Recent orders
Greek God Poseidon And His Role In Archaic Society
Greek God Poseidon And His Role In Archaic Society
The Greek god Poseidon has always been overshadowed by Zeus, his younger brother, but an in-depth examination of his history and mythology reveals a fascinating legend in the classical world. Poseidon has always been influential to the lives of many people both in the ancient and present times. Known as Neptune in Roman mythology, Poseidon was also worshipped as a god of the sea, earthquakes and even horses. He has been an inspiration to many through time. This paper explores the significance and influence Poseidon, as a powerful deity, had on the Archaic Greek society.
Poseidon, as we are well informed by Greek mythology, was born of the great Titans Rhea and Cronus whose name is also spelt Cronos or Kronos. It is important to state at this point that a previous prophecy had stated that Cronus’ rule would be brought to an end by one of his offspring, just like Cronus himself had usurped the throne from his father. To avert this prophecy, Cronus swallowed Poseidon immediately after birth along with his sisters but luckily their brother Zeus later freed them from Cronus’ belly with the help of a magic potion.
Poseidon is known to have banded together with his brother in the Titanomachy that saw the defeat of Cronus. It was after this victory that Poseidon drew lots with Zeus and Hades over the division of the Earth kingdom where he got the sea kingdom. Poseidon was usually depicted carrying a three prong trident in a chariot drawn by horses or sea-horses.
He had a beautiful wife, Amphitrite, who was a granddaughter of the god Oceanus but this did not stop him from chasing other goddess or women. He even had the courage to woo the dreaded goddess medusa and fell in love with his sister Demeter. He had many human and non-human children with many goddesses (Burkert 136).
To the archaic Greek people, Poseidon was an important civic god for a number of cities. In Athens, he only second in relevance to Athena but he was the main polis god in other cities like Corinth and many more Magna Graecia cities. His worshippers recognized his benign as well as his temperamental sides. As a kind god he would not only create islands but calm rough seas as well but when offended or ignored he would the cause for natural disasters and much misery by simply striking down his trident.
Sailors in ancient Greece had to appease Poseidon through prayers and drowning horses for sacrifice before embarking on a sea voyage. This was done for fear of invoking Poseidon’s anger which might bring about rough seas or leave them shipwrecked. Notably, Alexander the Great is said to have stopped at the Syrian shore just before the battle of Issus and prayed “invoking Poseidon the sea-god, for whom he ordered a four-horse chariot to be cast into the waves” (Burkert 138). Poseidon, just like Dionysus who brought about the maenads illness, was also revered by the archaic Greeks for being responsible for some mental disturbances like epilepsy.
Homer’s Iliad in which Poseidon plays a central role describes the god as a sea dweller. Strangely when he travels across the sea aboard his chariot, the wheel axle does not get wet. And all the sea monsters bow and frisk when their master passes by. On the earth he is the patron of horses, a reason why some call him the “black-maned” and is asserted in some circles as “the earth shaker” or the god of earthquakes. His power, nevertheless, is not wielded in the sea as much as it does n land where he has been known to cause tremendous earthquakes that leave Hades shrieking in terror. His anger is feared by both mortals and immortals alike.
Poseidon is not just depicted as a vengeful god. Homer is realistic enough to depict another side of Poseidon which shows him as a peaceful and calming deity. There were times when he was in a good mood and create islands like the creation of Atlantis which he made for Clito his lover. Another example is in the Phaeacian episode where he is a“dignified, effective peacemaker who conciliates conflicting positions through negotiation and the quasi-legal procedures of pledges and guarantees” (Segal 499). In this example Homer shows us the dual nature of Greek perception of the universe.
Poseidon was worshipped in virtually every part of Greece. He was an important god to the entire archaic community. Robertson states that ceremonies in honor of Poseidon were usually held at the start of winter although there were others held all round the year (1). In line with the deep-seated agrarian background of most of the communities in the Mediterranean region, sportive activities were a prominent feature during all celebrations in honor of Poseidon.
