下载文档原格式
Roman and Greek Mythology希腊罗马神话课程教案Foreign Language Teaching and Research DepartmentHeilongjiang UniversityForeign Language Teaching and Research Department★ Introduction of GreeceI.ObjectivesStudents will be able to :1. get to know something about GreeceII.Lesson PlanGreece is the southeasternmost region on the European continent. It is defined by a series of mountains, surrounded on all sides except the north by water, and endowed with countless large and small islands. The Ionian (爱奥尼亚) and Aegean seas and the many deep bays and natural harbors along the coastlines allowed the Greeks to prosper in maritime commerce（海上贸易）and to develop a culture which drew inspiration from many sources, both foreign and indigenous. Greece has a history stretching back almost 4000 years. The people of the mainland, called Hellenes(古希腊人), organised great naval and military expeditions, and explored the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, going as far as the Atlantic Ocean and the Caucasus Mountains（高加索山脉）. One of those expeditions, the siege of Troy, is narrated in the first great European literary work, Homer's Iliad. During the Classical period (5th century B.C.), Greece was composed of city-states(古希腊的城邦), the largest being Athens, followed by Sparta（斯巴达）and Thebes（底比斯）. In the second half of the 4th century B.C., the Greeks, led by Alexander the Great①, conquered most of the then known world and sought to Hellenize it. In 146 BC Greece fell to the Romans.During the Hellenistic period, the Greek world was reaching as far east as India. At length its culture became one of the oldest and the most resplendent ancient civilizations in history---Hellenic culture. From this moment on, I will do my best to present you the culture from mythology stories.Foreign Language Teaching and Research DepartmentChapter1 IntroductionI. ObjectivesStudents will be able to :1. get to know the Beginning of the World2. get to know the Olympian GodsII. Learning Difficultiesdifferent names of the gods and goddessesIII.Lesson Plan★ 1.1 The Beginning of the WorldBefore earth and sea and heavens became known, the face of nature was one crude, formless mass. Land and sea and air were mingled together. The universe was a uniform darkness, without sun, moon, let alone the earth. In the middle of the darkness sat Chaos and his wife---Nyx [niks], the goddess of Night, who reigned but did not rule. So the whole space was lifeless. Centuries later, with the birth of Light and Day, earth and sea and air came into being. And also Chaos and Nyx gave birth to Gaea 盖亚(Earth), and Gaea gave birth to Uranus (Heaven) and married him. Still later, the union of Gaea and Uranus gave birth to the Titans (The Titans of Greek mythology were the twelve children of Gaea and Uranus), the Cyclopes and the Centimani. Afraid that his own gigantic children might usurp his throne, Uranus drove them all back to the earth, and this roused the resentment of the mother Gaea. At her instigation one of her sons, Cronus (one Titan) attacked and wounded Uranus with a sickle given by Gaea. Thus Cronus got the crown and became the supreme ruler of the universe.He married his own sister Rhea and entrusted the management of the sun to his brother Hyperion and the moon to his sister Phoebe. Cronus ruled his realm peacefully until an oracle prophesied that he would one day be dethroned/overthrown by one of his own children. To avoid the disaster he took the excessive precaution of swallowing up all his five children one by one after their birth. These were Hesia The goddess of the hearth (赫斯提：女灶神) Demeter (The goddess of the harvest得墨忒耳：主管收获的女神), Hera, Poseidon (The god of the waters, earthquakes, and horses), Hades (The god of the netherworld). When Rhea bore the last child, Zeus (Jupiter), Cronus wanted to get rid of him in the same fashion. But the mother wrapped up a piece of stone in the infant’s swathes and handed it over to the unsuspecting father. Thus Zeus was saved and sent to Mt Ida (艾达峰：克里特岛中部一山峰), where the mountain nymphs (宁芙女神：以美丽女子形象出现，有时化身为树、水和山等自然之物的小女神) did all in their power to protect him from any harm. By the time Cronus became aware of the deception, it was too late, for young Zeus suddenly appeared before him and easily deposed/dethroned him.Foreign Language Teaching and Research DepartmentWith the help of a nauseous potion, Zeus forced his father to disgorge his five brothers and sisters. But Cronus and his Titans were not reconciled to their defeat. They made war on Zeus and his brothers and sisters. Acting on the advice of his mother Rhea, Zeus released the Cyclopes from under the earth and armed himself with their thunderbolts, for the Cyclopes were thunderbolt-makers. Soon Cronus and Titans were forced to submission and cast down into Tartarus (The regions below Hades where the Titans were confined塔尔塔罗斯：冥府下面的深渊). Thus Zeus became the ruler of the Olympus. He made his sister Hera his queen, and distributed power among his brothers and sisters and his sons and daughters. Among them, Poseidon ruled over the vast expanse of seas and oceans, and Pluto was assigned as the lord to the lower world.★ 1.2 The Olympian GodsOn Mt Olympus, the overlord of gods---Zeus---was not an autocrat; he led a council of twelve members (i.e. there were twelve major gods on Mt Olympus).There were twelve Olympians, although you may run across fourteen different names. Hestia, Demeter, Dionysus, and Hades are variable. The remaining ten are: Apollo, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Poseidon, and Zeus, among the gods; Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, and Hera, among the goddesses.Zeus（宙斯天王）: Zeus is the ruler of the Olympian gods. He is also known as Jupiter in Roman. His attributes in iconography include the lightning bolt, the eagle, and the scepter. Hera（赫拉天后婚姻神）: As the wife (and sister) of Zeus, Hera is the patron of marriage. She is also known as Juno (Roman). She has no unique attributes in iconography and so can only be identified by context or inscription.Poseidon（波塞冬海神）: Poseidon is the god of the sea. He is also known as Neptune (Roman) and the