Myths as Roman History - Essay Example

Myths as (Roman) history It is obvious that every society have some myths. The term myth is often described as something that is not true. Myths are a way to present various truths that help to define a culture. The real definition of myth might be a story that embodies cultural norms for a given society, or in some case it helps to describe the existence of things, as they are understood by that society. In fact myths often exist in multiple forms with some alteration to meet particular needs. (Morford & Lenardon, 1985) Greeks originally develop the gods and heroes of classical mythology but were largely adopted by the Romans later on. Some of the examples are the Greek Zeus became the Roman Jupiter, the Greek Aphrodite became the Roman Venus, Odysseus became Ulysses, etc. Romans also developed few mythological tales such as the story of Cupid and Psyche. (Zipes, 2005) Description of classical myth It is fact that classical mythology takes us to the journey of some primary characters and important stories of classical Greek and Roman mythology. As most of the classical myths in form of characters or stories have been carried out form generation to generation form story to story. Even in today's fiction or non-fiction we find good examples of classical myths. The very common myths that we find in study very often are the accounts of the creation of the world in Ovid's Metamorphoses; the gods Zeus or Jupiter, Apollo, Demeter, Persephone, Hermes, Dionysos and Aphrodite; the Greek heroes, Theseus and Hercules; and the famous of all myths, the Trojan War. (Ken, 1992) The classical mythology contains tales of the ancient Greek and Roman myths and literature, which shows great variety and originality that is unmatched even today. Greek mythology has close connection with Greek classical literature, which has universal appeal and had pass the test of time. Most of the Greek myths occurred in the works written between the time of Greek colonisation of the Mediterranean and the fall of the Roman Empire. On the other hand the Roman myth remained largely unwritten until the 1st BC to the decline of Roman Empire. Two great Roman authors, Ovid and Vergil, had used the Roman myths extensively and it is their writings that made classical myths popular. The impact of these writers was so great that it had become norm for the medieval Europe and modern society to use the more popular Roman names for the Greek gods and heroes. Even today the popularity of classical myths is evident in arts and literatures. Classical myths has been divided into four categories: 1. The Pantheon- loads with the information of Greek deities that includes the story of the Creation and host of other myths. 2. The Heroic Age- carries the description of Greek heroes and heroines with their adventures. It includes tales like "Jason and the Argonauts", "Seven Against Thebes", "Trojan War" and the "Odyssey". 3. Royal Houses- contains information of famous families in some of the most powerful cities in Greece. This section includes the stories of the Aeolids, Perseids and the House of Atreus, and of Troy. 4. The Geographia- provides with extra information about the ancient Greece, which mentioned in Greek Myths. (Morford & Lenardon, 1985) Some popular Roman myths: The Creation & Flood The creation myths in Ovid's Metamorphosis are the tales that describe how the earth came into existence. The story, which begins with a universe ruled by Chaos, from which the earth, (Ge, or Gaea) and the sky (Uranus) eventually emerged. Besides other mythological figures like Cupid (love) and Night came into being. As per myth the personified earth and sky mate to give birth to the first generation of godlike beings, the 12 Titans. The youngest Titans, Cronus (Roman Saturn) overthrew his father and ate his own children due to fear that one of his own children would usurp his throne. But one child was saved, named Jupiter, who grew up and forced his father to vomit up his brothers and sisters and then defeated Cronus to establish the pantheon of Olympian gods. (Mack, 1987) Ovid described the myth of flood in much detail. As per Metamorphosis Jupiter was determined to destroy the earth and its living creatures as they disobey him. He asked Neptune to bring in excessive rains to cause flood all the earth except the summit of Mt. Panassus. The only couple who worshipped Jupiter were Deucalion and Pyrrha. They arrived by boat at Mt. Panassus. As they were childless they were asked to throw their mother's bones (stones from mother earth) behind them. They did the same and stones became people and repopulated the earth once again. (Mack, 1987) Ulysses Ulysses is a Roman equivalent of the Greek myth Odysseus. Ulysses was the king of Ithaca and married to Penelope. They had a son called Telemachus. After Trojan War Ulysses set for sail to Ithaca to reclaimed his throne. In the journey Ulysses came across several unknown things and obstacles but never retreat and fought the situation bravely with this courage and wisdom. He overcame all the dangers and finally reclaimed his throne. Ulysses proved his mettle when faced with the opposition of the gods. He was shrewd, tough, focused, knowledgeable and a great presence of mind. He is a true hero with intense self-reliant character, confident of his own p[powers against all odds. Ulysses lives most of his life on sailing as he thrives on adventures to test his prowess. Besides, he was treacherous and cunning because he can go to every end to meet his goal. (Jordan, 1993, pp. 14-15) Philemon and Baucis Ovid's Metamorphosis has a story deals with poverty, kindness, and hospitality. According to classical mythology Philemon and Baucis had lived out their long lives nobly, but in poverty. The king of gods, Jupiter loves virtuous people but he had some very bad experience. When he heard about Philemon and Baucis he wants to give mankind one final chance before destroying humanity and starting over again. Therefore Jupiter decided to test the couple in disguise and with his grandson Mercury he went as a worn and weary traveller from house to house among the