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Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc.Mundelein, Illinois USA

By Rose Williams


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Editor: Donald E. Sprague

Cover Design & Typography:Adam Phillip Velez

Cover Illustration:Facade with Olympians; Academy of Athens 2008 Shutterstock Images LLC

The Original Dysfunctional FamilyBasic Classical Mythology for the New Millennium

Rose Williams

2008 Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc.All rights reserved.

Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc.

1570 Baskin RoadMundelein, Illinois 60060www.bolchazy.com

Printed in the United States of America

2008by [printer name]

ISBN 978-0-86516-690-5Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

CIP info goes here


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TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

I. THE BEGINNING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

II. THE ELDER GODS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

III. OLYMPIANS OR DII CONSENTES. . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

III.1 Zeus/Jupier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

III.2 Hera/Juno . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

III.3 Poseidon/Nepune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

III.4 Pluo/Hades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

III.5 Hesia/Vesa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

III.6 Ares/Mars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21III.7 Phoebus Apollo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

III.8 Aremis/Diana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

III.9 Aphrodie/Venus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

III.10 Ahena/Minerva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

III.11 Hermes/Mercury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

III.12 Hephaesus/Vulcan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

IV. THE TWO GREAT EARTH GODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

IV.1 Demeer/Ceres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

IV.2 Dionysus/Liber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

V. NOTES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

ANCIENT SOURCES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

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PREFACEClassical Myhology is an imporan lierary and philosophical hread

which permeaes sociey o he presen day. Familiariy wih i enhancesour undersanding o ar and lieraure hrough much o human hisory.However, i can be somewha conusing. Tis litle book presens he ba-sic srucure o his huge body o sories which involve a amily o gods.Tese beings are represened as springing rom naure and growing rom

he beginning o he earh ino a ruling clan wih immense powers overhe universe and over he race o men, who are heir creaions and insome cases heir descendans.

Tis simple basic reader will be useul or hose sudying ancien li-eraure, language, culure, or hisory. Is organizaion is loosely chrono-logical, ollowing he developmen o his myhical amily o deiies. Ipresens he Greek version o each god or goddess and also provides sep-

arae explanaions o he Roman version o each god or goddess. Becausehe Roman mind and concepions differed somewha rom hose o heGreeks, heir sories differ somewha rom he Greek ones.

erms ha migh be unamiliar o he reader are emphasized in bold-ace ype. Te noes secion a he back o he book provides an expla-naion or he erms. Te illusraions are inended merely o evoke hegods, no o be accurae represenaions o a gods likeness.

Te Original Dysfunctional Family: A Basic Classical Mythology for theNew Millennium will serve as an ancillary and quick reerence book orany group sudying he ancien world. I is a good resource or hose us-ing he Bolchazy-Carducci exbook Latin for the New Millennium andcoordinaes as ollows.

COORDINATION WITH CHAPTERS INLATIN FOR THE NEW

MILLENNIUM

II. Te Elder Gods (LNM Review 1)

III. Olympians or Dii Consenes

III.1 Zeus/Jupier (LNM Review 1)

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viii The Original Dysfunctional Family

III.2 Hera/Juno (LNM Review 1)

III.3 Poseidon/Nepune (LNM Review 2)

III.4 Pluo/Hades (LNM Review 2)

III.5 Hesia/Vesa (LNM Review 2) III.6 Ares/Mars (LNM Chaper 1, Review 1)

III.7 Phoebus Apollo (LNM Review 3)

III.8 Aremis/Diana (LNM Review 5)

III.9 Aphrodie/Venus (LNM Review 5)

III.10 Ahena/Minerva (LNM Review 5)

III.11 Hermes/Mercury (LNM Review 4)

III.12 Hephaesus/Vulcan (LNM Review 7)

IV. Te wo Grea Earh Gods

IV.1 Demeer/Ceres (LNM Review 2)

IV.2 Dionysus/Liber (LNM Review 6)


