Category: Metamorphoses

Research Paper

Mythology has become a staple of modern-day literature, as it is often studied in many different schools across the world. “The Epic of Gilgamesh (written c. 2150-c.1400 BCE) developed in Mesopotamia from Sumerian poems relating to the historical Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, who was later elevated to the status of a demi-god” (Mark 1). The Mythology was created to talk about how things came to be, like the Earth. The former two originated from Greece and Ovid originated from the Roman empire. In my research paper, I will talk about 3 of the most famous mythology authors in Homer, Hesiod, and Ovid. I will talk about their most famous works, what they were about, and how these authors influenced people.

Homer was a famous mythology author that originated from Greek culture. “​The next development in the presentation of myths was the creation of poems in​ Ionia​ and the celebrated poems of​ Homer​ and​ Hesiod​ around the 8th century BCE. “For the first time​ mythology​ was presented in written form”​ ​(Cartwright 1). This is why Greek mythology is often studied more than other cultures because a lot of their work was written down. Homer’s most famous works were the​ Iliad ​and​ Odyssey ​(Lloyd 1). “​Homer’s​ ​Iliad​ ​recounts the final stages of the​ Trojan War – perhaps an amalgamation of many conflicts between Greeks and their eastern neighbors in the late​ Bronze Age​ (1800-1200 BCE) – and the​ ​Odyssey​ recounts the protracted voyage home of the hero​ Odysseus​ following the Trojan​ War​”(Cartwright 1). Homer is a very unique author, which is one reason why he is being written about in this paper. The thing is, is that Homer may not have been just a single author. ​“​Homer’s work was hugely influential on Greek culture, and scenes from his works appeared in​ Greek sculpture​, on​ Greek pottery​, and in​ Greek tragedy​ and comedy,”(Lloyd 1) and “influence Hellenistic culture, Roman culture, and far beyond” ​(Lloyd 1). For example, in the book ​Walden ​by Henry David Thoreau Overall, Thoreau talks about having Homer’s ​Iliad ​in his house. He talks about how people do not read the classics all that much, which kind of shows that Thoreau was highly influenced by Homer’s work because he kept a copy of the Iliad in his own house. Through his works, he has inspired many people to write about mythology and learn about him in general.

The next author that will be talked about is Hesiod. Like Homer, Hesiod also recorded his work down, so his work has been able to be learned about since his works were written. “Hesiod composed two complete works that have come down to us, the ​Theogony​, and the ​Works and Days​, both composed in the oral tradition”(Lloyd 1). These 2 books were Hesiod’s biggest works. “​The Theogony is composed of around one thousand hexameter lines and is a unique account of the deities of​ Greece​ and their lineage​” (​Lloyd 1). This is the book that is used to study most of the Greek mythology, and that is a part of the reason as to why Hesiod is so famous.

When I took this class, I was very curious as to who wrote all of this stuff that we are learning about, and as I’ve learned, that was Hesiod. This book has led to many movies about the different parts of Greek mythology, like ​Clash of the Titans​, ​Immortals​, and more. “​The ‘Works’ refer to the happenings of the farming year, and the ‘Days’ (with are recorded from around line 765) deals with recording the days of the month on which it is either lucky or unlucky to do certain things” ​(Lloyd 1). This piece by Hesiod may have been influential to farmers at the time, who wanted to know what days would be best for farming. “His poetic style was much imitated, particularly in​ Hellenistic​ times and in​ Roman​ times – both the Republic and Imperial​ Rome​ – when Hesiod’s works continued to be recited and set to​ music​.” (Wasson 1).

The great Roman writer Ovid (43 BCE – 17 CE) would use many of the themes of the ​Theogony in his ​Metamorphoses” (​Wasson 1​). ​Hesiod did not just influence people back then, he’s also influenced people today as well.

