As we learn in “ The Story of the Beginning” the Norse creation myth is very like
Egyptian creation myths.
 Both believe before the world, there was nothing but darkness, and things came into
being one by one. In Norse mythologies, there was Niflheim, a cold expanse of ice, and
Muspelheim, an expanse of fire, that met in the middle to create fog, and life. This is like
the Egyptian Nun, a dark great ocean, from which land and the sky and the gods came.
 As in Egyptian beliefs, in Norse there was one first god, called Ymir. Ymir was like the
Egyptian God Ra, as both gods were the first to exist, and created all the other gods
asexually.

Mythology in Pop Culture

 Myths inspire modern retellings of old stories, like the Thor movie and comic series, the
sequel of which comes out later this week. Being a fan of these comics and other like it,
however, unfortunately comes with certain stipulations.
 The new Thor trailer does stay on par with original Norse mythology in several ways.
First of the character Thor remains the same. He is the most well known and widely
involved of all Norse gods, He is the god of thunder, and can be seen carrying his
hammer known as Mjollnir, which means lightning. As in the myths, Thor is concerned
with protecting Asgard, the city and stronghold of the gods, shown briefly in the trailer
as a glittering fantasy city. However, Thor also cares about Midgard, the realm of
humans, as he has long been known as the defender of humanity. Loki is also in
character as the mischievous trickster god, who reluctantly comes to the side of the gods,
as he does in the myths.
 Listen To This – “Pointing At The Moon” This song by Faded Paper Figures references
mythology in its lyrics “No mythologies to guide you”. It makes an interesting point
throughout the song, that stories and beliefs like the myths we read guide us by showing
us what other people and think and expect. Without this source of new ideas, we are
stuck in the same old patterns we are used to, “pointing fingers at the moon”. To read the
lyrics, click on the lyrics tab, scroll down to number 9.

Norse Mythology

Northern Europe

 Vikings - Norway, Finland, Sweden

 Pre-Christianity - pagan, heathens,
 Cold, harsh climate
 Sea Culture
 Pessimists / Fatalists
 Wyrd - Fate
 Muspelheim - land of fire
 Surt - giant guard
 Ginnungagap - dark void
 Niflheim - land of fog

Frost Giants

 YMIR - wild, fierce, evil giant

 Audhumla “Nourisher” - salt licking cow
First Norse Dieties

 Buri
 Bor
 Bestla
 Odin - oldest and greatest
 Vili - brother
 Ve - brother

First Humans

 Ash Tree - Man - Ask

 Elm Tree - Woman - Embla
 Yggdrasill – World Ash Tree

Connects all three worlds:

 Asgard - home of gods

 Midgard - land of
 Niflheim - land of ice
 Jotunheim - home of Jotun and giants
 Hel - home of the dead

Bifrost Bridge

 Divine Bridge
 Link between humans and gods
 Rainbow
 Æsir (Sky Gods)
 Vanir (Land/WaterGods)

Norns:

Fate Maidens

 Urd - Past
 Verdandi - Present
 Skuld - Future

Sacred Springs

 Urd - Asgard (gods)

 Mimir - Jotunheim (giants)
- Wisdom / Understanding
- Odin sacrificed his eye
 Hvergelmir - Niflheim

Odin: god of gods and humans

 Domains
- wisdom, war, witchcraft and poetry
 Shape-shifter; shaman
 Knowledge - Urd’s well
 Valhalla - Great Hall
 Zeus and Jupiter
 Óðinn
Odin’s Companions

 The Valkries
- O’s Daughters
- “ Choosers of Slain”
- Hero Selectors
 Wolves
 Crows
- Hugin / Munin
- Thought / Memory
 Draupnir (ring)
 Gungnir (spear)
 Sleipnir (8-legged horse)

Frigg: Wife of Odin

 Cloud spinner
 The most powerful goddess
 Domains: love, destiny and marriage
 Hera and Juno

Thor: The Warrior Son

 Strongest son of Odin

 Domains: thunder, battle and fertility
 Fierce temper
 Mjollnir –hammer
 Charioteer / goats
 Þórr

Balder - Beloved Son

 Son of Odin and Frigg

 God of radiance, rebirth, justice and light
 Beautiful
 Killed by Loki

Njord

 Domains: wind and sea

 Patron of sailors
 Poseidon and Neptune

Frey and Freya: god and goddess of fertility

 Frøy: god of fertility, prosperity, sun and rain

 Frøya: goddess of love, fertility, beauty, magic, war and death
 Apollo
 Aphrodite (Venus)
Idunn: O’s daughter-in-law

 Goddess of youth
 Keeper of the golden apples (youth)
 Iðunn

Loki

 Son of Giants
 Half blood god
- mixed blood with Odin
- magic powers
 Trickster
- Cunning and deceitful
- Many Disguises
 Evil
 Evil Children

Ragnarok Doomsday, Final Battle

 Loki and his Children:

- Fenrir – “The Wolf Destroyer”
- World Serpent “ Jormungandr”
- Hel – goddess of the dead
VS.
- The Gods of Asgard
- Humans
- Good will Fail

JAPANESE MYTHOLOGY
Japanese Mythology

 During the 4th century B.C., a new culture emerged in Japan.

 These people—named Yayoi, after the place where their homes were first found by
archaeologists.
 The archeologists thought that in those periods, they came from China and Korea or
persons who were traded with. Japanese Mythology
 In the Yayoi period, there were prominent people called, YAMATO CLAN. –
 Yamato leaders extended their rule over the Japanese islands through warfare and
diplomacy.
 To justify their control, the Yamato rulers associated their clan with a story about the
beginning of the world that linked them to the gods who had created it. Japanese
Mythology
 This creation myth, or story about the creation of the world, became central to the Shinto
religion. Once writing was introduced in Japan, those oral traditions were recorded in the
Kojiki (Book of Ancient Things), and the Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan, compiled in the
eighth century). Japanese Mythology
Mythology and Religion

 Japanese Mythology is largely derived from the state religion of Shinto. While
Buddhism has overtaken much of Japan. Mythology and Religion
 The early Japanese believed that the world around them was inhabited by gods and
spirits. Almost every aspect of Japan's stunning natural beauty evoked a sense of awe and
wonder among its people. Mythology and Religion
 Ancient Japanese elevated this fascination with nature into what was later called Shinto,
the Way of the Kami. Mythology and Religion

The Birth of Japan

 In the beginning, there was nothing but a shapeless egg of swirling gases. Slowly, the
lighter areas rose up to form the heavens, and the darker, denser material sank to form the
earth. Three gods;
- The Spirit Master of the Center of Heaven
- The August Wondrously Producing Spirit
- The Divine Wondrously Producing Ancestor
created themselves, and hid in heaven. The earth was young then, and land floated like
oil, and from it reed shoots sprouted. From these reeds came two more deities. After
them, five or six pairs of deities came into being, and the last of these were Izanagi and
Izanami, whose names mean "The Male Who Invites" and "The Female who Invites".

Izanagi and Izanami

 Izanagi and Izanami were commanded by the heavenly deities "to complete and
solidify the drifting land" - in other words to form the Japanese islands. Standing on
the "Floating Bridge of The Birth of Japan Heaven," they wondered whether there was
anything below them, and so dipped the heavenly Jeweled Spear into the sea below to
find out.
 They stirred the brine with a churning sound, and when they lifted up the spear again, the
dripping brine from the tip of the spear piled up and became the island of Onogoro.
Descending from the heavens, Izanagi and Izanami decided to make their home there,
and stuck the spear into the ground to form the Heavenly Pillar.

The Creation of the Land

 The Creation of the Land Discovering that their bodies were differently formed, Izanagi
asked his spouse Izanami if she was agreeable to giving birth to the land in order to
produce more islands. When she agreed, they devised a marriage ritual: they walked
around the Heavenly Pillar in opposite directions; when they met, Izanami said “What
a fine young man!” Izanagi said, “What a fine young woman!” and then they made
love. Instead of producing an island, however, she gave birth to a deformed leech-child,
Ebisu,which they cast a drift on the sea in a basket. They then gave birth to a child,
which they did not recognize as a child.

 Ebisu - First child, later became the god of fishermen and luck.
 The Creation of the Land Disappointed in their failures in procreation, they returned to
heaven to consult the gods who told them that their mistake lay in the marriage ritual:
Izanami should not have spoken first when they met around the pillar, as it is not a
woman's place to initiate a conversation. In order to have children, they repeated the
ritual, but this time, Izanagi spoke first.
  The Creation of the Land On their return to earth, Izanagi and Izanami tried again and
were successful. Over time, Izanami bore all the islands of Japan. They produced gods to
beautify the islands, and also made gods of wind, trees, rivers, and mountains, completing
the creation of Japan.
 The Creation of the Land The last god produced by Izanami was the fire god, whose birth
scorched her genitals so badly that she died. However, as she died, she continued to
produce more gods from her vomit, urine, and feces. Izanagi mourned over his wife’s
death and the tears produced another god. He was so angry that he cut off the fire god's
head, but drops of his blood fell on the earth, producing still more deities.

Gods and Goddesses

Kagutsuchi - God of Fire

 The Creation of the Land Longing for his wife, Izanagi went to the Land of Yomi, which
led him to the underworld. Finding her in the darkness, he called to her and asked her to
come back to the land of the living with him.
 The Creation of the Land Izanami replied that it was already too late, and that she had
consumed the food of Yomi. However, she promised she would go once she asked the
gods of the underworld to give her permission to leave, but she asked Izanagi to not look
at her while she did this. After a while, Izanagi grew impatient and decided to look for
her. He broke the end of his comb and set it afire for a light.
 The Creation of the Land When he saw her, he was shocked to find his once beautiful
wife to be a rotten corpse being eaten by maggots.
 The Creation of the Land Ashamed to be seen in this condition, Izanami chased Izanagi
out of the underworld. First, she sent the demon thunder deities that were born from her
body to chase after him, and then she pursued him herself.
 Raijin God of Thunder
 Fujin God of Wind
 The Creation of the Land At last he grasped a huge rock and used it to close the passage
to the underworld. Enraged, she shouted to him, “if you behave this way, I would strangle
and kill 1,000 men from your land.” He then replied with, “then if you do this, I would
cause 1,500 men to be born.”
 The Creation of the Land Izanagi returned to his home and bathed to purify himself from
all the uncleanliness. As he removed his clothing, new gods arose from his robe,
accessories, and more arose from the water as he cleansed himself of the impurities of
Yomi. Misogi A ritual purification by washing the entire body by the river.
 The Creation of the Land In the last step of the purification ceremony, Izanagi washed his
left eye, from which Amaterasu-Omikami was born; from his right eye, Tsukuyomi-no-
Mikoto; and from his nose, Susanoo-no-Mikoto was born. The three gods were called the
“Three Precious Children”.

The three precious children

Amaterasu

 Goddess the Sun and Universe

Tsukuyomi

 God of the Moon

Susano

 God of the Sea and Storms The Three Precious Children

  The Creation of the Land Amaterasu, whose name means, “shining in heaven”, sent the
first ruler from the heavens of Japan, so the Emperors of Japan are considered divine and
direct descendants of the Amaterasu.

Other Gods and Goddesses

Aizen Myoo

 God of Love Worshipped by prostitutes, landlords, singers and musicians.

Benten/Benzaiten

 Goddess of love, beauty, eloquence and music, as well as a sea Goddess.

Kaminari

 Goddess of thunder.

Ame-No-Mi-Kumari

 Shinto goddess of water.

Ryo-Wo

 God of the sea. Known as the Dragon King.

Inari Okami

 Kami of foxes, of fertility, rice, tea and sake, of agriculture and industry, of general
prosperity and worldly success.

Mikaboshi

 God of evil and stars, specifically the POLE STAR. Enemy of Kaminari.

Hachiman

 The god of war/warriors an d the divine protector of Japan and its people.

Bishamon/Bishamonten

 God of war, justice and law,

 god of the north.

Uke-Mochi

 Goddess of food who blesses the Earth with abundance.

Tenjin

 God of learning, language and calligraphy. He taught humans to write.

Hotei

 God of contentment and happiness.

