Greek mythoi
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Blaire Calabro
New Member
One story would be about Orpheus and Eurydice. She was a mortal and a viper bit her while she was fleeing from someone. She went down to the Underworld. Orpheus loved her and tried to bring her back but in vain. After he died his soul went down to Elysium where she was and they were reunited.
Old World American
Member
Heracles son of Zeus, know to us in his more popular Roman form Hercules, had a good family and a decent life at one point. That is, until Hera the queen of the gods, jealous that her husband Zeus had fathered such a hero by a mortal woman, struck Heracles with madness. In the stormy night, Heracles, completely insane, threw he great strength upon his family and in a blind rage murdered each of them. In the morning when he realized what he had done he found that in addition to being capable of great strength, he also had a capacity for tremendous grief. Shouldering the full weighty guilt of his actions, Heracles sought an oracle to find a way towards absolution and a sense of peaceful solace. Apollo's oracle told him to commit himself to the service of Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns and Mycenae, resulting in Heracles having to perform his legendary Twelve Labors.
Each Labor is a good story in and of itself! Here is a good webpage where you could look into each individually:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/labors.html
Hope you enjoy them!
Each Labor is a good story in and of itself! Here is a good webpage where you could look into each individually:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/labors.html
Hope you enjoy them!
Chimeranick
New Member
Arachne was a fine weaver in Hypaepa. http://www.mythforum.com/threads/greek-mythoi.320/#cite_note-3 She was as skillful as the finest artist of the day.
This all went to her head and eventually Arachne became so conceited of her skill as a weaver that she began claiming that her skill was greater than that of Athena,http://www.mythforum.com/threads/greek-mythoi.320/#cite_note-4 the goddess of wisdom and war as well as the weaving arts. Athena was angered, but gave Arachne a chance to redeem herself. Assuming the form of an old woman, she warned Arachne not to offend the gods. Arachne scoffed and wished for a weaving contest, so she could prove her skill. Athena dropped her disguise and the contest began.
Athena wove the scene of her victory over Poseidon that had inspired the people of Athens to name their city for her. According to Ovid's Latin narrative, Arachne's tapestry featured twenty-one episodes of the infidelity of the gods, disguised as animals: Zeus being unfaithful with Leda, with Europa, with Danaë.
Even Athena admitted that Arachne's work was immaculate. Her envy at such human competition drove her into uncontrolled fury and violence. Perhaps she was as well outraged at Arachne's disrespectful choice of subjects that displayed the failings and transgressions of the gods (this takes for granted a late, moralizing view of Greek myth). Losing her temper, she destroyed Arachne's tapestry and loom, striking it with her shuttle, and struck Arachne on the head as well, slashing her face. Arachne, refusing to bow to Athena, hanged herself.
Athena took pity or spite on Arachne. Sprinkling her with the juices of http://www.mythforum.com/wiki/Aconitumaconite, Athena loosened the rope, which became a spider web, causing Arachne to lose her hair, her ears and nose, metamorphosing into a spider. "So you shall live to swing, to live now and forever, Even to the last hanging creature of your kind." The story suggests that the origin of weaving lay in imitation of spiders.
This all went to her head and eventually Arachne became so conceited of her skill as a weaver that she began claiming that her skill was greater than that of Athena,http://www.mythforum.com/threads/greek-mythoi.320/#cite_note-4 the goddess of wisdom and war as well as the weaving arts. Athena was angered, but gave Arachne a chance to redeem herself. Assuming the form of an old woman, she warned Arachne not to offend the gods. Arachne scoffed and wished for a weaving contest, so she could prove her skill. Athena dropped her disguise and the contest began.
Athena wove the scene of her victory over Poseidon that had inspired the people of Athens to name their city for her. According to Ovid's Latin narrative, Arachne's tapestry featured twenty-one episodes of the infidelity of the gods, disguised as animals: Zeus being unfaithful with Leda, with Europa, with Danaë.