After the Greeks fell, a new empire rose to power, which led to the Roman author known as Ovid. “​His first book of poetry was the extremely successful ​Amores​ or ‘The Book of Love, published in 22 BCE”(Wasson 1). It told in a very lighthearted style about the misadventures of a young man and his love for an unobtainable young girl”​ ​(Wasson 1)​. ​ ​Ovid has also written Heroides​,​ Remedia Amoris, ​and ​Ars Amatoria ​(Wasson 1). ​Through these works, Ovid has inspired people with his themes about love. Ovid was picked for this research paper because there needed to be at least 1 non-Greek mythology author. “​His most famous work, at least to most modern readers, is ​Metamorphoses​, 15 books composed in dactylic hexameter, a collection of tales garnered from classical and Near Eastern myths and legends, a chronology from the creation of the world to the​ death​ of​ Caesar​” (Wasson 1). The ​Metamorphoses ​by Ovid is similar to Hesiod’s ​Theogony​ because both tell about the history of their myths, The big difference between the 2 texts though, is that Ovid got a lot of influence from Hesiod, on his piece of writing, because characters like Perseus, who was famous in the ​Theogony,​ is also in Metamorphoses,​ which shows how Ovid got a lot of influence. Homer’s ​Iliad​ and Ovid’s Metamorphoses, ​both include things about the Trojan War, which, once again, shows how Ovid was influenced by these famous Greek authors. “​It is those things that have recommended him, down the ages, to the troubadours and the poets of courtly love, to Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Ezra Pound” (Kenny 1). “His poetry is full of epigrammatic maxims and sententious utterances which, lifted from their contexts, made a respectable appearance in the excerpts in which medieval readers often studied their classics”(Kenney 1). Ovid inspired many, from back in his time, to even today. Through their work, authors like Homer, Hesiod, and Ovid have influenced many people.

The great thing about mythology is that anyone can come up with ways to explain how things happened. These authors’ works have inspired many authors later on in life, and their works are still being read in schools today. Even movies have been made about these authors’ most famous works, like ​Metamorphoses​, ​Hercules​, and more.

The Life of Ovid

Publius Ovidius Naso, Ovid, was a Roman writer who held and still holds a very large influence on many aspects of Roman literature. Ovid was born on March 20, 43 BCE in Sulma, a city that is about 90 miles outside of Rome. As a writer, Ovid worked on and wrote so many influential pieces of text in his lifetime most of which still being relevant. It is important to know the history of his works because of his role in poetry, writing, and European literature. He was well known in his lifetime and is still relevant today, making for an all-around impactful person.

Ovid was born into a very prosperous family that held high rankings in society. Because of his family life, he was sent to schooling to become a worker in legal career. However, he removed himself from that lifestyle to become a poet and writer. Very quickly, because of his writing abilities, Ovid was recognized as one of the best writers at the time and gained a very large name for himself. This is when he also met and interacted with so many other well-known writers of his time which made his reputation even bigger (Ovid).

The overarching topic of Ovid’s work is love. One of the reasons he was so successful was his ability to explore deep and resonating topics. His ability to look from the perspective of a woman gained him so many pieces of powerful literature. He also had a very good capability of understanding human interactions and instincts. Because of these things some of his work about human nature can include the Loves, the Heroines, and The Art of Love (Ovid). However, one of Ovid’s most known pieces of writing is titled Metamorphoses. This is a poem that compiles so many Greek myths into a series of fifteen books/poems. The common theme of these legends and myths is change, most likely where the name Metamorphoses originates. This poetry shaped and formed so much of mythology and tales that are studied today. The text begins with a tale of how the universe became what it is and how it did so, while the last story discusses the change of Julius Ceasar from an emperor to a god. As the stories are told, so many topics of change and alterations to the world are discussed that this is appropriately recognized as one of the most influential pieces of literature from Ovid’s life and from any other ancient writers in general. These stories inspired much of medieval writing as well, such as authors like Geoffrey Chaucer and Giovanni Boccaccio. If these poems and stories were never written, the world of mythology and ancient literature would be majorly different than what they are because of this text (David R. Slavitt). Ovid also wrote a piece of work titled Fasti. While this piece of writing may have not been as famous as Metamorphoses, it still gained a reputation of being a powerful set of stories and legends. Fasti describes and discusses myths of Roman gods and goddesses as well as explains the meaning behind rituals, special events, and festivals in honor of individual deities (Roman Mythology).

