Thursday, December 9, 2010

Book XV

Myscelus-  Myscelus is told to leave his homeland by the Gods, and they interfere in the laws of man.












Pythagoras-  Pleads with people not to eat animal flesh, viewed as savage beasts when we do so, and you might eat your own flesh and blood.
Numa-  After learning the tales of others, he became a great king that was beloved by his people.



Egeria and Hippolytus-  Hippolytus tells his story of dying and rebirth to relieve the grieving widow Egeria.


Tages- Found as a clump of dirt, able to transform into a human and could talk from newborn lips.

Book IV

Glaucus, Circe, Scylla-  Glaucus asks for help from Circe in gaining Scylla's love, Circe offers herself to him only to be refused, Scylla is punished by Circe replacing her legs with hounds.

The Cercopes-  Vile men that were transformed into monkeys and banished to the island, Pytheaisae.


The Sibyl-  Tells her story of regret to Aeneas.

The Apulian Shepherd-  Insulted nymphs and became an olive tree.

Ardea-  From the ashes of war, the heron is born.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Book XIII


Ajax-  Dies by his own hand willingly, his blood soaks in the ground springing up a Hyacinth.
















Polyxena-  She would rather die as a sacrifice to Achilles' grave, then as a slave.


Polyxena and Hecuba-  Hecuba mourns for her child and curses those responsible.
Click to see image















Hecuba, Polydorus, Polymestor-  Many felt Hecuba's sorrow when she unleashed on Polymestor for her son's death.










Aurora and Memnon-  Another mother mourns her lost son, homage is paid with a fight amongst birds.

Book XII

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Rumor-  Knows all and hears all, especially the ships that are closing in on Phrygia's shores; ready to wage war.











Achilles and Cycnus- Achilles is faced with the difficult task of killing Cycnus, eventually figures out that he needs to strangle Cycnus.
Caenis/Caenus-  Taken against her will, she was allowed one request for compensation, and she wished to be turned into a man to prevent rape.
Cyllarus-  A magnificent centaur is killed by a lance, and is soon followed by Hylonome throwing herself upon the same lance.
Hercules and Periclymenus- Nestor tells the story of Hercules slaying Periclymenus.