Among his numerous legends, the most significant one is the great contest over patronage Athens between him and his niece Athena. It is said that the importance of Athens in the Greek world eventually sparked a debate among the gods over who was best suited to be the city’s patron. In the final analysis, it was found that both Athena and Poseidon had the best claim to the city; Poseidon because of the city’s proximity to the sea which is his domain and Athena because of the flourishing arts in the civilized life of Athens. Since none of the two deities was willing to give way to the other, Zeus decreed that the decision would be determined by a contest in which Poseidon and Athena were challenged to produce a beautiful and practical invention for humanity.
Poseidon raised his trident and struck the ground and a black horse appeared. It was beautiful and practical. When Athena stepped forward she grew an olive tree from the ground. She stated that the tree would give both food and oil that would be used during sacrifices to the gods. Her tree represented peace while Poseidon’s horse represented war (Jenks). Athena won and became the patron god of Athens but this did not in any way reduce the importance or significance of Poseidon to the archaic Greek people.
In conclusion, Poseidon was revered and widely worshipped by the archaic Greeks despite having been overshadowed by his younger brother Zeus. He is one of the most important gods in the classical world and continues to be portrayed in his might by artists of all genres. He was an inspiration to the archaic society and still continues to be today and in the future.
Works Cited
Robertson, Noel. Poseidon’s Festival at the Winter Solstice, Cambridge: Cambridge UniversityPress, 1984. Print.
Segal, Charles. Divine Justice in the Odyssey: Poseidon, Cyclops and Helios. New York: TheJohn Hopkins University Press, 1992. Print.
Burkert, Walter. Greek Religion. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1985. Print
Jenks, Kathleen (April 2003). Mythic themes clustered around Poseidon/Neptune. April 2003.Web. 30 March, 2011.< HYPERLINK “http://www.mythinglinks.org/euro%7Ewest%7Egreece%7EPoseidon.html” http://www.mythinglinks.org/euro~west~greece~Poseidon.html>.
Greek Civilization
Name
Course
Institution
Instructor
Date
Greek Civilization
The history of civilization in this world has a wealthy and interesting account. It is important to note that western civilization owes its much credit to ancient Greece. The Greek civilization was more organized among the other societies that existed. Ancient Greece is perhaps the only known civilization that brought about concept of democracy (Primary history, para 1). The people of ancient Greece valued their way of life, this made them very creative. The major thinkers that have existed in this world have roots in ancient Greece. The civilization of the Greeks grew in small city states (Montgomery, para 4). An individual city state was made up of a town which was surrounded by many other villages. There was a lot of farmland from where town residents could get their food. Many of the small city states of the Greek civilization had a lot of rivalry; they were characterized by constant fighting. It is however important to note that the citizens of a particular city states were very patriotic and took keen interest in affairs of their states.
Among those many city states, two of them were most significant; the Sparta state and the Athens state. These cities are known to have been the first to establish mature democracies. It was difficult for these states to form a single united nation (Montgomery, para 13-17,). However, a few things bound them together; their language was common, religion and cultural practices played this important role. This gave the ancient Greeks a feeling that they were totally different people compared to others whom they tagged as barbarians.
Ancient Greek civilization is much attributed to its formidable political structures as well as geographical location. These two factors placed it in a strategic position which accelerated its growth and development. Geographical factors were the prime reason for its growth, compared to other near eastern civilizations (Sellin, Greek, para 7-15), the Greek civilization existed between several ranges of mountain ranges. These mountains created a barrier to internal communication which became significant to the development and growths of small city states. The city states found it difficult to have effective communication between them and this made them to be independent of each other. In addition, the Greek peninsula had an irregular coastline with many small islands; this position facilitated trading activities between among states and Asia Minor.
Similarly, the soil in this region was quite unsuitable for agriculture, something that forced the ancient Greeks to build colonies abroad. Further, this soil did not have many natural resources and therefore mining and related activities were impossible. Heroic standards gave life a lot of significance. Warriors were important people in the society; they were tasked with fighting off invaders into the city. They were people of great strength and possessed a lot of fighting skills. This bought the real meaning of excellence, which was referred to as arête. The fact that soil was unreliable for agriculture did not fully hamper agricultural activities; few crops were planted and sold while some was consumed domestically.
