Mythology

1
Mythology

• Chapter 2
• The Two Great Gods of Earth

2
Two Great Gods

• Mankinds best friends
• Man asked for stories about mysteries of Earth
• Day and night
• Seasons
• Stars

3
Two Great Gods

• Demeter (Ceres)
• Goddess of the Corn Grain
• Daughter of Cronus Rhea
• Dionysus (Bacchus)
• God of Wine

4
Demeter

• Care of the fields belonged to the women a woman
  divinity could best understand and help womans
  work

5
Demeter

• Festival at harvest time (9 days)
• Once every 5 yrs in Sept.
• Processions
• Sacrifices with dance and song
• Rejoicing
• Secret ceremony Eleusinian Mysteries (held at
  Eleusis temple)

6
Demeter

• Myth of the Seasons
• Daughter Persephone abducted by Hades in his
  chariot
• Taken to Underworld to be Hades bride
• Demeter heard Ps cries
• Demeter searched for P for 9 days
• Sun revealed what happened

7
Demeter

• Demeter left Olympus, filled w/grief
• No crops grew while she grieved
• Zeus intervened to save humanity
• Sent gods to persuade Demeter to let crops grow
• Zeus demanded Hades let Persephone go
• Hades ? wife ? pomegranate seed
• Made sure shed have to return

8
Demeter

• Seasons
• Persephone returns to her husband 4 months of
  year, Demeter mourns for daughter doesnt let
  crops grow (fall and winter)
• P returns, D is happy warmed earth and let crops
  grow (spring and summer)

9
Dionysus

• Associated w/Thebes (mom, Semele, was Theban
  princess)
• Semele Zeus had Dionysus half-human, half-god

10
Dionysus

• Pirate Story
• Pirates captured Dionysus
• Helmsman knew Dionysus was god
• Ropes chains couldnt hold Dionysus
• Ship wouldnt move

11
Dionysus

• Pirate Story
• Wine poured from deck vine enclosed sail
• Dionysus turned into lion
• Frightened sailors into jumping overboard
• Dionysus turned them to dolphins except helmsman

12
Dionysus

• Lycurgus
• D passed thru Thrace was insulted by L, who
  opposed worship of D
• D left later D imprisoned L in rocky cave
• L came to know understand D
• It was too late Ls life was doomed
• Zeus blinded L L died

13
Dionysus

• Maenads (bacchantes)
• Women made crazy by wine
• Ripped apart wild animals devoured remains
• Worshipped Dionysus
• D cared for them
• They were close to nature but cruel to animals

14
Dionysus

• Maenads (bacchantes)
• Duality of their image
• Greeks realization wine had good bad effects
• Can help people relax
• Can cause drunkenness savagery

15
Dionysus

• Pentheus
• King of Thebes Dionysus cousin
• Offended by D maenads singing dancing
• Ordered revelers jailed
• Teiresias, guards, D tried to warn P
• P didnt listen

16
Dionysus

• Pentheus
• P went into woods after women
• Theban women Ps mom were made crazy by D
• All the women attacked P tearing him apart
• D returned them to their senses to see what
  theyd done

17
Dionysus

• Greek Drama
• Became associated w/drama
• Festival held each spring when grapevines begin
  to leaf (include plays)
• Plays were sacred
• Actors were servants of god

18
Dionysus

• Resurrection (a rising from the dead)
• Myth Dionysus was killed each year by
  mutilation, just as grapevines are pruned each
  fall
• Each spring D comes back from dead
• Sprouting of new leaves symbolizes resurrection
• Idea of everlasting life