King Minos became King of Crete with the help of Poseidon by receiving a bull from the sea. Poseidon ordered King Minos to sacrifice the gleaming white bull to him. However, King Minos, blinded by his own greed, breaks his promise and keeps the beautiful bull while offering a bull from his herd. As a punishment, Poseidon inspires Pasiphae’s strong lust for the bull, and she eventually schemes with Daedalus so that she can mate with the animal. The catastrophic result, the creation of a monstrous half bull-half human, emphasizes King Mino’s’ major folly; he lets his egoism take over, and consequently is labeled a “dangerous tyrant”(15). When Campbell…
The Four Loves, authored by British novelist C.S. Lewis, is often viewed as one of the best books written on the subject of love as it pertains to religion. In the book, Lewis covers many ideas including the four types of love which include: storgé (empathetic love/affection), philia love (the love between friends), Eros (erotic/romantic love), and Agapé (the unconditional ‘God’ love). In this book, Lewis also covers the differences between need and gift love; however, one of the most astounding statements that Lewis makes is in the storgé passage, specifically in the section about affection where he states, “Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our natural lives.” (pg. 53). Lewis also states, "The highest does not stand without the lowest. (pg.9) If affection is part of storgé, which is considered the lowest love, then to obtain the higher loves one must have affection. Furthermore, storgé (commonly referred to as affection) creates stamina in natural relations between people due precisely to that low-level nature it…
Later in the story we find out about Grandmother Snake and the Alligator King and they become very important in the end of the story. But Grandmother Snake is filled with loneliness and hatred from her daughter leaving her and from the jar she is stuck in. The Alligator King also has a rivalry between himself and Gar Face.…
The 19th century was marked by the uprising of the middle class and the spread of revolutionary ideas caused by the French Revolution, which ultimately led to the outbreak of war all across Europe. Once France was defeated, the Vienna Congress met to discuss the future and fate of Europe. The purpose of the Vienna Congress was to establish an international framework for continental cooperation and the maintenance of the balance of power. This aided the emperors of Russia, Austria as well as Prussia to focus on internal state issues instead of warfare among European countries. Internally, these emperors were concerned with the spread of revolutionary ideas, which originated in France and questioned the traditional authority. This research paper…
He is the son of Zeus and the Theban princess Semele. He is the only god to have a mortal parent. Many myths describe Dionysus as being unusually womanish or feminine. However later in history, he is described as a full bearded, mature looking man. Symbols of Dionysus include the grapevine and the leopard skin.…
Macedonian King, Alexander the Great was born in 356-323 B.C. He was born to King Philip II and his fourth wife Queen Olympia in Pella. In addition, many divine things happened on the night of Alexander’s birth. For instance, the fire and many philosophers thinks s destroyed temple of Diana in the Athens that Goddess of the hunt, moon and birth was very supervising Alexander’s birth. At the time of Alexander’s birth, two eagles landed on the roof of his palace which symbolized Alexander as the ruler of the world.( Evelyn). In his early life, Alexander the Great was tutored by Aristotle who is known as the greatest philosophers in history.…
Penelope doesn't believe it is him after so many years so Odysseus has to give her some sign that it is him and he did. Woman, by heaven you've stung me now!…
The Oracle of Delphi was considered the most trustworthy of the Oracles throughout Greece. Delphi was home to another seer called the Delphi Sybil showing that prediction had a strong foundation in the Greek imagination. Looking at some of the popular and complete works in Greek mythology, divine predictors show the fear of the future and specifically of the future generation. A common prediction was that a child or grandchild would cause the death of the one asking for the prediction. In mythology, Acrisius came to fear Perseus because the Oracle’s prediction of killing him. This same situation was seen in Oedipus and the story provided by Herodotus of Cyrus. Grandfathers tried to do away with an infant that would cause their death, left to be exposed to the wild but ended up being taken care of by a farmer family. The story of creation comes from this idea of the new generation replacing the older generation with Cronus killing Uranus, and Zeus imprisoning his father and the titans. The true apex of this idea of the next generation replacing the old one can be seen in the story of Zeus and Athena. Zeus believed that if Metis gave birth a son, his son would replace him, so he ate her. He conceives her from his mind fully grown. Mythology preserves the knowledge and values maintained by a culture. A fear…
Alexander the Great was a hero because he did great things for many people. Alexander the Great built new cities where others had been destroyed (You Decide, pg 181). This statement shows how he tried to do good for society. Alexander wanted people to have homes and live a happy and healthy life. People liked Alexander and what he did. Making sure the lives of people were satisfied was a feeling that he felt was right. This shows how he did great things for many people. Another example of this is with his great leadership skills, he and his army won the war against the Persian Empire (Teacher Created Materials, pg 133). Because he was a good leader he defeated the Persian Empire and this helped the Macedonians. He defeated them and now the…
