In Greek Mythology, there are several characters involved. Some are minor characters while others are great heroes. Daphne is among these minor characters. She is a Naiad nymph--nymphs often associated with fountains, wells, springs, and other freshwater bodies. She is said to be the daughter of a river god and plays an ultimately small role in Greek mythology. Her existence, however, explains the appearance of the Laurel Tree. Stories like this were very important to the Greeks because they gave the Greeks an explanation for things that happened and came about. These stories were also used to explain religious rituals and related events.
If the reader were to research Daphne, the Naiad nymph, he/she would find that she was not a hero. Instead, Daphne was constantly pestered by those interested in her love. Leucippus is one example of someone who constantly hounded her. He wanted Daphne’s love so desperately that
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he disguised himself as a woman so that he could get close to her. He would spend time with Daphne and her friends in disguise. One day, the nymphs found out and killed him. Another man that found great interest in Daphne was the god Apollo. He was a nuisance to Daphne and became a great problem. Daphne was beautiful and consequently faced problems because of this.
Her run-in with Apollo is an example. Apollo had a particular interest in Daphne before he killed Python--an earth dragon. After he killed Python he began to tease Eros(Cupid) about it and told him that his godly powers were useless compared to those of Apollo. Eros got angry and wanted revenge. To accomplish this, he shot Apollo with a gold arrow and the woman he loved, Daphne, with a lead one. Eros’s goal was to make Apollo fall deeply in love with Daphne and for Daphne to hate Apollo. This worked exactly as he wanted it to. Apollo began to chase Daphne and she grew tired of it; she wanted to escape him. Daphne cried out to a river god or mother earth for help. One of them answered her pleas and transformed her into a Laurel Tree. This transformation allowed her to finally be free of Apollo’s advances. Given the information, the reader can see that this is an unusual tale--one that does not have any relevance to the Hero’s Journey unlike many of the other Greek myths and stories
today. The myth of Daphne does not follow the outline of the Hero’s Journey. There is no call to the adventure, no meeting the mentor, and no reward. This myth is only a story of Daphne’s lovers and her fate. With that said, there are not people that represent the archetypes show throughout the Hero’s Journey either. Some may say, however, that she could possibly represent a shapeshifter, considering she turned into a tree. However, she did not intentionally turn into a tree. Either way, the story of Daphne does not show any signs of being created with the outline of the Hero’s Journey. In conclusion, the reader can now understand more about Daphne’s story. He/she is now able to understand that not every Greek mythology character is heroic and that every story is not based on a hero. The reader could, however, learn that many Greek mythology characters have problems to face and overcome. This is obviously a constant in the tales of the Greeks. Daphne’s is one form of proof of this statement. Although her problems were fairly minor, they were still evident. She is a minor character which might explain why her problem was not a big deal. This may also be the reason that the myth does not apply the outline of the Hero’s Journey. Even though this myth was not very major, it does explain more about why the Greeks rewarded the winners of the Pythian Games a laurel wreath and why the symbol of Apollo became laurel.
One of the myths was, Polyphemus was in love with a sea nymph named Galateia, a sicilian nereid who had cheated on him with a man named Acis. When Polyphemus discovered this he crushed Acis under a rock. Another myth was the story of Odysseus. This story was when Polyphemus had captured Odysseus one of victorious greek leaders and twelve of his crew members when they were sailing for home from the trojan war. They became captured when they arrived to an unknown island of cyclopes. Odysseus and his men came upon the cave of Polyphemus, and went inside in hopes to steal food while Polyphemus was away tending his flock. Curiosity got the best of Odysseus as he wanted to see what a cyclops looked like. Odysseus and his men hid in the cave waiting for Polyphemus to come back.
... depth and a whole new level of creativity when supernatural beings play a role in the story. Athena in her efforts to bring justice to the world is the most important force within the story, pushing the plot alongside Odysseus. Generally, the gods within the myths are great characters that are not perfect and have archetypal vices like rage, greed and war, but these characteristics and flaws complicate the story even more as the gods reactions shake things up and make the story more interesting. From the most famous classical work to modern pieces, the addition of whimsical and fantastic fiction makes anything and everything more enjoyable, whether it’s Athena manipulating mortals or a vigilante fighting hundreds of criminals with futuristic technology.
In the works The Odyssey and Gilgamesh, women are depicted as mentors to the heroes of the story. The epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus and his son, Telemachus, are both in inescapable situations where they are trapped until the goddess Athena comes by to offer them help out of their situations. Athena,
When telling a story, it is necessary for there to be a main character which is usually a hero. They try to find themselves or fulfill a task in order to be true to who they are. While they are trying to find who they are or fulfill a task to stay true they conquer obstacles that are standing in the way for them to succeed. Some heroes succeed some fail. Odysseus from the Odyssey is a good example of a hero who fulfills his tasks in order to be true to who he is by having a quest or a mission to get back home after the Trojan war to his dear wife and family. He has obstacles trying to return and reclaim his home, Ithaca. The obstacles are, being held hostage by a Cyclops, Poseidon making the ocean difficult for Odysseus and his men, being held hostage by two goddesses, and when he arrives home he is faced with the suitors who try to take Penelope as their wife and taking everything from their home.