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INTRODUCTIONHuman beings have always been surrounded by evens and circumsanc-es beyond heir conrol. Even oday, when echnology les us a leas pre-dic naural disasers and keeps us inormed o poliical and social ones,

we someimes eel helpless. In he ancien world ha eeling o helpless-ness was also grea, and ofen sen human beings searching or super-naural help. Te inhabians o peninsular and insular Greece, as well

as hose o Asia Minor, had a mosaic o ciy-saes grea and small, andeach o hese had is own sories o he gods, heir powers, and how heycould be persuaded o help people. Laer he Romans adaped hese so-ries, picking and choosing and adding heir own inerpreaions as heysaw . Tey hen proceeded o give he gods hey chose anoher se onames: hose o esablished Roman and Eruscan gods who were in he

beginning very differen. Te very early Romans worshipped numina,aceless, ormless, bu very powerul diviniies whose will could be seenin he naural world. Laer, under he combined inuence o he Greeksand he Eruscans, a erce and inelligen people who were neighborso Rome o he norh, gods in more human orm developed. However,here was always a close ie beween he gods in human orm and henaural world. Gods no only inhabied rivers and mounains, bu werealso idenied wih he rivers and mounains. Te major gods whom we

will discuss in his brie work are all members o one large exended am-

ily which began wih naural phenomena and which was never enirelyseparaed rom hose phenomena.

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I. THE BEGINNINGSories o he Greeks and Romans on how hings came o be vary, buall show a uniy no only beween mankind and he animal kingdom,

bu also a sense o kinship wih he enire naural world. Mos agreedha he rs exisence was Chaos, rom which sprang various living

beings. Hesiod in his Teogonysars wih Chaos, and has Nigh andErebus (he deep underworld) springing rom i. Nigh bore Ligh and

Day in union wih Erebus. Ten or no apparen reason Earh (Gaia orGaea) appeared and gave birh o Heaven (Uranus), o cover her onevery side, and o be an ever-sure abiding-place or he blessed gods.(Teogony 1.121123).

Mount Olympus, home of the Gods.

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2 The Original Dysfunctional Family

Chaos

CHART 1: DESCENDANTS OF CHAOS

Erebus + Night ErosGaea

UranusLight Day

CHART 2: THE ELDER GODS

Uranus + Gaea

Aphrodite?

Giants Cyclopes Oceanus Iapetus Rhea Other Titans Cronus

Atlas Prometheus Epimetheus


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The Beginning 3

Children of Cronus + Rhea

CHART 3: THE TWELVE GREAT OLYMPIANS

Hestia Demeter Zeus Hera Hades Poseidon

Children of Zeus

+ Demeter +Mnemosyne +Metis +Leto + Hera +Dione +Maia + Semele

Persephone Muses Athena

Ar temis Apollo Aphrodite

Ares Hephaestus

Hermes Dionysus


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II. THE ELDER GODSGaea (Moher Earh) unied wih Uranus o bear he ians: amonghem he srong males Oceanus, Coeus and Crius, Hyperion and Iape-us (aher o Alas, Promeheus, and Epimeheus), as well as he lovelyemales Teia and Rhea, Temis and Mnemosyne, gold-crowned Phoe-

be and lovely ehys. Las she bore Cronus, who was wily and erce andmore daring han his brohers and sisers.

Tese ians, as heir name has come o sugges, were large, srong andhandsome. Moher Earhs nex children were no so appealing, a leasrom he Greek poin o view, which held ha man was he measure o allhings. Firs came he Cyclopes (he Wheel-eyed), huge and somewhalike he ians, excep ha each had only one eye, which was locaed inhe middle o his orehead. Hesiod names hem Brones, Seropes, and

Arges, bu we will discover as we go along ha here are ohers, perhaps

a hundred or so, wih some appalling characerisics. No ha hey werenearly as appalling, a leas in appearance, as he nex hree, Cotus andBriareus and Gyes, who eachhad one hundred arms and fyheads. Teir aher Uranus de-esed hese monsers and hidhem underground.

Gaea made a sickle o greyin and asked her children heians o avenge he wrongsha Uranus had done o hisoher children. All shied awayexcep Cronus, who ook hesickle and waied in ambush orhis aher. When Uranus spread

down o visi Gaea, Cronus cuoff his genials and hrew hemin he sea. From Uranus bloodcame various creaures: armedWas fatherhood worth it?

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Gians, Furies, and according o some accouns Aphrodie, who will bediscussed laer. Uranus roared and vowed ha his brual son would payor his deed when he was dehroned by a son o his own.

