Eurydice and Orpheus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Orpheus and Eurydice's tragic love story can be referred to a scene from the Bible, the story of Lot. In the Book of Genesis, God had planned to end Sodom and Gommorah, which are two cities that are filled with sins. Lot was a good man so he sent him and his family to the mountain but told them they must "not look back" at the city being destroyed. Lot's wife had turned around to see the two cities burn and she was turned into a pillar of salt. Since she didn't listen to God's rules, she was punished as were Orpheus and Eurydice.
Hercules Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Hercules, the story everyone is familiar with. The events that occur in the myth of Hercules can be connected to the famous superhero, Superman. They both first take place in a supernatural world, they are born to a higher ranked family, and then you have the enemy who wants to get rid of them, so the family is forced to send them to earth.
Odysseus and the Trojan Horse Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
I believe the message is this story is that, though you believe something is true, you should still examine it. Perhaps it is too good to be true. An example of this is the story of Snow White. Snow White believe the old lady is harmless and accepts an apple from the stranger, but should have examined the "gift" and the one who was giving it.
Persephone Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
The story of Persephone can be connected to the story of Snow White. In the story of Snow White, the old lady who seems innocent, tricks sweet Snow White into taking the apple. As a result of eating it, she "dies," or falls into an eternal sleep. As for Persephone, Hades tricks her into eating the magical pomegranate seeds which make her want to return to the world of the dead.
Prometheus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Prometheus was a smart man and was able to trick even the most powerful people. Prometheus creates humans and immediately alludes to the story of Frankenstein. Dr. Frankenstein had created his monster out of body parts while Prometheus created man out of clay.
The Gods of Olympus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
The 12 Olympians were a strong group of people who ruled after overthrowing the titans. In the film Percy Jackson & The Olympians, the 12 gods were so much more important than the other gods, they remained larger than them. Also, they sat among each other in a secluded room because they were in a higher position then the others.
Cupid and Psyche Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
In order for Psyche to regain Cupid's love, Cupid's mother puts her to a bunch of tasks to get her appreciation and get to her son. This kind of reminded me of The Bachelor/The Bachelorette because in order for the contestants to gain the main male or females love and attention, they must go through a series of dates and tasks to gain their slightest attention.
Jason and the Golden Fleece Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
The fact that Jason wants the Golden Fleece and will do anything for it makes me think of the novel The Grapes of Wrath. When they talk about putting up handbills for people to get a job that are only asking for 800 people, it puts people in desperate need to go out to where the job is located. Like Jason and the Golden Fleece, Steinbeck writes about how people will tend to act when they want something.
Oedipus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Oedipus was challenged by the sphinx at the gate of Thebes and for anyone who's a Harry Potter fan, this rung a bell for me instantly. In Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, Harry is riddled by the sphinx as well.
Theseus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Theseus has a lot of parallels to the series, Harry Potter. In the book, Harry did not know that he was a wizard until later in life like Theseus didn't know he was son of the king until afterward. Harry was a thoughtful young boy and always thought of others first and always sacrificed himself for others, like Theseus did when he volunteered to go into the labyrinth to potentially face death. When Harry kills Voldemort, he definitely does not do so by himself but by the help of others like Theseus had in defeating the Minotaur, he had the help of Daedalus.
Achilles Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Achilles was dipped into the River Styx but was not covered at the heel. This is now a commonly known name today. It refers to our Achilles heel, meaning it is very weak and vulnerable since this is where the wound was for Achilles that caused his death.
Antigone Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Antigone can easily be seen as a tragic love story considering the ending. An example of this can be from Romeo and Juliet. Romeo, like Antigone's fiance, does not know his lover is "dead." When he sees Juliet he kills himself out of sadness and separation from his lover as does Antigone's fiance. But of course, Juliet is not dead, she awakens then finishes the deed by killing herself to spend an eternity with Romeo.
Daedelus and Icarus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Icarus dies due to not following his fathers simple rules to stay alive. Icarus flies too close to the sun, the wax melts, and he falls to his death and drowns. In Fahrenheit 451, there is a direct quote that alludes to Daedalus and Icarus stating, "Well, now you did it. Old Montag wanted to fly near the sun and now that he's burnt his wings he wonders why."
Agamemnon Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Although Agamemnon's homecoming was not ideal and tragic, it's said that he wasn't such a great person as well. Agamemnon was wealthy but shared none of it with anyone and thought about himself. He was selfish and careless with his riches. This made me think of the film White Chicks. Mr. Vanderbilt, meaning "of money," was so selfish and careless with his money that he became poor. As a result, he embezzled. He went to jail, and perhaps that was Agamemnon and Mr. Vanderbilt's karma.
