Apollo 4

To begin with, a hero can be defined in many ways in multiple different cultures. According to Maya Angelou, she believes a hero can be defined as, “...any person really intent on making this a better place for all people”(Maya Angelou.) However, an ancient civilization known as the Greeks have six values one must fulfill to be known as a Greek hero. One person commonly known in Greek mythology is the Son of Laertes, Odysseus. Odysseus’s story was told by Homer and has been carried out for…

The Aeneid is bursting with violent acts from the beginning to the end. The main character, Aeneas, faces conflict from both humans and gods. Aeneas is a Trojan hero and prince who embodies pietas, or driven by duty, honor, and devotion, which makes him an example of an ideal Roman citizen. Aeneas was determined to be a successful founder of Rome, but he faced complications along the journey. In each conflict, Aeneas dealt with fighting and violence; therefore, Rome was founded on violent…

Sea of Poppies is regarded as a narrative in epical form. The epic always contains the mythological stories related to the lives of saints, gods and super humans. Such stories are full of mysticism and miracles. The Ibis becomes the symbol of incarnation for Baboo Nob Kissin while her voyage from Calcutta to Mauritius is regarded as a pilgrimage. Nob Kissin had been influenced by Taramomy in his life from childhood. Nob Kissin family was the devotee of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a saint, mystic…

Throughout history, there have been a manifold of variations on the mythical Siren. Traditionally told through Greek Mythology, they are mermaid-like creatures who sing beautiful songs that lure nearby sailors to their death by shipwreck. Two variations on this classic character are found in Homer’s Odyssey and Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song”. In both of these pieces of literature, we find very different tone usage, contrasting points of view, and various techniques of conveying the Siren's to…

Like an avalanche in the mountains change is inevitable and unstoppable. In the Iliad, by Homer, an epic/poem retelling the tale of the Trojan war, there was a bloody battle between Greece and Troy. One of the main characters is Achilles, an almost invincible Greek warrior. The author uses characterization to show Achilles experiences great change throughout the poem, from stubborn to devastated to avengement seeking, all because his good friend and comrade, Patroclus, was killed in battle.…

Norse mythology is a religion that the vikings believed in and it is very similar to Greek mythology and very different as well. The way the Greeks and Norse believed the world was created were far from similar. The believed in powerful gods and goddesses, they each have a part in the world. They also had a different belief on how the world would end. Norse mythology and Greek mythology are very alike but the stories are twisted around a bit to end with the same outcome. We all know about…

A prominent and recurring topic throughout Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey is the interaction between the gods and the mortals. One of the main questions that arises from this observation is: Do the gods help the mortals for a mere entertainment purpose or do they actually have an interest in the lives of said mortals? This topic can also lead in to analyzing how the mortals feel about receiving help from the gods and if they always embrace help from them. Some of the most important events in these…

Grasping his bronze forged shield and thrusting a nine foot long doru spear into the side of his enemies, the Greek solider known as Achilles, parted the Trojan army as Neptune parted the seas. Achilles being the true definition of a man of valor slashed his way through hundreds of Trojan soldiers and not a single one of them could land a scratch on this ancient death machine. However this Greek warrior was not fighting for a lazy king afar, no Achilles was fighting for his cause and for the…

Apollo says to Achilleus, “You will never kill me. I am not one who is fated” (22.13). The fact that Apollo is immortal and Achilleus mortal means that by giving his life, the heroism of Achilleus is actually greater than that of an immortal. Immortality can never reach that level of heroism because the…

Torso of Dionysos or Apollo is a freestanding marble sculpture depicting a nude male god and is currently on display at the Ackland Art Museum. An unidentified artist sculpted the work during the Roman Imperial period in the 2nd century CE, evoking a 4th century BCE Greek style. True to its name, Torso of Dionysos or Apollo is only a fragment of the original sculpture that depicted either Dionysos or Apollo. However, the work lacks enough distinguishing characteristics to accurately determine…