neighbours of Philemon and Baucis. All the neighbours turned him and Mercury rudely. When the kings went to Philemon and Baucis house they were pleased to have visitors, and insisted them to rest before in the house. They lit up their precious firewood to make a greater blaze to meet chilling weather. Then Philemon and Baucis brought out some fresh fruits, olives, eggs and wine to serve their presumed starving guests. They had little food and wine but the old couple wondered that the wine pitcher was never empty no matter how much they poured from it. They thought that their guest were more than mortals and they decided to offer good meal to their gods and so they decided to slaughter their only goose in their guest's honour. But the old couple found it hard to catch the goose who sought the shelter of the gods. Then Jupiter and Mercury revealed their identity and expressed their pleasure in finally meeting a honourable human pair on earth. Jupiter asked the couple's wish and they said that they wanted to become temple priests and die together. Jupiter granted their wish and when they died they were turned into intertwining trees. This suggests that don't maltreat anyone because you never know when you'll have god's presence. (Mack, 1987) Romulus Romulus founded the first kingdom of Rome. He was the son of Mars and Ilia. He along with his followers first settled on the Palatine Hill. As the people flocking to the new city and it grew larger. This irked Romulus and he offered asylum for refugees, mostly slaves. Thus the city lacks women and Romulus tried to persuade the Sabines to allow his people to marry their women, which were rejected. After that Romulus instituted a plan, where he invited the Sabines to a festival from where the Romans forcibly took the Sabine women. This enraged the king of Sabine town of Cures, Titus Tatius. He attacked Rome and captured the Capitoline. The Sabine woman brought peace between their Roman husbands and Sabine relatives. After that they lived together and thus the Romans occupied the Palatine, while the Sabines settled in the Capitoline. But Tatius didn't like it and a war broke out between them. Romulus killed Tatius and became the only king to rule both the city until he was taken to heaven in a chariot, belonging to his father, Mars. In heaven Romulus became the god Quirinus, while Hersilie became the goddess Hora. History reveals that Romulus was involved in organising political and military institutions, such as the establishment of the Senate and he also created the Roman calendar of 304 days. (John, Mary & Simon, 1998) Comparison between these myths The themes of the above mention Roman myths are definitely courage and power but the love and wisdom is always present in these stories. In the creation & flood, Ovid clearly describes the wrath of Jupiter who destroyed every thing on earth when the living creatures failed to worship him and again create the life through his only worshiper couple. In flood the courage and wisdom of the couple Deucalion and Pyrrha landed them at Mt. Panassus and from there they new creation took place. (Jordan, 1993) In another story Jupiter's quest for virtuous people ends when he along with Mercury came to the house of poor old couple Philemon and Baucis. The couple's kindness and hospitality reached its zenith when they decided to slaughter their only goose to honour their divine guest. Romulus and Ulysses represent the theme of aggressive courage more clearly but with a soft touch of virtue. Ulysses love to explore the new thing of the world and thus spent most of his time on board. On the other hand Romulus with his determination and wisdom founded the first kingdom of Rome and expanded it with development and progress. Both the heroes carved a niche of their own in Roman history. It was their strong determination that made them an iconic figure of Roman history. Roman myths revisited and advanced from time to time The advancement of classical myths from one generation to another from one age to another has saved the myths from historical annihilation. The mythology was progressively reincorporated into philosophy through allegorical exegesis. There are number of different interpretative systems throughout the centuries that myth take on such as moral, physical, psychological, political, and even metaphysical. (Ken, 1992) In modern writings of fantasy and science fiction we find influence of Roman myths. It gives clear understanding of the culture that had developed much earlier. In novels of Mark Twain we find the exploration of the trickster figure in African (Anansi) and Native American (coyote). Then there is Puck in Shakespeare's Midsummer's' Night Dream. The myths were extensively used in the movies of Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers to Ferris Bueller's Day Off. (Gustav & Karl, 2001) The heroic efforts of Roman heroes, like Ulysses and Romulus inspired a lot to the writers of today and they put all those qualities in a female hero of today. Then there are handicapped of today's who must engage in heroic efforts thus the use of myths in different form is to reveal how disability stereotypes rose. (Grant, 1962) The idea of Cupid as a winged child has appealed to many writers down the ages and they deal Cupid with different conceptions in their writings. In Metamorphoses of Apulieus the love story of cupid and Psyche has been told with vividness. The Cupid and Psyche story has the similarity to the modern day fairy stories such as beauty and the Beast or Cinderella. Roman myth, Ulysses, remains an inspiration to many authors down the ages. Tennyson , Joyce, and other have used Ulysses in their writings as the theme of courage, high-spirited confidence, and a thirst to know the unknown to explore the unexplored. The legend like Ulysses and Romulus revealed the patriotic nature of roman culture while the love story tended to show its vulnerable belly. The mixture of sentimentality and cynicism; the emphasis on metamorphoses and feminine psychology; and the passion of these myths suggest a decadent stage of Roman civilization, a loss of nerve and vigour. (Jordan, 1993) As