Echo and Narcissus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Echo was cursed with not being able to speak to anyone unless they spoke to her. When she killed herself, what was left of her was to repeat the last words that she heard. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says, "Bondage is hoarse and may not speak aloud, Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies." Juliet states that she wants to go to the place where Echo died so she can repeat Romeo's name over and over again.
Hector Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Hector was often seen as a bully in mythology because of his actions sought through war and everyday life. Now the vocabulary word 'hector' alludes to him meaning, to speak in a way of bullying.
Perseus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Perseus is a brave man who fulfilled impossible tasks. This alludes to the film, Percy Jackson & The Ollympians. The names are very similar although his father is Poseidon. But Percy Jackson manages to slay Medusa and turn those evil into stone by carrying her head around as a defense, as did Perseus.
River of Styx Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
An example of the River Styx separating the underworld and the world of the living would be Percy Jackson & The Olympians. They travel to the underworld and in order to get there and across, they must travel through the River Styx, with a coin of course.
- Orpheus known as the most talented music player
- Had a voice the everyone loved
- Fell in love with a wood nymph, Eurydice and got married
- Aristaes, a Shepard, hated Orpheus and wanted Eurydice to himself
- Chased them through the woods
- Eurydice stepped on a viper, got bitten and died
- Orpheus went to the underworld to retrieve Eurydice
- After Hades heard Orpheus' voice, he allowed him to have his wife
- One condition- must not look back until she enters the light
- Once he got to the light, he turned around and hugged her
- She was brought back to the underworld, because only she had not seen the light yet
- Orpheus grew depressed and had eyes for no other
- Group of angry women killed him
Orpheus and Eurydice's tragic love story can be referred to a scene from the Bible, the story of Lot. In the Book of Genesis, God had planned to end Sodom and Gommorah, which are two cities that are filled with sins. Lot was a good man so he sent him and his family to the mountain but told them they must "not look back" at the city being destroyed. Lot's wife had turned around to see the two cities burn and she was turned into a pillar of salt. Since she didn't listen to God's rules, she was punished as were Orpheus and Eurydice.
Hercules Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Born in Thebes
- Son of Zeus and Alcmene
- Demi-god
- Often wins when he challenges the other gods
- Strongest man who has ever lived
- Courageous and knows what’s right and wrong
- Strangles two snakes that tried to attack him and his half-brother one night
- Marries princess Megara
- Has three children
- Hera uses magic to convince Hercules to kill his wife and children
- Tries to commit suicide but Theseus stops him
Hercules, the story everyone is familiar with. The events that occur in the myth of Hercules can be connected to the famous superhero, Superman. They both first take place in a supernatural world, they are born to a higher ranked family, and then you have the enemy who wants to get rid of them, so the family is forced to send them to earth.
Odysseus and the Trojan Horse Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- King of Ithaca
- Well known Greek hero
- Homer’s Iliad and Virgil’s Aeneid see Odysseus as one of the most smartest and valuable
- Trusted to do anything he is asked
- Brave and courageous
- Was given the armor of Achilles (highest honor)
- Invented the tactic of the Trojan Horse to be built
- The horse was hollow
- Solder hid inside for a planned ambush
- One of their soldiers tricked the enemy, told Trojan’s that it was their prize
- Soldiers took prize, partied and got drunk
- Soldiers climbed out and killed Trojans
I believe the message is this story is that, though you believe something is true, you should still examine it. Perhaps it is too good to be true. An example of this is the story of Snow White. Snow White believe the old lady is harmless and accepts an apple from the stranger, but should have examined the "gift" and the one who was giving it.
Persephone Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Daughter of Demeter and Zeus
- Kidnapped by Hades
- Mother searches everywhere for her
- Demeter to Helios who tells her where Persephone is
- Demeter goes to Zeus
- Zeus allows Persephone back if she says she's being kept against her will
- Hades hears of Zeus' plan
- Hades tricks her into eating pomegranate seeds
- Seeds end up making her want to return to the underworld
- A compromise is made between Demeter and Hades
- Persephone stays with Hades half the year and half with her mother
- Away from mother, fall, autumn and winter
- With Demeter, spring and summer
The story of Persephone can be connected to the story of Snow White. In the story of Snow White, the old lady who seems innocent, tricks sweet Snow White into taking the apple. As a result of eating it, she "dies," or falls into an eternal sleep. As for Persephone, Hades tricks her into eating the magical pomegranate seeds which make her want to return to the world of the dead.
