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 Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 5:59 pm
This guild could use something interesting! So, since this is a storytellers guild, why not some classic myths? Those are the original stories, after all. I figure I'll post a myth or two in here every now and then, and we'll have a pretty nice collection before long. And I'll possibly do collections for other cultures, as well.
Table of Contents
1. Creation of the World, Pg. 1
2. Masters of the Universe, Pg. 1
3. The Beginning of Mankind, Pg. 1
4. The Deluge, Pg. 1
5. Apollo and Daphne, Pg. 1
6. Phaeton and the Chariot of the Sun, Pg. 1
7. Zeus and Io, Pg. 1
8. Apollo and Hyacinth, Pg. 1
9. The Rape of Persephone, Pg.1
10. Callisto, Pg. 1
11. Pygmalion, Pg.1
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 6:22 pm
Creation of the World According to one version of the myth, the universe began as a shapeless void. Out of the, an egg appeared. And out of the egg sprang Eros (not to be confused with the younger Eros, son of Aphrodite). Eros began to create life in the universe. He began with the Protogenoi, the primal forces of the universe. The Protogenoi included: -Nyx (night) -Erebus (darkness) -Hemera (day) -Chronos (time) -Ananke (necessity) -Ouranos (sky) -Gaia (Earth) -Chaos (air) -Aether (the firey upper air) -Oceanus (water) -Tethys (fresh water) -Pontus (sea) -Thalassa (sea) Gaia laid the foundation for the rest of the world. Her husband Ouranos stretched his body over her, creating the dome of the sky. They mated and created Aether and the water. The water laid on top of Gaia's body, creating rivers and seas. Aether floated to the top of the dome of the sky, casting its bright light onto the world. Chaos filled the gap between the earth and the heavens, becoming the air. Beneath Gaia, the pit of Tartarus was created, completing the globe. Chronos and his wife Ananke encircled the world outside of the globe, binding all of the world to the laws of time and necessity. Nyx's function was to cast a veil of darkness over the earth, blocking the light of Aether from reaching it. The stars were envisioned as holes in the veil, allowing for small bits of light to shine through. The sun was a giant, concentrated ball of the firey air. Nyx's son, Hemera, was called by Eos (the dawn) to appear and remove the veil of darkness, bringing daylight to the world once more.
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 6:54 pm
Masters of the Universe After the creation of the world, the Protogenoi began to mate again. Gaia and Ouranos had twelve children who were called the Titans. The rulers of the Titans were Cronus and Rhea. Then Gaia bore more children. These were the Cyclopes, giant one-eyed men, and the Hecatonchires, giants with a hundred hands each. Ouranos was disgusted by these monsters, and he forced them back into Gaia's womb. This put Gaia in excruciating pain, and she plotted revenge on Ouranos. She went to her children, the Titans, for help. Four of them went to the four corners of the earth and grabbed hold of Ouranos' edges. Then Cronus, armed with an adamantine sickle, waited in the center. When Ouranos descended to mate with Gaia, Cronus castrated him. Cronus took his place as ruler of the world, and the rest of the Titans ruled under him. Gaia finally let out the Cyclopes and the Hecatonchires, but Cronus too was disgusted by them. He locked them away in the pit of Tartarus, betraying their mother. After his fall, Ouranos warned Cronus that he would meet the same fate as him. Soon, Cronus and Rhea began to have children. But he remembered his father's prophesy and became very afraid. To prevent his own downfall, he began to consume his children. He ate five of his children, Hestia, Hades, Demeter, Hera, and Poseidon. When the sixth, Zeus, was born, Rhea replaced him with a rock. Cronus fell for her trick and instead ate the rock. Rhea carried the real Zeus away and hid him in a cave with the goat Amalthea. Amalthea nursed Zeus until adulthood, when he was strong enough to overthrow his father. For her service, Amalthea was placed in the heavens as the constellation Capricorn. Zeus went to his father and forced him to vomit up his siblings. The six of them then went to Tartarus and freed the Cyclopes and Hecatonchires, becoming allies against the Titans. The Cyclopes forged lightning for Zeus to use as a weapon. Thus began the Titanomachy, the ten-year war that engulfed the world. At the end of the war, Zeus and his siblings had won. Zeus castrated Cronus the same way Cronus had castrated Ouranos, fulfilling the prophecy. Zeus then imprisoned the Titans in Tartarus, which angered Gaia. She mated with Tartarus and produced a great monster named Typhon. She sent Typhon after Zeus and the two fought. But Zeus and his lightning bolts prevailed. With the war over, it was time for the new gods to take their places in the world. Zeus, as the savior and leader, decided that he should take his place as ruler of the Heavens. But Hades, as the oldest sibling, claimed that he was the one who should rule the Heavens. Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon decided to draw straws to settle the argument. Zeus drew the longest straw, giving him the Heavens. Hades drew the shortest, condemning him to the dark pit of the Underworld. Poseidon took his place in between, the Sea.
