Lecture 3 - Olympian gods

3 Mars 2017

Lecture three

Readings: Homeric Hymns: Hymn 5 to Aphrodite; Hymn 20 to Hephaestus;

III- Olympian gods

The Olympian gods live on Mount Olympus in Thessalia Greece after they won their war with Titans. Their number is set to twelve, but sometime later new divinities where added.

1- Zeus

“Zeus, father of gods and men, beneath whose thunder the wide earth quivers…”. Zeus grew up and became a mighty god and came back to take his father’s throne. First, he served his father as a cupbearer. Later, he served his father a mixture of mustard and wine prepared by Metis, a potion which caused Cronus to vomit his swallowed children. This new generation of gods, led by Zeus himself, entered in clash with the Titans in a war called Titanomachy. Other gods helped Zeus during this war like Hecatoncheires and Cyclopes that he released from Tartarus where their father Cronus had imprisoned. Hecatoncheires hurled stones and Cyclopes forged for Zeus thunder and lightning. Zeus and his fellows (Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon) won the war after ten years of battles and became the new masters. Atlas the most eminent leaders of Titans was punished by Zeus as he had to carry on his shoulder the sky. This is probably an interpretation of why the Sky and Earth, who gave birth to all those things we see around, are nowadays separated.

2- Aphrodite

“Around them a white foam from the immortal skin began to arise. In it, a maiden was nurtured…”. According to another version, she was daughter of Zeus and Dione.

Aphrodite was the most beautiful and seductive goddess. She is the reason behind the kidnapping of Helen of Troy. This goes back to the marriage of Peleus and Metis, the parents that the Olympian gods decided to celebrate on the Mount Olympus. They decided not to invite Eris the goddess of discord in order not bother the guests invited to the marriage. The goddess of discord was angry. She came to the marriage with the golden apple of discord and throw it on the table where three goddess where sitting Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, and said it belongs to the most beautiful. Each of the three goddesses reclaimed the Golden apple. Zeus decided that Paris, a mortal man, Prince of Troy, has to choose. During the contest, each goddess promised a gift to Paris if he claims her to be the Fairest. Hera would make him king of Europe and Asia. Athena would make him wise and strong in war. Aphrodite would give him the most beautiful women in the world. Paris chose Aphrodite.

Aphrodite once made her father fall in love with a mortal woman. She was also proud that she was the only who didn’t fall in love with a mortal man. As a punishment, Zeus made her desire Anchises, a member of the Trojan royal family, who was tending his cattle among the hills near Mount Ida. Anchises and Aphrodite had a child called Aeneas who will become a hero of Troy and the ancestor-founder of Rome.

Hephaestus

“Men who before used to dwell caves in the mountains like wild beasts. Now they live peacefully in their own houses through Hephaistos crafts…”.

Ἥφαιστος was the god of fire and blacksmith. According to Homer, he is the son of Zeus and Hera. Other tradition, like Hesiod, states that he was Hera’s parthenogenous (without father) child. This was a revenge, for Zeus giving birth to Athena without Hera. Of course, his version of the myth is opposed to the commune story that, when Zeus started having a headache (for Athena was crafting her weapons inside his head), it was Hephaestus who split his father’s head and assisted him to give birth to Athena.

Poor Hephaestos! He was delicate and weak like a flame arising out of a little spark. “Hephaestus went the way of these in the pride of his great strength limping, and yet his shrunken legs moved lightly beneath him”. He was also ugly and Hera did not love him and expelled him still a child from Mount Olympus. Thetis and Eurynome, two gods of the see, received him. He made for them many beautiful decorations during nine years.

When Hephaestus grew up, he willed to be recognized by Hera as her son. He created for her a golden sticky throne. When she sat on it, she was stuck and the blacksmith god did not want to release her, until Dionysius gave him some wine and made him drunk.

Hephaestus was expelled a second time from Mount Olympus for defending Hera against Zeus. He came down in Lemnos an island famous in the ancient world for its volcano. It is believed that Hephaestus made most of this crafts in this place using the fire of the volcano.

According to some accounts, the Olympian gods decided that Hephaestus should marry Aphrodite (the goddess of beauty). Nevertheless, Aphrodite had affairs with Ares, the god of war. One day while they laying together in bed, Helios (the Sun) saw them and told Hephaestus. During their next relation, Hephaestus saw them laying together and got mad. He created an unbreakable invisible net that he used to catch them and lead them naked as a proof before the other gods. He would only release them if Ares promise to pay a fine. In the Odyssey, he states that he would return Aphrodite to Zeus and ask back his bride price. This explains probably why the consort of Hephaestus in the Ilias is Charis (the Grace).

Olympian gods depicted on containers (amphora, kylix, kraters, etc.)

1- Zeus

Zeus killing the giant Porphyrion

Museum Collection: Antikensammlung Berlin; Shape: Kylix

Painter: Aristophanes; Date: ca 410 - 400 B.C.

Description: During the war with the Giants, Porphyrion the greatest of the giants attacked Hera and Heracles. Eros hit him with his arrow willing to kill him but his arrow made the giant desire Hera and tried to rape her. At this moment, Zeus struck him with his thunderbolt and Heracles or Apollo with a poisoned arrow.

Zeus killing the monster Typhon

Museum Collection: Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich; Shape: Hydria

Painter: unknown; Date: ca 540 B.C.

2- Aphrodite

The birth of Aphrodite

Museum Collection: Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki; Shape: Pelike

Painter: Unknown; Date: ca 370 - 360 B.C.

3- Hephaestus

Hephaestus polishing the new shield of Achiles

Museum Collection: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Shape: Amphora

Painter: the Dutuit Painter; Date: ca 480 B.C.

Description: This painting depicts a scene from the Iliad where Hephaestus is giving a set of weapons to Thetis the mother of Achilles, especially the new shield in the middle with the head of the Gorgon.