Golden Apples And Hercules

Greek mythology is one of the coolest things anyone could think of. The ideas of gods and goddesses coming down to earth to interact with the human race, is quite an amazing thing. In many cultures, gods are very important. The ancient greek culture is an example where mythology is very important to the people, the gods are everywhere in daily life. Yet with the made up mythology, they needed a place to begin with and the greeks are no exception, but the story of the gods beginning is very interesting.

Have you ever been in a classroom and the Greek god Atlas was brought up? Atlas was a well known god. He was the leader of the Titans in their battles against the Olympians. Atlas is a Greek god with an interesting family history, a unique personality, and a couple interesting myths he was involved in.

Greek Mythology has been known to be one of the footprints left by the civilization of ancient Greece to our history and these mythology somehow shed a light to the culture, life style, religion and history of ancient Greece since the mythology were the primary basis of the origin of the ancient Greeks and they believed that these mythologies explained the origin of why things turned out to be like that.

myths were sacred in the Greek culture and it helped people figure out how everything was

Mythology serves to create an explanation for why the world is the way it is. All religions have mythology in them and myths help people understand history. Myth can mean so many different things to different people. Some myths are total fiction, while others may have a hint of truth in them. But most myths are more of a symbolic and metaphoric truth, rather than a literal truth, because most of the time myths cannot be proven and people are not trying to prove that they are true. Myths become true to the people who believe in them and they use them as a sort of lens through which they see the world. They use myths to create explanations for themselves as to why the world is the way it is and they use them to help cope with the difficulties of life. Myths are a natural outgrowth of our imagination and our passions.

When people wonder about Ancient Greece the first thing that comes to their minds is Greek mythology; gods and goddesses that have helped shape many historical events. “In ancient Greece, stories about gods and goddesses and heroes and monsters were an important part of everyday life.” (“Greek Mythology.”) The civilization showed that numerous characters and stories helped shape Greeks. The beliefs the Greeks had with mythologies was they understood the meaning behind all the characters that are known today. However, to the Greeks, they were not just characters, these were their gods and goddesses who gave them meaning and understanding of the world around them. Worshiping the gods and goddesses helped them with their religious rituals and the temperament of the weather. A famous wine-jar that was made during this time period was “Achilles killing the Amazon Queen Penthesilea, 540-530 BCE, black-figured amphora”. (Khan Academy) The civilization that they lived in grew around their worship and achievements.

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends 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. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece. Modern scholars refer to, and study, the myths, in an attempt to throw light on the religious and political institutions of Ancient Greece, its civilization, and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself.

     Mythology is a way that the ancient societies explained why things are the way they are and how they came to being. Two ancient societies are infamous for their mythology. These societies are Greece and Rome. Great authors were made be the mythological works they wrote. Homer was a famous author who is best known for his epics. It is from these epics that most of the gods and actual myths well known. I am writing of two of these gods in particular, Saturn and Dionsysus.

Atlas values people being responsible for their own actions, rather than relying on others, so his tendency would want the couple to handle their problems on their own. Atlas puts emphasis on doing the actions himself throughout his encounter with the Herculean Hercules, by belaboring the fact that he himself would take the apples to Eurysteus.  Conversely, the couple is relying on the gods to use a spell, instead of handling their own problems.  Atlas does not support that the couple relies upon the gods, and clearly makes his decision and vote based on his values. Therefore, he definitely does not support casting any sort of

Hercules was a character portrayed in classic Roman Mythology. He was known to be the son of Zeus, and went on many great adventures throughout the lands; saving lives, defeating villains, and slaying treacherous monsters. Throughout his many trials, he gained fame, fortune, and a place amongst the Gods of Olympia. By looking at the mythological stories of Hercules, we can see that many of Joseph Campbell’s “Stages of the Hero’s Journey” can be applied to the stories about him.

Greek mythology affects the everyday lives off people through businesses, literature, and pop culture. Almost anywhere at anytime someone can find something that directly relates to Greek mythology. Greek mythology influences business, literature, and pop culture of the modern world. Greek mythology has impacted global businesses. From names to slogans, businesses reference Greek mythology in one-way or another.

Atlas was one of twelve of Hercules’s labors. With Eurystheus knowing that the Hesperides were Atlas’s daughters, he had Hercules require Atlas to go grab the golden apples from Ladon, a one-hundred headed dragon, and his daughters. Hercules had told Atlas that he would take over his job of holding up the sky to give him a break while he went on his journey. He agreed to the offer and went to get the apples. When Atlas had come back with the golden apples, he didn’t want to take his job of holding the sky back.

Focusing mainly on Hercules and choking the Nemean Lion, this very easily shows the myth of the Twelve Labors of Hercules. A brief summary of the myth is that in order to become immortal, he must complete twelve tasks, that could possibly kill him. His first task was to slay the Nemean Lion, an invulnerable lion that had been wreaking havoc among the place. In order to kill it, Hercules must strangle it with his own two hands, leading to the painting on the vase. Along with this depiction, the painting also shows Athena looking onward, most likely due to her consistent appearance in the myth, helping Hercules throughout his travels and endeavors. Iolaos, Hercules' nephew, is shown holding a wooden club, which is actually the weapon Hercules is most often depicted with, showing another connection to the story of Hercules. The Nemean Lion was just the first of Hercules' labors, the rest being as follows: the Lernaean Hydra, Cerynean Hind, Erymanthian Boar, Augean Stables, Stymphalian Birds, Cretan Bull, Mares of Diomedes, Girdle of Hippolyta, Cattle of Geryon, Apples of Hesperides, and finally Cerberus. Most of these labors were objects that the common people feared. With Hercules giving hope to the people, showing that these monsters that continuously ravaged areas, the people of Greece could more easily live their

These labors were designated to him through King Eurystheus because of the unspeakable acts he committed. Hercules sought out many prophets, only in the end to return to King Eurystheus to complete his 12 suicidal labors. One of the last 6 labors completed was to capture the Cretan Bull. Minos promised Poseidon that he would sacrifice whatever the god sent to him. Poseidon sent a great bull, but Minos thought it was too beautiful to kill. So he killed another bull, and Poseidon grew angry so he made it rampage through the city of Crete. Hercules wrestled the bull to the ground. He carried the bull back to Eurystheus, but it could not be tamed so Eurystheus set it free. The 8th labor Hercules had to complete was stealing the Mares of Diomedes. Diomedes’ Mares are 4 men eating horses with terrible tempers. Diomedes kept the horses chained to a golden post to keep them from escaping. Hercules snuck behind the golden post taming the horses, and right before he could release them Diomedes soldiers began attacking Hercules. From hearing all the commotion Diomedes awakens. He is informed that Hercules is trying to steal the mares from a random foot soldier. Diomedes is irate and attacks Hercules.

Hercules was favored by the gods from few quest and even a labor. For the sixth labor the goddess Athena helped Hercules by scaring off the Stymphalian bird he had to do this because the birds were causing a plague with their numbers. Hercules shot arrows at the birds when Athena scared them. Hercules had many terrible experiences with love because of Hera. ”He was helped by Athena to drive them out of their converts. ”(Hamilton 172) Hercules was considered the greatest hero of gods because he had the most strength out of all and great emotion. When he was a baby Hera sent two snakes to kill him but Hercules held them both up and killed them. Even though he is called the greatest this didn't mean he was necessarily good most of the times when he did bad things it was hera controlling his mind. He killed his wife and three children when he was being controlled. “When Megara had borne three sons he went mad.” Later he killed his wife and children.