And to start off with my new format of doing these blogs every other week, I'm going to do the story about how Athens got its name. Now like I said two weeks ago in my Atlantis blog, I've been to Athens, sure it was four hours of quickly driving to see all the ruins, but at least I got to see this:
And right where I think Pope John Paul II stood for a pic
The Parthenon symbolizes the Ancient Athenians' divine connection with their matriarch goddess and namesake, but how did their relationship with the Goddess with more jobs than Barbie come about? Well it stems from a competition between Athena and Poseidon over a nice little city named Cecropia.
I am the lizard king!!!
Before the competition, a quick history of Cecropia, the city was named after its king Cecrops who looked like Carl after he put on that Mummy's headdress; because he had snake tail for a lower torso. He was said to have been borne from the earth itself and was able to rule justly over this city that was quickly named after him. (Don't ask me why the people didn't have a problem with having basically a naga being their king)
Cecrops was the first to institutionalize marriage, setup statues and altars to the gods, and offer sacrifices to the gods. He was also the first to deify Zeus and ordained sacrifice to him as their supreme god; he would also make a rule that no more living things be sacrificed. Finally he taught the people the art of navigation, which any sea faring race like the future Athenians would need to know to create a naval empire.
Overall, Cecrops was one of those good rulers despite being more scaled up than Jafar. As the little city of Cecropia grew like a fine oak, the gods began to take notice of the city and several wished to become its Patriarch/Matriarch. Eventually, it came down to Poseidon and his niece Athena who wanted to fight for this in a good old "wrasslin" match for the Raw main event.
However, before Vince could get the deal finalized, Zeus decided to cancel that arc quicker than the whole "who killed Mr. McMahon?" storyline in 2007. Instead, the King of the gods said the patronage of Cecropia would be decided in a civil contest that would be decided by Cecrops and the his people. (Like the Male Judges in Into the Green Yonder, the decision was basically decided by the king though)
Hey thanks for the spri- OH GOD ITS SO SALTY!
First, Poseidon came up onto the Acropolis and struck a rock with his mighty trident like a man stabbing a fork into a hard piece of steak. Bursting from that rock did sprang a spring of water, but there was a problem; it was saltier than Jim Cornette's use of language.
Poseidon then told the king that the spring was more symbolic and that this city would become a major sea power, but this was probably just Poseidon trying to half ass an excuse for why he gave them a salty spring. Cecrops wasn't fooled, but the idea of his city becoming an even bigger trading and naval empire was very appealing. However, he still was going to give Athena a chance before he would make his final decision.
Basically this can do anything, enjoy
When her turn came up, she went over to the nearest temple and planted the first domesticated olive tree. She then explained to the king that this tree would provide wood, oil, food, and a commodity that could be traded throughout the Aegean world.
Seeing the practical applications of the olive tree over the impractical salty spring, Cecrops decided that Athena was the clear winner in this contest. After he said that Athena had won, Zeus, who's booming voice could give BRIAN BLESSED voice a run for its money, declared Athena the official matriarch of Cecropia.
I guess the meal is coming in because you just got SERVED!!
Needless to say, Poseidon didn't kindly to losing this contest and to make matters worse he lost to a woman which would be like if a KKK member lost a contest to anyone not a WASP. However, in a rare act of magnanimity from the god who had a shorter fuse than Uncle Phil, Lewis Black, and Kane combined; Poseidon allowed the people of this city to keep his gift even though he lost.
Soon Cecrops and his people in an act of appreciation to their new patron goddess renamed the city to Athens and constructed on the Acropolis a great temple to her. (Not the Parthenon of course, since the temple I'm talking about was built way before then)
Now there can be some deeper meaning to this myth than a mere, "this is how we got our name for the city" story. Some scholars have construed that this story was built as also a representation of the battle between matriarchal religious societies and patriarchal religious societies, with Athena representing females and Poseidon representing males. Also a another fun little tidbit of information:
Yep just hope to god no one invades or I'm screwed
There is an olive tree on the Acropolis which I for the life of me failed to notice when I was up there (Or I just failed to see its significance) that is said to have been related all the way to that first olive tree that Athena planted. Every time after an invasion of some kind or when it was accidentally destroyed, it would be replanted as somewhat a sign of Athenian pride.
The last time it was replanted was by a group of Americans in 1952 after the one before it had been destroyed by Indiana Jones favorite mooks, the Nazis. Anyway I'll leave you all with this clip from one of my favorite shows that I just got into, Qi. Let us gaze in amazement as Stephen Fry breaks his brain.