Cronus ruled he earh or eons, bu he never orgo ha a son o his

was aed o replace him, and he made a uile atemp o ouwi heFaes. Te wie o Cronus was Rhea,

who in ime became idenied wihher moher Gaea, wih he Phrygiangoddess Cybele, and wih oher per-sonicaions o Moher Earh. Sheis described as daugher o earh

and sky, whose chario is drawn byerce lions (Orphic Hymn to Rhea).As each o Rheas children, Hesia,Demeer, Hera, Hades, and he res

were born, Cronus swallowed hem.Rhea reaced o his misreamen oher offspring as angrily as had Gaea.

When she was abou o bear Zeus,

she begged or he help o her par-ens Gaea and Uranus in soppingCronus inanicide. Tey direcedher o he land o Cree, where Gaeareceived he babe o be brough upon Moun Aegeum. Rhea gave Cro-nus a sone wrapped in a baby blan-

ke, which he swallowed wih nocommen. When Zeus was grown and powerul, Rhea gave Cronus anemeic, and his children sprang orh unharmed. Tus began he War ohe Gods, wih Alas leading he ians and Zeus, aided by Promeheus,leading he opposiion (Hesiod Teogony 617885). Te Greeks remem-

bered Cronus kindly, and dedicaed some o he smaller, older emplesand a eas day or wo conneced wih he harves o him, bu he dayso his grea glory were gone.

Saurn was an ancien Ialian deiy idenied wih Cronus, and likeCronus he was king o he gods beore he was overhrown. Afer hisdehronemen by Jupier, Saurn ed o Ialy, where he reigned during

I wil l protect my children.


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The Elder Gods 7

he Golden Age, a ime o peace and prosperiy which he cynical asso-ciaed wih he ime beore Jupier ordered he creaion o woman. TeRomans dedicaed his emple in 498 , and i was rebuil in 42 and again in he ourh cenury by he senae and people o Rome.

I conained he Sae reasury and he bronze ables o Roman law.His esival, he Saurnalia, was celebraed originally on December 17

bu laer expanded o seven days. During his esival all public busi-ness was suspended, declaraions o war and criminal execuions wereposponed, riends made presens o one anoher, and he slaves wereindulged wih grea liberies.


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III. OLYMPIANS OR DII CONSENTESNow we mus ake a look a he hisories, as careully edied by he con-quering invaders, o he bes-known and mos powerul group o Greekgods, hose who lived in Tessaly on Olympus, he highes mounain inGreece. For he sake o order, le us ry o line up he legendary welveGrea Olympians. (No ha his is easy o do. Some say ha Pluo [alsoknown as Hades] and even Poseidon do no ruly belong o Olympus,

as hey are no sky gods. Ohers insis on including Demeer or Diony-sus.) o complicae maters which need no complicaion, according ohe Roman poe Ennius, who lived in he hird cenury , he groupo welve Gods especially honored by he Romans, called he Dii Con-senes, were Jupier, Juno, Minerva, Vesa, Ceres, Diana, Venus, Mars,Mercury, Nepune, Vulcan, and Apollo. Evidenly Ceres he grain god-dess, he counerpar o Greek Demeer, was in he Roman panheon inplace o Pluo/Hades. Organizing all hese deiies is a hankless i noimpossible ask, bu le us give a brie overview o he major radiionallineup and ake up he complicaions laer.

III.1 ZEUS, FATHER OF GODS AND

KING OF MENTe War o he Gods, wih Alas leading he ians, did no look oo prom-

ising or Zeus and his siblings unil he released all hose monsrous rela-ives whom Cronus had imprisoned. Tey no only ough or him wihheir hundred hands and oher atribues, bu hey gave him he ligh-ning and he hunderbols which were o be his rademark. Te ians

were deeaed, and, since hey were immoral, mos ound hemselvesimprisoned down in ararus (he region o he Underworld reserved orpunishing he wicked). Alas remained in he Upperworld, bu he wascondemned o bear he world (or some say he sky) on his shoulders.

