Greek/ Roman Mythology by ANNE VOGEL https://padlet.com/avogel18/z4p5q5z26x9s Prometheus (and Io), Scylla and Charybdis, Cupid and Psyche en-us 2017-12-19 22:03:43 UTC 2023-02-25 08:48:45 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Clouds.png Prometheus and Io avogel18 https://padlet.com/avogel18/z4p5q5z26x9s/wish/217389046 Summary: Prometheus was a titan, but a friend of the gods. He not only created mortals, but loved them unconditionally, and eventually went against the wishes of Zeus (the king of the gods) and introduced fire to man kind. In doing so, he greatly angered Zeus and his punishment was to be chained him to a huge boulder on the top of a mountain, facing an eternity of not only being chained to the mountain, but having his liver torn out and eaten every day by an eagle (because Prometheus was a titan, he was immortal, so his liver would grow back just to be torn out again the next day). Io on the other hand was a mortal maiden, a very pure and lovable one. Zeus, who was not very faithful to his godly wife Hera, spent a lot of time with this girl. Hera was the goddess of matrimony and did not take to kindly to Zeus's activities involving Io, so in order to save her from the wrath of Hera, Zeus turned Io into a white cow. However, when Hera saw the cow, she knew that it was Io, no matter how much Zeus tried to convince her otherwise. Hera told Zeus that if the cow actually was in fact a cow and not the fair maiden, that Zeus had to give it to her. Hera assigned Argus (who had many eyes) to watch over the cow day and night so there would be no escape. Zeus eventually sent Hermes, the messenger god, to distract Argus and put him to sleep and close all of his eyes, and he cut off his head. Hera was devastated and sent a huge gadfly after Io to constantly bite and sting her for as long as she lived. In her never ending flee of the gadfly, she eventually stumbled upon the mountain where Prometheus was chained. He spoke to her, and told her that he knew who she was and to go to the Nile river to meet Zeus and she would be turned back into a maiden. He promised her that once she returned to human form, she would become the mother of a race of heroes, and that one day one of those heroes would free him of his imprisonment. Eventually one did; Heracles. 
Lesson: The myth of Prometheus and Io shows how the enduring spirit of Prometheus is refigured in the suffering Io. They share a common injustice and pain, and even though they look very different they have empathy for one another. People hating each other because of differences in looks is a big global issue but is especially bad in the US. The myth of Prometheus and Io shows how easy it is the push aside our differences.
Allusions: Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly. When Prometheus gave the humans fire, he not only opened new opportunities to improve society, but also introduced a destructive force. This concept parallels the one of Victor, who created Frankenstein. It begins when his mother dies and he initially thinks that by creating the monster, he can create life and overcome deaths like the one of his mothers. Like Prometheus, Victor began with honorable intentions, but his actions eventually lead to harmful consequences. Like the monster, at first fire was something wonderful that the humans received. However, over time, the actions of the humans turned it into an evil force.
Conflicts: 
  • Prometheus vs Zeus
  • Io vs Hera
  • Hera vs Zeus 
  • Io vs the elements
  • Io vs herself
  • Prometheus vs himself
  • Prometheus vs the eagle 
Characters: 
  • Prometheus
  • Zeus
  • Hera
  • Io
Setting: The rocky peaks of Caucasus
Biblio:
“Prometheus and Io.” Allusions, 12 Feb. 2013

]]> 2017-12-19 22:12:55 UTC https://padlet.com/avogel18/z4p5q5z26x9s/wish/217389046 Scylla and Charybdis avogel18 https://padlet.com/avogel18/z4p5q5z26x9s/wish/217393296 Summary: In Greek mythology, Scylla and Charybdis were a pair of monsters who lived on opposite ends of the Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily. Scylla was originally a sea nymph who was loved by the sea god Poseidon. Out of jealousy, Poseidon's wife Amphitrite poisoned the waters in which Scylla bathed. This turned Scylla into a six-headed beast with three rows of sharp teeth in each head. When ships passed close by her, she grabbed and ate unwary sailors.
Charybdis was also a sea nymph, as well as the daughter of Poseidon. Zeus transformed her into a dangerous whirlpool across the strait from Scylla. Ships sailing the strait were almost certain to be destroyed by one of the monsters.
