18 Myths of Death - Lecture notes 17 PDF

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CLCS 101 with Jessica Brooks at CSULB during Fall 2017 semester...

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Myths of Death Monday, November 6, 2017

9:36 AM

The greatest mystery in life is death For the ancient Greeks, afterlife was bleak and happiness had to be achieved during life Some escaped death Persephone and Hades would give you water from the river of forgetfulness (Lethe) and send you back to relive your life Theme: Descent into/return from the Underworld Hermes is the soul guide Persephone Dionysus brought back his mother Semele and took her to Mt. Olympus as Thyone Believed that death was inevitable but NOT natural. Death was always caused. Death was caused by the natural world (storm; animal) a human being something from another realm (ghosts, witches, magicians, priests) Greeks believed in fate and divine will Most Greeks believed that the body decayed but the soul survived as an image known as an eidolon. The soul would leave the body as the last breath. The only way to prevent someone from returning as a ghost is to give them proper funerary rites. Cremation was a permanent separation between soul and body that would guard against ghosts. By 6th century BC, death and proper burial were firmly in place in Greek Society After you die, your soul is supposed to be taken to Hades by Hermes. Hermes takes you to the ferryman. To pay the ferryman, you put coins in the deceased person's mouth. In Hades, there are 5 rivers. Styx (hatred) Acheron (pain) Lethe (oblivion; forgetfulness) You tell the judges about your life and they decide where you belong. Minos is one of the 3 judges. You are given water from the river Lethe which causes you to forget your life on Earth. The judges then deliver their decision. Most people go to the Plains of Asphodal and live a life very similar to your life on Earth. Very few people go to the Elysian Fields and the Isles of the Blessed. Warriors went to the Elysian Fields. If you lived a bad life, you went to Tartarus. Hades is the God of the Underworld. He is not death. He is also called Pluto, the Enricher. Hades does not decide who lives and who dies; That decision is made by the fates. Hades invokes Thanatos "death," but even Thanatos does not decide who lives and dies.

Hades and Persephone in the Underworld (image) Hekate takes Persephone's place in the Underworld for the months she is gone. Underworld Deities and Monsters: Persephone - Hades' wife (Zeus and Demeter) Hermes - Psychopompos - Hermes as the "soul guide" Charon - the Ferryman Hekate who takes Persephone's place Cerberus - three-headed dog The 3 judges (including Minos) The 3 Fates Thanatos / Mors (God of Death) Story of Orpheus and Eurydice Orpheus was famous for singing to the lyre Aristaeus tried to rape Eurydice on her wedding day She fled, but a snake bit her and she died instantly Orpheus went to the Underworld to bring her back He persuaded Hades and Persephone by singing to the lyre Persephone said he could take Eurydice as long as he didn't look back He looked back and Eurydice disappeared forever Orpheus could never love another woman so he turned to loving men The Bacchae tore him apart because he could never love another woman and his head is said to have floated down a river still singing his song...