Stories of Revenge in Greek Mythology: Styles Brainstorm

Topic: For my storybook, I have chosen to write about stories of revenge in Greek Mythology. I want to write about a few different characters and stories of revenge that they were involved in. One of the characters that I will definitely be writing about is Nemesis, the Greek goddess of revenge. There is lots of information about her on Wikipedia, and there are several stories around the internet and in the Un-textbook. I also want to write about some of the stories involving Hercules, as he is one of my favorite characters in Greek mythology. I have read several stories about him in the Un-textbook already, and there are several more online. 

Bibliography:
1. Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-10) translated by Tony Kline. Web source: Mythology and Folklore Un-textbook
2. Nemesis (mythology) by unknown. Web source: Wikipedia

Possible Styles:

Third-person Anthology: I think this is the most sensible style for this type of story. Generally, tales of Greek mythology are told from the third-person point of view. Many of the stories are told as anthologies, but many of them go together as well. I think the anthology style would be a better choice for this topic though. That would allow me to tell a few stories of revenge that do not have anything to do with each other, rather than trying to make all of the stories go together. 

First-person: Another style that may be interesting is a first-person account of the stories. I could possibly make all of the stories revolve around a certain character. All of the stories could follow that character and they could all be pieced together to tell a single story of revenge. 

Courthouse setting: Having a judge hearing these stories from the characters involved during a trial could be an interesting style. I feel that writing the story that way would give me a chance to express the characters feelings about the situation and explain why the person sought revenge. 

Zeus telling the stories: With this style, I could have Zeus telling these tales of revenge to his children. I think that would work really well and it would be a unique way to write about Greek mythology, but it would also present some problems. If Zeus was telling these stories to his children, I wouldn't be able to include stories about Zeus's children in my storybook. There are plenty of other stories of revenge, though, so this would still be possible. 

(Painting of Nemesis by Alfred Rethel. Source: Wikipedia)

Storytelling Week 3: The Unexpected Reward

During the winter months, a very wealthy man, one of the wealthiest in the state, and his wife were on their way to visit their family for the holidays. It had been snowing and sleeting for some time now, but the man refused to stop and wait the storm out. As they were driving on an old rural road, their car hit a hidden patch of ice and slid off of the road. The passengers were unharmed, but their vehicle had hit a tree head on and would not start. They tried to contact the towing companies and police for help, but they had no cell signal in the small town.

They had no other choice but to walk and try to find help. They walked for what seemed like hours, not seeing a single establishment along the way. A few cars drove by the couple, but not one of them stopped to offer help. Eventually, they came upon a small farmhouse.

They walked up the road to the house, passing by an old broken down car and through a rusted gate, and knocked on the door. An elderly man opened the door and greeted the couple. “Hello sir, we had an accident a couple miles down the road and we really need some help,” the wealthy man said. Without hesitation, the owner of the home replied, “Yes, please come inside where it’s warm”. The couple entered the home and sat down by the fire in the living room, where the elderly man’s wife was sitting and reading. The couples introduced themselves to each other and explained how they came to be stranded on the road. The elderly man asked the couple if they were hungry, and began to prepare a meal. By the condition of the house and all of their belongings, they could tell that the elderly couple did not have much. They had no electricity, only candles, and they had only vegetables and bread in their pantry and a single cut of meat in their refrigerator. The elderly man cooked the meat though. He cooked the meat, along with some corn and green beans, and retrieved a bottle of wine from the cabinet. As everyone sat at the table, the elderly man told the story of how he was given the bottle of wine as a gift from his late father. As he was opening it, he said he was saving it for a special occasion. The old couple shared that meal and their wine with the man and his wife as they reminisced, telling stories of their pasts and enjoying each other’s company. The next morning, the old man drove the wealthy couple to the next town where they were helped to their holiday destination.

The wealthy couple could not stop thinking about how kind and generous the old couple was, even though they did not have much and were living in poverty. It was Christmas time, though, and they decided to repay their hosts with a gift. They sent them a bottle of wine and a check, along with a note that read “There are not many people in this world that would do what you have done for us, so please accept this gift as a token of our gratitude. We will never forget the hospitality that you provided us, and we hope to be as kind and caring as you.”

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“Let those who love the gods become gods: let those who have honoured them, be honoured.”

