Notes 10/21-10/26

"Often the last sheaf is called the Old Woman or the Old Man. In Germany it is frequently shaped and dressed as a woman, and the person who cuts it or binds it is said to "get the Old Woman."

10/21/2010

The Golden Bough- The man-god must be killed as soon as he shows a symptoms that his powers are beginning to fail, and his soul must be transferred to a vigorous successor……pg 309

Term paper-Henderson that Rain King

*mythological importance

*relate it to Ovid or the Golden Bough

*how does this book relate to mythology

3 Stages of Cadmus and Harmony

1.) Conviviality-on good terms, everything is hunky dory. Friendly, lively.

2.) Rape-the fall (something we are forced to do, you fell invaded) Shock value.

                *stories of Flanily O’Conner, Wrote Green leaf.  Story about a woman who has a farm.  Sees a bull on the farm all the time. Wants hired hand to get his bull off her farm.  Wants Mr. Green Leaf kill this bull. He goes to the woods to kill it. She goes to the woods to see if he had killed it.  The bull comes charging out of the woods at her. 

3.) Indifference

Mythology is filled with BULLS!!!

Pg 253

Minos-son of Europa. (Europa was taken by Zeus in his bull form.)

Scylla- she falls in love Minos. She takes lock of purple hair from her father’s head and gives it to Minos and says now I am yours.  He does not want her and she turns into a bird that follows ships.  Minos sacrificed 100 bulls he owed to Jove.  Minos was the black sheep of the family.  Minos was supposed to kill a white bull of the sea to Zeus.  He decided to kill a different bull.  Minos’s wife desires the bull.  She makes a bull suit for herself and goes to the sea and mates with the white bull.

Minos would have six virgins sacrifice to the Minotaur in the labyrinth. (Was a monster that was half bull and half man).  Theseus wants to put a stop to Minos ruling.  Theseus goes to kill Minotaur and needs the help of Ariadne, Minos’ daughter.  Ariadne helped Theseus out of the labyrinth by a thread.  Ariadne is left on the island by Theseus.  Bacchus comes along to her.  Daedalus was a craftsman, a carpenter.  He built the labyrinth that held the Minotaur.

Theseus wife Phedra, lusted after her step-son. Theseus had his son killed by having a bull scare him and his chariot was tipped over.  After his son’s death, Theseus found out the truth about his wife. 

*Daedalus was exiled in Crete by Minos.  Told his son Icarus, to look at him and he thought him how to fly and they flew away from Crete.  As they flew away, Icarus crashed and died.  The island where he barred him was called Icaria.

*Picos had a painting of Gertrude Stin ( we do not see things as they are, the artist helps us to see them as they could be)

*James Joyce- Liked “at once he worked on unknown arts, to alter nature” from Ovid.

(Painting w/ships)

Greek word for Home is “Nostos”

Hermes is the god of cross roads

Lit 285  10/26/2010

*sublimate-to diverts or modify

*term paper will also be out individual presentations(last week of class)

Hercules & Nessus

Cornucopia is a symbol of plenty consisting of a goat’s horn overflowing with flowers, fruit. Ect.

Hercules just married Deianira. Met Nessus at the river and he said he would take them both across the river, but could only do so one at a time. Nessus cared off Deianira.  Hercules shot Nessus with passion arrows from the blood of Lerna.  As Nessus was dying, he gave  Deianira his robe.  He said that if ever she thinks Hercules is straying to give him the robe and he will return to be faithful.  She later though Hercules was straying and she gave the robe to him.  It turned to flames and started to burn him.  He could not get the robe off.  He asked to be put on a burning pier.  His mortal parts burn up but his immortal parts do not.  He goes up into the heavens and becomes a constellation. 

Pygmalion (pg 335)(example of this story-Vertigo by Hitchcock, Pretty women, My Fair Lady)

About a high ruling man that finds a girl and turns her into a lady.  She later liberates herself from his ruling.  Pygmalion creates a form out of white ivory stone and falls in love with it.  Venus turns the statue to life and she over sees the marriage of them.  Nine months later she has a child named Paphos.

The Birth of Adonis (pg 346 & 355) The Lerment for Tamus

Adonis is a god that is born from a tree. (it is daughters that sleep with her father) He is a god that comes back to life several times.  The god that is associated with good looks.  (Dianesses is the god that drives all the females crazy.)  Venus falls in love with this mortal, Adonis.  Venus warns Adonis to stay away from the wild bores.  After Venus leaves, Adonis goes and hunts the bores with his hounds.  He is killed by the bore and Venus turns him into a flower(Anemone).