Apollo (continuation)

embodied the Greek ideal of rationality and beauty

often contrasted with Dionysus

Delos: the little island that could

major shrine of Apollo
because of Heras opposition of the birth of the divine twins, no
land would accept Leto; so Leto found an island and promised that it would get
recognition if it would host her
Delphi:
apparently this is the centre of the Earth; there exists this stone in
Delphi which they dubbed as the bellybutton of the world which marked the
centre of the Earth; this stone was said to be the stone that Kronos swallowed
story said that there was already a shrine at Delphi which was the
shrine of Themis where a huge serpent was located; Apollo slew this dragon.
Pythian Apollo is the name of Apollo as he is manifested in
Delphi
Pyth serpent (like python!) Delphi
also called Apollo Delphinius; story: when Apollo slew the
serpent at Delphi and started to establish his temple there; he didnt have any
priests! He saw this ship sailing away and he hijacked it in the form of a dolphin.
He brought the ship to Delphi and made the people aboard the ship his first
priests.
Delphi dolphin
oracles:
Pythia: prophetess of Apollo located inside the shrine of Apollo
and was the one who gave out oracles
ambiguity:
Croesus: not a Greek but a great believer of the
oracle of Delphi; he was concerned about a rising power in the East; he
asked the oracle asking if hes OK; oracle said that hell stay in his throne
unless there is a mule on the throne of Persia; but oracle meant mule ==
half breed!; the king of Persia is Cyrus, who is half/half; Croesus asked
again; oracle said that if he crossed a river hell destroy a great empire;
Croesus thought great empire == Persia; hes obv. wrong; Croesus lost
and as he was dying on a burning pyre cried out to Apollo that he has
been deceived by the oracles; Apollo appeared and said Croesus should
have been more careful since these oracles are very ambiguous lol
Socrates: oracle said that Socrates is the wisest
man in Athens; ironic since Socrates admitted that he may be the wisest
man in Athens since hes the only one who knew that he doesnt know
everything

Shrines

Stories

Cassandra:
shes a Trojan princess whom Apollo fell in love with; she agrees
to marry him, but in the end changes her mind
BAD IDEA.
when she agreed to married him, he gave her the gift of
prophetic insight shes always right in her prophecies
so when she backed out, he cursed her by making sure no one
ever believes her
example: Cassandra said that the Trojan horse was filled with
Greek soldiers; but no one believed her!
Sibyl:
prophetess of Apollo
Sibyl means, in general, prophetess of Apollo
there was a particularly important prophetess of Apollo in Cumae,
Italy
apparently, the Cumaean Sibyl was loved by Apollo
she first accepted Apollos love so he gave her long life
but then, she rejected him
BAD IDEA
he didnt gave her vitality with her long life
she shrivelled up and turned into a cricket
Coronis and Asclepius:
Coronis was a lover of Apollo who cheated on him
Apollos crow came to Apollo to report this
so, he shot her with an arrow
he repented for his deed, so he tried to heal her
but even though he was the god of healing, he couldnt heal her
she was pregnant, so he took the baby and gave it to the centaur
Chiron
Asclepius, the child, was so good at healing that the Greeks
worshipped him as the major god of healing
he was such a good healer that he raised Hippolytus from the
dead
Zeus didnt like this
so Zeus killed him.
Daphne:
important story
daughter of river god Aeneus
Apollo loved her and chased her
Daphne didnt like this, so she asked her dad for help
she got turned into a laurel tree lol
Hyacinthus:
Hyacinthus died when Apollo threw a disc and hit him
note that Apollo is consistently rejected by his lovers
Marsyas the Satyr:
hes half human half goat

apparently, Athena invented the flute and noticed that when she
played it, it distorted her face, so she threw it away
Marsyas came upon the flute and liked it; he played it and was
good at it
so he challenged Apollo to a contest
BAD IDEA.
Apollo played his lyre, Marsyas played his flute, and whoever is
better got to do whatever he wanted to the other
Apollo won and Marsyas was flayed (skinned alive)
as he was flayed, his bodily fluids became the source of a spring
DO NOT CHALLENGE GODS.
Apollo vs. Pan (and Midas)
Midas was wandering and he came across a musical contest
between Apollo and Pan (Pan is kind of like a satyr; he is the god of the
countryside)
Pan is the god of the countryside, Apollo is the god
of the civilization, so very different! but both known for their music
Midas thought that Pan was the best, but Apollo won
Midas voiced his opinion on the verdict
BAD IDEA
Apollo gave Midas donkey ears so he wrapped his head in
a turban his barber was the only one who knew
he dug a hole on the ground and whispered his secret there; but in
the spring some plants grew and whispered his secret as the wind blew lol