(Photo of an old farmhouse found on Flickr)

Author's Note: The idea of this story came from Ovid's Metamorphoses III, which was translated by Tony Kline. This story is of an old couple that takes two gods into their home when nobody else would. The gods are disguised as mortals, so their identities were not known to any of the people in the village. After the couple allows the gods to come into their home, they cook their only food for the gods (the old couple was very poor, as they did not have much food or drink). Because of their hospitality, the gods reward the couple by turning their home into a temple and granting them their wish to die together so that they do not have to live a day without one another.

I left the original theme of the story, but I changed the setting and characters to give it a more recent feel. I chose to rewrite this story really because of its message. I do believe that good things happen to good people, and that is exactly what happens in this tale. Helping those in need and showing generosity can be rare in today’s world, but I believe that it really is important.

Ovid's Metamorphoses III - Reading Diary A

After reading Ovid's Metamorphoses I last week, I decided to continue with Ovid's Metamorphoses III for this week's reading diary. The first story of this unit is that of Daedalus and Icarus. This story was interesting to me because it tells of how the island of Icaria and the Icarian Sea got their names. Daedalus (Icarus's father) built wings for him and his son to use to escape the island of Crete, but when Icarus flew too close to the heavens, the beeswax holding his wings together was melted and he fell from the sky. The sea that he fell into is now known as the Icarian Sea and the island that his father buried him on is called Icaria. 

I also enjoyed the story of Philemon and Baucis and the message that it sends. Philemon and Baucis were an old couple living in poverty in a small village. Jupiter and Mercury went to the village and asked for hospitality, but only Philemon and Baucis allowed them to enter their home. They shared all of their best food with the gods and provided them with hospitality, despite their impoverished state. After this, the gods decided to give them a temple to live in because of their kindness. The story ends with the quote "Let those who love the gods become gods: let those who have honoured them, be honoured". 

The story of Famine was also interesting. In this story, a man is punished for an act he committed. His punishment is famine; he is constantly hungry no matter how much he eats. He ends up selling everything he owns for more food until he runs out of belongings. At this point, he begins to eat himself because of his hunger. 

The stories of Hercules were very entertaining as well. This unit tells stories of Hercules' defeat of the god Achelous and the centaur Nessus. It also tells of his death, which occurred when a woman lied to his wife and told her that Hercules had an affair with another woman. Hercules' wife responded to this by giving him a poisoned shirt. 

(Painting of Hercules wrestling the shape-shifting god Achelous. Painting by Cornelis Cornelisz found on Wikimedia.)

Storytelling Brainstorm

Topic: Stories of Revenge in Greek Mythology 
Comments: I enjoy learning about Greek Mythology, and revenge seems to be a somewhat common topic in several stories. I think it would be interesting to learn more about some of these stories and how the relate to today's society.  
Possible Stories: There are several stories relating to this in the Un-textbook (many of the stories in Ovid's Metamorphoses would be useful). Various sites on the internet, including Wikipedia, also have several stories available.
Sample Story Comments: In the story of Hera and Heracles (Hercules), Hera's husband Zeus cheats on her with another woman who then gives birth to the half-human, half-god Heracles. Hera attempts to kill Heracles as an act of revenge. 
Bibliography Information: Sample story: The Tumultuous Tale of Heracles and Hera from the website classicalwisdom.com

Topic: Mythological Creatures
Comments: After reading some stories from Ovid's Metamorphoses, I have become more interested in the various mythological creatures that are mentioned. Some of the most interesting ones to me are Cerberus, Chimera, minotaurs, Medusa, griffins, Pegasus, the three-headed Hydra, and even some of the giants like Cyclopes. 
Possible Stories: Some of these creatures are mentioned in Ovid's Metamorphoses, but there are even more detailed stories elsewhere online. Greekmythology.com and thehellenictimes.com both have stories of several of these creatures as well. 
Sample Story Comments: The story of Medusa was interesting to read. I knew that those who looked into her eyes turned to stone, but I did not know how she came to be that way. After reading the story of Medusa and Athena, I found out that she was made that way as punishment for being wooed by Poseidon after making a vow of celibacy. 
Bibliography Information: Sample story: Medusa from the website greekmythology.com

(Drawing of Heracles and the mythological creature Cerberus by Sebald Beham, found on Wikipedia)

Topic: English Heroes 
Comments: There are several popular tales of English heroes, including King Arthur, Robin Hood, and Beowulf. I have seen movies about all of these characters, but I would like to read more about them. 
Possible Stories: The Un-textbook contains links to several stories about Beowulf, King Arthur and the roundtable, and of Robin Hood's adventures. 
Sample Story Comments: It has been awhile since I have seen the movie about Beowulf, so I did not remember many parts of the story. The written version seems to be much more detailed than I remember the movie being. 
Bibliography Information: Sample story: Beowulf Summary found on Wikipedia.com

