Many literary works in the western tradition allude to mythological and biblical figures and stories that were well known to all literate people through much of our history. Below you will find an assignment that is designed to help you familiarize yourselves with some of the most prominent of these.
What I want you each to do is complete each of your identifications in a word file. Make sure that you use the same format as the sample that is provided below. Please write in complete, coherent sentences and proof-read/spell-check your entries. When you have all eight in final, clean-copy form, paste them into a post on this blog. These will be graded for 5 points per identification, and they must be posted by the end of the school day on Wednesday September 8.
EXAMPLE:
Cerberus – In Greek mythology, Cerberus was the hound of Hades (God of the underworld) who had three heads, a dragon-tale, and snakes down his back and mane. He permits all spirits to enter the underworld, but none to return. He is the origin of the term “hounds of hell” (i.e., Vincent Price in Michael Jackson’s Thriller). Cerberus is overcome several times in mythology and literature, and so symbolizes both the horror of death and hell and the triumph of light over dark, goodness over evil, and reason/cunning over brute force.
Abraham and Isaac - NA
Absalom - JB
Achilles - MB
Adonis - PF
Agamemnon - CH
Antigone - PO
Atalanta - CR
Atlas - BS
Cain and Abel -LW
Cassandra - NA
Cupid and Psyche - JB
Daedalus and Icarus - MB
Daniel (in the lion’s den) - PF
Daphne - CH
David and Bathsheba - PO
Dionysus (Bacchus) - CR
“Eye for an eye…” - BS
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - LW
Garden of Gethsemane - NA
Good Samaritan - JB
Hercules (12 labors of) - MB
Herod - PF
Hyacinth - CH
Jacob and Esau - PO
Jacob’s ladder - CR
Jezebel – BS
John the Baptist - LW
Jonah - NA
Judas Iscariot - JB
Laius -MB
Last Supper - PF
Lazarus - CH
Leda (and the Swan) - PO
Lot/Lot’s wife - CR
Magi - BS
Mammon - LW
Mary Magdalene - NA
Medusa - JB
Midas - MB
Minotaur - PF
Moses – CH
Narcissus - PO
Nero (fiddled while Rome burned) -CR
Noah and the flood - BS
Odysseus - LW
Oedipus - NA
Pandora - JB
Persephone – MB
Perseus - PF
Pharisees - CH
Philistines - PO
Pontius Pilate – CR
Procrustes - BS
Prodigal Son - LW
Prometheus - NA
Pygmalion - JB
Pyrrhus - MB
Rachel and Leah - PF
Romulus and Remus - CH
Salome - PO
Samson and Delilah - CR
Scylla and Charybdis - BS
Sermon on the Mount - LW
Sisyphus - NA
Sodom and Gomorrah - JB
Solomon (the wise) - MB
Styx (not the band!) - PF
Sword of Damocles - CH
Tantalus - PO
Theseus - CR
Tower of Babel - BS
Trojan horse - LW
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Absalom - Third son of King David, and thus third in line for the throne. His half brother (and first in line for the throne), Amnon, raped Absalom's sister. After waiting it out for two years, Absalom had Amnon murdered, thus causing King David to banish him. Years later, the king allowed his son to return, but still couldn't bear the sight of him. Absalom moved to the next city and named himself king; he built a large following there. Then his forces attacked King David's, but lost. Absalom tried to flee away on a mule but was caught in the branches of an oak tree and shot through with 3 javelins.
Cupid and Psyche – Once there was a king with three daughters. The youngest was so beautiful, that the people started neglecting the goddess of beauty and love, Venus. Venus grew angry and demanded her son, Cupid, make her fall in love with a monster. When he saw her, her beauty made him drop his arrow, which pricked him. No one would fall in love with Psyche so her parents consulted an oracle which told them to leave her on top of a mountain. They did, where she was blown away by the wind to a palace of invisible servants, and an invisible husband for her. He could only come to her at night, and she wasn’t allowed to see him during the day. Psyche’s sisters were jealous and told her that her husband was evil and was going to eat her, so Psyche one day went and peeked at him. It was Cupid! He saw her and everything disappeared. But Cupid persuaded his mother, Venus, to allow them to marry. Which they did.
Today cupid is still the symbol of love and romance, and his arrows are symbolic of love at first sight, or just love in general.
Good Samaritan – This term comes from a biblical story of a Jewish man lying on the road. He had been robbed and beaten, and left half-dead. A couple people walked by and saw him, but avoided going near him (including a priest). When a Samaritan happened to walk by, he did help out the Jew, despite the history and culture of hatred between Jews and Samaritans. This story is to teach one to be kind to thy neighbor.
Judas Iscariot – Judas is a character from the Bible, who is said to have betrayed Jesus by turning him in to the soldiers wanting to kill him. Judas had been an apostle following Jesus, but when he was bribed 30 silver coins, he quickly turned over his friend. The term “kiss of Judas” refers to how Judas identified Jesus Christ to the soldiers.
Medusa – Medusa was one of three daughters of a couple of Sea Gods. She was very beautiful and bragged about how she was even prettier than Athena. One day she was “ravished” by Neptune, a sea god. Athena got angry and turned Medusa to a gorgon, with hair of snakes and eyes that turned people to stone. Later, another Greek character, Perseus, was challenged to retrieve the head of Medusa, which he did… thus ending her gorgon life.
Pandora – Pandora was created by the gods and delivered as the first woman down onto Earth. She brought with her a box containing “gifts” from Zeus, which wasn’t to be opened under any circumstances. Her natural curiosity got the best of her and she opened the box, spilling forth the gifts of despair, illness, and all other evils. She rushed to shut the box, but closed in the last remaining gift – hope.
