CC 303/352: Lecture Outline, October 11, 2001

Heroes; Perseus

I. Why heroes?

A. History: Hero myths as saga

• The Bronze Age

1. Minoan Civilization (c. 3500-1450 BC)
2. Mycenaean Civilization: (c. 1600-1100 BC)

• Collapse of Bronze Age civilizations about 1100 leads to Dark Age (c. 1100-700 BC)
• As myths develop during Dark Age, folks remember and heroize Bronze Age
• Most Greek sagas connected with places important in Bronze Age (e.g., Crete, Mycenae, Thebes, Troy)
• cf. Icelandic Saga and Arthurian legends
• often hard to tell just how much history lies behind myths

B. Religion: The Cult of Heroes

• Heroes once chthonic deities?
• Mycenaean tombs become tombs of heroes during Dark Age
• Hero provides protection to place where he is buried: therefore heroes become protectors of cities
• Families create heroes to have illustrious ancestors
• Extraordinary mortals can become heroes after death
• Heroes worshiped at their tombs: gifts, ceremonies, games

C. Vladimir Propp: Functions

• The Quest
• Other folktale motifs

D. Hero myths and male initiation

• four stages

1. separation
2. liminality
3. trial
4. reintegration

• cf. rituals of initiation into manhood
• Jung: the myths are archetypal images of boy's progress into manhood

II. Perseus

A. The myth

• Birth: Acrisius, Danae, Dictys
• The quest: Polydectes, Graeae, Gorgons (Stheno, Euryale, Medusa), Pegasus, Chrysaor
• The rescue of Andromeda: Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Ceto, Phineus
• Return: death of Polydectes and Acrisius

B. Some perspectives

• history: Mycenae
• religion: Argos
• folktale motifs
• initiation
• Freud and the Gorgon

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