Hermes (Mercury in Roman)

Attributes
wore a travellers cap (petasus), heralds wand (caduceus) since hes the
messenger god, and winged boots so he could fly!
Character
essence: mobility and mental agility (trickster god)
Hermes can be characterized by his role as a creator and crosser of boundaries
and an intermediary between two different worlds
Concerns

divine messenger:
he helps heroes; even more commonly than Athena
theres another goddess who is a messenger of the gods called
Iris, but Hermes is much more common
hes the divine messenger of Zeus
thieves, tricksters, merchants
hes a trickster god; very clever

 he gave Pandora the character of a thief!

god of boundaries:
messenger of Zeus so he crosses the boundaries of heaven and
earth
aka. Psychopompos: psycho which means soul or
spirit and pompos means parade so when people die, he
marches their souls to Hades! he crosses the boundaries between life
and death
slide 11 shows him in the battle of Troy taking souls
to the underworld
portrayed on these things called herms which are boundary
markers
they were to protect house or field to keep any evil
away
slide 13 shows these
also a symbol of fertility
he is not often violent; but is usually in the background and using trickery and
cleverness to get things done
known as Argeiphontes: killer of Argus, the only person he
probably ever killed

Stories

birth:
invents the lyre: when he was born, he saw a tortoise and made
the soundbox of the lyre for this
he stole Apollos cattle; Apollo got mad and
approached the baby Hermes asking where his cattle was; Hermes tried
to hide it but Apollo found out anyways that he stole the cattle; so as
retribution, he gave Apollo the lyre!
they become BFFs after this

Dionysus (aka Bacchus, and Liber to the Romans)

called Bacchus by the Romans, though its not necessarily a Roman name
but they did have a god already called Liber (god of freedom), so he was
associated with this god as well
Attributes
drinking cup -- always has one!
he has an ivy wreath on his head
often associated with thyrsus (wand) a phallic symbol since he is
also the god of fertility
leopard/panther driving his chariot

Character

concerns:

vegetation, especially the vine

he IS a fertility god!
freedom
freedom from inhibitions (hes a drunk)
he is the god of wine
mysteries
interesting twist, though not necessarily logically
connected
life/death with vegetation and fertility
incoming god:
hes the god who was on the outside, not being worshipped
when he came and demand worships, he was either received or
rejected. Those that received him were rewarded
two interpretations:
historical: it was universally accepted that he was
an imported god (from the East). When the Greeks heard about him, they
started worshipping him
his name was found in the Linear B text though
(Mycenaeans!!)
psychological/cultural: Greeks were uncomfortable
about Dionysus because they value rationality and culture; while
Dionysus is very irrational and wild; so, Dionysus was portrayed as an
outsider
immanent god:
hes among humans, unlike the other gods who were just on Mt.
Olympus looking down on Earth
dwelling within people possessing his worshippers
compared with Apollo:
order and rationality (Apollo) vs ecstasy and reckless abandon
(Dionysus)

Stories

birth:
known as the twice-born god: there are two stories that
developed about this:
mainstream/standard story: Zeus was having an
affair with Semele, who is a Theban princess; when Hera found out about
Semele and Zeus, she wanted to get Semele; so Hera disguised herself
as an old woman and approached Semele; she asked Semele about her
love life, and Semele confessed about Zeus; Semele asked Zeus to show
her all of him in all his glory; so Zeus did and he appeared in his firey
glory and burned her; but she was pregnant!; so Zeus got the child,

sewed it to his own thigh as a makeshift womb, and Dionysus arose from
the thigh of Zeus
hence twice-born!
mystery version: to be continued next class!