Category: Myth

Greek Myth

Ganymede (or Ganymedes) was a young man from Troy. His beauty was unparalleled and for that reason, Zeus abducted and brought him to Olympus to serve as his cupbearer and lover. Ganymede’s myth is an important step in the history of homosexuality.

Who Was Ganymede?

Ganymede’s myth was especially popular amongst the Greeks and the Romans. The first recorded mention of Ganymede is found in Homer’s Iliad dating back to the 8th century BCE. Other notable sources include Hesiod, Pindar, Euripides, Apollodorus, Virgil, and Ovid.

According to Homer, Pindar, and Apollodorus, Ganymede was the son of Tros and Callirhoe. However, Euripides and Cicero, wrote that he was the son of Laomedon while there are other later mentions that he was the son of Ilus. This is not the only disagreement amongst the ancient sources.

The ancient writers seem to have adopted varying traditions of Ganymede’s myth which was a quite common phenomenon with Greek Mythology. It seems that the Greeks enjoyed retelling myths with slightly altered storylines, a practice that propelled the creative spirit that was expressed through ancient theatre.

Ganymede was an oxherd from the city of Troy and, although none of the sources mentions his age, we are consistently told that he was beautiful and young. His beauty apparently was so great, so “godlike” (in Greek, antitheos) as Homer and Hesiod put it, that even the gods themselves could not resist him.

The Abduction of Ganymede

In particular, Zeus, the usual suspect of almost every Greek myth related to seduction and rape, decided that Ganymede was too perfect to walk the earth.

Zeus transformed himself into or sent an eagle and abducted the unsuspected Ganymede who was brought to Olympus. There, he was welcomed by Zeus who presented him with an unprecedented offer, to become his cupbearer; that is to pour the divine drink called nectar, into Zeus’ and the other gods’ cups. Zeus also offered to make Ganymede an immortal, blessed with eternal youth, serving in the banquets of the gods forever.

The Gift Of Zeus

Ganymede disappeared from earth abducted by an eagle, without warning or trace. His parents must have been terribly worried. According to the Homeric Hymn To Aphrodite:

“But grief that could not be soothed filled the heart of Tros; for he knew not whither the heaven-sent whirlwind had caught up his dear son, so that he mourned him always, unceasingly, until Zeus pitied him and gave him high-stepping horses such as carry the immortals as recompense for his son. These he gave him as a gift. And at the command of Zeus, the Guide, the slayer of Argus, told him all, and how his son would be deathless and unageing, even as the gods.”

According to the Hymn, Zeus took care to let Ganymede’s father know that his son was now walking among the gods blessed with the gift of immortality. Still, the god understood that he had to offer something to compensate for taking the son away from the family.

Although the above excerpt, mentioned that Zeus gave Ganymede’s father two horses of incomparable beauty, other sources mention a golden vine. Besides, the gift is in some versions presented by Zeus himself and in others by Hermes.

In any case, Zeus ensured that the father would be happy with the arrangement, even though it is unimaginable that anyone would happily trade their son for two horses or a golden vine. Yet, then again, this is a neglectable detail within the context of a story where an eagle abducts a boy to a neverland on top of a mountain where no one ever grows old.

Hera Is Jealous

Although Zeus is well-known for his multiple affairs, Ganymede is a unique case. There are not many amongst Zeus’ lovers who were chosen to live on Olympus amongst the immortals. In fact, according to Xenophon’s Symposium, Ganymede was the only one of Zeus’ lovers to be ever granted immortality.

Ganymede’s ascension did not please everyone. Ovid writes that Ganymede came to Olympus “against Juno’s (Hera’s) will.”

The previous cupbearer of the gods was Hebe, Hera’s daughter. Now Ganymede was not simply replacing Hebe, but, as Nonnus – the Roman author of Dionnysaica – wrote, he was offending the goddess by pouring Nectar with human hands.

But there is more. Zeus did not only abduct Ganymede to serve as a simple cupbearer. The Greek sources are not really clear on this point. But they nonetheless imply that Ganymede was abducted by Zeus to serve as his cupbearer and lover. In later Roman sources, Ganymede is explicitly presented as Zeus’ erotic partner.

Hera’s anger is also described in more detail:

“There Hera sat, looking furious even upon the shield, and showing in her mien how jealousy filled her soul; for she was pointing a finger at the boy, to show goddess Pallas who sat next her how a boy Ganymedes walked among the stars to pour out their wine, the sweet nectar of Olympos, and there he was handing the cups which were the lot of virgin Hebe.” Nonus Dionysaica 25.439

_____________

Source: https://www.thecollector.com/ganymede-myth/

Native American Creation Myth

Earth Day brings awareness of the precious connections of all life and to our planet. Native Americans have long known that survival depends on our treating all sentient beings with the deepest respect of kinship. Now, as so much on Earth hangs in the balance, with the crises and disasters brought on by climate change, let us learn from the powerful, age-old myths of Grandmother Spider.

Earth Goddess

Spider Woman, also known as Grandmother Spider, is a creation goddess in many Native American cultures. Throughout the Americas, she is found among the Maya, Pueblo, Hopi, and Navajo mythology, even among the pre-historic “mound builders” in the Mississippian cultures. There is evidence that the earliest Spider Woman was worshipped by the Maya, where she was named the Earth Mother.

And so, traditional stories about Spider Grandmother were passed down by word of mouth through countless generations—in some of these tales she is referred to as Earth Goddess.

The Hopi believe that she thought the universe into existence; the Navajo taught that she was the savior of human kind. The Cherokee say she brought light to the people. No matter, the elements remain the same: Grandmother Spider is a mother to humankind, protecting and nurturing us, guiding us along our paths.

