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QUESTION
Write an original myth that captures one of the major themes of this course: cosmology, divine justice, hubris, xenia, morality, fate, heroism, etiology, et al. The instructions : The myth has a well developed and consistent theme specific to ancient Greece Rome. Characters are vividly depicted or well defined through dialogue. The myth includes a well developed plot and central conflict: The myth attempts to draw a logical conclusion to a conflict: The myth is didactic in that it teaches something about the gods or ourselves, or concerns related to ethics/morality or origins. The paper reflects student’s understanding of myth’s connection to culture or geography.The myth is consistent throughout with the author’s tone and point-of-view.
ANSWER
Mythology: Hubris
Hubris is defined as excessive pride or arrogance. In Greek mythology, hubris is often the tragic flaw that leads to the downfall of a hero. Hubris was considered to be an essential character trait in ancient Greek. It was often used to describe someone who was excessively proud or arrogant. In many ways, hubris was seen as a negative character trait and was often associated with tragic heroes. One of the most famous examples of hubris can be found in the story of Icarus. Icarus was a young man who was given wings made of wax by his father. His father warned him not to fly too close to the sun, but Icarus became arrogant and flew too close, causing the wax to melt, and he fell to his death. The story of Icarus is a cautionary tale about the dangers of hubris. However, the essay will be based on discussing the topic in the context of Greek and Roman mythology. How was hubris seen as a significant theme in Greek and Roman mythology, and how can it be used to teach us about the gods or ourselves?
In Greek mythology, hubris is often the tragic flaw that leads to the downfall of a hero. One example of this is the story of Narcissus. Narcissus was a young man who was so proud of his beauty that he fell in love with his reflection. As punishment for his hubris, he was turned into a flower (Karakis, 2019). Another example of hubris in Greek mythology mentioned in the introductory paragraph is the story of Icarus.
Icarus was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus. Daedalus had been imprisoned by King Minos on the island of Crete. To escape, he fashioned a pair of wings out of wax. Before they flew away, Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, as the heat would melt the wax, and he would fall to death. Icarus, however, was so exhilarated by the flight experience that he ignored his father's warnings and flew too close to the sun. The wax melted, and Icarus fell into the sea and drowned. The story of Icarus is often used as a warning against hubris. It teaches that we should be careful not to become too confident in our abilities, as this can lead to our downfall.
Hubris is also a significant theme in Homer's Odyssey, an epic poem. In the Odyssey, the hero Odysseus is hubristic in that he is overconfident and does not listen to the advice of others. This leads to him and his men getting lost on their journey home from the Trojan War. They face many challenges, including being turned into pigs by the witch Circe and attacked by the Cyclops (Syropoulos, 2018). In the end, Odysseus can return home, but only after losing many men and suffering himself greatly. This story teaches us that hubris can lead to suffering and that we should be careful of our actions.
Another famous example of hubris can be found in the story of Prometheus. Prometheus was a Titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. For this crime, he was punished by Zeus, who chained him to a rock where an eagle would eat his liver daily. Once again, the story of Prometheus is a warning against hubris. It teaches that we should be careful not to anger the gods, as they have the power to inflict great suffering upon us.
The theme of hubris is also present in the story of Oedipus. In this story, Oedipus is a man who is prophesied to kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus tries to avoid this fate by running away from his home, but eventually, he fulfills the prophecy. Hubris is a significant theme in this story, as Oedipus is a very proud man who believes he can avoid his fate. This ultimately leads to his downfall, as he cannot accept the truth about his family. The story of Oedipus teaches that hubris can lead to ruin and that one should be careful not to let their pride get in the way of the truth.
The story of hubris does not always end in tragedy, however. In some cases, hubris can lead to great success. This was the case with the Greek hero Perseus. Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danaë, who was imprisoned in a bronze tower by her father, Acrisius. An oracle had told Acrisius that his grandson would kill him one day, so he locked Danaë away to prevent this from happening. Despite Acrisius' attempts to prevent it, Perseus was born and grew into a strong young man. He became aware of his origins and set out to find his grandfather. He performed many heroic deeds on the way, including slaying the monstrous Gorgon Medusa.
When he finally confronted Acrisius, Perseus used the head of Medusa to turn his grandfather to stone. In this way, he fulfilled the prophecy and became the new king. The story of Perseus shows that hubris can sometimes lead to great success. It also teaches that we should be careful not to underestimate the power of the gods, as they can help us to achieve our goals.
In Roman mythology, hubris can also be seen as a significant theme. One example of hubris in Roman mythology is the story of Romulus and Remus. Romulus and Remus were twin brothers who were suckled by a she-wolf. Romulus grew up to be a great warrior and founded the city of Rome. On the other hand, Remus was a peaceful man who did not want to fight. One day, Romulus killed Remus in a rage and thus founded Rome as a violent city (Ryba, 2021). This story teaches us that hubris can lead to violence and that we should be careful of our actions.
The story of Tantalus also describes the theme. Tantalus was a king who was so arrogant that he thought he could trick the gods. He killed his son and served him to the gods at a feast. The gods were so angry that they punished Tantalus by condemning him to stand in a pool of water with fruit hanging overhead. Whenever Tantalus tried to drink the water, it would recede. It would move out of his reach whenever he tried to eat the fruit.
The theme of hubris is also seen in the story of Juno. Juno was the queen of the gods. She was so proud that she refused to let her husband, Jupiter, rule the universe. Jupiter punished Juno by making her husband, Vulcan, lame. Additionally, the story of Semele also reveals the theme of hubris. Semele was a mortal woman who became pregnant with Zeus's child. Zeus's wife, Hera, was jealous and tricked Semele into asking Zeus to show himself to her in his proper form. Zeus did not want to kill Semele, so he took her to Olympus. However, the sight of Zeus in his proper form was too much for Semele, and she was burned up.
The theme of hubris is also seen in the story of Arachne. Arachne was a young woman who was an excellent weaver. She was proud of her work. She challenged Athena, the goddess of wisdom, to a weaving contest. Athena won the contest, but Arachne was so angry that she hanged herself. Finally, in roman mythology, the theme of hubris is also seen in the story of Cassandra. Cassandra was a young woman who was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo (Diamandis & Bouras, 2018). However, she did not believe Apollo when he told her that she would be cursed and that no one would believe her prophecies. Cassandra's prophecies were not believed, and she was cursed.
The myth of hubris often attempts to draw a logical conclusion to a conflict by teaching that hubris can lead to tragedy. In Greek and Roman mythology, hubris is often the tragic flaw that leads to the downfall of a hero. The story of Icarus is a cautionary tale about the dangers of hubris, and the story of Odysseus teaches that hubris can lead to suffering. The story of Perseus shows that hubris can sometimes lead to great success, but it also teaches that we should be careful not to underestimate the power of the gods. In the story of Romulus and Remus, hubris leads to violence. Tantalus, Juno, Arachne, and Cassandra's stories teach that hubris can lead to ruin.
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