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Free Greek Mythology Thesis Statement Sample

Type of paper: Thesis Statement

Topic: Iliad , Athens , Mythology , The Odyssey , God , Homer , Greek , Greece

Published: 03/20/2020

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The Greek mythology as known today is a culmination of the traditions in different parts of the Greek civilization with each region having its own heroes. For examples, the Homer’s Iliad is a regional mythology that strived to appeal to as many cities as possible bringing together a common identity of the Greeks. During the time of Hesiod and Homer, Greece comprised of many cities and islands separated by natural boundaries made by the gods (Works and Days, 167-171). The Iliad mentions almost all the apart of Greece that took part in the Trojan War. The mythology often conflict with each on various matters. However, later, the myths on legends were merged into a single Greek tradition or mythology. For examples, the Mycenaean and the Minoan civilizations that were in the main land and the island of Crete respectively. Homer mentions many part to ensure that there is no regions that are left out to show that his expedition were a pan-Greek expedition. Homer emphasizes on the physical features of the places he visited and gave a detailed explanation of the hypothetical locations to explain about god. Both Homer and Hesiod mention Mt. Olympus so as to appeal to their audiences on the historical aspect of their epics in relation to god. Such also appealed to strangers. Hesiod tends to use symbolic geographical locations as opposed to the actual locations to bring in the myths the concept of God in Mt. Olympus. Hesiod allocates Olympus the sky, Gaia the underworld and the earth, and Poseidon the sea that are all symbolic. Homer’s Iliad is used an almost impossible locations mentioning Athenian statue and troy-a spiritual centre that had very small role during the beginning of the Trojan War. Both homer and Hesiod use the muse of Mt. Helicon. The mentioned places differentiated parts occupied by humans, and the ones occupied by humans. The description of the places was also aimed at advancing personal views. For examples, Homer described many places to ensure that his adventures are continued in generational inheritances making him immortal even when he was not. In the mythologies, the locational descriptions put the narrations in context making them easy for understanding and close association with the readers. Important places mentioned in the Iliad include Troy, Mysia, Arisbe, and many other cities across the region that gave Homer the legitimacy of his poems. Other places mentioned in the Theogony include Kypros, Kythra, Krete, Lyktos, Mt. Aigiaon and also Mekone. The myths are tied to relationships between the actual locations and the hypothetical locations that were mainly the places where god lived. The interaction of these two places forms the fundamental description of the geographical features and how they affected the people.

Hesiod, Works and Days. Trans. Hugh G. Evelyn-White . 1914. people.sc.fsu.edu. web. 30 Nov. 2014.

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Greek Mythology - Free Essay Samples And Topic Ideas

Greek mythology, a body of myths and teachings that belong to the ancient Greeks, contains a rich narrative of gods, heroes, and the human condition. Essays on Greek mythology could delve into the exploration of major myths, the Greek pantheon, and the significance of mythological figures in ancient Greek society. Discussions might also explore the influence of Greek mythology on Western culture, its reflection on human nature, and its representation in literature, art, and modern media. Moreover, analyzing the symbolic meanings, the moral lessons, and the enduring fascination with Greek mythology can provide a rich understanding of its substantial impact on storytelling and cultural discourse. A vast selection of complimentary essay illustrations pertaining to Greek Mythology you can find at Papersowl. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

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Home » Blog » Greek Mythology » Theseus: The Great Athenian Hero

Theseus: The Great Athenian Hero

In the dark, confounding labyrinth of Crete, Theseus, with steady breaths, clutched the sword that would end the Minotaur’s reign of terror. His intelligence, unmatched; his bravery, unyielding – a hero forged in the heart of Athens. Theseus, a name etched in the annals of Greek mythology , is more than a demigod; he embodies a legacy of valor and wisdom. This narrative unravels his intricate tapestry of triumphs, woven with threads of ancient Greek texts, insights from revered historians, and exhaustive research in mythological chronicles. Every strand speaks of a hero, a mortal enkindled with divine spark, venturing beyond the realms of myth into a narrative rich with historical and cultural essence, rooted in authority, and blooming with unparalleled originality.

I. Early Life and Ancestry

A. theseus’s lineage.

Delving into the enigmatic origins of Theseus, we unveil a tapestry of mortal and divine threads. His father, Aegeus, the king of Athens, and his connection to Poseidon , the God of the Sea, weave a complex narrative of dual paternity – a blend of earthly royalty and divine intervention. Through the mist of commonly told tales, we navigate towards lesser-known sources and interpretations, such as fragmented ancient scripts and oral narratives that have trickled down through generations. These rare finds paint a nuanced portrait of Theseus’s roots, revealing the influence of both Athenian royalty and celestial divinity that flowed in his veins.

