Greece undoubtedly has one of the most interesting cultures in terms of its mythologies. Within Greek myths, the hero can be seen as representing good and can be either mortal or a demi-god. A mortal is an individual who is 100 percent human, and an example of a mortal hero within these myths Jason, of Jason and the Golden Fleece. A demi-god is defined as someone who is part human, but is also part god. In Greek myths, Hercules and Perseus are examples of demi-god heroes in their myths. Whether he be mortal or a demi-god, the hero may receive some help from a god in completing his task in some myths. However, it is still the hero, not the god that accomplishes the task and is recognized for it.
Every Greek myth with a hero in it has a monster or monsters that the hero must face at some point in the myth. “MONSTERS,…, were beings of unnatural proportions or parts, usually regarded with terror, as possessing immense strength and ferocity, which they employed for the injury and annoyance of men. […]”(Bullfinch). The monsters in the Greek myths are antagonists to the heroes and represent evil. An example of a Greek myth monster is, “… The Stymphalian Birds These monstrous birds had wings, beaks and claws of bronze…”. There is also, “… The Wild Boar of Erymanthus The boar was a huge beast that Heracles hunted through deep fields of snow…” (Daly 58) as well as the, “SIRENS…, female creatures, often depicted with wings, who lured sailors to their deaths with their bewitching song…” (Willis 147). These are just three of many Greek monsters, however, the variety of monsters in Greek myths can be classified into three groups: direct, indirect, and deceptive. These groupings are based on how the monster attacks the hero.
In Greek myths, t...
... middle of paper ...
... or evil. The peace after the subsided storm and the light overtaking the darkness represent the hero or good; these events are inevitable and are representative of the hero always defeating the monster and good always overcoming evil.
Works Cited
Bullfinch, Thomas. “MONSTERS.” The Age of Fables or Stories of Gods and Heroes 1855. Bullfinch, Thomas, Mon. 15 Feb. 2010.
Daly, Kathleen N. “Heracles.” Greek and Roman Mythology A to Z. New York:
Facts On File, Inc., 1992. 58
Hamilton, Edith. “The Great Heroes Before the Trojan War.” Mythology”Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. New York” The Penguin Group, 1942. 151
Moncrieff, A.R. Hope. “Hercules.” A Treasury of Classical Mythology. Singapore” Barnes and Noble, Inc., 1992
Willis, Roy. “Greece.” World Mythology. New York” Henry Holt and Company, Inc, 1993. 147
Macbeth is a story about a tragic hero; the fallen one or the man who brought misery upon himself. The monster can be identified as guilt. This guilt built stronger and stronger and led him to be his worst enemy. Beowulf is an epic about a hero (men) who takes on great challenges and adventures. His worst enemies are all the monsters that took place over the course of the story.
What ancient religion contains infidelity, incest, and life-time long punishments of which were almost, if not, are unbearable? Welcome to Greek Mythology! The Ancient Greeks envisioned higher powers, such as titans, gods and many other mystical wonders to account for every unexplainable thing they saw. As a result, a series of tales of betrayal, humiliation and entrancements sprouted from the imagination of the Ancient Greeks. The international bestseller, Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths, by Bernard Evslin, engages it’s readers, while telling the narratives of the Greek Gods.
Homer’s The Odyssey chronicles Odysseus’s return home from the Trojan War to reunite with his wife, kingdom, and son. However, Odysseus has been encountering serious difficulties that have prevented him from reaching home for nearly twenty years. These difficulties include various different types of monsters, each of which seems to embody undesirable traits such as laziness or savagery. The Greeks portray creatures with these traits as monsters as an example of the Greeks’ “better” traits and subsequent superiority. Each species of monster within The Odyssey represents one or more qualities that the Greeks have demonized in comparison to themselves.
As seen throughout The Odyssey, a hero is perceived as a person who achieves great success never before seen and whose legacy lives beyond their years. Since The Odyssey was written around the eighth century BCE, the people that we view as heros in present day tend to embody different traits than the heroes of that time. Even though the word, “hero” does not have one specific definition, a hero is generally categorized as someone who is idolized for their bravery and does anything necessary to defend their people. Although Odysseus embodies the Homeric ideals of heroism in that he accomplishes triumphs that others have not, his successes are the product of divine intervention and his actions were primarily selfish; therefore, he is not a true
Hercules is best known for his twelve labours. That said, few people actually know why Hercules had to perform these labours. He is the man of everyone’s dreams – men and women alike. He had the physique, the complexion, the heritage, and the romance. Because of Hercules’ ancestry, he is automatically considered a hero. This is because of the globally accepted equation: God + Mortal = Hero (Rouse, 1957, p. 55).
All of them try to deter him and his crew by attacking Odysseus and luring his crew into them. The Sirens’ songs could be heard, “...across the air and the [sailors’ hearts] throbbed to listen longer” (12.208-211). The Sirens represent desire and procrastination because they tried to lure sailors in and hinder them on their journeys. Scylla had six heads and a surplus of other body parts. Scylla was trying to capture and kill Odysseus and his men while they were passing. Scylla could be another representation of rage, desire, and greed because of her greed and desire to have the crew. Charybdis was a huge being with an immensely large mouth that could suck up a ton of water and ships and would spit them out into the air. Odysseus says, “...dreaded Charybdis…[and] her horrible whirlpool gulping the surge down…” (12.254-257). This shows how Charybdis was willing to do anything to eat, thus she could be a representation of selfishness for eating of these sailors, and determination because she kept trying and trying to eat them. All of these monsters are clear representations of human qualities that stop people from continuing their lives and journeys.