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 7:45 pm
The Beginning of Mankind At the beginning of the world, there were only gods, and no mortal creatures. The gods decided it was time to populate the Earth with these creatures and sculpted them out of clay. The appointed the Titan brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus to give each animal the proper means of living. They agreed that Epimetheus would distribute the qualities and Prometheus would inspect them. But Epimetheus wasn't very smart, and by the time he came around to mankind, he had run out of things to give them. They had no fur, or claws, or sharp teeth like the other creatures. Prometheus came around to inspecting man and saw that they had nothing. So, he devised a plan to steal the fire of heaven and bring it to man. Prometheus took a fennel stalk, and he climbed to the top of the heavens, to the Aether. He snatched up some of the fire and hid it inside of the stalk, then carried it back down to the humans. The fire made mankind the greatest of all the mortal creatures. Zeus was angered that they had been given access to such a powerful tool, but it was too late to take the fire back. To punish Prometheus, Zeus had him chained to a rock and ordered an eagle to tear out his liver and eat it. Prometheus' immortality revived him, but the eagle would return everyday to carry out its orders. To punish humanity, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to create a woman to steal the happiness of men. He sculpted the woman out of clay, and she was given life by the four winds. Each of the gods blessed her with a gift, and they named her Pandora. Zeus gave Pandora to the foolish Epimetheus as a bride. And as a wedding present, they were given a jar. Pandora's curiosity made her open the jar, releasing a horde of evil spirits that were trapped inside. The spirits spread all across the world, plaguing mankind. The only thing that remained inside the jar was Hope.
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 2:59 am
The Deluge At first, humanity lived in perfect peace. There was no such thing as crime, or war, or disease. This was called the Golden Age. Next came the Silver Age, when the seasons were first divided up. For the first time, man had to work to sustain crops and find shelter from the weather. Then came the Bronze Age, when violence first started to show itself, but the world was not yet completely evil. Finally came the Iron Age, when there was nothing but crime, and war, and evil. The gods saw the state the world was in, and one by one they left the world. The last remaining god was Astraea, the goddess of innocence and purity. But finally, she too left the world and took her place among the stars as the constellation Virgo. Zeus was furious at what was happening to his world. He ordered all of the gods to Olympus. He told them that he would destroy the world and repopulate it with a better race of people. He raised up his hand, ready to set the world on fire with a lightning bolt, but he realized that such a huge fire could set the heavens on fire as well. Instead, he chained up Boreas the north wind, who dispersed rain clouds, and he sent out Notos the south wind. Soon, a veil of clouds covered the Earth. They let loose a torrent of rain upon the world, but it wasn't enough. Poseidon then called up the waters of the seas, and rivers, and the ocean, and the entire world became covered by water. Surviving alone on a mountaintop were Deucalion and Pyrrha. Deucalion was the son of Prometheus, and Pyrrha was the daughter of Pandora. Zeus saw these two and knew that they were good and pious. He let loose the north wind, and he blew away the storm clouds. Poseidon then ordered the waters to retreat back into the seas and rivers. Deucalion and Pyrrha climbed down from the mountain and looked around, seeing they were alone. They went to a temple and prayed to the gods, asking what to do. An oracle ordered them to remove their clothes, take up the bones of their mother, and cast them behind themselves. The two of them were astonished. They refused to dishonor the remains of their ancestors and left for the wilderness. Deucalion thought about what the oracle had said, and realized what she meant. Gaia was the great mother of all, and the rocks of the earth were her bones. Deucalion and Pyrrha each picked up a stone and threw them over their shoulders. The stones became like clay. Deucalion's stone shaped itself into a man, and Pyrrha's into a woman. The two were overjoyed, and they repeated the process, repopulating the world.
