Myths tell stories of life lessons and origins in forms of “tall-tales”. The original purpose of mythology was to “help us to cope with the problematic human predicament. It helped people to find their place in the world“(Armstrong, p 2). They are based off human experiences, and helps explain attitudes about the environment and various customs around the world. Through the actions of one person, myths can tell the origins of countries, origins of nature, or origins of natural events. In Tales from Ovid, Ted Hughes provides various renditions of famous myths and tells of the struggles of various Greek gods. In the myth “Phaethon,” Phaethon is constantly teased because no one believes his father is the infamous sun god, Phoebus. Phaethon becomes …show more content…
infuriated and rushes to his mother, Clymene, for answers about his father. Hurt by her son’s feelings, Clymene tells Phaethon where to find Phoebus. Once Phaethon reaches Phoebus’s palace, he questions if Phoebus is his father. Phoebus offers to grant Phaethon a wish in order to prove he is truly the father, but instantly regrets it when Phaethon wishes for “a chariot of the sun and one whole day driving the winged horses” (Hughes, p 25). Consequently from his foolish and hubristic behavior, Phaethon gets himself killed and leaves a messy trail of despair behind. Because of Phaethon’s actions, the Greeks learned a few life lessons: Do not have excessive pride, do not have excessive grief, and some promises are meant to be broken. In addition to these life lessons, the Greeks also learned the origins of Ethiopians, the origin of poplar trees, and the origin of the eclipse. Having excessive pride is one of the most critical downfalls most people in myths face.
Like Narcissus and Niobe, Phaethon’s hubristic behavior led to his demise. In a loving gesture to prove his love to his son, Phoebus offered to grant any wish to his son. Phaethon, however, had different intentions for his father’s offer. He only wanted to be seen with his father’s chariot. Even after Phoebus pleaded Phaethon to “ask again, for something different, wiser” (Hughes, p 28), Phoebus tried to convince Phaethon to change his mind by explaining stronger gods, such as Zeus or himself, cannot handle the horses driving the chariot. However, Phaethon did not listen. His mind was set and “wanted nothing but to drive the chariot and horses of the sun” (Hughes, p 29). After granting his wish, Phoebus provided Phaethon with a “medicinal blocker” to prevent him from burning while “driving” the chariot. Even with countless warnings and advice on how to control the horses, Phaethon trailed off only to derail and blaze the land and people before him. As a result, the Sahara Desert was formed, and Ethiopians were burnt, alternating their skin tone (Hughes, p 35). Phaethon strived to be someone he is not. His excessive pride made him believe he had qualities and characteristics of a god, but in end, he destroyed himself and parts of the earth in the …show more content…
process. Due to his death, Phaethon’s family mourned for their loss. However, their grief became excessive and had consequences. Phoebus “mourned, hidden, eclipsed with sorrow” and did not show the sun all day resulting in a solar eclipse. However, Clymene mourned differently than Phoebus did. Clymene let out an “outcry” as if something catastrophic occurred. Mad with grief for her lost son, she searched the earth for her son’s scattered limbs, and embraced Phaethon’s gravestone with much affection. Phaethon’s relatives also grieved in a similar manner to Clymene. The sisters mourned for “days, weeks, months” with laments for Phaethon on his grave. Their excessive grief began to turn them into weeping trees as they began “whimpering in horror” (Hughes, p 40). The sisters had turned into poplar trees which ooze lymph like tears. Promises in myths are regarded as high-priority and absolute statements.
Regardless of who makes the promise and what the promise is, the promise must be fulfilled. When Phoebus makes his promise to Phaethon, he realized his mistake in doing so. Once he heard Phaethon say he wanted the chariot of the sun, he instantly regretted his promise stating that “if promises could be broken [he] would break this. I would deny nothing except this” (Hughes, p 26).Though Phoebus did not want to break his promise with Phaethon, he presented Phaethon with multiple options and detailed examples of how hard it is to control the horses once they were released. Phoebus genuinely cared for his son and proved that “[his] fears for [Phaethon’s] life are proof, solid enough… if only [Phaethon’s] eyes could see through [Phoebus’s] heart and see it sick with a father’s distress” (Hughes, p.28). With the heart ache Phaethon was inflicting on Phoebus, this indicates that Phoebus should have broken his promise with his son in order to protect him. If Phoebus broke his promise with Phaethon, Phaethon would have been alive and no one in their family would be grieving excessively nor would have any of the events preceding Phaethon’s death occurred. This shows that parents who spoil their children will regret it in the
future. Myths have life lessons or “mottos” embedded in it. Whether it is not having excessive pride in one’s self, not having excessive grief, or not keeping certain promises, myths “enabled us to place our lives in a larger setting, [and] revealed an underlying [meaning]” to gain insight on life (Armstrong, p 1). Some myths take it a step further and introduce the origins of a certain landmark, a certain country, a certain natural occurrences, or a certain aspect of nature. Myths allow people to learn from the mistakes of others through forms of stories. They allow us to “change our minds and hearts, gives us new hope, and compels us to live more fully” (Armstrong, p 3). The way Phaethon lived his short life indicates that foolish and arrogant decisions have consequences to them. He chose not to listen to his father even after the multiple pleadings and warnings Phoebus presented him. Phaethon viewed himself in such high regards that it cost him his life, along with the formation of the Sahara Desert, the origins of Ethiopians, the explanation of solar eclipses, and the origins of poplar trees. Though myths do not prove historical content, myths help us understand human experiences and attitudes to “live more intensely with the world.”