Pygmalion – King of Cyprus, Pygmalion loved to sculpt. He sculpted a statue of a woman more beautiful than any other woman alive, and treated it as if it were in fact alive. He brought it gifts, talked to it, etc., but it was never able to respond to him. He asked the goddess Aphrodite to bring him a woman as beautiful as that. Instead, she turned his statue to life and so they fell in love and married. Her name was Galatea. The play Pygmalion was modeled after this, but is about a professor who takes a girl off the streets and teaches her to be a young, fashionable woman of society. This was later the inspiration to My Fair Lady.
Sodom and Gomorrah – 2 cities believed to be filled with wicked people. God was going to burn down both cities, but Abraham begged him not to, because there had to be a few good people in them. He sent 2 angels to find at least 10 good people, and he would spare the cities. The angels found but one, named Lot, who invited them in for a meal and was very kind to them. The angry townspeople demanded Lot to hand over the angels. God then told Lot to take his family and run away, but to never look back. As they were escaping, Lot’s wife looked back to see the fiery city so God turned her into a pillar of salt.
Cain and Abel-In the Hebrew Bible, Cain and Abel were the two sons of Adam and Eve. Abel became a shepherd and Cain a farmer. Both presented offerings to God (Abel: sheep. Cain: produce). God preferred Abel’s offering, leading Cain to be gripped by a jealous rage and murder Abel. God inquired as to Abel’s whereabouts, and Cain responded, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” God, of course, already knew what happened, because you can’t pull one over on God. He cursed Cain to wander the earth and marked Cain so that everyone would know his sin.
Four Horsemen-The Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse are described in the last book of the New Testament. They are supposed to be the harbingers of the apocalypse and the Last Judgement. They symbolize pestilence (white horse), war (red horse),famine (black horse), and death (“pale”—possibly green—horse). The story is that Jesus Christ opens four of the seven seals that seal a scroll in God’s right hand and summons the Horsemen.
John the Baptist-John the Baptist is an important figure from the New Testament, essentially Jesus’ mentor. He was a preacher who baptized Christ in the Jordan River. John’s baptism was a purification rite for repentant sinners performed in a river as per Jewish custom. After the baptism the Holy Spirit descended from the heavens. John was executed by Herod Antipas, who saw him as a threat.
Mammon-Mammon is a term from the New Testament used to describe wealth or avarice, sometimes personified as a demon. Nowadays the term is most often used in association with Wall Street.
Odysseus-Odysseus, sometimes called by his Latin name Ulysses, is a legendary Greek king and the protagonist of Homer’s The Odyssey. The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus’s ten-year-long journey home to Ithaca and his wife Penelope (and son Telemachus) after the Trojan War. Odysseus encounters many challenges in the course of his epic journey, including an encounter with the Lotus-Eaters. He is assisted by Athena and other Greek gods. The Odyssey is the ur-example of the quest narrative.
Prodigal Son-The Prodigal Son is a parable appearing in the gospel of Luke in the New Testament. In the parable, the younger son of a man asks his father to give him his share of the father’s estate, then travels to a distant country and wastes all the money. He is forced to take a job as a swineherd, and finally resolves to go beg his father for forgiveness and ask to be accepted by his father not as a son but as a hired man. When he returns, however, his father is overjoyed to see him, hugging him and ordering the servants to dress the son in fine robes and prepare a feast. The older son is angry that he was always hardworking and dutiful to his father and got no appreciation, while his good-for-nothing brother is getting special treatment. The father explains that celebration is necessary because the younger son has returned as if from the dead.
Sermon on the Mount-In the Gospel of St. Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount is a sermon that Jesus gave on a mountainside to a large crowd that included his disciples. The Sermon is a compilation of Jesus’ sayings. It includes the Lord’s Prayer and witty aphorisms such as the Golden Rule and the one about the “wolf in sheep’s clothing”.
Trojan Horse-The Trojan Horse is a story from the Trojan War told in Virgil’s epic poem The Aeneid. The story goes that after an unrewarding ten-year siege on Troy, the Greeks constructed a giant wooden horse and presented it to the Trojans as a victory trophy. Unbeknownst to the Trojans, the horse was hollow and Greek soldiers (including Odysseus) hid inside. That night, as the Trojans slumbered, the soldiers opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which entered and obliterated Troy, thus winning the war. This story is the origin of the saying “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts”.
Achilles- in mythology, Achilles was a Greek war hero of the Trojan War. He is the main character in the Iliad. He is described as being completely invulnerable except for in his heel, his one weak spot which eventually killed him (his mortal weakness). He also has the title of the most handsome warrior of those against Troy in the Trojan War, which is an attribute very common among heroes in Greek mythology. Being handsome and almost invulnerable, Achilles becomes the tangible symbol for pride in the Iliad, and as the old saying goes, The pride goeth before the fall.
Daedalus and Icarus- Daedalus and Icarus were a father-son duo created by Homer. In the myth of Daedalus and Icarus, they are imprisoned, but Daedalus fashions a pair of wings for his son Icarus so that he can escape from the prison. He gives these wings to his son with the warning not to fly too low because the sea foam would soak the feathers, but also not to fly too high because the sun would melt the wax holding the feathers together. Icarus ended up flying too high, melting the wax, then falling into the ocean and drowning, to his father’s dismay.