During Ovid’s lifetime, 8 A.D to be exact, he was exiled to Tomis by the emperor Augustus. The reason this happened is not completely known but could have something to do with one of his pieces of literature that discussed somebody who had family ties to the emperor. After this, most of Ovid’s work was removed from libraries. On the night before his banish, Ovid was working on two of his previously discussed gems Metamorphoses and Fasti causing the writings to have energy from his emotions at one of his darkest times. He was put at guilt for treason and the Emperor himself was the one to decide and announce his punishment. With all these issues going on, the writer was still able to remain in contact with his loved ones and remain the owner of his property, most likely because of his high position in Roman culture. This started a new chapter of Ovid’s life that changed him and his name forever (Ovid). However, because of the mostly unknown circumstances of his exile, Ovid was still allowed to write and officially publish his work even though most of his previous work was removed from libraries. This allowed his passion for writing to continue and not terminate when he was banished causing so many more writings to be read and studied from him (George Garret).

Ovid was never let out of exile and eventually died in the outskirts of the city of Rome. During his time in exile however, he wrote about his situation in many different forms. The Tristia is a mass of the poems that Ovid wrote while in exile. They ranged from his feelings about his situation to his begging to be let into his home and be released. Some of the writings were about his requests to have his normal life back in any way possible. He made every single argument possible to be allowed back to his family and live normally again. After this, he sent out five writings to Rome that tell his life and his emotions. These five texts are what the Tristia is composed of (George Garret).

In sum of Ovid, the writer, he was a large figure of Roman literature and mythology. He left a mark on the world through his strong pieces of text that resonate with whomever reads his writing. Some of his titles such as Metamorphoses and Fasti are still read and studied today to get a better knowledge of ancient writings. The ways of Ovid and his life will now and always be recognized as some of the most impactful things to affect society. Ovid, as a person and as a writer, can only be compared to the greatest of all time and will never leave the subject of history or literature.

Ovid

Growing up

Ovid, full name Publius Ovidius Naso, was a poet born on March 20th in 43 BC; the year after the assassination of Julius Caesar. He was born in a small town called Sulmo, located East of Rome. He was born to a rather wealthy and established family and as a young man moved to Rome for his education which was standard at the time. Ovid lived during the Roman Empire which was a much larger and geographical world.

Education to career

Ovid was educated in Rome, where he studied rhetoric. This involved logic, oratory – which is public speaking and he also studied and had a great love for Greek literature and philosophy. This tells us that Ovid was literate, meaning that he wrote his Metamorphoses and that all his poems were written rather than coming from an oral tradition.

His education was meant to lead him to a career in Law and Roman government which he did a minor career for as an official in the Roman government however he did not like and abandoned it to become a poet, and this was something apparently his father disapproved off. He enjoyed great success as a poet, many of his verses were erotic – love poetry which as well, of course, the Metamorphoses and other prominent poetry on Roman religious festivals. Some of his most famous and scandalous poems beside his metamorphoses were ones where he celebrated his own erotic exploits and advised others on seduction.

What makes Ovid different from other poets

Ovid often differentiated himself from other authors such as Virgil, who was another pillar of Roman poetry and wrote the epic poem; the Aeneid, which celebrates the founding of Rome from the survivours of Troy. Virgil was setting out to be the epic poet of the roman empire however that was not Ovid’s interest as a poet. Virgil sets himself out in the Aeneid to be the poet of the Roman empire, a historical and political poet while Ovid was a poet of art beauty, love, pleasure and passion.