Term Paper

 
The Importance of Myth in Movies
           Every day we do not realize the significance of mythology in our lives.  The placement of mythology in movies and the incorporation of Deus Ex Machina as an ending creates a symbiotic relationship within film.  Deus Ex Machina has withstood the trials of time and will continue to do so.  Foreshadowing comes into play with Deus Ex Machina endings and is of value to myth.  Many movies with hints of myth have seeped unknowingly into our lives and hearts.
            Deus Ex Machina is generally used when a storyteller has dug himself a deep hole in the plot and has no other logical way to get out of a story.  The storyteller has no other choice but to use an improbable event to reach resolution.  Oftentimes, this strategy was used during Greek plays.  When things would go awry on stage, a God would either be wheeled from above or below the stage, via machine, and fix the problem.  Hence, Deus Ex Machina loosely translates to, "God out of the machine.”  Such endings make critics’ skins crawl and are considered to be a lazy way out of a difficult plot.  What most viewers don’t realize is that it happens all the time in movies.  In fact, many movies with Deus Ex Machina endings have become major blockbuster hits, despite their mythological conclusions.  To be truthful, I loathed such endings and would dismiss the ideas behind such laziness.  Through the knowledge that Professor Sexson has instilled in all of us, I actually became quite fond of such endings.  By placing Deus Ex Machina into a film, humans are intertwining their own hands into the movie, predestining themselves as Gods.  Deus Ex Machina is beneficial to the audience because it allows us to know that we exist outside of another level of thinking.  Myth is commonly introduced into many movies as a way to further the climax.  Humans crave mysticism and spiritual connotations.  By living vicariously through myth, we are providing substantial evidence that we will continue in a never-ending timeline.  The form of Deus Ex Machina also gives the necessary tools to the artist to reveal how the world truly envelops us.  However, many critics not only dispute the "quick-fix" conclusion, but they disagree on whether or not foreshadowing is an element of Deus Ex Machina. 
            This conflict about foreshadowing intricately placed into movies with Deus Ex Machina themes, is appalling.  As the lead actors of our own lives, we are constantly bombarded with hints of what will come.  Ignoring the hints in life is truly the chaos of our reality.  If everyone knew what their futures held, there would be no adventure or mystical tones in life.  Where would the fun be in listening to the warnings of friends and family?  The experience in life would be dull, and no one would learn from their mistakes.  If Europa had looked at her basket with the story of Io and Jove, then her story would never have unfolded.  By ignoring the foreshadowing literally placed under her nose, she has given a timeless tale that encourages obliviousness.  Movies are always riddled with hints of what the hero will face or need to rise up against. 
            Movies are heavily influenced by Greek mythology without the viewer's awareness.  One story that is repeatedly popular in movies, is the story of Pygmalion.  An artist that falls in love with a statue that he sculpted.  Pretty Woman is very similar to Pygmalion's story, and the unlikelihood of making a prostitute a housewife.  O Brother, Where Art Thou has the Odyssey to thank for its success, and the flood that conveniently saved them from being hanged.  Many movies follow the ever impressive, heroes' quest.  The lead character in Aliens is uncannily parallel to Perseus slaying Medusa.  The hero Ripley butchers the alien with ease in a giant mechanical suit, which a background character just so happened to ask in the beginning, "if she knew how to use it."  In the movie IT, by Stephen King, the heroic children slay the evil giant spider with a childish slingshot.  This scene reminds me of Hercules killing the hydra, on the basis of feeling so small and up against a large monster.  One of the most obvious of comparisons is The Labyrinth, and its relation to Theseus and his travel through the labyrinth.  The main character in the movie has a "hard time" remembering her lines, and finally realizes that these lines are the key to defeating the goblin king.  This movie is plagued with foreshadowing, especially in the beginning.  Her bedroom is full of mythical toys and books, that grab the viewer's attention.  The dog's name even changes from Merlin to Ambrosius, two names that are very saturated in myth. 
The Matrix holds a candle to all of the mythology hero stories.  All of the names of ships and characters, are deeply marked with myth.  Neo's fate is to return back into The Matrix and reboot the system, much like the timeline of the hero returning to the beginning.  Poor Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz could swap stories with Europa.  If both girls had just taken the time to look down, they would realize their fates and go home.  There are so many more movies that are infused with mythology and Deus Ex Machina, and inserting all of them would be a daunting task.  The fact that mythology has influenced so many movies, only confirms its importance.
            Mythology has familiarized all of us to its entrancing qualities.  The fact that modern movies are heavily influenced by myth, is not surprising. By placing Deus Ex Machina in a story, we are repeating the history of myth.  In keeping myth alive, we are keeping to the traditions of storytelling.    Myth gives us the basis of our existence a kind of meaning. Don't forget to ignore the hints in life, otherwise you will miss out on the adventure.

Eschatological Dream

Again, the flesh and blood of dead men are commonly eaten and drunk to inspire bravery, wisdom, or other qualities for which those men were remarkable, or which are supposed to have their special seat in the particular part consumed.  (The Golden Bough 464-65)
       I finally had a dream which incidentally coincided with my eschatology blog.  I awoke to someone knocking on my front door.  It was three in the morning and my mind instantly thought of police.  I stumbled down my long stairs and heard the distant cries of police sirens.  I felt very disoriented and peaked out of the corner of my window.  I visibly saw a man trying to knock on my front door with his head, not in a violent manner, but in a dull and lifeless way.  I slowly backed up and ran into a wall, making a huge noise.  I started to see the outline of hands pounding on the windows outside.  My heart raced and I ran upstairs to grab any available weapon.  All of a sudden I found myself armed to the teeth in weapons.  I felt so scared and helpless against the apocalypse that was before me.  Everything became a blur and I was performing moves that have only been seen in movies.  The amount of zombies began to come in hordes and I began to feel like a trapped mouse.  My brain must have noticed my distress and I woke up scrambling out of bed.  Instantly I began to turn on every light in the house and checked my body for bite marks.  The realism of my dream was still saturated in my mind. 
       Eschatology is infused in the back of my mind and I constantly feed it with the appropriate "media junk food."  I am willing to confess my obsession with zombie paraphernalia, and feel that the apocalypse should be taken with a grain of salt.  I'm sure that cataclysmic events will unfold, but I am not willing to admit as to how. 
    One of the many sources for "end of days" fans, are books.  My favorite book in particular is The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.  This book does not have zombies, but instead the substitute of cannibals.  The idea of people consuming human flesh is disturbing on many levels.  According to The Golden Bough, consumption of your enemies' flesh is avidly supported: "Just as the savage thinks he can swallow the moral and other virtues in the shape of food, so he fondly imagines that he can inoculate himself with them" (465).  By eating flesh, you are imbibing that persons' strength and soul.  A perfect example of this idea is the movie Ravenous, a man is found alone in the woods and is later found to be a cannibal.  I do not wish to disturb anyone with my observations, but our culture has been invaded with the idea of cannibalism.  This leads me to believe that our world is destined for the end, turning towards such savageries.   

