Mythology Project: Greek Gods And Homeric Characters

Taking Circe advice Odysseus was able to get pass Scylla and Charybdis, but the fatality was that he lost six of his men because Scylla ate them alive.

It has been known that the Romans and the Greeks have had many interactions with each other, whether it would be due to trading or just plain traveling, the stories of their myths have crossed each other in one way or another. This is may be the reason why there are many similarities between Greek and Roman Mythology. Even though a Greek god or goddess may have a different name in Roman Mythology they still performed similar tasks and were worshiped for similar reasons. I will compare and contrast Greek gods with their Roman equivalences to see how similar they truly are to each other. Probably the most famous Greek god, Zeus, was the god of all gods. Born to Cronus and Rhea, he was the ruler of the sky, and had

Greek and Roman mythology is well know. The people of that time period were passionate about the gods and did everything in their power to please them. Like most religions the goal is be like one of the gods in order to achieve good fortune or to gain everlasting life. One of the most interesting characteristics about the Greek and Roman Gods is how the gods are not perfect in that they make the same mistakes that the average human would make. These characteristics were put into place to allow ancient Greeks and Romans to effectively relate to the gods making them more believable. This is unlike other religions where the god(s) are shown as the all perfect character making no mistakes. These characteristics relate back to the family and

In my research I have learned an addition of facts and stories about Greek mythology. Like how “the Pegasus and Chrysor came from the blood of Medusa’s head after Perseus cut it off” (Greek Mythology). Or how the “Amazonian group of warriors was all females” (Greek Mythology). The more that I have research about my topic the more fascinating and interesting it becomes. I hope that everyone will further their research and knowledge on this topic whether it’s reading a book, researching on the Internet, or even just watching a movie.

Odysseus and his men must navigate the straits between Scylla and Charybdis. Scylla is six-headed monster who, when ships pass, swallows one sailor for each head. As instructed by Circe, Odysseus holds his course tight against the cliffs of Scylla’s lair. As he and his men stare at Charybdis on the other side of the strait, the heads of Scylla Swoop down and gobble up six of the sailors. “Avoiding this we skirted the cliff where Scylla exacts her toll. Each of her six slavering maws grabbed a sailor and wolfed him down”.

Artist's Statement As Odysseus' crew continues on its futile journey back to Ithaca a sorceress, Circe, warns Odysseus of the tribulations he will face ahead. On his path he will either have to take his luck with Charybdis, a whirlpool, which could swallow his entire ship, or take a more certain route, Scylla, the six headed man-eating monster, which is bound to consume exactly six of his men. Surprisingly, Circe advises Odysseus to evade Scylla and he does just that. Homer's description of Scylla is limited to Circe's perspective, while Odysseus' encounter is so action packed it leaves little room to describe Scylla beyond her gory physical attributes.

His appearance was one known for a prince or king. With a handsome face and a body that was clothed in purple robes, he was respected as royalty. His head was also crowned with the areola of the sun. Helios dwells in the city of Oceanus. His responsibility was to give light to the world. His journey began with him rising in the east. Then he traveled across the sky in the chariot of the sun, shining his rays upon the earth. Finally he ends the journey by descending into a golden cup that took him through the northern streams of Oceanus back to his rising place in the east. The family of Helios included his consorts and children. Many believed that Helios was never satisfied with the amount of consorts he had, which resulted in him having a total of five. Although Helios had seven sons, Phaethon was always his favorite. Phaethon was the oldest and resembled Helios the most out of his seven sons. One day Phaethon disobeyed Helios. Phaethon attempted to drive the chariot of the sun, and when he failed he set the world ablaze. Zeus became angry at him and struck the boy with a bolt of lightning. Helios lived a life filled with many responsibilities, royalty, and sometimes

Odysseus, on several occasions, was disloyal to the very men who would willingly risk their lives for him without second thoughts. The blind prophet told Odysseus that to get home, he would have to sail through the cave of Scylla, the grisly six headed monster. Having heard Tiresias' prophecy that six of his best men were to be killed, Odysseus still "sent them on toward Scylla" and "told them nothing", sending them to their own brutal deaths (682). He had told his

Moreover, the phrase “no one could look at her in joy” indicates that Scylla praised by her beauty, quite the contrary in actuality. Scylla is also described as dangerous and strong, shown when she attacks Odysseus’ ship, “By heaven! when

Scylla and Charybdis play a role in The Odyssey by showing women perform a dominant role in life by being pillars of hardship. The two characters bring difficulty and adversary to Odysseus and his crew, and display the negative influences of women. Scylla is a monster that has the voice of a newborn and lures men in, but actually devours her visitors after luring them in with her voice. Her traits display how women can appear to be perfect and harmless on the surface, but can also be deadly and cause misfortune to men under the surface. She shows how women can bring setbacks (she cost Odysseus six men), symbolic of what a woman can cost an actual man, such as property or money.

Unlike religious gods today, the Greek gods resembled human being in their form and their emotions, and suffered from the same dilemmas humans throughout time have faced. The Greeks believe in many gods and think they are very much like people. They have both supernatural powers and human weaknesses. The gods would fight, play on each other, gets angry or jealous, and steal from each other. The Olympian Gods live atop Mt. Olympus in Greece behind a gate of clouds. They watch the mortals down on earth which they can visit any time, and are responsible for the success or failure of human life. The Greeks worship their gods, pray, give offerings, and build temples to please the gods so they will not give any punishments.

With a voice “no louder than any suckling pup,” even Scylla exploits another of Odysseus’ human weaknesses: fear (Homer, Odyssey, p. 274, 12.94). To some sailors, the sound might draw them in if they are curious. She lurks in a cave, so the yelping might sound like an injured animal. By having this trait, Scylla is clearly trying

The Greek gods have a bigger following than the Roman god because of the movie culture but the gods are essentially the same? That is due to art, movies and or TV shows portray the Greek gods. How do they portray the Greek gods with traits that humans can relate to?

At this point, a brief summary of the events leading to Odysseus' underworld experience is in order. The hero and his crew make landfall on an island ruled by the Sorceress, Circe. According to several traditions, she is daughter to Helios, the sun god. When encountered by an advance party commanded by Eurylokhos, Circe transforms all the men into pigs by means of a powerful drug insinuated into food and drink. Eurylokhos escapes this fate and is able to warn Odysseus. Hermes then descends to instruct Odysseus in how to overcome the witch. It is curious that, instead of displaying his power to nullify Circe's magic, Hermes arms Odysseus with a sprig of a plant called moly. Evidently, the aura of herbalism was such that only more herbalism could compete. Having rendered the sorceress helpless, Odysseus is persuaded by her to remain on the island for a full year. At year's end, Circe advises the hero to journey to Hades in order that he may learn from the shade of the blind prophet, Tiresias, how a

vPhaeton and Helios are the main characters in the story “Chariot Of The Sun God.” Phaeton wants to prove to everyone that he is Helios, god of the sun, son. Also making his dad proud in progress. The relationships between Helios and Phaeton is difficult but is relates to a lot of family Phaeton and Helios both relate to a father-son relationship. Through it all, both characters learn a lot, and they symbolize a father-son relationship.