I did no ake Promeheus long o dissipae he goodwill Zeus had elor him while he war was being waged. Because Promeheus sole rerom Heaven or humans, and did oher hings o give man a oohold onsurvival, Zeus had Promeheus chained o a rock and sen his own bird

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he eagle o ea Promeheus im-moral liver by day; by nigh heliver grew as much again as he

bird had devoured in he day. (Te

anciens believed ha he liver,raher han he hear, was he seao all emoion.) Te agonizingliver-devouring process wen onor hiry housand years, unilHeracles slew he bird. Zeus, who

waned his son Heracles o receivecredi or his grea deed, did nocomplain abou being deprived ohis long-sanding grudge.

As can be seen by he geneal-ogy o he Olympians, Zeus wasno a aihul husband. His wieHera (who was also his siser, asall he gods were relaives) was he proecor o marriage, which in her

personal case ook a good deal o proecing. As has been menioned,many ciy-saes and socieies came o worship Zeus, and hese muliplespouses may be he chie goddesses o various worship ceners. Howeverha may be, Zeus philandering and occasional pety behavior did nolessen he concep o his migh and power. Homer says o him, He henlowered his glowing counenance, and he ambrosial locks swayed on hisimmoral head, ill vas Olympus reeled (Iliad 1.520526). Such signs

o his approval, while no as bad as his disapproval, mus have made lieon Olympus raher sressul.

ROMAN JUPITER

Te differences beween Greek and Roman gods are greaer han modernmyhological sudies someimes indicae. As has been menioned, romhe ounding o Rome, he numina,ormless hough hey were, showedheir power and heir will by means o naural phenomena which he pi-ous Roman consanly sough o inerpre. Since everyhing in Naure

was inhabied bynumina, grea atenion was paid o omens and porensin daily lie. Roman wriers o every era make many reerences o he

Te Earth is a great responsibility.


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Olympians or Dii Consentes 11

auspices, or inerpreaions o hese porens, and o he unseen numinaone mus propiiae. Te priesly college o augurs inerpreed every as-pec o he ighs o birds, as hey believed ha hese birds o Jupiershowed his decrees by heir movemens. Cicero speaks o birds as Jupi-

ers messengers and o he augurs, o whose college he was a member, ashe inerpreers o Jupier Opimus Maximus (De legibus 2.8)

As menioned beore, he Poe Ennius in he hird cenury lisedas mos honored by he Romans a group o welve Gods called Dii Con-senes: Iuppier, Iuno, Minerva, Vesa, Ceres, Diana, Venus, Mars, Mer-curius, Nepunus, Volcanus, and Apollo (heir names rendered in Lain).Teir gil saues sood in he Forum, laer apparenly in he Poricus

Deorum Consenium. Tey were probably he welve worshipped in 217 a a lectisternium, which means a banque o he gods a which hesaues o he gods were placed upon cushions and were offered meals.

Alhough he Eruscans also worshipped a main panheon o welveGods, he Dii Consenes were no idenied wih Eruscan deiies buraher wih he Greek Olympian Gods (hough apparenly he originalcharacer o he Roman Gods was differen rom ha o he Greek). Tewelve Dii Consenes were led by he rs hree, Jupier, Juno, and Min-

erva. Tese orm he Capioline riad whose ries were conduced in heCapioleum Veus on he Capioline Hill.

All hese differences nowihsanding, Jupier, or Jove Paer, in classicalimes corresponded in many aspecs o Zeus. Romes chie god had a col-lecion o names even more conusing han mos, as he Romans calledhim Jove, hen added pater, or aher, when addressing him or speakingo him as a subjec. Tis was conraced o Juppier (Jupier). In all oher

consrucions he is Jove. Whaever one called him, his son o Saurn andhusband and broher o Juno was he supreme god o he Roman pan-heon. Like Zeus he wielded he lighning bol, and he eagle was bohhis symbol and his messenger. In addiion o being he ruler o he sky,he was also he proecor o he sae and is laws. Since Roman deiiesusually received exra names or heir duies, in his proecor role he was

Jupier Opimus Maximus (Bes and Greaes). Te grea emple on he

Capioline Hill was dedicaed o his aspec o Jupier. Cicero called heSenae o a meeing in he emple o Jupier Saor (Sayer or Susainer).His oher iles include Caelesis (heavenly), Luceius (o he ligh), o-nans (hunderer), Fulguraor (o he lighning). As Jupier Vicor he led


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he Roman army o vicory, and in his spare ime was he proecor o heLain League (an ancien conederaion o Ialian ciy-saes basically in-dependen bu bound ogeher by he necessiy o deending hemselvesagains heir various enemies). Tough he shared a grea emple on he

Capioline Hill wih Juno and Minerva, he was he mos prominen o hehree. Beore he sories abou Zeus were added o his biography, he was a

very majesic, exremely powerul, and somewha dull aher gure.

