From Myth to History and Back Again - Essay Example

History December Myths and history The web offers different ideas about a myth but it all goes to define it as a fictitious story about gods, hero or events that especially described some practices or phenomom in the past. Today, myths have fallen out of context and are illustrated as something not to be factual. But in the past, myths were regarded as true and someone that dictates the way of life of both the immortals and humans. In some ways or the other, the past is linked to the present that we see some relevance on it. Greeks learn of the mythology through poets, words of mouth, and their belief are so intense that festivals are held and altars were devoted to honor them. This practice is carried on as a tradition in many countries today. Greek mythology had its origin in Crete, an island in the Aegean sea in 3000 BC, where the first civilization begun. These people believed that every natural objects has a spirit and other objects have magical powers. Over time, these beliefs were developed into legends that involved animals, nature and gods. These beliefs stayed on as Greek mythology that is being told and retold by word of mouth since that is the only means of communication.(Greek Mythology). Naturally, each story teller is free to create his own interpretation and to add or substract in the episodes. Myths have been illustrated in different ways by several authors but notably among others is Hesoid who claimed he was gifted by the gods to tell their story to the people. Myths first appeared in Greek Mythology wherein beliefs and rituals were observed and became the norms of civilization in 2000 BC. If you read the story of myths, you will find that it is about stories and legends of gods told in fascinating fashion. One collection of myths appeared in the epic poem entitled Theogony recited by Hesoid. In this story, Hesoid described Greek mythology as having unique characteristics. They took human forrms and human feelings. As a civilization, they had no formal structure or government, sacred book like the Bible where rules are written. (Greek Mythology) It was a pictured as a genderless society in the beginning wherein gods are parthogenic meaning reproduction without a male or partner. Chaos was the beginning, and in his world, he was alone and lonely, so he generated other creatures like earth, underworld, night, and love, and so on. Hesoid’s story, which has a similarity to the Christian bible, created also other immortals and humans, and had a long list of genealogy that made the story so interesting and gave reason for one to believe. Hesoid also created males and females which were all designed to love, for pro-creation, to fight, and to hate each other. And so the myths I selected for my analysis are Zeus and Hera . I believe these two gods are the most important characters in the story that as most of the episodes on the story were about them. The gods Introduction of the principal gods in history is necessary so that links of its the past to our present day will be established. The gods like people have homes. Their residence has been established in Mt. Olympus, a region in Greece called Thessaly. Like our own cvivilization, gods have also set rankings based on authority. They are also free to wander around and mingle with humans. The important Twelve gods usually called as Olympians, that have connections with history and our present day are Zeus, Hera, Hephaestus, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hestia, Hermes, Demeter and Poseidon. Each of these gods has their own identity that relates in one way or another to mankind. Zeus , as told in Greek Mythology, is the most senior of the Olympian Gods, the master of the heavens, and lord of the universe. He is the third generation of gods. There was no point relating to the exact period of the beginning of the universe so it cannot be established. Zeus appeared in most arts as a grown man with long hair, with beard, holding a sceptre, and accompanied by an eagle. (“Zeus...”) Hera, his wife is known as queen of heaven and a patroness of good marriage. Other gods in their company in heaven are Hephaestus, god of fire and metalworkers; Athena, goddess of wisdom and war; Apollo, god of light, poetry, and music. Joining them are Artemis, goddess of wildlife and the moon; Ares, god of war; and Aphrodite, goddess of love; Hestia, goddess of the hearth; and Hermes, messenger of the gods and ruler of science and invention. Below the heavens, we have also other gods. The list includes Poseidon, ruler of the sea, and his wife, Amphitrite; Demeter, goddess of agriculture; Hades, who ruled the underworld. The underworld is a dark and mournful place found in the center of the earth, where souls of the people who died are located. One of the most popular among gods, understandably, is Dionysus, god of wine and pleasure. Because of his popularity, many festivals are celebrated by Greeks in his honor. Dionysus, according to the mythology is often accompanied by a host of nymphs, fanciful gods, satyrs, and