12 Labors of Hercules- The 12 labors of Hercules were to slay the Nemean lion, capture the golden Hind of Artemis, capture the Erythmanthian Boar, clean the Augean stables in a single day, slay the Stymphalian birds, capture the Cretan bull, steal the Mares of Diomedes, obtain the Girdle of the Amazon Queen, Obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon, Steal the apples of the Hersperides, and to capture and bring back Cerberus. Upon Hercules completion of these tasks, Zeus gave him immortality.
Laius- Ki g Laius was a Theban divine hero and the main character in the Theban founding myths. In his story, he got drunk one night and impregnated Jocasta, completely disobeying the oracle’s orders not to have a child with her. As a result of this, Oedipus was born, and eventually he killed his father after he (Oedipus) did not defer to him even when ordered to. After this, many of those in his family line that came after his demise met ill fortune, possibly karma and payback for Laius’ wrongdoings.
Midas- The legend of King Midas talks about how Midas turned everything he touched into gold, then, realizing his gift was also a curse, asked for its removal. Going through the myth, there is a musical challenge between Pan, the god of the fields, and Apollo, who almost unanimously wins, with only Midas disapproving. As a punishment, Apollo gives Midas donkey ears, who tries to hide them from every one in the kingdom.
Persephone- Her myth is in relaton to the origins of the season, where she was abducted and tricked into becoming the goddess of the underworld by Hades, and how when she and her mother, Demeter, are reunited, the earth prospers and life is abundant (spring and summer), while when she is trapped in the underworld, life is nonexistent and the earth is bare (fall and winter).
Pyyrhus- Pyyrhus was a Macedonian king who was one of the strongest opponents of Rome and who had many victories throughout his rule. However great these were, however, they left him with staggering losses, and through this myth the term “Pyyrhic victory” was established. Some described him as the greatest commander in history, as well as very benevolent.
Solomon the Wise- Solomon was the Hebrew King who was known for many things, most importantly his wisdom. In one story, a baby was being fought over by 2 women who claimed to be its mother. One of these women had had her baby die in the night because she rolled over and crushed it, and the other had this surviving baby. Solomon comes up with a solution to appease both women, to cut the baby in half. When he suggests this, the real mother begs him not to, and to just hand the baby over to the other woman, showing her compassion and love for the baby by giving it up for it to survive. Solomon sees this and gives the baby to the compassionate woman, deeming her to be the true mother of the baby, showing his wisdom.
Agamemnon: Agamemnon is the son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope. He was the commander of the Achaeans in the Trojan War when Helen was abducted by Paris of Troy. After returning, he is killed by his wife's lover. His wife slew Agamemnon's concubine as she clung to him as well. Agamemnon's deepest concern is himself, and he also has a strong temper and pride like that of Achilles, yet he isn't as strong nor as good of a warrior as Achilles is.
Daphne: Daphne is a nymph that was chased by Apollo due to Eros (Cupid) wanting to both demonstrate the power of the love arrow and to make Apollo pay for making fun of his archery skills. Daphne prays for help from either Peneus or Gaia (Gaia being the God representing Earth), and is transformed into a laurel (A type of tree). The tree becomes sacred to Apollo and it crowned the victors at the Pythian Games (Which were one of the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. Held every four years at the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi.)
Hyacinth: Hyacinth was a beautiful young man and a lover of the god Apollo, however he was admired by Zephyr (The West Wind). While throwing a Discus with Apollo one day, the discus thrown by Apollo hits Hyacinth and kills him. Possibly the discus's flight was "edited" by the West Wind to make sure if he didn't get Hyacinth, no one would.
Lazarus: I'm going to guess you mean Lazarus of Bethany and not the one from Lazarus and Dives. Lazarus of Bethany is ill in his town and when Jesus finally arrives, Lazarus is dead and has been buried for four days. Jesus goes into his tomb and ends up "resurrecting" him.
In Lazarus and Dives, however, Lazarus is a poor man who sits outside of the estate of the rich man Dives, who never gives him anything. They both die, and Lazarus receives his reward by being in Abraham's bosom at the everlasting banquet while the rich man craved a drop of water from Lazarus' finger to cool his tongue as he was tormented with fire.
Moses: Moses was the man who traveled great distances to Egypt to free his fellow Hebrews. He went to Egypt and wanted the Pharaoh to permit the Israelites to celebrate a feast in the wilderness, but he didn't not allow it. Moses and his pal Aaron then tried to show their powers against the powers of the Pharaoh's magicians, such as transforming his rod into a snake, making the river turn to blood, and spawning huge swarms of frogs from the Nile river, which the magicians could do as well. However, the Pharaoh began to grow annoyed by the frogs, and told Moses if he could rid them of the Frogs then he would allow the Israelites to go and feast. The next day all the frogs die and leave a horrible stench and a mess throughout Egypt. The Pharaoh then retracts his statement and then finally allows them to leave once God sends the ten plagues upon the Egyptians (Third and fourth were gnats and flies, fifth was invasion of disease in their cattle, oxen, goats, sheep, camels, and horses. The sixth was boils on the skin of the Egyptians. Seventh was fiery hail and thunder striking Egypt. Eighth was locusts encompassing Egypt. Ninth was total darkness, and the tenth was a plague that slew all of the Egyptian male first-borns.)