Chinese Mythology
Background

 Chinese mythology was influenced by a fear of outsiders and religious faiths and
philosophies  
 Gods created through mix of ideals
 Common sense of Confucius
 Ritual of Daoism
 Spirituality of Buddhism
 Known for its sense of humor
 Used as factual recording of history
 Jade Emperor – ruler of Heaven and all realms of existence below Earth and Hell

Creation

 Universe was a black egg where Heaven and Earth mixed together
 Inside the egg was Pandu
 Felt suffocated inside and broke egg in half with axe
 Light clear part of egg ascended to become Heaven
 Dark cold part of egg descended to become Hell
 Breath became wind and clouds
 Voice became thunder
 Eyes became sun and moon
 Hair and beard became stars in sky
 Flowers and tree came from his skin
 Bones became jade and pearl
 Sweat became rain that nourished earth

Major Deities

 Cheng-‐Huang: God of moats and walls

 Chu Jung: God of fire
 Kuan Ti: God of war
 Kwan Yin: Goddess of mercy and compassion
 Lei Kun: God of thunder
 Pan-‐Chin-‐Lien: Goddess of prostitutes
 Ti-‐Tsang Wang: God of mercy
 TShai-‐Shen: God of Wealth
 Tsao-‐Wang: God of Hearth

Creatures/Symbol

The Unicorn

 Symbolizes longevity, grandeur, contentment, illustrious offspring and wise

administration
 Noblest of animals and the King of Beasts

The Red Bird (Phoenix)

 Symbolizes sun and warmth, summer and harvest

 Born of fire and the Emperor of Birds
The Tortoise (Black Warrior)

 Symbolizes longevity, strength, endurance, winter and the universe

 Ruler of the northern quadrant of Heaven –  Back represents the sky, belly
symbolizes Earth
 Chief of Shell Animals

The Dragon

 Represents spring, the color green/blue, propriety, conflict, and bliss

 Symbolizes rain and the Emperors power

The White Tiger

 Represents the season fall, the color white, wind, and righteousness

Major Themes/Motifs

 Creation of the world and the four flood myth stories

 Control of catastrophe through moral qualities of the warrior hero
 Divine warfare and cosmic destruction
 Second beginnings of the world by warriors
 Warrior heroes and moral heroes

The Journey to the West

 About an intelligent and strong mythological character, Sun Wukong, (aka The
Monkey King) who was born out of stone
 Wukong rebels against Heaven and embarks on a journey with a monk, named
Xuan Zang, to bring back religious texts from India
 Journey incorporates Chinese fables, fairy tales, legends, superstitions and popular
beliefs
 Monkey King demonstrates prowess and wisdom
 Story presents a rebellious spirit fighting authoritative rulers

Relevance /Significance

Chinese mythology…

 Explains the creation of the world from the Chinese point of view
 Tells stories of heroes embarking on enlightening journeys to become better
people  
 Is the foundation for modern stories and ideas
 Influences readers to emulates these heroes and adopt a wide variety of beneficial
ideals and philosophies

Modern Day Example

 Super Mario Bros

 “Dragon Ball Z”
 “League Of Legends”
 “Fruits Basket”
 The Forbidden Kingdom
Super Mario Bros

Video Game Franchise

 Bowser, the arch-‐nemesis of Mario, is a well-known dragon turtle, turtle with a

dragon head

Dragon Ball Z

Television show

 Goku, protagonist, shares similarities with Wukng from “Journey to the West”
 Similarities: Both…
 have a defining moment that shows good vs. evil
 have a staff that extends and is magic
 have a magic floating cloud
 are related to monkeys, as Goku has a monkey tail and has the ability to
transform into a giant rampaging monkey
 Find companions throughout their journeys that are similar to their counterparts ▪ 
Defend the earth from evil

League of Legends

 Popular PC game –  Features a champion named “Wukong” –  Similarities:

Both…
 have clouds and extendo-‐staffs
 were inspired by Wu Kong

Kingdom Basket and the forbidden kingdom

 “Fruits Basket”: Japanese Anime

 Features characters that transform into creatures of Chinese Zodiac

Hindu Mythology
Background

 Hindu mythology dates back to as early as7200 BC.

 This is the time when the first hymns of the Rig Veda was composed.

Rig Veda

 an anthology of 1028 hymns to various gods

 Began as a celebration of natural elements such as Air, Water and Fire
 Converted into the worship of cosmic elements
 Formed the triad of the early VEDIC gods
 VEDIC GODS (cosmic trinity)

AGNI (Fire)

 Vital spark in the earth, lightning in the sky, and SURYA, the sun
 He is the sap in the plants, which is carried down to them by the rain.
 Has 7 tongues, each of which has a separate name and in being used for licking up butter
offered in sacrifices

VAYU (Wind)

 He drives his horses furiously.

 God of the wind, rapid motion and the Father off leet-footed
 Father of Hanuman
 Generally associated with Indra
 Other names are Pavana,Gandha-Vaha and Satata-ga

SURYA (Center of the Spheres)

 Other name is Savitri (brilliance)

 Married to Sanjanaand Chhaya
 Abode is called Suryaloka

PURANIC GODS (hindu trinity OR TRIMURTI)

BRAHMA (CREATOR)

 Born of the golden egg, Hiranyagarbha

 Also said to have sprung from Vishnu’s navel, on a lotus
 He is the uncreated creator (Svayambhu)
 Lord of scholarship
 4 Vedas came from his mouth
 From his body, came the 4castes of the Hindus:
 Brahmans(priests) – mouth,
 Kshatriyas(soldiers) – arms,
 Vaishyas (traders) – thigh,
 Sudras (menial workers) - feet

VISHNU (PRESERVER)

 The Preserver
 Vehicle: garuda (bird)
 has 4 arms, a blueish complexion, and rests on a snake
 was incarnated (born as an animal or human) nine times with one more still to come
 is the main god of Vaishnavism

SHIVA (DESTROYER)

 The Destroyer / Transformer

 Vehicle: bull
 has matted hair, a third eye, ablue throat and a trident in hishand
 often worshipped in thefeatureless lingam form
 is the main god of Saivism
 FEMALE ASPECTS (hindu trinity OR TRIMURTI)

SARASWATI

 Goddess of knowledge, music, and the arts

 Vehicle: swan
 wife of Brahma
 sits on a white lotus playing aveena

LAKSHMI

 Goddess of wealth and prosperity

 Vehicle: owl
 wife of Vishnu
 usually shown bestowing coins and flanked by elephants

PARVATI

 The Divine Mother

 Vehicle: lion
 the reincarnation of Shivas first wife
 has many forms, such as the popular Durga and Kali (see below); often shown together
with Saraswati and Lakshmi as the tridevi (triple goddess)

OTHER POPULAR GODS

GANESH

 God of the intellect and the remover of obstacles

 Vehicle: mouse
 son of Shiva & Parvati
 has an elephants head

MURUGAN

 God of war
 Vehicle: peacock
 son of Shiva & Parvati
 popular in Tamil areas
 also known as Skanda

DURGA

 A fiercer form of Parvati

 Vehicle: tiger
 has ten arms holding many weapons

KALI

 Goddess of time and death

 : donkey
 Usually portrayed as dark and violent
RAMA

 The 7th avatar(incarnation) of Vishnu

 the central figure in the epic story Ramayana

KRISHNA

 The 8th avatar(incarnation) of Vishnu

 usually portrayed as a child and a prankster; often shown playing the flute

HANUMAN

 an ape-like god known for assisting Rama

Top 10 Interesting Facts About Hindu Mythology

The Hindu religion is the oldest religion whose origin can be traced back to prehistoric times
around 5000 to 10,000 BC. So it is no wonder that many of the myths, beliefs, and mythologies
surrounding the religion are just as old. In fact, given this timeline, many of these mythologies
may have gone through a number of retellings over the years. Hindu mythology has rich history,
enigmatic characters, resounding stories, and a surprisingly innate association with modern
science. There are also cyclical periods of time that repeat themselves after a certain interval.
There also are epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana, the former being the longest known epic
in history. Here is a list of the top 10 most interesting facts about ancient Hindu mythology.

10. The Hindu Epics

The Hindu epics were written to create moral ideals for followers to aspire to. These epics were
written in Sanskrit and in their essence described the power of the Hindu gods in poetic verse.
The most popular of these poetic epics are the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The Ramayana is a
magnificent narration of the story of Rama. It chronicles the life of Rama from his birth in the
kingdom of Ayodhya to his decisive victory over his evil nemesis Ravana. The epic speaks
volumes on the virtue of true brotherhood, love, and the nature of sacrifice one has to make to
defeat evil.

The Mahabharata is the longest epic ever written and gives an in-depth insight into the rise of
Hinduism between 400 BC and 200 AD. In fact, its entire narration is seven times the length of
the Illiad and the Odyssey combined. Apart from its glorious narration of the fight between the
Kauravas and the Pandavas, it also details the scripts of the Bhagavat Gita. From beginning to
end, it describes the great battle that pit brother against brother. In time, the Bhagavat Gita went
on to become the epitome of Hinduism’s sacred scripture.

9. Treta Yuga

This represents the second age in the cycle of Maha Yuga. The Hindu scripts state that Treta
Yuga spans a period of 1,296,000 human years. By the advent of Treta Yuga, the presence of
sattva or goodness in human nature had slowly started to diminish. Whatever goodness or virtue
that remained in people was now accompanied by an ever-increasing amount of tamas and rajas.
Tamas represented the darkness in human nature and rajas constituted all the passion a human
could conjure. By now, people had nurtured an acute level of intellect, but they had also lost a
good deal of control over their body and its physiology.

People’s stature was now smaller than during the Satya Yuga, with the average human being
around 14 cubits tall, but there were some exceptional beings who had attained a godly build and
divine persona such as the characters Rama, Laxamana, Ravana, and Hanumana who were
considered godlike for their extraordinary strength and inimitable intellect.

8. Dwapar Yuga

Dwapar Yuga represents the third age right after Treta Yuga. Also known as the Bronze Age, the
Dwapar Yuga is said to have lasted for 864,000 human years. It represents an age where
goodness and evil in human nature are neck and neck. As the human body loses satva or purity,
people attain a far greater control over their body than their intellect. By the time Dwapar Yuga
was at its peak, man had already lost control over his innermost body and knowledge. He became
more attracted to the materialistic aspects of the world, succumbing to his ever-increasing
desires. Only intellectuals like Bhisma, Dharmaraja, and Vidura were able to escape this fate.
Eventually, there was a gradual decline in the moral fiber of society in general. People with
enormous physicality became increasingly offensive in their thirst for desire and power. The
average human lifespan had also come down to 1,000 years.

7. Kali Yuga

The last age in the ever-repeating cycle of Maha Yuga is the Kali Yuga. It is also the shortest,
lasting for 432,000 human years. The current time period falls under Kali Yuga, and it is also
referred to as the Iron Age. The Kali Yuga represents hypocrisy and instability like never before.
Human nature is significantly corrupted by the temptations of sin and only a little conscience
remains.

The human body is at its lowest in terms of physicality and intellect. An average man is only 3.5
cubits tall and lives for around 100 to 120 years. Citing the ancient Hindu scripts, it is estimated
that around 5,000 years of Kali Yuga have already passed by. It is also predicted that when Kali
Yuga reaches its dying years, the lifespan of man will be no more than 20 years. This age has
been highlighted by man’s unprecedented longing for materialism. In a stark contrast to previous
ages, human lives have been corrupted by ignorance and the connection to one’s inner self has
been lost.

6. The Curses

Curses have a long and intriguing history in many different mythologies. The Hindu gods rarely
cursed for they wielded power mighty enough to inflict whatever suffering they wished upon
others. But still, there have been many instances of unique curses within Hindu mythology that
are worth mentioning.

In the epic Mahabharata, the Pandavas were hit by immense sorrow on realizing Karna was their
half-brother all along. They had just killed him in battle. An enraged Yudhisthara could not
believe their mother Kunti would keep such personal information from them, so he made a curse
that no woman from then on should be able to keep a secret from others. Then, there is the curse
on the character Pandu that if he ever approached a woman with feelings of desire, he would die
on the spot.