Earth-shaker. His attributes in iconography include the trident and the fish.Hades（哈得斯冥神阎王）:Hades is the god of the underworld. He is also known as Pluto(Roman). His attributes in iconography are the cornucopia and the sceptre.Ares（阿瑞斯战神）: Ares is the god of war and conflict and is the husband of Aphrodite. He is also known as Mars (Roman). Ares is depicted as a warrior but, as he has no unique attributes in iconography, he can only be identified by context or inscription. Hephaestus (赫菲斯托斯火和锻冶之神) : The god of fire and metalworking.Hermes（赫耳墨斯商神幸运神）: Hermes' main role is as a messenger but he has many other functions as well. He is also known as Mercury (Roman). His attributes in iconography include the kerykeion (messenger's staff), winged boots, and petassos (cap). Apollo（阿波罗太阳神）: Apollo is associated principally with music, prophecy, sickness, and medicine. He is also known as Phoebus Apollo and is called the Far Shooter and the Pythian. (He has no separate Roman name.) His attributes in iconography are the cithara, or sometime the lyre, the bow, the fawn, and the tripod. He is often depicted with his sister, Artemis.Artemis（阿耳忒弥斯月神狩猎神）: Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and animals, as well as of childbirth. She is also known as Diana (Roman). Her attributes in iconography include the bow and the fawn. She often appears with her brother, Apollo.Athene（雅典娜智慧神）: Athene (also spelled Athena) is the patron of wisdom, military Foreign Language Teaching and Research Departmentvictory, and women's crafts. She is the one who leaped up from the top of Zeus’s head. She is also known as Tritogeneia and Minerva (Roman) and is also called Pallas Athene. Her attributes in iconography include the aegis (a fringed cloak, sometimes decorated with a Gorgon's head), the helmet, and the spear.Demeter（得墨忒耳农神）: Demeter is the giver of grain. She is also known as Ceres (Roman) and sometimes Deo. Her attributes in iconography can include a torch, a crown, a sceptre, and stalks of grain. She is often portrayed with her daughter, Persephone/Kore. Aphrodite（阿芙罗蒂德爱欲之神）: Aphrodite governs desire and sexuality. She is also known as Cytherea, Cypris, and Venus (Roman). She is often pictured with a sceptre or a mirror.Hestia The goddess of the hearth, daughter of Cronus and Rhea.(赫斯提：女灶神，克罗诺斯与瑞亚之女)Dionysus The god of wine and of an orgiastic religion celebrating the power and fertility of nature.Also called Bacchus狄俄尼索斯(酒神, 即罗马神话中的Bacchus)酒神和宗教狂欢庆祝大自然权力与丰产之神Gods assembled: In the line behind and from left to right is first Hades, holding his two-forked scepter, the mother of the gods Rhea 1, and between her and Hera is Hera's peacock. Zeus sits in the middle with the eagle at his feet holding the thunderbolt in his hand.To his right sits Cronos and standing are Athena and Apollo. Under the latter Artemis, with a half-moon adorning his head, is seen holding her bow. In the first line and from left to right Dionysus 2 is seen reclining. Ares in armour sits close to Aphrodite who looks at Eros as he comes towards her. In the far right sits Poseidon holding his trident.Foreign Language Teaching and Research DepartmentChapter2 Prometheus and Pandora's BoxI. ObjectivesStudents will be able to :1. get to know something about Prometheus2. get to know something about PandoraII. Learning DifficultiesThe relation between Prometheus and PandoraIII. Lesson Plan★ 2.1 PrometheusPrometheus was one of the Titans, a gigantic race, who inhabited the earth before the creation of man. Prometheus was called the benefactor of mankind.To him and his brother Epimetheus was committed the office of making man, and providing him and all other animals with the faculties necessary for their preservation. Epimetheus undertook to do this, and Prometheus was to overlook his work, when it was done. Epimetheus accordingly proceeded to bestow upon the different animals the various gifts of courage, strength, swiftness, sagacity; wings to one, claws to another, a shelly covering to a third, etc. But when man came to be provided for, who was to be superior to all other animals, Epimetheus had been so prodigal of his resources that he had nothing left to bestow upon him. In his perplexity he resorted to his brother Prometheus, who, with the aid of Minerva (The goddess of wisdom, invention, the arts, and martial prowess. 密涅瓦：掌管智慧、发明、艺术和武艺的女神), went up to heaven, and lighted his torch at the chariot of the sun. and brought down fire to man. With this gift man was more than a match for all other animals. It enabled him to make weapons wherewith to subdue them; tools with which to cultivate the earth; to warm his dwelling, so as to be comparatively independent of climate; and finally to introduce the arts and to coin money, the means of trade and commerce.Zeus sent most of the Titans to Tartarus to punish them for fighting against him in the Titanomachy, but since the second generation Titan Prometheus had not sided with his aunts, uncles, and brother Atlas, Zeus spared him. Zeus then assigned Prometheus the task of forming man from water and earth, which he did, but in the process, became fonder of men than Zeus had anticipated. Zeus didn't share Prometheus' feelings and wanted to keep men from having power, especially of fire. So Zeus deprived mankind of the gift of fire. Prometheus cared more for man than for the wrath of the increasingly powerful and autocratic king of the gods, so he stole fire from Zeus' lightning, concealed it in a hollow stalk of fennel, and brought it to man. He also stole skills from Hephaestus and Athena to give to man. Then, when Zeus and he were discussing the ceremonial forms for Foreign Language Teaching and Research Departmentanimal sacrifice, Prometheus devised a way to help man. He divided the slaughtered animal parts into two packets. In one was the ox meat and innards wrapped up in the stomach lining. In the other packet were the ox bones wrapped up in its own rich fat. Prometheus presented Zeus with a choice between the two, and Zeus took the richer appearing. As a result of this trick, man would thereafter be able to feast on the meat whenever it sacrificed (burned bones) to the gods.Prometheus was still not awed by the might of Zeus and continued to defy him, refusing to warn him of the dangers of the nymph Thetis (future mother of Achilles). Zeus had tried punishing Prometheus through his loved ones, but this time he decided to punish him more directly. He bade Hephaestus (or Hermes) chain Prometheus to Mount Caucasus, where an eagle ate his ever-regenerating liver each day.Eventually Hercules rescued Prometheus, and Zeus and the Titan were reconciled. ★ 2.2 Pandora’s BoxPandora, was crafted by Hephaestus in his forge. Athena provided Pandora with skills in the womanly arts and made her dangerous. Zeus, who ordered her creation, gave her as a gift and a curse to mankind. Thus Pandora can be said to have had three parents. Pandora is better known as the woman whose curiosity got the best of her when she opened the forbidden box out of which came all the evils of the world and one good, hope.Aphrodite (Venus) gave her beauty, Hermes (Mercury) persuasion, Apollo music, etc. Thus equipped, she was conveyed to earth, and presented to Epimetheus, who gladly accepted her, though cautioned by his brother to beware of Zeus and his gifts. When he was preoccupied with teaching men the art of living, Prometheus had left a big cask in the care of Ephimetheus. He had warned his brother not to open the lid. Pandora was seized with an eager curiosity to know what this jar contained; and one day she slipped off the cover and looked in. Forthwith there escaped a multitude of plagues and sickness, theft and violence, grief and sorrow and all the other evils that human world was henceforward to experience. Pandora hastened to replace the lid! But the whole contents of the jar had escaped, one thing only excepted, which lay at the bottom, and that was hope. So we see at this day, whatever evils are abroad, hope never entirely leaves us; and while we have that, no amount of other ills can make us completely wretched/miserable/despaired..Foreign Language Teaching and Research DepartmentChapter3 The Four Ages and The FloodI. ObjectivesStudents will be able to :1. get to know something about the four ages2. get to know something about the floodII. Learning DifficultiesThe two characters in the story of the floodIII. Lesson Plan★ 3.1 the Four AgesGolden AgeThe Golden Age was a mythical first period of man when everything was happy and easy, and mortals lived like gods, although they died, but only as if falling asleep. No one worked or grew unhappy. Spring never ended. It is even described as a period in which people aged backwards. When they died, they became ghosts and roamed the earth. The people of the Golden Age were formed by or for the titan Cronus.When Zeus overcame the titans the Golden Age ended.First of all the deathless gods who dwell on Olympus made a golden race of mortal men who lived in the time of Cronos when he was reigning in heaven. And they lived like gods without sorrow of heart, remote and free from toil and grief: miserable age rested not on them; but with legs and arms never failing they made merry with feasting beyond the reach of all evils. When they died, it was as though they were overcome with sleep, and they had all good things; for the fruitful earth unforced bare them fruit abundantly. They dwelt in ease and peace upon their lands with many good things, rich in flocks and loved by the blessed gods.Silver AgeDuring the Silver Age the Olympian god Zeus was in charge. Zeus caused this generation of man to be created inferior in appearance and wisdom to the last. He divided the year into four seasons. Man had to plant grain and seek shelter, but still, a child could play for a hundred years before growing up. The people wouldn't honor the gods, so Zeus caused them to be destroyed. When they died, they became "blessed spirits of the underworld."Bronze AgeThe third Age was of bronze. Zeus created men from ash trees. They were strong and warlike. They did not eat bread. Their armor and homes were of bronze. It was this generation of men that was destroyed by the flood in the time of Deucalion and Pyrrha. When they died they went to the Underworld.Foreign Language Teaching and Research DepartmentThese were destroyed by their own hands and passed to the dank house of chill Hades, and left no name: terrible though they were, black Death seized them, and they left the bright light of the sun.Our race is the Iron Race in the Iron Age.Iron AgeZeus placed a fourth race of men on earth during the present, Iron Age. All manner of evils came into being during this age. Piety and other virtues disappeared and most of the gods who were left on Earth, abandoned it. Zeus will destroy this race some day.The father will not agree with his children, nor the children with their father, nor guest with his host, nor comrade with comrade; nor will brother be dear to brother as aforetime. Men will dishonour their parents as they grow quickly old, and will carp at them, chiding them with bitter words, hard-hearted they, not knowing the fear of the gods. They will not repay their aged parents the cost their nurture, for might shall be their right: and one man will sack another's city. There will be no favour for the man who keeps his oath or for the just or for the good; but rather men will praise the evil-doer and his violent dealing. Strength will be right and reverence will cease to be; and the wicked will hurt the worthy man, speaking false words against him, and will swear an oath upon them. Envy, foul-mouthed, delighting in evil, with scowling face, will go along with wretched men one and all. And then Aidos and Nemesis (7), with their sweet forms wrapped in white robes, will go from the wide-pathed earth and forsake mankind to join the company of the deathless gods: and bitter sorrows will be left for mortal men, and there will be no help against evil.★ 3.2 The FloodTowards the end of the Age of Bronze the human world became very wicked. Men grew greed, and impious. Neither right nor law was respected any longer, and the rule of hospitality (殷勤待客的风俗) was forgotten. Disguised in human form, Zeus visited Arcadia (A region of ancient Greece in the Peloponnesus. Its inhabitants, relatively isolated from the rest of the known civilized world, proverbially lived a simple, pastoral life. 阿卡迪亚：古希腊的一区域，位于伯罗奔尼撒，其居民与其它著名文明世界相对隔绝，以过着简朴和田园式的生活著称。