III.2 HERA, QUEEN OF THE GODSHera seems o come lae in Zeus lis o wives, bu perhaps because shehad long been paroness o some large and powerul ciies, she soon be-

came he permanen and supreme one. Zeus wooed her soon afer hesuccessul compleion o he war o he gods, and afer some rickery wonher. Tis in no way impeded his love affairs, and Hera was ofen jealousand rusraed. Maidens whom sheknew him o avor ofen had a hardime o i, being urned ino animalsor consellaions. Unorunaely hedid no conne his atenions omaidens. Zeus visied Alcmena, he

wie o Amphiryon, in he guiseo her husband. Alcmena bore wosons, Iphicles o Amphiryon andhe grea Heracles o Zeus. Herapromply began a campaign againsHeracles lie. She sen wo gian

serpens ino he cradle o Heraclesand Iphicles when hey were no yeone year old. Hearing he screamso Iphicles, Alcmena ran ino henursery o nd Heracles laughingand holding a srangled snake ineach hand. In no way discouraged,Hera se ou o ormen Heracles

wih he same vengeance she wouldshow in dealing wih he rojansafer he rojan War.

My tasks are many.


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Once, eeling ha she had borne enough, Hera led a rebellion againsZeus, who suspended her in he sky unil all he gods promised never orevol agains him again. Afer his she conned her effors o rying orick and occasionally persuade her powerul husband.

All his jealous rage and spousal war in no way diminished Heras maj-esy, however. An anonymous Greek poe in one o he ancien HomericHymns (which acually have nohing o do wih Homer) says, I sing oHera o he golden hrone, immoral queen whom Rhea bore, radianin beauy, siser and wie o loud-hundering Zeus; she is he illusriousone whom all he blessed ones hroughou high Olympus hold in aweand honor, jus as hey do Zeus who delighs in his lighning and hun-

der (Homeric Hymn12 to Hera). Her many emples and holy places werelled wih supplians asking her avor and keeping a wary eye ou or anysigns o her displeasure.

ROMAN JUNO

Juno was an imposing and powerul gure, guardian and special coun-selor o he Roman sae and queen o he gods. She was proecor o heRoman people and especially women, being he goddess o marriage, er-iliy and all aspecs o pregnancy and childbirh. Like Jupier, she had a

wealh o iles. As he maron goddess o Rome and he Roman Empireshe was called Regina (queen). She was worshiped as Juno Capiolinaas par o he Capioline riad, in conjuncion wih Jupier and Minerva,a he emple on he Capioline Hill in Rome. From her ile Juno Mon-ea comes he modern word money, as he Roman min was buil closeo her emple on he Arx, one o he wo prongs o he Capioline hill.

Juno Sospia (Savior), who had her own esival on February 1s, was heparon goddess o he sae, and her emple or his uncion was in heForum Holiorium in Rome. As Juno Curiis or Juno Quiriis, he pro-ecor o spearmen, she had a emple on he Campus Marius. She washe only deiy o be worshipped by all hiry curiae, he Roman miliaryand adminisraive unis inroduced by Romulus.

III.3 POSEIDON, GOD OF THE SEASon o Cronus and Rhea, broher o Zeus, Hades, Hesia, Demeer andHera, Poseidon was one o he older Olympians, and he answered o noone excep Zeus (and someimes convenienly orgo o answer o him).


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Poseidon ruled he vas sea, living on he ocean oor in a palace made ocoral and jewels. As his oods reached ar ino he counryside, people

who lived near he sea and inlanders as well wen o grea lenghs o keephim happy. When in a good mood, he no only supplied a calm sea bu

also creaed new lands in he waer, bu he could produce errible sormsin an insan. Called he earhshaker, he pounded land and waer wihhis riden in anger, in pleasure, or jus or he un o i, riding he wavesin a chario drawn by dolphins, horses, or, conribuion o he logical,sea horses. Longing o be he paron deiy o an ousanding ciy like heoher gods, Poseidon came o Ahens where, wih a blow o his riden onhe Acropolis, he produced a sea or perhaps jus he well o seawaer. Pal-las Ahena also laid claim o his high ciy, and he Ahenians, who werenever slow o ake advanage o a promising siuaion, devised a compei-ion beween her and Poseidon. Te giver o he bes gif would be heirchie diviniy and heir ciy would carry his or her name. Ahena creaedhe very useul olive ree, and won, even hough in he hea o compei-ion Poseidon, no setling or ha saly spring, creaed he horse andhus changed he shape o hisory.