Moses then leads the Israelites on the trek out of Egypt. The Pharaoh has a change of heart and then begins to follow with his army. They become trapped between the Yam Suph (Red Sea/Reed Sea) and the Egyptian army. God then parts the sea, allowing them to pass through unharmed, and causes the Egyptian troops to be stuck on their side once the sea returns to normal. He also is summoned to Mount Sinai by God (which is where he had talked to the burning bush previously) and he received the Ten Commandments from God over a period of 40 days and nights. When he returned, he was so angered by the sin of the Golden Calf, he broke the two tablets. God offered to replace the ones Moses had broken, however, so he returned to the mountain for another 40 days and 40 nights and returns with the commandments again to recite them to the people. He also performed many mericles along their path, such as making water sweet with a tree, or forming water from a rock, and said manna from the sky and quail in the evening would keep everyone full for the entire journey.
After everything was done, he died at the age of 120.
Pharisees: The Pharisees were a political party, social movement, and a school of thought among Jews during the Second Temple period under the Hasmonean dynasty in the wake of the Maccabean Revolt. They are normally depicted in the New Testament as coming into conflicts with Jesus and John the Baptist. Such things as Pharisees being obsessed with man-made rules and Jesus is more concerned with God's love, or the Pharisees scorning sinners while Jesus seeks them out.
Romulus and Remus: Romulus and Remus were twin brothers who where left to die in the wild, and were cared for by a she-wolf. They eventually are restored to their birthright (Being the sons of Aeneas, a Trojan prince and refugee). They garnish a huge following and decided to found a new city. Romulus and Remus bicker over were it will be located, and both dispute who got more votes from their followers. Romulus wins the bout, by the death of Remus. He names to city in honor of himself (Rome), and creates the Roman Legions and Roman Senate. He also adds more citizens by abducting Sabine women from nearby tribes, which creates a mixed population. Later in life, Romulus becomes autocratic and disappears under mysterious circumstances.
Damocles: Damocles is a courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse. He said that it was
"good to be the king", as well as stating that Dionysius was fortunate to have such power and authority. Dionysius, realizing the folly of Damocles, offered him the chance to switch places for the day, so he could experience first hand his fortunes. Damocles accepted quickly (Under the terms that Damocles wouldn't have full king powers, i.e. the ability to start wars, and that he must sit at the throne the whole day). So Damocles invites all his friends to eat dinner with him on this one day. He arrives fashionably late, and sits down at the throne. He notices that all his friends seem uneasy, and eventually finds out why after looking up. A sword hangs above his head, suspended by a single hair from a horse's tail. Damocles quickly gets out of the throne, but Dionysuis reminds him that he must remain there all day. Damocles eventually gets out of the chair and leaves the royal chamber in fear and shame. From this are two morals. One could be "Uneasy rests the head that wears the crown", and secondly, "The value of the sword is not that it fall, but rather, that it hangs."
Atalanta
Atalanta was the daughter of Hades and an Arcadian princess. At birth she was disowned by her father for not being born a male, and left on a hill to die. After being deserted, a she bear suckled and cared for Atalanta until hunters found and raised her. Her skill and beauty increased with her age, but her virginity remained pure. Her skill in battle was displayed in a fight with two centaurs, Rhoecus and Hylaeus, who sought to rape her. She was able to defend herself and murder them. After being reunited with her father, her virginity was once again put into question. Her beauty brought about much interest in the terms of marriage. An agreement was made that there would be a race in which the suitors would flee from her. If she pursued and caught them, the outcome would be death for the man, but if he was able to finish the race, he would be able to marry her. Hippomenes won the race with help from Aphrodite. After their marriage, they made love without giving thanks to the goddess. The goddess was so angered that she turned them both into lions.
Dionysus (Bacchus)
Dionysus was known to be the god of wine, fertility, and patron of the arts. Dionysus was born of a mortal, Semele and Zeus. After Semele died, from seeing Zeus's true form, the god stitched Dionysus into his thigh until his birth. The birth from the god ensured immortality. He was one of the only gods that were able to bring the dead out from the underworld.
Jacob's ladder
Jacob's ladder is a ladder to heaven, described in the book of Genesis. It is said that after Jacob is granted his brother's, Esau's birthright, he has a dream in which a ladder appears, able to transport angels in and out of heaven. He climbs the ladder and meets God, who tells him, he and his descendants will be led to the Promised Land.
In terms of paraphyschology and occultism, Jacob's ladder is the spiritual representation of the mixing of the rainbow, or the different colors. The colors represent things such as spirit and matter.
Lot/Lot's wife
Lot was the nephew of Abraham, the patriarch. In Genesis 19, Lot is warned by a group of angels the terror that is about to befall upon the five cities in which he lives. On his and his family's departure, his wife, Lot, turns back disregarding the angels' wishes not to do so, and is turned into a column of salt. Lot and his two daughters make haste for a cave and take safety there. The two daughters, feeling the necessity to carry on their father's line, get him drunk enough to have intercourse with him. They bare his children, Moab and Ammon, who both become patriarchs.
Atalanta
Atalanta was the daughter of Hades and an Arcadian princess. At birth she was disowned by her father for not being born a male, and left on a hill to die. After being deserted, a she bear suckled and cared for Atalanta until hunters found and raised her. Her skill and beauty increased with her age, but her virginity remained pure. Her skill in battle was displayed in a fight with two centaurs, Rhoecus and Hylaeus, who sought to rape her. She was able to defend herself and murder them. After being reunited with her father, her virginity was once again put into question. Her beauty brought about much interest in the terms of marriage. An agreement was made that there would be a race in which the suitors would flee from her. If she pursued and caught them, the outcome would be death for the man, but if he was able to finish the race, he would be able to marry her. Hippomenes won the race with help from Aphrodite. After their marriage, they made love without giving thanks to the goddess. The goddess was so angered that she turned them both into lions.
