Amira Carter-Perkins
Mr. Barnes
English 1 Acc.
Due: May 27, 2014
Greek Mythology: Demeter
A myth is traditional or legendary story, one that includes epic heroes and gods and explains a cultural practice or phenomenon. Many of the gods or goddesses in these stories have special gifts that make us comfortable in what we know and believe in. One of these goddesses is in fact Demeter, Goddess of Bountiful Harvest.
Demeter is the mother of Persephone, maiden of spring, and the maid of Zeus, King of the Gods. She is responsible for fertilizing the Earth, which is how the harvest is so abundant. She is the most nurturing of all of the goddesses. Demeter is also known for the grief she has when her only child Persephone was taken by Hades, King of the Underworld. She symbolizes suffering and endurance in the case of her daughter being abducted.
Demeter went into a spiraling depression after her daughter was kidnapped by Hades. He took her one afternoon while she was picking a flower and made her his queen. Demeter rushed out into the garden to find daughter missing; that’s when her journey for Persephone’s return began. Demeter went through a lot in her search for her beloved daughter. She was taken advantage of by Poseidon, King of the Sea. She healed an elderly man’s son. She even turned a man into a lizard for being rude to her; but nothing fogged her view of saving Persephone. Along the way she was extremely surprised when she found out that Persephone’s father, Zeus, gave his blessing to this obscene crime Hades had committed. Confused and angry, Demeter froze the land and killed all the crops. She stood her ground and refused to come back until Persephone was in her arms again. Zeus finally gave in and sent Hermes, the Messenger God, to retrieve his daughter. Before she left, he husband Hades offered her a pomegranate to eat. She
world that surrounds him. What makes the sun rise and set? Why are there seasons? Where do things go when they die? To the ancient Greeks, there were simple explanations to all these questions – it was the gods! Things that seemed unexplainable could suddenly make sense when there were gods and goddesses involved. And these stories of the gods that the Greeks created to help make sense of the universe have survived the years to become a treasured and integral part of the history of the Western…
is the god of the underworld and wealth. He is t he god of the dead but not of death itself. Hades rules the dead, assisted by various demonic helpers, such as Thanatos and Hypnos, the ferryman Charon, and the hound Cerberus. Many heroes from Greek mythology have went into the underworld, either to question the dead or trying to free them. Although Hades does not allow his subjects to leave his domain, on several occasions he has granted permission, such as when Orpheus requested the return of his…
Ancient Greeks lacked knowledge on why certain things happened. Without scientific answers, like we have today, the Ancient Greeks created their own answers about the world and why things happened. These tales were called myths. Greek mythology included poems, art and theatre. The Greeks tried to explain the beginning of the world by using Gods and Goddesses. These Gods had supernatural powers. Each God was usually in charge of a certain element of earth. For instance Hades was in charge…
and the conflicting roles she held. In Greek mythology, Persephone is known as the goddess of springtime, flowers and youth and, the queen of the underworld. She is the daughter of Zeus, king of the gods, and Demeter, the harvest queen. As a young girl she was called Kore, which is Greek for maiden. As a young woman, Persephone had many suitors. In one variation of the story, it was Persephone who rejected their advances, but in others, it was Demeter who turned them away wanting to keep her…
The Pantheon of Greek Gods The Olympians The 12 Olympians were the gods who ruled after the overthrow of the Titans. They are named after Mount Olympus, where most of them reside. The twelve gods most commonly portrayed in art and poetry as the 12 Olympians were Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Hermes and either Hestia, or Dionysus. Hades was not usually included because he lives in the underworld and rarely visits Mount Olympus. Heroes and Monsters…
back into the care of her mother Demeter. However, before she left he gave her a pomegranate and when she ate of it, it bound her to the underworld forever. Hades sits on a throne made of ebony, and carries a scepter. He also has a helmet, given to him by the Cyclopes, which can make him invisible. Hades rules the dead, assisted by various (demonic) helpers, such as Thanatos and Hypnos, the ferryman Charon, and the hound Cerberus. Many heroes from Greek mythology have descended into the underworld…
ZEUS Greek Name Transliteration Latin Spelling Roman Name Ζευς Zeus Zeus Jupiter, Jove Zeus with eagle & lightning, Athenian red-figure amphora C5th B.C., Musée du Louvre, Paris ZEUS was the king of the gods, the god of sky and weather, law, order and fate. He was depicted as a regal man, mature with sturdy figure and dark beard. His usual attributes were a lightning bolt, royal sceptre and eagle. Some of the more famous myths featuring the god include:-- His birth and…
How is Darkness Expressed in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness? Heart of Darkness is perhaps the most written-about story in English literature, certainly Joseph Conrad’s most written-about work. Dismissed by some early critics (such as F.R. Leavis) for being vague in language, this short novel certainly makes its impact not primarily through direct statement but through imagery, metaphor and an air of accumulation and imprecision – as his narrator, Marlow, attempts slowly to define and to make sense of…