Prometheus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Son of Titan Lapetus and nymph Clymone
- Created humans
- Helped Zeus to gain victory in War of Titans
- Overthrew Zeus' father so Zeus could become chief of gods
- Through time, Zeus became concerned with mans growing power
- Prometheus tricked Zeus into picking the worst part of the sacrificial bull
- Man got the best part
- Punished Prometheus and chained him to a rock
- An eagle would feed on his liver ever day as it would grow back overnight
- Prometheus' screams could be heard by any god no matter where they were
- Eventually Hercules freed Prometheus
Prometheus was a smart man and was able to trick even the most powerful people. Prometheus creates humans and immediately alludes to the story of Frankenstein. Dr. Frankenstein had created his monster out of body parts while Prometheus created man out of clay.
The Gods of Olympus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- There are 12 “proper” Gods
- Zeus:
- Lord of the sky and the rain
- Uses a thunderbolt, married to Hera (sister), not faithful, punishes people who lie.
- Child of Cronus and Rhea
- Rhea hid Zeus so he would not be eaten by Cronus
- Poseidon and Hades:
- Poseidon is the lord of the sea
- Married to Amphitrite
- Created the first horse
- Uses a trident as a weapon
- Second most powerful Olympian god after Zeus
- Hades is the lord of the underworld
- Has the worst luck
- Married to Persephone
- Hestia and Hera:
- Hestia, virgin Goddess and Goddess of the Hearth
- Hera is married to Zeus
- Protector of marriage
- Takes care of women who are married
- Ares, Athena, Apollo, Hermes, and Artemis:
- Athena:
- Brave and protects from enemies
- Goddess of the city, handicrafts and agriculture
- Invented the bridle
- Zeus’ favorite child
- Allowed to use his thunderbolt
- Virgin goddess.
- Apollo:
- Artemis’ twin brother
- Mother is Leto
- Known as the god of music
- Cannot lie
- Likes to harness his chariot with four horse
- Hermes:
- Mother is Maia
- Zeus’ messenger
- Fastest of the gods
- Wears sandals with wings and carries a magic wand
- god of thieves and commerce
- Used as a guide for the dead in the underworld
- Invented the lyre, astronomy, weights and measures, boxing and gymnastics
- Ares:
- His mother and father do not like him
- god of war
- Murderous and a coward
- Bird is the vulture and animal is the dog
- Artemis:
- twin brother is Apollo
- goddess of wild things
- Huntsman among the gods
- Protects the “young”
- Hunts with silver arrows
- goddess of chastity
- Gave Leto (her mother) no pain when she was born
- Hephaestus and Aphrodite:
- Hephaestus-
- Son of Zeus and Hera
- Only god who is known as being “unattractive”
- Has “no father”
- God of fire and the forge
- Uses volcanoes as forge
- Often kind and peaceful
- Married to Aphrodite
- Aphrodite:
- goddess of love and beauty
- Has a magical girdle, compels those she wishes to desire her
- Some say Zeus and Dione are her parents, was created when Uranus was castrated or she arose from the sea foam then walked to shore
- Married to Hephaestus
The 12 Olympians were a strong group of people who ruled after overthrowing the titans. In the film Percy Jackson & The Olympians, the 12 gods were so much more important than the other gods, they remained larger than them. Also, they sat among each other in a secluded room because they were in a higher position then the others.
Cupid and Psyche Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Psyche:
- Beautiful princess
- Men worship her instead of Aphrodite
- Aphrodite gets jealous
- Sends her son, cupid, to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest creature
- Cupid ends up falling in love with psyche
- Prevents others from falling in love with her
- Psyches father leaves her at the top of a hill to get married to a creature
- Zephyr ends up taking Psyche to a place where she is safe and hears voices
- Feels a man sleeping next to her at night but never sees his face
- He introduces himself as her husband
- Her sisters convince Psyche that her husband is really a monster
- Finds out Cupid is her husband
- Lamp burns cupid and he feels betrayed
- He goes to Aphrodite for healing
- Psyche wants to see cupid so she goes to Aphrodite
- Aphrodite makes her do a lot of tasks
- Aphrodite accepts her
In order for Psyche to regain Cupid's love, Cupid's mother puts her to a bunch of tasks to get her appreciation and get to her son. This kind of reminded me of The Bachelor/The Bachelorette because in order for the contestants to gain the main male or females love and attention, they must go through a series of dates and tasks to gain their slightest attention.