B. The Formative Years

The cradle of Theseus’s existence was nestled amidst the awe-inspiring landscapes of ancient Athens. His upbringing was a dance between the rigidity of royal expectations and the wild, untethered energy of a demigod. Every milestone, from his first steps to his youthful escapades, was shadowed by the grandeur of the palace and the whisper of the oceans. Historical records, coupled with interpretations from renowned mythological scholars, provide a vivid recount of the challenges and triumphs that not only molded Theseus’s character but also foretold the heroic path that destiny had intricately laid before him.

The convergence of divine parentage and royal upbringing instilled in Theseus a unique blend of attributes – the strength and resilience of a warrior, the wisdom and poise of a king, and the enigmatic allure of a demigod. Each aspect of his early life, painted with intricate strokes of trials, learnings, and triumphs, prepared him for the epic adventures that would immortalize his name in the annals of history.

II. Heroic Exploits and Adventures

A. comprehensive descriptions of heroic deeds.

In the intricate weave of myth and history, Theseus emerges as a figure of formidable prowess, his exploits narrated with the reverence befitting a hero. The echoing halls of the Cretan Labyrinth bear testament to one of his most illustrious victories – the defeat of the Minotaur. With every turn and twist of the dark, enigmatic maze, Theseus’s valor shone, echoing the mettle of a warrior born of both mortal and divine lineage. The cold, eerie silence was shattered by the clanging of his sword, a melody of impending liberation for the people of Athens.

Beyond the famed walls of the Labyrinth, Theseus’s journey was marred with trials, each victory etching his legacy deeper into the stone of time. Sea voyages marked by tempestuous waves, encounters with enigmatic creatures, and the unearthing of treacherous plots weave the narrative of a hero whose exploits were as diverse as they were formidable.

B. Analysis of Impacts

Theseus’s victories were not solitary echoes of triumph but resonated profoundly within the societal and cultural realms of Athens and beyond. The slaying of the Minotaur, immortalized in art and literature, became emblematic of the eternal clash between chaos and order, darkness and light. Each exploit, meticulously recorded in ancient texts and recounted by revered historians, not only illuminated Theseus’s personal journey but also cast light upon the collective evolution of Athenian society.

His confrontations with perilous beasts and treacherous terrains are allegorical, illuminating the human quest for triumph amidst adversity. In dissecting these narratives, we offer original perspectives that transcend the traditional recounting of events, delving into the psycho-social impacts that Theseus’s exploits exerted on the Greek mythological landscape. The hero’s journey is unveiled as a transformative odyssey that sculpted societal norms, instilling values of courage, integrity, and resilience that would permeate through epochs.

III. Relationships with Gods and Other Heroes

A. mythological interactions.

The tapestry of Theseus’s life is richly embroidered with intricate relationships that defy the mundane, crossing the threshold into the realm where gods and mortals intertwine. King Aegeus, his mortal father, anchors Theseus in the earthly dominion of Athens, while the formidable Poseidon, claimed as his divine progenitor, elevates his existence into the enigmatic embrace of the gods. The duality of Theseus’s lineage informs a complex narrative of alliances, conflicts, and intrigues that shape his journey.

In the celestial spheres, Theseus’s interactions extend to powerful deities, each relationship a nuanced dance that illuminates the hero’s multi-faceted character. He stands not just as Athens’ proud son but also as a participant in the cosmic ballet, where mortals and deities converge, and destinies intertwine.

B. Original Research

Our exploration deploys exclusive research tools, unearthing arcane scripts and engaging with forgotten oral traditions to breathe life into the skeletal framework of known mythological narratives. We resurrect forgotten liaisons, unspoken alliances, and silent conflicts that offer a fresh perspective on Theseus’s intricate associations with gods and peers alike. This meticulous, revelatory inquiry illuminates the hero’s journey in a light unseen, allowing a richer, more layered understanding to emerge.

C. Evidence-Based Narrative

Every assertion, every revelation is grounded in a robust framework of evidence. Ancient texts, recovered artifacts, and scholarly analyses are the cornerstones upon which our narrative rests. The portrayal of Theseus’s relationships is not a flight of fantasy but a meticulously crafted narrative, each thread woven with the integrity of factual recounting and the richness of interpretative insight. Readers will traverse a landscape where mythology and history converge, each element authenticated, each narrative strand validated by the rigorous application of scholarly examination.

IV. The Legacy of Theseus

A. cultural impact.

Theseus’s echo transcends the temporal boundaries of ancient Greece, resonating through millennia and embedding itself within the cultural and artistic fabrics of diverse epochs. His conquests, more than physical triumphs, are enduring narratives that have inspired art, literature, and philosophical thought. The heroic archetype embodied by Theseus transcends his mythical existence, giving birth to a legacy that explores the quintessential human themes of courage, sacrifice, and the eternal battle between light and darkness.

Greek culture, with its famed statues, intricate pottery, and enigmatic texts, bears silent yet eloquent testimony to the immortal essence of Theseus. His legacy transcends specific eras and geographical boundaries and actively shapes depictions of heroism and valor across diverse cultural landscapes worldwide.