Creative Powers

The Spider Woman appears as a wise, old woman who guides people to wisdom and knowledge, often as a powerful teacher and helper. The Hopis speak of a Spider Grandmother who, weaving her webs, thought the world itself into existence.

In these Native American myths, Spider Woman is the Creator of all things, also known as Thought Woman. She is the stillness, the creative energy before it takes shapes or form. She is all-powerful, a power beyond all imagination.

She is the sharpest, most focused thought, the clearest vision, the one with power unimaginable.

One myth tells of the Web of Creation. It speaks of the strands that are interwoven and connect everything in one matrix. When one part of the web is touched, because everything is linked together so intricately, the touch at one end of the web is felt and affects the web all the way to the other end. Nothing exists by itself, unconnected on its own. Everything is part of Grandmother Spider’s Web of Creation.

Four Worlds

Another Hopi myth says that Tawa (sun spirit) created insect-like beings and placed them in the First World. Dissatisfied with these creatures, Tawa sent Spider Woman to lead them, first to the Second World, and then to the Third World, where they turned into people. Spider Woman taught the people how to plant, weave, and make pottery. A hummingbird gave them fire to help them warm themselves and cook their food.

However, when sorcerers brought evil to the Third World, Spider Woman told the people to leave for the Fourth World. They planted trees to climb up to the Fourth World, but none grew tall enough. Finally, Spider Woman told them to sing to a one tree so that it would grow very tall. She led the people up the stalk to the Fourth World, the one in which the Hopi currently live.

Earth Day 2021

Are we now entering a Fifth World? The fast paced, technological age of our global community has immense promise and daunting challenges—the greatest being climate change. Could it be that the World Wide Web is Spider Woman’s latest appearance?

Certainly she is becoming more visible in our awareness of the interdependency of all life and all peoples. In Pueblo mythology, Spider Woman is called Tse Che Nako or Thought Woman who creates the world with what she imagines, the stories she tells about the world. 

We also possess this imaginative power: We are the storytellers.

­­­­­________________________

Sources:

http://www.laurenraine.com/spider-woman.html

https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/totems-to-turquoise/native-american-cosmology/the-spider-woman

https://www.tirzaschaefer.com/grandmotherspider

Spider Woman

http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Sp-Tl/Spider-Woman.html#ixzz6saiBnjBO

Greek Mythology

Artemis, Greek goddess of wild animals, the hunt, and of chastity and childbirth, was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. She was the goddess of wild nature, who danced, usually accompanied by nymphs, in mountains, forests, and marshes. Artemis embodied the sportsman’s ideal, so besides killing game she also protected it, especially the young.

Orion was a handsome giant hunter, the son of Poseidon and Euryale, the wife of King Minos. Orion traveled to the island of Crete, where he would eventually meet Artemis. In this initial encounter in Crete, Orion tried to impress Artemis, both being hunters, in some kind of hunt or a shared interest in the wild and nature.

Love Story 1: The Boastful Orion

There was a story where the two fell madly in love and would then hunt together, continuously trying to outdo each other. That is until Orion made the mistake of telling Artemis that he could slay anything that came from the earth.

This only served to anger Gaia, who considered all living things on earth to be her children, and so she took Orion’s boasting as a threat. As you would expect from any mother who thought her children were in danger, Gaia attempted to protect them.

She summoned a giant scorpion which Artemis and Orion would have to fight together. Orion was sadly killed during this battle; whether it came from the scorpion’s sting or Artemis’s accidental arrow—the love story ends here.

At the request of Artemis, the fallen hunter was placed in the sky as the constellation Orion and the Scorpion as Scorpio.

Love Story 2: Apollo, the Jealous Brother

So, let’s continue to the part of the story where Artemis and Orion defeat the giant scorpion and go on to live a long, happy and peaceful life together—except that never happened. Their relationship was never really left uninterrupted.

If Orion wasn’t killed by Artemis or a giant scorpion, then it was Artemis’ twin brother Apollo who ensured that the two would never be together.

It’s not easy to pinpoint the exact reason for Apollo’s actions, but jealousy and a dislike for giants may have something to do with it. Apollo could have been jealous for numerous reasons. One of them being the fact that he and his twin sister were very close. They grew up shunned and isolated by the rest of the gods, and together they battled and earned respect and the position they believed they deserved.

There’s no doubt that they were much more potent and a force to be reckoned with when they were together. Apollo would have been shoved to one side with Orion now in the picture, and their time together would have been limited, arguably making Apollo weaker. He also may not have liked that Artemis was willing to give up the vows that she had taken, especially for a giant.

One day, Apollo came across Orion when he was bathing in a lake. When standing, the giant was submerged to the point where only his head was visible. Apollo approached Artemis and challenged her to a competition to determine who was superior with the bow. When she asked her brother what exactly she would be aiming at, he pointed across the lake at what seemed like a rock. She accepted her brother’s challenge, pulling back her bow, firing and hitting the target.

Apollo was then overcome with joy, which was quite weird for someone who had just lost. Artemis drew closer to see exactly what she had hit; she realized that it was Orion in the lake. It was Orion’s head that she had hit, and it was her lover Orion who was now dead. Orion would once again become a constellation along with his pack of hunting hounds.

In one story, Apollo instead pointed to Orion’s head which bubbled in the lake and told Artemis it was the man responsible for attacking one of her followers. So Artemis wanting vengeance did not examine the situation; she just aimed and fired.

Regardless of what story you read, there are none where Artemis and Orion live a happy life together. They all end with the death of Orion and his place among the stars.

________________________

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Artemis-Greek-goddess

https://mythologyexplained.com/artemis-and-orion-in-greek-myths/#artemis-and-orionvarious-love-stories-visited