Te mighty seas are mine.


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Like his broher Zeus, Poseidon had many love affairs and ahered nu-merous children, among whom he Cyclops Polyphemus, he hero Bel-lerophon, and even he winged horse Pegasus are someimes placed. His

wie was he Oceanid Amphirie.

Te Greek hero Odysseus no only blinded Poseidons son, he CyclopsPolyphemus, bu also auned Polyphemus, saying ha no even his a-her Poseidon could resore he sigh ha he, he grea Odysseus, hadaken away. Poseidon would have drowned him excep or he ac hahe Faes, whose words always came o pass, had decreed ha Odysseus

would reurn o his kingdom o Ihaca. He did ge here, bu Poseidonsaw o i ha he arrived alone, beggared, lae, and in a borrowed ship,

only o nd his house ull o enemies.When no sirring up sorms, avenging insuls, or pursuing maidens,

Poseidon was quie a consrucion engineer. No only did his aking hewrong side o squabbles lead o his building a grea par o roy, bu healso consruced he brazen ence ha surrounds ararus and is gaeso bronze, behind which he ians were conned.

ROMAN NEPTUNE, GOD OF WATERS

Nepune was originally simply he god o all waers or Romans, as wellas Nepune Equeser, creaor o he horse. In he early days Romans hadas litle o do wih he sea as possible, bu as heir hisory evolved hey noonly ell under Greek inuence bu also acquired some exra-peninsularenemies. As hey el he need o divine proecion when dealing wihhe always moody Medierranean, Nepune was hereore promoed ogod o he sea (as Nepune Oceanus). Nepune Oceanus was ofen de-

piced surng on a sea shell owed by sea horses i.e., hippocampi, halhorses and hal sh (as he Romans were pracical even in heir mosanciul momens, he ron hal o hese remarkable beings were horses,he back hal sh). Nepune was equaed wih Poseidon and assumed hischaracerisics, bu he was ar less popular among Romans han Posei-don was wih Greeks, who had a ondness or he sea ha he Romansnever preended o share.

When Aeolus a he behes o Juno sirred a mighy empes on he sea,Vergil says ha Nepune raised his grea head calmly above he waers,rebuked he winds, calmed he urbulen waves, drove away he sorm


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clouds, and brough back he sun. Ten he drove his horses, wih heirbronze hooves and golden manes, across a suddenly quie sea, bringingpeace and beauy as he moved (Aeneid 1.124156). Te Romans, who al-

ways kep a wary eye on he sea and never el a home on i, preerred o

hink o Nepune, i hey mus hink o him a all, as quieing he waers.

III.4 PLUTO/HADES, GOD OF THE

UNDERWORLDPluo had an especially diverse variey o names, largely because people

were araid o pronounce his chie one, Hades. Te ancien Hymn toDemetercoyly calls him he Lord o Many, or he Hos o Many, reer-

ring o he muliudes o he dead over whom he ruled. He was usu-ally reerred o as Pluo, a name which mos myhologiss connec wihriches, and he Romans called him Dis (he Rich One) as well as Pluoand (i deemed absoluely necessary) Hades. He was he broher o Zeusand Poseidon and shared he lordship o he world wih hem, his share

being he Underworld.

Pluos dismal realm was locaed underground and was separaed

rom he land o he living by ve rivers, none o which were placid litlesreamshe rs our were Phlegehon, he river o re, Acheron, heriver o woe, Cocyus, he river olamenaion, and Lehe, he rivero orgeulness. Number Five washe Syx, he river o he unbreak-able oah, surrounding he whole

enclave wih is dark waers. Ac-cording o Vergil, he boamanCharon plied his rade a he join-ing o Acheron and Cocyus. Tisredoubable mariner was old, un-kemp, and diry, wih aming eyesand grea srengh. As he poled upo he bank he was besieged by

scores o dead people who wanedo ge across o Hades, where all he

Of death and riches I am king.


