What was the main point of Ovid's Metamorphoses?

The central theme of Ovid's Metamorphoses is transformation . Each story in the poem features people, nymphs, or gods transforming into animals, rocks, or plants.

How long does it take to read Ovid Metamorphoses?

The average reader will spend 9 hours and 44 minutes reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).

What is the best edition of Metamorphoses Ovid?

If you are looking for a more pure read of the text, the Everyman's Library Classics Series edition is the one you're looking for. It includes an introduction to help settle the reader into the period, but beyond that it is mostly untouched. The translation in this one is what makes it shine.

Why is io punished by Juno?

Jove “fell in love” with her, but when his wife Juno shows up, he turns Io into a cow to cover up his infidelity (even though Juno knows full well what's going on, and punishes Io for it).

What are the monsters in Ovid's Metamorphoses?

Ovid's monsters – Medusa, the Minotaur, Centaurs, or Scylla – embody his poetic program: creating an intricate narrative labyrinth with many heterogeneous components, metareferential puns, and ironic digressions from the well-established classical canon, Ovid follows in the Callimachean tradition that appreciates ...

Was Ovid inspired by the Bible?

In refashioning Ovid into an author that that had intended the Metamorphoses as religious and moral instruction, Golding followed contemporary mythological scholarship by asserting that the Roman poet was influenced, directly, or indirectly, by a Christian reading of the Hebrew Bible .

Metamorphoses Project: (2024)

^{MetamorphosesProject:}^{TracingMythology Through Time And Place}

Athena--Goddess of Wisdom

Laurie Parrish, Lynette Delp, Alex Klinkhardt, StephaniePalmer.

Part 1

Different Greek versions of the myth:

BirthAlthough many versions of Athena's birth exist, we chose the versionby Apollodorus. In his story, Athena springs from Zeus' head when Hephaestussplits his head open with an axe.

GiftAthena gave Athens the gift of an olive tree which was said to havecivilized the Meditterrean. This version by Apollodorus explains the contestbetween Athena and Poseidon, the winner of which would be able to namethe city now known as Athens.

Rapeof Athena Hephaestus tries to rape Athena and her son, Ericthonius,is born of Hephaestus' fallen seed. This account is by Apollodorus fromVol.2.91.

GoldenApple When Strife threw the golden apple to Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena,the goddesses made Paris chose which one got to keep the apple. The accountis by Apollodorus from Vol.2.173.

Analysis of the hero/divinity in antiquity:

Homeric Gods

The gods and goddesses in Greek mythology are often portrayed as lustful,deceitful, and vengeful; in short, they seem to be human. In fact, theancients did, indeed, create these mythical figures to account for humanbehavior. The Greeks personified these traits into such figures as Discordand Envy. Many other characteristics, both good and bad, were also madeinto deities. The goddess Athena represented wisdom, the evil side of battle,and feminism. Athena, as a human, can appear to have a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hydepersonality. Each raconteur of Athena explains her slightly differently,which results in seemingly contradictory tales.

These tales often change from person to person because each storytellerwants to show off his or her talent by elaborating on each story. One exampleof this contradiction in stories is that of Athena's birth. Apollodorus'version of her birth is that Zeus pursued Metis, but she changed into manyshapes in order to avoid his embraces. Zeus, however, would not let up,and Metis eventually relented. When he found out that his lover was pregnant,Zeus swallowed her, following the advice of Earth, who had warned him ofMetis' bearing a child more powerful than he. Zeus kept Metis in his bodyuntil after she gave birth. Hephaestus then took an axe, split Zeus' headopen, and Athena leaped out fully armored. One symbol of her birth is maledominance because there was no woman involved. Immortality means therewill not be any transfer of power to future generations; therefore, itis a stable form of government. "If the Gods are to provide us with a modelof eternity, there has to be a point at which they stop behaving like humansand therefore stop yielding power to their sons. Athena's birth and hervirginity stand as signs that this point has been reached" (Blundell 22).