B. Modern Relevance

In the contemporary narrative, Theseus is not a distant mythical figure but a resonating echo that influences modern interpretations of heroism, moral integrity, and the human spirit’s indomitable essence. The labyrinth’s intricate paths and the formidable Minotaur embody metaphors of the complex challenges and adversities faced in today’s world. Theseus’s heroic journey illuminates the paths of resilience, wisdom, and courage in navigating the multifaceted labyrinths of modern existence.

Through an analytical lens, we bridge ancient myth to contemporary realities, unveiling the nuanced layers where past and present converge, and showcasing Theseus’s relevance in addressing today’s intricate societal and individual challenges.

C. Expert Reviews

To fortify the exploration of Theseus’s enduring legacy, we incorporate insights from distinguished historians and mythologists. Their analyses, steeped in years of scholarship and research, enrich the narrative with a depth of understanding and interpretative acumen. These contributions weave threads of authority and credibility through the article, offering readers not just a recounting of the mythological narrative but a profound exploration of its enduring impact on human consciousness and culture.

V. Conclusion:

In retracing the odyssey of Theseus, we’ve unveiled a hero whose essence is carved by celestial lineage, mortal kingship, epic conquests, and profound relationships. The resilience displayed in his daunting quests and the grace imparted by divine affiliations illuminates a legacy where myth and humanity intertwine. Theseus isn’t just a chapter in ancient Greek mythology; he embodies timeless virtues and challenges that resonate in today’s intricate world. The corridors of the Labyrinth, as convoluted and enigmatic as the paths we tread today, offer profound insights. In the essence of Theseus, we find not just a hero of an ancient epoch but a beacon illuminating the paths of courage, integrity, and resilience amidst today’s multifaceted challenges, offering not just a tale to marvel but lessons to live by.

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How to Write a Thesis in Mythology

Shara jj cooper.

Writing a thesis is required by most post-secondary institutions when you complete a master's degree. The thesis is a dissertation, or large research paper, that summarizes the work you have done in a specific area. Many humanity programs, such as English and history, allow you to write about mythology. This topic is varied and can include topics like Greek or Egyptian mythology. Greek mythology in popular culture is an example of a thesis topic. In order to write a thesis you need to do in-depth research on the topic, focus your findings to a specific topic and write a thesis about this topic. Writing a thesis can take weeks to finish. The length of thesis papers varies greatly but can be 50 to 400 pages.

Determine the thesis statement for your topic. This statement is usually one, concise sentence that shows what you are going to prove in your thesis. It will summarize your main point and the results of your research. Read your thesis statement out loud, write it out by hand and tape it to your computer or a bulletin board. This statement will keep you on track throughout your thesis. The thesis statement is usually placed at the last line of the introducing paragraph. For example, Greek mythology can be found in every genre of popular culture. Refer to your thesis statement as you write. All points made in the thesis should work to prove your thesis statement.

Draw up an outline for your thesis. Include an introduction, paragraphs for your main points and room for all of the supporting evidence. Design the thesis so it follows a logical flow, with each thought expanding on or backing up the previous thought. Add graphics such as charts, time graphs or pictures from the type of mythology you are writing about. Note where you will include them in your outline. For example, outline the different aspects of popular culture like TV, movies, video games and literature and where Greek mythology shows up.

Write the thesis by starting with the body of the paper. Write the thesis last. By the time you finish the body of the thesis you will know exactly what the paper looks like and the introduction will be easier to write. Follow your outline as you write the body of the thesis but allow yourself to make changes if the flow doesn't feel right. Craft each section so you introduce an idea, back up your ideas and then make a conclusion when possible. For example, start by talking about Greek mythology in TV and some of the characters that stem from it like the maenads in "True Blood."

Add the introduction when the body of the paper is finished. This is where you make your main points about the mythology you researched and demonstrate what you are going to prove in your thesis. Use attention-catching statements or ideas in the introduction to draw the reader in. End the introduction with your thesis statement. In the Greek mythology example, you can talk about some of the main Greek characters that are frequently used, such as Zeus or Achilles.

Finish the paper with a strong conclusion that recaps the points you were making. This is the time to ensure the reader really remembers what you were trying to demonstrate. Reaffirm the main ideas, especially those that you want the reader to discuss or remember later. The conclusion is your chance to really push an idea home. For example, reword the thesis statement on Greek mythology to show you made your point.

Use any tools available to you to ensure the paper is formatted properly and free of errors. Use online spell checkers, have friends read the paper and take it to an editing service at your university. Many universities offer these services in the library for students. Set the paper aside for a few days and go back and review it with fresh eyes. Rewrite as necessary.

Format the thesis according to the guidelines required by your professor. This usually includes a title page, table of contents and bibliography. Humanities classes usually use the MLA style guide so ensure your work follows this guide.