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deceased o he ancien world, good, bad, or indifferen, were supposedo go. I hey had no proper burial or passage money, he reused hem;indeed he ook only a ew o he properly ceried. Once acceped byCharon, he dead sill weren home ree. He whisked hem across and

deposied hem in he oozing mud on he ar side, which hey rudgedhrough while keeping a wary eye on Cerberus, he beloved wachdogo Pluo, who waved his dragons ail and barked his hree heads off. Helay beside he acual enrance o inner Hades, and his assignmen was okeep hose inside Hades in and unaccepable visiors ou. Jus pas Cer-

berus saion hree judges, Aeacus, Minos and Rhadamanhus, decidedhe ae o souls: heroes wen o he Elysian Fields; evildoers o ararus.Tose who didn really in eiher caegory wen, according o Vergil,o a number o pigeonholes in beween. On he righ (o course, sincelieraure has long had somehing agains all hings on he lef) was hepah o Elysium, eernal home o he blessed, and o he lef was he ri-ple wall o ararus, eernal home o he deniely unblessed. Aroundha riple wall roared Phlegehon, River o Fire. Te wall was breached

by a gae o adamanine, he hardes subsance known o he ancienworld. Te gae ower was o iron, and aop i perched isiphone, one

o he Furies (hose emale demon-deiies who had snakes or hair andeyes ha wep ears o blood and who were sen o punish he guily).From beyond he walls came sounds o lashes, clanking iron, draggingchains, and, as migh have been expeced, groans. Rhadamanhus, hemos inexible o Hades hree judges, made he inmaes o ararusconess heir evil deeds and assigned imaginaive punishmens as jusrecompense. Tese punishmens differed in many respecs, bu hey

were all exceedingly unpleasan.

Te blessed dead who wen o he Elysian Fields ared beter. In Ely-sium, unlike he gloomy grey amosphere o he res o Hades, sunlighand green plans exised and some normal aciviies were possible.

Pluo, as all classical gods seemed o do, longed or eminine compan-ionship. Women were undersandably relucan o receive his addresses,as he was huge and sulurous. His palace down in he Underworld was

described only as being many-gaed, surrounded by wide waselandsand pale meadows o owering asphodel. (Nobody knew exacly whaha was, and marriageable maidens were no eager o nd ou.)


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Te myhs agree ha Pluo ell madly in love wih Persephone, daugh-er o Zeus and he grain goddess Demeer. He sprang, in his dark chario

wih is rusy reins, rom his underworld realm and carried her off as shewas picking owers (a nooriously unsae occupaion which was he un-

doing o more han one myhological maiden). Exacly where he dan-gerous owers were locaed, hough, is a problem. Pausanias (Descriptionof Greece 1.38.5) says ha Pluo carried Persephone hrough a cave aEleusis beside he sream Cephisus. Diodorus Siculus (Bibliotheca His-torica5.3), however, quoing rom Carcinus he ragic poe who visiedofen in Syracuse, saes aly ha he abducion o Persephone ookplace in he Sicilian erriory o Enna, where he meadows known or

beauiul owers, especially violes, were avorie hauns o Demeer andher daugher Persephone. Ovid inMetamorphoses5 sides wih Diodorusand declares ha he oul deed ook place in Sicily. All sources agree hahe erried girl called on her moher and her companions, bu here wasno rescue. Te HomericHymn to Demetercirca 650550 says haHelios he sun saw all, and would laer carry he ale o Demeer.

Pluo was successul in his abducion, and Persephone became heQueen o he Dead, he one whose name may no be menioned (Di-

odorusBibliotheca Historica 5.3), o whom such charming offerings as aserile cow were made (VergilAeneid6). As we shall see when we comeo he sory o her moher, Persephones enure in Dis gloomy palace wasa leas no year-round.

