Category: Zeus

It is worth noting that the reading Works and Days and Theogony is a comprehensive genealogy of the gods and it considers the origin of the world in a systematic way. Initially, the world started with the existing Chaos, Earth, and Eros. They produced the essential parts of the universe. After that, the genealogy began to develop, and a struggle for the division of power among the godly generations started. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the reasons why Zeus was able to remain in charge of the gods and what the crucial difference between Zeus and the other gods was.

Zeus, Uranus, Cronus

It is important to emphasize that the main reason why Zeus was able to remain in charge of the gods was his true nature and the existence of moral guidelines that motivated his decisions. Uranus was the son of Chaos and Earth, together with his wife they gave birth to the second generation whom Uranus hated and returned them to the bosom of Gaia (Hesiod 74). Their son Cronus, together with his mother, overthrew his father and became the lord of the universe.

In his turn, Cronus was also afraid to lose the power and devoured all his children to sustain all the authority in his hands solely. Thus, Cronus was also guided by guile and hatred. Zeus was Cronuss youngest son who was saved by his mother through deception. When Zeus grew up, he was not cunning by his nature and defeated Cronus using his force. The father was plunged into Tartaros. Metis, the wife of Zeus, helped him to bring back the children that were swallowed by Cronus (Hesiod 75). Zeus promised to ensure fair distribution of power to attain the gods loyalty. Thus, they divided the fathers power among themselves (Poseidon became the lord of the water element, Hades  of the underworld), and Zeus became the lord of the entire world.

When Zeus received power over the world, the era of catastrophes ended with his supremacy. He defeated all monsters and titans and established order in the world (Cosmos). The most important traits that characterized Zeus were wisdom and justice. He became the guardian of justice, unlike Cronus and Uranus, who were driven by the fear of losing their power. In addition, Zeus was able to bring the law into the world and became the principle of life.

Through wisdom, thoughtfulness, and loyalty to his commitments, Zeus was able to maintain order in the world and the appreciation of fellow gods (Hesiod 85). However, he had certain similarities with Cronus and Uranus in the treatment of children. When Zeus was told that Metis would give life to the child who would take the power of Zeus, he swallowed Metis (Hesiod 86). Nevertheless, Zeus himself gave birth to the child (Athena), and Metis remained in his head giving Zeus advice to drive his decision-making.

Conclusion

Thus, it can be concluded that despite the existing similarities between Zeus, Cronus, and Uranus, the lord of the world was very different from them. He did not direct his decisions by guile but used force that he had as well as wisdom. He did not intend to concentrate all the power in his hands and received it by casting lots with the fellow gods and winning their loyalty. After Zeus had come to power, the epoch of terror ceased, and the order and justice were introduced. For these reasons, he was able to remain in charge of the gods although he had faced a number of hurdles on this way.

Work Cited

Hesiod. Works and Days and Theogony. Translated by Stanley Lombardo and Robert Lamberton, Hackett Publishing Company, 1993.

Introduction: Welcome to the Olympus

Numerous authors have undertaken countless attempts to retell the original Greek mythology. Some have succeeded; however, creating anything new out of the stories that have been re-told billions of times is very hard. One of the few people who handled this task, George OConnor put Zeus and other Greek mythological characters in a comic book setting.

Zeus: King of the Gods (Olympians)

By George OConnor

Paperback, 80 pages, Published in 2010, First Edition.

ISBN-10: 1-59643-431-7 / 1596434317

ISBN-13: 978-1-59643-431-8 / 9781596434318

Plot Summary: Zeuss Life in Eighty Pages

George OConnor has decided to take a different approach towards traditional storytelling and out the famous Greek mythological characters into the setting of a comic novel. Thus, he managed to retell Zeuss life in eighty pages, yet retaining the original flair of the ancient stories and mentioning every single detail that appears in the traditional stories.

Even though the line between god and people was blurred by the Greek narrators originally, which showed in portraying the Greek gods with typically human features and sins, i.e., vanity, wrath, envy, etc., OConnor makes this line even less noticeable by telling the readers about Zeuss youth  something that the traditional myths usually skip.

From the point at which Zeus rescues his siblings from his father Cronus, however, OConnor follows the original myths quite closely, describing the war between the Titans and the Olympians, Zeuss journey to find Cyclopes, his uncles, and his attempts to make the latter help him in his quest for saving his siblings from his gluttonous father.

Novel Analysis: Even Zeus Has Weaknesses

The obvious strengths of the novel come from the pictures. While the idea of creating a graphic novel is far from being new  according to Scott, Nyberg, and Fee, graphic novels are a format, not a genre (Scott, Nyberg, and Fee) and, therefore, can be viewed as reiterations of old stories  it still is refreshing and allows for great creativity. To his credit, OConnor uses these opportunities to the full. To start with, the drawing style chosen by the author does not look anything like a traditional Millers or Marvel/DC Universes graphic novels:

Thus, OConnor makes it clear that he takes his readers seriously and does not want to cash in on a recent surge of interest towards comic books and graphic novels. He uses different angles, a completely different drawing technique, and a very specific color palette to display the tiniest changes in the atmosphere or the characters.

Sadly enough, the negative issues stem from the chosen format as well. Unlike a typical novel, a graphic novel does not allow the reader to portray the characters the way (s)he sees them  the author imposes his vision on the reader. In addition, the idea of putting Zeus and the rest of the mythological characters in superhero suits might attract a younger audience, yet it will inevitably trigger the projection of typical superhero traits of character onto the leading ones, which is rather undesirable. Once the readers relate to Zeus and the entire Pantheon as typical superheroes, the key concept behind the traditional Greek myths, i.e., that being a god does not mean being flawless and completely virtuous, disappears, which is a real pity.

Conclusion: When Myths Revive

Therefore, the book can be considered a good choice to help the younger audience learn about traditional Greek mythology. In addition, it will be a rather enticing journey for an adult. However, considering the book an authoritative source for learning in-depth about Zeus and other mythological characters would not be a good idea.

Works Cited

OConnor, George. Zeus: King of the Gods (Olympians). New York, NY: Neal Porter Books. 2010. Print.

Scott, Randall William, Amy Kiste Nyberg and William T. Fee. Graphic Novels and Comics in Libraries and Archives: Essays on Readers, Research, History and Cataloging. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. 2010. Print.

Zeus Cross-Examined is a perfect title for the dialogue by Lucian that presents a satirical description of the conversation of the supreme god and a mortal whose disbelief in Zeus power sets the tone for the whole talk. The cross-examination of the god turns out to be fatal for him; as a result, the role of the deity is diminished and severely criticized. Zeus opponent, Cyniscus, succeeds in setting traps for the god and becomes the unquestionable winner of the argument due to his eloquence and because of Zeus wrong conduct and the disadvantageous position he adopts in the course of the controversy. It could have been possible to reach an alternative finale of the conversation if Zeus had adopted a different behavioral pattern.