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Book XI

Orpheus-  Voice and lyre enchants and puts the Bucchantes into a frenzy, killing him, once again reuniting him with his love.

The Bacchantes-  Bacchus punishes anyone who killed Orpheus, by binding them to the ground as a tree.       
Midas-    Wished everything he touched to turn into gold, then regretted his powers, changed back, but then refutes Pan's defeat and receives asses ears.
  Peleus and Thetis-  Thetis is captured by Peleus while she slept in her cave, awoke tied down and could not escape through shape-shifting.

Aesacus-  Tries to kill himself after chasing Hesperie to her death (snakebite), but is saved by being turned into a diving bird.

Book X

Orpheus and Eurydice-  Orpheus goes to the underworld to fetch his wife and is told not to look back while she follows him from the underbelly, but at the last moment he turns around and loses her a second time.
Pygmalion-  Falls in love with his own art, a girl of ivory, granted by venus his ivory goddess comes to life.
Venus and Adonis-  Born from Myrrha(slep with father), Venus falls in love with him and warns him about wild animals.  

Awakening of Adonis - John William Waterhouse

Atlanta and Hippomenes-  Raced to be wed; Venus gave 3 golden apples to Hippomenes to distract Atlanta, but they never gave homage to Venus and were transformed into lions (pull Cybeles' chariot).
 
Fate of Adonis-  Ignores warning and is stabbed by a boar in the groin, his blood drips and becomes Anemone flower.

 

Book IX

Hercules, Deianira, Nessus-  The centaur Nessus tries to steal Deianira and Hercules kills him with his bow & arrow.

Hercules and Deianira-    Deianira thought Hercules' love had strayed and giving him the flaming tunic soaked in Nessus' blood, killing Hercules.




Achelous and Hercules-

  The river-god fights with Hercules over Deianira, transforms into a snake and then a bull, defeated after having his horn removed (known as a Cornucopia)












Alcmena-  Gives the detail of being in labour with Hercules and how Lucina tried to prevent his birth, but was tricked by Galanthis(turned into a weasel).

File:Virgil Solis - Alcmena.jpg


 Dryope-  Sister to Iole, she is transformed into a tree by mistakenly plucking blossoms from a goddess disguised as a lotus.

 


Book VIII

Scylla, Nisus, Minos-  Scylla falls for Minos(enemy) during her country's war and cuts Nisus' purple locket of hair to give to Minos.







Daedalus, Minotaur, Theseus, Ariadne-  The Minotaur is trapped in a labyrinth created by Daedalus, but Ariadne helps Theseus through the maze with the help of twine.











Althaea and Meleager-  Althaea's need for vengeance was too great and she threw her son's(Meleager) log into the fire, killing him.








Theseus and Achelous-  The river-god throws a sexy party for Theseus in his beautiful cave.












Daedalus and Icarus-  Daedalus made wings to escape Minos and Icarus(his son) flies too close to the sun and drowned.

Book VII



Medea and Jason-  A powerful sorceress helps her love procure the golden fleece.

 
Medea and Aeson-  Medea gives Jason's father, Aeson, new life.
 









The flight of Medea-  Passes all the tragedies of myth to kill her unfaithful husband's new bride.
 
Cephalis, Procris, Aurora-  Thoughts of infidelity leads to a javelin in the breast.







 The Plague-  Juno's fury is taken out on the poor people of Aegina Island.

Theseus and Achelous

My story for the one minute presentation was about Theseus and Achelous meeting.  Theseus has just finished helping with the Calydonian hunt and desperately wants to cross Achelous' swollen river.  Achelous warns Theseus of traveling through his river and offers him a place to stay, at his cave.  When Theseus enters the cave, he is amazed to find it ornately decorated with seashells and soft moss for his feet to step on.  Achelous is so pleased to have such a renowned hero, that he throws him a grand feast with sexy nymphs. The story then goes into the two talking about the islands just outside Achelous' cave. 

There were no other versions of this story and it was difficult to find anything that suggested otherwise.  I did find that this feast was very influential during the 16th century in Italy, many villas share the decorum of Achelous' cave and the lavish feast is also a staple to the Italian day.  I also found that the two characters are in the opposite spectrum of positive and negative.  Achelous is a swollen, dirty river and is only mentioned briefly in one of Ovid's books, and Theseus is a great hero who has overcome many obstacles.  The meeting of these two characters is not by chance and Theseus wonders this. The stories that the two share are very important as to how Theseus will return home.  Achelous is merely warning Theseus of what lies ahead.