Gods and Goddesses Newsletter

Persephone, Pandora’s Box, and Poseidon

Roles of Children

• • • Persephone – Daughter of Demeter who gets kidnapped when she strays from Demeter’s watch. She shows the trouble that curiosity causes for the children of the Gods.

Pandora’s Box - Pandora had the curiosity of a child when she opened the box, and created great chaos like every child is capable of in mythology Poseidon – Poseidon’s sons Orion and Triton represent things that are symbolic to Poseidon.

Roles of Males and Females in Mythology

• Roles of Women • Women are generally seen as vain rulers, Wives Of great Gods, damsels in distress or curious people who cause all of the pain and suffering..

• Persephone fits the damsel in distress role when she is captured by Hades.

• Pandora rules the box that Zeus gave to her with great care, but she opens it with curiosity and all of the evils of the world fly out. Pandora fits the description that women always start the conflicts in the world of mythology. She was also the first woman created.

• Roles of Men • Heroes who tend to be very impulsive and can still be seen as great even when they make mistakes.

• Poseidon is still seen as one of the greatest Gods even though he lost the fight over Athens

The Roles of Symbols and Myths

• • • Persephone – Flowers – represent her spirit and life because when she gets pulled down to the underworld, the flowers fall from her apron to represent the loss of her spirit.

– Pomegranate Seeds – Represent death because it symbolizes how long Persephone has to stay in the underworld.

– Sadness of Demeter – Turns into the seasons of winter and fall.

Pandora’s Box – Box – Represents all of the evils in the world that get released when someone opens it.

Poseidon – Trident – Earth shaker and wave maker.

– Horses – Made from the waves – Dolphins – creatures of the sea that represent Poseidon.

Roles of Good and Evil

• • • Persephone – Persephone is brought to a place of evil when she is captured by Hades, but is saved by good when her mother brings her back to the upper world where she is happy.

Pandora’s Box – Pandora’s box is supposed to hold all of the evils in the world as well as the good.

Poseidon - Poseidon uses evil when he is unhappy by sending monsters and making natural disasters.

Use of Greco Roman Myths Today

• • • Literature – A Midsummer Night’s Dream By William Shakespeare – Oberon and Titania represent the King and Queen of the Mythological world in Athens. Their servant Puck represents all of the gods and goddesses.

Movies – The Little Mermaid represents Poseidon as the king of the sea.

Advertisement – In scuba diving stores, many carry a product called the Poseidon Triton which is a device that helps people breath under water. The company that makes it is called Leisure Pro.

Heroes and Heroines of our World

• • • • Parents Policemen Founding Fathers of The United States Firemen – Pop Culture Heroes • • Superman Batman

Mirror Images of Gods and Goddesses in our World

• • Pandora’s box is used as an expression to say that when one bad thing is done, other bad things follow that are related to a first thing.

Biblical images – Pandora is interested in opening the box just like Eve is interested in eating the apple. Both decisions bring out pain and suffering for all of mankind.

English Words Derived from Greek and Roman Goddesses

• • • Persephone – Punicum : Pomegranate – Furari : kidnap – Tempus: Seasons Pandora’s Box – Gout : painful inflammation of the joints • • • Latin: gutta – Colic – Pain in the colon Latin : Colica – Rheumatism – pain in any of the extremities or back Gk – rheumatismos • Latin – rheumatism Poseidon – Pearl : Perna : Sea – – – – Aqua : water Equestrian: equus: horse Isthmus: isthmos: narrow strip of land Trident: three tooth

Bibliography

Athena and Poseidon [online]. Available URL: http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~lintott/Mythreader/Gods/AthenaandPoseidon/At henaPoseidon.html#poseidon . 10/27/02 D’aulaire, Ingri and Edgar. Book of Greek Myths. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing group, Inc., 1962 Greek Mythology [online]. Available URL: http://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/Persephone/persephone.html

Mythology on Our Solar System [online] Available URL: http://www.terryparker.duval.k12.fl.us/Space_Science/Mythology/ , 10/27/02 Pandora's Box. hosted by geocities. Available URL: http://www.geocities.com/una_sorella/stories/pandora.htm