Class 5 of ‘In the Lap of the Gods’ saw us review stories of the first three great Heroes – Perseus, Theseus and Orpheus.
In the times of the Romans and ancient Greeks, almost every writer wrote about the heroes. In many ways, their stories were the equivalent of our ‘Home and Away’ or ‘Neighbours’. Their stories were at least as tangled and just as much soap opera as any modern soap opera. These stories were mass entertainment when there was little other entertainment.
A hero in the ancient world did not just mean a brave person. Heroes were demi-gods, mortals with supernatural powers. Their stories tend to follow a standard formula – a boy was born of one mortal parent and one divine. Heroes were always male, except Atalanta. She sailed with Jason. A hero undertook prodigies as a child, went on a quest forced on him by a jealous king or god and achieved great deeds. When he returned, he was recognised as a king usually by some oddity of his clothing. The hero meets his wife on his quest but is utterly faithless towards, her fathering children everywhere. He eventually dies in a way related either to his infidelity or as a belated consequence of his quest.
In the times of the Romans and ancient Greeks, almost every writer wrote about the heroes. In many ways, their stories were the equivalent of our ‘Home and Away’ or ‘Neighbours’. Their stories were at least as tangled and just as much soap opera as any modern soap opera. These stories were mass entertainment when there was little other entertainment.
A hero in the ancient world did not just mean a brave person. Heroes were demi-gods, mortals with supernatural powers. Their stories tend to follow a standard formula – a boy was born of one mortal parent and one divine. Heroes were always male, except Atalanta. She sailed with Jason. A hero undertook prodigies as a child, went on a quest forced on him by a jealous king or god and achieved great deeds. When he returned, he was recognised as a king usually by some oddity of his clothing. The hero meets his wife on his quest but is utterly faithless towards, her fathering children everywhere. He eventually dies in a way related either to his infidelity or as a belated consequence of his quest.
If you like a good yarn, there is nothing more entertaining than the stories of the heroes. I guess that it is why these stories have been retold for millenia and are still being told today in the form of books or films.
The group decided that we would spend another class on the great heroes. This time, we will look at Heracles/Hercules, Aeneas a Trojan prince who founded Rome long before Romulus and Remus, and Jason and his Argonauts in quest of the Golden Fleece. Even Atalanta will get her own story.
John Barry
The group decided that we would spend another class on the great heroes. This time, we will look at Heracles/Hercules, Aeneas a Trojan prince who founded Rome long before Romulus and Remus, and Jason and his Argonauts in quest of the Golden Fleece. Even Atalanta will get her own story.
John Barry
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