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 10:25 am
Apollo and Daphne After the Deluge, the Earth was covered with a thick slime. Out of this slime, monsters were born. One of these monsters was a giant serpent named Python. The god Apollo took it upon himself to slay the beast. He went and shot Python dead with his arrows. In honor of this great feat, the Pythian Games were created. One day, Apollo happened upon the young god Eros practicing his own archery skills. Apollo taunted him, saying that he had no business using a bow, as he could never be as great as himself, who killed the great Python. Eros warned him that he would get him for what he had said. Eros climbed up onto a mountain and drew two arrows. One was a blunt arrow with a lead tip, which repelled love. The other was a sharp, golden arrow, which caused love. He aimed the leaden arrow at a nymph named Daphne and struck her. He then aimed the golden arrow at Apollo, hitting his target. Apollo then saw Daphne and fell in love with her, but she refused to be with any man. Daphne went to her father, the river god Peneus. She begged for him to let her remain unmarried, like the goddess Artemis. He agreed, but warned that her beauty would not allow it. Apollo wanted her more than anything. One day, he came upon her in the wilderness and approached her. Daphne fled, but Apollo chased her, keeping stride with the winds of love at his back. He began to catch up, and she became very afraid. Daphne cried out to her father to save her, and so he did. Her feet became rooted in the ground, her skin was covered by bark, and her limbs became branches of a laurel tree. The only thing that was left of the nymph's original form was her beauty. Apollo was amazed. He moved to kiss the tree, but the branches shrank away. Since Daphne could not be his wife, he decided to make her his tree. He took some leaves from her branches and made himself a crown of laurels.
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:19 am
Phaeton and the Chariot of the Sun Phaeton was the son of Apollo and a nymph named Clymene. One day, a classmate laughed at the idea of him being the son of a god. Phaeton became angry and went to his mother. He demanded some proof of his heritage, so he could reclaim his honor. Clymene told him to go to Apollo himself, and the god would confirm that was indeed his son. So Phaeton journeyed to India, where the sun was believed to have risen. There, he found the palace of the Sun, home of Apollo. He proceeded through the majestic palace, entering his father's hall. Apollo sat on a throne of diamond, with the Day, the Month, the Year, and the Hours at his sides. The Seasons stood in the hall as well. Apollo asked Phaeton why he had come to his palace. Phaeton responded that he was there to ask for some proof that he was truly his son. Apollo told him that he was truly Phaeton's father. To prove it, he would offer his son one boon. Without hesitating, Phaeton asked to be able to drive the chariot of the Sun for one day. Apollo shook his head. He said he would not let him drive the chariot, because it was far too dangerous. Phaeton would not listen, and he demanded his father honor their deal and allow him to drive it. There was nothing Apollo could do, as he had promised him a boon. He led his sun to the golden chariot. Eos, the dawn, opened up the gates of morning. The Hours brought out two horses from the stables and harnessed them to the chariot. Apollo then gave his son directions on how to direct the Sun through the sky. Warning him not to go too high, nor too low. Phaeton excitedly jumped into the chariot and took hold of the reigns. The horses darted out of the gates and began to gallop through the sky. The chariot, being lighter than usual, was tossed about by the horses. They sensed the weakness of Phaeton and began to run wildly through the heavens. They ran high up into the sky, burning the constellations, and freezing the ground. Then, they flew down close to the Earth, drying up rivers and seas. The Nile fled to Egypt to hide from the blazing heat. The ground was cracked, leaving many holes leading to Hades. And the people of Africa were burned by the heat of the Sun, turning them black. Gaia was overcome by heat and thirst. She cried out to Zeus for help. Zeus called all of the gods to Olympus to discuss the problem. They needed to do something fast, so Zeus took up one of his lightning bolts. With it, he struck Phaeton, killing him instantly. He fell into river, where a tomb was created for him. His sisters then went to the river, and in their grief, were changed into trees on the riverbank.