However, probably the most notable curse of all is when Gandhari cursed Lord Krishna in the
aftermath of the Mahabharata. After defeating the Kauravas and killing all 100 sons of Gandhari,
Krishna went to console a distraught mother. On seeing Krishna, Gandhari cursed that no one in
Krishna’s bloodline would live to see future generations. And just as the Kauravas bloodline had
been terminated, all of Krishna’s family killed each other in due course. Krishna died an
untimely death with no one left to continue his bloodline.
5. The Vedas and Modern Science

The Vedas represent a collection of hymns and religious texts that were formulated somewhere
between 1500 and 1000 BC. These sacred verses were written in the Indus region where it is
believed Hinduism originated. The scripture used in the Vedas is Sanskrit. Even though the
Vedas were composed thousands of years ago, scientists have found a strong connection between
their messages and modern science.

For instance, modern scientists put forward the idea of the existence of multiple universes in
string theory. It states we live in a multiverse – there are many universes that exist in parallel.
The Hindu Vedas clearly echo this “modern” concept by mentioning the existence of cyclical
infinite worlds in the ancient Hindu cosmology. The sacred texts in the Vedas and the Bhagavad
Gita were perfect in their understanding of the universe. In fact, Albert Einstein once said:
“When I read the Bhagavad Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else
seems superfluous.”

4. Foundation of Hinduism

Hinduism is quite unlike other traditional religions. It did not originate from a single founder or
sacred scripture or at a particular point in time. Hinduism is an amalgamation of different beliefs,
traditions, and philosophies. These different viewpoints are usually at odds with each other. So
naturally, there are different theories on the origin of the world’s oldest religion. Its first mention
can be traced back to the earliest writings of ancient Hindu sages or Rishis. But again, even these
sacred writings were originally enunciated orally.

The earliest traces of practices that resembled Hindu traditions can be traced back to ancient
India around 5500 BC. It is unclear if these traditions had any specific nomenclature back then.
The term “Hindu” originated only during the Mughal era in contemporary India. Hinduism
became a popular reference only during the 19th and 20th centuries, when English colonial rule
saw rapid expansion in India. Evidence also shows that an ascetic god named Siva was popularly
worshiped by the Indus Valley civilization around 3000 BC. The greatest of all epics, the
Mahabharata, was written somewhere between 400 BC and 200 AD, and it gave an immense
insight into Hindu mythology in the form of the Bhagavad Gita along with other historically
important texts.

3. Satya Yuga

Hindu mythology clearly states that all living beings pass through a continuous cycle of creation
and destruction, the Maha Yuga. This cycle repeats itself over four different epochs or Yugas.
The first of these Yugas is the Satya Yuga, which spans a period of 1,728,000 years. The Satya
Yuga is said to be the golden age of truth and enlightenment. In this age, people attained an ideal
state of mind and their actions were always reasoned and virtuous. The sacred texts further state
that there was a surplus flow of ideas and thoughts between people.

Everyone led an honest life and adhered to the truth. Everyone had acquired the answer to the
ultimate question – the origin of everything. And since there was virtually nothing to conceal,
even the tiniest thread of thought was accessible to everyone without verbal communication.
Human physiology also significantly differed from the one that we exhibit today. People used to
be around 31.5 feet (21 cubits or 80cm) tall. They also had a lifespan that stretched over
hundreds of thousands of years.
2. Gods and Goddesses

Hinduism follows a polytheistic tradition. Hindus worship multiple deities, and these gods and
goddesses usually belong to a certain pantheon of divinities. In fact, citing certain lines in the
sacred Hindu scripts, many believe that there are around 330 million gods in Hindu mythology.
Each of these gods and goddesses symbolize a certain aspect of life. For example, the goddess
Saraswati is the source of all knowledge and wisdom and the god Brahma is the creator of reality
as we know it. In fact, the divine trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva is seen as a basis for the
whole of Hindu mythology.

1. Theory of Creation

Hindu mythology provides several accounts of how exactly the creation of the universe took
place. The answers themselves go into varying degrees of complexity since there have been
different approaches at different times. Perhaps the most popular approach states that the highest
deities were oblivious to their own presence before the existence of time itself. Before creation,
there was no time, no heaven or earth, or space in between. There was only the dark ocean that
washed into the shores of nothingness.

In another depiction, it all started with the enunciation of a sacred sound, oom (aum).

Ancient Hindu scriptures state that the ultimate reality (Brahman) has three main functions.
These three characteristics are seen in the trinity of gods: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. That is
why we can see images where the heads of the trinity are merged together into a single body
called the Trimurti. In the Trimurti, Brahma is the creator of everything, Vishnu is the preserver
of nature, and Shiva is the ultimate destroyer who brings about change whenever it becomes
necessary.

Conclusion

Hinduism is considered to be the oldest religion in the world. But it is much more than that.
Hindu mythology has been tolerant of other religions and traditions since its inception. In terms
of scripture, it is a delightful concoction of epic stories of morality and righteousness. These
stories give us ideal characters like Rama, Laxamana, and the Pandavas. The Vedas give us an
insight into ancient science and astronomy. Epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana narrate divine
stories of the never-ending battle between good and evil. These are the reasons that the rich
history of Hindu mythology is fascinating for both Hindus and non-Hindus.

Philippine Mythology
Pantheon of Ancient Tagalog Gods

 Philippine mythology is derived from Philippine folk literature, which is the traditional
oral literature of the Filipino people. This refers to a wide range of material due to the
ethnic mix of the Philippines. Each unique ethnic group has its own stories and myths to
tell.
 The stories of ancient Philippine mythology include deities, creation stories, mythical
creatures, and beliefs. Ancient Philippine mythology varies among the many indigenous
tribes of the Philippines.
 Some groups during the pre- Spanish conquest era believed in a single Supreme Being
who created the world and everything in it
  while others chose to worship a multitude of tree and forest deities (diwatas).
 Diwatas came from the Sanskrit word devata which means “deity“, one of the several
significant Hindu influences in the Pre-Hispanic religion of the ancient Filipinos.
 The Tagalog people are major ethnic group in the Philippines. They form a majority in
Manila, Marinduque and Southern Luzon, and a plurality in Central Luzon and the
islands of Mindoro, Palawan, and Romblon.

Good Tagalog Deities in Ancient Philippine Mythology

First Generation Gods

Second Generation Gods

Third Generation Gods Generations divided based on common beliefs about the offspring of the
go

First Generation Gods

Bathala

 The supreme god of the Tagalogs; creator of man and earth and addressed sometimes as
Bathalang Maykapal.
 He dwells in Kaluwalhatian together with the lesser gods and goddesses.
 Aside from the lesser gods and goddesses, he sent his anitos in order to assist the daily
lives of every human.
 When most of the natives were converted to Christianity during the Spanish Era, he was
referred to the Christian God.

Amanikable

 The ill-tempered god of the sea because among the first generation gods (aside from
Bathala), he was never married after his love was spurned by a beautiful mortal maiden,
Maganda.
 In frustration, he swore vengeance against the humans by sending turbulent waves and
horrible tempest in order to wreck boats and to drown men.

Idiyanale

 Known by the Tagalogs as the god of animal husbandry and aquaculture by others the
god of agriculture,
 the god who is in charge of animal welfare and aquatic resources, he usually lives in the
woods and guards the animals from hunters, also on waters takes in charge of the fishes
and other marine life.

Dumangan

 The goddess of good harvest.

 She was married to Idiyanale and had two offspring.

Lakampati

 She is major fertility deity of the ancient Tagalogs.

 Farmers with their children brought offerings for him at the fields and invoke him to
protect them from famine. Some sources also said that food and words are offered to him
by his devotees asking for "water" for their fields and "fish" when they set sail in the sea
for fishing.
 Lakampati was a hermaphrodite deity and was commented by some authors and friars as
“the hermaphrodite devil who satisfies his carnal appetite with men and women”.
  He is identified to the ancient Zambal goddess Ikapati although he/she also has a
characteristics similar to other Zambal deities such as Anitong Tawo, Dumangan,
Damulag, Kalasokus, and Kalaskas.

Second Generation Gods

Mayari

 The goddess of moon and one of the three daughters of Bathala to mortal women.
 She was the most charming of all the goddesses and had two sisters namely Tala and
Hanan.

Tala

 The goddess of the stars;

 sister of Mayari and Hanan and one of the three daughters of Bathala by a mortal woman.

Hanan

 The goddess of morning;

 sister of Mayari and Tala and one of the three daughters of Bathala by a mortal woman.

Dumakulem

 The strong, agile guardian of mountains and the son of Idiyanale and Dumangan.
 His sister was Anitun Tabu.
 He later married Anagolay.

Anitun Tabu

 The fickle-minded goddess of wind and rain.

 She was the daughter of Idiyanale and Dumangan and the sister of Dumakulem.

Anagolay

 The goddess of lost things and the only offspring of Lakapati and Mapulon.
 She was married to Dumakulem.

THIRD GENERATION GODS

OTHER GODS

PHILIPPINE GODS FAMILY TREE BY MOTZIE DAPUL VIA DEVIANTART

HARMFUL TAGALOG DEITIES IN ANCIENT PHILIPPINE MYTHOLOGY

Manggagaway

 THE GUARDIANOF KASAMAANANDTHE KEEPER OF ALL SOULS THEREIN,

THE COUNTERPART OF SATAN. HE HADFOUR AGENTS WHOSE TASK WAS
TO LEADMAN TO Sitan
 SHE WAS THEFIRSTAGENT OF SITANAND WAS PRIMARILY BLAMED AS
THECAUSEOF DISEASES. SOMETIMES, SHE WOULD CHANGEHERSELF
INTOA HUMAN FORM, APPEARINGAS A FALSE HEALER. IF SHE WISHEDTO
KILL SOMEONE, SHE EMPLOYEDA MAGIC WAND.
 MANISILAT THE SECONDAGENTOF SITAN, SHE WAS TASKED TO DESTROY
AND BREAK EVERY HAPPY ANDUNITEDFAMILY THAT SHE COULDFIND.
 THE ONLYMALEAGENTOF SITAN, HE WAS TOEMITFIRE AT
 Mangkukulam

 NIGHTANDWHEN THEREWAS BADWEATHER. LIKEHIS FELLOWAGENTS, HE

COULDCHANGE HISFORMTO THATOF A HEALERAND THENINDUCEFIREAT
HISVICTIM’S HOUSE. IF THE FIREWERE EXTINGUISHEDIMMEDIATELY, THE
VICTIMWOULDEVENTUALLYDIE. HIS NAMEREMAINS TODAYAS WITCH.

Hukluban

 THE LAST AGENTOF SITANCOULD CHANGEHERSELF INTOANY FORM SHE

DESIRED. SHE COULD KILL SOMEONE BY SIMPLY RAISINGHER HANDAND
COULDHEAL WITHOUT ANY DIFFICULTYAS SHE WISHED.
HERNAMELITERALLY MEANS “CRONE” OR “HAG.

Other Tagalog Deities in the Philippines

Aman Sinaya

 SHE IS THEPRIMORDIAL GODDESSOF THE OCEANANDPROTECTOROF

FISHERMEN. SHE WASONEOF THE THREEORIGINAL DEITIES ALONGWITH
BATHALAANDAMIHAN. SHESENT TEMPESTSINTOTHEHEAVENS, TO
WHICHBATHALARESPONDEDBY THROWINGBOULDERSWHICHWOULD
BECOMETHE PHILIPPINEISLANDS. AMIHANFLEWBACKANDFORTH
BETWEENTHEM, MAKINGPEACE.

Galang Kaluluwa

 (WANDERING SPIRIT) – THE WINGED GOD PRESENT IN SOME CREATION

MYTHS WHO LOVES TO TRAVEL. HE IS IDENTIFIEDAS A CLOSE FRIEND OF
BATHALA.

GOD OF THE SEA.

Lakambakod

 THE PROTECTOR OF THE GROWING CROPS. Lakambakod

Lakambini

 IS KNOWAS THE“PUREMAIDEN” FORHIS INCOMPARABLEBEAUTY, IRONIC

THATHE IS A MALEDIWATA. HE WAS ORIGINALLY KNOWNAS THEGODOF
“KAPURIHAN”(PURITY) ANDIS ALSOTHE GOD OF FOOD,
FESTIVITYANDANTI- GLUTTONY. WORSHIPEDMAINLYBY MEN:
THEYPRAYTO LAKAMBINI TOLETTHEM FINDA BEAUTIFUL MAIDENTO
WED. AN OBSCUREDEITYCALLED“ABOGADODELA GARGANTA”
(THROATADVOCATE) BY THE SPANIARDSANDWASTURNEDINTOTHE GOD
OF GLUTTONY.