1 The Beginning of the worldBefore earth and sea and heavens became known the face of nature was one crude, formless mass. Land and sea and air were mingled together. The universe was a uniform darkness, without sun and moon, and the earth was no more than an embryo heap. In the middle of the pervading gloom sat Chaos and his wife, the goddess of Night (Nyx), who reigned but did not rule, for the whole space was lifeless. Centuries later, with the birth of Light and Day, earth and sea and air came into existence. Still later, the union of Gaea (Earth) and Uranus (Heaven) gave birth to the Titans, the Cyclopes and the Centimani, all giants in stature and strength. Afraid that his own gigantic children might usurp his throne, Uranus drove them all back to the earth, and thus roused the resentment of the mother Gaea. At her instigation one of her sons, Kronus (Saturn), attacked and wounded Uranus with a sickle he had taken from his mother, and took over as supreme ruler of the universe. He married his own sister Rhea and entrusted the management of the sun to his brother Hyperion and the moon to his sister Phoebe. He ruled his realm peacefully until an oracle prophesied that he would one day be dethroned by one of his own children. To avert the disaster he took the excessive precaution of swallowing up all his five children one by one immediately after their birth. These were Hestia (Vesta), Demeter (Ceres), Hera (Juno), Poseidon (Neptune) and Hades (Pluto). When Rhea bore the last child, Zeus (Jupiter) by name, Kronus wanted to get rid of him in the same fashion. But the mother wrapped up a piece of stone in the infant’s swathes and handed it over to the unsuspecting father. Thus Zeus was saved, and sent to Mt Ida, where the mountain nymphs did all their power to protect him from any harm. By the time Kronus became aware of the deception it was too late, for young Zeus suddenly appeared before him and easily deposed him. With the help of a nauseous potion, Zeus forced his father to disgorge his five brothers and sisters. But Kronus and his Titans were not reconciled to their defeat. They made war on Zeus and his brothers and sisters. Acting on the advice of his mother Rhea, Zeus released the Cyclopes from under the earth and armed himself of their thunderbolts, for the Cyclopes were thunderbolt-makers. The rebellious Titans were soon reduced to submission and cast down into Tartarus. Zeus became the undisputed ruler on Olympus. He made his sister Hera his queen, and distributed power among his brothers and sisters and his sons and daughters. Among others, Poseidon ruled over the vast expanse of seas and oceans, and Pluto was created lord of the lower world. Thus, for untold centuries, the Olympians reigned supreme in the universe, lording it over man and beast alike, until they were dethroned and superseded by a new, monotheistic faith.2 The Olympian GodsBetween Macedon and Thessaly of northern Greece there stood a lofty mountain range whose cloudy summit rushed into the very heavens. On the culminating point of the range, Mt Olympus, was bathed in bliss and brightness the home of the gods,where Zeus ruled as the father of gods and men. Zeus was not an autocrat by any standards. All the gods submitted to his final word, it was true, but Zeus made them all sit on a committee, a council of twelve members, embracing six gods and six goddesses. First in the Olympian crowd sat Zeus himself, the overlord of gods and men and the wielder of the thunderbolt. Next to him was Hera, his proud and jealous queen. Poseidon, as has been told earlier, was ruler of the sea, and Hades, king of the lower world, had no seat in the council chamber. Apollo was the god of the sun, music, poetry and prophecy, while his twin sister Artemis (Diana) was the goddess of the moon and the chase. Athena (Minerva), the goddess of wisdom and patroness of domestic arts, personified pure intellect; Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, represented home life and family happiness. The blustering Ares (Mars) was the god of war, and the charming Aphrodite (Venus) the goddess of love and beauty. The lame god of fire, Hephaestus (Vulcan), was the forger of the thunder-bolts of Zeus and the fashioner of arms and all sorts of metal work for the gods and heroes. The wing-footed messenger Hermes (Mercury) was the god of invention and commerce and patron of thieves. And the goddess of grains and harvests, Demeter, supervised agriculture and stood for mother of civilization.All the major gods mentioned above assumed human forms of peerless beauty and grace. Often moved by human feelings and desires, they frequently gave way to fits of anger and jealousy and became involved in the ceaseless brawls of the world of man. Among themselves at Olympus they intrigued and scrambled for supremacy; down in the world of mortals they experienced rivalries and frustrations, and enjoyed earthly friendships and loves. A crowed of immortal celestials who looked and behaved in a perfectly human fashion-- that is what the pantheon at Olympus actually was.3 PrometheusPrometheus (forethought) was a Titan. In the war between Zeus and the giants he had stood on the side of the new Olympian gods. Out of clay he fashioned the first man, to whom. Athena gave soul and holy breath. Prometheus bestowed on his creation the gift of fire, which raised man above all animals. Later, at a joint meeting of gods and men held to decide what part of burnt offerings should be allotted to the gods and what to men, Prometheus cut up an ox and divided it into two portions: under the skin he placed the flesh, and under the fat he put the bones, for he new the greedy Zeus loved fat, Zeus saw through the trick and felt displeased at the Titan’s favor towards men. So in a masterful fashion he deprived mankind of the gift of fire. However, Prometheus managed to steal fire from heaven