Apollodorus, The Library, 2.4.8-2.7 Heracles Before Amphitryon reached Thebes, Zeus came during the night and made the one night as long as three. He made himself look like Amphitryon, slept with Alcmene, and told her what had happened with the Teleboans. When Amphitryon arrived and saw that his wife did not welcome him home, he asked the reason. A

Apollodorus, The Library, 3.1.1 & 3.4..1-2 [3.1.1] Having now run over the family of Inachus and described them from Belus down to the Heraclids, we have next to speak of the house of Agenor. For as I have said, Libya had by Poseidon two sons, Belus and Agenor. Now Belus reigned over the Egyptians and begat the aforesaid sons; but Agenor went to Ph

Lecture two: Readings: Hesiod, Theogony, 132-210 II-Titans Titans are the second generation of gods. They ruled the Golden Age. According to Hesiod, the Golden Age was a period of primordial peace, harmony, stability and prosperity. “Men lived like gods without sorrow of heart, remote and free from toil and grief…” They are sons and daughters

V- Tragedy Readings: Sophocles, Oedipus Rex and Antigone 1- Oedipus Oedipus (swollen foot) was the son of king Laius and queen Jocasta. He was king of Thebes. Sophocles wrote three tragedies about him: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone. At the beginning, king Laius and queen Jocasta were childless. They consulted the oracle to know wheth

V- Tragedy Reading: Apollodore, The Library, 3.4.9 “And Sisyphus, son of Aeolus, founded Ephyra, which is now called Corinth, and married Merope, daughter of Atlas. They had a son Glaucus, who had by Eurymede a son Bellerophon, who slew the fire breathing Chimera. But Sisyphus is punished in Hades by rolling a stone with his hands and head in the

V- Tragedy Readings: Sophocles, Oedipus Rex and Antigone. 1- Oedipus Oedipus (swollen foot) was the son of king Laius and queen Jocasta. He was king of Thebes. Sophocles wrote three tragedies about him: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone. At the beginning, king Laius and queen Jocasta were childless. They consulted the oracle to know whet

IV- Heroes Readings: Apollodorus 2.4.8-2.7 2- Hercules His first name was Ἀλκαῖος (Alkaios or Alcaeus). He was the son of Zeus and Alcmene (Ἀλκμήνη), a mortal woman. Alcmene was married to Amphitryon, son of Alcaeus. Amphitryon went to Taphos in a war to revenge the murder of Alcmene’s brothers. Zeus came to Alcmene in the aspect

Readings: Sophocles, Oedipus the King Oedipus the King JOCASTA All right, forget about those things you’ve said. 850 Listen to me, and ease your mind with this—no human being has skill in prophecy.I’ll show you why with this example. King Laius once received a oracle.I won’t say it came straight from Apollo,but it was from those who do assi

Lecture three Readings: Homeric Hymns: Hymn 5 to Aphrodite ; Hymn 20 to Hephaestus ; III- Olympian gods The Olympian gods live on Mount Olympus in Thessalia Greece after they won their war with Titans. Their number is set to twelve, but sometime later new divinities where added. 1- Zeus “ Zeus, father of gods and men, beneath whose thunder the wi

IV- Heroes Readings: Apollodorus, The Library, 3.1.1 & 3.4.1-2 1- Cadmus Cadmus was the son of Agenor king of Tyre. According to Herodotus, he lived around 2000 B.C. and taught Greeks the alphabet (what we call today the Linear B). He had a beautiful sister called Europa. Zeus fell in love with her but he was afraid she will deny him. So he came to