ROMAN PLUTO

Te Romans paid as litle atenion o Pluo/Hades/Dis as hey poliely

could. Ceres and no Pluo is he welfh o he Roman Dii Consenes.He and Proserpina (he Lain name o Persephone) were known as heDii Ineri, Gods o he Underworld (Inerus). Tey symbolized hepower o he Earh o provide human beings he necessiies or living, asProserpina was he Spring Maiden (a ac we shall go ino laer) and Disconrolled he riches underground as well as he Inerus, he home o hedead. Srangely enough Pax, he Roman goddess who was he personi-caion o peace, in her well-equipped emple in Rome was depiced wihan unipped spear, holding an olive wig in her hand and he young Pluoin her arm. Wheher he Romans hough ha Pluo God o Riches orPluo God o he Dead was conneced wih peace hey lef unspecied.


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Te Romans associaed Pluo wih he leas appealing aspecs o heirerrain. Near he shrine o Apollo a Cumae lie Lake Avernus and heBurning Fields, wo orbidding and exremely smelly geographical ea-ures involving boiling mud, spewing gases, and he yellow uorescence

and srong odor o abundan sulur. Tis dismal spo was proclaimed obe an enrance o Hades, he World o he Dead.

III. 5 HESTIA, GODDESS OF THE HEARTHHesia, he Greek goddess o hehearh or replace, was he sisero Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and Pluo,

bu her hisory was one sep moreoulandish han her siblings. Tersborn offspring o Cronus andRhea, she was he rs o be swal-lowed by Cronus and he las o begiven back; hus she was knownas he rs and he las o his chil-dren. (Tis is someimes said o behe reason why he Greeks gaveher offerings a he beginning andhe end o heir meals.)

However diicul her begin-ning, she was cenral o Greek lie;he hearh or replace which washer special domain was he all-

imporan source o warmh andligh and cooking and he symbolo he home and o lie isel. Eachnewborn child was carried around her re beore being received ino heamily. Hesia was no less imporan in civic lie: each ciy had a pub-lic hearh sacred o her, where he re was never allowed o go ou. I acolony was o be ounded, he coloniss carried wih hem coals rom he

hearh o he moher ciy wih which o kindle he re on he new ciyshearh, which hey promply dedicaed o Hesia.

Te house must have a re.


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Plao makes Socraes say (Phaedrus 246e) ha when Zeus and all heoher Olympians go ou o wage a war, Hesia alone remains in he houseo he gods. Raher han having emples o her own, Hesia was honored

by he re placed in every emple (Homeric Hymn5). Homeric Hymn29

exols her imporance and invokes her aid. Hesia, in he high places oall, boh immoral gods and men who walk on earh, you hold he high-es honor: your porion and your righ is glorious indeed. For here areno moral banques where one does no duly pour a libaion o swee

wine o Hesia boh rs and las . . . Hesia, holy and dear, come anddwell in his glorious house in riendship . . . being aware o he nobleacions o men, increase heir wisdom and heir srengh.

ROMAN VESTA

Vesa, Hesias counerpar, was one o he mos popular and myseriousgoddesses o he Roman panheon. No much is known o her origin,excep ha she was goddess o he hearh, which was he cener o heRoman home. Every day, during a meal, Romans hrew a small cake onhe re or Vesa. Good luck was assured i i burned wih a crackle, so

wise housewives probably chose is ingrediens o assure ha i would.

Te worship o Vesa, like much o Roman worship, originaed in hehome, bu quie early her worship evolved ino a sae cul se up by KingNuma Pompilius (715673 ). He esablished he Vesal Virgins (LivyAb Urbe Condit 1.20) o keep her home re burning, as she was proec-or o he sacred ame which was said o have been brough rom roy oIaly by he hero Aeneas. Tis re was reli every March 1s rom a coal ohe old one and had o be kep aligh all year. In her shrine was also he sa-

cred Palladium, a small wooden saue o Minerva, which Aeneas suppos-edly brough rom roy. According o legend, i anyhing ever happenedo eiher o hese, disaser would all on Rome. Te worship o Vesa de-clined afer Consanine adoped Chrisianiy as he sae religion, and in382 Graian (one o he less successul laer Emperors) conscaed he

Arium Vesae. Disaser did indeed all on Rome, bu his probably hadmore o do wih Graians policies han wih Vesas sacred re.

Vesa was a quie well-behaved goddess, never joining in he endlessargumens and ghs o he oher gods. When Bacchus/Liber demandeda spo among he Dii Consenes, Vesa gave him hers. She had probablyhad more han enough o ha augus bu boiserous assembly.

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