and secretly brought it down to men. Flying into a rage at this wanton act of defiance, Zeus had him chained to a rock on Mount Caucasus, where a ravenous vulture ever tore at his liver which ever grew again. His period of ordeal was to be thirty thousand years. Prometheus faced his bitter fate firmly and never quailed before all the fiery majesty of Zeus. The two were at last reconciled by Heracles (Hercules), who, coming over in quest of the golden apples (see p.164), slew the eagle and set the benefactor of mankind free.4 PandoraAfter the theft of fire Zeus became increasingly hostile to men. One day he commanded his son Hephaestus to mold an image of a beautiful maiden out of clay and asked the gods and goddesses to endow her with different kinds of gifts. Among others, Athena clothed her in a gorgeous robe and Hermes gave her the power of telling lies. A charming young lady, she was the first woman that ever lived. Zeus called her Pandora, for she had received from each of the gods and goddesses a gift which was harmful to men.Zeus decided to send her down to men as a present. So Hermes the messenger brought her to Epimetheus (afterthought), brother of Prometheus. The greatness of her beauty enslaved the hearts of all who looked upon her, and Epimetheus joyfully received her into his house. He had quiet forgotten Prometheus’warning never to accept anything from Zeus. The pair lived a happy life for some time. Then misfortune befell the human world.When he was preoccupied with teaching men the art of living, Prometheus had left a big cask in the care of Epimetheus. He had warned his brother not to open the lid. Pandora was a curious woman, and had been feeling bitterly frustrated that her husband had repeatedly forbidden het to take a look at the contents of the cask. One day, when Epimetheus was out, she lifted the lid and out from it came strife and war, plague and all the sickness, theft and violence, grief and sorrow, and all the other evils that the human world was henceforward to experience. Only hope stayed within the mouth of the jar and never flew out. So men always have hope within their bosoms.5 The Four AgesThere had been four ages since the human world first came into existence, the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Age of Bronze and the Age of Iron.The Golden Age was the best of all. It was an age when Kronus sat on the throne. Bounteous nature satisfied all the wants of men. There were no extremes of cold and heat. And the evils of the human world were still kept in the cask which Epimetheus guarded and Pandora was not yet made to open. Men lived a blissful life, for ever young, always feasting and revelling, and knowing neither toil nor sorrow. When death came it came like a peaceful sleep, and they became good spirits watching over mortal men.The Silver Age was one in which the human race was somewhat inferior in body and mind. The period of helpless infancy lasted a hundred years, and the time of manhood, short and troubled, men spent in ignorance and evil. They no longer worshipped the gods and offered no sacrifices. However, as the race of the Silver Age was not entirely devoid of virtue, they had some honor and lived on as spirits under the earth. During the Age of Bronze men further degenerated. Clad in bronze and armed with weapons of bronze, they lived in houses of bronze. Ruthless and ferocious, theydelighted in war and perished in ceaseless internecine strife. When they died they descended into the darkness of the lower world.The last age, that of Iron, was one of endless care and grief. There was no family love, no sense of filial duty, and no friendship and hospitality. Nor was there any faith, truth and justice. Evil was rampant, might was right, and the flames of war scorched the earth. It was a race of men deserted by gods.6 The FloodTowards the end of the Age of Bronze the human world became very wicked. Men grew greedy, insolent and impious. Neither right nor law respected any longer, and the rule of hospitality was forgotten. Disguised in human form, Zeus visited Arcadia and Thessaly, and was disguised with the deadly sins of men. He decided to clear the earth of them all. Without hesitation he released the rainy south wind and called upon the merciless Poseidon to help. Soon the whole world was submerged in a boundless ocean, and the entire human race perished in the unprecedented flood, all but two humble Thessalians.These were an old childless couple, kind and pious and contented with life. The man was called Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha. Son of Prometheus, Deucalion had been forewarned by his father of the forthcoming flood and had made himself a huge chest. When the roaring deluge came the couple took refuge in it and floated for nine days until it touched land again on Mt Parnassus.The once bustling world presented an unnerving sight. It was now all death and devastation. Feeling lonely and insecure, the old couple prayed to the gods for help. An oracle instructed them to cast the bones of their mother about. The son of the wise Titan, having divined the true meaning of the mysterious command, started throwing stones behind him. A miracle occurred. The stones that the man cast became men; those that the woman threw were turned into women. To Deucalion a son was born later, Hellene by name, who had three sons, Aeolus, Dorus and Xuthus. Aeolus and Dorus became the ancestors respectively of the Aeolians and Dorians. Xuthus had two sons, Ion and Achaeus: the former the progenitor of the Ionians, and the latter of the Achaeans. The land was repeopled, and the Heroic Age had begun.7 Zeus and HeraAfter he had deposed his father, Zeus looked about for a spouse. And one of his sisters, the beautiful and majestic Hera, won his heart. He wooed the lady and was only too readily accepted. At the marriage feast, to which all the residents of Olympus were invited, Hera was declared queen of Heaven and goddess of marriage. They were perfectly happy for a time, but not for long. For Zeus was somewhat lecherous while Hera was intolerably jealous. Despite the fact that Zeus