Oh poor Stephen
And right where I think Pope John Paul II stood for a pic
The Parthenon symbolizes the Ancient Athenians' divine connection with their matriarch goddess and namesake, but how did their relationship with the Goddess with more jobs than Barbie come about? Well it stems from a competition between Athena and Poseidon over a nice little city named Cecropia.
I am the lizard king!!!
Before the competition, a quick history of Cecropia, the city was named after its king Cecrops who looked like Carl after he put on that Mummy's headdress; because he had snake tail for a lower torso. He was said to have been borne from the earth itself and was able to rule justly over this city that was quickly named after him. (Don't ask me why the people didn't have a problem with having basically a naga being their king)
Cecrops was the first to institutionalize marriage, setup statues and altars to the gods, and offer sacrifices to the gods. He was also the first to deify Zeus and ordained sacrifice to him as their supreme god; he would also make a rule that no more living things be sacrificed. Finally he taught the people the art of navigation, which any sea faring race like the future Athenians would need to know to create a naval empire.
Overall, Cecrops was one of those good rulers despite being more scaled up than Jafar. As the little city of Cecropia grew like a fine oak, the gods began to take notice of the city and several wished to become its Patriarch/Matriarch. Eventually, it came down to Poseidon and his niece Athena who wanted to fight for this in a good old "wrasslin" match for the Raw main event.
However, before Vince could get the deal finalized, Zeus decided to cancel that arc quicker than the whole "who killed Mr. McMahon?" storyline in 2007. Instead, the King of the gods said the patronage of Cecropia would be decided in a civil contest that would be decided by Cecrops and the his people. (Like the Male Judges in Into the Green Yonder, the decision was basically decided by the king though)
Hey thanks for the spri- OH GOD ITS SO SALTY!
First, Poseidon came up onto the Acropolis and struck a rock with his mighty trident like a man stabbing a fork into a hard piece of steak. Bursting from that rock did sprang a spring of water, but there was a problem; it was saltier than Jim Cornette's use of language.
Poseidon then told the king that the spring was more symbolic and that this city would become a major sea power, but this was probably just Poseidon trying to half ass an excuse for why he gave them a salty spring. Cecrops wasn't fooled, but the idea of his city becoming an even bigger trading and naval empire was very appealing. However, he still was going to give Athena a chance before he would make his final decision.
Basically this can do anything, enjoy
When her turn came up, she went over to the nearest temple and planted the first domesticated olive tree. She then explained to the king that this tree would provide wood, oil, food, and a commodity that could be traded throughout the Aegean world.
Seeing the practical applications of the olive tree over the impractical salty spring, Cecrops decided that Athena was the clear winner in this contest. After he said that Athena had won, Zeus, who's booming voice could give BRIAN BLESSED voice a run for its money, declared Athena the official matriarch of Cecropia.
I guess the meal is coming in because you just got SERVED!!
Needless to say, Poseidon didn't kindly to losing this contest and to make matters worse he lost to a woman which would be like if a KKK member lost a contest to anyone not a WASP. However, in a rare act of magnanimity from the god who had a shorter fuse than Uncle Phil, Lewis Black, and Kane combined; Poseidon allowed the people of this city to keep his gift even though he lost.
Soon Cecrops and his people in an act of appreciation to their new patron goddess renamed the city to Athens and constructed on the Acropolis a great temple to her. (Not the Parthenon of course, since the temple I'm talking about was built way before then)
Now there can be some deeper meaning to this myth than a mere, "this is how we got our name for the city" story. Some scholars have construed that this story was built as also a representation of the battle between matriarchal religious societies and patriarchal religious societies, with Athena representing females and Poseidon representing males. Also a another fun little tidbit of information:
Yep just hope to god no one invades or I'm screwed
There is an olive tree on the Acropolis which I for the life of me failed to notice when I was up there (Or I just failed to see its significance) that is said to have been related all the way to that first olive tree that Athena planted. Every time after an invasion of some kind or when it was accidentally destroyed, it would be replanted as somewhat a sign of Athenian pride.
The last time it was replanted was by a group of Americans in 1952 after the one before it had been destroyed by Indiana Jones favorite mooks, the Nazis. Anyway I'll leave you all with this clip from one of my favorite shows that I just got into, Qi. Let us gaze in amazement as Stephen Fry breaks his brain.
Oh poor Stephen
Good Article, Nice
ReplyDeleteGreek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece and are part of religion in modern Greece and around the world as Hellenismos. Modern scholars refer to, and study the myths in an attempt to throw light on the religious and political institutions of Ancient Greece, its civilization, and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself. Post by http://www.howtowritetermpapers.com/blog/