A comparison between the myth of Perseus and its adaptation “The Terrible Head”
People have always been fascinated about myths especially Greek myths and the tales of the gods. Gods who were similar to humans and have human’s qualities. Therefore, myths were not far from reality and people always link these myths with reality through the ages. Also, Greek myths express the beliefs and values about good, evil, faith, war, love, sacrifice, origins, life and death. Moreover, Greek mythology for some people answers the questions of the creation of Earth and human existence. But basically, Greek mythology has been a treasure to literaries and poets and thousands of literary works were inspired by Greek myths. One of this works is “The Terrible Head” from
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Luckly, the chest arrive to the chore of Seriphos where a fishman named Dictys lives and his brother Polydectes was the ruler of this island. He was kind to Danae and his child and they lived with him until Perseus becomes a young man. Polydectes fall in love with Danae and asked to marry her, but she refused. If not Perseus, he would force her to marry him, so he contrives a plot to get rid of Perseus by sending him on a suicide mission. He ordered him to bring the head of the Gorgon Medusa which was a horrible creature, who had snakes on her head instead of hair, and a scary gaze that turns anyone who would look into her eyes to stone. While he was preparing for the adventure, he realized that he did not know how to find the lair of Medusa. Then a tall lady and a man with winged sandals appeared and presented themselves as goddess Athena and god Hermes. And they are here to help him in his mission as he is the son of god Zeus. So Hermes gave him his winged sandals and a sickle and Athena gave him a shield, also they gave him information on how to find Medusa. He then found his way to The Graeae cave were three women who shared only
Homer’s The Odyssey is one of the oldest works of Western literature, second only to Homer’s Iliad. It’s influence on Western culture ranges from the characters and story, to his innovative writing style, characterized by his use of literary devices. Though Homer uses many literary devices in his telling of The Odyssey, epic similes are one of the most vital part of the storytelling. They allow the reader to envision the scene in a different way, comparing it to descriptions that can be vividly imagined in the head.
The book Odyssey is one of the oldest books in literature. In the book it teaches lessons about loyalty, hospitality, and vengeous. For example, the myth of Argos, Odysseus trains Argos as a puppy to make him brave and strong. Then, Odysseus leaves for war and gets lost for twenty years until he finally comes home to find out his dog was not taken care of or treated kindly. They only reunite for a short while until Argos passes away.
On his way there he meets very unpleasant mythical creatures that test his “hero” ways. Although there were many close calls to his death the story ends back at his hometown with his wife Penelope, and their grown son after years at
The myth is the story of Perseus, the son of Zeus and Danae. As a baby he and his mother were forced into a coffin by his grandfather, Acrisius, and were sent out into sea to perish. They didn 't drown, however, they floated to land until they were found by a king, Polydectes. The king fell in love with Perseus ' mother and wanted to wed her, her refused so she could spend time caring for her son. After Perseus had grown into a young man Polydectes sent him on a mission to kill Medusa in a hope it would bring Perseus ' death, the king thought that with her son gone the woman she loved would marry him.
He had seen a woman in a weaving contest with Athena, a boy with wings attached to his body flying a little too close to the sun, and many other interesting adventures. He grew up to look like a young man, even though he was actually way older than that, but he was still as adventurous and curious as he ever was. One day he was sitting on the edge of Olympus, watching the beautiful chariot of Apollo make its descent down back to the ground, with many different shades of red and blue streaking across the sky.