First of all, if I were the Deity questioned by a mortal, I would behave according to the status ascribed to gods. Zeus as a supreme god should demonstrate his rightful dominance instead of getting into the shoes of the accused of his powerlessness in the face of Fate. The general conduct of Zeus during the talk doomed him to failure. First, I would never let myself be involved in such a long and, obviously, tricky talk with a mortal. Second, I would never resort to questioning him like Zeus did when he was astonished by Cyniscus assertion that Cretan would not have a right to punish anyone. Zeus showed that he did not possess supreme intelligence, his knowledge was limited, and that spilled his reputation in the eyes of the opponent and the audience if there happened to be the audience.

Secondly, there could be a strong temptation to lie when answering Cyniscus question if the Fates controlled Gods (Lucian unpaged). If Zeus answered negatively, there would have been no further argument as Cyniscus would have lost his main weapon. Still, to lie is not appropriate for gods, it is evident. However, I would mention that the Fates are considered to be the daughters of Zeus and Themis. If they are the children of such noble parents, they will never do harm to them.

Besides, as the evidence can be the only support of ideas in any argument, I would mention the Temple of Zeus at Megara that has the significant inscription that says that Zeus is the only god obeyed by Destiny (Pausanias et al. 215). Probably, other gods stood in awe of Destiny and the Fates, but Zeus was not among them. This would be the statement that would grant Zeus victory, though it would be impossible to prove that other gods were as powerful as the Fates as they were, evidently, not so powerful.

I would also try to sound more convincing when I talked about the fact that though the Fates could influence the gods, they could not deprive them of their lives. The life of Gods is one round of blessing (Lucian unpaged) is an unsubstantiated statement; it is a weak argument as it is false. Still, the Fates cannot take Gods lives, and this gives them an opportunity to correct their mistakes, to avoid death throes. If Cyniscus said that death could set people free from the control of Fate, I would answer that people also lost all pleasant opportunities: to love, to give birth to children, etc. if they died. Gods immortality made them equal with the Fates.

Finally, I believe, it is not necessary to give counter-evidence to all statements and questions by Cyniscus. The arguments I have offered in this paper would prove to be sufficient to create a good opposition to Cyniscus fatalism. The final statement that would ensure Zeus victory could be the idea that by total conformity to destiny, a man-made himself miserable, weak-willed, and passive. If death was the relief, every person should become eager to die as soon as he/she was born.

Reference

Lucias. Zeus Cross-Examined. 2010. Web.

Pausanias, Jones, William Henry Samuel, Osmerod, Henry Arderne, and Richard Ernest Wycherley. Pausanias Description of Greece. USA: Harvard University Press.

Consideration of Hesiods poems is advisable to start with Theogony because it contains the cosmogony regarding pre-philosophy, which develops within the myth and destroys its rational understanding of the world. The poem tells the story of three generations born of Earth and Heaven (Uranides), sons and daughters of Kronos (Olympian gods and the main among them  Zeus), and also about people and giants. The beginning and the end of the stories are the chants of Zeus who took power over the world by force.

It seems that the truth taught by Hesiod is not in the description of the sequence of generations of gods, but the chanting of Zeus. The author also glorifies the laws that govern everything, the ruling of the blessed gods of Olympus, Hesiod, Theogony, p. 35 in GHM. He is interested in the steady state of the world and the dominant position of Zeus, according to which the author glorifies his qualities at the beginning and the end.

Although the main bloodline of the gods covers the birth of three generations, Zeus is at the center of the narrative. He releases his brothers and sisters Uranides, they give him the thunder and smoky thunderbolt and lightning, Hesiod, Theogony, p. 41 in GHM. The result of this act is the rule of Zeus: he rules over mortals and immortals. The episode about the sons of Japetos is placed in the center of the story as the conquest of the supreme power of Zeus over the people and gods. Here comes the inclusion of anthropogony in Theogony: the appearance of a human in the historical arena.

Prometheus, taking the side of people, tries to deceive Zeus. The deception lies in the unequal section of the carcass of a bull intended for sacrifice to the gods. Zeus sees the trick: the best part of the corpse was wrapped in skin and stomach, and the worst (bone) covered in gleaming fat, Hesiod, Theogony, p. 42 in GHM. Prometheus tries to help people avoid submission to the gods, and above all Zeus. Zeus is depicted in this episode as a cruel, ruthless god.

He sees deception and taunts Prometheus. His behavior is dominated by emotions, especially anger. Submission of people to Zeus turns into one of the central scenes of the struggle of Zeus and the Olympian gods for power and honor. While Prometheus was forgiven in the end, the author argues the idea of the impossibility of deception of Zeus and the inevitability of his anger.

In this context, Hesiod tells about the appearance of humanity: Gods create one half of the human race. A woman, a beautiful evil thing to pay for the good one, was created on misfortune to people, Hesiod, Theogony, p. 43 in GHM. Zeus represents a brutal cult, before which men should lie in fear and awe. The attempt to deceive Zeus led to the greatest evil in the life of mortals  the creation of women. The creation of a human is included in the context of honoring Zeus as the most powerful god, as well as the idea of the secondary nature of women in the society of that time. Here Zeus appears to be a vengeful arbiter, who does not tolerate deception.

The mighty warrior of the first narratives, the supreme ruler of the second, and vengeful, capricious dictator in the third case, Zeus has many hypostases, and the second part of his behavior is more appealing. The recurring motif of the parents crime against children with Zeus claim as king and master is interrupted. Cosmogony clearly describes Zeus order, the cosmic balance, and the harmony of the world.

In Hesiods Theogony, the same world is taken in two dimensions: mythological and cosmogonic. Both dimensions contain the corresponding images of Zeus: the powerful and furious god, in the first case, and the wise guardian of the world in the second place. Man is present in the world in both dimensions. Hesiod, although he speaks of the need for sacrifices to the gods, proclaims the idea of natural and social order, law and justice.

The twelve Olympian Gods are the most important gods in the ancient Greek Religion. Their names are Poseidon, Demeter, Zeus, Hera, Artemis, Apollo Athena, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, Dionysus, and Ares. Twelve Olympian Gods are composed of the first- and second-generation gods. In the first-generation Olympian gods are Poseidon, Demeter, Zeus, Hera. These Olympian Gods are the descendants of a titan couple Cronus and Rhea. There are Artemis, Apollo Athena, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, Dionysus, Ares in the second-generation Olympian gods. They live on the Mount Olympus above the clouds. The twelve Olympian Gods rule the world and represent the civilization of Greece.

Zeus

Zeus is a god of the sky and weather. He controlled the lightning, weather, natural laws, Thunder, Order. He also is a god of father. He decides the ruler of the gods and humans. His role on Mount Olympus is a chief judge. His job needs to manage not only the human but also the Olympian Gods. So, he is a king of the Olympus and the World. His symbols are Thunderbolt, Aegis, Set of Scales, Oak Tree, Royal Scepter. There are four words can represent him. They are justice, honest, fair and Honor.