Jason and the Golden Fleece Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Athamas gets bored with his first marriage with Nephele
- Marries Ino
- She wants the son, Phrixus, from Athamas’ first marriage gone so her son can rule after Athamas
- Hermes sends for a flying golden ram to save Phrixus and his sister Helle
- Helle falls off ram and dies
- Phrixus gets to the land of Colchis
- Kills the ram for Zeus
- Gives its skin (the Golden Fleece) to Aetes, Colchis’s king
- Jason tries to overthrow Pelias who is taking the throne
- Jason is told that he must get the Golden Fleece for the kingdom (was a lie told by Pelias)
- Jason gathers a group of heros to get the fleece face
- There, Jason is tricked into doing two more tasks that will kill him
- Jason completes all tasks with the help of Medea
- Pelia killed his father
- They convince Pelia’s daughters to kill Pelia
- Jason and Medea have two children
- He ends up wanting to marry the daughter of the king of Corinth
- She gets mad, has his sons kill Jason’s new bride and both her sons
The fact that Jason wants the Golden Fleece and will do anything for it makes me think of the novel The Grapes of Wrath. When they talk about putting up handbills for people to get a job that are only asking for 800 people, it puts people in desperate need to go out to where the job is located. Like Jason and the Golden Fleece, Steinbeck writes about how people will tend to act when they want something.
Oedipus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory
- Men desire to kill their fathers and have inappropriate relationships with their mothers
- Kills father and marries mother, without knowing
- He takes his own eyes out as punishment and walks around
- Dies later on
- Blinded by what happens in our lives
- Solves riddle of the sphinx at the gate of Thebes
Oedipus was challenged by the sphinx at the gate of Thebes and for anyone who's a Harry Potter fan, this rung a bell for me instantly. In Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, Harry is riddled by the sphinx as well.
Theseus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Great hero of Athens
- Son of the Athenian king, Aegeus
- Doesn't know he's song of the king until later
- Volunteers to go into the labyrinth
- Kills the Minotaur
- Measured his strength and willingness to go to Athens
- Put a shoe and sword under a rock
- Eventually is able to move the rock
- Goes to Athens
- Almost killed by his own father, Aegeus
- Father didn’t recognize him, was convinced by Medea
- Falls in love with Ariadne, eventually abandons her
- Father commits suicide, he becomes king
- Turns Athens to a democracy
- Helped the Argives after the war
- Prevents Hercules from killing himself
- Marries Antiope
Theseus has a lot of parallels to the series, Harry Potter. In the book, Harry did not know that he was a wizard until later in life like Theseus didn't know he was son of the king until afterward. Harry was a thoughtful young boy and always thought of others first and always sacrificed himself for others, like Theseus did when he volunteered to go into the labyrinth to potentially face death. When Harry kills Voldemort, he definitely does not do so by himself but by the help of others like Theseus had in defeating the Minotaur, he had the help of Daedalus.
Achilles Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Son of peleus and Neroid Thetis (mortal)
- Mightiest Greek in Trojan war
- Thetis wanted Achilles to be immortal
- Held him by his foot and placed his body in the sacred river, Styx
- His heel was not placed in the water, it remained unprotected
- Mother hid him in court of Lycomedes (to avoid death at Troy)
- Disguised Achilles as a girl
- Had a child with Lycomedes' daughter, Pyrrhus
- Odysseus took Achilles to fight Troy
- Achilles killed everyone, captured a lot of towns
- Took women as prizes
- Agamemnon took away Achilles' prize, refused to fight
- Paris with Apollo on his side struck Achilles' heel with an arrow
- Died from wound
Achilles was dipped into the River Styx but was not covered at the heel. This is now a commonly known name today. It refers to our Achilles heel, meaning it is very weak and vulnerable since this is where the wound was for Achilles that caused his death.
Antigone Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Daughter of King Oedipus of Thebes and Jocasta
- Oedipus unknowingly married his own mother
- Antigone, Oedipus' daughter and sister
- Her "parents" kill themselves
- She returns to Thebes with her sister to help her brothers
- Both brothers are found dead upon arrival
- One of her brothers is denied a burial by their uncle for being a "traitor"
- She buries him anyway
- Gets caught, thrown in jail
- Kills herself
- Antigone's fiance pleads with their uncle to let her out and he agrees
- He finds her dead and kills himself
Antigone can easily be seen as a tragic love story considering the ending. An example of this can be from Romeo and Juliet. Romeo, like Antigone's fiance, does not know his lover is "dead." When he sees Juliet he kills himself out of sadness and separation from his lover as does Antigone's fiance. But of course, Juliet is not dead, she awakens then finishes the deed by killing herself to spend an eternity with Romeo.