Lingga

 A PHALLIC GOD.

(ORPHANEDSPIRIT)

 IT IS A SERPENT GOD PRESENT IN SOME CREATION MYTHS THAT WAS

KILLEDBY BATHALA AFTER AN ENSUING RIVAL. Ulilang Kaluluwa
1. Axis mundi: [Navel of the World] An Introduction to Mythology and Folklore Developed by:
Richard M. Bañez Batangas State University, JPLPC Campus

2. Module 1: Introduction to Mythology and Folklore

3. Topic 1: The Nature of Mythology and Folklore

4. The Nature of Mythology and Folklore Philippine Lower Mythology. A painting in oil that
shows creatures of the night and deities of the underworld. (Joel Magpayo Snr.)

Anituo

 A Pilipino Reconstructionist religion based on the Pre-Hispanic beliefs of the people of

what is now known as the Philippines prior to the arrival of Christianity and colonialism.

Mythology

 It is the study of myths and the myths themselves, which are stories told as symbols of
fundamental truths within societies having a strong oral traditions.

Folklore

 This includes the traditional elements of the way of life of a group of people and creative
expressions developing naturally as part of this culture.

Mythology is the study of myths.

Collecting Stories

 literary evidence
 archaeological evidence

Examining their Functions

 teller or audience
 society

Comparing Myths

 motifs
 traditions

Assessing Myths

 significance
 truth

Webster

 A story that is usually of unknown origin and at least partially traditional that ostensibly
relates historical events usually of such description as to serve to explain some particular
event, institution, or natural phenomenon.

M. Reinhold, Past and Present

  A myth is a story about gods, other supernatural beings, or heroes of a long past time.

J. Peradotto, Classical Mythology

 Myth is a cognitive structure analogous to language through which primitive people

organize their experiences.

H.J. Rose, A Handbook of Greek Mythology

 Myths are certain products of the imagination of a people which take the form of stories.

R.J. Schork, Classical Mythology, The Classic Journal

 Myth is the symbolic form which is generated, shaped, and transmitted by the creative
imagination of pre- and extra-logical people as they respond to and encapsulate the
wealth of experience.

Characteristics of Myth

Mythos - authoritative speech - a traditional story

A story is a narrative with plot

 It has beginning, middle, and end.

 It contains characters having certain mental imprints.
 It describes conflict, resolution and within a setting.

with collective importance

 Myths are “traditional” tales from Lat. trado, “hand over.”

 Handed over orally and transmit a culture’s sense of itself: past wisdom, memories, and
models
 Oral transmission will create constant changes in the myth.
 Various ways of emphasizing motives and meaning for the group.

Characteristics of Myth

 A myth has no identifiable author.

 A myth that is written down in a literary form uses a story that preceded it.
 Sometimes the myths are even different in detail.
 One version is not more true than another.

Types of Myths by Morford and Lenardo

– Pure Myth or True Myth or Myth Proper or Divine Myth

 Primitive Science or Religion

 natural phenomena or the origin of things
 how individuals should behave toward the gods

– Saga or Legend

 Primitive History
 historical fact

– Folk-tale or Fairy-tale
  Primitive Fiction
 for pleasure and amusement

Midterm
Homer’s Iliad

 Homer is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey , and is revered as the greatest ancient
Greek epic poet.

Characters in the story

 The Achaeans AGAMEMNON — King of Mycenae, leader of the Greeks Achilles —

Leader of the Myrmidons, half-divine war hero. Odysseus — King of Ithaca, the wiliest
Greek commander and hero of the Odyssey
 Aias (Ajax the Greater) — son of Telamon Menelaus — King of Sparta, husband of
Helen and brother of Agamemnon Diomedes — son of Tydeus, King of Argos
 Patroclus - Achilles’ closest companion Nestor - King of Pylos.
 The Trojans Hector — son of King Priam and the foremost Trojan warrior Ae neas —
son of Anchises and Aphrodite P aris — Helen’s lover-abductor.
 Polydamas — a prudent commander whose advice is ignored; he is Hector’s foil
Sarpedon, son of Zeus — killed by Patroclus. Was friend of Glaucus & co-leader of the
Lycians (fought for the Trojans). Helen — Menelaus’s wife; espoused first to Paris, then
to Deiphobus; her abduction by Paris precipitated the war.
 Andromache — Hector’s wife, mother of Astyanax Cassandra — Priam’s daughter;
courted by Apollo, Briseis — a Trojan woman captured by the Greeks; she was
Achilles' prize of the Trojan war

The Gods

 ZEUS HERA ARTEMIS

 APOLLO HADES APHRODITE
 ARES ATHENA HERMES
 HEPHAESTUS POSEIDON

Homer's Iliad begins nine years after the Greek armies first arrived at Troy. A plague has
overcome the Greek armies because Agamemnon has refused to return the daughter of a Priest of
Apollo. Achilles, the epic's central character, exposes this fact and confronts the king.
Agamemnon agrees to release this girl, if, and only if, Achilles gives him his 'war-prize', Briseis
in return. Achilles finds this to be tremendously unjust and withdraws from battle taking with
him all of his soldiers. He asks the gods to grant him revenge and make the Greeks require his
assistance in order to win Achilles remains withdrawn for the greater portion of the epic.

Agamemnon is encouraged to attack by a dream and after some trouble with his troops, rallies
them. The Trojan side rallies also. The two armies move towards each other but are stopped by a
challenge from Hector: Paris and Menelaus are to fight one on one to decide the war. Paris flees
the battle with the help of a divinity and Menelaus rages on with his brother demanding the
release of Helen and her treasure.

Zeus, the king of the gods, calls an assembly of the gods and orders them to stop helping the
battle because he has decided how it is going to turn out. Meanwhile the battle continues near
Troy. The Greek Diomedes makes a heroic stand and kills many Trojans. The Trojan Aeneas
fights Diomedes and is wounded but eventually rescued by his mother, Aphrodite. Ares reenters
the battle on the Trojan side. With Ares at his side, Hector goes on a rampage. Ares is wounded
by Diomedes as Hera and Athena enter to help the Greeks.

Telamonian Ajax joins Diomedes and the Greeks begin to repulse the Trojans. Hector returns to
Troy to pray for Diomedes to be taken from battle. He chastises Paris for cowardice, speaks to
Helen and spends some time with his wife Andromache. Paris and Hector return to war. The
Trojans rally again and then Hector challenges a Greek captain to a duel. Ajax fights him but the
duel is ended by nightfall and a truce. Both sides debate the follow day of the war expressing the
need for a truce to care for their dead. The Trojans propose a settlement. The Greeks reject this,
but agree to a truce day for burials.

Zeus again threatens the assembled gods and for a while they heed him. The battle begins and the
Trojans, with the blessing of Zeus, push the Greeks back to their earthen walls. Zeus gives an
omen to the Greeks and they rally. The Trojans rally again and continue to push onward. Night
comes and the Trojan army camps outside the city. The Greeks send an embassy to Achilles
requesting his return to battle in exchange for treasure and an unharmed Briseis. Achilles refuses.
The Greeks go to sleep but the captains stay awake and Odysseus and Diomedes raid the Trojan
camps. They kill the Trojan Dolon and steals horses from the Thracian camp.

The battle begins the next day with a Greek rally led by Agamemnon. Zeus instructs Hector not
to fight until Agamemnon is wounded. With this omen fulfilled, Hector rallies the Trojans and
pushes towards the ships. Odysseus and Diomedes are also wounded. Achilles watches the battle
and sends Patroclus to see who has been wounded. The Trojans continue attacking and with
extraordinary feats of strength and bravery by Hector and Sarpedon, they storm the Greek camp.
The fighting remains fierce near the Greek ships. With Zeus turned away from the battle,
Poseidon inspires Ajax and Idomeneus to fight more fiercely. Hector is driven back and
wounded.

Nestor, wounded, goes back to the battle with other Greek captains in order to rally the troops.
Hera plots to seduce Poseidon and put him to sleep. With the king of the Gods sleeping,
Poseidon enters the battle on the Greek side and the Trojans are routed.

Zeus wakes and reinvigorates the Trojan line. Apollo helps Hector back into battle and the
Trojans again push to the Greek Ships. Ajax defends these valiantly and Nestor continues to spur
on the Troops. Hector calls for torches to burn the boats as Patroclus observes the panic in his
compatriots.

Patroclus returns to Achilles and requests to enter the battle. Achilles lets him go leading the
myrmidons. Ajax and Hector continue to fight each other near the ships when the myrmidons
enter battle led by Patroclus, easily mistaken for Achilles in the hero's armor. Patroclus kills the
Trojan son of Zeus, Sarpedon and the battle centers around his body. Zeus has Apollo rescue the
corpse of his son. The battle is pushed back to the walls of Troy Paris attempts to storm the walls
of the city, ignoring the advice of Achilles. Patroclus is killed by a combination of the Trojan
Euphorbus, Apollo and Hector.

With the death of Patroclus, the Trojans regain some ground as the two sides struggle for the
body. Hector follows Achilles' chariot, desiring his horses. Hector is wounded and must retreat.
The Greeks save the body of Patroclus. A runner brings the new of Patroclus' death to Achilles
and the hero mourns requesting revenge from his mother. Thetis goes to Hephaestus and gets a
new set of armor for her son which she bestows on him even though she finds him lying on the
ground weeping.
Achilles goes to battle and Zeus releases the gods to fight as they desire. Aeneas stands up to
Achilles but is wounded, saved again by a god. Achilles and Hector clash with their troops
following and Achilles rampage continues.

Achilles splits the Trojan line and murders many in the near-by river Xanthus. The river god gets
angry with him and Achilles eventually attacks the god himself. The god retaliates and chases
Achilles only to be stopped by Hephaestus who repulses him at Hera's bidding. Achilles presses
to the very walls of Troy. Hector exits to meet his adversary but then flees him, running around
the city three times. Athena tricks him into facing Achilles who kills him after a short struggle.
The Greeks dishonor Hector's body and Achilles drags him back to their camp behind his
chariot.

The Greeks have a feast and build a pyre for Patroclus. They burn and then bury his body. After
this, Achilles hosts a set of funeral games for his fallen friend. At night Zeus has Thetis tell her
son that Hector ought to be ransomed and Iris tell Priam to ransom his son. With divine help,
Priam comes to Achilles' camp and ransoms the body of his son. The two share a meal together
and go to sleep. Priam leaves at the goading of Hermes before day break and the epic ends with
the funeral of Hector.

Troy Movie

Introduction As the blockbuster Brad Pitt film Troy storms the cinemas, archaeologists and
historians are shedding light on the ancient city and epic that inspired the movie.  The poet
Homer probably wrote the epic in the eighth or ninth century, B.C., several hundred years after
the war is supposed to have taken place. Much of it is no doubt fantasy. There is, for example, no
evidence that Achilles or even Helen existed.  But most scholars agree that Troy itself was no
imaginary Shangri-La but a real city, and that the Trojan War indeed happened.

4. introduction  Troy made it into the "Best of Warner Bros - 50 Film Collection (90th
Anniversary Collection). It was also nominated for 11 awards.  It won 2 at the 2005 ASCAP
Film and Television Music Awards which were: Top Box Office Film James Horner and the
2005 Teen Choice Awards  The Choice Movie Actor Drama/Action Adventure won by Brad
Pitt.  The Achilles hector best rivalry 50/50 greatest movie rivalries by total film.  The
movie made $479 million world wide in 2004.

5. Cast and crew  Writer: The movie is based on the epic poem “The Iliad by Homer”. Written
by David Benioff movie sidesteps the existence of Greek gods and turns its hero’s into action
movie.

6.  Directed by Wolfgang Petersen.

7. Production:  The movie was picturized on the island of Malta Mediterranean and in Mexico.
The first choice was Morocco but some security problems had change the plane.  Palace of
Troy, were filmed on sets built at Shepperton Studios in the UK, but most of the production was
shot on Malta and at the southern tip of Baja California.  Fort Ricasoli was built at Valeta on
Malta.