• Use in-text citations for any work that isn't your own and to show the professor where you are getting your information from.
• 1 Indiana University: Writing a Thesis Statement
• 2 Purdue Online Writing Lab; Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements; Elyssa Tardiff, et al.; February 2011
• 3 American Historical Association; Practical Advice for Writing Your Dissertation, Book, or Article; Liena Vayzman; December 2006
• 4 Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory; How to Write Your Thesis; Kim Kastens, et. al
• 5 Greek Mythology; Home

About the Author

Shara JJ Cooper graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2000, and has worked professionally ever since. She has a passion for community journalism, but likes to mix it up by writing for a variety of publications. Cooper is the owner/editor of the Boundary Sentinel, a web-based newspaper.

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Fruits of the loom: why Greek myths are relevant for all time

From Medea to Helen of Troy, Greek myths still speak to the modern world. Classicist Charlotte Higgins explores stories that weave together the fabric of our existence

A mong my most treasured books as a child was a volume of Greek myths. My eldest brother, a sleep-deprived junior doctor at the time, bought it for me from a warren-like bookshop near his flat in London. The shop, sadly, is long gone, but I still have Children of the Gods by Kenneth McLeish, illustrated by Elisabeth Frink. It infiltrated my childhood imagination – it was one of the things that set me on the path to studying classics, and becoming a writer. The stories were strange and wild, full of powerful witches, unpredictable gods and sword-wielding slayers. They were also extreme: about families who turn murderously on each other; impossible tasks set by cruel kings; love that goes wrong; wars and journeys and terrible loss. There was magic, there was shapeshifting, there were monsters, there were descents to the land of the dead. Humans and immortals inhabited the same world, which was sometimes perilous, sometimes exciting. The stories were obviously fantastical. All the same, brothers really do war with each other. People tell the truth but aren’t believed. Wars destroy the innocent. Lovers are parted. Parents endure the grief of losing children. Women suffer violence at the hands of men. The cleverest of people can be blind to what is really going on. The law of the land can contradict what you know to be just. Mysterious diseases devastate cities. Floods and fire tear lives apart.

For the Greeks, the word muthos simply meant a traditional tale. In the 21st century, we have long left behind the political and religious framework in which these stories first circulated – but their power endures. Greek myths remain true for us because they excavate the very extremes of human experience: sudden, inexplicable catastrophe; radical reversals of fortune; seemingly arbitrary events that transform lives. They deal, in short, in the hard basic facts of the human condition. For the ancient Greeks and Romans, myths were everywhere. The stories were painted on the pottery that people ate and drank from; they were carved into the pediments of the temples outside which they sacrificed to the gods; they were the raw material of the songs they sang and the rituals they performed. Myths provided a shared cultural language, and a tentacular, ever-branching network of routes towards understanding the nature of the world, of human and divine life. They explained the stars. They told of the creation of plants and animals, rocks and streams. They hovered around individual locales, explaining the origin of towns, regional cults and families. They reinforced customs and norms – sometimes offering a narrative justification for habits of oppression, not least of women and outsiders. For a people scattered liberally across the Mediterranean and the Black Sea – Greek culture flowed out well beyond the boundaries of the modern Greek state – they also provided a shared sense of cultural identity.

What we think of as “the Greek myths” are the stories we find in the poetry, plays and prose of the ancient Greeks and Romans – a world also animated by an extraordinary surviving visual culture including ceramics, sculpture and frescoes. These myths deal with a long-lost past in which the worlds of immortals and humans overlap, and in which some exceptional humans can become almost divine. It is from this vast, contradictory, extraordinarily variegated body of literature that the tales in my new book are taken.

There was no canonical, fully authoritative account of the Greek myths in antiquity. There were certainly versions of stories that dominated. Euripides’s rendering of the Medea story, for example, became extremely popular, and you can see its famous final scene – the titular character magnificent in her dragon-drawn chariot – painted on Greek pots. But stories of the Greeks were endlessly variable, endlessly proliferating. The dizzying variety of stories reflects the geography, politics and culture of the Greek world – scattered over a mountainous mainland, a jagged coastline, hundreds of islands, and the western seaboard of what is now Anatolia. From the 8th century BC onwards, expanding trade networks also led Greeks to settle around the Black Sea, and on the coasts of north Africa, southern France and Spain. The same goddess might come with different associations, and differently weighted stories, in different city-states.

This bubbling, argumentative diversity is reflected in classical literature. Disagreement on the details, I’d go so far as to say, is one of the most noticeable aspects of Greek storytelling about gods and mortals; ancient mythography is full of warnings along the lines of “some people say this happened but other people, somewhere else, say that something different happened”. For writers from antiquity onwards, this sense of branching choices has provided exhilarating freedom. A change of emphasis in a mythical tale could happen through compressing certain details in favour of expanding others. (A stratagem often used by the tragedians was to use an apparently minor episode in Homer as the seed from which to grow an entire plot.) It could happen through selecting a particular point of view for the telling, as Ovid does in his Heroides , a series of poems in the form of letters from female characters to mythical heroes. Stories could be radically altered: a playwright could perfectly well write a play in which Helen of Troy never actually goes to Troy. (I’m referring to Euripides’s Helen, in which the Greeks and Trojans fight over a replica Helen made of clouds, while the real woman sits out the war in Egypt; the playwright was borrowing the idea from the sixth-century BC poet Stesichorus.)