Even Athena admitted that Arachne's work was immaculate. Her envy at such human competition drove her into uncontrolled fury and violence. Perhaps she was as well outraged at Arachne's disrespectful choice of subjects that displayed the failings and transgressions of the gods (this takes for granted a late, moralizing view of Greek myth). Losing her temper, she destroyed Arachne's tapestry and loom, striking it with her shuttle, and struck Arachne on the head as well, slashing her face. Arachne, refusing to bow to Athena, hanged herself.
Athena took pity or spite on Arachne. Sprinkling her with the juices of http://www.mythforum.com/wiki/Aconitumaconite, Athena loosened the rope, which became a spider web, causing Arachne to lose her hair, her ears and nose, metamorphosing into a spider. "So you shall live to swing, to live now and forever, Even to the last hanging creature of your kind." The story suggests that the origin of weaving lay in imitation of spiders.
Gavin
New Member
Perseus was the son of Zeus (the king of the gods) and of Danae. Danae was the daughter of Acrisius (king of Argos). Acrisius was warned that he would be killed by his grandson Perseus, so Acrisius locked Perseus and his mother in a chest and he cast them into the sea.
They drifted to the island of Seriphus, where they were rescued and where Perseus grew into a man. The king of Seriphus (called Polydectes) fell in love with Perseus’ mum. He thought that Perseus might get in the way of his plans to marry Danae, so he sent Perseus to collect the head of Medusa. Medusa was a monster - if you looked at her face, you were turned into stone instantly.
Aided by Hermes (messenger of the gods), Perseus made his way to the Gray Women (called the Fates in Hercules film) - these women shared one eyeball between them. Perseus took their eye and he wouldn’t give it back to them until they told him where to reach the nymphs of the north. They told him the directions, and when he reached the nymphs, they gave him some winged sandals, a magic wallet (which would fit whatever was put into it), and a cap to make him invisible.
Hermes gave him a sword which could never be bent or broken, and Athena gave him a shield. Perseus found Medusa and killed her (looking in the reflection in the shield to avoid being turned into stone). Medusa had some sisters who were not very happy, but Perseus managed to escape because he was wearing his cap. He put Medusa’s head into the wallet and flew on his winged sandals towards home.
As he was passing Ethiopia, he rescued the princess Andromeda as she was about to be sacrificed to a sea monster and he took her with him as his wife. At Seriphus, he freed his mother by turning the king into stone (using Medusa’s head). They all then returned to Greece, where Perseus accidentally killed his grandfather Acrisius with a discus (as he had been warned in the past). According to one legend, Perseus went to Asia, where his son Perses ruled over the Persians, from whom they were said to have gotten their name.
They drifted to the island of Seriphus, where they were rescued and where Perseus grew into a man. The king of Seriphus (called Polydectes) fell in love with Perseus’ mum. He thought that Perseus might get in the way of his plans to marry Danae, so he sent Perseus to collect the head of Medusa. Medusa was a monster - if you looked at her face, you were turned into stone instantly.
Aided by Hermes (messenger of the gods), Perseus made his way to the Gray Women (called the Fates in Hercules film) - these women shared one eyeball between them. Perseus took their eye and he wouldn’t give it back to them until they told him where to reach the nymphs of the north. They told him the directions, and when he reached the nymphs, they gave him some winged sandals, a magic wallet (which would fit whatever was put into it), and a cap to make him invisible.
Hermes gave him a sword which could never be bent or broken, and Athena gave him a shield. Perseus found Medusa and killed her (looking in the reflection in the shield to avoid being turned into stone). Medusa had some sisters who were not very happy, but Perseus managed to escape because he was wearing his cap. He put Medusa’s head into the wallet and flew on his winged sandals towards home.
As he was passing Ethiopia, he rescued the princess Andromeda as she was about to be sacrificed to a sea monster and he took her with him as his wife. At Seriphus, he freed his mother by turning the king into stone (using Medusa’s head). They all then returned to Greece, where Perseus accidentally killed his grandfather Acrisius with a discus (as he had been warned in the past). According to one legend, Perseus went to Asia, where his son Perses ruled over the Persians, from whom they were said to have gotten their name.