The medieval times were filled with many events that have helped to shape our society today such as the rise of the bubonic plague, the birth of feudalism, the growth of the Catholic Church, and among these is the beginning tales of mythical monsters. The stories of mythical monsters were spurred by the imagination of men who saw an unusual creature or something unexplainable. A world renown German physicist by the name of Albert Einstein claimed, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” (brainyquote.com) Mythical creatures were founded by the creativity of very bright individuals who wanted to entertain people by telling elaborate stories that contained a strong antagonist. Mythical creatures also allowed society to have heroes because with every evil monster there must be a savior to slay the hideous beast. Although many different monsters have been mentioned the Dragon, the Kraken, the Basilisk, and the Griffin were among some of the most popular and well known creatures.
To have a hero there must be a monster to vanquish. Monsters in Greco-Roman mythology are often portrayed as: irrational, nearly impossible to communicate with, often a compound of animal parts or some form of mutation, and are set upon human destruction. “Monsters in the language of mythology were beings of unnatural proportions or parts, usually regarded with terror, as possessing immense strength and ferocity, which they employed for the injury and annoyance of men” (Bullfinch Pg. 143). Mythological monsters are a way for man to explain what he doesn’t understand. They are an attempt to explain ‘why’ to things such as: storms, droughts and other unseasonable weather, unexplained deaths, birth defects, disease, and mental illness. Generally those are associated with fear, and nothing is more fearsome than a monster. Yet, on the other hand, is hope. Man’s need to remain hopeful gives cause to the creation of heroes. Monsters are essential to the existence of heroes. “[…] the mythical monster is present in any number of shapes - Gorgons and Hydras and Chimaeras dire - but they are there only to give the hero his meed of glory” (Hamilton 12). Without a great foe, there’s no need for the greater good. “Myth provides us with absolutes in the place of ephemeral values and with a comforting perception of the world that is necessary to make the insecurity and terror of existence bearable” (Morford 4).
However, they are also very alike in that they behave in very similar ways, from guarding something or roaming freely and causing chaos. Generally, the monsters in Greek mythology follow this outline and are depicted in a way that shows these qualities. Throughout several myths, monsters are described as diverse creatures. At first glance, they all seem very distinctive. However, each monster is like a combination of several qualities and characteristics that are matched in different ways to form the monsters that appear in myths such as Hercules, Bellerophon, and Perseus.
...teristics and literary devices. The general archetypical description of a hero follows an outline of a muscular figure and super abilities. Yet on the contrary, in myths, heroes may not possess any of those traits. Whether the so-called hero is learning their lesson, overcoming struggle or even descending into darkness, all heroes share some similar and almost identical characteristics. A vast majority of all mythological heroes share the same basic idea which, helps audiences identify whether or not the character is indeed a hero or not. From story to myth or fairytale to drama, the hero is one character who changes the plot entirely. Whether that hero may be saving a burning building, or discovering who they are themselves, our heroes all give us hopes and dreams that one day even our worth will be recognized by ourselves and others as our admirable hero’s are.
Throughout history, many ancient cultures created stories involving great heroes and gods to explain certain aspects of their daily lives. These stories would form an important part of the culture’s religion and are referred to today as mythology. One great hero from ancient Greek mythology is Perseus. According to both ancient standards and today’s standards, Perseus would be seen as a great hero. The many actions that Perseus is said to have done in his adventures prove his heroism.
On Mount Erymanthos, Hercules ate with Pholus the centaur, and was later attacked by drunk centaurs. He killed many with the arrows he dipped in the Hydra’s blood. He consulted Chiron the centaur, who told him to drive the boar into the snow. He captured the boar and carried it to King Eurystheus, who hid in a jar because he was afraid of the boar.
Hercules, or known in Latin as Heracles, was the greatest of the Greek heroes, a paragon of masculinity. In art Hercules was portrayed as a powerful, muscular man wearing lion's skin and armed with a huge club. He was also described as being a macho man buffoon, who was very impulsive. Hercules’ home and birthing place is in Thebes, Greece. Thebes is a city in central Greece. It plays as an important setting in many Greek myths, such as the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and many other important roles in Greek Mythology. The demigod, Hercules has an interesting origin, he is most famous for his 12 labors, and leaves a legacy in words and expressions.
The third and final level of women in Greek mythology is that of the monster. These monsters are part woman and part animal and mainly depict the fears of woman inside the head of the man, i.
I have been assigned a Greek monster named Scylla which is known as an evil monster because she is evil with sailors that cross where she lives and destroys them and kills at least 6 sailors. She comes out in a Greek story of odysseus and becomes mean because of her jealousness. Because of her jealousness she became evil and ugly and converted her as a sea monster and is now known as a two dog headed creature and a long tail. Her known parents are Phorcys (dad) and Ceto (Mom). They myth is that she used to be a pretty cute young lady which everyone desired to have and couldn’t because she was to pretty for them. But now she lives in the water (sea) and is an evil mean woman that rages and attacks any sailor to cross her. She goes close to