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24/09/2020

Mythology Summary and Analysis of Persephone;
Dionysus (Bacchus)
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Demeter , goddess of the corn and harvest, has one daughter,
Persephone , the maiden of spring. Hades , god of the Underworld,
kidnaps Persephone and brings her down to be his wife in the
Underworld. Grief-stricken and confused, Demeter withholds her gifts
from the world, which becomes “a frozen desert.” She comes down
to human beings in the form of an elderly woman and is taken in by a
woman named Metaneira . At night, Demeter attempts to grant
Metaneira’s son immortal youth by secretly anointing the boy with
ambrosia and placing him in a hot fire. When Metaneira discovers
Demeter putting her son in the fire, she becomes irate. Demeter then
sheds her disguise and demands that the people of the town build
her a temple.
In this temple, far removed from the other gods in Olympus, Demeter
sits in longing for her daughter. The earth, meanwhile, freezes to a
bitter cold that threatens mankind’s extinction. Finally, Zeus
intervenes by telling Hermes to go down to the underworld and bring
Persephone back. Hades knows he must agree to Zeus’s terms, but
he gives Persephone a pomegranate seed, knowing that if she eats it
she will have to return to him. With her daughter back, Demeter
leaves her temple and joins the other gods on Mount Olympus. But
because Persephone does eat the pomegranate seed, she must
return to the Underworld for four months a year. In these months,
Demeter grieves and the earth goes through winter...
Dionysus, son of Zeus and a mortal Theban princess, is the only god
whose parents were not both divine. Zeus was madly in love with a
mortal, Semele , and he promised her that he would do anything for
her. She asked to see him in all his glory as the King of Heaven, and
although Zeus knew that it would kill her to see him this way, he held
to his word. As Semele died, Zeus took her almost-born child and
brought him to be raised by nymphs in a particularly lush, verdant
land. Dionysus, the wine-god, thus grows up among rain and foliage,
and by the time he is an adult he has rescued his mother from the
Underworld and brought her to Olympus, where she has been
allowed to reside because she gave birth to a god.
Dionysus, meanwhile, builds a following of mortals known for
wearing ivy leaves, running through the forest, and drinking wine.
These followers, mostly women, travel with Dionysus to Thebes, the
city where Semele lived when she was alive. Penthus , who rules
Thebes, becomes quite disturbed by the loud, wine-drinking women
and by Dionysus himself. He insults Dionysus, jails him, and refuses
to believe that he is dealing with a deity. Dionysus responds by
sending Penthus to the hills to meet his clan of female followers.
Then, Dionysus shows his cruel power: he makes his followers mad.
All the women mistake Penthus for a mountain beast and rush to
destroy him. They tear him apart, limb by limb, and Penthus finally
understands that he has insulted a god and must pay for that
mistake with his life. Once Penthus has been sufficiently torn apart,
Dionysus returns his followers to their senses.
Analysis
Like many myths, the story of Persephone does more than account
for a natural phenomenon such as the seasons. This story shows the
emotional complexity of Demeter; she is a god who suffers.
Persephone too suffers, for every year she must return to the
Underworld. These two figures provide touchstones for people who
are grappling with death or grief. As for Metaneira, her hospitality is
undercut by her anger at Demeter’s generous response.
The story of Persephone also reveals a trend in Greek mythology in
which different gods represent different aspects of the natural world.
Persephone comes to represent spring, and Demeter represents
summer. Zeus, often associated with lightning bolts, remains most
powerfully positioned in the sky. By defining characters through
natural elements, the Greek myths succeed in making the characters
and morals relevant to the everyday person's life.
Many scholars note that the story of Persephone captures the
important spirit of the natural process. As the descent and return of
the goddess bring about the seasons, so too does her transition
resemble the birth-and-death cycle of all living things. One of the
most innocent characters in Greek mythology, Persephone shows
that youth must eventually grow old and die.
Finally, the story of Persephone revolves around a crucial symbol:
the pomegranate seed. Considered the "food of the dead," the fruit
suggests the deceptive nature of the Underworld, for although the
pomegranate is temptingly sweet and attractive, its power is strong
and irreversible.
The story of Dionysus shows the binary nature of this god. Like wine
itself, Dionysus can cause extreme joy but also drunken confusion.
