Introduction to Mythology
by Xiaomian Yang
What is mythology?
Greeks created myths to explain natural events, to make sense of the world.
Mythology- stories that are created to give values to persons, places, and others. They explain the natural events. Myths usually have religious belief.
The Greek goddess, Artemis/Diana was the virgin goddess of hunt, the moon, and young maidens; she protected girls under thirteen, she also helped women in childbirth. Artemis was deadly with her arrows. She usually travel with a stag or a she bear, and her eyes were silver as moon; because of that, her symbol was the deer and moon. She was daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister of Apollo. Artemis was a private goddess, a cold and pitiless young women that loved her brother, Apollo, and get along with most of her half brothers and sisters. Artemis was usually depicted as a young women about thirteen clad in buckskin, and sometimes appeared as a mortal maiden wearing white and silver dress.
The Legend of Lamia
The goddess Artemis was the protector of girls under thirteen. But there was once a monster that devoured children, her name was Lamia. Lamia was once a beautiful Libyan Queen that was the lover of the god, Zeus. His jealousy wife, Hera stole away all their children. The Libyan Queen was mad with grief, torn out her own eyes. To let Lamia take her revenge, Zeus turned her into a child-devouring Daimon. Lamia usually appeared as a bogey-monster, night hunting demon that prey they children; sometimes appeared as a ghostly , man-devouring demon, Lamiai.
Summary of a Myth
Zeus, Hades, and the King of Corinth
The king of Corinth was trying to solve the freshwater problem in Corinth, he suddenly saw Zeus carrying a river nymph in his arm flying by. Soon, the river god, Asopus came by and asked if he saw his daughter The king struck a bargain with Asopus that hewould only tell what he saw when Asopus give his city freshwater. Soon, Zeus was really furious at what the king had told, and demand Hades to take him down to the underworld immediately. The king told his wife to not put a golden coin in his mouth after he dies, soon when he arrived to the river Styx. Hades was mad that he does not deserve a golden coin to hake him across. So he send the King back to the land immediately. The king and his wife lived happily ever after.
This story taught us that wits can achieve anything.
Modern Day Connections
Venus: featured in music and song
Pegasus: the name of a petroleum company
Midas: name of a automobile company
Atlas: name of a moving company
Nike: a name of a shoes company
Ajex: name of a sink cleanser
Mars: name of chocolate candy company
Ceres: cereal was named after it
pan: panic buttons were named after it