Zeus and His Father

In Greek Mythology, Cronus killed his father, Uranus and controlled the world with his wife, Rhea. One day, there is one body that told him. One of his sons would kill him and controlled the world. So, He terrified. He decided to eat his children when they were born. However, when his sixth child Zeus was born, his wife Rhea hid Zeus in a cave. Then Rhea took a stone instead of Zeus to give her husband for eating. After a long time, when Zeus grew up, he poisoned his father with a bottle of poisonous wine. At the same time, he rescued his siblings that Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. Zeus fought against the other Titans with his siblings. They won wars together. Finally, Zeus started controlled the sky and weather. Poseidon started controlled the water and sea. Hades started controlled the underworld…

Hera

Hera is a goddess of Marriage, Women, Birth, the Havens. She is the queen to heaven and twelve Olympian Gods in Greece. She is the sister of Zeus before she married Zeus. So, she is also Zeus’s wife after Zeus controls the sky. She and Zeus together birth the Ares. Hephaestus also is her child. Her symbols are Diadem, Scepter, Pomegranate. She represents the virtue and beauty of women

The wedding of Zeus and Hera.

One day, Zeus walked along in the area of the beautiful region of Hesperides. He suddenly found a lovely woman named Hera and fell in love. He became a frozen cuckoo and stood on the window of Hera’s room. Hera saw the cuckoo. She felt very sad and wanted to help this cuckoo. So, she hugged this cuckoo in her room. At the same time, Zeus transformed into his identity and made love with Hera. Hera was scared that people wrought know this thing, and she wanted to cover her shame too. Hera decided to marry him. Zeus had a sacred the wedding with Hera then she became queen after wedding. Finally, Hera and Zeus had a sweet honeymoon for 300 years…

Poseidon

Poseidon is the importat god in the twelve Olympian Gods. His Roman name is Neptune, and it is one of the nine planets. His parents are Cronus and Rhea, and Zeus is his brother. He controls Sea, Earthquakes, Storms, and Horses. The symbols of him are trident, fish, dolphin. The dolphin is very important to Poseidon. Dolphin as a symbol that represents his power in the ocean. We can see Poseidon riding the dolphin in many movies. Poseidon is a god with powerfully aggressive and extremely ambitious.

Share the World with Zeus

After Poseidon and his siblings, they defeated his father, Cronus. Poseidon, Zeus, Hades, these three brothers, wanted to share the world power that is heaven, sea, underground. They decided a way that playing draws. They thought this is a fairway. Then Zeus got the heaven, Poseidon got the ocean, Hades got the underground. Now we called Poseidon king of the sea…

Demeter

Demeter is the goddess in the Greek Mythology. Her Roman name is Ceres. Her parents are Cronus and Rhea. She also is Zeus’s sister. She is a goddess of grain, agriculture, fertility, and harvest. She teaches people farming. She also is one of the justice goddesses. She can make every object become gold. She also is the fourth wife of Zeus. They have a child called Persephone. Persephone is the wife of Hades. Her symbols are Cornucopia, Wheat, sickle, and Bread.

Demeter and fire

A long time ago. There was an old city called Eleusis. Metaneira is the queen of Eleusis and had a son called Demophon. One day, Demeter came to the world and transformed into an older woman. Demeter, as an older woman, was invited to visit Metaneira’s house. Demeter felt the hospitality of the queen Metaneira while having dinner in her house. At the same time, Metaneira wanted Demeter to take care of her son Demophon like a nurse because her son has a severe sickness. But the queen did not know the older woman is goddess Demeter. Demeter agreed with Metaneira’s request. After that day, Demeter fed Demophon with gods’ foods. She also burned Demophon at every night. This way can make Demphon immortal. However, one night, his mother saw her son burning in the fire. She cried and shrieked. Demeter showed her identity finally and saved Demophon…

Artemis

Artemis’ roman name is Diana. She is a goddess of hunt, wild, and the moon. Zeus and Leto(dark goddess) are her parents. She and Apollo are twins. She controls bright. So moon is a symbol of her. She also likes hunting. She has a high-level skill in archery. Deer is her sacred animal. Artemis also a protector of young women. She represents a woman’s confidence and independence.

Artemis and Animals

Artemis would spend much time to hunt and found animals in the forest and grassland. It can be said that Artemis was born for hunting. She also was called “hostess of animal” by the human because of this reason. Artemis also like hunting with mortals. Thence. Artemis also become a protector of animals. And humans use deer to represent her sacred animal.

Apollo

Apollo is a god of the sun. Apollo’s parents are Zeus and Leto. He and Demeter are twins. He controls the light time of one day, and his sister controls a dark time of one day. Apollo is a god of art, music, lecture. In Greek Mythology, he is very good at the lyre and make beautiful rhythm. He can write poetry and stories. He also is a good of medicine. He teaches mortals medicine to save lives. He is the most versatile, handsome, clever god. Nowadays, he represents a modal of male beauty.

Music Competition between Apollo and Marsyas

Satyr Marsyas was the developer and performer of flute from Phrygia. He was an arrogant man. He thought he is the best flutist even better than Apollo. One day, Apollo knew about this man with his arrogant. He wanted to have a competition with Marsyas with flute. The winner of the game can do anything to the loser. The judge of this game is Muse, who is the goddess of Arts and Sciences. During the competition, Marsyas played the flute with a wonderful melody. Apollo also played the lyre with a fantastic melody. So, they were tied in the first round. In the second round, Apollo turned his lyre upside down and played a beautiful melody. However, flute could not be played upside down. So Marsyas loss the competition. In the end, Apollo hanged his body from the tree and peeled off his skin. Finally, other gods transformed Marsyas’ skin into a stream.

Athena

Athena is the goddess of war and wisdom. Her symbols are aegis, helmet, armor, spear. Her Roman name is Minerva. Athena was born of Zeus’s head. Athena fights for justice in every way. Also, she is good at using strategy to win the wars. Athena is not only good at war but also teach citizens weaving, building transportation, established laws. These are the reason that she also is a goddess of wisdom. The name of the city of Athens is named after her. The Athenians built a temple called Parthenon for Athena.

The Name of Athens

A long time ago, the city of Athena did not have a name. At that time, this city controlled by a king called Cecrops, who was one-half person and one-half snake. One day he wanted to give his city a name that the name should use one of Olympian Gods’ names. Two gods were interested in this name. One god is Poseidon, who is the god of sea and earthquake. The other one is Athena, who is the goddess of wisdom and war. This contest has one rule is to give a valuable gift for Cecrops’ city. Poseidon created lakes with his trident as a gift. However, it lost its value because the water is salt. People could not use the water for daily life. Athena used her spear to make an olive tree as a gift. The king thought this olive tree is a symbol of peace and prosperity. It would be a good impact on his city. So, he used Athena as the name of his city and build a temple for her. Now, Athens still a famous and historical city in Greece.

Hephaestus

Hephaestus’ roman is Vulcan. There are two versions of his parents in Greek mythology. His parent cloud is Zeus and Hera or Hera alone. He is a God of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, and the art of sculpture. He has the best forging and metalworking skills in Greece. Hephaestus is called the god of fire because his work is related to fire. He forges a lot of useful weapons for other Olympian Gods. His symbols are Hammer, Anvil, and Tones.

