Myths of Natural Phenomena: Hibernation
Artemis often roamed the forest with her sacred bear in search of prey, amusing herself as she shot her golden arrows at the tranquil wildlife. One day, during her ritual hunt, she approached and shot a stag, instantly bringing about its demise; however as she observed its corpse, she also observed the leaves of the laurels above the prey to have been transformed from its usual vibrant green to the sickly hues of amber and orange.
Several months past, and Artemis began to notice that the trees gradually developed darker hues and the vegetation grew less abundant as the frigid weather persisted. So, the sacred bears, which fed on the fruit became burdened with the plight of starvation, and died off in profound numbers. However, even in her great alarm Artemis could not mitigate all of the damage the devastating Northern Wind brought; she could not create a perpetual supply of fruit and vegetation for her bears, and, for this reason, Artemis traveled to the heights of Mount Olympus to evoke Zeus’s help.
Before Artemis could arrive at the peak of the enormous mountain, Hermes, with a countenance of pure anticipation, greeted her with the
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profound address of coming from Zeus himself. Thereafter, the two ambled over to the nearest grove where Hermes imparted upon Artemis the situation at hand; he told the goddess of the most recent incident that had provoked the onslaught of winter, that is, of the Rape of Persephone that prompted the once prosperous springtime to be replaced it with a winter of desolation. As Hades became her newfound husband, she could not leave the underworld for a part of the year, but she could provide assistance to alleviate the current winter. Immediately, Hermes offered his assistance in guiding one of her heroes to Persephone's residence, although he would only help for one of Artemis’s prized possessions. Being one in great desperation, Artemis chose to barter her golden chariot for a profound part of the year in exchange for the assistance, and the deal was set there, and thereafter. Surprisingly Artemis selected one of her dear friends to partake on the evidently dangerous quest, a follower of hers named Philonoe who was the daughter of a Spartan king named Tyndareus. Hastily prepared for the journey, Philonoe and Hermes set out towards an ancient cavern that contained the pathway to the underworld, quickly traversing through the forest towards the plains on its far edge by Hermes’s cunning swiftness. When they arrived at the gorging entrance, Hermes hesitated, and retrieved a lyre from from his pack; he stated that it once belonged to Orpheus, and that Philonoe would require it if she wished to continue the journey of the underworld. The hero evidently accepted the lyre because she knew that the instrument was of some significance to Artemis, and her trust in Hermes convinced her so. Eventually, the evening grew less radiant, so the two commenced their march towards the heart of the cavern, and towards the kingdom of Hades. There remained few moments of tranquility in the cavern; echos of woe could be heard as Philonoe stepped through the dense cavern ground, and the ambiance grew more gloomy and ominous as they approached the entrance of the underworld.
Around the rough cavern face, there lied the void in which Hades Kingdom resides stood, at which one could see the banks of the river of Acheron, and that which Hermes and Philonoe decided to enter through. However, the banks of Acheron was the farthest Hermes chose to go; he would only convince Charon, the ferryman of the dead, to permit her, a still living mortal to cross the river, and that he did. Grabbing his oars, the disgruntled ferryman beckoned her to embark onto the boat, and Philonoe subsequently stepped into it, awaiting the destination
ahead. Evidently, the journey through the river was not pleasant in the slightest. Apart from the awe-inspiring diamond gate, the sight was terrifyingly daunting, for Philonoe saw the distant dreariness of the Cocytus river, and fierce Cerberus who guarded that gate. When she disembarked on the opposite bank just below the gates, Philonoe clearly needed to contrive a plan in order to trespass without having to encounter such a dangerous beast. She therefore, utilized what item that was in her possession, which was the lyre of Orpheus that Hermes had so prudently lended her. As she plucked the instrument’s strings, sweet melodies permeated the frigid atmosphere of the underworld, and the unremitting eyes of Cerberus began to droop; it seemed that Hermes had once again, assisted her with his cunningness and blessing. Even so, Philonoe’s predicaments were not yet over. She still had to traverse through the underworld towards Hades Palace in order to plead for Persephone’s assistance, and the task were more dangerous than the ones before. During her stride from the gates to the vast wasteland, Philonoe heard the beat of bat wings, and sought after the cause of the noise. Unexpectedly, three monsters that seemed to be of human-like form descended from above, but that of which possessed enormous bat wings, snake hair, and donkey hooves that may have had aroused terror in anyone who dared to even glance at one of them. Of course, Philonoe was horrified, but being one of prudence, she then chose to shelter herself behind a black boulder, and again played the melody that had caused Cerberus to slumber.
