Mythology

| Echo and Narcissus | Icarus and Deadalus | The Golden Fleece | Midas | Phaeton | Arachne | Muses |

I grouped most of these under mythology because they are the ancient Greeks' way of explaining things.

Echo And Narcissus

Echo and Narcissus – Summary

Echo was a nymph who, along with other nymphs at different times, had an affair with Zeus. Whenever Hera came looking for Zeus' lovers, Echo would keep Hera entertained with stories while the lover escaped. Hera realized this, and she caused Echo only to be able to echo other people's words.

Eventually, Narcissus came through the forest where Echo lived, and she became enamored with him. However, he wanted nothing to do with love, and rejected her. Echo hid, and died eventually, until only her voice remained, still echoing whatever people said.

Some time later, a maiden, rejected by Narcissus, sent out a plea that Narcissus would also know unrequited love. Nemesis, the avenging god, fulfilled this plea, causing Narcissus to look upon himself in a pond. He fell in love with himself, and spent the last of his days yearning to touch what he thought was a water spirit. In time, he grew weak without water or food and died.

Echo and Narcissus – Moral

The moral to the Greeks was to never have hubris , or excessive pride. Narcissus compared his looks to gods, and died by a god's enchantment.

Source: http://www.loggia.com/myth/echo.html

Deadalus and Icarus

Flight Of Icarus by Iron Maiden

As the sun breaks, above the ground,
An old man stands on the hill.
As the ground warms, to the first rays of light
A birdsong shatters the still.

His eyes are ablaze,
See the madman in his gaze.

Fly on your way, like an eagle,
Fly as high as the sun,
On your way, like an eagle,
Fly and touch the sun.

Now the crowd breaks and young boy appears
Looks the old man in the eye
As he spreads his wings and shouts at the crowd
In the name of God my father I fly.

His eyes seem so glazed
As he flies on the wings of a dream.
Now he knows his father betrayed
Now his wings turn to ashes to ashes his grave

Fly, on your way, like an eagle,
Fly as high as the sun,
On your way, like an eagle,
Fly as high as the sun.

The Golden Fleece

This fleece was the skin of a golden ram which hung in a sacred grove, guarded by a dragon, at the far end of the earth. The hero Jason was given the task of winning the fleece, and he entreated the aid of the other Greeks. He was helped by all the celebrated heroes of the past, including Orpheus and Hercules.

These heroes, fifty in number, were called the Argonauts, because they sailed with Jason in the ship Argo. After many adventures they reached the land of the fleece; and here Jason was aided by the king's daughter, Medea, who was a mighty sorceress. She charmed and then drugged the dragon, so that she and Jason escaped with the treasured prize. Being pursued by Medea's father and his followers, the heroes fled in the Argo and sailed onward. They kept following the coast-line, until at length they encircled the world, that is, the world of Europe as the ancients knew it, and in this manner got back to Greece, having been the first men to see all the wonders of the world.

The later fate of both Jason and Medea was tragic. He deserted her, and she in revenge slew their children.

Source: http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/The_Story_of...Famous_Events_Vol_1/jasongol_gb.html
Whole story: http://messagenet.com/myths/ppt/Golden_Fleece_1.html

The Midas Touch

King Midas was a king who helped Silenos return to Dionysus. In return, Dionysus asked what King Midas wanted, and Midas said he wanted whatever he touched to turn to gold.

Source: http://www.loggia.com/myth/midas.html

Phaeton

The son of the sun-god Helios. When Phaeton finally learned who his father was, he went east to meet him. He convinced his father to allow him to drive the chariot of the sun across the heavens for one day. The horses, feeling their reins held by a weaker hand, ran wildly out of their course and came close to the earth, threatening to burn it. Zeus noticed the danger and with a thunderbolt he destroyed Phaeton. He fell down into the river Eridanus where he was found by the river nymphs who mourned him and buried him. The tears of these nymphs turned into amber. For the Ethiopians however it was already too late: they were scorched by the heat and their skins had turned black.

Source: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/phaeton.html

Arachne

Arachne was born in a lowly family, but her skill in spinning and weaving was extraordinary. When Athena learned that Arachne's fame as a worker of wool rivalled her own, she was determined to destroy her. Arachne was foolish enough not to admit that Athena was her teacher and challenged her to a contest. Disguised as an old woman, Athena warned Archane about the danger of her hubris but Arachne persisted. Athena in anger threw off her disguise and accepted the challenge. She wove at her loom, with surpassing skill, a tapestry depicting noble scenes from mythology. Arrogant Arachne, on the other hand, wove into her tapestry scenes of the gods' less honorable amorous conquests. Athena was furious, particularly since she could find no fault with Arachne's excellent work. She tore up the embroidered tapestry and beat Arachne's face with the shuttle. Grief-stricken, Arachne strangled herself with a noose, but Athena took pity and transformed her into a spider; as such, she and her descendants practice the art of weaving forever.

Source: http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/religion/myths/arachne.htm

The Muses

The Muses were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. There were nine of them, each presiding over a different category of human culture.

Calliope | Muse of Epic Poetry

Clio | Muse of History

Euterpe | Muse of Lyric Poetry

Melpomene | Muse of Tragedy

Terpsichore | Muse of Choral Dance and Song

Erato | Muse of Love Poetry

Polyhymnia | Muse of Sacred Poetry

Urania | Muse of Astronomy

Thalia | Muse of Comedy

Source: http://www.loggia.com/myth/muses.html

Here's a quiz I took on which muse I am. It was a tie between Euterpe and Clio, but after a tie breaker, I ended up being the muse of music.

Here's the link to : http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q _id=228

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