Thursday, May 9, 2013

Aligning With Our Definition Of Greek Mythology?

How do the myths you read today address our definition of mythology? Please respond through critique, evaluation, and analysis. Use quotations and references to myths and divinities when possible.

19 comments:

Unknown said...

mythology studies old stories that gave supernatural reason to natural events such as weather or other events. the myth of Demeter losing her daughter gave us a explanation to why we have winter.

Anonymous said...

Today I read through the myth Theseus again to refresh my memory. This myth shows a great amount of tragedy, loss, love, and triumph. These topics I could say are practically present in all Greek myths you read. The Greeks really did love to tinker with tragedy. This makes me believe that tragedy played a large role in the Greek way of life. Or maybe they fantasized over a tragic and eventful lifestyle. Because I have yet to hear a myth of complete success and triumph.

KarynH2014 said...

The myths we read in class today address mythology in the way of hubris. Phaethon wanted to drive his father's chariot because he was the son of Apollo. Even after Apollo warns Phaethon and tells him to yield the boy still decides to take the chance, "But none of all this wise talk meant anything to the boy." Phaethon's hubris or excessive pride ends up being his downfall and it is what kills him. Bellerophon started having "thoughts too great for man" and he tried to ride pegasus up to Olympus. His excessive hubris and pride here also got him killed. In the Daedalus story, his son Icarus had excessive pride as he escaped the labyrinth and that led him to fly to high and for his wings to malfunction. The excessive pride of heroes or of men in general in the myths usually proves to be their downfall that costs them their life.

Anonymous said...

The myth of Phaethon most closely aligns with our definition of mythology because in it is the explanation for the sun going up and going down every day, and why it takes so long. Our definition of mythology is something along the lines of these myths being early science, and they were the way that the Greeks and other ancient peoples explained the natural world around them. The myth of Phaethon talks about the Sun God who rides a chariot to pull the sun up and down every day, and the reason it takes so long is because it is so perilous. "Consider the road. It rises up from the sea so steeply that the horses can hardly climb it...You will have to pass beasts of prey, and they are all that you will see" (Hamilton 137).

Anonymous said...

The myth surrounding Phaethon is very typical to the nature of greek mythology. There is a short little back story so the reader can figure out where this hero comes from. Then there is the usual appearance of a god or goddess, which we see a bit earlier than in most myths. The hero, in this case Phaethon, falls prey to hubris as most men do according to greek mythology, and tries to do something that he physically cannot. He even disregards the warnings from his father whose chariot it is. the story then ends in destruction and death brought on by the main character himself. He did not think about the possible consequences of his actions or think about why his father would try to refuse him this one wish, i mean after all he is the child, a partially mortal child at that. Phaethon’s father does care even though they had never formally met before. “smiling, the Sun took off his crown of burning light so that the lad could look at him without distress.” His father didn’t want to cause him harm he didn’t even want him in distress.

Anonymous said...

The myths we read in class today address our definition of mythology in that they take certain aspects of the world not understood at the time and apply a supernatural cause to them. We also understand the essence of human nature through the myths.Psche's desire to see her husband and Orpheus's urge to look back are both examples of how human nature is not something that we can escape from even with supernatural interference.

Anonymous said...

Myths we read today represent the definition of mythology because they all have something in common. They all follow a guideline in every myth. There is always an ordeal, then the protagonist has to go on some quest or adventure or challenge to prove himself worthy or retrieve a prize. Also the heroic code has to do with most myths because thats what can determine how things happen in myths. Everyone follows it, or there is a twist in the myth when it is not followed. As we read our myths we have to realize that these were believed and worshipped, so now we have to critque it by evalutating what it all means.

Anonymous said...

To understand our alignment with our definition of mythology I re-read the myth of Phaethon. In the myth, Phaethon is told by his mother that he is the son of the sun god. He and his peers do not believe it, so he travels to The Palace of the Sun to ask for himself. He arrives and the Sun God ensures him that he is his father and he proves it to him by granting his wish to drive his chariot. Phaethon goes on to lose control of the chariot, "The chariot was swinging wildly to and fro; the pace was faster; he had lost control." Jove is then forced to strike his own son with a lightening bolt to cease further destruction. This myth reveals the inability of humans to grasp the true power of the gods. It also aligns with our definition of mythology that myths are representations of religion before science.

Anonymous said...