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.
An important narrative within at least the first two books of the Metamorphoses must be the repetitive and increasingly disturbing nature of the sexual attacks upon Diana’s nymphs. The story of Callisto brings about the forth attack and to date in the book the most deceitful of all.
Diana presents the female perspective of the situation. To strengthen the male and female divide Ovid feminizes the water, and surrounds Diana with nymphs, feminizing the sacred grove. The females in the grove, Diana and the nymphs, feel violated by Actaeon’s presence. The nymphs try desperately: “clustered round Diana to clothe her body with their own”(183-4). Yet it was impossible for the nymphs to clothe Diana and so she was left exposed. This creates a series of strong negative emotions in Diana. First because she is a huntress who is now caught prey making Actaeon a better hunter. This enraged Diana who “so deeply blushed”(188) but it is further emphasized by the nymphs. The nymphs are equally gripped by rage “the nymphs beating their breast filled the grove/with sudden screams”(182-3). The nymphs are meant to reinforce Diana’s emotions. The rage is an instinctive reaction that is replaced with fear that leads to mental anguish for Diana.
Penelope, the wife of Odysseus and mother of Telemachus, not only exemplified the key heroic trait of strength, but did so in a new and unique way. Though there is no indication of her possessing momentous physical vigor, she used mental tenacity to remain poised as the leader of Ithaca for a long period of time without guidance or consolation from her spouse. Furthermore, she stood steadfast in her fidelity for her husband despite the overwhelming number of suitors trying to court her. The intense courage that Penelope had should immediately put her in the same realm as heroes like Odysseus and Perseus; however, due to the unfortunate
The Odyssey is an example of Greek history portrayed in literature. As in all Greek literature, the epic hero Odysseus answers a call to action, suffers through great confrontation, and returns with a better understanding of life. Greek stories such as, The Odyssey set the stage for today's modern action movies with epic heroes such as Indiana Jones, Frodo from the Lord of the Rings, and Western cowboys like Roy Rogers and The Lone Ranger.
Women have given birth to new generations for centuries and have the common stereotype of being caring and gentle. But in the creation myth, women were given to man as a punishment. In the book of collected Greek tales, " Mythology Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes", by Edith Hamilton, women take up important roles that shape each story. Although women are usually characterized as being helpful and motherly, Greek mythology, on the other hand, portrays them to cause distress, fear, and anxiety to numerous men. Women’s actions are shown to be influenced with jealousy and vengeance which gives them an evil nature.
Mythology was very important to the men and women of ancient Greece. They worshipped the gods and goddesses, wrote poems about them, and based a great deal of art work off of them. The people of Greece looked to the gods and goddesses for help in all aspects of their lives; including health, agriculture, and war. Reading about Greek mythology can inform people about the society of Greece because the Greek gods were created by the people of Greece. Three main goddesses who were worshipped by the Greeks were Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite.
Greek Mythology originated around 775 B.C.E. It all started with Homer’s Iliad and continued on with Hesiod’s Theogany. These were the first two myths to be recorded in Greek Mythology. Both of these myths reveal to us about their understanding of the universe, and about their culture. Not only do they talk about their various gods, and heroes, but they also talk about how they viewed the universe in general (Rosenberg 79). Greek Mythology evolved from two early civilizations, the Mycenaean’s and the Minoans. It was the combining of these different Greek cities and Kingdoms during 10th century B.C. that created Greek Mythology. Its Geographic isolation gave it a place for mythologies to evolve (Gale Virtual Reference Library: Greek Mythology 454-456). Roman mythology, on the other hand grew around the same time as Greek Mythology. It all began around 800 B.C. when the Roman Empire was at its peak. However the unique about the Romans is that their origin traces back to Latin and Italian cultures. They also share the same gods and heroes with Greek but with different names. Moreover Rome was the first nation to have a set government that is similar to ours today. They were the first empire to have elected officials who ruled their nation. (Gale Virtual Reference Library: Roman Mythology 896). Both of these mythologies portray how life was different back then during the B.C times. The reveal us their culture, their religion, and how they viewed universe as a whole. However what caused a collapse between these two civilizations is the relationship between man, gods, and their children.
A mythology is an important feature of many cultures. A myth is a sacred narrative that explains how the world and humankind assumed their present form. In a broad sense, it can refer to any traditional story. A myth’s function is to provide a model for behavior and to provide a religious experience. By reenacting myths societies bring themselves closer to the divine.
The Sirens applaud Odysseus's ego and prominence as a method of tempting him to visit their island. Their appeal to Odysseus’s male vanity–his “pride and glory”–suggests that the Sirens are taunting creatures that deceitfully appeal to men’s
Some Important Factors in Greek Mythology People love learning about the adventures and characters in Greek mythology. People are most interested in the heroes and monsters. Some of the aspects that people study are that Zeus is the god of the Olympians. Cyclopes are seen by many people with one eye in the middle of their four heads. Tiresias is blind, but has the power to understand birds.