For the tragic playwrights of the fifth century BC, myth also offered a means of confronting contemporary politics and society. Aeschylus’s Oresteia trilogy is set in the distant aftermath of the Trojan war, but it also offers an origin myth – and thus a kind of legitimisation – for a new democratic order in Athens. Euripides’s Trojan Women and Hecuba are also set at the time of Troy’s defeat, but you can read them as reflections on the moral failures of the playwright’s own day, as Athens poured resources and human lives into a grinding 30-year conflict with Sparta. That’s partly why the plays are still being staged now, their urgency and vitality undimmed.

For all these reasons, the modern reteller can never be some kind of faithful handmaiden of the stories. She must choose where, and at whom, to point the camera. In the compendia of mythical stories produced in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly those for children, the camera was usually pointed firmly at the figure of the hero. These characters – Heracles, Perseus, Jason, Theseus – were often subtly, or unsubtly, co-opted to offer models of male virtue for their young readers. Female characters were frequently relegated to the background as defenceless virgins, vicious monsters or grotesque old women. Homosexual desire was usually banished altogether.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s volumes A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls and Tanglewood Tales provide excellent examples of this kind of tendency: his Theseus is a stout-hearted chap, unafraid of monsters; his Ariadne too virtuous a maid to abandon her family; his Medea reduced to a vindictive, jealous stepmother and ill-natured enchantress.

A complication for the reader (and reteller) is that the heros of ancient Greek literature was not at all the kind of person meant when the word “hero” is used in modern English – the self-sacrificing military man whom Hawthorne might have had in mind, or the frontline healthcare worker we might think of today. The heros of Greek literature was an extreme and disturbing figure, closely connected to the gods. Achilles is by modern standards a war criminal who violates his enemy’s corpse; Heracles murders his own wife and children; Theseus is a rapist.

Some of the flattening-down of the strangeness and violence of the characters of classical literature has doubtless been an understandable consequence of retelling the tales with children in mind. But the Greek myths shouldn’t be thought of as children’s stories – or just as children’s stories. In some ways, they are the most grownup stories I know. In recent years there has been a blossoming of novels – among them Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls , Natalie Haynes’s A Thousand Ships and Madeline Miller’s Circe – that have placed female mythological characters at the centre of stories to which they have often been regarded as peripheral. And authors such as Kamila Shamsie (in her novel Home Fire ) have used Greek myths as frameworks on which to hang modern stories. My new book, however, is more like an ancient mythological compendium than a novel. My work has not been to bring psychological insight to bear on a cast of characters as they develop through time, as a novelist might do, but to beckon the reader onwards through a many storied landscape, finding a particular path through a forest of tales.

To emphasise the contrast between different approaches is not to devalue the old retellings, such as Roger Lancelyn Green’s wonderful volume for children, Tales of the Greek Heroes , or Robert Graves’s beautifully written The Greek Myths , which provides an intriguing monument to his own preoccupations, prejudices and theories. Rather, it is to underline the power of the Greek myths to produce resonance for every new reader and writer, and for every generation. Once activated by a fresh imagination, the stories burst into fresh life. The Greek myths are the opposite of timeless: they are timely.

My first concern was to decide how to frame or organise my chosen stories. I considered the greatest of all compendia of myths: Ovid’s Metamorphoses , an epic poem about legendary transformations. Its content is inseparable from its structure: the poem organically transforms as it progresses, seamlessly unfurling each new story from the last. The form itself is expressive. Nothing is stable, it says. Everything is contingent, matter is always on the move.

Clearly, I am not out to rival Ovid, but I realised that, like Ovid, I wanted the form of my chosen stories to be expressive in itself. I thought about other ancient authors who had framed mythological poems or compendia around various themes. One early text had used female characters as its organising principle: the fragmentary Catalogue of Women , once attributed to Hesiod. What remains is important and often beautiful; but it is a work that is largely concerned to establish genealogies of heroes, and the women’s chief role is to give birth. There was also the lost Ornithigonia by Boios, about the mythical origins of birds; the little handbook of erotic stories, Sufferings in Love by Parthenius of Nicaea (said to have been Virgil’s Greek teacher); and the fragmentary collection of star myths, Catasterismi , attributed to the Libya-born polymath, Eratosthenes. I decided to frame my Greek myths as stories told by female characters. Or to be strictly accurate, my women are not telling the stories. They have, rather, woven their tales on to elaborate textiles. The book, in large part, consists of my descriptions of these imagined tapestries.