Dionysus (Bacchus)
Dionysus was known to be the god of wine, fertility, and patron of the arts. Dionysus was born of a mortal, Semele and Zeus. After Semele died, from seeing Zeus's true form, the god stitched Dionysus into his thigh until his birth. The birth from the god ensured immortality. He was one of the only gods that were able to bring the dead out from the underworld.
Jacob's ladder
Jacob's ladder is a ladder to heaven, described in the book of Genesis. It is said that after Jacob is granted his brother's, Esau's birthright, he has a dream in which a ladder appears, able to transport angels in and out of heaven. He climbs the ladder and meets God, who tells him, he and his descendants will be led to the Promised Land.
In terms of paraphyschology and occultism, Jacob's ladder is the spiritual representation of the mixing of the rainbow, or the different colors. The colors represent things such as spirit and matter.
Lot/Lot's wife
Lot was the nephew of Abraham, the patriarch. In Genesis 19, Lot is warned by a group of angels the terror that is about to befall upon the five cities in which he lives. On his and his family's departure, his wife, Lot, turns back disregarding the angels' wishes not to do so, and is turned into a column of salt. Lot and his two daughters make haste for a cave and take safety there. The two daughters, feeling the necessity to carry on their father's line, get him drunk enough to have intercourse with him. They bare his children, Moab and Ammon, who both become patriarchs.
Atalanta
Atalanta was the daughter of Hades and an Arcadian princess. At birth she was disowned by her father for not being born a male, and left on a hill to die. After being deserted, a she bear suckled and cared for Atalanta until hunters found and raised her. Her skill and beauty increased with her age, but her virginity remained pure. Her skill in battle was displayed in a fight with two centaurs, Rhoecus and Hylaeus, who sought to rape her. She was able to defend herself and murder them. After being reunited with her father, her virginity was once again put into question. Her beauty brought about much interest in the terms of marriage. An agreement was made that there would be a race in which the suitors would flee from her. If she pursued and caught them, the outcome would be death for the man, but if he was able to finish the race, he would be able to marry her. Hippomenes won the race with help from Aphrodite. After their marriage, they made love without giving thanks to the goddess. The goddess was so angered that she turned them both into lions.
Dionysus (Bacchus)
Dionysus was known to be the god of wine, fertility, and patron of the arts. Dionysus was born of a mortal, Semele and Zeus. After Semele died, from seeing Zeus's true form, the god stitched Dionysus into his thigh until his birth. The birth from the god ensured immortality. He was one of the only gods that were able to bring the dead out from the underworld.
Jacob's ladder
Jacob's ladder is a ladder to heaven, described in the book of Genesis. It is said that after Jacob is granted his brother's, Esau's birthright, he has a dream in which a ladder appears, able to transport angels in and out of heaven. He climbs the ladder and meets God, who tells him, he and his descendants will be led to the Promised Land.
In terms of paraphyschology and occultism, Jacob's ladder is the spiritual representation of the mixing of the rainbow, or the different colors. The colors represent things such as spirit and matter.
Lot/Lot's wife
Lot was the nephew of Abraham, the patriarch. In Genesis 19, Lot is warned by a group of angels the terror that is about to befall upon the five cities in which he lives. On his and his family's departure, his wife, Lot, turns back disregarding the angels' wishes not to do so, and is turned into a column of salt. Lot and his two daughters make haste for a cave and take safety there. The two daughters, feeling the necessity to carry on their father's line, get him drunk enough to have intercourse with him. They bare his children, Moab and Ammon, who both become patriarchs.
Antigone- In Greek mythology, Antigone was one of two daughters of Oedipus, King of Thebes. Antigone was a daughter of the accidentally incestuous marriage between King Oedipus and his mother Jocasta. Legend has it that Antigone buried the body of her brother, Polyneices, who had attacked Thebes along with others, and in doing so defied King Creon’s orders that such a traitor should remain unburied. She was accordingly condemned to death by starvation but took her own life by hanging herself. In a play of Sophocles by the same name, Antigone becomes a symbol of the individual’s right to defy the state over a matter of conscience.
David and Bathsheba- According to the Hebrew Bible, David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel. At one time, David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite (a soldier in King David’s army). David instructed Joab, the commander of his army, to abandon Uriah on the battlefield during the siege of Rabbah. Uriah is killed, and David marries Bathsheba, who bears his child. The prophet Nathan confronts David of his adultery, and David repents, yet God “struck the child… [And] on the seventh day the child died.” When David is asked by his servants why he wept when the baby was alive but ended his mourning when the child died, David responded: “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, who knows whether Yahweh will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
Leda (and the swan) - Leda and the Swan is a popular motif from Greek mythology.According to myth, Zeus comes to Leda, wife of Tyndareus (King of Sparta), in the form of a swan. Zeus took the form of a swan and raped or seduced Leda on the same night she slept with her husband, King Tyndareus. Leda then bore Helen and Polydeuces, children of Zeus, while at the same time bearing Castor and Clytemnestra, children of Tyndareus. The motif of Leda and the Swan is well known mainly for its eroticism.
Narcissus- In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a hunter from ancient Greece who was renowned for his beauty. He was exceptionally proud, in that he disdained those who loved him. As divine punishment for such pride he fell in love with his own reflection in a pool, not realizing it was only an image, and he wasted away there to death, not being able to leave the beauty of his own reflection. The word narcissism, referring to the personality trait of egotism, vanity, conceit, or selfishness, was coined by Freud after Narcissus.
Philistines- The Philistines were a people who occupied the southern coast of Canaan (an ancient region encompassing modern day Israel, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, and parts of Jordan, Syria, and Egypt). Their territory is named Philistia in later contexts. It is theorized that the earlier Philistines originated among the “sea peoples”, a confederacy of seafaring raiders of the second millennium B.C.E.