This dual nature of being man’s benefactor and man’s destroyer is
not just a moral reminder about the effects of wine. It expresses a
common dichotomy in the myth literature, reflecting the Greek
interest in balance. Throughout the mythology, the ideal of balance
emerges after characters tend to find trouble when they seek
extremes. Gods often punish extreme behavior and reward a
balanced, grateful, and graceful way of living.
Dionysus's tale reveals a way in which Greek myths served to
enforce a moral code. Although some tales are more complex than
others, they tend to hold moral significance for the reader. In this
case, the story of Dionysus reminds the reader that bad deeds will be
remembered and revenge will ensue.
The Dionysus story is also important because it is one of the few
instances in which a character goes into the Underworld and out
again. In this case, it takes a god to retrieve the human. Dionysus
rescues his mother and experiences a kind of life after death, thus
also representing resurrection. A similar feeling might come to pass
among someone who has just become sober.

24/09/2020

Mythology Summary and Analysis of The Creation of the
Earth
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Mother Earth ( Gaea ) and Father Heaven ( Ouranos) give birth to the
first generations of life on earth. Some of their children are
monsters, with power as great as volcanoes, but without a distinct
character like individual humans. Three of these monsters have one
hundred hands and fifty heads. Three others have only one eye in the
middle of their foreheads and are known as the Cyclopses. Besides
the monsters, Earth and Heaven give birth to a race of Titans, who
are large, powerful, and not necessarily malevolent. Father Heaven is
malicious and mean, however, treating his children horribly, even
locking up all his monster children in a cave in the earth. Distraught
by this behavior, Mother Earth begs her children to rebel against him.
Only one does, a Titan named Cronus (Saturn).
From then on, Cronus becomes ruler of the universe with his sister,
Rhea , as queen. It was prophesized that Cronus would be overthrown
by his own son, so every time they have a child, Cronus swallows
him or her. But Rhea succeeds in sending her sixth child secretly to
Crete. In order to do so, Rhea wraps a rock in swaddling clothes,
which the king swallows instead of the child.
Eventually when the son, Zeus , grows up, he rebels against Cronus
and forces him to disgorge his five brothers and sisters. A war
breaks out with the Titans, led by Cronus, against Zeus and his
siblings. Zeus wins the war partially because he releases all the
monsters from the cave in the earth, and also because one Titan,
Prometheus , sides with him.
When he rises to power, Zeus punishes all the Titans and monsters
who fought against him. He punishes a Titan named Atlas (brother
of Prometheus) by forcing him “to bear on his back forever the cruel
strength of the crushing world.” Although two small rebellions
attempt to remove Zeus and his siblings from power, the gods
establish themselves as the new rulers of the universe.
Analysis
This creation story sets a foundation for the Greek myths. With this
history established, Zeus and his siblings are clearly the ruling
powers on Mount Olympus. Zeus has won a kind of divine order for
the universe in which he metes out justice. In the generations of the
Titans and of Ouranos, there was a fair amount of chaos and
monstrosity. By the time of Zeus, however, the divinities seem a bit
more human. We will meet the gods who are more like Zeus time
and time again.
Fate is stronger even than Cronus, a second-generation divinity. In
this way, the myth raises a fundamental question: who controls fate?
Are his parents still somehow in charge? Although many stories
seem to suggest that the gods control the fate of all things, this tale
reveals that some powers may be beyond everyone’s control. By
leaving such fundamental questions unanswered, the myth refuses
to make it easy for the reader to develop a concept of fate; it is
mysterious. In the future, fate will continue to be unstoppable,
despite everyone’s best efforts to circumvent it, and it will be no less
mysterious when all the attempts to circumvent fate actually
contribute to its inevitable unfolding.
The creation story also sets a basis for seeing the world as one of
conflict rather than cooperation. With such fighting and violence in
its very foundation, it is no wonder that harsh punishments and
tough realities are to come. Indeed, the myths often present a dog-
eat-dog world in which kindness is rare and forgiveness even rarer,
one where strength in battle is often the key to success. This is not
to downplay the value of love and friendship in other myths, but it is
perhaps to show why such relationships are of special value in such
a conflicted world.
Note that the first generation of divinities includes something of a
gender balance: there are both a mother and a father. By the time of
Zeus, a single male god is in control. If the gods are to be examples
for humans, good or bad, which generation should be the model for
human rule? Zeus’s regime, that of a single male king, is the one that
succeeds.

24/09/2020

Mythology Summary and Analysis of Cupid and Psyche
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A stunningly beautiful girl, Psyche , is born after two older sisters.
