Heroes and Gods - Classics Blog

Recently in classics, we've just been going over some of the basics, laying the foundation for the rest of the year. This involves establishing what we know about Greek Mythology and adding to what we already know. At the moment, we've been mostly focusing on who the Titans and the Olympians are. 

Titans

In regards to the Titans, I know about the story of creation and how Kronos separated his mother and father and then proceeded to castrate his father. I also know about the main Titans (Kronos, Gaia, and Uranus). This week, however, I learned about some of the lesser-known titans such as Hyperion, Phoebe, Rhea, Mnemosyne, and many others. Each of us selected a titan to learn about and made a slide about them to share with the class. Below is my one about Hyperion:

Olympians

I already know quite a bit about the Olympians due to taking Classics last year and my own personal interest. Last year I made a slide show fact file about Aphrodite so here's that:

Heroes

This term I've learnt about what makes a hero. Some of this (such as the hero's journey) were slightly redundant as I learnt most of it last year. This year, however, I did get to compare a modern hero with an ancient hero, allowing me to be able to identify key differences in how we view heroes and how the Ancient Greeks viewed heroes. Below are the differences I found between Herakles and Captain America:

I found that, typically, heroes from Ancient Greece tended to be demi-gods, they had something that made them greater than others and put them above common law. Many of them were men and typically cheated on their wives, killed without hesitation, and did terrible things. This contrasts greatly with modern heroes who can be of any gender, have strong morals, and typically lean towards being more defensive rather than offensive. These differences occur as ancient Greece valued different things from most modern societies. Nowadays, we gain honor based on how we treat and help others; in Ancient Greece, you gained honor by fighting on the battlefield and by proving your masculinity. Another difference is that heroes in Ancient Greece were also used to make examples of what could happen. End up on the wrong side of a god? You'll be cursed and suffer a terrible fate. Do something to please a god? You'll be blessed and favored by a god. All heroes suffer great fates, therefore, they are used to show what you should and shouldn't do. Modern heroes are also used as examples, however, they show how doing a great deed makes you someone. They are people that you should aspire to be. 

Britannica Editors "Heracles" Greek Mythology, Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Heracles, July 9th, 2021, Accessed: April 7th, 2022 

Marvel Editors "Captain America (Steve Rogers)" Characters, https://www.marvel.com/characters/captain-america-steve-rogers, N/A, Accessed: April 7th, 2022

Lawyer Paragraph - Beauty Ideals and "Perseus rescuing Andromeda"

Art discovered in Pompeii gives us insight into how beauty was perceived in Ancient Rome. Over time, beauty standards have changed and evolved, these standards are often reflected in the art of the time period. Beauty standards show us how society thought and how women were perceived during the time. An example of beauty standards being reflected in art in Pompeii is the depiction of Perseus freeing Andromeda from chains, found in the House of Dioscuri. The fresco shows the beauty standards of women in Ancient Rome through the contrasting skin tones between Andromeda and Perseus. In the fresco, we see that Andromeda’s skin is fair and lighter compared to Perseus’s strikingly darker complexion. This reflects how women - especially those of the upper-class - were expected to have fair skin. Having fairer skin during this time would have been a sign of wealth as it shows that the household was able to afford to have the women stay home in the shade where their skin wouldn’t be able to tan. This is further emphasized by having Perseus’s skin be darker showing how often he has spent in the sun. As an Ancient hero, Perseus would have been spending hours in the sun, traversing the land on his quest to kill Medusa and return with her head. His skin color is less of a marker of wealth and more used to emphasize the lighter skin tone of Andromeda. This ideal can still be seen in modern media where women have often been depicted as either white or with a lighter skin tone, reflecting how this beauty standard from the Ancient world still remains.