Hero

• victories
• form alliances
• defeats -> “focus points”, “learning opportunities”
• make enemies
• make it on your own
• challenges
• spread your reputation
• travel shows worth to the gods

Hector didn’t travel far to become a hero. Defending home -> hero too?
Die Hector travel before? Others came to him and war wouldn’t have happened without travel
Orestes
build reputation locally too
if don’t travel, need challenge to come to you
To Kill a Mocking Bird Atticus is a hero
Modern Context: Presidential Candidates
Coming of Age

Poseidon’s dislike
blinding of Polyphemus
tells him his name

Athena’s favor of Odysseus
can relate to him - wisdom, likes battle
she like Greeks because she wasn’t picked for golden apple (doesn’t like Trojans)

Athena’s favor of Telemachus
debate skills
son of Odysseus
good host

skilled weavers: Penelope, Helen

Otus and Ephialtes (4/13) - Simon
two giants
sons of poseidon
mother *see later
very handsome and skilled
trying to prove themselves better than the gods
tied up ares’ prisoner but hermes to set free
had to wait until nightfall
threatened to fill up sea with the mountains (a difference)
stacked mount pelion on mount olympus or osa?
zeus wanted to kill them w/ lightning bolt
poseidon pleads him not to and says he’ll keep them under control for a while
went after goddesses
only cared about each other
otus - hera
ephialtes - artemis won
artemis -> white hind = red deer
chased
she ran over ocean, but they could too
she went to naxos and hid in woods
they went to opposite sides of a clear and threw spears
killed each other, she ran away

differences
punishment in underworld, tied to pillar with screech owl between them for eternity
Io hemidia or canis (sp?) were mother
stacked mountains osa on olympus and pelion on osa
filled sea or didn’t
ephialtes -> hera
didn’t take form of deer, wanted to kill deer out of anger

themes
mortal arrogance
humility/hubris
vengeance of gods

Vocab Words
Amass (p 127) - to gather, accumulate over time
Libations (p 118) - the act of pouring out the first sip to the gods, a drink offering
Comber (p 165) - a long wave
Scot-free (p 97) - without punishment or injury
Exult (p 171) - to rejoice joyfully
Scudding - to skim over the surface of water (usually referring to ships)
Hallowed (p 77) - holy(ish), praised, sanctified
Frieze - a coarse, shaggy wool cloth with an open nap, a decoration on architecture or other work of art
Seagirt (p 102) - surrounded by the sea
Zealous (p 149) - enthusiastic
Staid - respectable, serious, unadventurous, sedate

Greek King Athamas divorces first wife Nephele to marry Ino
Ino wants her son to inherit the throne so wanted to kill Phrixus (Nephele’s son)
Hermes -> flying golden ram to rescue Phrixus and sister Helle (who falls off and dies when she looks down)
Phrixus -> land of Colchis
sacrifices the ram to Zeus and gives its skin to the king of Colchis Aetes
Pelias took over the throne from Phrixus’ uncle (the greek king of Iolchos)
Jason is the son of the former king
grows up to reclaim throne
loses a shoe
king was told by an oracle that he would be overthrown by a man with one shoe -> frightens Pelias
he tells Jason if he gets the golden fleece, he can be king
Jason gathers heroes (Hercules, Theseus, Peleus, Orpheus)
ship = Argo and they are called Argonauts
many challenges
Hercules leaves to save his friend Hylas who was taken underwater by a water nymph
meet oracle Phineus whose food is always spoiled by Harpies sent down by Zeus
tells them how to get past the symplegades (huge rocks that smash ships)
send a dove through
make it through
pass Prometheus and warrior women
Aetes the Colchian king says Jason must complete 2 tasks to get fleece
Aphrodite helps Jason by making Medea (Aetes’ daughter) fall in love with him
Medea gives him ointment to make him invincible
he yokes the two magic bulls with hooves of bronze and breath of fire
then plows the field and plants dragon’s teeth
grow into warriors but Medea told him to throw a rock in the middle and they’ll fight each other
Aetes plans to kill the Argonauts
Medea warns them and helps them get the fleece by lulling the serpent that guards it to sleep
Medea leaves with them and Jason promises to marry her
navigate scylla, a large smooth rock, and charylodes (sp?), a whirlpool
hera makes sure that the sea nymphs guard her
Crete
Medea warned them of Talus, a bronze man except for ankle
appears and threatens to crush ships
Medea prays to hades and Talus scrapes his ankle and dies
Jason returns to find that Pelias killed his father and his mother died of sorrow
want revenge
Medea convinces Pelias’ daughters that he’ll be young again if they cut him up into pieces and put them into a pot (by showing them with a lamb)
but she leaves
Medea restores Jason’s father to life and gives Jason the gift of perpetual youth
have 2 kids but Jason leaves her to marry daughter of the king of Corinth (ambition)
Medea banned by king
sends her sons with robe as gift
bursts into flame when Jason’s wife tries it on
Medea kills sons
flees on magic dragon-pulled chariot
wouldn’t want her sons to live as slaves

Variations
how medea 's brother Asyrtes was killed
EITHER Medea invitd him to meet at a tree at midnight and she killed him
OR he came along on the Argo and Medea cut him into pieces
the king stopped to pick them up

in hamilton - only convinced the daughter of perpetual youth

Pelias relation of Jason

poseidon sent the ram to rescue Nephele’s children

dragon guards the fleece

Nephele sent the ram, not Hermes

Helle sacrificed along with ram

Themes:
betrayal, love sorta, revenge, selfishness
journey of the hero
family inheritance of being a king