People throughout the land worship her beauty so deeply that they
forget about the goddess Venus . Venus becomes angry that her
temples are falling to ruin, so she plots to ruin Psyche. She instructs
her son, Cupid , to pierce the girl with an arrow and make her fall in
love with the most vile, hideous man alive. But when Cupid sees
Psyche in her radiant glory, he shoots himself with the arrow instead.
Meanwhile, Psyche and her family become worried that she will
never find a husband, for although men admire her beauty, they
always seem content to marry someone else. Psyche's father prays
to Apollo for help, and Apollo instructs her to go to the top of a hill,
where she will marry not a man but a serpent. Psyche bravely
follows the instructions and falls asleep on the hill. When she wakes
up, she discovers a stunning mansion. Going inside, she relaxes and
enjoys fine food and luxurious treatment. At night, in the dark, she
meets and falls in love with her husband.
She lives happily with him, never seeing him, until one day he tells
her that her sisters have been crying for her. She begs to see them,
but her husband replies that it would not be wise to do so. Psyche
insists that they visit, and when they do, they become extremely
jealous of Psyche's beautiful mansion and lush quarters. They
deduce that Psyche has never seen her husband, and they convince
her that she must sneak a look. Confused and conflicted, Psyche
turns on a lamp one night as her husband lies next to her.
When she sees the beautiful Cupid asleep on her bed, she weeps for
her lack of faith. Cupid awakens and deserts her because Love
cannot live where there is no trust. Cupid returns to his mother,
Venus, who again decides to enact revenge on the beautiful girl.
Psyche, meanwhile, journeys all over the land to find Cupid. She
decides to go to Venus herself in a plea for love and forgiveness,
and when she finally sees Venus, the great goddess laughs aloud.
Venus shows her a heap of seeds and tells her that she must sort
them all in one night's time if she wants to see Cupid again. This
task is impossible for one person alone, but ants pity Psyche and
sort the seeds for her. Shocked, Venus then orders Psyche to sleep
on the cold ground and eat only a piece of bread for dinner. But
Psyche survives the night easily. Finally, Venus commands her to
retrieve a golden fleece from the river. She almost drowns herself in
the river because of her sorrow, but a reed speaks to her and
suggests that she collect the golden pieces of fleece from the thorny
briar that catches it. Psyche follows these instructions and returns a
sizable quantity to Venus. The amazed goddess, still at it, now orders
Psyche to fill a flask from the mouth of the River Styx. When Psyche
reaches the head of the river, she realizes that this task seems
impossible because the rocks are so dangerous. This time, an eagle
helps her and fills the flask. Venus still does not give in. She
challenges Psyche to go into the underworld and have Persephone
put some of her beauty in a box. Miraculously, Psyche succeeds.
On her way toward giving the box to Venus, she becomes curious,
opens the box, and instantly falls asleep. Meanwhile, Cupid looks for
Psyche and finds her sleeping. He awakens her, puts the sleeping
spell back in the box, and takes her to Zeus to request her
immortality. Zeus grants the request and makes Psyche an immortal
goddess. She and Cupid are married. Venus now supports the
marriage because her son has married a goddess—and because
Psyche will no longer distract the men on earth from Venus.
Analysis
This story centers on the power of true love. Psyche first doubts that
love, feeling that she must see Cupid in the flesh. She later redeems
herself many times over when she proves her commitment,
overcoming all obstacles in her way. Figuratively, love (Cupid) and
the soul ("psyche" is the Greek word for the soul) belong together in
an inseparable union. When Cupid sees Psyche, the soul in its
beauty, he immediately wants to join with her. Somehow, this beauty
is admired by men but does not lead to the kind of love that
eventuates in a marriage proposal. But Cupid is able to fully
appreciate Psyche’s beauty.
The happy ending, with Venus, Psyche, and Cupid all reaching a
positive resolution, illustrates that when love is pure, all pains,
sorrows, and challenges will align to ensure that the love is realized.
Even nature, as the ants and eagle demonstrate, support true love. Of
all the stories in the Greek mythology, none more clearly
demonstrates that true love exists than this story. Moreover, Psyche
reveals that true love is to be defended and supported no matter
what the cost. This part of the myth is beautifully retold by the
modern author C.S. Lewis under the title Till We Have Faces .