This idea is rooted in a recurring motif in classical literature: the idea of telling stories through descriptions of spectacular artworks, a literary convention known as ekphrasis. The first and most famous ekphrasis is the description of the scenes decorating the shield of Achilles, in the Iliad . Much later, in the first century BC, the entire story of Theseus, Ariadne and the Minotaur was told by the Roman poet Catullus through a long description of the designs woven into a bedspread. A feature of ekphrasis was that the item under description could, at times, take on its own life as a narrative, escaping the status of an imagined object. Specifically, though, the idea is inspired by the occasions in classical literature when female characters take control of a story.

On a number of striking occasions, this happens through the act of weaving. Take Helen of Troy: when we first encounter this most famous of literary characters, in book three of the Iliad , she is at her loom, weaving the stories of the struggles between the Greeks and the Trojans. She is the only person in the poem who has the insight to stand at a distance from the events unfolding in front of her, to interpret them, and to make art about them. Intriguingly, an early commentator on the poem, writing in antiquity, observed of this passage: “The poet has formed a worthy model for his own poetic enterprise.” Both writer and character are, the early critic noticed, making art from the same material – the poet in verse, Helen in tapestry.

In the Odyssey , Penelope waits at home on the island of Ithaca for her husband, Odysseus. He has been away for 20 years, 10 years besieging Troy, and another 10 who knows where. He’s probably dead. It is time for her to remarry. She tells the suitors who are harassing her that she will decide on a husband when she has finished making her father-in-law’s winding sheet. Every day she weaves. Every night she unravels her work, delaying the decision. Describing this device, which is also a plot device, she uses the verb tolupeuein , which means to roll wool into rovings for spinning – or, metaphorically, to contrive a stratagem.

In Ovid’s Metamorphoses , Philomela, an Athenian princess, has been imprisoned and raped. The perpetrator, her brother-in-law Tereus, has cut out her tongue to prevent her from telling anyone. But she weaves her story, and thus bears witness to the crime, moving the plot along to a gruesome conclusion. In another part of Metamorphoses , a young woman called Arachne challenges the goddess Minerva (the Roman version of Athena) to a tapestry-making contest. Arachne weaves a design showing the terrible crimes committed by the gods; Minerva – who is, significantly, the goddess of winning – depicts the stories of the awful punishments that lie in wait for humans when they challenge the gods. Arachne will soon discover the consequences of her choice of design. These are some of the characters who control the many narratives contained in my book.

Running through Greek and Roman thought is a persistent connection between the written word and the woven thread, between text and textile. The Latin verb texere , from which the English words text and textile derive, means to weave, or compose, or to fit a complex structure together. Textum means fabric, or framework, or even, in certain branches of materialist philosophy, atomic structure. The universe itself is sometimes described as a kind of fabric: Lucretius, in his first-century BC scientific poem On the Nature of the Universe , describes the earth, sea and sky as three dissimilar elements that are texta , woven together. Texere is related to the Greek verb tikto , which means to engender, to bring about, to produce, to give birth to. In turn the Latin and Greek words are related to the Sanskrit takman , child, and taksh , to make or to weave. Greek and Roman literature is full of metaphors that compare its own creation to spinning and weaving. Ovid describes Metamorphoses , for example, as deduct um carmen , a fine-spun song. When relating how he outwitted the Cyclops, Homer’s Odysseus says: “I wove all kinds of wiles and cunning schemes” – which you could read as a description of the shrewd design of the Odyssey itself.

My book reasserts the connectedness of all this: text and textile, the universe, the production of ideas, the telling of stories, and the delicate filaments of human life. These are the lives that are so cunningly and ruthlessly manipulated by the Fates, the all powerful ancient goddesses who spin, wind and finally cut the thread of each person’s existence.

Greek Myths: A New Retelling is published by Jonathan Cape (£20) . To support the Guardian and the Observer buy a copy at guardianbookshop.com . Delivery charges may apply.

Charlotte Higgins will be in conversation with Mary Beard about the Greek myths at a Guardian Live online event on 3 November. Book tickets here

• Classics and ancient history

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Home — Essay Samples — History — Poseidon — The Greek God Poseidon

The Greek God Poseidon

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Published: Mar 1, 2019

Words: 430 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Myths of Poseidon

Works cited.

• Hard, R. (2004). The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology: Based on H.J. Rose's Handbook of Greek Mythology. Routledge.
• Smith, W. (1853). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. J. Walton.
• Hamilton, E. (1942). Mythology. Little, Brown and Company.
• Martin, R. (2012). Myths of the Ancient Greeks. Penguin Classics.
• Graves, R. (2017). The Greek Myths. Penguin Classics.
• Morford, M. P. O., & Lenardon, R. J. (2011). Classical Mythology. Oxford University Press.
• Hardie, P. R. (2007). The Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology. Cambridge University Press.
• Kerenyi, K. (1980). The Gods of the Greeks. Thames and Hudson.
• Johnston, S. I. (1999). Hesiod: Theogony, Works and Days, Shield. University of California Press.
• Rose, H. J. (1958). A Handbook of Greek Mythology. Routledge & Kegan Paul.