was all-ruling and all powerful, he frequently found it necessary to be on the look-out for his queen. Whenever he slipped down Olympus to seek new love, he saw to it that someclouds were spread to throw his wife off the scent. Hera, for her part, while ultimately submitting to the will of Zeus, kept the father of gods and men under close and constant observation, and was never accommodating enough to reconcile herself with her husband’s new attachments. She had been for ever on the run, trying to keep track of Zeus and devise ways of revenge not always on the all-conquering god, but rather on his hopeless mistresses. Zeus was always able to get away, but the ladies were often left behind to the tender mercies of the queen. Zeus’ zest for life knew no limits, while Hera’s persecution of her rivals and their children were relentless and not at all always justifiable. She viciously transformed comely Callisto into an ungainly bear; she maliciously kept Io wandering in the form of a heifer, giving her no peace; and she spared no effort to molest Heracles until the hero was tormented to a miserable death. Not infrequently did she inflame the rage of Zeus so that the father of gods and men punished her severely. On one occasion Zeus hung her in the clouds, tying two heavy anvils to her dangling feet. But apart from these petty squabbles and miner imperfections of character, they were quite a happy, almighty couple, revered as king and queen of heaven, he, a sky-god, bringer of light, arbiter of right and wrong and giver of reward and punishment, and she, a special guardian of women and a goddess who presided over childbirth.Zeus and Hera had three children, Ares, Hephaestus and Hebe. Ares (Mars) was the hateful god of war and Hephaestus the physically handicapped god of forge. But Hebe was for ever young, rosy and blooming, representing youth and happiness. At the celestial table on Olympus she had served to bear cups of wine to the gods and was ever at the wish of Zeus to pour out nectar. On one solemn occasion, however, the goodness tripped over something and fell, and was thus forced to resign her office. She was endowed with the power of restoring youth and vigor to gods and men. When Heracles had lived out his earthly life span and his soul had come up to Olympus to take his rightful seat there, she married the hero and lived a blissful life .8 IoIo was the daughter of a river-god. She was loved, wooed and won by Zeus. Hera became so jealous that she flew down from Olympus one day to wreak vengeance on her rival. Zeus, however, had foreseen her arrival and changed Io into a beautiful white heifer. Seeing the deceit, Hera requested the heifer as a present and Zeus had to yield to her wish. Then she entrusted the heifer to the care of a hundred-eyed monster, Argus, from whose ever-wakeful eyes no escape was possible. Unable to endure to see her so unhappy, Zeus sent Hermes down to destroy the monster. Disguised as a shepherd, Hermes lulled Argus to sleep with his dulcet songs and tedious stories, then slew him and set Io free. But Hera’s jealous wrath was not to be appeased yet. She sent a gadfly to harry the heifer and drive her from land to land. In her agony the heifer passed over the strait which divides Europe and Asia. Whence the stripe of water got its name Bosporus, the way of the cow. She wandered over the sea, which incidentally derived from her its name the Ionian Sea. Eventually she arrived in Egypt where she was restored to her natural form. She settled downand gave birth to a son. Some of her descendants remained in Egypt and ruled as kings for a long time.9 CallistoIn the charming retinue of Artemis (Diana) there was a beautiful nymph called Callisto. Zeus loved her passionately and often sought her company. Before the year was out she bore him a son, Arcas by name, who later became the eponymous ancestor of the Archadians. Zeus’frequent absences from Mt Olmpus aroused Hera’s suspicions. In time the vengeful queen discovered the truth and devised an effectual scheme of retaliation. One day Callisto suddenly found herself changed into a bear, with monstrous bushy jaws and blood-shot eyes, though she remained human in heart. She instantly left her son and went into hiding in the forest.Years passed. Little Arcas had matured to youthful manhood. He was hunting merrily in the woods one day when a huge gray bear suddenly appeared before him. Both were amazed, he terrified at the sight of the grisly bear, and the bear having recognized her own son in the young hunter. The young man leveled his spear at the slowly approaching bear and was about to pounce upon it when Zeus intervened to stop the folly. For he had not been able to find the whereabouts of his beloved mistress until quite recently and he had been secretly shielding her from all danger and harm. Now he transformed his son into a little bear, and sent both mother and son into the high heavens, where they have remained to this day, known as the constellation of the Great and Little Bear.10 AthenaOn one occasion Zeus suffered a racking headache. When all the gods, including Apollo, the god of medicine, had tried in vain to offer an efficacious remedy, the father of gods and men summoned Hephaestus to split open his head. This the god of fire did, and to the wonder of all the Olympians, a goddess, full-grown and full-armed, issued from the cleavage, radiating light and splendor. She was Athena, goddess of wisdom and knowledge and patroness of Athens.The story of Athena becoming patron goddess of Athens concerns the rivalry between the goddess and Poseidon. When the city of Athens was first built by a Phoenician, both Poseidon and Athena vied for the honor of naming it. It was then agreed that whoever offered the most useful object for men would became the patron of the city. Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and produced a horse, whereas Athena had an olive tree to present, an emblem of peace and plenty. As the horse was deemed as signifying strife and sorrow. Athens was named after the goddess, who forthwith took the city under her protection.Athena was the goddess of arts and crafts and woman’s handiwork. She was so deft with her hands the she tolerated no challenge to her skill in this respect. A Lydian maid, Arachne by name, did not seem to think much of A thena’s dexterity, for she frequently boasted that she could beat the goddess if she had the opportunity to doso. The goddess was quite irritated. Disguised as an old woman, she went to advise Arachne to be modest. But the ignorant craftswoman wantonly dared the goddess herself to come down and compete with her. At this blatant piece of defiance the goddess cast down her disguise and accepted the challenge. The two contestants immediately set about embroidering different designs. While the goddess worked on the story of her rivalry with Poseidon, Arachne began to weave a delicate web. When both pieces were finished, Arachne saw, to her surprise, that she had been beaten, for the goddess’ design was infinitely superior. She felt so chagrined that she tied a piece of silk to hang herself. But just before she breathed her last the goddess changed her into a spider, condemning her to weave for ever.Though often represented as fully armed, helmet and breastplate and all that, she favored patriotic defence. Almost the only goddess who was virgin and free of scandal, Athena seldom exhibited the weaknesses of the gentler sex. She cut a pretty martial figure in the world of myth, and enjoyed worship among the ancients.11 ApolloAmong the crowed of Olympian gods the one most widely worshipped was Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto (Latona). According to Greek mythology, Leto was driven by Hera from land to land until at last Poseidon took pity on her and brought the island of Delos out of water for her to live on. There she gave birth to the twins, Apollo and Artemis.Apollo was the sun-god. Dressed in a purple robe, he sat in his bright eastern palace at dawn and made ready to start his daily journey across the sky. During the day he rode in his chariot of gold and ivory, and brought light, life and love to the vast world below. At dusk he came to the end of his journey in the far western sea and got on his golden boat to return to his eastern abode.Apollo was the god of music and poetry. He was the inspirer of all emotions which find expression in lofty song. With his lyre of gold and the harmonious accents of his god-like voice he led the choir of the muses at Olympus . The dulcet music from his lyre was so inspiring that stones marched into their places in rhythmic time and of their own volition when he help Poseidon build up the walls of Troy . On one occasion, challenged to a contest by the mortal musician Marsyas, he first excelled him and then flayed him to death for his presumption. On another he lost out to Pan at a musical contest and transformed the ears of the judge, King Midas, into those of an ass.His son, Orpheus, inherited such skill from the father that his harp moved man and beast alike .Apollo was the god of prophecy. As revealer he made known the hidden things of Zeus. Men turned to him for advice and guidance in cases of perplexity. Though seldom in direct intercourse with mortals, he granted a special communication of counsel through oracles. His oracle at Delphi was the most renowned because the most stoutly believed of all.Apollo represented youthful, manly beauty. His golden hair, stately bearing andradiant air all combined to make him the admiration of the world. A fair maiden, by the name of Clytie, was so enamoured of his beauty and glory that from dawn to dusk she knelt on the ground, her hands outstretched towards the sun-god, and her eyes gazing at his golden-wheeled carriage racing across the azure sky. Though her love was not requited she had never changed her mind about Apollo. The gods were moved at the pathetic sight, and metamorphosed her into a sunflower.Apollo was also the god of health and healing. His son, Aesculapius, possessed such magic power to call back the dead to life that Zeus felt it advisable to get rid of the mortal physician with his thunderbolt and thus put an end to such interference with his divine authority. Apollo was not happy about this at all. As the Cyclopes had helped make the thunderbolts for Zeus, Apollo would have certainly slain the meddlesome giants had the father of gods and men not intervened himself. Apollo was banished from Olympus to serve a mortal on earth for a year . Because of his more intimate intercourse with the human world he knew more about the bitter life of the mortals, and he was obviously more sympathetic towards them. He slew Python, the monster, which made havoc on a vast area around, and was incidentally known at times by the alias Pythia. “The fire-robed god” thus was a blessing to the world of man.12 DaphneDaphne was a lovely blooming nymph. As she was frolicking in the woods one day she saw Apollo the sun-god gazing at her with more than amazement and admiration in his eye. The beaming face of the sun put her to flight. The eager Apollo followed her closely behind, calling out to her to stop. His passion having been kindled by her beauty and grace, he was afraid that this might be the last time he saw her. The nimble nymph made the best of her legs, but the ardent Apollo pressed hard upon her. Through rough fields and pathless woods she ran, but the sound of his pursuing feet ever grow nearer. As he ran he entreated his beloved to slow down, for he feared that she might tumble over and bruise her sparkling skin on the rugged roads. But the fugitive nymph never cared so much as to throw one glance backwards. At last she was quite breathless and cried to her father, a river-god, for help. No sooner had prayer been uttered than answered, for she had instantly found herself glued to the ground and a layer of soft bark growing over her fair skin. She had been turned into a laurel tree. Sighing, Apollo embraced the tree trunk, which responded by shrinking back. To show his undying love for the nymph, he decided that the laurel would be his favourite tree and should be the prize of honour and renown for deathless poets and poetry. Thus the