Psyche remains an unusual example of a female character who acts
like a male hero. Although other female characters (such as Artemis)
perform traditionally male activities, none so boldly acts as a hero
might: overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles, fighting to win
true love, achieving a status that is more than human.
Importantly, Psyche is a rare being who begins as a mortal and ends
as a divinity. Her unique position raises questions about spirituality.
Is the soul properly a thing of the earth or a thing of the heavens?
How does Psyche's being change when she becomes immortal?
Was there something about Psyche that was more than human from
the very beginning, and why did she win the attention of Cupid in the
first place?
The story continues to explore the distinction between humans and
gods, as Venus is bitterly jealous of a mortal who draws other
mortals away from her, a goddess. On earth, the soul, figured as
Psyche, is amazingly beautiful but faces great trials. Order is
restored when the soul reaches the heavens. The prospect of one’s
own soul following this path can be very attractive.
It seems that the decision is up to Zeus. Must a soul earn its place
(with help) in the realm of divinity? Must there be an advocate,
another god, who must bring the case to Zeus? Although such
questions are left open, it seems clear that Psyche's determination,
courage, and belief in true love help her achieve divine status.
This myth also shows some of the interlocking storylines of the
myths. Psyche visits Persephone in the underworld (it must be
winter). Persephone’s box reminds us of Pandora ’s, especially
because she is so curious to open it. We will see the River Styx
again, too, not to mention Zeus and Venus. The interconnected
nature of the tales does raise questions about chronology: besides
the Creation of Earth, it is unclear what the chronology might be, and
which story happens before another. But as the characters and
places overlap, the myths show themselves to be not only
intertextual with each other but also unified in their depiction of one
world in which all these characters and stories exist.

24/09/2020

Mythology Summary and Analysis of Europa; the Cyclops
Polyphemus
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Cupid hits Zeus with an arrow, and the god instantly falls in love with
a pretty mortal maiden, Europa . That morning, Europa awakens from
a strange dream in which two different continents were fighting over
her. She goes down to the ocean with her friends to bathe and pick
flowers, and Zeus arrives disguised as a magnificent bull. Europa
climbs on top of his back, and as soon as she does, Zeus gallops
away. Europa clings tightly to his horn as they gallop over the ocean.
Terrified, she understands that this must be a god, and she begs
Zeus to let her go. But Zeus comforts Europa, explaining that he
loves her and will bring her to his home island, Crete. When they
arrive, Zeus transforms himself into a human and makes love to her.
The people of Crete greet Europa with a bridal ceremony. She settles
on the island and eventually bears Zeus two sons.
…
At the creation of the world, there were only three Cyclops, but they
reproduced and had many offspring. They crafted Zeus's
thunderbolts and were known for their strength and hostility to
strangers. Thus, when Odysseus (Ulysses) sails for home from Troy
and beaches his boat on their shore, great dangers await. Odysseus
and his crew see a cave on the beach and walk inside to explore. The
enormous Polyphemus pushes a huge rock over the cave's opening,
effectively trapping the men inside. He eats a few men and falls
asleep. The situation seems hopeless, but Odysseus comes up with
a plan. He finds an enormous timber and sharpens the end of it.
Odysseus then offers Polyphemus his wine, which the beast drinks.
The Cyclops promptly falls asleep. As the Cyclops sleeps, Odysseus
and his men heat the tip of the sharpened log in a fire and then ram it
into Polyphemus's eye, blinding him. Polyphemus is still determined
to kill all the men, but they escape from the cave under the bellies of
Polyphemus's rams, which are out at pasture.
Analysis
Like the story of Io, the story of Europa depicts Zeus in desperate
desire of a mortal maiden. But unlike Io, Europa never suffers much.
Hamilton notes that it is unclear why Hera never opposes this
relationship. Is she just preoccupied? Does the fact that Cupid was
the agent mean that Zeus is not responsible? Or perhaps, since Hera
is a strong and crafty woman, she was preoccupied with some
mischief of her own. The myth leaves this issue for the reader to
interpret.
This story also provides a good example of a human who trusts the
gods. Although she is frightened to ride on a bull across the ocean,
Europa trusts Zeus when he says he loves her and will not do her
harm. Note that this is one of many myths in which a god appears to
a human in animal or human form. In such cases it is clear that the
divine nature is not lost, though the god picks up, for a time, some of
the qualities of the animal.
Also, note that Zeus is identified here with a particular place on
earth, the island of Crete. The gods are not really everywhere at all
times as in some religious traditions; they tend to be in one place or
another like mortal beings are, even though they also can act at a
distance when necessary.
