Greek Myth Lecture 2 Hermes and Aphrodite PDF

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Class 40, Greek Myth, Fall 17, Professor Dunn...

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Hermes and Aphrodite: October 4th, 2017 Polytheism puts extra demands on you as a worshipper, have to be aware of all kinds of gods. -In a Polytheistic system, if something bad happens to good people, polytheism gives you an answer, monotheism does not. • Hermes: -What are the powers of these gods and what makes them like humans? Trickster, yes. -Desires meat, yes. This is a human quality because Gods do not eat meat, they drink nectar and eat ambrosia. -Bringer of dreams… -Lies, and steals, yes. -Inventor. -Traveler, escort. -Cattle herder. -Plans, ambitious. -Companions to mortals. -He has all of these human qualities but at the end must still remember that hi is part God. Family: Maia and Zues -Zues as a fathers olympians take it easy, Maia is less than mortal (nymph). Domain: Trickery, invention Attribute: Staff, as a cowherder and an escort to travelers. Epithet: (Argeiphontes) Place: (Mt. Kyllene) he was born on a cave in a mountain, he starts out stealing cattle, he is away from Gods civilization and is out there in the wild separated from other Gods, thus is on a more humble level. Aetiology: Lyre, strongest Aetiology, invented by Hermes and given to Apollo Mouths: Stealing Cattle. Somewhat human God. Crossing Boundaries, escorts travelers from one place to another, and this becomes an important domain of his because if he has power over crossing boundaries, his dreams/reality, he is kind of the dream catcher, the one who controls if you will get good or bad dreams, he is the escort of souls, boundary between life and death, when you die your should goes down to hades, you don’t want to get lost, hermes ensures the trip will go well and guides you down to the underworld. Hermes facilitates crossing boundaries between gods and humans, like when Gods want to send messages to humans, in the form of a dream or through hermes the messenger. • Aphrodite -Sexual Desire, causes gods and humans and animals to be subject to sexual desire, it is an incredible universal power.

-Athena -Artemis -Hestia -Lies, yes. -She is subject to the same sexual desire she implants in humans. -We can identify her as human in that we all make mistakes in love and desire. -There is not a clear divide between gods and humans. -Zeus fell in love with Ganymede. -Tifhonus, asked to be immortal but did not ask to be ageless. -Nymphs, do not age but eventually do die. 7 Wh a ta r et h es p e c i a lp o we r so fe a c hg o d ,wh a tl e s s ond o e st h eh y mnt od i o ns y n usp r o v i d e...