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.  

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).

 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. 

Book V & VI

Book V:
Perseus & Phineas:  Uncle and previous suitor to Andromeda challenges Perseus, a great fight breaks out and Phineas is turned to stone from Medusa's head.

Proetus:  Questioned Perseus and met a similar fate as Phineas.

Polydectes:  Tries to question Perseus as well and is turned to stone from Medusa's head.

Ceres & Proserpina:  A mother and daughter bond is challenged.

Arethusa & Alpheus:  Chased by a river-god, Arethusa asks for Diana's help and is transformed into a spring after hiding in a cloud.








Book VI:

Arachne:  Despite Minerva's warning, Arachne allowed her pride to transform her into a spider.

Niobe:  Niobe's arrogance kills all of her children.

Latona & Lycian Peasants:  Latona seeks water from the Lycian folks and is refused, transforming them into frogs.

Marsyas:  A satyr meets sparagmos, but the tears shed for his death became a stream named Marsyas.

Tereus, Procne, & Philomela:  Man should never take what does not belong to him, a woman's vengeance is very mighty.

Book 3 & 4

Book III:
Cadmus:  Cadmus slays a serpent, spreads its teeth in the soil, and men sprout from the ground.

Actaeon:  A pervert is punished and transformed into a stag.

Semele:  Tricked by Juno into asking to see Jove's true form, and explodes from looking upon a God.

Narcissus & Echo:  Self-love destroys Echo's love.

Pentheus:  Morphed into a boar, and dies at the hands of his family for doubting Bacchus.






Book IV:
Pyramus & Thisbe:  Forbidden Lovers tragic end, slaughtered by their own hand, and spill blood on a Mulberry Tree. 

Mars, Venus, Vulcan, & the Sun:  Love affairs and jealousy weave a web of embarrassment for the Gods.

 Salmacis & Hermaphroditus:  The nymph desired Hermaphroditus and morphed with his body, when he swam in her water.


The Daughters of Minyas:  Bacchus transforms these ladies into bats, for not recognizing his holiday.

Medusa & Persius:  Perseus tells his father-in-law of how he slayed Medusa, and how Minerva punished her beauty with snakes for hair and looks that could kill.