The “Robots”

We all know Hephaestus was a great blacksmith. He built a lot of useful weapons for Zeus, Ares, Athena, Hermes, and other gods. He also created some fancy robots for Gods. He made a golden palace with some smart robots to serve all Gods. One golden statue could speak, had ideas and power like a human and two mechanical immortal dogs as guards of the palace. Automatic tables provided foods for all Gods. This palace was more like the “robots” palace and Hephaestus made all.

Aphrodite

Aphrodite’s roman name is Venus and born from the waves of water. Aphrodite is a goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. Her husband is Hephaestus. She has a rule that a woman cannot be a virgin so she can use love magic to help man to attract a woman because she believes love is beautiful. Aphrodite has some different lovers except her husband, Hephaestus. Her symbols are Dolphin, Rose, and Dove.

Aphrodite and Golden Apple

This story happened during the wedding of King Peleus and sea-nymph Thetis. Eris was a goddess of chaos, strife and, discord in Greece. She not invited to the wedding, so she was jealous of Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. She brought a golden apple that is a fruit of temptation during the wedding. Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena all wanted to own this apple. However, Zeus could not decide the owner of the golden apple because these three goddesses all were important to Zeus. Then, Zeus gave this choice to a mortal handsome man named Paris, who was the trojan prince. He chose the Aphrodite because Aphrodite promised to give him the most beautiful mortal woman, Halen. Finally, this case caused the trojan war in Greek mythology.

Hermes

Hermes is the god of trade, Thieves, Travelers, Sports, diplomacy. His roman name is Mercury; it is one of the nine planets. Zeus and the goddess Maia. He is the messenger and interpreter of Zeus and other gods. He can pass two worlds between heaven and the mortal world. He can bring the mortal’s prayer to the gods. In Greek mythology, he is an inventor of rules, numbers, and letters. His symbols are Talaria and Caduceus.

Hermes steals cattle

We all know Hermes is the god of thieves is because he like stealing and hiding things from other gods. A long time ago, there was a mortal called Battus. He lived on the top of a hill where was a place that Hermes stole the cattle of Apollo. Battus saw Hermes took the cattle through his house and hid the cattle in the cave. Battus promised Hermes not to say this situation because Hermes would pay him. However, Battus still told this thing to Apollo. Apollo found the cattle and took the Hermes to find Zeus for punishment. Hermes was angry because Battus betrayed him. Finally, Hermes used his power to make Battus become a stone statue.

Dionysus

Dionysus is the god of wine and joy. His roman name is Bacchus. His parents are Zeus and the mortal princess Semele. He has a high-level skill in making wine. He invents how to cultivate grapes and make wines. He spread these knowledges to the human, bring the joy of drinking. He is responsible for creating recreational activities for mortals. His symbols are Grapes.

The Birth of Dionysus

One day Zeus saw a beautiful and lovely woman, Semele, and fell in love. Soon after, Semele was pregnant, but this situation let Zeus’ wife Hera know. Hera was very jealous of Semele, and then she wanted to kill Semele. Hera transformed into a servant to tell Zeus is not love her. This sentence makes Semele began to doubt his identity. Zeus agreed to answer all the questions honestly in order to show his love to her. Then Semele demanded Zeus to show his identity. Zeus knew that if mortal see the identity of gods would be punished by death. However, Zeus could not go against his promise because of love. The thunderbolt hit the house of Semele. Hermes tied Dionysus to Zeus’ leg for saving his life. Hera always wanted to kill Dionysus since the day he birthed. So, Dionysus must forced to move and around the world.

Ares

Ares is the god of war. His roman name is Mars, and mars is one of the nine planets. His parent is Zeus and Hera. He is a warfighter always with violent, bloody. His power is not like his sister Athena because his war is bloodthirsty without any wisdom and strategy. So Gods and mortals are both do not like him. His symbols are Spear, Helmet, Chariot.

Ares was Abducted by Giants

Ares is the god of war. However, he was bloody, violent. These reasons caused other Olympian Gods did not like him. He always lived alone and no friends on Mount Olympus. One day, he was missing because Giants abducted him. Ares had been locked in the house by the giant for 18 months until the mother of giants realized Ares was locked up as an enemy. She informed this thing to Hermes for saving Ares. Finally, he owned freedom.

Works cited

1. Cartwright, Mark. “The 12 Olympian Gods.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, https://www.ancient.eu/collection/58/the-12-olympian-gods/
2. “Greek Mythology – Greek Gods and Goddess in Ancient Greece.” Greek Gods, https://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/
3. “Greek Stories about Hera- The Sacred Wedding of Zeus and Hera.” Greek Gods, https://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/hera/myths/zeus-hera-wedding/
4. “Greek Stories about Demeter – Demeter-Fire.” Greek Gods, https://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/demeter/myths/demeter-fire//
5. “Greek Stories about Artemis – Artemis-Animals” Greek Gods, https://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/artemis/myths/artemis-animals/
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Zeus was the ruler of all Gods and humans. He lived with the other gods at the top of Mount Olympus. Sometimes, Olympus was thought of as an actual mountain in Greece, but more often as a beautiful place in the heavens. Zeus was the youngest son of the Titans, Kronos and Rhea. They produced many offspring, but Kronos could not allow his children to survive because it had been prophesied that he would be dethroned by one of his children. He swallowed each of them following their birth, except for Zeus, who was saved by his mother Rhea. She gave Kronos a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes for him swallow instead of Zeus. He grew to manhood, attended by nymphs on the island of Crete. Zeus was able to save all his siblings, and with a thunderbolt, he killed Kronos (Thury Devinney 39). This earned him the right to become the leader of the gods.

With the writings of Homer, Zeus is pictured in two different ways, as the God of justice and mercy and the punisher of the wicked. Despite his power, he had a weakness for mortal women and frequently descended to earth to couple with them. He had numerous affairs with both human and goddess, however, Zeus was married to his sister Hera. Due to his many affairs their marriage was not a happy one and Zeus used all kinds of tricks to hide his infidelity from her. Their marriage produced four children. Hebe was the goddess of youth and acted as a cupbearer of the gods. Ares, the god of war. Eileithuia, the goddess of child bearing. And Hephaistos, the craftsman of the gods (Thury Devinney 40). The offspring of Zeus from other affairs were too numerous to count. He had other wives before Hera, the first being Metis. Zeus had thirty-two mortal children and most of them were leaders of the Greek nations. He also had thirty-eight immortal children. Only five of them were from his wives.

Hera’s jealousy and Zeus’ need to satisfy his lust and to have his desires appeased were human nature. Gods were supposed to be divine, but many of the qualities that Zeus had were of very low moral character.

According to myths the gods created men. The first race of men lived in harmony. This was the Golden Age where there was no pain, toil or old age. Dying was as easy as falling asleep. They enjoyed the fruits of the earth and after death, they remained as spirits to protect men from evil.

Next the gods created the Silver Age. This was inferior to the Golden Age. They remained children for a hundred years and were dominated by their mothers. In this age they had to work, and the year was divided into seasons. Then men knew cold and heat. Crime began in this period and Zeus was displeased and put an end to this age.

Zeus then created the Bronze Age out of ash spears. These men were strong and violent warriors, who worked in metal and created some tools of civilization. They finally destroyed themselves with their warfare.