Events leading to Ovid’s death

Ovid came into conflict with the Roman empire during his career. In the year 8 CE, Augustus exiled Ovid for the rest of his life to the frontier city of Tomis. For the rest of his life, Ovid was banned from Rome, living to where he considered being a very horrible city on the frontier city of the Roman empire where most people didn’t even speak Latin and were also a very dangerous place because of the war of expansion. Ovid continued to write, he wrote of his sadness living on the frontiers but eventually died in the year 17 CE. He spent the last 9 years of his life living in Tomis.

The mystery is why was Ovid exiled, the exact reasons are unknown. Ovid wrote that it was due to “a poem and a mistake”, perhaps this could have been his earlier erotic poetry which was written some years before, maybe Augusts finally decided he didn’t like anymore and wanted to exile Ovid for that. Some thought it was involvement in personal indiscretion of someone close to Augustus, perhaps his niece or granddaughter. Some scholars theorized that it never happened given the sparse evidence we have, maybe Ovid didn’t really leave but he wrote and put on this persona of an exile as a literary experiment to sort of express what it was like not be in the centres of power. It will remain a great mystery and we will probably never know.

Ovid’s most popular works were:

Amores (the loves)

Erotic poetry about his on and off relationship with his mistress ‘Corinna’, which may have not been a real person

Ars amatoria (the art of love)

Teaches the art of seduction and love to both men and women

Fasti (the festivals)

Series of unfinished poems on the months of the Roman calendar religious festivals, myths etc.

Ovid’s most famous work

His most famous work is the Metamorphoses. It is his most ambitious and prized work. It was the work Ovid believed would make him externally famous. Ovid was a solitary author who although wrote within a tradition and also wrote for his own glory and his own literary fame. The Metamorphous covers almost 250 different myths throughout its 15 books, it covers a whole bunch of different sources. The narrative of the poem covers all of history from creation to the present day of Rome, during Ovid’s time. Most of his sources are romanized version of Greek myths, so they are greek stories but transformed in varies way and details changed.

Style

In terms of style, the Metamorphous is filled with very diverse, and seemingly disconnected narratives – these stories have very little to do with each other. The genius of these stories is the way he links these stories, for example, shared geography, character, narrators, topic, image etc. So there are all these inventive ways Ovid uses to link these stories to build connections that we otherwise wouldn’t have noticed, he also uses the technique of embedded narratives where there are stories within stories and multiple shifting narrators in different perspectives. He is not only able to give us the story of the creation of the world to the present day but he is able to show us through all these different perspectives; all these different visions of the world.

Themes

There is an explicit theme of transformation which is what links all these stories together, as they all deal with some sort of transformation but there is also a theme of extreme passion; love, desire, hatred, lust, despair. All these emotions are expressed to the readers in their extreme state, the most violent forms and we see what that does to do human behaviour. There is also some political context and his attitude towards Augustus.

Purpose

Ovid’s purpose was to make his fame as a poet and fulfil his own poetic expression. Certainly, a large purpose was for entertainment and pleasure, the beauty of the stories and humour, tragedy and emotions. The stories are not meant to be taken literally, however, it does encourage the readers to think what it is like to be humans and the way humans experience passion, relationships with others and life in the world. The gods and divine figures in the Metamorphoses were really more like philosophical concepts which made it not a religious text as much as it is an artistic and philosophical text.

Bibliography

1. Ovid, Frazer, J & Goold, G n.d., Fasti, Loeb Classical Library, London.
2. Knox, P & McKeown, J n.d., The Oxford Anthology Of Roman Literature, Oxford University Press.
3. Ovid, P & Golding, A 2002, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Penguin Classics, London.
4. Kenney, J n.d., Ovid, viewed 25 October 2019, .
5. Poetry Foundation n.d., Ovid, viewed 25 October 2019, .
6. The Roman Empire n.d., Ovid, viewed 27 October 2019, .
7. Poets.org n.d., Ovid, viewed 27 October 2019, .

