Four days ago an archery tournament was held on Mount Olympus. The contestants were Zeus, Athena Poseidon and Eros. During the games Eros had beaten Athena and Poseidon however not Zeus. After competing against each other during four rounds they were always a tie. Until the games were held on a mountain with the wind blowing dramatically. The flash of lightning bolts were crackled in in the air when it strike the targets. What a sight it was! In the end Zeus earned 110 pts and Eros had 150 pts!! Eros was rewarded with a box filled with golden Drachma and arrows created out of silver.
In the epic poem The Odyssey, Athena mentoring Odysseus greatly changed 8th century BCE society’s opinion of him. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is mentored throughout the “books” over and over by the goddess Athena. Most of the times that Odysseus needs help, Athena is there. So, how did this affect society’s opinion on him? For starters, it made them believe he was an epic hero.
“The Titans, led by Kronos, deposed their father and ruled the universe. They were in turn overthrown by the Olympians, led by Zeus, in the battle called the Titanomachy. Zeus freed from Tartarus the Cyclopes and the hundred-handed giants, the Hecatoncheires, to aid him in the war. The Cyclopes forged Hades' helmet of darkness, Poseidon's trident, and Zeus' thunderbolts. With these weapons Zeus and his brothers were able to defeat the Titans.”
After intruding in an archery competition and hitting the target straight on, Odysseus begins to brag about his skill. After he had hit the target he turns and says, “‘ Telemakhos, the stranger you welcomed in your hall has not disgraced you. I did not miss, neither did I take all day stringing the bow. My hand and eye are sound, not so contemptible as the young say.’” ( Fitzgerald 405)
Odysseus and his men stop at an island, where Odysseus meets Aeolus; the god of wind. Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag of wind to use on their trip back home to Ithaca. Odysseus receives the bag and boards back on his ship with his crew. His men ask what is in the bag, but Odysseus does not tell them what's inside. His crewmates are skeptical of what's inside the bag, so while Odysseus is sleeping they open the bag.
Two female characters are Penelope and Athena. Penelope is the beautiful wife of Odysseus. She hasn't seen her husband for twenty years and fears he is dead. She is pursued by many suitors who wish to take Odysseus' place. She weeps for Odysseus nightly.
Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, is a man that is looked at as a celebrity by humans because of his skillful fighting, and by the gods because of his intelligence and wits. The king went through numerous tasks and obstacles to get back to his homeland. One task in particular proves his power and the love he has for his loyal and wise wife, Penelope. Looking at lines four hundred fifty-one through four hundred seventy-one, the moment Odysseus, while disguised by the God Athena, proves to the suitors and workers that he is the rightful husband, king, and lord by stringing his own bow and shooting it through twelve axes; the task was quick and perfect for Odysseus.
He strings to bow to win the hand of Penelope, while still disguised as a beggar. Succeeding this, he shoots an arrow through the 12 sockets, shocking all of the suitors. Odysseus says “ now watch me hit a target that no man has hit before, 5/6 if I could take the shot help me Apollo.”(XXII. 5-6) Then he shoots Antinoos, in one shot.
Athena is a major character throughout the book of The Odyssey and is known as the goddess of wisdom and battle. Throughout the course of the book, it is evident that Athena has a weak spot for the main character, Odysseus. Odysseus is trying to return home after the Trojan War, as the other Greek hero’s have already done, however he faces multiple challenges a long the way. Fortunately, for Odysseus, Athena was there to guide him through a few of these troubling situations.
In the Odyssey Odysseus and his men are shown defeating the Trojans. When the battle ends Odysseus stands on a pile of rocks and yells angrily at the gods. The gods reply by cursing Odysseus and his men where they will
They revolved around their myths and beliefs. According to the article "Preparation and Training for the Original Olympic Games" by Hailey White, " the original Olympic Games were in honor of Zeus, the Greek God of Thunder" and on " the first day out of the five was set for the opening ceremony and sacrifices to the gods" The competitors were required to take an oath in front of the statue of Zeus promising that they had trained for ten months prior. Greek gods were very honored and respected in Greece and were mentioned in many events.
People research mythology to learn about all the different myths and to also learn about all the Greek gods, goddesses, nymphs etc. Many people enjoy reading and learning about all the myths about the gods and goddesses and nymphs and monsters Etc. Long periods of time people have been surprised about Poseidon; the famous Greek god Poseidon,Fatal Flaw, Hubris and most importantly Calypso. These Mythical beings, gods and other were all combined in the Greek culture which created all the myths and stories about all the gods, goddesses and nymphs. Like the myth says, the god Poseidon was the second son of Cronus and Rhea but like his brothers and sisters he was later swallowed by his father, but later saved by Zeus.
Metis made a potion to make Cronus sick. Both friends Zeus and Metis tricked Cronus into drinking the potion, when he drank it he threw up Zeus' five siblings. The six siblings decided to over and over throw not only their father but the other titans as well. The siblings and three hundred armed giants fought the titans to overcome them. After ten long years of fighting, the titans lost and Zeus sent all the people who were against him to Tartarus.
Modern day people would easily argue and state that a lightning storm could have just taken place in that area. “It's such a small sample and short time frame; let's not get alarmed” (Yan 1). With the modern science that we have today, we know that lightning is not thrown by Zeus, but when ice particles start to form in a thunder cloud instead. We also know that Zeus was not displeased with a certain group of people, or boat, but actually, possibly there was a lightning storm scheduled for that time in that area, or some other logically possible explanation for what had happened. A Greek would probably be offended by this in many ways.
Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel is a book that examines the connection between a spiritual mindset and a physical action. There are a lot of opinions as to what “Zen” is explicitly defined as; it seems to the author that Zen is the true detachment of desire and acceptance of the present as such. This idea is very difficult to understand, especially to western culture; Herrigel’s fascination with the concept stems from his romanticized view of the East Asian culture. His interest with the mysticism of Zen led him to Kenzo Awa, a Master in the art of Japanese archery, in the hopes of learning more about Zen Buddhist principles. The Zen notion of patience is focused on very early in the book, being one of the perfections necessary
When Athena, a goddess, realizes that her weaving competition with Arachne, a mortal, would end in a draw, the text states, “...she tore Arachne’s tapestry from top to bottom and began to beat the girl,” (85). Because Athena has supernatural powers, she should be viewed as a superior being. However, in this story, although Arachne is a mortal, she is able to weave at a comparable level of skill to Athena, a goddess. This causes Athena to feel envious of Arachne’s abilities, and in an effort to weaken Arachne, Athena destroys Arachne’s work and beats her. Athena’s behavior is similar to humans’ behavior when attempting to invalidate and undermine that people they are jealous and envious of.