Theogony reading notes
Introduction: Theogony is a Greek poem that explains the beginning of the universe and the origins of Gods in Greek mythology.
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I just learned the origins of the terms ¡°Hellenic¡± and ¡°Hellenistic¡±. Greeks consider themselves descendents of Hellen, the son of Deucalion and Pyrrha, who repopulated the earth by throwing rocks after the great flood. Deucalion in turn is the son of the famous hero Prometheus, who brought fire to mankind.
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Remember the painting ¡°the birth of Venus¡± by Botticelli? The Goddess floating on the ocean, pink roses falling from the sky¡ well, that serene feeling is totally ruined when I learned how Aphrodite (Venus) was born. She was born from the blood and --- get this --- testicles --- when Cronos the father of Zeus cut off his own father Heaven¡¯s private parts ¨C Ouch! ¨C and threw them into the ocean. Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! Now it makes you wonder what Botticelli¡¯s masterpiece would look like if he is faithful to the original mythology¡
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On the other hand, some artists choose to turn the not-so-gross episode of the legends into a totally gross-you-out one. Take Goya and Peter Paul Ruben¡¯s ¡°Saturn (Cronos) eating his children¡±. I don¡¯t care how famous you are, you are two sick guys, man. Saturn (Cronos) couldn¡¯t possibly eat his children pieces by pieces, or he would recognize that Zeus was replaced by a rock, wouldn¡¯t it?
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It makes me wonder why the first two generations of Greek Gods are so barbaric. Maybe at the time the religion was still so primitive and men were still awed by the beasts: they saw a lion devouring a deer and thought this must be what Gods look like.
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I didn¡¯t understand why in Metamorphoses the hell¡¯s watchdog Cerberus is described as ¡°the three-headed monster Medusa bore¡±. Medusa was responsible for the horse Pegasus, but I couldn¡¯t find any linkages to Cerberus. Turns out it is like this: Medusa bare Chrysaor along with Pegasus when her head was chopped off. Then Chrysaor had a son Geryones with Callirrhoe. Geryones is three-headed and Ovid probably confused him with Cerberus. Callirrhoe later bare Cerberus with another guy Typhaon, and get this: Cerberus is fifty-headed. Medusa was Cerberus¡¯ step-grandmother to say the most. Medusa¡¯s family is so screwed up.
- posted on 08/29/2006
I didn¡¯t understand why in Metamorphoses the hell¡¯s watchdog Cerberus is described as ¡°the three-headed monster Medusa bore¡±. Medusa was responsible for the horse Pegasus, but I couldn¡¯t find any linkages to Cerberus. Turns out it is like this: Medusa bare Chrysaor along with Pegasus when her head was chopped off. Then Chrysaor had a son Geryones with Callirrhoe. Geryones is three-headed and Ovid probably confused him with Cerberus. Callirrhoe later bare Cerberus with another guy Typhaon, and get this: Cerberus is fifty-headed. Medusa was Cerberus¡¯ step-grandmother to say the most. Medusa¡¯s family is so screwed up.
Good notes, I also noticed Ovid's Cerberus in my translation
of Opheus, thanks for the digging...
btw: I had made a joke to Linghu in Yidian about his screwing up
the Cafe, hope he is not angry.
- Re: Theogony reading notesposted on 08/29/2006
Wow, followed the bread crumbs to Yidian and saw so many familiar names. How come nobody told me about the party?!
I didn't see how you bashed Linghu, but any bashing of Lingdu is perfectly OK with me. :)
xw wrote:
btw: I had made a joke to Linghu in Yidian about his screwing up
the Cafe, hope he is not angry.
- posted on 08/29/2006
Susan wrote:
Wow, followed the bread crumbs to Yidian and saw so many familiar names. How come nobody told me about the party?!
Guess they need nice people who can type the learning notes in Chinese as well.
I didn't see how you bashed Linghu, but any bashing of Lingdu is perfectly OK with me. :)
XW literally saying "Susan and Linghu" did some nasty to bring down our cafe. If I had been angry, that'd have been for you, ms Susan. I am notorious anyway, but I can't stand xw throwing that on you. Doesn't matter anyway now it looks like. :)
- Re: Theogony reading notesposted on 08/29/2006
I still have to say sorry to LingHu for not replying the post there
and then...
but if Linghu would send me a note to xw00xw@hotmail.com, I defintely
have an explain. it may help both of us a bit.
It's all about Eve.
- Re: Theogony reading notesposted on 08/29/2006
Is this true?! You guys'd better confess before I find out!!
LingHuChong wrote:
XW literally saying "Susan and Linghu" did some nasty to bring down our cafe. If I had been angry, that'd have been for you, ms Susan. I am notorious anyway, but I can't stand xw throwing that on you. Doesn't matter anyway now it looks like. :)
- Re: Theogony reading notesposted on 08/29/2006
xw wrote:
but if Linghu would send me a note to xw00xw@hotmail.com, I defintely
have an explain. it may help both of us a bit.
What's going on?
It's all about Eve.
Who is Eve? :) - posted on 08/30/2006
Mr. Jeffs certainly has outshone Oedipus by a very comfortable margin, or perhaps all other Oedipus-like figures in Greek mythology combined. He will also overshadow worldwide polygamists, professed or clandestine, for millennia to come.
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Associated Press
Fugitive Polygamist Arrested in Nevada
By KEN RITTER , 08.29.2006, 03:51 PM
The charismatic leader of a polygamous Mormon splinter group was captured during a traffic stop three months after being put on the FBI's Most Wanted List and faces charges he arranged marriages between underage girls and older men.
Warren Steed Jeffs, 50, was arrested without incident just outside Las Vegas late Monday after more than a year on the run, the FBI said. No weapons were found, but the 2007 red Cadillac Escalade he was riding in contained more than $50,000 in cash, cell phones, laptop computers and wigs, authorities said.
Jeffs has led the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sincen 2002 and is said to have at least 40 wives and nearly 60 children. ¡
¡ Warren Jeffs took over the renegade sect after the death of his 98-year-old father, Rulon Jeffs, who was said to have had 65 children by several women. Warren Jeffs took nearly all his father's widows as his own wives.
People expelled from the community said young men were sent away to avoid competition for brides. Older men were cast out for alleged disobedience, and their wives and children were reassigned by Jeffs to new husbands and fathers, the former members said.
¡
Associated Press writers Jennifer Dobner in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.
- Re: Theogony reading notesposted on 08/30/2006
LingHuChong wrote:
xw wrote:What's going on?
but if Linghu would send me a note to xw00xw@hotmail.com, I defintely
have an explain. it may help both of us a bit.
nothing serious, be ease!
It's all about Eve.Who is Eve? :)
Eve is the second human being according to Bible.
take care!
- Re: Theogony reading notesposted on 08/30/2006
xw wrote:
Eve is the second human being according to Bible.
take care!
I see. There must be a snake having persuaded Eve eating some an apple then the internet forum was born. :)
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