The theme of reciprocity arises throughout Greek mythology, and in
Europa's trusting nature, it is evident. Only good things come to her
when she trusts Zeus: she bears children and lives a happy life on
Crete. The question then arises whether it is better to give in to the
gods against one's wishes or to suffer the consequences of fighting
for what one wants. The question is complicated because of the
varying kinds of punishments that are meted out against the
unfaithful, sometimes very severe.
The tale of Odysseus and the Cyclops is one of the most classic
stories of the Greek tradition. It is told in Homer’s Odyssey, which
details Odysseus's various adventures while journeying home from
war. This story shows the heroism and craftiness of Odysseus.
Although Odysseus also is very strong, the story demonstrates the
advantage of clever thinking in addition to brute strength.
The story of Polyphemus also reveals important aspects of Greek
heroism: leadership and courage under pressure. None of
Odysseus's men has the sense to plot an escape from the cave; only
their leader creates the plan and engages in the main ex*****on of
the plan. While some traits of Greek heroes serve to humble the
heroic characters and bring them down to an accessible level, in this
case Odysseus shows that he is truly greater than the average man.
Polyphemus himself provides an interesting example of a villainous
monster. Although demons pepper the myths, Polyphemus stands
out as particularly memorable for his vicious, man-eating behavior.
Ugly, enormous, and terrifying, he symbolizes all the difficult
challenges that threaten mankind. Importantly, Odysseus uses his
mind to overcome these challenges, and thus the myth suggests that
human ingenuity is our greatest asset in the face of danger.

24/09/2020

Mythology Summary and Analysis of Narcissus; Hyacinth;
Adonis
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Narcissus is the most beautiful boy whom many have ever seen, but
he does not return anyone’s affections. One of the disappointed
nymphs prays to the god of anger, Nemesis , that "he who loves not
others love himself." Nemesis answers this prayer. Narcissus looks
at his own reflection in a river and suddenly falls in love with himself.
He can think of nothing and no one else. He pines away, leaning
perpetually over the pool, until finally he perishes.
The story of Narcissus includes the story of Echo , a nymph who falls
in love with him. Echo falls under an unfortunate spell cast by Hera ,
who has suspected that Zeus is interested in her or, at least, in one
of her nymph friends. Hera determines that Echo will always have
the last word but never have the power to speak first. That is, she
only can repeat other people's utterances. When the dying Narcissus
calls "farewell" to his own image, Echo can only repeat the words—a
final good-bye. In the place where Narcissus dies, a beautiful flower
grows, and the nymphs call it Narcissus...
Apollo and Hyacinthus are best friends. They compete to see who
can throw a discus the farthest. In the competition, Apollo
accidentally throws his discus into Hyacinthus, killing him. As Apollo
holds the body of his best friend, he wishes that he himself would
stop living so that the beautiful, young Hyacinthus could live on. As
he speaks those words, the blood spilling from the dying youth turns
the grass green, and a beautiful flower grows—the hyacinth...
Adonis is an extremely handsome young man, and Aphrodite falls in
love with him. She puts him in Persephone 's care, but she also falls
in love with him. Finally, Zeus intervenes and decides that Adonis
shall spend half the year with Persephone and half the year with
Aphrodite. One day, Adonis hunts a wild boar and thinks he killed it.
But the boar was only wounded, and it fiercely lunges at Adonis as he
approaches. Aphrodite flies to him and holds him, dying, in her arms.
Flowers grow where the blood wets the ground.
Analysis
The story of Narcissus concerns the dangers of self-love. Western
culture often returns to consider the nature of the self-absorbed
individual. Literature, art, and philosophy have investigated the
relative importance of self-love. Here, the extreme form of self-love
is figured as a warning.
Echo is yet another unfortunate female who is a victim of Hera's
jealousy. The sad story of Echo’s unrequited love and Narcissus’s
perverted love reveals the importance of natural imagery in Greek
myths. Echo reflects the echoes people hear across empty spaces,
and wildflowers were revered as physical reminders of a Greek's
beauty and fertility.
Together, the stories of Narcissus and Echo represent the tragedy of
missed connections, for they both love wrongly. Narcissus loves
simply a reflection; Echo loves someone who cannot love another.