trip to Hades or would not return from it. At this point of the voyage
Myths – as they are known to most of the world – give insight into the pasts of various countries and religions as the people saw them. They have been used to explain phenomenons in nature or describe the tales of courageous and important men and women throughout history. Creation myths in particular define how the Earth itself was created, along with the universe, heavens, hell, people, and creatures that exist today. Genesis of Christian mythology, for instance, tells the story of how the single deity God spoke and formed everything from day and night to man and woman. Various African creation myths, such as with the Yoruba, explain the creation of the Earth through at least a couple gods working together and all life sprouting from a seed. But all share a common themes, such as a form of chaos or nothingness before life is created. Joseph Campbell notes that “... the idea of an absolute ontological distinction between God and man – or between gods and men, divinity and nature - first became an important social and psychological force in the near East, specifically Akkad, in the period of the first Semetic Kings, c. 2500 B.C.,” showing another similar trait – a god or set of gods exists to create in each story (626). Joseph Campbell makes a comparison of how both Genesis and the Book of the Dead of Egypt share the same idea of their bodies belonging to their god in some way, or being reabsorbed into them at death (630-631). Others, like the Japanese and Iroquois creation myths, claim the Earth was once covered entirely of water before land was formed. Adam and Eve of Genesis and Izanagi and sister Izanami of Shintoism provide examples of myths that share both a passive and active pair of people who eventually create the Earth's population. In any case, certain popular creation myths, some closely tied to prominent religions, share more common characteristics than others. An entire sub-study, called comparative mythology, gives insight into this subject.
to Hades to visit his father. During his stay, he talks to a large number of
In Persephone’s underworld there is an infamous river by the name of Styx, which dead men must journey across its toxic waters in order to enter the land of the dead. “Water is connected to the ocean which is the source of livelihood, transportation, and death for the seafaring people like the Greek; and water is a mysterious force that brings up vegetation from the earth. Thus it is not coincidental that the ocean borders Hades and other subterranean lands of the dead; the ambiguity of water is a perfect component of the dual nature of the underworld—a source of danger as well as fertility and wealth,” (Taylor 397). Water is very symbolic of rebirth and is often associated with the sacrament of baptism. The ancient cultures viewed the life bringing and death-dealing waters as a form of mysterious rebirth into the underworld (Taylor 397-399). Persephone herself was reborn in the underworld as a queen. After crossing the river Styx, Persephone became one of mythologies most notable queens. She also symbolizes the same aspects of water through her dual nature as life giver in the springtime and death incarnate during her reign in the underworld. Her personification in the Styx explores the journey between life and death that all mortals
Throughout history man has searched for an explanation of our origins and why we are here. Many creation myths are attempts of our ancestors to do just that. I have found in reading many of these creation myths, that there is also an attempt to explain why human existence is imperfect. The following essay will compare and contrast four creation myths and their explanation of how mans imperfection came to be.
Charon is the boatman in the Underworld that carries the dead’s souls across the River Styx in his boat in exchange for payment, which was typically a coin (Hades 198). The Styx is a river in the Underworld (Styx 936). Souls were brought to the Styx by Hermes (Gibson 22). The Styx serves more purpose than being just one of the five rivers in the Underworld, an ominous realm of the undead souls ruled by Zeus’ powerful brother, Hades (Hades 198).