8.  Music by: James Horner The soundtrack for the film was released on May 11, 2004
through Reprise Records.

9. 1: Brad pit has played the role of Achilles. Who was the hero of this movie. Son of nymph
Thetis and king Peleus from Myrmidons. He was killed by the arrow of Paris on heel. It is said
that Achilles was invulnerable except his heel. And that’s the reason that he was killed by the
small wound on heel. The term Achilles heel has come to mean as the point of weakness.

10. 2: Hector's role has been played by the Eric Bana one of the strongest man from Trojan side.
My favorite character too. He was a patriotic prince and great warier. And he was honest too.

11. 3: Paris of troy role is played by the handsome Orlando bloom.

12.  Diane Kruger was selected for the role of Helen of Sparta.

13.  Odysseus role has been played by the Sean bean. He looks like a great man. When king
Agamemnon sends his men to brought him to Mycenae. He was just sitting like a common man
and its looks as he is already aware that king Agamemnon is waiting for him. He was so simple
yet men didn’t feel that the man they were talking with could be a king.

14.  Patroclus was the cousin of Achilles acted by the Garret Headland. He was dear to
Achilles. His death was the reason that Achilles take part in the war against Trojans.  Bersies
character has played by the Rose Byrne. She was the sister of Paris and hector. This character
was also offered to Aishweria Roy bollywood queen.

15. 8: Priam’s role is played by the Peter O Toole. King of troy and father of hector and Paris. 9:
Nathan jokes works as Baugrius. 10: Thetis role was played by the Julie Christie

16. 11: King Menelaus of Sparta role was played by Brendan Gleeson . 12: Brian cox acted king
Agamemnon of Mycenae. They both were brother.

17. Background of the movie Eris the goddess of discard  This movie has a background of a
dispute among goddesses.  Yet the marriage of Menelaus and Helen was doomed to failure
years before.  The story start when all the Gods and Goddesses were enjoying the marriage
banquet of the sea nymph Thetis and king Paleus. Except goddess of discord Eris.  This thing
make herself jealous and he decided to take revenge from all Gods and Goddess by creating a
beauty contest.

18. Paris as a judge  Hera, Athena and Aphrodite all claim this apple. Then Zeus sends them to
mount leda where Paris, son of Prium was herding his cattle.  He was asked to judge one of
them for the fairest.  Paris said that I am just a human being liable to make the stupidest
mistakes . I beg to the losers not vexed with me. The Goddess all agreed to abide by his decision.

19.  ‘Examine me,’ said Hera, ‘and remember that if you judge me the fairest, I will make you
lord of all Asia, and the richest man alive.’  ‘Listen, Paris, if you have enough common sense
to award me the prize, I will make you victorious in all your battles, as well as the handsomest
and wisest man in the world.’ said Athene.  Aphrodite offers him the fairest women in the
world

20.  As Paris get impressed by the beauty of Aphrodite and she uttered an oath of Solomon
then Paris without a second thought awarded the apple to Aphrodite.  By this he incurred the
anger of both Hera and Athena and they plane the destruction of Troy.

21. Helen’s curse  Leda, wife of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, bore four children to Zeus, who
visited her in the shape of a swan; the four were born from two eggs from the one sprang
Polydeuces and Helen, from the other Timandra and Clytemnestra.  Yet their marriage was
doomed to failure: years before, while sacrificing to the gods, Tyndareus had stupidly
overlooked Aphrodite, who took her revenge by swearing to make all three of his daughters
Clytaemnestra, Timandra, and Helen notorious for their adulteries.

22. Plot  The opening scene shows the two troops of king Agamemnon of Mycenae and
Menelaus of Sparta. And as a tradition two best fighter Achilles from Sparta and Bougrious from
Mycenae fought and Achilles defeats his enemy in a single fight.
23. Two princes Hector and Paris of troy they were visit the king of Sparta Menelaus and assign
a treaty of peace. One of the prince named Paris and the queen of Sparta Helen fall in love with
Paris. And Helen ready to go with Paris to the city of Troy.

24.  When Menelaus knows that his wife has gone with prince Paris of troy he asks his elder
brother Agamemnon taking to the city of troy.  Agamemnon who was wanted to conquer troy
for a long time agreed.

25.  On kings Nesters advice Agamemnon invites Odysseus and Achilles to join them in war.

26. Achilles hates Agamemnon but at her mothers advice he decided to join the war. Thetis tells
him that if you don`t join the war Your name hardly remember to the third generation and if you
join war your name will remember your name if So that you

27.  Hector said “have you killed a man before? What about your fathers love. Who struggles
for the peace treaty for 30 years. You do not know anything about love and war”.  But Paris
said he loves Helen and goes with the Helen no matter Spartans kill him but he will fight for his
love.  When Hector sees passion of Paris for Helen he changes his decision to go to troy.

28. , Hector and Paris return to Troy with Helen, greeted by their fellow Trojans. They meet their
father, King Priam who welcomes Helen and praises her beauty

29. . Hector is reunited with his wife, his infant son.

30.  Achilles decides to join Agamemnon’s campaign against Troy but brings his own warriors
called Myrmidons and Greeks arrive on the shores of Troy before anyone else, though Achilles
tells Patroclus to stay and watch the ship.  Myrmidons were the first warier group who attack
on shores of troy. Achilles decapitates the statue of Apollo. Achilles cast the first stone on
Apollo’s temple. He and his warier ruined the Apollos temple and killed the priests.  Prince
Hector leads an aggressive to keep the Greeks runs into the temple where Achilles refuses to
fight him. Achilles explains that their fight would be suited best in front of an audience and he
allows Hector to leave.

31.  That night, Priam meets his advisors and elders with his sons in attendance, discussing
how best to defend against the Greeks. Paris offers an alternative to killing; he will fight
Menelaus for Helen’s hand. The winner will take her home and the loser will burn before
nightfall.

32. Later, Priam speaks with Paris in a courtyard and admits that, in all the wars he fought for
power or land, a war fought for love makes more sense. He gives Paris the Sword of Troy. He
explain that there is hope for their people.

33.  Helen trying to leave the city. She is apologetic for being the sole reason so many Trojan
men died that day but Hector tells her that returning to Menelaus will not end the war and that
she is a princess of Troy now. Helen returns to Paris.

34.  The next day, Agamemnon’s army walks for Troy. Hector and Paris ride out to meet
Agamemnon and Menelaus before battle. Agamemnon demands that the Trojans return Helen to
his brother. Hector rejects but Paris offers to fight Menelaus, hoping that will settle the dispute.
While Agamemnon could care less about returning Helen to his brother, he allows Menelaus the
opportunity to revenge.

35. The two begin their fight and Menelaus is clearly stronger. Paris is injured and disarmed but,
Menelaus demands the fight to continue but Hector defends his brother and drives his sword
through Menelaus, killing him.

36.  Hector proves to be the more able warrior and overpowers the Greeks with his strategies.
One of the strongest Greek warriors. Odysseus advises Agamemnon to fall back before he loses
his entire army.  With Menelaus dead, the main reason for the attack on Troy is gone.
Odysseus suggests that Agamemnon put his questions aside and start Achilles to fight again.

37.  Priam consults with his advisors again while Paris cries over his weakness. Helen assures
him that, though Menelaus was a strong warrior, she hated her life with him. Hector’s warnings
to keep behind their walls, Priam favors his advisors and issues an attack before daybreak.

38.  As Achilles falls in love with Briseis, They realize their feelings for each other and make
love. Achilles decides that he’s had enough of war and offers to take Briseis away from Troy. he
speaks they will go home. Hearing this, Patroclus is shocked, having hoped to take part in battle.
Achilles returns to his cabin.

39.  The Trojans advance towards the Greek camp. Suddenly, Achilles appears in his armor
and meets the troops to fight. Achilles fights his way towards Hector and the two engage in fight.
Achilles falls and became breathless.

40. But when Hector removes his helmet, he discovers that the man he wounded is not Achilles;
its Patroclus. Hector, regretful but resolute, drives his sword into the boy’s chest to finish him.
He addresses Odysseus and tells him they’ve fought enough that day. Before leaving, Odysseus
tells Hector that Patroclus was Achilles’ cousin

41.  The Myrmidons (this was the group of 50 warier leaded by achiles) return to camp as
Achilles emerges from his tent. Eudorus cries that Patroclus disguised himself in Achilles.
Achilles is outraged and attacks Eudorus. Briseis tries to stop him but he throws her to the
ground.  Hector returns to his wife. He admits that he killed a boy who was much too young
and feels that his actions will have severe outcomes. He shows his wife a hidden passage under
Troy that she can take civilians through to get to the mountains should he die and the walls be
broken. Though she is upset to have to consider this, she notices his advice.  Achilles puts his
cousin on a funeral pyre and sets it alight. Meanwhile, Helen watches as Paris practices his
archery in preparation for battle, hitting his target time and again.

42.  Achilles sets off to enact revenge upon Hector. Briseis begs him not to go, but he ignores
her. He rides to the gates of Troy and calls for Hector who dresses in his armor and says goodbye
to his wife. He meets Achilles outside alone. Achilles throws down his helmet so that Hector can
see his face. Though Hector tries to reason, Achilles is bent on revenge. As they begin to fight,
Priam and Paris watch while Helen comforts who can’t bring herself to look. Achilles
overpowers Hector by driving his spear into his chest before finishing him with his sword. He
then ties Hector’s legs together behind his chariot and drags him away, back to the beach. When
he returns to his hut, Briseis cries out and asks when the killing will stop before leaving.

43. That night, Achilles is visited by a stranger in a cloak. The stranger kisses Achilles’ hand
before revealing himself as none other than king Priam. Priam begs for his son’s body back to be
given a proper burial. He tells Achilles that, while Hector killed his cousin, he did not know who
it was. He weeps over Hector’s body, promising to meet him in the next life, before giving him
to Priam.

44.  When Briseis comes forward, Achilles allows her to go home and apologizes for hurting
her. He gives Priam his word that the Greeks will not attack Troy for 12 days to allot for proper
grief.

45.  When Agamemnon hears of Achilles’ secret treaty with Priam, he becomes enraged. But
Odysseus, who notices the statue of a horse a fellow soldier has made for his son, proposes a
plan, putting the 12 days of mourning to their advantage.

46. After 12 days, the Trojans discover that the beach has been abandoned and various bodies lie
in the sand. Upon seeing this, Priam is advised that the horse was left as a gift to the god
Poseidon and is encouraged to bring it back to Troy. Paris, who is doubtful, desires his father to
burn the horse, but Priam brings the horse into the city where its admired as a sign of the end of
the war.

47.  Meanwhile, the whole city celebrates into the night. Once everything has quieted down,
the horse opens and Achilles, Odysseus, and a mass of Greek soldiers emerge from inside and
open Troy’s gates where the rest of the Greek army has gathered. Soldiers of Troy attempt to
defend the royal palace, but fail. As Priam prays before the statue of Apollo and asks why he’s
been forsaken, Agamemnon comes up behind him and attempts him in the back. Achilles,
meanwhile, searches the city for Briseis.

48.  Paris lead surviving civilians down to the secret passage where Paris gives a young boy,
the Sword of Troy, reciting what his father told him. He then returns with his bow and arrow to
help fight.

49.  Briseis is praying before a statue of Apollo when she is grabbed from behind by
Agamemnon. Achilles sees this and runs to her aid. Agamemnon tells Briseis his intent to take
her back to Greece as his slave before she takes a concealed knife and fatally attempts him in the
neck. As he is helping her up, Paris arrives and shoots an arrow through Achilles’ heel. Standing
up to face Paris, despite Briseis’ cries, Achilles is shot again through the chest.

50.  He removes the arrow only to be shot again and again, each time removing the arrow. He
finally falls and tells Briseis that she was his peace in a lifetime of war and urges her to escape.
Briseis goes with Paris and they leave as the Greeks arrive at the palace to find Achilles dead,
seemingly taken by a single shot to the heel (thus perpetuating the myth surrounding his death).
Paris takes the shot of Achilles heel guided by Apollo.

