The following outline details the key learning objectives for each section of this chapter.
Chapter Introduction
After studying this section of the chapter you should be able to
- locate the differences between Hesiod and Homer's accounts of Zeus's ascent to power.
- discuss how the dynamics of the Olympian family reflect both Greek social realities and the vicissitudes of life itself.
The Older Olympians
After studying this section of the chapter you should be able to
- sketch out Zeus's character in all of its complexity.
- discuss the familial and political structure of Olympus.
- discuss Zeus's ambiguous relationship with the Fates.
- recognize Phidias's sculpture of Zeus as one of the world's seven wonders and explain why—despite this status—it has been the object of much criticism.
- explain how Hera gives Zeus the power to subjugate her.
- recount Hera's dominant myths, including the parthenogenic birth of her son and her role in the creation of the Milky Way.
- identify Poseidon's major functions and character traits, and explain why he is (at least among mortals) the least popular of the gods.
- discuss Demeter's role as goddess of the fertility of the soil, and explain how this role is thematically evident in the myth of Hades' abduction of Persephone.
- explain why the ancient Greeks viewed Hades as neither good nor bad.
- discuss Hestia as the personification of the feminine ideal in a patriarchal society.
The Younger Olympians
After studying this section of the chapter you should be able to
- identify Athene's many contradictory functions and attributes, and discuss her complex relationship with the patriarchy.
- tell the story of Apollo's birth, and describe his many functions and attributes.
- explain the significance of Delphi to the ancient Greco-Roman world.
- explain how Artemis, goddess of fecundity, poses a threat to male hegemony.
- explain why it is appropriate that Hermes should be named "patron of all who live by movement and mental agility."
- discuss Hephaestus' position as the son of Hera (and only Hera), and the husband of Aphrodite.
- explain why Aphrodite is seen sometimes as "a flirt or whore," and sometimes as the goddess of "a fire that literally makes the world go round."
- explain why Eros is described as the masculine manifestation of the love goddess.
- explain why (and how) the Greeks and Romans regarded Ares differently.
- recount the unique circumstances of Dionysus' birth; explain why and how his worship gave birth to drama.
- discuss Pan's role in the workings of the ancient universal order.
The Gods at Home: Adultery on Olympus This section introduces a self-contained narrative from Homer's Odyssey. |