The next period was the Heroic Age, many heroes and mighty deeds were performed. Heracles, Jason, Theseus and the heroes of the Trojan war were all part of this age. One of the greatest celebrations was the Olympian Games. They took place every four years in Olympia, even if there was a war between the city states of Greece, they stopped the war to take part in the games. Our present-day Olympics is patterned from those games.

Zeus then created the Iron Age, the worst race of men to ever appear on the earth. The things that now exist were the same as then. Hard work, trouble, pain and weariness were all present. They were considered evil which caused the gods to abandon them. At this time Zeus was disgusted with man and his evil and decided to destroy them with a flood. Some of the people were warned and prepared for it by getting into a chest with provisions. After ten days the flood subsided, and the chest rested on a mountain. The few people came out and offered a sacrifice to Zeus. They asked him to restore the human race.

The tale of the five ages of man shows that there was a negative attitude by the gods about each age. While the gods improved with each age, man degenerated from age to age. This does not match with our belief that each age has improved. We started as primitive man and as time passed, man progressed to his present state. The story of Zeus’ flood has a biblical comparison to the flood of Noah’s generation.

Works Cited

1. Thury, Eva M., and Margaret Klopfle Devinney. Introduction to Mythology: Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths. Oxford University Press, 2017.

Greek mythological heroes are so phenomenal and are more affiliated to gods than humans as they are perceived to be an exaggerated ideal of human attitudes, strengths, flaws and beliefs. Zeus’ creation of the “more just and superior godly race of men-heroes…” during the heroic ages presents a canonical depiction of how heroes are perceived in Greek myths. Heroes are expected to be exceptional in one way or another, Heracles is the strongest man alive, Odysseus, the most cunning and Achilles, the most skilled warrior. These remarkable attributes aid in characterising the heroes as god-like as the Greeks gods similarly possess unnatural strength, cunning, exceptional leadership and battle skills as well as cults of dedicated followers.

Heroes’ abilities that aid them in achieving their goals are mainly categorized under metis and bia; guile and force which are comparably utilised by the gods in their challenges. Each hero has a varying measure of both metis and bia that is similar to the gods. Heracles successfully performs miraculous physical feats through the utter use of bia when he defeats the Nemean Lion, Lernaean Hydra, Cretan Bull and Cerberus, whom he subdues after wrestling with pure strength. As the son of Zeus, his bia-orientated skills can be compared to that of Zeus’ during the defeat of the Titans (Hesiod Theogony 687-710). Likewise, Theseus engages in battle with the merciless Minotaur, ultimately slaying it by stabbing at its throat (Ovid Metamorphoses 8.169-71) utilising his bia-orientated potency to a degree that is more akin to gods than humans. Achilles, “who in the day of battle is a tower of strength…” is known for his extraordinary force on the battlefield during the Trojan War, and is often compared to the war god, Ares.

There are, however, heroic figures such as Odysseus, that display a combination of metis and bia with wisdom unusually surpassing strength. Though his strength can be regarded as that of a fighter, Odysseus demonstrates implausible stratagem during his stay at Kalypso’s island by ensuring his safe departure by forcing Kalypso to prove her sincerity when she swears an oath to the Styx (Homer Odyssey 5.178-79). He also uses incredible cunning to triumph as the only one, amongst all other suitors, who could restring Penelope’s bow (Homer Odyssey 21.146-7). His aptitude of forethought and wisdom is parallel to that of one of the primordial gods, Gaia. She is known to be the first being in Greek mythology who uses metis in her plan to free her suppressed children from their father, Ouranos. This exceptional stratagem is also shown by Rhea when she plans to overthrow Cronos and secure her son’s, Zeus’, place on the throne.

Regardless of their superhuman attributes and accomplishments, the heroes prove to be similar to the gods in a contrary manner; their vulnerability to fate and the wrongful circumstances it occasionally brings upon them. As the child born from Zeus’ infidelity, Hercules is subject to Hera’s jealousy and she seeks to eliminate him at every stage of his life. She sends snakes to his crib in an attempt to attack him, but given Hercules’ god-like strength, he manages to strangle the snakes (Ovid Heroides 9.14). During his young adult years, she drives him to madness, causing him to murder his own family, and she continues to conspire against him despite his attributes of courage and strength. In spite of all his accomplishments, Heracles is poisoned and burnt alive above a funeral pyre, a tragic and painful end to greatest Greek hero.

As an infant, Perseus, is similarly loitered near death when his mother, Danae, and he are flung onto the sea in a wooden casket by Acrisius, his murderous grandfather (Pseudo-Apollodorus Bibliotheca 2.34). In this sense, the misery and anguish endured by heroes is comparable to that of particular gods. Like Hercules and Perseus, Cronos and Zeus are both persecuted as children. Cronos is threatened with imprisonment by his father, Ouranos, and Zeus is nearly devoured by his father, Cronos. In the case of Persephone, although she was abducted by Hades and deceived into living in the Underworld, in spite of Demeter’s despair and Zeus’ negotiations, she is forced to live with Hades, as his wife, for majority of the year. Even though gods and heroes alike, possess extraordinary abilities, they are still subject to the nature of fate, a reality that is faced by humans.

Heroes are proven to be complementary to the gods, as an authoritative figure over their subjects. Gods, due to their ancestry and powers, are born with jurisdiction over mortals, likewise, heroes are traditionally born from royal or deity bloodlines, differentiating themselves from the average human. Heracles is the son of Zeus, the king of the gods, and Alcmene, a mortal princess descended from the hero Perseus. Having both deity and royal blood running through his veins, Heracles is given elevated status in society prior to his accomplishment of the 12 Labours. Likewise, Achilles’ mother is Thetis, a nereid, and his father, Peleus, is the king of Myrmidons, so Achilles too had a reputable family tree. Odysseus, Theseus and Jason are born into royal families and eventually take their place as the reigning monarchs in their respective kingdoms after completing their corresponding trials. Through their status and high regard in society, the heroes are distinct from humans and more affiliated to the gods in the societal and patriarchal hierarchy.

In ancient Greek mythology, the relationship between God and mortal has long been a complicated relationship. More people believe that there is a confrontation between God and mortal. The gods can be generous and generous to a certain extent, but sometimes they can bring devastating or destructive disasters to any human group. However, mortals can only respect God because they have uncontrollable power that mortals do not have. The gods rule the destiny of mankind, control the nature, and even control the scale of justice, and require mortals to admit their existence and worship. Regardless of the individual will and thoughts of the mortal, the gods of Greek mythology have the final decision on nature and mortals and even each other and justice.