Mythology Final Paper

Some themes or scenarios portrayed in myths are similar due to the fact that writers create their own spin to the myths that inspired them. This can be seen in the different instances of the destruction of mankind by the gods, the types of generations that are described by the narrators, the kidnapping of Persephone into the underworld, the deception of the Muses/the gods/Clytemnestra versus the truth by Cassandra, the origin of the lyre, plots made by Gaia and transformations of individuals.

The theme regarding the destruction of mankind by the gods was prominent in the “Metamorphoses book 7” and “Hesiod Work and Days”. It is first shown in “Hesiod Work and Days” when Pandora was too curious and opened the box prepared by Zeus containing evils/hope. However, she closed the box before hope could escape. As shown in the text “Full is the earth of evils, full is the sea. Diseases for humans are a day-to-day thing. Every night, they wander about at random, bringing evils upon mortals silently”. Therefore, after Pandora opened the box and let all evil escape, diseases became common for mankind. A similar occurrence where mankind was mostly destroyed by gods was during “Metamorphoses book 7”. In book 7, Hera caused a plague to occur because the island took after the name of her nemesis. The result of the plague was stated during “the unexpected power of the disease surprised us, at first, with its destruction of dogs, sheep and cattle, wild animals and birds. The pestilence spreads to the luckless farmers themselves…there was no one left to mourn”. This quote showed that the plague first infected the animals and then spread to the townspeople, killing mostly everyone. Both texts showed how mankind was destroyed by gods which in this case were Zeus and Hera.

Another retelling similar to the different kinds of generations told by the narrator in “Hesiod Work and Days” was mentioned in “Metamorphoses book 1”. In “Hesiod Work and Days”, there were five generations, “the Golden Generation, having all manner of good things, the Silver, suffering pains/disregarding others, the Bronze, violent/overconfident, the Demigods, overcome by war/battle and the Iron generation, known for their never-ending suffering”. This was also similar to “Metamorphoses book 1”. However, the myth was written with a twist, talking about different generations than in “Work and Days”. In “Metamorphoses book 1”, the generations were “the Golden Age, who lived safely without protection, the Silver Age, where individuals are inferior to gold/more valuable than yellow bronze, the Bronze Age, where individuals were ready to indulge in savage warfare, but not yet vicious and lastly, the Iron Age, who were horribly wicked”. Although similar, the generations can be compared as suffering and the value of individuals didn’t appear in both myths.

Various themes appeared in the Metamorphoses books which can be compared to other myths. One theme is the idea of being kidnapped/killed and taken to the underworld. In “Metamorphoses book 10”, this is shown when “Eurydice, was walking through the grass…she was killed, by a bite on her ankle, from a snake, sheltering there”. Eurydice was then taken into the underworld. The idea can be compared to “Homeric Hymn to Demeter” when Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, taken into the underworld and forced to become his wife. Both myths portray the idea of Eurydice and Persephone being taken into the underworld but for different reasons. Eurydice who died by the snake, had her soul taken into the underworld. Persephone however was taken into the underworld, as it is the location that Hades, the one who took her, resides in.

Throughout all of the Homeric Hymn myths, the idea of deception versus truth was a major theme regarding the gods and certain individuals. In “Homeric Hymn to Hermes”, the idea of deception is first introduced through Hermes’s actions. Hermes, as a newborn baby snuck out of his house and went to steal Apollo’s cattle. Upon finding out that his cattle were missing, Apollo went searching for them, knew it was Hermes and went to his house. Hermes in response to being asked where the cattle were by Apollo said “I haven’t seen them…Do I look like a cattle driver? A big strong guy?…I am interested in other things…I am willing to swear a great oath by my father’s head, and vow that I didn’t steal your cows”. Therefore, this shows that Hermes planned to deceive Apollo when asked about the location of the cows. Later on in the hymn, the idea of truth is partly shown when Hermes swears not to take anything from Apollo.