Salome- Known from the New Testament, Salome was the daughter of Herodias (a Jewish princess of the Herodian dynasty) and the stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. In the Gospel of Mark (6:21-29) Salome danced before her stepfather and her mother at the occasion of Herod’s birthday. Her dance pleased her stepfather so much that he made her wish his demand. On behalf of her mother, Salome asked for the head of John the Baptist. Herod reluctantly obliged, and John the Baptist was accordingly executed and his head brought to Salome and her mother. Christian traditions depict Salome as a symbol of dangerous female seductiveness, for instance portraying as erotic her dance in the New Testament, or concentrate on her lighthearted and cold foolishness that, according to the gospels, led to the death of John the Baptist.
Tantalus- Tantalus was the ruler of an ancient western Anatolian city called either under his name, as “Tantilus”, “the city of Tantalus”, or as Sipylus, in reference to Mount Siplylus (Modern day western Turkey) at the foot of which his city was located. In Greek mythology he was the father of Pelops, Niobe, and Broteas, and a son of Zeus and the nymph Plouto. In mythology, Tantalus became one of the inhabitants of Tartarus, the deepest portion of the underworld, reserved for the punishment of evildoers; where Odysseus saw him. Tantalus was initially known for having been welcomed to Zeus’ table in Olympus, where he is said to have misbehaved and stolen ambrosia and nectar, to bring it back to his people, and also to have revealed the secrets of the gods. Most famously, Tantalus offered up his son, Pelops, to the gods as a sacrifice. He cut him up, boiled him, and served him as food for the gods. Only Demeter touched the offering, doing it unknowing and unaware of its nature. The gods then brought Pelops back to life. The Greeks of classical times claimed to be horrified by Tantalus’s doings, as cannibalism, human sacrifice, and infanticide were atrocities and taboo. Tantalus’s punishment, now a proverbial term for temptation without satisfaction (the source of the English word “tantalize”), was to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches. Whenever he would reach for the fruit, the branches would rise up. Whenever he would bend down for a drink, the water would recede before he could get any.
Jacob and Esau- In the Hebrew Bible, Jacob and Esau are twin brothers born to Isaac and Rebekah. Esau was the first born, coming out red and hairy with Jacob following him, grasping his heel. The boys became very different as they matured and Rebekah favored Jacob while Isaac favored Esau. The Hebrew Bible states that Esau surrendered his birthright (the right to be recognized as firstborn) to his brother Jacob in exchange for a bowl of stew, which Esau was supposedly very desperate for. Later in their lives, Jacob dupes his then blind father Isaac into bestowing the blessing of the firstborn upon himself, instead of upon Esau. Recounting a prophecy she had before her sons’ birth, Rebekah prods Jacob to this action, since she was told that the older son would serve the younger.
Adonis- In Greek myth, Adonis was a unspeakably beautiful young man, born from a tree created from a man who had been tricked into commiting incest and had incurred the wrath of Aphrodite when chasing his daughter in question. Adonis was, as well as strikingly handsome, the lover of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. When he was killed during a Boar hunt, still at a very young age, Aphrodite came to him, and from the mixing of her tears and his blood, a short lived type of exotic flower was born. His early death, and the short lived flower that serves as the reminder of him afterwards, are perfect symbols for the fleetingness of youth and the fragility of perfection.
Styx- In Greek myth, the River styx was the boundary between the lands of the living and the dead. The Gods swore binding oathes to observe the sancticy of the river, and some faithful servants, to whom gods promised any desire, died because of this. The inaleinable nature of the river shows that even the power of death is something the gods could not reverse, and the river ultimately serves as a sign of the finality of death.
The Minotaur- In Greek myth, the Minotaur was a half-man, half-bull, born from the bestial encounter of the Queen of Crete and a white bull. The situation with the Queen and the bull was itself, born of the greed of the King of Crete when he refused to sacrifice the bull to Posidon. As the Minotaur grew, it became ferocious, and was sealed inside a labyrinth. In order to sate its hunder, seven virgin maidens and a young man were to be sacrificed to the Minotaur each year. A young Athenian, Theseus, stepped forward on the aniversary of the third sacrifice, to go into the lair and slay the minotaur. Before going, he captured the heart of the Princess of Crete, who gave him magic yarn to guide him out of the labyrinth. The minotaur myth has two symbolisms about it. The first is the nature of greed, and the results thereof, where when the King kept the Bull in his greed, his wife was cursed by the gods to love it. Then, when she gave birth to a monster, they had to seal it away from the world, and even sealed away, it continued to consume, taking its yearly sacrifices. The second symbol is the nature of bravery, and true love's ability to save. Theseus was willing to go into the literal heart of darkness, the labyrinth of the minotaur, to slay it, and was guided out by the magical thread given to him by the princess of crete, who had come to love him.
Perseus- In greek myth, Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danae. His great work was slaying the mortal gorgon (the gorgons being women capable of turning men to stone), Medusa, in order to satisfy the demands of the king of Seriphos, in order to avoid exile that he may keep his mother from marrying the ill intentioned king. He gained help from many of the gods; Hades, Zeus, Hermes, and the Hesperides, Hera's orchard guardians. From their combined aid, and his own cunning, he was able to behead Medusa and prove himself, saving himself from exile and being able to protect and support his mother. The story, as a whole, is representative of devotion, complete and utter, to protecting a loved one, and overcoming great odds, even if it means seeking the help of the gods themselves.