The Greek myths thus explore sad scenarios that leave certain
characters unhappy or unfulfilled. It seems that the gods have the
power to make everything "right" and could make love reciprocal, but
they rarely choose to do so. From the troubles of love arise many the
complex dramas of the human condition.
In the story of Narcissus, natural imagery stands out. Typical of
Greek mythology, elements in nature take on narrative significance
and add a particular attitude to a tale. By setting the stories in such
idyllic, natural settings as by the river where Narcissus falls in love
with himself, the Greek storytellers conjured an imaginary world in
which beauty and nature rule the imagination.
The short myth of Apollo and Hyacinthus concerns the fragility of
living. It seems strange that such an impressive god as Apollo
should make such a tragic mistake, but this story shows a rare
instance in which a god regrets an action and a time in which fate
goes against a god's wishes. The tragedy of error thus extends to the
powerful gods, not just the mortals on earth.
The story also warns against the dangers of competition, for it is in
this context that Hyacinthus dies. Competitions arise throughout
Greek mythology, and not always to tragic effect. But in almost every
case, competitions cause an important or dramatic situation to
occur.
Perhaps most importantly, the story of Hyacinthus concerns the
cyclical relationship between life and death. Just after Hyacinthus
dies, he is in a sense reborn as a flower. As in other stories of life
after death, Hyacinthus's new form as a flower suggests that life
cycles can recur from one natural state to another. In this case, it is
hard to see what Hyacinthus retains of his human nature in having
become a flower.
Finally, the story displays an unusually human portrayal of a god. As
good friends do, the two men share love and loyalty; Apollo shows
both masculine heroism and sensitive compassion. Indeed, his love
for his friend appears to be the main reason why Hyacinthus is able
to live on.
Another tragic love story is that of Adonis, though in this case,
Adonis is killed by his own error and by an animal. The key mistake
is thinking that the boar is dead when it is alive. This myth also
indicates more about mortality. Aphrodite can do nothing to bring the
mortal back to life; she cannot even go into the underworld and bring
him back. The flowers that grow in Adonis's place suggest hope and
life after death, just as they do with Hyacinthus.
Adonis's story also reveals the competitive nature of the gods, for
both Persephone and Aphrodite fight for his attention until finally
Zeus resolves the fight. In this sense, they act like immature
humans, unable to reach common ground without the help of an
authority. Alternatively, the bickering between Persephone and
Aphrodite may reveal that human concerns are indeed so significant
and critical that they weigh on the gods as well.
Note also a common theme in myths: the extremely beautiful male or
female human (compare Narcissus and Psyche ). Being of great
beauty may suggest being closer to the gods. It also may cause
fame, love--and tragedy.

24/09/2020

Mythology Summary and Analysis of Prometheus;
Pandora; Prometheus and Io
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Zeus gives the task of creating humans to Prometheus and his
brother Epimetheus . Epimetheus, whose name means “afterthought,”
grants the animal kingdom all the joys of creation—fur, wings, shells,
and so on—until there seems to be nothing left for man. He appeals
to Prometheus for help.
Prometheus takes over and devises a way to make mankind superior
to the animals. First, he gives mankind an upright shape like that of
the gods. Then, he travels to the sun, where he lights a torch and
brings fire down to the earth. Zeus resents the great advantages that
Prometheus has given man, but he cannot undo the gifts. He
punishes Prometheus by binding him to a rock and condemning him
to a life of “no rest, no sleep, no moment’s respite.”
Zeus once received a prophecy that a son of his would one day
overthrow him—and that only Prometheus would know that son’s
name. Despite threats, Prometheus does not cave in to Zeus’s
pressure, instead choosing to endure an eagle’s feasting on his flesh
and liver every day...
As further revenge against Prometheus and the powers he has given
man, Zeus creates a woman named Pandora . Zeus gives her a box
and forbids her from opening it. He sends her down to earth, where
her insatiable curiosity leads her to open the lid. Out fly plagues,
sorrow, mischief, and all other misfortunes that can plague mankind.
Horrified, Pandora attempts to shut the lid of the box, but it is too
late. The only good element to fly out of the box is hope...
Prometheus, tied to his rock, sees a strange visitor: a cow that
speaks like a girl. Her voice is laden with pain and sorrow, but it
sounds beautiful. This is Io, and she tells Prometheus her story. She
used to be a beautiful young woman, and Zeus fell in love with her.