Deception and truth in “Hesiodic Theogony” and “Agamemnon” however are not portrayed as straightforward as in “Homeric Hymn to Hermes”. In “Hesiodic Theogony”, this is apparent through the Muses when it is stated “We know how to say many deceptive things looking like genuine things, but we also know how, whenever we wish it, to proclaim things that are true”. In this case, it is harder to tell apart the truth and the lie since the Muses know how to tell both. The same concept is also similarly seen in “Agamemnon” when Cassandra states “Evil woman!…You will perform the deed? Your husband, the man in your bed…after you have made him happy with a bath, will you…No, it’s her! His wife who does the murder”. The truth is being portrayed when Cassandra speaks of Agamemnon’s fate: being killed by his wife. However, it is not accepted because of a curse laid upon her that whenever the truth is spoken, no one will believe her. In both instances of “Hesiod Theogony” and “Agamemnon”, the truth is hidden behind the Muses and the curse laid upon Cassandra unlike in “Homeric Hymn to Hermes” when the truth and lie are known/more apparent.

The theme of truth can also be related to the origin of the lyre in “Homeric Hymn to Hermes and Apollo”. In “Homeric Hymn to Hermes”, Hermes first created the lyre using a turtle. This is shown when he “scraped the marrow from her shell…cut stalks of reed…fitted them through the shell, and fastened their ends across the back…tightened a piece of cowhide, set the arms in place, fixed a yoke across them, and stretched seven sheep-gut strings to sound in harmony”. This shows that Hermes first constructed a lyre using a turtle. However, this contradicts what is seen in “Homeric Hymn to Apollo”. Apollo is first seen as having the lyre when the text states “Glorious Leto’s son, as he plays a refrain on his hollow lyre”. Both hymns can be compared in regards to the origin of the lyre since Hermes first created the instrument yet Apollo is seen with it also.

Another major theme present in “Hesiod Theogony and Homeric Hymn to Demeter” were Gaia’s schemes. In “Hesiod Theogony”, Gaia conceived a plan with Kronos, a Titan, against Ouranos, their father. This plan was created to “avenge the baneful injury of your father as a result of him hating the Titans that he produced with Gaia and forcing them back to her womb”. Therefore, Kronos, armed with a curved sickle produced by Gaia cut off Ouranos’s genitals. However, this was not the only plan that Gaia made as she took part in two more schemes. In the same text, Gaia along with Rhea made a plan to trick Kronos and prevent him from eating the children that Rhea bore. This was because the text stated “For he had heard from Earth and starry Sky that it was fated for him, strong though he was, to be subdued by his own child, through the counsels of mighty Zeus”. As a result, Kronos, not wanting to be defeated, swallowed all of his children so that this could not come true.

The last scheme that Gaia took a small part in was shown in “Homeric Hymn to Demeter”. This was seen during the kidnapping of Persephone by Hades when she was picking flowers. The text shows this by stating “And the narcissus, which was grown as a lure for the flower-faced girl by Gaia [Earth]…She [Gaia] was doing a favor for the one who receives many guests [Hades].” It can be seen that Gaia took a part in the scheme to capture Persephone by growing a flower as a lure. Comparing these three stories together shows that although Gaia played a part in the schemes, the motives behind each one was different. The first motive was revenge while the second and third were providing help to the other gods.

The last major theme, transformations is shown differently throughout certain myths. Transformations are shown in “Metamorphoses book 1” such as when Apollo, falling in love with Daphne, chases after her. Daphne running away pleads to her father, which turns her to a laurel bough as a result. Another instance of transformations is shown in the text when Poseidon finds a nymph and rapes her. Poseidon then turns the nymph into a cow to avoid suspicion from his wife, Juno who was looking for him. However, the nymph is turned back at the end unlike the first transformation where Daphne was transformed into a laurel bough permanently.