Transcript The Peacock and Juno - Rex: King of Carnival

The Peacock and Juno
English I– Louise S. McGehee School 2004
(Customer Interaction Solution)
Myth of Argus’s Eyes:
How the Peacock Came to Be
When Zeus seduced Io and turned her
into a cow, Hera found out and she took
the cow. Argus, who had many eyes, was
assigned to watch the cow for Hera
because Zeus would not be able to come
to free her since all of Argus’s eyes were
never closed at one point in time. After
Argus was killed by Hermes (one of Zeus’s
helpers), in order to get the cow
(Argus Consulting)
Hera took Argus’s eyes and put them on a peacock (Argus).
Myth Surrounding the Peacock
(Clark’s Photography)
The peacock, who had a voice that he was ashamed of, asked Hera why he
didn’t have the voice of the nightingale. Hera responded saying that the
nightingale was blessed with a stunning voice, and he, the peacock, was
blessed with beauty. Just as other animals had their remarkable traits, he
had his; he had to be happy with what he was given because he could not
have the best of everything (Aesop).
Most of the peacock’s beauty comes from the eyes on
its feathers.
• In India, the peacock is lucky because the eyes
on its feathers look out for evil.
• In China and Japan the peacock symbolizes
wealth and status.
• The rest of the world views this bird as
unlucky, especially the eyes on the feathers.
Some refer to the eyes as “evil eyes”.
The peacock doesn’t have many other known powers.
It is known that peacocks can fly for small distances
and they like to sit in the trees and watch below them
(Animals in Mythology).
(Impala Industries)
Symbolism of the Peacock
The peacock is a solar symbol to the
Greek because of its circular tail. Also, it
is a symbol for rain, and when it is
sacrificed it is said to be a prayer for
rain and good fertility. This is due to the
restlessness the peacock feels when it
rains and it almost appears to be
dancing. It is regarded as a symbol of
fertility because of the rain and because
one look at the bird is said to make a
woman pregnant (Wright).
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/
The myth of Hera and the peacock was originally
Greek. Later on the Romans took the gods and
changed their names. The Romans also took this
myth and some others. This myth is both Greek
and Roman.
Peacock Linking to the Modern
World
The Peacock is still a strong symbol in many
cultures today:
•
In the Christian religion, the peacock
symbolizes a circular life and immortality.
•
In the middle East, Peacocks are pictured
on either side of the tree of life. They show
the corrupt and incorrupt sides of humans.
•
To Muslims, the peacock’s tail represents
the whole world, the moon, and the sun.
•
Peacocks are also sometimes used to ride,
though they are usually uncontrollable
(Wright).
•
The phrase “Proud as a Peacock” comes
from the male peacock’s beauty and
attitude, providing the simile of being a vain
and unconfident person (The Phrase
Finder).
(http://biology.usgs.gov)
Works Cited
Aesop. “Aesop’s Fable: The Peacock and Juno.” Trans. George Fyler Townsend. The History Net. 2003. Around
the World, About. 9 January 2004. <http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/
bl/bl_aesop_peacock_juno.htm>.
Aesop. “The Peacock and Juno.” Retold by Joseph Jacobs. Bartelby.com. 2001. New York:, P.F. Collier & Son. 9
January 2004.
<http://www.bartleby.com/br/01701.html>.
“Animals in Mythology.”vava.essortment. 2002. Austin, Texas, Pagewise. 9 January 2004.
<http://vava.essortment.com/animalsinmytho_ruzq.htm>.
“Argus.” Bartelby.com. 2003. Houghton Mifflin Company. 13 January 2004. http://www.bartleby
.com/59/2/argus.html>.
Argus Consulting, Inc. 15 Jan 2004. <http://www.argusconsulting.com/>.
Clark’s Photography: Nature Page. 15 Jan 2004. <http://www.users.qwest.net/~rnclark/nature1.htm>.
Customer Interactions Solution. 15 Jan 2004.< http://www.tmcnet.com/cis/0902/0902po.htm >.
Impala Industries International. 15 Jan 2004. <http://www.impalaindustries.com/>.
The Phrase Finder.15 Jan 2004. <http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/6/messages/208.html>.
Wright, Ann. “The Symbolism of Peacocks.” The Fixed Stars. January 13, 2004.
< http://www.winshop.com/au/annew/pavo.html >.