51. Achilles heel death of Achilles  The term “Achilles’ heel” means a person’s vulnerable
spot or area. It is derived from the Greek myth of Achilles and his mother Thetis.  According
to legend, when Achilles was born, his mother, in an effort to make him immortal, took Achilles
to the Styx river and dipped him. She held him by one heel. The area where her fingers held him
remained dry. As the heel was not touched by the waters of the Styx, it was the one vulnerable
place on Achilles.

52.  Conclusion The movie Troy ended with Odysseus burning Achilles in a funeral pyre.
Achilles died at the end of the Trojan War and is a hero after saving Briseis.

53.  Analysis: Based on Iliad and written by Homer The screenplay was written by David
Benioff and stars who were Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Brian Cox, Diane Kruger and
Rose Byrne. The Importance of this film is in regards to the City of Troy, the unions of the
Greeks, and the reason behind the war itself. It was made to capture the imagination of Homer
and his poems.

54.  Achilles was very strong and considered immortal, Hector was the bravest and modest
leader of Troy under the Rule of Priam. Helen was extremely brilliantly beautiful while Paris
was inexperienced and weak. All of the characters involved had important roles whose actions
were caused of many important events. However, if you relate back to Homer and back of what
historians have discovered, the movie wasn’t accurate representation.

55. Lesson: We should be patriotic: As in the movie Paris takes risk of war . He preferred his
love over his country and whole country was in trouble. So we should be patriotic and don`t
prefer our benefits over country and don`t be subjective.

56.  Passion and Determination: Paris was passionate and honest about his love. He was ready
to fight for his love . This shows his truth love and passion so if we are honest and passionate we
can achieve our intention. He doesn`t change his mind in the pressure of fighting he offers
himself foe his love.
57.  Greed: As Agamemnon was greedy and not sincere with his brother. At the end of his
greediness he gain nothing. So we should sincere not greedy.

58.  Planning: Odysseus made plan of Trojan horse and through Trojan horse they entered city
Troy and attacked. If they have no any plan they never entered or may they face number of
problems. There should be needed a strategy to win the race.

BAUCIS AND PHILOMEN

 In Ovid's moralizing fable (Metamorphoses VIII), which stands on the periphery of
Greek mythology and Roman mythology, Baucis and Philemon were an old married
couple in the region of Tyana, which Ovid places in Phrygia, and the only ones in their
town to welcome disguised gods Zeus and Hermes (in Roman mythology, Jupiter and
Mercury respectively), thus embodying the pious exercise of hospitality, the ritualized
guest-friendship termed xenia, or theoxenia when a god was involved.
 Zeus and Hermes came disguised as ordinary peasants and began asking the people of the
town for a place to sleep during that night. They were rejected by all before they came to
Baucis and Philemon's rustic and simple cottage. Though the couple were poor, they
showed more pity than their rich neighbors, where "all the doors bolted and no word of
kindness given, so wicked were the people of that land." After serving the two guests
food and wine, which Ovid depicts with pleasure in the details, Baucis noticed that
although she had refilled her guest's beechwood cups many times, the wine pitcher was
still full. Realizing that her guests were in fact gods, she and her husband "raised their
hands in supplication and implored indulgence for their simple home and fare." Philemon
thought of catching and killing the goose that guarded their house and making it into a
meal for the guests. But when Philemon went to catch the goose, it ran onto Zeus's lap for
safety. Zeus said that they did not need to slay the goose and that they should leave the
town. Zeus said that he was going to destroy the town and all the people who had turned
him away and not provided due hospitality. He said Baucis and Philemon should climb
the mountain with him and not turn back until they reached the top.
 After climbing the mountain to the summit ("as far as an arrow could shoot in one pull"),
Baucis and Philemon looked back on the town and saw that it had been destroyed by a
flood. However, Zeus had turned Baucis and Philemon's cottage into an ornate temple.
The couple was also granted a wish; they chose to stay together forever and to be
guardians of the temple. They also requested that when it came time for one of them to
die, the other would die as well. Upon their death, they were changed into an intertwining
pair of trees, one oak and one linden, standing in the deserted boggy terrain.
 Baucis and Philemon do not appear elsewhere in Greek myth, nor anywhere in cult, but
the sacred nature of hospitality was widespread in the ancient world. After Lot and his
wife had feasted them, two strangers were revealed as "two angels" (Genesis 19:1; the
story is in the previous chapter). Accordingly, Hebrews 13:2 reads "Do not neglect to
show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without
knowing it." The possibility that unidentified strangers in need of hospitality were gods in
disguise was ingrained in first century culture. Acts 14:11-12 relates the ecstatic
reception received less than two generations after Ovid's publication of the tale by Paul of
Tarsus and Barnabas: "The crowds shouted 'The gods have come down to us in human
form!' Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes".
Orion
Orion is the hunter that was blinded, but was healed by the sun's rays, and now is among the
stars.

Origin of Orion

 The parentage of Orion has been matter of dispute, but some have said that Orion was
produced thus: Hyrieus, son of Poseidon and Alcyone 1, one of the PLEIADES, once
received his father, who came, together with Zeus and Hermes, to see him. On the
occasion, Hyrieus, who was a very rich man but nevertheless childless, asked his visitors
to let him have children. The gods then, urinated in the hide of the sacrificed bull, buried
it in the earth, and from it Orion was born. In time Orion grew tall as a giant, and he was
granted by Poseidon the power of striding across the sea.

Trouble with Oenopion 1

 Orion, some say, wished to marry Merope 3, the daughter of King Oenopion 1 of Chios,
son of Ariadne, but her father, disliking the idea, made Orion drunk, put out his eyes as
he slept, and then cast him on the beach. Others affirm, however, that Orion came to
Chios, and having drunk heavily, raped the girl, being this the reason why he was
blinded, and expelled from the island, which is off the coast of Ionia in Asia Minor.
Orion then came to Lemnos, where Hephaestus gave him his servant Cedalion to serve
him as a guide. Orion set him on his shoulders, and bade him lead him to the sunrise, and
when they arrived Orion was healed by the sun's rays.

Death of Orion

 Orion believed himself to be the best of hunters, and once he boasted that he was able to
kill anything the earth produced. It was then that Gaia (Earth), angered at this boast, sent
the scorpion that killed him. Others assert that Orion was killed by Artemis, who was
challenged by Apollo to hit with her arrows a black object in the sea, which she could not
see, and that was later discovered to be Orion's head. How the goddess could commit
such a mistake has not been explained. Still others affirm that Orion was killed for
challenging Artemis to a match of quoits, or shot by her for raping Opis 3, one of the
maidens who had come from the Hyperboreans. But others have believed that Orion died
because the gods, jealous because he was the lover of Eos, let Artemis kill him.

Orion in the Underworld

 Orion was seen by Odysseus in the Underworld where he had the same occupation as
when he was alive on earth:
  "... I marked huge Orion driving together over the Plain of Asphodel wild beasts which
himself had slain on the lonely hills, and in his hands he held a club all of bronze, ever
unbroken ..." (Odysseus. Homer, Odyssey 11.542).

Orion in the sky

 Yet Orion may be considered immortal for being among the stars where he was placed by
Artemis, who mourned him. It is told that to prevent him being alone in the sky, the Dog
(Canis Major) was later added to the stars to keep Orion company in his hunting (see
CONSTELLATIONS).

THE STORY OF NISUS AND SCYLLA

The Story of Nisus and Scylla

War Against Megara

 Minos, son of Zeus and Europa, attacks the kingdom of Megara in the Corinthian Isthmus
(An ally of Athens).
 Megara’s king, Nisus, had a lock of purple hair. As long as the purple lock was kept on
his head, his kingdom could not be overtaken and he could not die.
 The war goes on for over 6 months and it looks like neither side will ever win.

Scylla- Daughter of Nisus

 Scylla goes to the tower of the castle everyday to watch the battles. The war has been
going on for so long that she has learned the names of the enemies’ captains and their
armor.
 Scylla Falls deeply in love, with Minos, the leader of the Cretan army. She even
compares his beauty and skill to Apollo.

Internal Struggle

 Scylla starts thinking up ways as to how she can be with Minos. She even considers
offering herself as a hostage to him. Eventually, she realizes that she could give him her
father’s country as a dowry of marriage.
 However, Scylla doesn’t want to win her love over through treason. But soon she is
convinced that her father is losing the war and better to end it without more blood shed;
and that girls before her this deeply in love had done the same thing so why couldn’t she?

Scylla’s Mistake

 Thinking that this will make her the mistress of Minos, Scylla cuts off her father’s purple
lock while he is sleeping, thus killing him.
 She goes to Minos’ camp and offers him “her fathers’ life”, or the lock, and says that
“love has led me to do this”. All that she wants in return is Minos.
 Her plan backfires for Minos shrinks away from her gift and exclaims “May the gods cast
you out, and earth and ocean reject you, infamous daughter of our time!”

Megara Is Conquered

 Although Minos rejects the gift, he takes full advantage of Scylla’s actions by conquering
Megara.
  After imposing his laws, Minos gets ready to set sail back to his home. He of course
plans to leave Scylla behind.

Scylla’s Anger

 When Scylla sees that she will not be rewarded, she begins to yell at Minos. She cries out
that his parents were not really Zeus and Europa for they are incapable of having a
monster like him for an offspring.
 Because of her actions, Scylla can no longer live in Megara; and since Minos has forbid
her from Crete, she has no where to go. Because of this, she decides to go with Minos
whether he likes it or not.

Conclusion

 When she sees Minos leaving without her, she jumps into the water and clings to the
stern of the boat.
 Her father, who has now been turned into an Osprey, or a sea hawk, sees his daughter and
attacks her with his beak.
 Scylla loses her grip and begins to fall into the water. However, a god taking pity turns
her into a ciris to save her from drowning.
 From that day on, the sea hawk attacks the ciris whenever they are near each other, in
vengeance of the ancient crime.

The Cretan Warriors Outside Megera

Scylla Falling In Love with minos

Scylla offering minos the lock of hair

Scylla clinging to the ship

Ciris- the bird that scylla was turned into.

Sea hawk- the bird that nisus was turned into.

Alternate Ending?

In different versions of the story, Minos ties Scylla to the stern with her head in the water so she
drowns.

In another version, Scylla is transformed by Circe into a sea monster with tentacles and creatures
growing from her middle. She forever lives in a cave and eats sailors who pass her by.

Herculus
The Great Hero before The Great Hero before the Trojan War the Trojan War “HERCULES”

Who is Hercules??

 He is the greatest Hero of Greece

 He was a personage of quite another order from the great hero of Athens , THESEUS
 He was what all Greece except Athens most admired
 Hercules embodied what the rest of Greece most valued
  His qualities were those the Greeks in general honored and admired.
 Except for unflinding courage, they were not those that distinguished Theseus.
 He was the strongest man on Earth and he had the supreme self- confidence magnificent
physical strength gives
 He considered himself on an “EQUALITYWITH THE GODS”
 They needed his help to conquer the Giants
 In the final victory of the Olympians over the brutish sons of Earth. His arrows played an
important part. He treated the Gods accordingly.
 Once when the priestess on Delphi gave no response to the question he asked, he seized
the tripod she sat on and declared that he would carry it off and have an oracle of his
own. He was willing to fight Apollo but Zeus had to intervene. The quarrel was easily
settled, however.

 Throughout Hercules life, he had this perfect confidence that no matter who was against
him he could never be defeated, and facts bore him out. Whenever he fought with anyone
the issue was certain beforehand. He could be overcome only by a supernatural force. But
nothing that lived in the air, sea or on land ever defeated him.
 Once when he was too hot, he pointed an arrow at the sun and threatened to shoot him.
 There also a time, when that boat he was in was tossed about by the waves, he told the
waters that he would punish them if they did not grow calm.
 His intellect was not strong. His emotions were.
 They were quickly aroused and apt to get out of control, as when he deserted the Agro
and forgot all about his comrades and the Quest of the Golden Fleece in his despairing
grief at losing his young armor- bearer, HYLAS. (son of King The iodamas of the
Dryopians)

Where Hercules came from?

 Hercules was born in Thebes.

 He was held to be the son ofAmphitryon, a distinguished general.
 In those early years, he was called Alcides, or descendant of Alcaeus, who was
Amphitryon’s father.
 But in reality, he was the son of Zeus, who had visited Amphitryon’s wife Alcmena in
the shape of her husband when the general was away fighting.