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Rachel and Leah- From the Bible, Rachel was a young women that Jacob, the biblical patriarch, loved dearly. When he tried to wed her however, he was tricked into wedding her older sister, although allowed by their father to marry both, after seven more years of work to fulfil the dowry for both of them. From Leah, Jacob would sire 4 children, and from Rachel's maid servant, due to her apparent barren nature, 2 children. However, finally, Rachel conceived a child, Joseph, who would come to be the favorite. This story is one that shows the power of true devotion. Jacob never waned in his love of Rachel, and she never did in her love of him. They were starcrossed lovers, who ultimately, had a happy ending.
Herod- Herod, also known as Herod the Great, was the principle ruler of Judea, Galilee and Samaria during the birth of Jesus Christ. From the bible, he was a mad king, who sought to further his own dynasty. He dispatched the three magi to find the new born Jesus, in order to "worship him," however a divine dream warned not only the Magi but Joseph, Jesus's adoptive father, of Herod's darker intentions. In spite of their escape, Herod ordered that all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two be killed. In order to escape, Joseph moved his family to the city of Nazereth. Herod's dark schemes and attempts to foil the gods show him as a symbol of evil driven by greed, and since his royalty was only as a pawn of the Romans, he is also a symbol of the greater Roman evils narrated throughout the bible.
Daniel, in the Lions den- Daniel, from the Bible, was a devout and eminenet jew in the pagan Babylonian lands. On grounds of heresy, for daring to praise any god other than the emperor of babylon, his enemies had him cast into a pit of lions. After time had passed, the emperor, who favored Daniel, returned and found him unharmed. Daniel spoke of his God being his savior, and in return for their cruel and jealous acts, his enemies, their wives, children and servants were all cast to the lions, and eaten. Impressed, the pagan emperor decreed Daniel's god to be the one true god of the land. Daniel's steadfast piety, and the commupance alloted to his enemies are symbols of perseverence and due respect to the lord being the only two things needed to succede, and all those lacking them will fail.
The last supper- Biblically, the last supper was when Jesus of Nazareth, the prophet and messiah, convened all of his apostles for one final meal with him. There, he announced that one would betray him, and one would deny him. He spoke freely, and let loaves and whine flow freely, not begrudging any, even though he knew who would betray him, and protecting the identities of the weak apostles, for it was his greivance alone. Jesus's symbolic acceptance is the key role here, that even at his darkest, penultimate hour, he refused to be petty or cruel, and instead, very keenly, turned the other cheek, feeding his friends and enemies equally, for the last time before his cruicifition. This is one of the most well known and accepted building blocks of any Christian faith.
Atlas- In Greek mythology, he was the primordial Titan who supported the heavens. Atlas, with his brother, sided with the Titans in their war against the Olympians. When the Titans were defeated, Zeus condemned Atlas to stand at the western edge of Gaia (the Earth) and hold up Uranus (the Sky) on his shoulders to prevent the two from resuming their primordial embrace. Thus, he was Atlas Telamon, "enduring Atlas," and became the embodiment of the celestial axis around which the heavens revolve. In fulfillment of One of the Twelve Labors: Heracles went to Atlas and offered to hold up the heavens while his desired golden apples were retrieved. Atlas attempted to trick Heracles into carrying the sky permanently by offering to deliver the apples himself. Heracles, suspecting Atlas did not intend to return, pretended to agree to Atlas' offer only asking that Atlas take the sky again for a few minutes so he could rearrange his cloak. When Atlas set down the apples and took the heavens upon his shoulders again, Heracles took the apples and ran away.
“Eye for an eye…”- The phrase, "an eye for an eye", is a quotation from several passages of the Hebrew Bible in which a person who has injured the eye of another is instructed to give the value of his or her own eye in compensation. It defined and restricted the extent of retribution in the laws of the Torah. In modern times, the phrase still loosely applies in the form of compensatory damages. Some propose that this was at least in part intended to prevent excessive punishment at the hands of either an avenging private party or the state. Legal codes following the principle of lex talionis have one thing in common: prescribed 'fitting' counter punishment for an offense.
Jezebel- Jezebel is known as the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Phoenician Empire, and marries King Ahab of the Northern Kingdom. She helps convert Ahab from worship of the Jewish God to worship of the Phoenician god. After she has many Jewish prophets killed, Elijah challenges prophets of Baal to a competition. The event exposes the rival god as powerless and results in the slaughtering of the prophets. Ahab's marriage to Jezebel was considered a dynastic marriage intended to cement a Phoenician alliance that gave the inland Kingdom of Israel access to international trade. Jezebel, with her foreign religion and cosmopolitan culture, represented a hated Phoenician alliance from which the landowners had little to gain and much to lose. Their resentment was expressed in religious terms and eventually led to a political expression instigated and supported by the prophets whose side of the story the Bible preserves.
Magi- The perhaps oldest surviving reference to the magi, from Greek, surfaces around 6th century BC when Heraclitus curses the magi for their "impious" rites and rituals. Other Greek sources from before the Hellenistic period include an early 4th century BC account. An Athenian depicts the magians as authorities for all religious matters and imagines the magians to be responsible for the education of the emperor-to-be. Magi are also referred to as followers of what the Hellenistic world associated the ability to read the stars and manipulate the fate that the stars foretold. In English, the term "magi" is most commonly used in reference to the Gospel of Matthew's "wise men from the East”. The plural "magi" entered the English language around 1200, in reference to the Biblical magi of Matthew. The singular appears considerably later, in the late 14th century, when it was borrowed from Old French in the meaning magician together with magic.
