CLASS 40 Study Guide - Fall 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Poseidon, Odysseus, Eleusinian Mysteries
CLASS 40
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
Syllabus
●final=not cumulative
What is myth
●universal resemblance to everyday problems we face today
●lessons/moral conduct
●contains knowledge that gets passed on and preserved
●provides explanations
●entertainment
●important/had value in the eyes of the ancient greeks
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Demeter (#2)
●Demeter’s powers: goddess of fertility, she controls the seasons
●Demeter offers to humans: good weather to grow plentiful crops
●Persephone is her daughter
●Zeus decided to give Persephone to Hades
●Hades came up in his chariot and took Persephone while she was in a meadow
●Demeter went to ask Helios (who sees all) who took Persephone
●Demeter begins to grieve and no longer takes care of the earth, so mortals can
no longer give sacrifices to the gods and will die
●Demeter leaves Olympus and travels to a mortal town and becomes an old
woman
●Daughters of the king of the town find her sitting by the water well and don’t
recognize her bc mortals cannot see divinity
●They ask why she has not sought help in the city
●She says she wants to raise children because that is what old women do
●The girls tell Metaneira, their mother, about Demeter and Metaneira decides to
let Demeter raise her son (Demophoon)
●Demophoon grew up like a god (not eating food or nursing at his mother's breast)
●Demeter often anointed him with ambrosia to grant him immortality
●At night she would hide him from his parents and this worried Metaneira
●Metaneira takes him away before Demeter can make him immortal and Demeter
becomes angry and says mortals are foolish
●Demeter warns her that even though Demophoon will have honor, he will be
involved in many battles
●Demeter sheds her old woman facade and demands an altar be built
●She deprives the earth of good harvest and stays in her temple in Eleusis
●Zeus realizes the mortals will die if she continues so he sends many gods and
goddesses with gifts to persuade her to come back to Olympus
●She refuses and says she will not return good harvest until she sees her
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daughter
●Hermes is sent to Hades to bring Persephone back
●Hades lets her go but tricks her into eating a pomegranate seed (you must stay
in the underworld forever if you eat food from there)
●Persephone has to stay in the underworld for ⅓ of the year but can be with
Demeter for the rest of the year
●The two return to Olympus and Demeter brings back good harvest
“Demeter, the Archetype”
●The Mother
○ Maternal archetype
○Mother of persephone, provider of food, spiritual sustenance
○Motivates women to be caretakers and providers
○Role not restricted to being a mother, more of a nurturer
●Maternal Instinct
○Biological level: desire to become pregnant
○Unconsciously or consciously motivated by Demeter
○If unconsciously then it’s possible to become “accidentally” pregnant
○Important thing is what happens after the discovery of an unplanned
pregnancy
○This indicates how strong the archetype is
●Generous Mother
○Demeter was the most generous goddess
○Expressions of bountifulness are found in Demeter women
○Famous women religious leaders
○Three levels of giving: physical needs, emotional support, spiritual wisdom
●Food Provider
○Finds pleasure in providing ample meals
●Persistent Mother
○Special education classes for handicapped children exist because a
Demeter mother fought for what her child needed
○Madres de la Plaza de Mayo: Argentine mothers whose children were
taken by the state police
●The Grieving Mother: Susceptibility to Depression
○Empty nest syndrome
○Resort to depression instead of rage
○“Mother Portnoy’s Complaint” was a study about depressed overly
involved mothers who lost their maternal role
○Mothers say they’re most proud of their children
●Destructive Mother
○Similar to how Demeter decided to neglect the earth while grieving
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Document Summary
Universal resemblance to everyday problems we face today. Contains knowledge that gets passed on and preserved. Important/had value in the eyes of the ancient greeks. Demeter"s powers: goddess of fertility, she controls the seasons. Demeter offers to humans: good weather to grow plentiful crops. Zeus decided to give persephone to hades. Hades came up in his chariot and took persephone while she was in a meadow. Demeter went to ask helios (who sees all) who took persephone. Demeter begins to grieve and no longer takes care of the earth, so mortals can no longer give sacrifices to the gods and will die. Demeter leaves olympus and travels to a mortal town and becomes an old woman. Daughters of the king of the town find her sitting by the water well and don"t recognize her bc mortals cannot see divinity. They ask why she has not sought help in the city.
