The story of Phaethon and the Sun is very entertaining. Phaethon, the son of the Sun (Phoebus), tells his friend that he is of divine lineage, but his friend does not believe him. Phaethon then goes to Phoebus and asks him for a way to prove their relationship. Phoebus tells him he can have any favor he asks for, so Phaethon asks to drive his flaming chariot through the skies to light the earth. Phoebus tells him that his request is very unwise, as Phaethon is not old enough, strong enough, or experienced enough to safely drive the chariot. He begs Phaethon to change his mind and ask another favor, but Phaethon does not take his advice and insists on driving the chariot. This ends with Phaethon losing control of the chariot, which goes off of the beaten path, causing the earth to set fire. Jupiter strikes down Phaethon with a bolt of lightning to end the disastrous ride, but significant damage has already been done. This story is so interesting to me because of the message that it sends. When people are too arrogant and when they refuse to take reasonable advice, it can be disastrous for them and others around them. This type of thing happens all the time because people are so often overconfident and unreasonable.
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| (Painting by Gustave Moreau) |
The story of Callisto and Jupiter is also interesting. Jupiter rapes Callisto, who then has a son. This angers Jupiter's wife, Juno, who turned Callisto into a bear as punishment. Years later, Callisto and Jupiter's son Arcas is hunting when he sees the bear that is his mother. He raises his bow to kill her, but Jupiter quickly turns them both into constellations to avoid that. The constellations are the famous Ursa Major (the great bear) and Ursa Minor (the little bear).
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