In book 9 of The Odyssey, I agree that Odysseus should be celebrated for his actions. He showed great power and leadership in surviving in the Cyclops cave. He planned out his escape very cautiously and wisely to make it out alive. His plan was simple, to trick the Cyclops in getting drunk and escape while he was asleep, “Here Cyclops try this wine—to top off the banquet of human flesh you’ve bolted down.” (Odyssey 222) While in the process of getting him drunk, the Cyclops asked for Odysseus name; being Odysseus he was clever and called himself “nobody”, “So, you ask me the name I’m know by, Cyclops? I will tell you. But you must give me a guest gift as you’ve promised. Nobody--- that’s my name.” (223). Odysseus was very clever by not letting the Cyclops know who he really was. Once the Cyclops was drunk he toppled over flat on his back and laid there, this was Odysseus one and only chance to escape. Odysseus drove a stake through the Cyclops one eye and was blinded, “Hoisting high that olive stake with its stabbing point, straight into the monster’s eye then rammed it hard.” (223) The Cyclops was then woken up by the pain of his eye and started to scream, “Nobody’s killing me now by fraud and not by force!” (224) This was great for Odysseus because it was his time to escape and no one could stop especially when he was screaming “NOBODY!” Odysseus showed great leadership in himself and was able to escape the Cyclops cave by himself and leaving him blinded, this is why Odysseus should be celebrated for his actions in Book 9 of The Odyssey.…
The reading “Alexander the Great” by J. Kelley Sowards it talks about how Alexander had a sense that he was meant for something greater than his life in Macedonia, as the son of a king her had the idea of manifest destiny which was said to explained his “instinct for the unusual, the cryptic, the dramatic in political and religious, as well as in strategic and military decisions.” (pg. 71 MWT) Though many studies and reading it is said that even though Alexander conquered much of his world, he did not complete his life long quest and visions of our world. Alexander believed that it was imperative to record his deeds so with in his ranks he had two scholars named Callisthenes and Aristobus which keep books or dairies about Alexander’s triumphs…
In Book Twelve of the Odyssey, recounted by Homer, Odysseus uses the knowledge gained from Circe and his own wisdom to overcome the obstacles and protect his men during his return to Ithaca. Departing from Circe’s island with a depleted crew and dwindling hope of their return to their home in Ithaca, Odysseus has to travel through difficult, diverse situations. Heeding Circe’s warnings, Odysseus knows how to handle the danger caused by the Sirens. When sailing by the Island of the Sirens, Odysseus does as was instructed by Circe. He “stopped the ears of (his) comrades one by one”, because the song sung by the Sirens draws the men in, which would lead them to their unavoidable death on the sharp rocks of the island. Although he has instructed his men to stop up their ears, Odysseus has a different plan for himself. Having been told by Circe that the song of the sirens tells of the future in addition to entrapping the sailors, Odysseus demands that his men tie him to the mast with his ears unplugged. Under the spell of the Sirens, Odysseus “signaled the crew to set (him) free”, but his men hold strong. Odysseus learns more about the perils ahead from the Sirens and is able to keep his men safe. Odysseus again shows his wisdom when he is forced to travel in the area of Scylla and Charybdis. Odysseus knew the threat each one posed; Scylla, the six headed sea monster, would snatch up six men away from the ship, making herself a much lesser threat in comparison to Charybdis, a potentially ship destroying whirlpool monster. Odysseus chooses to “lose six men and keep your ship (rather) than lose your entire crew.” Because of this judgment, Odysseus brings the ship father away from Charybdis, passing under Scylla, where they, as expected, lose only six men. The decisions made by Odysseus based on the advice he receives from Circe on the way home to Ithaca protect him and his men from grave danger.…
On the day Alexander the Great, son of King Phillip II and Olympias, was born Phillip II captured the city of Potidaea, Phillip II’s general Parmenion won another important battle, and Phillip II’s horse won a race at Olympia. It was said that a son whose birth coincided with three victories would himself prove to be invincible. It was also said that Alexander descended from the Greek heroes and demi-gods Heracles and Achilles. During his kingship Alexander did very little to disprove these statements. Alexander the Great changed the known world in little more than a decade by founding over seventy cities, integrating Greek and Persian customs, spreading the ideas of democracy, and spreading the Greek language and culture throughout Asia. At the same time he caused Greek to be the language of the early Christian church and influenced future conquerors by military example.…
Alexander the Great was a king and conqueror. He is commonly referred to as “the most powerful leader of all time.” What is it that makes him such a powerful leader? What has he accomplished that has made him so significant? Were his accomplishments positive or negative? These are all questions that when combined as one create a debate that has been going on for decades. There are those who admire Alexander’s military achievements and ability to carve out the largest empire the world has seen. Then there are those who perceive him as a selfish, cruel madman with drinking problems. This paper will outline the different sides taken on Alexander and the question as to what his significance/influence was and whether it was good or bad.…
Discovered in 1903, by British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, at The Temple Repositories, The Snake Goddess dates back to approximately 1600 BCE (Evans 495). Today little is known about the actual representation of the faïence figurine, however evidence supports that The Snake Goddess symbolizes fertility, holiness, and life and death (Flamee). The most prominent way The Snake Goddess represents fertility is by her appearance. Standing at 13½ inches in the Herakleion Museum at Crete, The Snake Goddess holds a snake in each hand, wears a hat with a sitting cat on top and has exposed bare breasts (Witcombe). The fact that she is depicted partially nude, with her breasts uncovered is interpreted as a sign of fertility mostly relating to the growth of crops. The cat which sits on the hat is acknowledged as a symbol of sex or fertility which provides evidence that she is not only a fertility deity but also a mother deity (Joe). In Minoan religion, snakes often signify protection of the house and life, “To my own knowledge in Herzegovina and the Serbian lands, East of the Adriatic, it was not an uncommon thing for snakes, who had sought such human hospitality, to be fed with milk and treated as domestic pets. Such as household snake is known, indeed, as domachilsa or housemother” (Evans 509). This is because snakes are generally related to…