FOR 106
Myth and Meaning

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Chapter 5

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The Twelve Olympians (Hades + Dionysus = fourteen)

ZEUS (Jupiter) rules the sky (and in reality, most of the earth)
     attributes: thunderbolt, aegis (shield), eagle, oak tree
     epithets: "cloud-gatherer"
     sacred precincts: Olympia (on the Alpheus river), Dodona
Statue of Zeus in his Temple at Olympia: one of the seven wonders of the ancient world (another reconstruction of the statue) (and another). Compare to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and to the seated statue of Lincoln).

HERA (Juno) is sister/wife to Zeus, goddess of marriage and childbirth
     attributes:
     epithets: "ox-eyed" and "white-armed"
     sacred precinct: Argos, temple at Olympia
POSEIDON (Neptune) rules the sea
     attributes:
     epithets:
HADES (Pluto) rules the Underworld
     attributes:
     epithets:
HEPHAESTUS (Vulcan) is the god of the forge
see this image of the statue of Vulcan forged for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, presently on display in Alabama (AP Photo/Birmingham Post, Christine Prichard, March 03, 2004)
     attributes:
     epithets:
ARES (Mars) is the god of war
     attributes:
     epithets:
APOLLO (Apollo) is the god of light, music, prophecy
     attributes:
     epithets:
HERMES (Mercury) is the messenger of the gods
     attributes:
     epithets:
DIONYSUS (Bacchus) is the god of wine, fertility, and theater
     attributes:
     epithets:
HESTIA (Vesta) is the goddess of the hearth
     attributes:
     epithets:
ARTEMIS (Diana) is the goddess of the hunt, moon, virginity
     attributes:
     epithets:
APHRODITE (Venus) is the goddess of erotic love
     attributes:
     epithets:
ATHENA (Minerva) is the goddess of wisdom, weaving, and war
     attributes:
     epithets:

Role of Fortune in Human Life:

Solon: "And so then, Croesus, a human being is completely a thing of chance...good fortune keeps [doom and desire] from [a lucky man], and he is unmaimed, free from disease, does not suffer evils, and has fine children and a fine appearance. If in addition to these things he still ends his life well, this is the one whom you seek who is worthy to be called happy. Before he dies do not yet call him happy, but only fortunate."

"Happy" comes from the word "hap," meaning "chance. Cf. "happenstance" and "hapless". Things that cause our good or bad fortunes are out of our control. In Latin, the word "felix" (cf. English "felicitous") means both "happy" and "fortunate" depending on the context. For Herodotus, you can enjoy your good "fortune" while alive, but only be deemed "happy" after the final act has been played.