the Roman mythology hold universal qualities and themes that is relevant in the life of every generation. No doubts that these myths appeals to the youth due to several reasons. The structure of these myths helps to add good quality plot structure to any story. These myths begin with exposition, then move forward with rising action and a conflict, continue with the climax and conclude with falling action and resolution. (Grant, 1962) Roman myths have so many that the reader relates them with the elements that are seen throughout everyday life. The character of these myths shows that the early Romans were members of agricultural community and at the same time love to fight and engaged in war. It is true that classical myths have influenced many great writers like Milton, Marlowe, Dante, Joyce and so on. Films like Clash of the Titans, adapted from the classical myths. There are so many modern adaptations of this story. Even the writings of modern fantasy and science fiction were influenced by myths. For example take the stories of King Arthur and his Knights, of his wife Guinevere, Camelot and the Holy Grail. These have become a part of western culture and have found places in children's stories, films, computer games and the like. Even today the ideals of knightly chivalry and courtly love influence human relationships. These stories re-create the culture with every re-telling, which makes us to understand the inseparability of our personal and social identities. In this way it generates and disseminate the ideological paradigms by which individual constitute themselves. (Kellogg, 1993, pp. 57-72) Roman myths in socio-cultural context It is true that Roman mythology has had extensive influence on the culture, the arts and the literature. It always remain an integral part of the educationl fabric, as the writers and artists from ancient time to the present have derived inspiration from it. Most of the modern writings have discovered contemporary significance and relevance in classical mythological themes. The myths of Ulysses and Romulus clearly supported a policy of aggressive expansion. Myths are the good sources to explain the natual phenomena, cultural variations, tradional enimities and friendships. Under the Roman Empire the rationalising of myth became more popular. This was done due to the physicalist theories of Stoic and Epicurean philosophy. Stoics explained the gods and heroes as physical phenomena, while the euhemerists rationalised them as historical figures. Epicurean expel superstitious fears from the minds of the people. (Gale, 1994) Romans inherited the Greek mythological tradition as they had little mythology of their own. Roman gods were syncretised with those of the Greeks. For instance, the cult of Sun was introduced in Rome after Aurelian's successful campaigns in Syria. Apollo identified with Helios or ven Dionysus. It indictaes that mythology was increasingly dissociated from actual religious practice. Modern interpretation of classical myths According to some scholars the genesis of modern understanding of classical mythology is a double reaction at the end of the eighteenth century against "the traditional attitude of Christian animosity". The Chirstain regard the interpreation of myth as lie or fable. But the widespread popularity of Christainity failed to curb the uses of the myths. In the Renaissance period writers were largely influenced by calssical myths and many works had been done on these themes. (Lisabeth, 1989) In art also Roman mythology dominated the renaissance age. Artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael portrayed the pagan subjects of clasical mythology alongside Chirstain themes. And the influence continue even today people are inspired by these myths. The influence of Roman myths in literature was so great that Vergil dedicated his poem Aeneid in praising the Trojan origin of Roman people. After Vergil, Ovid wrote excellent description of the history of the world from creation to Ovid's own time in the Metamorphoses. Later on numerous musicians, writers, and artists drew on the stories that Virgil, Ovid, and other Roman writers told. Italian writer Dante excessively used Roman mythology as his subject in The Divine Comedy, and Edmund Spencer of England used it in The Faerie Queene. Aeneas's journey through the underworld has been right explored by the 20th century American writer Reynolds Price. To sum up the myths as (Roman) history often revisited and advanced from story to story with different context. As classical myths contain high morals they are always appealing to every generation. Its rich socio-cultural context provides good explanation for difficult twist and turns in any story of any subject. Work Cited Mark P.O. Morford and Robert J. Lenardon, (1985), Classical Mythology, Third Edition, New York: Longman, 1985. Jack Zipes, et al., (2005), The Norton Anthology of Children's Literature: The Tradition in English, New York: W.W. Norton, 2005.) Mack, Maynard ed. (1987), Ovid. Metamorphoses. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. 5th edition. New York: Norton 1987. pp. 549-560. Kelsey, Francis W. (1889). A Handbook of Greek Mythology. Allyn and Bacon. Jung Carl Gustav, Kernyi Karl (2001-Reprint edition). "Prolegomena", Essays on a Science of Mythology. Princeton University Press. Dowden, Ken (1992). "Myth and Mythology", The Uses of Greek Mythology. Routledge (UK). Grant, Michael, (1962), Myths of the Greeks and Romans. Cleveland: Mentor, 1962 Comm, Lisabeth, (1989), "Experiencing Mythology and the Bible: Reading, Writing, Looking and Dancing." in English Journal, November 1989, pp34-39. Gale, Monica R. (1994). "The Cultural Background", Myth and Poetry in Lucretius. Cambridge University Press. North John A., Beard Mary, Price Simon R.F. (1998). "The Religions of Imperial Rome", Classical Mythology in English Literature: A Critical Anthology. Cambridge University Press. Kellogg, J.L. (1993), "The Dynamics of Dumbing: The Case of Merli" The Lion and the Unicorn, June 17 (1) 57-72) Jordan, Michael, (1993), Encyclopedia of Gods, New York, Facts On File, Inc. 1993, pp. 14-15 Read More