In addition some background information on the main author Homer is that his name is ascribed by the ancient Greeks to the semi-legendary author of the Iliad and The Odyssey, two epic poems which are the central works of Greek literature. The scenes I will be
Millenia after their creation, classical mythology continues to intrigue and inspire; Greek and Roman (and even Norse) figures and stories directly appear in the contemporary works of Rick Riordan, Jennifer Estep, Neil Gaiman, and Shelly Laurenston. Additionally, references and allusions to classical mythology frequently are and have been used in unrelated works for emphasis. The enduring strength and power of these myths is due not only to their divine and heroic feats, but also to the connection the audience can form with characters who don’t have happy endings, but suffer as much and often more than ordinary mortals. Thomas Foster, author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, devotes an entire chapter of his book to the employment
They begin by checking out the island to see if there is any danger, but they are caught. Odysseus then has to lie about the ship saying it had been destroyed. Then after his friends meet a terrible fate, he tells Polyphemus, the giant, his name is Nohbdy. After he stabs the cyclops in the eye, this leads him to say that nobody hurt him. After this Odysseus makes his escape, and is almost caught as they leave, so Odysseus taunts them, telling them his name and story.
He leaves his world of comfort behind to journey into the unknown, accepts a call of adventure, undergoes several tasks and trials that test his character, and ultimately ends his journey to return home. His dedication to his allies and diligence to his morality exemplify a true mythological
During this incident, the hero asks his men to tie him to the ship's mast to protect him from the fatal Siren's song. Odysseus had been away from Ithaca from 20 years, and the presumption that he was dead was because his fellow citizenry could not perceive how a man could survive tribulations in the wild for this long; however, the hero applies several cunning strategies to defy this supposition. The Greek belief system emphasized on different gods for each attribute of life; Athene, the god of wisdom, supports Odysseus, for instance, in disguising as an old man in Ithaca. This collaboration between the main character and the god explicates Odysseus' possession of wisdom. Moreover, Greek mythology believed that a god can confer an attribute or skill on an individual, and hence the interaction between Athene and Odysseus is an example of such transference of wisdom.
Ancient Greece is a place full of ,myths and legends. These myths and legends were created as an example for the people to live by. These myths and legends show the peoples cultures as well as their values. For example, Perseus was an important character in Greek mythology because he showed traits that were valued by the Greeks such as bravery and courage The heroes in these stories had special births and were aided by supernatural beings in order to complete their quest. In the ancient Greek myths Perseus was a demigod.
Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths, a novel by Bernard Evslin, retells short stories of the most famous gods and monsters of Greek Mythology. Evslin creates a simplistic way for the reader to understand more about these myths, through short story telling. Each god and monster is given their own chapter, and are explained thoroughly, but simplistically to help the reader understand these stories better. Evslin’s method of storytelling was effective and the way each story connected made it an easy and enjoyable read. I found it helpful that each piece was told through a maximum of about six pages.
Greek Mythology and its Influences on Modern Society By Jenna Marie A. Macalawa, Lyceum of the Philippines University – Cavite Campus 2014 Myths are not dissimilar to fairy tales, legends, and sagas, but its period is distinctly different from usual existential time. It is considered as an expression of childhood experiences, and it also explains the origin and meaning of the world. According to Long (1994), “The term mythology may describe a certain body of myths, for example, Greek, African, or Scandinavian, or it may refer to the study of myths” (p.694). These collections of narratives are superior when it comes to influencing different areas of knowledge. There are numerous types of mythology, but Ancient Greece is the one that has given an immense influence on modern society.
Whether it be Hel’s and Hades’ similar terrible upcoming, strange pattern of abducting, or their usage of servants and fellow canines, it is clear that these cultures and gods, although far apart, weren’t all that different. Their difference in dealing with the dead and variability with the features of their homeland also solidifies that these societies and gods were in their ways, unique to each other. By using these detailed comparisons you have opened up the door into a whole new world of
Greek mythology can be viewed as a mirror to the ancient Greek civilization. Ancient Greek myths and legends often reflected how the Greeks saw themselves. Myths were used by Greeks to make justifications of every existing aspect of earth as well as their own society. In myths, Greek gods & heroes often represented key aspects of the human civilization. From Greek mythology, we can learn about the favorable characteristics of humans, such as their behavior and valuable skills that were approved of by the ancient Greek society.