centaurs. Centaurs are creatures that have head of a man and body of a horse, while a satyr has legs of a goat and a body of a human. Linking the myths and history Going to the discussion of representation of these gods in present day, myths are interwoven in every aspect of our life and each of them has a recall. For instance, the gods and goddesses in heaven and earth are similar to what the Catholics call as patrons or saints. So in every undertaking people do today, there is a patron who are supposed to guide. A patron in our days is someone who agrees to support you, either financially or through other means. A patron in the olden days falls into different categories. We assume that there are already farmers before, so the people then go Demeter, patron of agriculture to guide them, voyagers to Poseidon, patron of the seas. In many cases we can associate signs in heaven as the gods that still look down upon the people on earth. The moon and constellation of stars are symbol of myths created by another myth, most of them contributed by its ruler, Zeus. The rains, lightning, and thunderbolts are among the powers vested to Zeus. So when we see lightning and thunderbolts, I believe it is Zeus who is displaying his powers and anger to people. When we see the rains, people are reminded of his blessings to fertile the soil and give water to mankind. The floods people now getting everywhere is a reminder of the great flood he created to punish people because of arrogance and lack of gratitude. Zeus, as a god, is a jealous one, he wants him to be the only ruler to be followed by people. This has no great difference in present day belief of Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists that there is only one god to follow and no other. On the lighter side, symbols of gods are used every day by people. Zodiac signs, designed after the symbol of gods, assigned on each month, tell people of fortune, characteristics and behaviours. For example, the bull is the symbol of Zeus and is designated as Taurus. Those belonging to this zodiac sign has some embodiments of Zeus such as he/she is strong, emotional, and energetic. Like Zeus, he/she wants to have a happy marriage . A person born under this sign is a pet lover, sensuous and is highly associated with earth and nature. This zodiac sign resonates to everything what Zeus is described with. Zeus cares for bulls and eagles, so much so, that these became his symbols. He used the bull twice in his romantic escapades, and the eagle to get a boy he was attracted to. A bull, in the ancient civilization, symbolizes strength, fertility, and power to procreate. It was considered a sacred animal in many ancient places that include Greece, Rome, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. People then used the bull as a sacrificial offering to gods. In the modern sense, if you see a bull, be reminded of Zeus who was strong-willed and powerful. From the bull, we come across with the word “bull-headed” that means unbending and stubborn. The bull as a symbol of strength is used as logos in many commercial and financial undertakings. Zeus is also symbolized as an eagle, as this bird has power to fly higher in the skies than any other bird and faster than anything except lightning. So the eagle was considered as a sacred bird as the ancient people believed it was Zeus. The eagle has a connection with his sexual adventure with a young boy. In Hesoids Theogony done centuries ago, myths were portrayed as immortartals, strong and powerful. They were designed to live in the underworld, fighting monsters, threading their way to the unknown horizons. This unknown horizon is the underwold where Hades is believed to reside. Supposedly, it is a dim place where the souls of dead people go. Similarly, religious people on earth believe on this thinking too. Christians believe that there is a purgatory and hell. However, nobody can attest where it is. Hell is said to hold the souls of bad people as a way of punishment, while purgatory is the cleansing department of souls. The only difference between the setting of the new and old beliefs is that the old holds the soul of everbody regardless of sins, and they can be brought back to life if any of the gods so wishes. (Greek Mythology, 2000.) ZEUS How he came to be the ruler. There were different opinions on how Zeus was raised, but one thing that persisted is that he was hidden by his mother in an island, named Crete to avoid being swallowed by his own father. When Zeus grew up, he eventually overthrew his father, and forced him to vomit all of his sisters and brothers that he swallowed. This keeps me wondering how it happened, but nothing is impossible with myth stories, anyway. He became a leader in great wars against other titans and giants who wanted control of the universe, a series of war that lasted for many years. Zeus, with the power of thunderbolt and lightning that were given to him, was able to defeat the titans and giants that ended the long years of war. So now, we understand that war is nothing new, as rulers and countries staged war against