Hesiod, on the other hand, told of Zeus and Metis as husband and wife.Metis, the wisest of all gods and mortals, became pregnant with a daughter.The goddesses Earth and Heaven told Zeus that Metis would give birth toa girl equal to her father in strength and as wise in understanding anda boy who would eventually take his father's throne. Upon hearing this,Zeus tricked Metis and put her into his belly so the son could not be born.The third version is by Herodotus, who claimed that Athena was the daughterof Poseidon and the Tritonian lake. Athena became angry at her father andgave herself to Zeus, who in turn made her his own daughter.

See Also

What Does Athena Fear? -

The versions of Athena's birth are not the only metamorphosizing aspectsof her character; her duties have also evolved over time. At first, shewas simply a protectress of Mycenean royal palaces, and the goddess ofwar. She then took on the added responsibility of the protectress of thenew city-states in Greece. Later, she was worshipped for her contributionsto civic peace, technical arts and women's crafts (e.g. weaving). Finally,she reached her highest point of power and respect when she became the"official" goddess of wisdom, giving her the power to interfere in almostany situation.

Athena is also portrayed as having an in-depth personality rather thanjust acting as an icon of her strengths, which include war strategies,wisdom, and her pride in feminism.

"Athena is a fearsome queen who brings...the noise of war and, tireless, leads the host...she who loves shouts, and battling and fights."

(Hesiod's Theogany, 925-26)

To Athena, war is not simply an excuse to kill people or act out agression.War is a battle of wits, whoever has the best strategy wins. The best exampleof this can be found in Homer's The Odyssey, in which Athena tellsthe Greeks to build a huge wooden horse and give it to the Trojans. Thehorse was labled as a gift from Athena, and the message to the Trojanswas that if they brought it inside their gates, they would win the war.Another view Athena has on war is that it is a means to obtain peace; warsettles arguments once and for all, instead of letting tensions boil beneaththe surface. Her shield is more than just protection from enemy weapons,it represents a halt in war by not letting it occur. However, Athena veryseldomly sides with the losing side in a war. She always supports the winners,and is not well known for fair play; for an example, refer to the Iliad,Book 22, lines 224-305. Here, Athena pretends to be Hector's brother, luringhim in closer so Achilles will have an even easier time killing him!

Athena is quite skillful and creative, not just in war strategy, butalso in weaving and spinning. This is probably one of her most femininecharacteristics. She loves to show off these talents and is actually quitevain. For example, in the weaving contest she had with Arachne, Arachneclearly made the superior piece of art. Athena could not handle being "beaten",and so her vain pride drove her to turn Arachne into a spider, foreverweaving.

Athena is also the original feminist, eternally remaining a virgin.She does not need a man to be happy, and avoids all intimate contact withmales. She is, on the other hand, a bit awkward in situations dealing withsex and love; she feels that those types of emotions only complicate matters.Thus, she remains quite content alone with her warrior instincts yet femininewith regards to other parts of her life -- spinning and weaving, for example.Also, the fact that she is a virgin is mediated somewhat by her actingas a foster mother to the child, Erichthonius, who was born from Hephesatsus'seed when he tried to rape her. While she isn't a mother in the sense thatshe bore the child, it takes away from her masculine aspects by showingher maternal instincts.

Athena's personality is a very dualistic one. At times she exhibitsa very masculine aura; at others, she is the vision of feminine loveliness.Her attitiude changes almost daily, depending on certain situations. Sheuses her wisdom to decide how she should react in a situation. Athena'sduties are where she has earned her fame. Weaving and warfare are the areaswhere she excels above all others, except in the case of poor Arachne.As the goddess of wisdom, Athena displays her wisdom through various ways,especially in war, thinking out carefully who should win and then aidingthem. But she is often confusing in how she can change her mind half waythrough, a characteristic that she is female. In all of these ways;her personality, duties, and wisdom, spread through endless tales, Athenabecame a three-dimensional character, forever changing as humans stilldo today.

Blundell, Sue. Women in Ancient Greece. HarvardUniversity Press. Cambridge.1995.pp.22.

Go to PartTwo

Last updated 4 September 97
spalmer@cornellcollege.edu