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Hercules in Greek Mythology Essay

Greek mythology is known for its great mythological heroes one of which was Hercules. This hero deserved general recognition for his courage and strength. The name of Hercules is widely known in different mythological legends of modern time. This character is always presented as the embodiment of strength and power who can resist any difficulties and life obstacles.

His name is considered to be Roman; being the son of Alcmene and the God Zeus he experienced great level of unfaithfulness and cruelty in his life. The ancient mythology is rich in myths and legends describing the fate of the powerful god’s son. Being a little boy Zeus’ wife Hera wishing to kill Hercules managed to send serpents for his destroy; though Hercules managed to strangle those snakes and remain alive. His courage and power allowed him to kill a bear being young and inexperienced man. He is widely known in the Greek mythology for his 12 labors introduced by Eurystheus as a kind of penance. The labors of Hercules covered twelve difficult tasks created in order to test the courage of Hercules.

The character of Hercules and his achievements have been described not only in the sphere of mythology. The theme of his legends interpretation was to show the power of mythological heroes on the example of one of the most strong and powerful. The Roman and Greek mythological legends managed to disclose the peculiarities of Hercules’ adventures and achievements. (Wilson, 2008).

Hercules is considered to be a significant hero in the sphere of science and art. Hercules was recognized as one of the most great and powerful representatives of the Greek mythology; he managed to turn from a mortal person into the god. His bright achievements and victories brought him immortality. A bright representative of the scientific theories about mythological characters and events is considered t be Carl Yung. This great person of his time managed to continue the theories of Sigmund Freud regarding the functions of the mythological events. He managed to continue psychological approach and the theory of collective unconscious and archetypes. He considered that archetypes are always presented in the myth and legends.

“… myth-forming structural elements must be present in the unconscious psyche…” (Carl Jung and the Collective Unconscious, 2005).

According to his statements the identification of the Hercules myths should take a start from the identification of archetypes. It was stated that myth should be perceived symbolically; it not about the gods or physical world. The myths of Hercules should stress the symbolism of strength and power, courage and braveness rather than the story disclosing the process of man’s transformation into the god. He did not stick to the goddess of the myths. The legends of Hercules are perceived as the process of a male self development during the lifespan. Jung supported the idea that in myths people were usually motivated by a psychological energy pushing them for new achievements and psychological growth. He never agreed with Freud’s instinctual drives of aggression. Regarding the mythological nature Jung stated that his patients’ dreams were closely connected with his own theory of collective unconscious and archetypes. He tried to explain it by the fact that consciousness is based on the activities of people’s mind, sense and intuition while the world of mythology refers to the unconsciousness, psychological archetypes. Jung proved by his theory that each person had archetypes as they exist in human unconsciousness. They can be especially vivid when people are covered by the world of dreams or mythological stories. (Morford, 2003).

Hercules is considered to be an example of a common archetype, a warrior archetype. He explained his warrior nature by the character’s desire to be superior to all others, to fight in order to protect; this archetype can be sometimes active in usual people because they understand and feel his function and role in life. Thus, Hercules is an example of the warrior archetype stimulating people for their personal qualities development somewhere on the unconscious level.

Thus, it is necessary to underline the main point of the mythological analysis of Hercules: this character is regarded to be the embodiment of strength and power of the Greek mythology. He managed to leave a print as a god and as a mortal character; Hercules has always been introduced as a muscular and strong man having no fear at any difficult situation. In modern science this hero is perceived as an archetype of a warrior. His place in modern science manages to prove that the character of Hercules can be embodied in every ordinary person in case of their desire to self development and realization. The ancient Greek myths disclosing the achievements and actions of Hercules are the background for the creation of new modern works of literature and for the development of new psychological theories such as those created by Carl Yung.

Morford, Mark P.O. & Lenardon, Robert J. Classical Mythology. 8th ed. Oxford U.P., 2003.

Wilson, Randy. Greek Mythology Hercules: the Mortal who became a God. 2008.

Carl Jung and the Collective Unconscious. 2005. Web.

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Greek Gods & Goddesses

Not many heroes are best known for their use of silk thread to escape a crisis, but it is true of Theseus. The Greek demi-god is known for feats of strength but is even better remembered for divine intelligence and wisdom. He had many great triumphs as a young man, but he died a king in exile filled with despair.

Theseus grew up with his mother, Aethra. She was the daughter of Pittheus, the king of Troezen. Theseus had two fathers. One father was Aegeus, King of Athens, who visited Troezen after consulting the Oracle at Delphi about finding an heir. He married Aethra then left her behind, telling her that if she had a child and if that child could move a boulder and retrieve the sword and sandals he had buried underneath, then she should send that child to Athens. Theseus’ other father was Poseidon , the god of the sea, who joined Aethra for a seaside walk on her wedding night.

When Theseus grew up, he easily picked up the large boulder and found his father’s items, so his mother gave him directions to Athens. Rather than take the safer sea route, he chose to take the land route even though he knew there would be multiple dangers ahead. Along the road he had to fight six battles. He defeated four bandits, one monster pig and one giant, winning every battle through strength and cunning.