each other in order to have control of territories. After the victory, Zeus and his brothers divided the cosmos, and he got the control of the heaven and the sky. Eventually he became the god and ruler of the universe and the Olympus. Zeus, now seated as a king, is the ruler of heaven and earth. Greeks thought of Zeus as the god of “aerial phenomena, the characterization of the law and nature, lord of the state-life, and father of gods and men. As gods of the aerial phenomena, he could produce storms, tempests, and darkness. He could command lightning and thunders to appear in the sky. All of these phenomena remind us of our existing relations with the god of the universe. (“Zeus”) Despite of his goodness, Zeus is a jealous god, as he sent big floods to the people who honoured other gods than him, then afterwards created another race of good men. We recall here the similarity of the Noah’s Ark in the Bible wherein same thing was done by God. Yet, Zeus is fair to everybody under his care. He punishes those who do wrong and those who would disrupt harmony. He is a guardian of humans, their homes, friendships, and marriages. Aside from caring for families, he is compassionate to poor and strangers. We owe to him many things that we see today, such as climate changes and weather, as well as rains that water the fields and river and our subsistence. Aside from his majestic powers, Zeus is also a womanizer, he is someone who pursued women through seductions, abductions, and appearing either as an animal or human to trick women to lay with him. He is a father to many children, both gods and semi-gods, and to a whole generation. As god of the sky, women are easily attracted to him, but curiously, why did he need to change into forms of animal in order to lay a woman? For instance, he took the form of a white bull to seduce a woman, or turning another woman to a heifer to conceal her from the anger of his wife, and to disguise as a swan to get near to another. With all his powers, there is no need for him to transform into anything. His physical presence alone is enough to attract a woman. We could surmise that his weakness is desire for sexual relationship not only with women, but also with a man, but he wanted to hide it from the suspecting eyes of Hera. As a guardian of marriages, I feel that he wants to save his own, so he designed ploys to pursue his desires. But he was not very good on this that as soon as Hera discovers it, she is out to punish every semi-gods and mortals associated with him. Hera outwits him, but her vengeance is thrusted to the women of Zeus and to his children and not to him. Gay relationship could have been started by Zeus as he had sexual relations with a young boy. If this happens today, society will be condemning his acts on grounds of lasciviousness and will not be tolerated. But nobody questions a ruler, not even Hera because nothing is mentioned about her disagreement on this. All of his infidelities just prove that Zeus is also a man at heart, who knows how to desire, love and protect. Zeus and Hera, like many married couples of today quarrelled on trivial matters such as who gets the most sexual pleasure, the male or female, wherein neither one of them gives up. On my point, I would say it is Zeus on account of the string of his extra marital affairs and that he gets the most sexual satisfaction from this activity. So great are the influences of Zeus to men, so that shrine and mountains are devoted to him in Greece. The word Olympic connotes Zeus and his greatness so that he is honoured with Olympic events every four years. Eagles are believed to be his messengers, so much so that its flight is a sign of foretelling the future. As I go on further in reading Zeus, I find some of his over-bearing traits similar to man today, such he is as strong and over- powering, while women as weak and subordinates and were created only to bear children. Summing up, here’s what I see in Zeus character, not counting his features as a god. I learned that he was also imperfect, he cannot resist temptations of sex, and does not treat women with respect because he used seduction and rape. But on the other hand, he finds happiness in helping all the women he has partnered with, and for that he can be depended on. He is a leader to all under his care. He is proud, and doesn’t change but only evolves so no amount of Hera’s bitterness could change him. As I see it, Zeus takes pride on how he looks and carries on with his life. If he finds someone special, he treats her not like anyone else, he does something special. This trait is similar to men in today’s society that goes out of their way to please the woman they are courting. Zeus also has fears but he over rules it. He does what is necessary, although sometimes it was a difficult decision. He repeatedly commits mistakes, so gods must be crazy too. HERA Hera is a Titan, the wife of Zeus, and at the same time, his sister. She is also known as the goddess Juno. Roman culture honoured her as the goddess or patron of good family and for faithful marriage rather than picture