It is not difficult to see from Greek mythology that with the powerful power of God, their qualifications are much higher than those of human beings. However, to a certain extent, God is also affected by humans. For example, we often see that God is provoked by revenge and deception. But God always punishes the perpetrators, so God is largely the executor of human justice, and God will visit mortals who dare to ignore worship or despise their etiquette. It is common for God to visit human beings, not humans to see God. The descendants of these combinations of gods and humans are called heroes or demigods. They are often known for their powerful strength and courage. But although people and God have many similarities, they still have a big gap, that is, God can live forever. This is also why people and gods are largely antagonistic. On the one hand, they are disparity in power and enjoy different powers. God controls human destiny and masters nature. On the other hand, God is eternal, and human beings cannot. In a limited life, human beings are justifiable to nature’s challenge to the gods. However, in spite of this, God is not invincible, such as the spiritual and physical torture suffered by Prometheus. Many gods are eager to be deprived of the privilege of eternal life because of torture.

Another reason is that the people of each era did not continue from the previous generation, but were re-created after being destroyed by God. They were recreated several times, so it was later that God created people, and the original power of Mother Earth created from. Why do people and gods have to increase their opposition? Because Zeus offended him after human beings, he continued to carry out a series of punishment actions against human beings. That is to say, at the beginning, the people of the Bronze Age and the Silver Age lived together with the gods on Mount Olympus on the plains of Collins. At that time, the gods were still indifferent. After living for a while, Zeus suddenly decided to completely separate the gods. He gave the task to Prometheus to complete. Prometheus lied to him. When he sacrificed, he gave a layer of white oil to Zeus, but he hid the better part in the internal organs that looked less appetizing. Humans, Zeus aware of this scam, he retaliated against humans and took their fire, but Prometheus did not stand by this time. For humanity, he stole the Zeus hiding in the temple fire on Mount Olympus. With the help of fire, the eternal Mars in the world began to have technology and invention, and took the first step toward progress and civilization. Because of this piracy, Prometheus was sentenced to cruel punishment. He was eaten by the gods every day and eaten his liver. He ate during the day and grew up at night. He came to eat every day.

This is Zeus’ first punishment for humanity, punishing Prometheus. Then he felt that it was not enough. He came up with a way to create a woman. ‘Zeus sent evil to pretend to be kind to confuse people. That evil is a woman. Before that, human reproduction did not depend on women. People know There are women, but they mainly exist in the world of God.’ These gods made the woman out, gave her a name called Pandora, and after making Pandora, they let Hermes go to Epimotus. The younger brother of Prometheus is Epimotus. The meaning of the word Prometheus is to think first and then go. The meaning of the word ‘Epimotus’ is to rethink and then regret. The brother once warned him not to accept any gift from Zeus, but Epimotus accepted his brother’s warning as a deaf ear and accepted the woman. This woman is called Pandora. She brought a vase-shaped box, which was entrusted to her by the gods. She said that she could not open the box. But one day Pandora unveiled the lid, and all the evils escaped from the box. Because Zeus didn’t give them a voice, they silently and unpredictably attacked humans. Before that, humans were not sick. There is no death or pain. But when Pandora saw that she ran out so many things, she panicked. She hurriedly closed the lid, and just closed the last hopeful goddess that did not run out. Therefore, the hope that the goddess is closed is a particularly serious understanding for the Greeks, that is, the human world has only evil and pain, no happiness, and no hope.

Another example of the opposition between man and god is that the order of ruling established by Zeus is not allowed to be offended. The god of heaven is not allowed to offend his dominance, and the people on earth are not allowed to do so. In other words, you can’t think of yourself as a god. There is a myth in Greek mythology that punishes Niobe. Niobe is a woman. She has many children. She is a friend with a god, so her pride is growing up. She thinks she is surpassing the gods as if she was also a god. Zeus launched a punishment for her, killed all her children, and finally she died. In this myth, it can be manifested that people are not allowed to become gods. The confrontation between humans and gods is very serious. That is, God punishes human beings, and humans also confront God.

Why is the human condition so pessimistic? Because the core point of view in Greek mythology is that human nature is evil. The god in the Greek mythology actually represents a certain aspect of human nature. It uses a certain power and a certain role of human beings to represent it. Of course, God also represents the natural forces. In short, he uses the power of nature and some of the human body to be represented by God.

There are none of the twelve main gods in Greek mythology, one that represents compassion. The goddess of hearth should be said to be a patron saint, not much related to human nature. God of War represents war and violence and is highly respected. The god of Vulcan and forging technology is related to human desire for matter. The beauty and sex goddess Aphrodite represents male and female lust, completely a kind of sensuality, no more advanced things. Poseidon represents a natural force. Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, seems to be a good thing, but not yet, she represents a cold rationality. God of War represents the impulse in the war, and Minerva represents the role of strategy in the war, so she does not represent a very kind thing. We see Athena’s performance is often a trick, her favorite person is Odysseus, Odysseus is most blessed by Athena, because Odysseus is the most adept person, so they Wisdom is a very low level, not a kind of kind wisdom. Apollo, the god of fables and art, is also more harmonious and rational. Chastity and hunting goddess, this is hunting and killing. Zeus is the god of justice. His justice is the balance between powers. The so-called justice is to maintain an appropriate proportional relationship between the power of human beings and the interests they possess, or the distribution of the interests of interests. To fight, Zeus’ performance is quite aggressive. Therefore, among the twelve main gods, there is no real God of moral character. That is to say, the humanity recognized by the Greeks is almost all evil, and there is no good at all. The reason why the human destiny is so pessimistic, I think this is the root cause, the fate brought by the evil will certainly be so painful, so dark, so pessimistic, it will certainly be like this.

These gods do not take care of the interests of mankind. They only require human beings to obey and obey themselves. They do not speak morality to human beings. Zeus himself often takes the lead in seduce human women. They are also intriguing with each other, and even resort to force to intimidate and punish others. The use of force between God and God, the Trojan War is actually behind the war between the gods. Gods are diverse in opinions, some maintain Troy, and some maintain the Greeks. So God has no moral dignity in front of people. This is what everyone sees. They are at the same level as people. The only difference from people is that they can dominate stronger natural forces. Therefore, for God, their obedience is only out of fear, not moral admiration. Of course, for the new god, it also has a symbolic meaning, symbolizing spiritual life, symbolizing wisdom, literature, music, justice, law, and reason, but without moral dignity. Therefore, the Greek people are opposite to God, just as in the Greek real society, people and people are opposite each other, which is a level. We have said before that people can deceive God when they sacrifice, and sometimes they can deceive the eyes of God and sometimes they can fight against God. Like Achilles in the Trojan War, there was a duel with the river god. He knew that the river god was God. Of course he failed, but he did not lose very badly. He just stunned. Although it is mostly a failure, sometimes it can win. Because people can also control a certain amount of natural force. You can play tricks and people can play. Only their strength is smaller.

It is precisely because of this that if the opposition between man and God leads to failure, then it is more painful and more uncomfortable because they are of the same level, it is more painful that you are defeated by counterparts. If it is really defeated by a supreme god, there is nothing to complain about. You can’t compare with him. But being defeated by God is even more painful and more incompetent to the Greeks. Therefore, the Greek tragic consciousness was formed. The concept of tragic consciousness and destiny is due to the homogeneous of the Greek gods and people. Greek gods and people are at the same moral level. In the Greek tragedy, we can see that God has nothing to lose, and God can’t escape fate. Even Zeus, the highest god, he can’t escape fate. The reason why Zeus was to nail Prometheus on the cliff was to force him to account for the secrets he had. Prometheus insisted on shutting up, so he could only be tortured every day and let the eagle feed on his liver. But in the end he still said, reached a compromise and reached mediation. That is to say, God can’t escape from his fate. People can’t know their fate, God can’t know their fate either, but fate dominates everything. This is very obvious.