ALCMENA:

 Mother of Hercules
 She bore two children:- Hercules to Zeus,- Iphicles to Amphitryon.The difference in the
boys’ descent was clearly shown in the way each acted in face of a great danger which
came to them before they were a year old. Hera, as always, was furiously jealous and she
determined to kill Hercules
 “Hercules, of all of Zeus’s illegitimate children seemed to be the focus of Hera’s anger.”
 One evening Alcmena gave both the children their baths and their fill of milk and laid
them in their crib,caressing them and saying, “Sleep my little ones, soul of my soul.
Happy be your slumber and happy your awakening.” She rocked the cradle and in a
moment the babies were asleep. But at the darkest midnight when all was silent in the
house two great snakes came crawling into the nursery. There was a light in the room
and as the two reared up above the crib,with weaving heads and flickering tongues, the
children woke…..Next
 Iphicles screamed and tried to get out of bed, but Hercules sat up and grasped the deadly
creatures by the throat. They turned and twisted and wound their coils around his body,
but he held them fast.The mother heard Iphicles’ screams and, calling to her husband,
 rushed to the nursery. There sat Hercules laughing, in each hand a long limp body.He
gave them gleefully to Amphitryon. They were dead. All knew then that the child was
destined to great things.Next
 Teiresias, the blindprophet of Thebes, toldAlcmena:“I swear that manyGreek woman as
shecards the wool ateventide shall sing ofthis son and you whobore him. He shall bethe
hero of allmankind.”
 Zeus talked Athena into tricking Hera into sucklingHercules. As the story goes, Athena
and Heracame upon a baby abandoned at the walls ofThebes. Athena suggested to Hera
to suckle thepoor abandoned baby. Hera did so, but the babysucked so hard that she had
to push him away.The force was so strong that the milk from herbreast spurted out and
became the Milky Way

 Hercules had several teachers in his youth who taughthim well. Here is a partial list of
his teachers and theareas they instructed him in:
 Amphitrton – chariot driving
 Autolycus – boxing
 Castor – art of riding horses in battle
 Chiron(centaur)- politics, manners, and wisdom
 Eumolpus – playing the lyre and singing
 Eurytus – archeryNot only was he well trained, but Hercules also receivedlavish gifts
from the gods of Olympus. He was wellequipped with special swords, shields, bows, and
horses.

By the time he waseighteen he was full-grown and he killed ,alone by himself, agreat lion which
livedin the woods ofCithaeron, theThespian lion. Everafter he wore its skinas a cloak with
thehead forming a kindof hood over his ownhead.

His next exploit was to fight and conquer theMinyans, who had been exacting a
burdensometribute from the Thebans. The grateful citizens gavehim as a reward the hand of the
Princess Megara.When he married Megara, she had borne him threesons, Hera drove Hercules to
madness. He killed hischildren and Megara too, as she tried to protect theyoungest. Then his
sanity returned. He found himselfin his bloodstained hall, the dead bodies of his sonsand his wife
beside him. He had no idea what hadhappened, how they had been killed. He consulted
theOracle of Delphi to see how he could purify himself.The oracle instructed him to complete the
12 laborsthat King Eurystheus set before him, and he could bepurified and also attain
immortality.

The 12 Labors of Hercules

1. To kill the Nemean lion.

2. To destroy the Lernaean Hydra.

3. To capture the Ceryneian Hind.

4. To capture the Erymanthian Boar.

5. To clean the Augean Stables.

6. To kill the Stymphalian Birds.

7. To capture the Cretan Bull.

8. To round up the Mares of Diomedes.

9. To steal the Girdle of Hippolyte.

10. To herd the Cattle of Geryon.

11. To fetch the Apples of Hesperides.

12. To capture Cerberus.

Labor One: The Nemean LionAs his first Labor, Heracles was challenged tokill the Nemean
lion. This was no easy feat, forthe beasts parentage was supernatural and itwas more of a monster
than an ordinary lion. Itsskin could not be penetrated by spears orarrows. Heracles blocked off
the entrances to thelions cave, crawled into the close confines whereit would have to fight face to
face and throttled itto death with his bare hands. Ever afterwards hewore the lions skin as a cloak
and its gapingjaws as a helmet.

Labor Two: The HydraKing Eurystheus was so afraid of his heroiccousin that when he saw him
coming with theNemean lion on his shoulder, he hid in a storagejar. From this shelter he issued
the order for thenext Labor. Heracles was to seek out anddestroy the monstrous and many-
headed Hydra.The mythmakers agree that the Hydra lived inthe swamps of Lerna, but they seem
to have hadtrouble counting its heads. Some said that theHydra had eight or nine, while others
claimed asmany as ten thousand. All agreed, however, thatas soon as one head was beaten down
orchopped off, two more grew in its place.

To make matters worse, the Hydras very breathwas lethal. Even smelling its footprints
wasenough to kill an ordinary mortal. Fortunately,Heracles was no ordinary mortal. He sought
outthe monster in its lair and brought it out intothe open with flaming arrows. But now the
fightwent in the Hydras favor. It twined its manyheads around the hero and tried to trip him up.It
called on an ally, a huge crab that also lived inthe swamp. The crab bit Heracles in the heeland
further impeded his attack. Heracles was onthe verge of failure when he remembered hisnephew,
Iolaus, the son of his twin brotherIphicles.

Iolaus, who had driven Heracles to Lerna in achariot, looked on in anxiety as his uncle
becameentangled in the Hydras snaky heads. Finally hecould bear it no longer. In response to his
unclesshouts, he grabbed a burning torch and dashedinto the fray. Now, as soon as Heracles cut
offone of the Hydras heads, Iolaus was there tosear the wounded neck with flame. This
keptfurther heads from sprouting. Heracles cut offthe heads one by one, with Iolaus cauterizing
thewounds. Finally Heracles lopped off the one headthat was supposedly immortal and buried it
deepbeneath a rock.

Labor Three: the Cerynitian HindThe third Labor was the capture of theCerynitian hind.
Though a female deer, thisfleet-footed beast had golden horns. It wassacred to Artemis, goddess
of the hunt, soHeracles dared not wound it. He hunted it for anentire year before running it down
on the banksof the River Ladon in Arcadia. Taking careful aimwith his bow, he fired an arrow
between thetendons and bones of the two forelegs, pinning itdown without drawing blood. All
the same,Artemis was displeased, but Heracles dodged herwrath by blaming his taskmaster
Eurystheus.

Labor Four: the Erymanthian BoarThe fourth Labor took Heracles back to Arcadiain quest of
an enormous boar, which he waschallenged to bring back alive. While tracking itdown he
stopped to visit the centaur Pholus.This creature -- half-horse, half-man -- wasexamining one of
the heros arrows when heaccidentally dropped it on his foot. Because ithad been soaked in
poisonous Hydra venom,Pholus succumbed immediately. Heracles finallylocated the boar on
Mount Erymanthus andmanaged to drive it into a snowbank,immobilizing it. Flinging it up onto
his shoulder,he carried it back to Eurystheus, who cowered asusual in his storage jar.

Labor Five: The Augean StablesEurystheus was very pleased with himself fordreaming up the
next Labor, which he was surewould humiliate his heroic cousin. Heracles wasto clean out the
stables of King Augeas in asingle day. Augeas possessed vast herds of cattlewhich had deposited
their manure in suchquantity over the years that a thick aroma hungover the entire Peloponnesus.
Instead ofemploying a shovel and a basket as Eurystheusimagined, Heracles diverted two rivers
throughthe stableyard and got the job done withoutgetting dirty. But because he had
demandedpayment of Augeas, Eurystheus refused to countthis as a Labor.

Labor Six: The Stymphalian BirdsThe sixth Labor pitted Heracles against theStymphalian birds,
who inhabited a marsh nearLake Stymphalus in Arcadia. The sources differas to whether these
birds feasted on humanflesh, killed men by shooting them with feathersof brass or merely
constituted a nuisancebecause of their number. Heracles could notapproach the birds to fight
them - the groundwas too swampy to bear his weight and toomucky to wade through. Finally he
resorted tosome castanets given to him by the goddessAthena. By making a racket with these,
hecaused the birds to take wing. And once theywere in the air, he brought them down by
thedozens with his arrows.

Labor Seven: the Cretan BullQueen Pasiphae of Crete had been inspired by avengeful god to
fall in love with a bull, with theresult that the Minotaur was born -- a monsterhalf-man and half-
bull that haunted theLabyrinth of King Minos. Pasiphaes husbandwas understandably eager to be
rid of the bull,which was also ravaging the Cretan countryside,so Hercules was assigned the task
as hisseventh Labor. Although the beast belchedflames, the hero overpowered it and shipped
itback to the mainland. It ended up near Athens,where it became the duty of another
hero,Theseus, to deal with it once more.

Labor Eight: the Mares of DiomedesNext Heracles was instructed to bringEurystheus the mares
of Diomedes. Thesehorses dined on the flesh of travelers who madethe mistake of accepting
Diomedes hospitality.In one version of the myth, Heracles pacified thebeasts by feeding them
their own master. Inanother, they satisfied their appetites on theheros squire, a young man named
Abderus. Inany case, Heracles soon rounded them up andherded them down to sea, where he
embarkedthem for Tiryns. Once he had shown them toEurystheus, he released them. They
wereeventually eaten by wild animals on MountOlympus.

Labor Nine: Hippolytes BeltThe ninth Labor took Heracles to the land of theAmazons, to
retrieve the belt of their queen forEurystheus daughter. The Amazons were a raceof warrior
women, great archers who hadinvented the art of fighting from horseback.Heracles recruited a
number of heroes toaccompany him on this expedition, among themTheseus. As it turned out,
the Amazon queen,Hippolyte, willingly gave Hercules her belt, butHera was not about to let the
hero get off soeasily. The goddess stirred up the Amazons witha rumor that the Greeks had
captured theirqueen, and a great battle ensued. Heracles madeoff with the belt, and Theseus
kidnapped anAmazon princess.

Labor Ten: the Cattle of GeryonIn creating monsters and formidable foes, theGreek
mythmakers used a simple technique ofmultiplication. Thus Geryon, the owner of somefamous
cattle that Heracles was now instructedto steal, had three heads and/or three separatebodies from
the waist down. His watchdog,Orthrus, had only two heads. This Labor tookplace somewhere in
the country we know asSpain. The hound Orthrus rushed at Heracles ashe was making off with
the cattle, and the herokilled him with a single blow from the woodenclub which he customarily
carried. Geryon wasdispatched as well, and Heracles drove the herdback to Greece, taking a
wrong turn along theway and passing through Italy.

Labor Eleven: the Apples of the HesperidesThe Hesperides were nymphs entrusted by
thegoddess Hera with certain apples which she hadreceived as a wedding present. These were
keptin a grove surrounded by a high wall andguarded by Ladon, a many-headed dragon.
Thegrove was located in the far-western mountainsnamed for Atlas, one of the Titans or
firstgeneration of gods. Atlas had sided with one ofhis brothers in a war against Zeus.
Inpunishment, he was compelled to support theweight of the heavens by means of a pillar on
hisshoulders. Heracles, in quest of the apples, hadbeen told that he would never get the
themwithout the aid of Atlas.

The Titan was only too happy to oblige. He toldthe hero to hold the pillar while he went
toretrieve the fruit. But first Heracles had to killthe dragon by means of an arrow over thegarden
wall. Atlas soon returned with the applesbut now realized how nice it was not to have tostrain for
eternity keeping heaven and earthapart. Heracles wondered if Atlas would mindtaking back the
pillar just long enough for himto fetch a cushion for his shoulder. The Titanobliged and Heracles
strolled off, neglecting toreturn.

Labor Twelve: the Capture of CerberusAs his final Labor, Heracles was instructed tobring the
hellhound Cerberus up from Hades,the kingdom of the dead. The first barrier to thesouls journey
beyond the grave was the mostfamous river of the Underworld, the Styx. Herethe newly dead
congregated as insubstantialshades, mere wraiths of their former selves,awaiting passage in the
ferryboat of Charon theBoatman. Charon wouldnt take anyone acrossunless they met two
conditions. Firstly, they hadto pay a bribe in the form of a coin under thecorpses tongue. And
secondly, they had to bedead. Heracles met neither condition, acircumstance which aggravated
Charons naturalgrouchiness.