The structure of stories, on which Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and Booker’s Seven Basic Plots elaborated, is actually only a portion of the field of study it is under. Comparative mythology not only studies the structure of hero stories, but also origins, themes, and characteristics of myths from various religions and cultures. They study the language, psychology, history, and anthropology in order to identify a common theme or beginning point. Even without delving into religion, many common elements have come to light. For instance, many cultures have tales of people with strange supernatural abilities, others speak of similar creatures that reside in water, air or land, while still others extol the importance of talisman and religious symbols. Despite cultures existing on different ends of the earth and having little contact for much of their existence, they share these common
David, Adams Leening., ed. The World of Myths: An Anthology. New York: Oxford UP, 1990.
In conclusion, mythology has played such an influential role in art because the epic tales over hundreds of years, still to this day, give us many life lessons. Not only are these tales still relevant today, but they will continue to be important in the years to come. Myths help people learn from past mistakes, just like history. Mythology offers many morals and themes that can apply to anyone no matter the current life situation. Myths also show heroes, underdogs, and villains realistically even if the people aren’t particularly
Ever since the beginning of days, people have pondered the question of whether or not any gods exist and if they do, are they in control? In Sophocles’ Antigone, the reader is introduced to two opposing characters: Antigone and Creon. Creon, the king of Thebes, decrees that Polynices, who led an army against Thebes, is a traitor and therefore may not be buried. Antigone, a strong and persistent woman, disagrees with Creon’s decision to deny Polynices a proper burial and is determined to bury him, disregarding Creon’s ruling. As the monarch, Creon represents human law and the power of kings, while Antigone represents divine law and the belief that the gods are in control and will punish anyone who defies them. At the conclusion of the play, both characters’ futures are doomed, but the original question of is was correct still remains.
Myths relate to events, conditions, and deeds of gods or superhuman beings that are outside ordinary human life and yet basics to it” ("Myth," 2012). Mythology is said to have two particular meanings, “the corpus of myths, and the study of the myths, of a particular area: Amerindian mythology, Egyptian mythology, and so on as well as the study of myth itself” ("Mythology," 1993). In contrast, while the term myth can be used in a variety of academic settings, its main purpose is to analyze different cultures and their ways of thinking. Within the academic setting, a myth is known as a fact and over time has been changed through the many different views within a society as an effort to answer the questions of human existence. The word myth in an academic context is used as “ancient narratives that attempt to answer the enduring and fundamental human questions: How did the universe and the world come to be? How did we come to be here? Who are we? What are our proper, necessary, or inescapable roles as we relate to one another and to the world at large? What should our values be? How should we behave? How should we not behave? What are the consequences of behaving and not behaving in such ways” (Leonard, 2004 p.1)? My definition of a myth is a collection of false ideas put together to create
As a young man in Corinth, Oedipus learns from the Oracle at Delphi that he is destined to “kill [his] father, the one who gave [him] life!” (Sophocles). No one informs Oedipus that he is adopted, so he believes that his adoptive father, Polybus, is his biological father. Consequently, he runs away from Corinth in an attempt to beat the prophecy. For years, Oedipus has “given Corinth a wide berth” and Polybus has remained alive (Sophocles). This illusory correlation between Polybus’ survival and Oedipus’ departure causes Oedipus to believe that he has defeated the prophecy. Oedipus ' arrogance swells further when he defeats the Sphinx that terrorizes the city of Thebes. As Oedipus ascends to Thebes’ throne, his hubris escalates. He begins to see himself as more than a mortal. In fact, Oedipus deems himself a god on Earth. When the Chorus prays to the gods to save the city of Thebes, Oedipus responds, “You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers” (Sophocles). Oedipus’ arrogance is not challenged by the city of Thebes. On the contrary, Oedipus’ tyrannical rule only illuminates society’s lack of rebellion. The Theban citizens are completely subservient to Oedipus’ will. A priest refers to Oedipus not only as “first of men” but also says that “your country calls you a savior now” (Sophocles). The citizens of Thebes
Phaethon is given a wish by his father to ask him for anything, Phaethon asks for the chariot. Phoebus warns him to change his wish he tells him that no mortal can control the horses and that even he has trouble with it. “Even for me it is not easy” (Hughes 28). He warns Phaethon of how strong the horses are and how dangerous it is the ride the chariot because of obstacles there are in the sky, such as waking up the serpent, going too low to earth or too high to heaven and burning it. Phaethon is so fixated on riding the chariot that he ignores his father’s warning. “He wants nothing but to drive the chariot and the horses of the sun” (Hughes 29). Phoebus fails to bring sense into his son and grants him his wish; Phaethon rides the chariot but not before reminded to stay on the road. Phaethon not able to control the horses and gets lost, creating phenomena on earth. He burns earth and harms heaven which ultimately leads to him burning up and dying. His stubbornness taught the lesson to listen to your elders because they speak from wisdom and their mistakes and because if you don’t it will lead to your death just like
