fandomhigh | World Mythology - Monday, February 4th

Papers papers everywhere, along with large leather-bound volumes that seemed to tower over Ghanima's desk. Ghanima herself, however, was for once not holding piles of handouts.

"Today, class, we journey back to the Classical era, to visit the land of myth that many of you from this planet are perhaps most familiar with. Today, we meet the Greeks and the Romans."

"Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the Ancient Greeks

concerning their gods

and heroes

, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own cult

and ritual

practices. Modern scholars refer to the myths

and study them in an attempt to throw light on the religious and political institutions of Ancient Greece and on the Ancient Greek civilization, and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself."

Hopping off her desk, Ghanima began pacing the room as she talked, not bothering to refer to any notes. "Greek mythology has had extensive influence on the culture, the arts and the literature of Western civilization

and remains part of Western heritage and language. Poets and artists from ancient times to the present have derived inspiration from Greek mythology and have discovered contemporary significance and relevance in classical mythological themes. "

"It is important to understand that mythology was at the heart of everyday life in ancient Greece, " she said. "Greeks regarded mythology as a part of their history. They used myth to explain natural phenomena, cultural variations, traditional enmities and friendships. It was a source of pride to be able to trace one's leaders' descent from a mythological hero or a god. Few ever doubted that there was truth behind the account of the Trojan War in the Iliad and Odyssey. Homer was considered the "education of Greece" (Ἑλλάδος παίδευσις), and his poetry "the Book".

"All eras must end, however. After the rise of philosophy, and history, prose and rationalism

in the late 5th century BC the fate of myth became uncertain, and mythological genealogies gave place to a conception of history which tried to exclude the supernatural (such as the Thucydidean

history). While poets and dramatists were reworking the myths, Greek historians and philosophers were beginning to criticize them." Ghanima shook her head sadly. "Everyone's a critic. A few radical philosophers like Xenophanes of Colophon

were already beginning to label the poets' tales as blasphemous lies in the 6th century BC; Xenophanes had complained that Homer and Hesiod attributed to the gods "all that is shameful and disgraceful among men; they steal, commit adultery, and deceive one another". This line of thought found its most sweeping expression in Plato

's Republic and Laws. Plato created his own allegorical myths (such as the vision of Er in the Republic), attacked the traditional tales of the gods' tricks, thefts and adulteries as immoral, and objected to their central role in literature. Plato's criticism was the first serious challenge to the Homeric mythological tradition. Nevertheless, even Plato did not manage to wean himself and his society from the influence of myth. The old myths were kept alive in local cults; they continued to influence poetry, and to form the main subject of painting and sculpture, and they continue to influence people today."

"Roman mythology, the beliefs of the people of Ancient Rome, can be considered as having two parts. One part, largely later and literary, consists of whole-cloth borrowings from Greek mythology. The other, largely early and cultic, functioned in very different ways from its Greek counterpart. The Romans were great conquerers, and like all good rulers, tended to adapt to their surroundings."

"The Romans had no sequential narratives about their gods comparable to the Titanomachy or the seduction of Zeus by Hera until their poets began to adopt Greek models in the later part of the Roman Republic. What the Romans did have, however, were a highly developed system of rituals, priestly colleges, and pantheons of related gods and a rich set of historical myths about the foundation and rise of their city involving human actors, with occasional divine interventions."

"The Roman model involved a very different way of defining and thinking about gods than that of Greek gods. For example, if one were to ask a Greek about Demeter, he might reply with the well-known story of her grief at the abduction of Persephone by Hades. An archaic Roman, by contrast, would tell you that Ceres had an official priest called a flamen, who was junior to the flamens of Jupiter, Mars, and Quirinus, but senior to the flamens of Flora and Pomona. He might tell you that she was grouped in a triad with two other agricultural gods, Liber and Libera. And he might even be able to rattle off all of the minor gods with specialized functions who attended her: Sarritor (weeding), Messor (harvesting), Convector (carting), Conditor (storing), Insitor (sowing), and dozens more. Thus the archaic Roman "mythology", at least concerning the gods, was made up not of narratives, but rather of interlocking and complex interrelations between and among gods and humans."

Grinning, she continued pacing as she lectured. "The original religion of the early Romans was modified by the addition of numerous and conflicting beliefs in later times, and by the assimilation of a vast amount of Greek mythology. We know what little we do about early Roman religion not through contemporary accounts, but from later writers who sought to salvage old traditions from the desuetude into which they were falling, such as the 1st century BC scholar Marcus Terentius Varro. Other classical writers, such as the poet Ovid in his Fasti (Calendar), were strongly influenced by Hellenistic civilization models, and in their works they frequently employed Greek beliefs to fill gaps in the Roman tradition."

"In contrast to the dearth of narrative material about the gods, the Romans had a rich panoply of legends about the foundation and early growth of their own city. In addition to these largely home-grown traditions, material from Greek heroic legend was grafted onto this native stock at an early date, rendering Aeneas, for example, an ancestor of Romulus and Remus, and by extension, the Trojans as the ancestors of the Roman people (which is why the Roman centurions took a uniform based on the Greeks' drawing of the Trojans). The Aeneid and the first few books of Livy are the best extant sources for this human mythology."

"Now, remember how I mentioned assimilation and conquering? The absorption of neighboring local gods took place as the Roman state conquered the surrounding territory. The Romans commonly granted the local gods of the conquered territory the same honors as the earlier gods who had been regarded as peculiar to the Roman state. In many instances the newly acquired deities were formally invited to take up their abode in new sanctuaries at Rome. In 203 BC, the cult object embodying Cybele was removed from Phrygian Pessinos and ceremoniously welcomed to Rome. Moreover, the growth of the city attracted foreigners, who were allowed to continue the worship of their own gods. In this way Mithras came to Rome and his popularity in the legions spread his cult as far afield as Britain. In addition to Castor and Pollux, the conquered settlements in Italy seem to have contributed to the Roman pantheon Diana, Minerva, Hercules, Venus, and other deities of lesser rank, some of whom were Italic divinities, others originally derived from the Greek culture of Magna Graecia. The important Roman deities were eventually identified with the more anthropomorphic Greek gods and goddesses, and assumed many of their attributes and myths. The Romans weren't just encouraging multiculturalism, they were co-opting it to enforce their rule."

Returning to the front of the room, Ghanima perched on the edge of her desk. "Now, I'd like you to pair up. On your desks are handouts talking about House Atreus and the tale of the Oresteia. I'd like you to discuss whether or not Orestes can be held accountable for his actions. This is the first ever recorded case of 'extenuating circumstances', and the Gods play a large role. Under orders, or under a curse? Does it even matter? You decide."

[Sorry for the delay, OCD is ~~coming~~ up!]

World Mythology - Monday, February 4th - 2th Period

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