But Heracles simply glowered so fiercely thatCharon meekly conveyed him across the Styx.The
greater challenge was Cerberus, who hadrazor teeth, three (or maybe fifty) heads, avenomous
snake for a tail and another swarm ofsnakes growing out of his back. These lashed atHeracles
while Cerberus lunged for a purchaseon his throat. Fortunately, the hero was wearinghis trusty
lions skin, which was impenetrable byanything short of a thunderbolt from Zeus.Heracles
eventually choked Cerberus intosubmission and dragged him to Tiryns, where hereceived due
credit for this final Labor.

Childrens and consorts

Megara1. Therimachus2. Creontiades3. Ophitus4. Deicoon

Omphale1. Agelaus2. Tyrsenus

Deianira1. Hyllus2. Ctesippus3. Glenus4. Oneites5. Macaria

Hebe1. Alexiares2. Anicetus

Childrens and consorts

Astydameia, daughter ofOrmenius1. Ctesippus

Astyoche, daughter ofPhylas1. Tlepolemus

Auge --1. Telephus

Autonoe, daughter ofPireus / Iphinoe,daughter of Antaeus1. Palaemon

Barge1. Bargasus

Bolbe ---1. Olynthus

Celtine---1. Celtus

Chalciope---1. Thessalus

Echidna1. Agathyrsus2. Gelonus3. Skythes

Childrens and consorts

Epicaste ---1. Thestalus

Malis, a slave of Omphale1. Acelus

Meda ---1. Antiochus

Melite ---1. Hyllus (possibly)

Myrto ---1. Eucleia

Parthenope, daughter ofStymphalus1. Everes

Phialo ---1. Aechmagoras

Psophis ---1. Echephron2. Promachus

Pyrene ---1. none known

Rhea, Italian priestess1. Aventinus

50 daughters of Thespius1. 50 sons

Unnamed Celtic woman1. Galates

Childrens and consorts

Unnamed slave of Omphale1. Alcaeus / Cleodaeus

Unknown consorts1. Agylleus2. Amathous3. Azon4. Chromis5. Cyrnus6. Dexamenus7.

Leucites8. Manto

Further AdventuresFurther Adventuresof Herculesof

Hercules…………………………………………

After completing these tasks, Hercules joined the Argonauts in asearch for the Golden Fleece.
They rescued heroines, conqueredTroy, and helped the gods fight against the Gigantes. He
alsofell in love with Princess Iole of Oechalia. King Eurytus ofOechalia promised his daughter,
Iole, to whoever could beat hissons in an archery contest. Heracles won but Eurytusabandoned
his promise. Heracles advances were spurned bythe king and his sons, except for one: Ioles
brother Iphitus.Heracles killed the king and his sons–excluding Iphitus–andabducted Iole. Iphitus
became Heracles best friend. However,once again, Hera drove Heracles mad and he threw
Iphitusover the city wall to his death. Once again, Heracles purifiedhimself through three years
of servitude — this time to QueenOmphale of Lydia.

OmphaleOmphale was a queen or princess of Lydia. As penaltyfor a murder, imposed by

Xenoclea, the DelphicOracle, Heracles was to serve as her slave for a year.He was forced to do
womens work and to wearwomens clothes, while she wore the skin of theNemean Lion and
carried his olive-wood club. Aftersome time, Omphale freed Heracles and married him.Some
sources mention a son born to them who isvariously named. It was at that time that the
cercopes,mischievous wood spirits, stole Heracles weapons. Hepunished them by tying them to a
stick with theirfaces pointing downward.

HylasWhile walking through the wilderness, Heracles was set upon bythe Dryopes. In
Apollonius of Rhodes Argonautica it is recalledthat Heracles had mercilessly slain their king,
Theiodamas, overone of the latters bulls, and made war upon the Dryopes"because they gave no
heed to justice in their lives". After thedeath of their king, the Dryopes gave in and offered him
PrinceHylas. He took the youth on as his weapons bearer and beloved.Years later, Heracles and
Hylas joined the crew of the Argo. AsArgonauts, they only participated in part of the journey.
InMysia, Hylas was kidnapped by the nymphs of a local spring.Heracles, heartbroken, searched
for a long time but Hylas hadfallen in love with the nymphs and never showed up again. Inother
versions, he simply drowned. Either way, the Argo set sailwithout them.

Rescue of PrometheusHesiods Theogony and AeschylusPrometheus Unbound both tell that

Heraclesshot and killed the eagle that torturedPrometheus (which was his punishment byZeus for
stealing fire from the gods and givingit to mortals). Heracles freed the Titan fromhis chains and
his torments. Prometheus thenmade predictions regarding further deeds ofHeracles.

“The Death of Hercules”

Hercules was married to Deianeira. One day, longafter Hercules marriage to Deianeira, the
centaurNessus offered to ferry them across a wide river thatthey had to cross. Nessus set off with
Deianeira first,but tried to abduct her. When Hercules realized thecentaurs real intention,
Hercules chased after himand shot him with an arrow which was poisonedwith Hydras blood.
Before he died, Nessus toldDeianeira to take some of his blood and treasure it,since it was a very
powerful medicine and: if she everthought Hercules was being unfaithful, the centaurtold her, the
blood would restore his love. Deianeirakept the vial of blood.

Many years after that incident she heard rumoursthat Hercules had fallen in love with another
woman.She smeared some of the blood on a robe and sent it toHercules by a servant named
Lichas. Lichas spilledsome blood on the floor and when the suns rays fellon it the blood begun to
burn. Because of thisDeianeira began to suspect Nessuss advice anddecided to send another
servant to fetch Lichas backbefore he could hand over the blood soaked robe toHercules. She
was too late. Hercules had already puton the robe and when he did so the blood stillpoisoned
from the same arrow used by Hercules,burnt into his flesh. When he jumped into a nearbyriver in
hope of extinguishing the fire, it only made itworse. When he tried to rip off the robe from his
bodyhis organs were also ripped off with it.

46. Furiously, Hercules caught Lichas and tossedhim into the sea. After that he told his
friendPhiloctetes to build him a pyre on themountain Oata. He was burnt to death on thepyre.
Before dying, Hercules offered his bowand arrows as a token of gratitude toPhiloctetes. His
father Zeus then turned himinto a god. Deianeira, after hearing what shehad caused, committed
suicide.

Afterlife

Hercules was the only hero to become a full-fledgedgod upon his demise, but even in his case
there washis mortal aspect to be dealt with. By virtue of hisspectacular achievements, even by
heroic standards,he was given a home on Mount Olympus and agoddess for a wife. But part of
him had come notfrom his father Zeus but from his mortal motherAlcmene, and that part was
sent to the Underworld.As a phantasm it eternally roams the Elysian Fieldsin the company of
other heroes.He was taken to heaven, where he was reconciled toHera and married her daughter
Hebe.

THESEUS
The great Athenian hero

Early lifeAegeus

 King of Athens, went to Troezen to visit Pittheus. He had received an oracle that he
should loose his wineskin at home to have children.Aegeus slept with Pittheus’daughter
Aethra…Alternate: Poseidon isTheseus’ real dad
 Aegeus returns to Athens, he leaves his sandals and sword under amassive rock as a test
for any child born of Aethra.
 Theseus lifted the rock with ease.
 takes the dangerous route overland rather than a safe seavoy age to Athens. He wants to
emulate his cousin Heracles.

Journey to Athens Across the dangerous isthmus, he meets and defeats several band its with
poetic justice.Periphetes, the club-man, who bashed others,is bashed by Theseus.

Journey to AthensS in is, the so-calledpine bender, whocatapulted people offthe cliff with a
pine, istreated the same.

Journey to AthensSkiron, who kicked,people into the sea asthey washed his feet,received the
same.

Journey to AthensProcrustes who stretched short people and chopped off tallpeople who did
not fit his bed got his own medicine….

Journey to Athens

In AthensMedea, the witch andAegeus’ wife, recognizesTheseus and tries to haveAegeus kill
him, but dadrecognizes the sword.

The Minotaur

 Due to Theseus evil cousins killing ason of Minos. The king of Cretedemands 7 boys and
7 girls as sacrificeevery 7 years.He feeds them to the minotaur, hiswife’s son who is half-
bull. TheMinotaur is kept in the Labyrinth.
 Off to Slay the MinotaurTheseus volunteered to go andassured his dad by saying
hewould change black sails towhite on his successful return.
  The MinotaurMinos and Theseus and thering in the sea…Ariadne falls in love anddecides
to help.
 The Minotaur Theseus killed the Minotaur
 Abandonment of AriadneTheseus stopped at the island of Naxos, where heunjustly
abandoned Ariadne asleep on the beach.
 Death of AegeusAriadne awakes and cursesTheseus, who then forgets tochange the sails
to white…Dad, Aegeus, sees the blackand jumps to his death fromthe cliffs…giving the
nameAegean to the sea.Theseus becomes king butgrieves at his loss.
 Buddy PirithoüsTheseus’ best friend Pirithous went on many adventureswith him. They
both fought against wicked Centaurs.They also pledged to help each other steal the best
bridesin Greece. They stole Helen for Theseus (though herbrothers Castor and Pollux
later got her back), and thenthey went to Tartarus to steal Persephone from Hades.Hades
tricked them into sitting in the chairs offorgetfulness, where they stayed for years,
beforeHeracles rescued Theseus (who left part of his buttocksbehind).

Heracles saves Theseus

 AmazonsTheseus was one of the heroes who fought theAmazons, and he also married
one named Antiope.
 PhaedraTheseus finallymarried Ariadnessister, Phaedra, thedaugher of KingMinos of
Crete.But she tragicallyfell in love withhis son Hippolytus(son of Antiope).In the end,
bothPhaedra andHippolytus died.

Aeneas
Aeneas Roman mythology

 Aeneas is the embodiment of Roman virtues: He is the dutiful servant of fate and of the
gods, he is an exemplary leader of his people, and he is a devoted father and son. He
demonstrates appropriate pietas — devotion to one's family, country, and mission.
Aeneas's character possesses human qualities as well.
 The hero Aeneas was a defender of Troy, the city in Asia Minor that the Greeks
destroyed in the Trojan War . After the war, Aeneas led the Trojans who survived to the
land now called Italy. Aeneas and his followers founded Rome, and he became its first
great hero and legendary father.
 Aeneas's Travels. After surviving many dangers, including powerful storms and fierce
monsters, Aeneas and his Trojan followers landed on the coast of North Africa. Along the
way, his father died. At this point in Aeneas's tale, Roman storytellers mingled the history
of the hero with earlier tales of a queen named Dido, founder of the city of Carthage in
North Africa.
 Dido and Aeneas fell in love soon after the hero arrived in Carthage. Aeneas stayed with
the queen until Mercury, the messenger of the gods, reminded him that his destiny lay in
Italy. Aeneas sorrowfully but obediently sailed away. When he looked back, he saw
smoke and flames. Lovesick and abandoned, Dido had thrown herself onto a funeral pyre.
 After stopping in Sicily and leaving some of his followers to found a colony there,
Aeneas sailed to Italy. Upon his arrival, he sought advice from Sibyl, a powerful oracle
who took him to the underworld. There Aeneas saw the ghost of Dido, but she turned
away and would not speak to him. Then he saw the ghost of his father, Anchises, who
told him that he would found the greatest empire the world had ever known.
 Founder of an Empire. Heartened by his father's prophecy, Aeneas went to Latium in
central Italy. He became engaged to Lavinia, the daughter of the king of the Latins.
Turnus, the leader of another tribe called the Rutuli, launched a war against the Trojan
newcomers. Some of the Latins also fought the Trojans, but Aeneas had finally arrived at
his destiny and could not be defeated. First he killed Turnus and married Lavinia. Then
he founded the city of Lavinium, where Latins and Trojans were united.
 After Aeneas's death, his son Ascanius ruled Lavinium and founded a second city called
Alba Longa, which became the capital of the Trojan-Latin people. These cities formed
the basis of what came to be ancient Rome. Romulus, Aeneas descendant, founded the
city of Rome