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Mythology Questions and Answers
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Mythology Questions and Answers1. Which of the key values from page 2 of this hand-out are expressed in this chapter
and how? Give specific examples and explain how they exemplify that key value. -
answer The key values expressed in chapter one include the Concrete, and
Humanism. To begin
with, the Greeks believed that the universe created the gods and that humans were at
the center of the universe. The Greeks also made the gods how they wanted them to
be. In other words, they gave the gods a human appearance that had not previously
been done by other cultures. One example of the concrete was the fact that the Greek
gods had a tangible home named Olympus. Their gods did not exist in a non-specific
place. Additionally, each of their gods had a name and governed their own area of life.
2. With which Greek god do you most identify/relate? Why? Cite a specific example of
the god/goddess demonstrating the trait/s that you believe you also possess and give
an example of how you demonstrate the same trait. - answer I relate most with
Hermes, the god of commerce and messenger of Zeus. He was very fast and did things
quickly. Like him, I enjoy running and doing things as fast as possible.
3. The myths are full of instances of the gods' cruelty. Giving multiple examples, argue
whether it's ever justified, and what the gods' cruelty says about the Greeks' view of the
universe. - answer One example of the cruelty of the gods is how Hera punishes the
women that Zeus fell in love with. She punishes not only the women, but their children
as well. It does not seem fair that she acted this way because Zeus sometimes coerced
or tricked women to fall in love with him. The women had no choice, yet Hera punishes
them. It does not seem fair. Another example of the gods' cruelty is when Hera cast
Hephaestus out of heaven because of the way he was deformed at birth. This does not
appear to be justified because one should not be judged by the way they look. Because
Greeks felt that humans were at the center of the universe, they created gods with
human aspects, including bad human traits like cruelty and revenge.
4. Who/what were the "Graces," and what does "grace" mean to us today? Do we value
it in our culture? Support your answer. - answer In Greek mythology, the Graces
were three daughters of Zeus and Eurynome. Their names were Aglaia, Euphrosyne,
and Thalia. They always were together and created and spread happiness, cheer, and
music into the world. Today, "grace" means the way someone acts that is elegant and
beautiful. Our culture highly values graceful people. People that are elegant, beautiful,
and handsome are well liked by others and are very popular with the media.
5. What does the "Rape [Abduction] of Persephone" attempt to explain about nature?
Explain. - answer The "Rape of Persephone" attempts to explain the seasons. When
Persephone was in the underworld for four months every year because of the
pomegranate seed she ate, no plants grow during that time. When Persephone returns,
the harvest becomes rich again.
, 6. With specific references to the myth, explain how Dionysis is a symbol of
resurrection. - answer Dionysis was the god of wine and grapes, and crops die in the
winter. So, in the winter Dionysis looked helpless of bringing back grapes and wine, but
after, he seemed to come back to life. In a way, Dionysus resurrected at different times
of the seasons.
7. Why does Dionysus have both a good and an evil side to his personality? What does
his persona reveal about the Greek attitude toward wine? - answer Because
Dionysus is the god of grapes and wine, he delivers both a bad and a good in the wine
that is made from him. His wine can make people happy, but if too much is consumed, it
can cause drunkenness. His persona reveals much of the downside to wine, especially
to the Greeks. Because of Dionysus, the Greeks are careful in the amount of wine they
drink.
8. Why does Father Heaven imprison his children? Which Greek value from page 2
does this connect with? Explain. - answer Father Heaven imprisoned his children
because they were monsters, and Father Heaven did not like them. I think the Greek
value that this connects with is self-restraint because Father Heaven had too much
pride to believe that his children were actually his.
9. Explain the Greeks' "metals" creation story. What does it explain? Why do you think
the Golden Race had to end? - answer The greeks metal creation story was when
the gods experimented with mankind. The quality of the metal was based on the
qualities of man. The Golden Race had to end because the Gods believed that the men
in the Golden Race were too much like the Gods themselves and too perfect for an
ideal mankind.
10. Both the Bronze race and the age of heroes are warlike. Why do you think Hesiod
(Hamilton's source) prefers the heroic age? (Note their different afterlives.) Most modern
historians would see the movement from bronze tools to iron ones as a technological
advance. Similarly, the domestication of fire is considered an advance. Why do you
suppose Hesiod doesn't see these changes as advances? - answer I think Hesiod
preferred the heroic age because they were warlike like the bronze age, but they had
happy afterlives, not bad ones. I would suppose that Hesiod doesn't see the benefits in
such advances like the upgrade to iron tools and the domestication of fire because they
could be dangerous in some ways or get out of control.
11. In what ways do you think the meanings of the Five Ages story and the Prometheus-
Pandora stories are similar/different? - answer I think the story of Five Ages and the
Prometheus-Pandora story are similar in a way that humans will always have problems.
In the Five Ages story, the last race was iron, which was full of toil and sorrow. When
the first woman, Pandora, opened the jar, sorrow, mischief, and misfortune was
released into mankind. A difference in the two stories would be when mankind was
created from the gods directly in the Five Ages story, but in the Prometheus-Pandora
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