most accomplished poet always desires to be made a poet laureate.13 NiobeNiobe, the queen of Thebes, had indeed good reason to be proud of herself. On both sides of her family, she was descended from the gods. Her husband was a gifted andaccomplished musician. And she was both wealthy and powerful. But what made her the happiest lady in the world was her fourteen children, seven manly sons and seven beautiful daughters. They were all so strong and fair that the whole world looked upon them with admiration.It happened at the time that every spring the Theban women gathered at the temple of Leto to offer laurels at the altars of the great mother who had given birth to two grand children, Apollo and Artemis. The piety and reverence shown by her women made Niobe jealous and wrathful. When the priestess of Leto called the women again to the shrine of the mistress of Zeus one spring, Niobe decided to put an end to the folly once and for all. In her pretty flowing robe she came to the gathering and reproached the crowd for their fanatical faith in a goddess whom they had never seen. She declared herself nobler and greater, and demanded to be worshipped in place of Leto, who, she said, was no more than a humble mother of two children. The frightened women yielded their allegiance to the queen, and left the shrine in silence. Leto was neglected.Standing on top of a hill overlooking Thebes, Leto saw all this and was bent on her vengeance. She sought out Apollo and Artemis and told them the story. Before long, the impatient avengers arrived outside Thebes in hidden clouds. The seven sons of Niobe were frolicking on the playground, two practising horsemanship and two wrestling while the other princes happily stood by. Apollo held out his bow. One by one the princes fell under his unfailing shafts. Even the youngest, who prayed for mercy, was not spared.Niobe was utterly changed. She was all sorrow and grief, but her insolent spirit was not subdued. She came to the dead bodies of her sons with her daughters and let out a torrent of irreverent language at Leto and her children. This time it was Artemis’turn to draw her bowstring. Almost in a twinkling of an eye all the seven vivacious daughters fell, weltering in their blood, and soon ceased to breathe. Niobe became numb of feeling. She sat amidst the fourteen dead bodies, motionless, her eyes blank, her tears coursing down her cold cheeks. Her excruciating anguish had turned her into a stone! Later, a gust of wind swept her to her homeland in Asia, where she could still be seen sitting on top of a hill, tears of bitterness streaming out of her strong sockets.14 ArtemisJust as Apollo drove his golden chariot across the heavens during the day, worshipped as the sun-god, so Artemis raced across the sky in solemn pomp at night, revered as the moon-goddess. Sitting in an airy chariot drawn by milk-white steeds, “the queen of wide air” shed silver light all over the sleeping world below. Though she remained single all her life the maiden heart of the goddess was at least for once thrilled as she saw the beautiful youth Endymion sleeping. She might have felt tenderness towards Orion, but she had probably regarded him more as a hunting companion. She was chaste and fair and serene. She was the paragon of maiden modesty andgrace. Just as Apollo represents manly beauty, so Artemis stands for feminine chastity and virginity. As their patron goddess she took it upon herself to protect marrying girls and young women in trouble. It was to her altar that those maidens turned for love and happiness.The twin sister of Apollo was also the goddess of hunting and wild life. Dressed in a short hunting-suit coming up to the knee and followed by a team of boisterous lovely nymphs, Artemis had always her bow of pearl and crystal-shining quiver with her and roamed the forest in pursuit of game. When she felt hot and tired she would retire to a spring to bathe. It was here that young Actaeon inadvertently came and suffered cruel treatment at the hands of the goddess. Indeed, the goddess could be thoroughly ruthless and ceased to be lovely the moment the wicked side of her nature got the upper hand in her. The tragedy of Niobe was just a case in point.15 ActaeonWhen she was tired with hunting Artemis used to bathe in a little mountain spring．One hot summer afternoon she was refreshing herself in the cool，quiet brook with her nymphs when she heard a rustle behind the bushes ．She felt quite annoyed to find that a young hunter was peeping admiringly at her naked form．Her nymphs gave a shrill cry and crowded around the goddess．But young Actaeon had seen the huntress．Actaeon loved the chase．He had been scouring the woods every day．On this particular afternoon he felt so tired with running about that he unwittingly came over to the spring in search of water，and thus surprised t Artemis bathing．The irritated goddess was not to be appeased．She splashed water in the hunter's face，and no sooner had the water drops fallen on Actaeon than he was transformed into a stag ．Just at this moment he heard the howling of his pack of fifty hounds coming up to him．He was suddenly seized with fear ，and presently fled．The dogs，all driven mad by the goddess，pursued him closely behind．Running as fast as his legs could carry him，Actaeon was soon out of breath ．Feeling certain that he was doomed，he dropped to the ground and made no further attempt to stir．The dogs closed in on their former master and tore him to pieces．16 OrionOrion was a giant hunter．He was the beautiful son of Poseidon．One day，when hunting in the forest，he caught sight of Artemis' nymphs，the seven Pleiades．He was so fascinated with their beauty that he started chasing them．In despair the charming maidens prayed to Artemis for help and were sent up by the goddess to the heavens as a constellation. Later he fell in love with another maiden，Merope by name，but impetuous and impatient，he ravished the maiden and enraged her father，King Oenopion of Chios．The king made him drunk and put out his eyes ．Following the sound of the Cyclopes' hammer，he went to Hephaestus，who sent a guide to travel。