Noah and the flood- Noah and the flood is a mythical story of a great flood sent by a deity or deities to destroy civilization as an act of divine retribution. According to the Book of Genesis, Noah built the Ark at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from a worldwide deluge. The Ark features in the traditions of a number of Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and others. Seeing the wickedness of man, God is grieved by his creation and resolves to send a great flood. He sees that Noah is a man "righteous in his generation," and gives him detailed instructions for the Ark. When the animals are safe on board God sends the Flood that rises until all life that lived on dry land is destroyed. At the height of the flood the Ark rests on the mountains, the waters abate, and dry land reappears. Noah, his family, and the animals leave the ark.God subsequently vows to never again send a flood to destroy the Earth.
Procrustes- In the Greek myth, Procrustes was a son of Poseidon with a stronghold on Mount Korydallos, on the sacred way between Athens and Eleusis. It was here that he had an iron bed in which he invited every passerby to spend the night. In order for his guest to fit the bed, he set to work on stretching them with his smith's hammer. In later accounts, if the guest proved too tall, Procrustes would amputate the excess length. Procrustes continued his reign of terror until Theseus, who was travelling to Athens along the sacred way, captured him. Procrustes was appropriately "fitted" to his own bed, which was the last adventure of Theseus on his journey from Troezen to Athens.
Scylla and Charybdis- Scylla and Charybdis were two sea monsters of Greek mythology noted by Homer. They were said to be located close enough to each other that they posed an inescapable threat to passing sailors; avoiding Charybdis meant passing too closely to Scylla and vice versa. Greek tradition sited them on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina in southern Italy. Scylla was said to be a creature who was rooted to one spot in the ocean that regularly ate sailors who passed by too closely. She was described by Homer in The Odyssey as having six heads perched on long necks along with twelve feet. Another account describes her as having the upper body of a nymph, with her mid section composed of dog's heads. Charybdis is depicted with a single gaping mouth that sucked in huge quantities of water, which he belched out three times a day, creating whirlpools.
Tower of Babel- The Tower of Babel, according to the Book of Genesis, was an enormous tower built in the plain of Shinar. According to the biblical account, a united humanity of the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating from the east, came to the land of Shinar. They resolved to build a city with a tower to the heavens. However, the God of Israel saw their power and strength in unity and scattered them upon the face of the Earth. This consequently confused their languages and they never finished the building of the city, which was called Babel. It is believed that this is the location which God “confounded the language of all the Earth."(Genesis 11:5-8).
Abraham and Isaac – The story of father, Abraham and his son, Isaac, in which Abraham is asked by God to burn his beloved son as an offering to God to test his faith. He almost goes through with it revealing his true faith in God. God, seeing that Abraham truly loves him, sends a lamb to replace Isaac at the altar for the offering. Teaches that obedience and faith in God earns those that are faithful, life and happiness.
Cassandra – in Greek mythology, Cassandra was the daughter of Priam the king of Troy. Her beauty attracted Gods such as Apollo. He gave her the gift of telling the future. She did not return the love and Apollo cursed her so that no one would believe her stories.
Garden of Gethsemane – The site where Jesus prayed with his disciples before his crucifixion. This in the Greek translation means “oil press” and is described as a place frequently visited by Jesus and his disciples for gatherings and talks. This is perhaps how Judas was able to find him on the night of his arrest. Location: below mountain of olives in Jerusalem
Jonah – A prophet of God commanded by God to travel to a sketchy part of the hood called Nineveh. Frightened by this command, Jonah attempts to escape God’s will and ends up in the belly of a whale. Upon the whale’s upchucking, Jonah realizes that obeying God’s will is the ultimate test to be learned and goes through with his task. This teaches people that perseverance and obedience to God are crucial and may save you from being digested by a whale.
Mary Magdalene – One of Jesus’ most important disciples that witnessed the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Christ. Often portrayed as a prostitute in some paintings, although most scholars disagree with this visual description of her.
Oedipus – In Greek mythology, Oedipus was the king of Thebes that unwillingly fulfilled a prophecy that he would eventually kill his own father and marry his mother. The story of Oedipus describes his parents’ knowledge of the prophecy, and having a servant tie his legs together and leave him to die. The loving slave disobeys and gives the baby to a couple in another part of the country. Now adopted, Oedipus seeks his true parents and finding his real father (unbeknownst to him) on the road, argues and kills his father in self-defense and also kills a riddle telling sphinx that guards the road. Overjoyed with the slaying of the beast, he becomes king of his parents’ kingdom (again, unbeknownst to him) and he marries his mother and has four children. Upon the realization of his true identity, his mother/wife hangs her self while he gouges out his eyes and is sent into exile. Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis of the Oedipus complex is derived from the story in that at some point children will greatly favor one parent over the other depending on the sex of the child and/or parent.
Prometheus –In Greek mythology, Prometheus one of the Titans, visits earth and through his renowned intelligence and wit, stole fire from the Gods and revealed the “magic” of fire to the people of earth. He was punished by being strapped to a rock and an eagle devour his liver and have it grow back each day to be eaten again. This is a lesson for those who believe in the Gods to create a sense of punishment for cheating and deceit (especially from the Gods).
Sisyphus – In Greek mythology was a deceitful and avaricious man who killed for dominance in his position. Punishment led to his being chained to Tartarus. But his sly nature allowed him to trick death (Thanatos) into letting him go and tying Thanatos up creating a world where people do not die. For his problem causing it is said that he was punished by rolling a huge boulder up a hill only to watch it fall back down for all of eternity. “ “ “ “ “ “
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