In the Odyssey, Scylla was a supernatural female creature, with 12 feet and 6 heads on long, snaky necks, each head having a triple row of sharklike teeth, while her loins were girdled by the heads of baying dogs. From her lair in a cave she devoured whatever ventured within reach, including six of Odysseus’s companions. Charybdis, who lurked under a fig tree a bowshot away on the opposite shore, drank down and belched forth the waters thrice a day and was fatal to shipping. The shipwrecked Odysseus barely escaped her clutches by clinging to a tree until the improvised raft that she swallowed floated to the surface again after many hours.
Lesson: it’s about the lesser of two evils principle. Both Scylla and Charybdis were extremely dangerous, lethal creatures. Odysseus was advised to move closer to Scylla, as she was the less dangerous. He sacrificed six men, but managed to save his ship and the other men. Sometimes, therefore, one has to make the necessary sacrifices and choose not the best option (there may be no such option at all) but the less bad.
Allusions: "He talks about the Scylla of Atheism and the Charybdis of Christianity- a state of mind which, by the way, is not conducive to bold navigation" (South Wind, Norman Douglas)
Conflicts: 
  • Poseidon vs Amphitrite
  • Zeus vs Poseidon
  • Scylla vs Amphitrite
Characters: 
  • Scylla
  • Charybdis 
  • Poseidon
  • Zeus
  •  Amphitrite
Setting: The Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily
Biblio:
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Scylla and Charybdis.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 16 June 2015
]]> 2017-12-19 22:59:22 UTC https://padlet.com/avogel18/z4p5q5z26x9s/wish/217393296 Psyche and Cupid avogel18 https://padlet.com/avogel18/z4p5q5z26x9s/wish/217395762 Summary: People throughout the land worshiped Psyche’s beauty so much that they forgot about the goddess Venus. Venus becomes furious that her temples are falling to ruin, so she plots to destroy Psyche. She tells her son, Cupid, to shoot her with one of his arrows so she will fall in love with the most vile man alive but when he sees her in all her beauty, he shoots himself instead. Psyche and her family are worried that she will never find a husband. Many men find her beautiful, they just never want to marry her. Her father prays to Apollo for help and Apollo tells her to climb to the top of a hill where she will marry a serpent not a man. Psyche follows his instructions and finds a mansion at the top. She enjoys fine food and luxurious treatment. At night, in the dark, she meets and falls in love with her husband. She lives happily with him, until one day her two sisters come to visit her. They become extremely jealous and convince her to betray his trust and sneak a peak of him. So Psyche turns on a lamp when her husband is lying next to her and discovers Cupid asleep on her bed. Cupid awakes and deserts her because love cannot live where there is no trust. Venus decides again to enact revenge on Psyche. Psyche journeys all over to find Cupid. When she goes to Venus for forgiveness, Venus laughs in her face. Venus gives her multiple impossible tasks for one person to do alone. The first was sorting a heap of seeds in one night. The ants take pity on her and sort the seeds for her. Venus, shocked, gives her another task. She orders Psyche to sleep on the cold ground and eat only on piece of bread of dinners. Psyche survive easily. Finally Venus commands her to get a golden fleece from the river. A reed speaks to her and suggests that she collect the golden pieces of the fleece from a thorn bush that catches it. Psyche presents Venus with a sizable quantity. Venus now orders Psyche to fill a flask from the mouth of the River Styx. The dangerous rocks make it impossible so an eagle helps her a fill it for her. Venus does not stop there, she orders her to go to the underworld and have Persephone put some of her beauty in a box. Psyche succeeds. But on her way to give the box to Venus, she opens it and falls asleep immediately. Cupid finds her and awakes her. He takes her to Zeus and requests immortality for her. Zeus grants this request. Cupid and Psyche marry with Venus’s blessing because now Psyche is goddess, she is not distracting the men on earth anymore.
Lesson: Cupid trusts that Psyche will never look upon him. Psyche eventually breaks this trust. "Love cannot live where there is no trust."
Allusions:  Cinderella's two step-sisters jealousy of her parallel Psyche's sisters jealousy of her. Like in Cupid and Psyche, the sisters attempt to destroy the relationship of the two lovers and take it for themselves; Cinderella's sisters try to fit into her glass slipper. Psyche and Cinderella are also two women from lower classes who fall in love with men of a higher status- god and prince.
Conflicts: 
  • Venus vs Cupid
  • Venus vs Psyche
  • Cupid vs Psyche
  • Psyche vs herself
Characters: 
  • Venus
  • Cupid
  • Psyche
Setting:  
  • Cupid's Palace
  • The Underworld
  • Mt. Olympus
Biblio:
Hamilton, Edith. “Mythology Cupid and Psyche Summary and Analysis.”
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