Daedelus and Icarus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Daedelus builds a labyrinth for King Minos
- Labyrinth is for prisoners where they are killed by a beast, a Minotaur
- Minos' daughter falls in love with Theseus, who's sent to the labyrinth
- She begs Daedelus to help Theseus
- Daedelus gives him a ball of thread so he can create a trail to find where he's entered
- Theseus kills the Minotaur
- King Minos becomes angered and imprisons Daedelus and his son Icarus in a tower
- Daedelus creates two pairs of wings
- Puts wax on wings so it adheres to their bodies
- Tells Icarus not to fly too close to the ocean and the sun or the wax will melt and he will fall
- Icarus doesn't listen and drowns after his fall
Icarus dies due to not following his fathers simple rules to stay alive. Icarus flies too close to the sun, the wax melts, and he falls to his death and drowns. In Fahrenheit 451, there is a direct quote that alludes to Daedalus and Icarus stating, "Well, now you did it. Old Montag wanted to fly near the sun and now that he's burnt his wings he wonders why."
Agamemnon Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Son of Atreus, king of Mycenae
- His brother murders Atreus
- They flee to Sparta
- Later, Agamemnon returns and kills their unle
- Reclaims throne
- Has three daughters with Clytemnestra
- Brother goes to war for Helen, Agamemnon prepares fleets
- Agamemnon bragged about being a better hunter than Artemis
- Artemis gets angry and stops the wind and the ships don't sail
- Eventually, they beat Troy and return home
- Clytemnestra finds someone new and plans to kill Agamemnon
- Cassandra, who can tell the future, tells him of her plan
- Cassandra is cursed by the gods so no one believes what she says
- Clytemnestra kills Cassandra and her new lover kills Agamemnon
Although Agamemnon's homecoming was not ideal and tragic, it's said that he wasn't such a great person as well. Agamemnon was wealthy but shared none of it with anyone and thought about himself. He was selfish and careless with his riches. This made me think of the film White Chicks. Mr. Vanderbilt, meaning "of money," was so selfish and careless with his money that he became poor. As a result, he embezzled. He went to jail, and perhaps that was Agamemnon and Mr. Vanderbilt's karma.
Echo and Narcissus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Echo loved Narcissus, but he loved no one but himself
- Echo always spoke, and always wanted the last word
- Cursed by Juno for speaking to her husband
- Cursed Echo so she couldn't ever speak unless she was spoken to
- She hid in the bushes in the woods watching Narcissus
- He heard her and made her come out
- She was happy and lunged toward him
- He didn't care for Echo
- She became upset and rant to the mountains and died in sadness
- The gods grew tired of him and made Narcissus fall in love with his own reflection
- He grew sad that he his reflection didn't love him back
- He died in grief and Echo grieved as well
Echo was cursed with not being able to speak to anyone unless they spoke to her. When she killed herself, what was left of her was to repeat the last words that she heard. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says, "Bondage is hoarse and may not speak aloud, Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies." Juliet states that she wants to go to the place where Echo died so she can repeat Romeo's name over and over again.
Hector Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Oldest son of Trojan king Priam and Hecuba
- Married Andromache
- Warrior of Trojan army
- Hector kills a friend of Achilles during war
- Achilles becomes enraged and kills Hector
Hector was often seen as a bully in mythology because of his actions sought through war and everyday life. Now the vocabulary word 'hector' alludes to him meaning, to speak in a way of bullying.
Perseus Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- Son of Zeus and a mortal woman, Danae
- Danae's husband grew angry and sent Perseus on impossible tasks
- Had to kill Medusa and three Gorgon sisters
- He asked gods for help
- Athena gave him a mirrored shield and Hermes gave him shoes with wings
- Killed Medusa and slayed her neck, a Pegasus flew out of her neck
- He defeated the three sisters
- He saw a girl chained on a rock about to be killed
- Perseus kills sea monster by turning it into stone and holding up Medusa's head
- Marries the girl, Andromeda
- Is killed by Dionysus
- Perseus and Andromeda become constellations
Perseus is a brave man who fulfilled impossible tasks. This alludes to the film, Percy Jackson & The Ollympians. The names are very similar although his father is Poseidon. But Percy Jackson manages to slay Medusa and turn those evil into stone by carrying her head around as a defense, as did Perseus.
River of Styx Mythological Allusions Source: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- River separated the world of living and the dead
- When you died, your soul would travel to the river
- Your family would have to bury you with a coin in order to receive a boat ride from Charon
- Souls who did not have a coin, swam across the river, but not many made it
- When you made it to the other side of the river, you'd have to wait to be reborn
- Some souls were sent to the underworld as punishment
- River of hate
- Made people invincible
An example of the River Styx separating the underworld and the world of the living would be Percy Jackson & The Olympians. They travel to the underworld and in order to get there and across, they must travel through the River Styx, with a coin of course.