Charon is the ferryman of the dead. Hermes would take the dead souls and guide them to the riv...
Myths and legends are everywhere. There are legends of people from long ago, myths of ancient Greeks. There are myths and legends of almost everything, including volcanoes. Myths of their creation, of why they erupt. Myths and legends of various gods controlling their own volcanoes. There is a story for almost every volcano. The amount of legends and myths concerning volcanoes is quite extensive, ranging from Hephaestus to Vulcan and everything in between. It's very interesting to know what people thought of volcanoes when the myths were made; myths about volcano are as captivating as other myths. Take Pele, one of the gods associated to volcanoes I'll be talking about, for example.
... One tradition involving the underworld occurs above Hades. When a person dies, someone places a coin under the tongue of the victim. Charon, the ferryman, would not take any soul across the River Styx who did not have the coin. Those who didn’t would roam the banks of the river for eternity.
The two creation myths chosen to compare and contrast focuses on the Norse culture of Iceland Vikings and the Genesis creation of the Hebrew origin of Christian culture. Both creation myths begin with an empty void where chaos or conflict develops. The Norse myth narrates a conflict between the fiery realm of Muspell and the dark, cold realm of Niflheim within the emptiness called ginnungagap and where nothing could grow. The Genesis conflict was between God and nothing, loneliness, and the need to create something beautiful.
Important aspects of naturalism are the ideas that people are essentially animals responding to their basic urges without rational thought, and the insignificance of man to others and nature. In The Jungle, Sinclair portrays Jurgis as a man slowly changing into animal as well as a man whose actions are irrelevant to the rest of the corrupt capitalist world of Chicago in order to show the reader the naturalist ideas of the struggles between man and society.
Aeneis's first contact with a soul in the purgatory of the Underworld is Palinurus, who died after falling from one of Aeneis's ships. Aeneis is at the mouth of the river that flows through hell with his guide the goddess Diephobe and Charon the ferryman. Palinurus is waiting to be ferried to his place in the Underworld, so he can begin his thousand-year purge. He pleads with Aeneis's party to take him along, but Deiphobe scolds him: "Shalt thou, unburied, see the Stygian flood, / The Furies stream, or reach the bank unbid?" (107). In Vergil's Underworld one must have had a proper burial to gain a position. This serves as a warning to Romans to give their deceased a proper funeral, less they remain in hell longer.
In her poem "Myth," Natasha Trethewey uses mythology, a unique structure, rhyme pattern, and punctuation to make form and content inseparable. Each of these elements serves to share the stages of grief one goes through one feels at the death of a loved one as well as the feelings of deep loss and longing.
Hades spoke up, “I will allow for this.” He stood up, walking in the direction of a side hall before pausing briefly to turn to Thatanos. “I understand what it is like to love someone you cannot hope to touch.”
The power of nature is all around us and can be found almost anywhere. One is able to study nature through experiencing it firsthand, looking at a picture, watching a movie, or even reading a familiar children’s story. I believe that by learning more about nature we can grow closer to God. Emerson states, “Nature is so pervaded in human life, that there is something of humanity in all, and in every particular” (Emerson 508). Like Emerson, I believe that humanity and nature were created by God and we can learn more about the Spirit of God by studying nature. I also see that nature has the power to influence our emotions and actions. I see evidence of this through various landscapes such as the desert, the beach, the mountains and the jungle. I thought about the vastness of the desert during a recent trip to the desert with my class. I think about nature and my love for it when I am scanning through my photo album and see pictures that capture me enjoying the mountains of Utah. When I watched the movie The Beach I was struck out how nature, specifically the beautiful beaches of Thailand, influenced the actions of every character in the movie. Of course it is hard to read a legendary story such as “Jungle Book” and not see what a powerful effect nature and its’ animals can have over humans.