INSTRUCTIONS
How the Greek Gods Reflect their Society
Here is a brief descriiption of some aspects of the society of the Greek Gods and Goddesses. Perhaps you recall some Greek myths as well to help you remember how the Greek gods interacted with each other:
Artemis was the huntress possessing her quiver and bow. She was goddess of the moon and chastity. She was a staunch defender of her virginity and those who threatened it met with a fatal end. This happened to Actaeon, who seeing her bathing was transformed by Artemis into a stag and the hounds were loosed on him whereupon he was torn to pieces. Orion the hunter, who made the mistake of trying to remove her robe, was killed on the spot. She was equally committed as well to defending her worshippers and priestesses from assault and rape. Artemis was merciless in defending their innocence.
Zeus was the supreme god of the pantheon, the sky thunder god whose name means “bright.” Often seen wearing a crown of oak leaves and bearing a giant shield. The youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, he escaped the threat of being eaten by his father like his siblings as Cronus when he discovered one of his children would overthrow him. Saved by his mother where he was hidden in a cave, Zeus was raised by nymphs. A fierce foe to those who opposed him, he could be prideful and irritable. When Prometheus stole fire from the gods and bestowed it to mortals, Zeus chained him to a rock and tormented him endlessly in order to make him reveal the name of the woman who would bear a mortal who would be greater than his father. The woman Thetis was revealed to Zeus to be the mother of this child. She was given to Peleus and from their union came the hero Achilles.
Athena was the goddess of both wisdom and war, known for her beauty, grace and air of authority. She was always dressed ready for battle with spear and shield. Accompanying her is an owl the sign of wisdom. Born under miraculous circumstances, she had an adventurous life. In a dispute with Poseidon over who was the patron of the city of Athens. She won the contest with the wise act of planting an olive tree that would bestow the gifts of wood, olive oil and fruit to the citizens of Athens. When Creops the king saw what she had done, he deemed this the better gift for the people in the long run.
Hermes was the messenger, herald and trickster god who invented speech and had the sole privilege of being able to travel between the realm of the living and the realm of the dead. In this role he bore the souls of the dead in Hades. Of his many exploits he was known to have killed a tortoise, then stretched seven strings of sheep gut over the shell to honor the Pleiades. He appeased his brother Apollo with the melodious music from the instrument after stealing Apollo’s cattle, bringing reconciliation between the two siblings.
Aphrodite was the goddess of love, sexual pleasure and fertility. She had sexual encounters and romances with a large number of the gods of Olympus except Zeus and Hades as well as with the mortals Anchises and Adonis.
Select one of the above gods of goddesses, relate the story of their myth, and compare it to a contemporary myth, story, hero or heroine from our cultural storehouse. Is there strong resemblance or divergence from the Greek myth? What does this particular story tell you about Greek society as compared to (some facet of) our own?
Please Note: Each discussion response must have a minimum of 125 words, spell checked, well written and citing references in support of arguments. Be sure to also respond to at least two classmates later in the week (making for a minimum of three posts total. More are encouraged)
FIRST DISCUSSION POST
Athena is known to be a confident, clever, practical woman, and a great warrior. She is known as one of the original feminists, yet remains a virgin. Something we see in Athena that many women can probably relate to today is that she does not need male validation, she stems away from intimate relations with men, and she feels as if these types of relationships and emotions tend to only complicate things (Parish). “Athena is a fearsome queen who brings the noise of war and, tireless, leads the host..she loves who shouts, and battling and fights” (Hesiod’s Theogony, 925-26) (Parish).
In newer stories we hear about Athena the storyline tends to remain the same with few changes. She embodies the same characteristics we see in her original stories. Her wisdom, love of art, and pureness (her virginity), all remain the same.
In doing research about Athena, I found Minerva. Minerva was also a goddess of wisdom and war. In Roman religion, she was known as the goddess of “the professions, arts, and later war” (Britannica). We see the same characteristics in both Athena and Minerva, finding another goddess and being able to read of both of them was super interesting and inspirational. It was useful in seeing that Athena was not the only goddess who was able to stand for what she wanted.
Citations
Parrish, L., Delp, L., & Palmer, S. (n.d.). Metamorphoses Project: Tracing Mythology Through Time And Place. Cornellcollege.edu. Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.cornellcollege.edu/classical_studies/myth/athena/index.html
Britannica, E. E. (n.d.). Minerva. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved September 18, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Minerva-Roman-goddess
SECOND DISCUSSION POST
Athena the goddess was one of the most intelligent and wisest the Greek Gods. She was good at war strategy and giving heroes courage. Her powers gave her the ability to invent useful items and crafts. She was a goddess that could not be crossed no matter what, even when others were trying to be intimate and romantic with her, given that she was a “virgin”. She was a very giving, generous, and confident person who helped Hercules, Achilles, Hector, and Perseus as well as heroes from The Odyssey and The Iliad. (Greek mythology.com) Greek heroes asked for her help and advice while Ares was scared of her because she excelled everybody in both of her main domains. Athena was the daughter of Zeus and Meti’s but was born without a mother (because was tricked into turning into a fly and swallowed by Zeus, as her father gave birth to her through his head.
Athena is associated with Minerva because Minerva was the goddess of handicrafts, the professions, the arts, and later war (Britannica). Both of these women were both birth through their fathers head, they were given the legendary wisdom and knowledge manifested through their parents. Athena and Minerva both correlate with war, they are both powerful women who learn the aspects of war and being independent on their own. This story shows that although things have changed in the modern days, women are still independent on their own and can fight their own battles no matter what kind of Society they were born in. Its amazing being able to read about Greek society when you never really knew about some of these gods and myths.
References:
https://www.readriordan.com/2018/09/12/athena-vs-minerva/
https://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Athena/athena.html
https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/minerva-0011221
PLEASE RESPOND TO THOSE 2 DISCUSSION POSTS ABOVE.
Thank you.