Topic: Urban Legends of Medicine
Comments: I think this topic would be especially interesting to me because I am pursuing a future in the medical field. 
Possible Stories: The website snopes.com has several different urban legends involving many different aspects of medicine, from diseases and epidemics to home remedies and different drug treatments. 
Sample Story Comments: After reading about Ebola myths, I found that some people will believe anything that they hear from anyone. Some of the most ridiculous myths listed on the site were that the corpses of two females who died of Ebola were resurrected after they were buried, and the belief that drinking bleach will protect you from Ebola. 
Bibliography Information: Sample story: Fearbola from snopes.com

Essay: Gods and Goddesses of Ovid's Metamorphoses I

Ovid's Metamorphoses I tells several stories that include mythological gods and goddesses. There are tales of Jupiter and his wife Juno, Phoebus and his son Phaethon, Diana, Bacchus, Vulcan, Venus, Mars, and several others. 

The way that some of the gods acted in several of the stories was very surprising to me, especially Jupiter. In the story of Io, the story of Callisto, and the story of Semele, he has affairs with women other than his wife Juno. Jupiter raped Io, who he then turned into a heifer so that she would not be found out about. In a later story, he rapes the nymph Callisto. Juno knows of this, so she turns Callisto into a bear to punish her. In the next story, the story of Semele, Jupiter has an affair with Semele, who becomes pregnant with Bacchus. All of this seemed very odd to me because I had not read many of the Greek mythology stories and I did not imagine the all-powerful Jupiter (also called Zeus) would ever have affairs with women or rape anybody. Juno also surprised me because I would have pictured her as a calm and smooth-tempered goddess, but she acted out of anger against women that her husband raped, even though they had no choice in the matter. 

(Painting of Zeus and Callisto by Jean-Honoré Fragonard) 

Another god that really surprised me was Phoebus. When Phaethon asks him to drive his chariot through the sky, Phoebus tries to talk him out of it but Phaethon is too arrogant to take his father's advice. In the end, though, Phoebus does allow him to drive the chariot and even gets it ready for him and tells him how to control it. Phoebus knew that his son would die and it would be a danger to the world, so I was surprised that he let him drive the chariot in the end. 

Overall, the way that the gods and goddesses bossed those below them around and took advantage of them whenever they wanted was a little surprising to me. Several of the things they did were definitely not morally just, which is not what I would expect from gods and goddesses. 

Ovid's Metamorphoses I - Reading Diary B

The second half of this unit (Ovid's Metamorphoses I) contains the stories of Semele, Echo and Narcissus, Pyramus and Thisbe, Mars and Venus, Perseus and Andromeda, and Perseus and Medusa. The stories that I found the most interesting are that of Echo and Narcissus and the story of Perseus and Andromeda. 

In the story of Echo and Narcissus, we learn how the term "echo" originated as well as why some people are called narcissists. Echo is a nymph who is only able to repeat what others say. The goddess Juno made her this way so that when her husband Jupiter was lying with another woman beneath her, Echo would repeat everything for Juno to hear. Eventually, Echo meets Narcissus, but he tells her to stay away from him. Eventually Echo's body turns into stones in the forest, but her voice still remains. One day, Narcissus comes upon a fountain of silver water that is never disturbed, where he sees his reflection for the first time. He becomes astonished by his beauty and falls in love with himself. He tries to capture the image, but his hands are not able to grasp anything. Narcissus eventually realizes that the image he sees is of himself, and that he will never be able to have it. This explains why some people, who think they are more important and better than others around them, are labeled as narcissistic. It also explains how the concept of echo got it's name, which is something that I have never really thought about. 

(Painting by Nicolas Poussin, found on Wikimedia)

The story of Perseus and Andromeda includes Atlas as one of the characters, which I also thought was interesting. I remember reading about how Atlas was the strongest man in the world, and so he was responsible for holding the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. Perseus asked him for hospitality and Atlas declined, so Perseus showed him the head of Medusa and Atlas turned to stone. He was so big and strong that he became a mountain, which also held the heavens. 

Ovid's Metamorphoses I - Reading Diary A

This reading unit (Ovid's Metamorphoses I) really caught my attention because of the stories that it includes. The stories of Phaethon and Narcissus are the two stories that I was looking forward to the most, but the story of Narcissus will be included in the reading diary B. 

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.  

(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).