Classics Oral Tradition Essays - Greek Underworld, Demeter, Hades

Classics Oral Tradition The Division of Honors and Journeying Among the Gods In this midterm essay I will discuss why Gods Journey. I believe that Gods journey for two reasons. One reason is to seek out honor for themselves. The other reason is to regain honors they have lost. To demonstrate this I will first discuss the journeys of Hades in the Homeric hymn "To Demeter" comparing it to the journey of Hermes in "To Hermes". I fell that both of these companion journeys were attempts by these Gods to win honors they did not already have. Next I will look at the companion journeys of Demeter and Apollo. I think that both of these Gods journeyed to regain honors they'd previously had, but lost. Lastly I will conclude by showing how all four Gods had to compromise and divide up the honors amongst themselves. "Earth with its wide roads gaped and then over the Nysian field the lord and All receiver, the many named son of Kronos, sprang out upon her with his immortal horses...Not an unseemly bridegroom among the immortals is Aidoneus, Lord on Many, your own brother from the same seed; to his share fell honor when in the beginning a triple division was made, and he dwells among those over whom his lot made him lord" (To Demeter 16-18, 83-87). I think that these two sets of lines show that Hades viewed Persephone as a prize. Honor was one of the things Hades won when he, Zeus, and Poseidon divided up the world. Thus Hades felt justified in journeying up from the underworld to earth to claim Persephone as his bride. I feel that he felt he deserved to have her, according to his logic, because honor was something he was entitled to as a God. I feel that Hermes journey was similar to that of Hades in that he traveled in order to win honor for himself and for his Mother Maia. "A watcher by night and a gate keeper, soon destined to show forth glorious deeds among the immortal gods. Born at dawn, by midday he played his lyre, and at evening he stole the cattle of far shooting Apollon...But I shall be master of whatever skill is best to provide for you and me forever; we shall not suffer, as you bid me, to stay right here and be the only two immortals not plied with gifts and prayers. It is better to be forever in the gods' intimate circle, rich, affluent, and with an abundance of grain, than to sit in this dark cave; and as for honor, I, too, shall claim the rite of which Apollon is a master" (To Hermes 15-18, 166- 173). Hermes much like Hades was destined to achieve glorious deeds and win honor. He felt he was entitled to steal Apollo's cattle, just as Hades felt entitled to steal Persephone, because neither he nor Maia were receiving their just honors from the Gods. I think that honor is one of the most important and significant things among the Gods. It is truly the one area in which Gods are able to distinguish themselves from other gods. I think that both of these Gods risked earning the wrath of other Gods because honor was so important to them, and they felt they were lacking of such. Both of these journeys represent one of the key reasons why I feel that Gods travel. Both of these Gods were not receiving the honors that they felt they deserved as Gods. Furthermore both of them lived in isolated places, Hades in the underworld and Hermes in an isolated cave, away from the other gods who lived on MT. Olympus. Thus these Gods could easily be forgotten and dismissed by the people, and the other Gods. I think that Hermes wanted to own something so people would honor him and his mother in the same fashion they honored the other Gods on Mt. Olympus. I feel that Hades wanted someone whom he could claim as a bride to keep him company in his rule of the underworld isolated away from the other Gods. While both of these Gods were able to temporarily steal