The desire to win their father’s approval affected Phaethon and Sara’s actions because they both had trouble impressing their fathers. For Phaethon, he had a lot of trouble trying to get to his dad and trying to ride the chariot. He even thought of going back to his house after the difficult journey, but he didn’t go back. One text evidence to support this is, “Although Phaethon could not control the horses, Helios acknowledged that he had attempted to steer them back on course and had not cried out for help.” This shows that Phaethon was didn’t care if he got hurt, and that he really wanted to prove to Helios that he was his son. Helios saw his effort was impressed for a young boy to try to For Sara, she had to ride Hermes with great difficulty
Long ago, people lacked knowledge on why certain things happened. Without scientific answers, like we have today, the Ancient Greeks created their own answers about the world and an individual’s place in it. These tales were known as myths. They described the feelings and values that bound the members of society. There are two types of myths -- creation myths and explanatory myths. A creation myth explained the start of many events such as the origin of the world and the creation of human beings. An explanatory myth explained a natural process or event such as illness and death. Most myths concerned divine beings such as gods, goddesses and other heroes with supernatural powers. These characters had many human characteristics, aside from their special powers, that included birth and death and the presence of emotions such as love and jealousy. These human qualities of the divine beings reflected the values of society. Such characters are called anthropomorphic, derived from two Greek words meaning “in the shape of man”. Gods and goddesses that resembled animals were referred to as theriomorphic, derived from two Greek words meaning “in the shape of an animal”. The last group of mythical characters has no name. They didn’t take the form of a complete human or animal, such as a figure with a human body and an animal head. As well as being entertaining and interesting to read, myths played an important role in Ancient Greek society.
In our culture today, many aspects of ancient literature can be found within it. One such example of this can be found in the Greek myth Phaëthon. The myth details the story of a boy who is trying to learn the truth of who his father is and eventually is killed. Many questions, truths, and messages that can be found in the story of Phaëthon are present and relevant in our world today. The myth touches on subjects such as, the power of answering questions, the love of parents, the positive and negative consequences of courage, proving one’s self to another person, keeping promises, and being careful what you say.
Across centuries of human history storytelling has been a large portion of how societies have communicated with one another for things as simple as entertainment, education, and social norm building. Many Americans can recall the story of George Washington and the cherry tree and many in the era of Homer’s ancient Greece (and onwards) would fondly know the epic heroic feats of Herakles, Akhilleus, and the man of many adversaries, Odysseus. A common element that all ancient Greek epic poems have is the main hero learns and then applies a cultural lesson throughout their journey. The cultural lessons that are learned are always qualities that are regarded highly by the specific
Mythology is an essential part of all cultures. Through myth, ancient cultures attempted to explain the world and make sense of their daily lives. Myth helps us to live in the minds and time period of people who lived many centuries ago with no technology, no running water, and a basic education. Greek myth is possibly the most commonly recognized myth simply because it is likely the most developed and best recorded. Modern Greek myth originated around 1000 B.C. in the writings of the famous Greek poet Homer in the Odyssey and the Illiad. Although early Greek myths are often vague and contain many primitive elements regarding their understanding of death, sacrifice, and fate, later myths show Greek culture developed and changed over time.
This myth is about a young lad named Phaethon that visits the sun palace looking for proof if his father is the sun god. This myth begins when Phaethon arrives at the sun palace and he is met by a radiant palace with a God who has a very bright crown. So then, Phaethon asks the sun god if he is his father. Therefore the sun god answers and says that Phaethon is his son and that he could choose anything in the palace for proof. For example, Phaethon chooses the chariot so he could ride high in the sky and everyone would see him on the sun god’s chariot. However the sun god did not like that idea and told Phaethon about the dangers of riding the chariot, the sun god told Phaethon that there were sky beasts that would try to kill him and that
Oedipus’s hubris led him to a path where he couldn’t come back from. Oedipus grew up as the Prince of Corinth but as he discovered at a banquet that he wasn’t the true son of King Polybus. He immediately left for the oracle at Delphi. “To his questions regarding his parentage the oracle was silent; instead it repeated to him the curse it had uttered to Laius some twenty years previously.” (Sophocles, 18) Oedipus thought he could prevent himself from killing Polybus, by leaving Corinth. Even though he left in hurry because of the words from an unknown man and repeated words of the oracle, could have been proven in Corinth from the servant and Polybus. But Oedipus’s poor judgement in leaving Corinth caused him to further the curse. His ego made him commit deeds he wouldn’t have done before. Oedipus lived the life of the prince of Corinth. He did posses any qualities that contained a strong ego or greed. But once he fulfilled the prophecy,...
Myths were told in Ancient Greece to explain human being’s relationships and the fate of those who tried to best the gods. A few examples would be the story of Medusa and Athena, which represents respect to those higher than you. The fate of Arachne, who Athena cursed to save her life, represents jealousy. The tale of Daedalus and Icarus taught people to take good advice when you hear it. Through myths, the Greeks could understand the world around them better.