her as jealous wife and an avenger of unfaithfulness. (Ancient History Encyclopedia,n.d.) . Recall that today, Juno is the month of June wherein many marriages are held probably as a link to Hera as patron of marriage. She was one of the deities who remained loyal to the husband, and for that characteristic, she symbolizes monogamy and fidelity. Earlier, she was bitter to his brothers, because when they divided the universe, they left nothing to her and her sisters. From this, we could conclude that there was already a female discrimination at the early ages. This bitterness was carried on up to her relationship with Zeus. For that reason, we could sense here that Hera did not have a close relationship with Zeus in matters of love. Several myth stories were told on their relationship. One story says she was seduced by Zeus while disguised as a cuckoo, while the other states she was found in an island and was carried away into a cave by Zeus. Whatever circumstances it maybe, their wedding is being commemorated in Greece. (Myths Encyclopedia) As wife of the ruler, she was the reigning queen of Olympus, patron of marriage and childbirth. As queen, she was worshipped in Greece so that important temples in Greece were built to her honor. Hera feared the dominance and rule of Zeus, although on her own, she had powers on mortals, but very little on other gods. Hera is a shrewd jealous wife that is a depiction of human characteristics, although in many instances she showed more sensitivity, warmth, and apprehension. She showed kindliness to animals more particularly to birds and peacocks, and favoured the city of Argus. According to the Greek mythology, Hera was afraid of shame and scandal so she consented to marry Zeus after she was tricked and raped. This incident brings us to present day stories of rapes and treachery that also give shame and scandal to people in our society. We see that even goddesses were afraid to tarnish their reputations, but because they have no rights of protection, they consented to marriage. Marriage without love is pure agony, because the marriage of Zeus and Hera were filled with constant clashes and fights. For Zeus , I think it was only a feeling of lust for Hera, but, for Hera her union with Zeus was to protect her honor. (Greek Mythology.com). Although they had four children, Zeus and Hera continued to quarrel. Noting this, domestic quarrel and dissents in today’s environment is nothing new as it was also common in days of the gods of Olympus, call it inheritance, if you may. Hera and Zeus quarrelled on the extra marital affairs of Zeus. They often contradicted each other. Contradictions existed between them particularly on the question of love and sex. Hera believes that it is the man who receives sexual pleasure while Zeus believes otherwise and neither one of them wanted to give up. Sexual pleasures is a matter of male-female relationship but could also deal with other gender personalities as man-to-man, and female-to-female. It is my feeling that Zeus did not find sexual satisfaction with Hera as he continued to be unfaithful to Hera by having several sexual relations both to goddesses and to mortals. The famous quotation of an unknown author that said : “heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned” is found to be true to the feelings of hatred of Hera towards the infidelity of Zeus. The nine months of women’s labor in carrying a child is a reminder of Hera’s revenge to Zeus’ affair with a goddess. (Ancient History Encyclopedia). If you see a peacock, you will be reminded of the 100 eyes of her faithful servant, Argus, that Hera pasted to the wings of the bird in memory after he was killed by Zeus’man. Then, if you look at the stars, and see a constellation, be reminded of Lo, another Zeus affair, which he transformed to escape the anger of Hera. Many other infidelities of Zeus followed, but all of them got the same harsh punishment from Hera, but in all relations, Zeus was a hero who saved them. But to me, Hera, is a portrait of a true woman, who wants to protect her marriage and family as she remained faithful to Zeus, and chose vengeance to the other woman rather than to Zeus, Hera reminds us of joy and pain that are linked in life. If jealousy was felt by myths, the same thing is happening to many of us. While Hera is secured as wife to Zeus, she would do everything to retain that relationship. Women today took that trait after Hera because as a wife, she manages and controls the house and would do anything to protect her family. References “Greek Mythology” Microsoft Encarta online Encyclopedia 2000. http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Ancient History Encyclopedia. “Hera” http://www.ancient.eu/Hera/ web. 4 Dec. 2014Myths Encyclopedia. Hera. http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Go-Hi/Hera.html Greek Mythology. Hera. Geekmythology.com/Olympians/Hera/hera.html. “Zeus - Greek Gods, Mythology of Ancient Greece” http://www.greek-gods.org/olympian-gods/zeus.php “Zeus.” http://www.in2greece.com/english/historymyth/mythology/names/zeus.htm Read More