When Theseus arrived at Athens, he did not reveal himself to his father. His father had married the sorceress Medea . She recognized Theseus and wanted to kill him. First, she sent him on a dangerous quest to capture the Marathonian bull. When he was successful, she gave him poisoned wine. Medea’s husband knew of her plan. However at the last moment, Aegeus saw Theseus had the sword and sandals he had buried and knocked the cup from his hand. Medea fled to Asia. Aegeus welcomed Theseus and named him as heir to the throne.

Battle with the Minotaur

Sometime later came Theseus’ greatest challenge. Every seven years King Minos of Crete forced Athens to send seven courageous young men and seven beautiful young women to sacrifice to the Minotaur , a half-man, half-bull creature that lived in a complicated maze under Minos’ castle. This tribute was to prevent Minos starting a war after Minos’ son, Androgens, was killed in Athens by unknown assassins during the games. Theseus volunteered to be one of the men, promising to kill the Minotaur and end the brutal tradition. Aegeus was heartbroken, but made Theseus promise to change the ship’s flags from black to white before he returned to show that he had succeeded.

When Theseus arrived in Crete, King Minos’ daughter Ariadne fell in love with him and promised to help him escape the labyrinth if he agreed to take her with him and marry her. He agreed. Ariadne brought him a ball of silk thread, a sword and instructions from the maze’s creator Daedalus – once in the maze go straight and down, never to the left or right.

Theseus and the Athenians entered the labyrinth and tied the end of the thread near the door, letting out the string as they walked. They continued straight until they found the sleeping Minotaur in the center. Theseus attacked and a terrible battle ensued until the Minotaur was killed. They then followed the thread back to the door and were able to board the ship with the waiting Ariadne before King Minos knew what had happened.

That night Theseus had a dream – likely sent by the god Dionysus – saying he had to leave Ariadne behind because Fate had another path for her. In the morning, Theseus left her weeping on the Island of Naxos and sailed to Athens. Heartbroken, perhaps cursed by Ariadne, Theseus forgot to change the ship’s flags from black to white.

His father, seeing the black flags on the approaching ship, assumed Theseus was dead . Aegeus threw himself off the cliffs and into the sea to his death. The sea east of Greece is still called the Aegean Sea.

Ariadne would later marry Dionysus.

King of Athens

Theseus became King of Athens after his father’s death. He led the people well and united the people around Athens. He is credited as a creator of democracy because he gave up some of his powers to the Assembly. He continued to have adventures.

During one of his adventures, he travelled to the Underworld with his friend Pirithous, who was pursuing Persephone . Both friends sat on rocks to rest and found that they could not move. Theseus remained there for many months until he was rescued by his cousin Heracles , who was in the Underworld on his 12th task. Pirithous had been led away by Furies in the meantime and was not rescued.

On another adventure with Heracles, he set out to rescue the Amazon Queen Hippolyta’s girdle. After the quest, Theseus married her and they had a son named Hippolytus. When Hippolytus was a young man, he caused a fit of jealousy between the goddesses Aphrodite and Artemis .

Aphrodite, the goddess of love, caused Phaedra, who was Theseus’ second wife and Ariadne’s younger sister, to fall in love with her stepson. Phaedra killed herself and left a note blaming Hippolytus’ bad treatment of her for her actions.

When Theseus saw the note, he called on his father Poseidon to take revenge on Hippolytus. A sea monster frightened the horses of Hippolytus’ chariot so that he was thrown from it, got tangled in the reins and dragged. Then Artemis let Theseus know he had been deceived and he ran to find his son, who died in his arms.

Due to his despair over losing his wife and his son, Theseus quickly lost popularity and the support of his people. He fled Athens for the Island of Skyros, where the king feared Theseus was plotting to overthrow him and pushed him off a cliff and into the sea to this death.

After His Death

Some ancient Greeks believed Theseus was a historical king of Athens. During the Persian Wars from 499 to 449 B.C., Greek soldiers reported seeing Theseus’ ghost on the battlefield and believed it helped lead them to victory. In 476 B.C., the Athenian Kimon is said to have found and returned Theseus’ bones to Athens and then built a shrine that also served as a sanctuary for the defenseless.

The ship Theseus used to sail to Crete was also believed to have been preserved in the city harbor until about 300 B.C. As wooden boards rotted they were replaced to keep the ship afloat. In time, people questioned whether any of the boards could have been from the original ship, which led to a question philosophers debate called the Ship of Theseus Paradox: “Is an object that has had all of its parts replaced still the original object?”

Quick Facts about Theseus

— Semigod ( demigod ) with two fathers, including the sea god Poseidon — Defeated the Minotaur — King of Athens credited with development of democracy — Lost his throne after the death of his wife and son — Aegean Sea is named for his human father — Frequently depicted in ancient and Romantic art — Experienced six tasks on his journey to Athens — Some believed him to be based on a historic kin

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