When Zeus's jealous wife Hera suspected their relationship, Zeus
turned Io into a heifer. The shrewd Hera asked for the heifer as a
present, and Zeus reluctantly gave Io away. Hera put Io in the care of
Argus , a monster with one thousand eyes, so that Zeus could never
get her back.
Zeus missed Io terribly and regretted her unfortunate transformation,
so he pleaded with his son Hermes, the messenger god, to find a
way of killing Argus. Hermes, known as the smartest god, disguised
himself as a country fellow and approached Argus. The thousand-
eyed monster invited Hermes to sit next to him, and Hermes started
playing on a pipe of reeds as sweetly and monotonously as possible.
Eventually Argus fell asleep, Hermes killed him, and Hera put the
thousand eyes in the feathers of her favorite bird, the peacock. It
seemed that Io would be free, but Hera sent a fly to follow her and
drive her insane.
In response to the story, Prometheus reveals a prophecy that Io will
wander for a long time in the beastly body, tormented by the fly. But
finally she will reach the river Nile, where Zeus will restore her to her
human form and give her a son. From this son will be born the
greatest of heroes, Hercules , who will give Prometheus himself his
freedom.
Analysis
Prometheus is most notable for his heroic strength. Although Zeus
severely punishes the very Titan who helped him come to power,
Prometheus never yields to the god’s threats. Hamilton notes that
despite slight variations on the Prometheus tale, his reputation
remains intact; he is a “rebel against injustice and the authority of
power.”
In this way, the myths present an important aspect of the Greek
conception of a hero: the ability to suffer immense challenges. As
we meet other heroes in later tales, other aspects of a hero's
character will come out. With Prometheus, the story emphasizes his
quiet resolve and incredible strength. This humanizes the hero,
making him humble and decent, as any reader of the myth might
want to be.
Mankind enjoys few or none of the external benefits enjoyed by
animals, such as fur coats or protective shells. Instead, humans have
been given fire, representing human power over energy. Human
ingenuity is necessary to convert fire and energy to human purposes.
Fire is a heavenly gift, having come from the sun and from a god.
In the famous story of Pandora’s box, the reader learns how earthly
hardship was born. It is interesting to note that the female (and her
curiosity) is blamed for all human suffering, like Eve in the Judeo-
Christian tradition. Scholars have pointed to this fact in association
with the Adam and Eve story, in which Eve is said to have ruined the
utopia where mankind once lived. Retribution, a recurring theme in
mythology, is quite notable in the story of Pandora. The Greek gods
tend to lash out harshly when they perceive wrong done to them, and
the case of Pandora is no exception. She was sent to earth so that
her curiosity would drive her to open the box.
The Pandora story also underscores Zeus’s crafty nature. From
Pandora’s box, mortals and gods alike understand the power of the
god and fear his authority—at the same time, by leaving the fault in
Pandora’s lap, he avoids direct responsibility for the evils in the
world.
Interestingly, hope came out of the box, too. Does that mean that
hope could be a misfortune as well? Perhaps, if hope represents a
clinging to that which is untrue and does not exist. Or perhaps, if
hope is not a misfortune, hope represents the kindness in Zeus's
heart, in that he grants mankind the ability to aspire and improve
despite the evils released from the box.
The myth of Prometheus and Io shows how the enduring spirit of
Prometheus is refigured in the suffering Io. As the two suffering
beings meet on the craggy rock, they share a common injustice and
pain. By telling the prophecy to Io, Prometheus gives her hope that
will help her stay strong in the hard times ahead.
As the two characters connect, the story portrays a poignant scene
of empathy between characters who do not resemble on another:
one character in a human form and the other in the form of a cow.
Although characters take different forms throughout Greek
mythology, rarely do we see such strong connections between
characters of different physical shapes. In this subtle way, the myth
suggests that character and spirit are separate from the physical
body. Does one's nature change if one's appearance changes?
The story that Io tells Prometheus also reveals much about the
relationship between Zeus and Hera. They trick each other, they play
games with each other, and they use humans as pawns in those
games. In his retelling of these events, the writer Ovid remarks that
lies told by lovers are not wrong, but neither are they very useful:
Hera knew exactly what Zeus was up to all along. In this sense, she
is a counter-example versus many of the weak, naive, or innocent
female characters throughout mythology. Shrewd and proactive, Hera
outwits her husband as much as she can.
It is interesting to note that the story of Prometheus and Io also
introduces the greatest of all heroes, Hercules. We learn about him in
later myths, some of the most famous of the Greek canon.

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