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 1:44 pm
Zeus and Io One day, Zeus happened upon a beautiful nymph named Io. He created a dark cloud in the sky, blocking any view from Olympus, and seduced the nymph. Zeus' wife, Hera, took notice of the cloud. She knew Zeus was up to no good, and she swept the cloud aside. Zeus, sensing his wife coming, changed Io into the form of a cow. Hera suspected the cow was not what it seemed. She went to Zeus and asked who it belonged to. He replied that it was a fresh creation, and belonged to nobody. Hera asked to have it as a gift from her husband. Zeus, not wanting to seem suspicious, did as she asked. Hera was still suspicious. She called for the hundred-eyed giant Argus, and ordered him to guard Io. Zeus saw that Io was suffering, and wanted to help her. He called for Hermes, the trickster, and told him to slay Argus. Hermes went to Argus and first tried to put him to sleep with his music. He played on a panflute, an instrument which Argus had never seen before. Argus was amazed, and asked to hear more of them. Hermes sat with Argus and played music, and told stories to him. One by one, Argus' eyes slowly closed and slept. Argus struggled to keep his eyes open, but he failed. As the last of the giant's eyes closed, Hermes drew a sword and cut his head off. To honor Argus, Hera took his hundred eyes and placed them on the tail feathers of the peacock, her sacred bird. Hera was still not satisfied with Io's punishment. She sent a gadfly who mercilessly tormented Io. The cow fled all around the world, seeking an escape from the fly. Finally, Io arrived in Egypt. Zeus could not watch her suffer anymore and asked Hera to stop. He agreed to never see the nymph again, and Hera relented. Io's form became that of a nymph once more, and Hera called back the gadfly.
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 2:58 pm
Apollo and Hyacinth Hyacinth was a young, beautiful prince who was loved by both Apollo and Zephyr, the west wind. The boy preferred Apollo over Zephyr, who was consumed by jealousy. Apollo and Hyacinth became lovers, and the two were very happy together. One day, the two lovers were practicing throwing the discus. Apollo launched his discus, and Hyacinth ran after it, eager to pick it up and bring it back to Apollo. Zephyr was watching, and became angry. He whipped up a strong gust, which blew the discus backwards, toward Hyacinth. He was struck in the head, and died before he even hit the ground. Apollo ran to the boy and held his lifeless body in his arms, while blood poured from his head onto the ground. As Apollo grieved, flowers sprouted from the blood. He named the flower the hyacinth, after his lost love.
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 9:16 am
The Rape of Persephone After the gods had defeated the Titans, a new threat soon arose in the form of the Gigantes. The gods battled these giant monsters, but when they fell, their massive bodies shook the Earth. Hades was afraid that these earthquakes would cause cracks in the ground, exposing his kingdom to the daylight. He readied his chariot and rode to the surface to inspect the damages. Persephone, the daughter of the goddess Demeter, was picking flowers in a field. As Hades drove his chariot by the field, he noticed the girl's beauty and fell in love. Hades swooped down and snatched Persephone up into his chariot. The girl screamed and thrashed, dropping her flowers on the ground. Hades threw his trident at the Earth, and it opened up, giving him passage to the Underworld. After Demeter realized her daughter had gone missing, she became stricken with grief. She searched and searched for her daughter, but she was nowhere to be found. She stopped to rest on a stone and stayed in the spot for nine days and nine nights, staring into the distance. It was then that an old man named Celeus and his daughter, returning from the fields passed by Demeter, who was in the form of an old woman. The two of them invited the goddess to come into their home, but she declined. She told them that she had lost her daughter, and the compassionate people insisted she join them that night. She accepted and went with the two. On the way to their home, Celeus told Demeter that his son was ill, and there seemed to be no hope for his recovery. The goddess then gathered up some poppy seeds. When they reached the home, Demeter bent over and kissed the sick boy on the forehead. The paleness instantly left his face, and a healthy air surrounded him. The family then sat down to dinner. While they ate, Demeter mixed juice from the poppy seeds she had gathered into the boy's milk. When night fell, and the house was silent, Demeter went to the boy. She muttered a spell three times over his body. She then carried him to the hearth and laid him in the ashes of the fire. The boy's mother, who had been watching