Reference

1. Representation of the gods in the iliad by Homer: A brief analysis, Tuncer YILMAZ, Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü DergisiYıl: 2012/1, Sayı:15,Journal of Süleyman Demirel University Institute of Social SciencesYear: 2012/1, Number:15
2. Bernard C. Dietrich, « Divine Personality and Personification », Kernos [Online], 1988, Online since 31 January 2011, connection on 30 April 2019. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/kernos/77 ; DOI :10.4000/kernos.77
3. Homer Odyssey trans. Richmond Lattimore. (Harper Collins, 1965).
4. Ovid Heroides trans. Harold Isbell. (Harmondsworth, 1990)
5. Ovid Metamorphoses trans. Brookes More. (Cornhill, 1953).
6. Pseudo-Apollodorus Bibliotheca trans. Keith Aldrich. (Coronado, 1975)
7. Virgil Aeneid trans. David West (Penguin Classics, 2003)

The Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus, as the title suggests, is an amphora, “a two-handled pot with a neck that is considerably narrower than the body,”[endnoteRef:1] that is suspected to have been produced by an artist known as the “Euphiletos Painter” in Athens (within the Attica region of Greece), somewhere between the years of 540 and 530 B.C.E.[endnoteRef:20283] Eventually, however, the piece has come to be housed in the antiquities section of the Philbrook Museum of Art, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, since 1967.[endnoteRef:29248] As for the work itself, the dimensions are 15 ⅛ inches tall by 10 ½ inches wide (metrically speaking, 38.4 × 26.7 cm)[endnoteRef:23440], and its medium is black-figured terracotta, as well as the paint used to decorate its surface.[endnoteRef:17399] The work also has not one, but two subjects, located on either side of the vase. The side that’s being displayed from its case illustrates the mythical Heracles grappling with King Triton, whilst the other displays Zeus and his son, Dionysus, flanked on either side by what appear to be satyrs. [1: The Beazley Archive Pottery Database, Classical Art Research Centre, the section is titled “Neck-amphora” (found underneath the “resources” tab), published online, Oxford University, no copyright date found, no page number. https://www.beazley.ox.ac.uk/tools/pottery/shapes/neck.htm –Most of these databases and museum websites I used don’t have most of the information that you’re looking for in your endnote guidelines, so I just did my best to accurately describe where the information is on each website and filling out the info that I can. I don’t find the Chicago-style format for websites/databases without authors or page numbers give a good idea of where the quote/info came from, so I just tried to be as descriptive with these as possible for you. ] [20283: Object label for Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus, at the Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK. Seen on October 5, 2019.] [29248: Object label for Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus, at the Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK. Seen on October 5, 2019.] [23440: Object label for Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus, at the Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK. Seen on October 5, 2019.] [17399: Philbrook Museum of Art, Collections, Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus, http://philbrook.emuseum.com/objects/4104/amphora-with-zeus-and-dionysus?ctx=f496a591-0abb-45e9-9241-73d62624a5fc&idx=1]

The Archaic period of Greek art history, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET), encompasses works of art whose origin lies somewhere between the years 700 through 480 B.C.E.[endnoteRef:23579] However, two things should be noted here, the first being that the Philbrook Museum of Art does not offer Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus’ stylistic period on either its label, or their collections website, and must therefore be inferred. The second is that Philbrook does offer two different date ranges for the piece… Its entry in the museum’s collections website displays it as being 530-520 B.C.E., but seeing as how the website also appeared not to have entries for some of the other artifacts in the display case alongside it, it seems more likely that the website label is out of date.[endnoteRef:29682] If that is the case, then the date that appears on the physical label, 540-530 B.C.E., is likely the correct date range for Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus.[endnoteRef:19849] [23579: “Ancient Greece, 1000 B.C.–1 A.D.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=04®ion=eusb (October 2000).

] [29682: Philbrook Museum of Art, Collections, Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus, http://philbrook.emuseum.com/objects/4104/amphora-with-zeus-and-dionysus?ctx=f496a591-0abb-45e9-9241-73d62624a5fc&idx=1] [19849: Object label for Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus, at the Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK. Seen on October 5, 2019.]

And so, due to the suspected date of its creation placing it somewhere in the middle of the 6th century B.C.E., the Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus would fall within the Archaic period of Greek art. In comparison to the Geometric period that came before it, the Archaic period can be described as “a more naturalistic style reflecting significant influence from the Near East and Egypt,”[endnoteRef:3123] that emphasized the order and beauty of the natural world around them. Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus is abundant with geometric shapes, and though intricate, the figures could hardly be described as naturalistic, and so it would appear that perhaps it was an anomaly within its period for these reasons. However, this can be explained by the fact that while some artisans from other cities (such as Corinth) did in fact create such naturalistic artwork, “the vase painters of Athens were more inclined to illustrate mythological scenes” during the Archaic period, and Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus seems to have been one of them.[endnoteRef:8107] What’s more, neck-amphorae such as this one were “common from the Geometric period (c. 900 BC) to the decline of Greek pottery”.[endnoteRef:15662] All of this seems to suggest that Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus is more likely to be a continuation of previous styles rather than a break from the new one. But the purpose of Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus likely wouldn’t have been the transportation of liquids, food, and other goods, as was the case with most other amphorae.[endnoteRef:31182] Instead, like other “wide-mouthed, painted amphorae,”[endnoteRef:31548] the purpose of this amphora would likely have been either to serve as a liquid decanter used to store and pour liquids for religious ceremonies or perhaps as a prize for the winner of athletic competition. This last option actually has the most support of the two, as the Euphiletos Painter is also associated with the making of the Terracotta Panathenaic Prize Amphora as well.[endnoteRef:24088] Whatever the Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus did or did not contain within it, the artwork of the amphora itself is prize enough. [3123: Department of Greek and Roman Art. “Greek Art in the Archaic Period.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/argk/hd_argk.htm (October 2003)] [8107: Department of Greek and Roman Art. “Greek Art in the Archaic Period.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/argk/hd_argk.htm (October 2003). ] [15662: The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Amphora, Encyclopedia Britannica, inc. Published August 01, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/art/amphora-pottery ] [31182: The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Amphora, Encyclopedia Britannica, inc. Published August 01, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/art/amphora-pottery] [31548: The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Amphora, Encyclopedia Britannica, inc. Published August, 01, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/art/amphora-pottery] [24088: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Collections, Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/248902?&searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=Euphiletos+Painter&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=1]

The medium upon which these two scenes are found is a semi-smooth, goldish-orange terracotta. The terracotta’s coloring appears to radiate a soft glow when light touches its surface and is broken up only by the black geometric patterns and figures that have been painted and etched upon its surface. This contrast of color implemented by the artist makes the figures themselves stand out much more, as though the two stories are silhouetted by some majestic light in their background. The bottom of the vase is ringed by three distinct geometric patterns that lead up to the space in which the narratives of each side are displayed. The bottom two rings appear to be leaves of sorts, while the topmost ring is a rather boxy geometric pattern formed from a singular, traceable line, as though it were following some unseen order. Perhaps the artist intended this sequence of rings to symbolize the importance of order over nature, its victory, even. The framing of the subjects in this way puts them on a sort of a pedestal, magnificent stories that are supported by beauty, nature, and quite literally above all else, order. Within what would otherwise be an empty plane in the center, lie the two subjects of the piece. On the side facing the display, two black figures flank what appears to be a sea monster, half man from the torso up, and a large, serpent-like tail below the waist. Behind and around this irrational creature, another figure appears to be attempting a chokehold on around its neck. This figure is much smaller than his counterpart, and yet appears to be winning the fight due to the pained face of his opponent. Again the author seems to symbolize that idea of order claiming victory over nature, and the non-rational.