Yes they do because even though not all of them explain natural events, they all seem to give some sort of moral lesson to mortals. For example in the myth Pegasus and Bellerophon,the myth showed that the gods were the ones that struck down or lowered mortals who had to much ambition and greed. Another example is in the myth of Phaethon, which showed the sun god as riding his chariot as the sun rose and set during the day, and this was how the Greeks were able to understand the constant movement of a the sun throughout the day.

Anonymous said...

The myth of Atlanta is not very typical, in that women are not usually seen as heroic and brave, but as curious and vengeful. The myth of Atlanta would have provided Greek women with a sense of freedom and empowerment, and would have in some way, negated the harsher myths in which women are treated less honorably than men. The myth of Phaethon is much more traditional, concerning the idea of forbidden knowledge, and ultimately punishment. The myth of Bellerophon and Pegasus is very similar, reminding mortals never to challenge the gods.

Unknown said...

Most of the myths that we read today were once a for of what you could say "science". They were their ways of explaining things that they didn't understand so they would seem to not have things that were unknown. At the time they probably seemed very logical.

Anonymous said...

The two myths of Atalanta and Phaethon both have the supernatural elements every Greek myth has. The gods decide to get involved. Phaethon is a myth used to describe occurrences in nature. In this case, the myth explains how the sun gets across the sky.

Anonymous said...

We defined myths as being used to explain natural occurrences. They are used to explain the reasoning of why things exist by using divinities. Phaethon, doesn't necessarily explain why something happened, but more of what happened. Phaethon does not align with the definition of mythology because. The myths are about events that happened, not the explination of why it happened.

Anonymous said...

Our definition of mythology included early science, explanations of thing they people couldn't explain, and it cannot be entirely proven. The first of these great heroes tales, Paethon, reflects the early science and the explanations part of our definition. "I wish to drive your car across the sky for only a day." (Hamilton 137) In this quotation, Paethon wants to drive his father is chariot across the sky. His father is the god of the sky. This is early science because it explains why the sun rises and sets everyday. That is also the reason it connects to the explanation part of our definition. Pegasus and Bellerophon connected to our definitions through the fact that they cannot be proven. Bellerophon cught Pegasus with the help of Athena.

Anonymous said...

Our definition of mythology still holds true to the myths we read today. Our definition had to due with he explanation of the world using myths. It was early science and we still see that in the myths of Hercules. The Pillars of Hercules are two mountains said to be split by the hero and the Greeks chose to explain this formation using myth. Another example would be Paethon. This myth describes why the sun rises and sets everyday and how his Paethon's father drives the sun chariot across the sky everyday. The Greeks didn't have ways to explain the sun in a scientific way so they created the myth.

Anonymous said...

The definition of mythology boiled down to an entertaining way of explaining natural phenomenon and teaching lessons. Phaeton, for instance, did not listen to his wise father, and paid for it. This provides a lesson on obedience to parents and elders. Most of the myths we read serve these purposes.

LivvyW said...

In these tales of "8 Great Adventures" our definition of Mythology is definitely there. It's used to describe nature, such as the Sun god and his chariot racing it across the sky. The reason why all these heroes throughout Greek mythology were able to accomplish the things they did. A true myth is a story ib early times handed down orally from one generation to another, so this doesn't technically fill the qualifications, but this book is the closest thing we have to a verbal passage of knowledge.

coltonn13 said...

A myth that I like was the Phaethon story where he finds out that his father is the un. Phaethon tries wants to ride his fathers chariot which pulls the son. This myth explains to the Greek people where the sun comes from and where it goes. This myth described the sun as being pulled by a chariot which at the beginning of everyday it will rise out of the waterand head towards the high sky. Then the chariot starts its descend back into the ocean where magical gates open awaiting his presence. Once again we see hoe myths were used to explain why or how things happened.

Clinton Morgan said...

In the Phaethon myth, a boy is told from his mother that he is the son of the sun god. This is great for him but he wants to make sure its true. This story is interesting because it shows the boy being enthusiastic and wanting to try something that is way to hard for him. In a way this is heroic because he is being challenged alone, yet it turns out for the worse for him in the end when he looses control of the horses that pull the chariot while the sun follows. He does unfortunately die, and yet he is remembered for having the courage to do something so hard. To me it really shows how every boy is curious and the curiosity can sometimes be fatal. To me myths are meant to show lessons. For this myth it is curiosity being bad and good.