Comparing The Behavior Of Poseidon's And The Moon Goddesses

Athena, he flooded the whole city. This reactive nature is present in the behavior of the moon goddesses as well. We can see this when, after spying on her bathing, Artemis turns Actaeon into a stag, and he is killed by his own dogs. Elements in nature that tend to appear more uncontrollable and reactive are, those elements that act chaotically and create chaos in society, are reflected by deities that behave similarly. The vast, sprawling sea doesn’t seem to car much about human life, nor does Poseidon. Ethic are the least of Poseidon’s concerns. In the same vein, Apollo’s and the other sun deities’ and titans’ behavior, unlike Poseidon’s and the moon goddesses, can be considered somewhat ethical. Ethical behavior is, of course, important
This, in part, is a reflection of the erratic behavior of nature, but that is only half of the equation. Sure nature is unethical and unpredictable, but what are humans if not a part of the natural world? While in Judeo-Christians religion it is thought the humans are created in God’s image, in classical mythology, it seems that the gods are created in human’s image. The deities of mythology are not ethical; like humanity, the gods and goddesses are subject to transgression. They are as flawed as humans; however, their status as gods renders them outside of mortal consequences. Myths are rife with curses, vengeance and incest. Because the gods are not subject to the laws of humanity, they can act beyond them. Even Zeus, god of kings, commits a shocking number of incestuous acts not the least of which is his coupling with his sister Hera. But, of course, as a god, his “pollution” is not subject to the laws of
The father of modern psychology, Sigmund Freud used mythology, specifically the myth of Oedipus to develop theories on sexuality and power; thus the Oedipus complex. Poets and writers of all styles and generations allude or refer to mythology in their works, so much so that one could spend a lifetime studying the evolution of a single myth. Albert Camus’s 1942 essay, Le Mythe de Sisypher or The Myth of Sisyphus , was the spring board for an entire philosophical movement. Icarus, Sisyphus and Dionysus appear in the works of numerous authors ranging from romantic poets like Coolidge to slam poets like Saul Williams. The characters of