As previously mentioned, this figure has been identified as Heracles, the mythical Greek hero whose feats of strength and determination are displayed here, fighting who has been identified as King Triton, the son of Poseidon. The artist’s depiction of Heracles grappling with a sea monster was actually a common trope in Archaic Attic pottery, and a number of theories have been put forth to explain the significance of this scene.[endnoteRef:3388] Firstly, it is asserted by scholars that prior to the 6th century B.C.E. that “so far as poets and mythographers were concerned, Herakles’ associations with a mutating sea-god were strictly confined to Nereus.”[endnoteRef:13554] To some, this change can be attributed to Piesastris, the leader of Athens during this time period, who sought to create propaganda out of an Athenian naval victory.[endnoteRef:28911] And it’s suspected, then, Piesastris found that “Nereus was unsuitable for propaganda purposes”[endnoteRef:13252], and in Triton he created a new and more formidable enemy for Heracles to defeat, making his victory seem all the more impressive. The Euphiletos Painter, it seems, was operating under these orders in his depiction of Heracles and Triton, helping Piesastris celebrate his victory. [3388: Glynn, Ruth. ‘Herakles, Nereus and Triton: A Study of Iconography in Sixth Century Athens.’ American Journal of Archaeology 85, no. 2 (1981): pg. 121. doi:10.2307/505032. ] [13554: Glynn, Ruth. ‘Herakles, Nereus and Triton: A Study of Iconography in Sixth Century Athens.’ American Journal of Archaeology 85, no. 2 (1981): pg. 121. doi:10.2307/505032.] [28911: Glynn, Ruth. ‘Herakles, Nereus and Triton: A Study of Iconography in Sixth Century Athens.’ American Journal of Archaeology 85, no. 2 (1981): pg. 131-134. doi:10.2307/505032.] [13252: Glynn, Ruth. ‘Herakles, Nereus and Triton: A Study of Iconography in Sixth Century Athens.’ American Journal of Archaeology 85, no. 2 (1981): pg. 132. doi:10.2307/505032.]

On the back side of the Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus, lies the namesake for this particular amphora, and rather ironically, much less is known about the symbolism of this specific iteration of the subject, other than its portrayal of the gods Zeus and Dionysus. The two figures appear to celebrate something, as they share a drink-vessel (presumably filled with wine) whilst surrounded by satyrs. The juxtaposition of the order that the gods represent to the irrationality of the Satyrs seems to suggest an acceptable coexistence between the two. If victory over the irrational is in fact what the Euphiletos Painter was portraying in Heracles and Triton, then this would appear to be its antithesis. But these two subjects are not separate works of art for a reason, and so then perhaps the Euphiletos Painter meant to suggest that through victory over the irrational world, the indulgence in celebrating that victory is at times logical; a message that would likely be welcomely received by the victor who won this amphora more than two-thousand years ago.

The Euphiletos Painter’s Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus appears to have been an exploration into themes of rational men conquering unnatural and illogical aspects to life, and through taming the irrational that they encounter within their world, they might find the perfect balance of the two extremes– two halves of the whole, the two sides of the same vase. This interpretation seems to accommodate the two stories quite well with one another, as that theme of coexistence between the two realities reflects the dual-sided nature of Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus itself. The piece originally had little effect on me, and I was not particularly moved by what, at the end of the day, was a decorated vase. But the more I looked at the amount of detail that went into each line, the skill and dedication required to craft something that is both simplistic, and complex. Far from its physical reality, Amphora with Zeus and Dionysus isn’t some hollow piece of history, it’s also a vessel for an idea that somebody had a purpose in creating, one that challenges the viewer to rationalize its message.

Hera was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea and she used to be the Queen of Olympus. She was of first-rate importance in Green faith given that she was once the queen of all Olympian gods and the sister and wife of Zeus (Roman 204). The relationship between Hera and Zeus represented the trade in Greek culture. In early Greek Mythology, girls have been the supreme gods and the Earth Mother used to be the creator of new life. However, with time the significance of the queen’s mother declined and male gods assumed greater power. Daly and Rengel declare This decline is typified in Greek mythology by means of the mindset of Zeus toward his sister-wife, Hera (67).

Hera was considered as a client of ladies and marriage. Daly and Rengel document that Hera was depicted as a younger lady who was entirely clad and had regal splendor (67). The close relationship between Hera and marriage can be viewed from the reality that her emblems protected a pomegranate, which was once the Greek representation of married love. Marriage used to be of extraordinary significance to Hera and she Hera is said to have assisted in child-bearing and she was once particularly affectionate of married women. Hera and Zeus had 4 children; Ares, Hephaestus, Eileithyia and Hebe (Sacks 107).

Hera is constantly portrayed as a jealous and angry wife. This jealousy is caused by using Zeus’ numerous romantic engagements. Sacks confirm that while Hera used to be married to Zeus, this marriage was an unhappy one on account that Zeus was unfaithful to his spouse (107). Hera used to be vindictive and she often sought ways to make Zeus’ love hobbies suffer.

Silver states that Hera committed a lot of her electricity to persecute Zeus’s fanatics and their youth through him (6). For example, when Zeus had an extramarital affair with Alcmene leading to the birth of Hercules; Hera sent two serpents to kill Hercules in his cradle (Roman 204). Zeus was once also at times the object of Hera’s vengeance. Silver exhibits that to avenge the many infidelities towards her with the aid of Zeus, Hera schemed many plots to damage or break Zeus (6). However, none of Hera’s plans led to the destruction of Zeus.

Hera is additionally as a beautiful and perfect woman. Figures of Hera exhibit her to be a physically alluring woman who has a sexual attraction (Sacks 107). Her beauty made many guys desire her in spite of the reality that she used to be ever devoted to her husband Zeus. Daly and Rengel file that many powerful kings tried to seduce her of seizing her for themselves. However, her effective and jealous husband Zeus used to be constantly in a position to defeat her suitors.

In spite of her jealousy and vengefulness, Hera is often depicted as the consumer of women. Her steady fidelity to the untrue Zeus was extorted through her worshipers. Her splendor and regal nature made her the model female in Greek mythology. For this reason, Hera remained to be the revered goddess of marriage and the buyer of women.