everything, jumped out of the darkness and picked up her son. Demeter suddenly assumed her true form. The family was stunned by her divinity. Demeter then said that she was going to make the boy immortal, but his mother had ruined it. Nevertheless, he would be a master of the harvest, and teach many men how to farm. The goddess then summoned her chariot and rode away. The goddess continued her search, finally coming to rest at the riverbank where Hades had opened his passage to the Underworld, though she did not know this. There, she found the flowers that her daughter had dropped. She knew who they belonged to, but not what had happened. She cursed the ground where she had found the flowers, placing the blame of her daughter's disappearance on it. The world became enveloped by a great cold, causing animals and crops to die. Soon, a nereid named Arethusa called to the goddess. She told Demeter that while riding her river through the bottom of the Earth, she had seen Persephone with Hades, and she had become his queen. Hearing this, Demeter jumped into her chariot and rode toward Olympus. When she arrived at Olympus, she presented herself before Zeus. She told him her story and begged for him to help bring her daughter back. Zeus agreed to help on one condition: That Persephone had not accepted any food from Hades. Demeter agreed. But Hades knew that Zeus would do this, and offered Persephone a pomegranate. The girl accepted and ate the seeds from it. Demeter and Zeus then met with Hades, when they learned that Persephone had eaten the seeds. This meant that she could not be completely freed. But they all agreed on a compromise. For half of the year, Persephone would stay with Hades. And for the other half, she would stay with her mother. The half of the year where she was with her mother would be full of life and beauty. But when she left for Hades, Demeter would become sad again, bringing the coldness and death of autumn and winter.
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 10:18 am
Callisto There was once a woman named Callisto whose beauty captivated Zeus. Hera soon found out about this and became extremely jealous. Hera went to Callisto and turned her into a bear, taking away her beauty. One day, a young man happened upon Callisto while hunting. She saw him and recognized him as her own son. She approached the man and tried to embrace him. Her son, thinking the bear was about to attack, raised his spear. Suddenly, Zeus appeared and stopped him before he attacked. Zeus took the mother and son and placed them in the heavens as the Great and Little Bears. Hera was enraged that her rival had received such an honor. She went to Oceanus and Tethys, the great powers of the sea that encircled the world. Hera ordered them not to allow the two bears to enter their waters to rest as all of the other stars do.
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 3:51 pm
Pygmalion Pygmalion was a man who hated women. He was a sculptor, and a magnificent one at that. With his great skills, he created a statue of a beautiful woman, more perfect than any real woman. The craftmanship was so perfect that it almost look real. Pygmalion fell in love with his statue. He sometimes even decorated it with jewelry. Every night, he would lay with the statue, wishing it was a real girl. Soon, it was time for the festival to the goddess Aphrodite. Pygmalion took part in the festival, offering his praise to the goddess. After he had done his part, he approached the altar and prayed. He begged the goddess to grant his wish and bring his statue to life. Aphrodite heard his prayer and granted it. Pygmalion returned home and went to kiss his statue, but the lips now felt moist. He touched her all over and felt that she was warm, and her skin was now soft. The statue-turned-woman awakened and kissed him.
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 4:12 pm
Aphrodite and Adonis One day while playing with her son Eros, Aphrodite was accidentally wounded with one of his arrows. Before it could heal, she laid her eyes on a man named Adonis. She became obsessed with him, no longer paying any attention to any other men. She even stopped going to Olympus, preferring to stay on Earth with her love. But the war god Ares became very jealous. He wanted Aphrodite to be his again. How dare this mortal bring them apart when even Aphrodite's husband Hephaestus could not? Ares followed Adonis out one day while he was hunting, and he changed into the shape of a boar. Ares charged Adonis and gored him with his tusks, killing him. Aphrodite heard his cries of pain and went to his side. It was too late to save him. To remember him, Aphrodite made flowers sprout from his blood. These flowers were called the anemone, because the wind gods, the Anemoi, blew the flowers apart soon after they grew.
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