Economically, the existing conditions were simple, based on consistent systems of agriculture. They managed to establish trading ties with their neighbors something that strengthened their territories. Trading led to their acquisition of things which they did not have, they were able to purchase expensive minerals that were used in the construction of their fortified cities. They were also able to buy weapons which their warriors used in the defense of their territories.
In its way of life, the Greek civilization had a firm belief in gods. The gods were the entities upon which the people built and founded their faith. It should be noted that, the Greeks success was not necessarily in the belief of their gods, but in the political governance that was excellent in most of the city states that founded the civilization. The good governance made people obey and follow rules; there were routine changes in the administration so as to make it more efficient and productive.
It’s important to note that there was no central power in the Greek civilization. The many different states were able to manage themselves fully. It is recorded that during the time of Aristotle, there were numerous democracies in existence. Democracy begun and matured much faster in Athens. It underwent several changes before it became fully functioning. Democracy has been noted to have undergone many changes; first it was monarchical, where power was a preserve of the aristocratic council and a famous assembly (Sellin, 11-12). Later, the council of the aristocrats managed to oust the king and did away with the assembly. This welcomed oligarchy, which was regarded as the rule by few just as before. This rule seemed to work but later became infamous.
One person would defy all odds and rise to the top, he became the ruler. This style of leadership was very tyrannical and did not last long. There was outright rebellion from the people who thought that this style of leadership was cruel. This gave birth to the rule of majority, better known as democracy. The many people were able to elect leaders that they thought were most suitable to lead them. This was actually the birth of democracy, a major achievement in the history of civilization (Montgomery, para 8). Democracy gave people ability to make their opinions in matters of interest.
The Greek civilization surpassed other civilizations by far. This civilization was able to establish the world’s famous philosophers who have continued to influence its thinking up to present (Ikegami, Eiko, para 5). Most of the eastern civilizations were much unstable in their governance and political institutions. While the Greek civilization was making advances on a daily basis, other civilizations were fighting to remain relevant. Great educators like Socrates emerged, Plato soon came about, they influenced the philosophies of the society and their contributions have continued to remain relevant.
In Sparta, education of the society was the work of army officers; this is because their main aim was to produce individuals who had the ability to defend the society. This is perhaps the reason why of all the civilizations at that time, Sparta people are well known for their superior army. On the other hand, the philosophical thinking of the Athenian society advocated for the education of an individual’s mind. The main aim was to produce an individual who had the ability to influence society institutions and the way of life. Education was aimed at producing intellectual, citizens who were creative and artistic. Plato’s perspective of education was that it was an institution where people were meant to derive social techniques and skills for survival. In his definition, man had the ability to improve it with time education is not brought by nature, rather, its man’s creation and therefore can be improved with continued learning.
The concept of education led to development of many intellectuals who enhanced the success of Greek civilization. This civilization can be regarded as the cornerstone of the present day European civilization. With an interplay of many factors, this civilization was formidable, not because of some kind of Greek “spirit’ but rather through careful execution of proper governance and natural factors
Works cited
Ikegami, Eiko. “Moral Codes and Social Structure in Ancient Greece: A Sociology of Greek Ethics from Homer to the Epicureans and Stoics.” Contemporary Sociology 27.1 (1998): 82-3. ProQuest. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
Primary History. “Ancient Greeks: The Greek world.” 2014. Web, 19 February 2014< http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_greeks/greek_world/>
Sellin. “Greek; History of World civilization – Greek Civilization; Polis; Athens.” 2011. Web, 19 February 2014. < http://greek-yunani.blogspot.com/2011/04/history-of-world-civilization-greek.html>
Sturgis, Cynthia. “Mesopotamia: Iraq in Ancient Times/Ancient Rome/Ancient Egypt/Ancient Greece.” School Library Journal 50.11 (2004): 123. ProQuest. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
Montgomery Edren. “Greek Civilization.” 2000. Web, 19 February 2014 < http://wc1003.tripod.com/greek_civilization.htm>
Great Warrior Kingston
Name:
Institution:
Course:
Tutor:
Date:
“Great Warrior: Kingston”
In my case, the section of “White Tigers” was the most interesting part in “Woman Warrior.” It’s composed of Kingston’s childhood fantasy of ‘Fa Mu Lan’ who is the woman warrior as the title of the book reveals. Kingston followed a bird to the mountains in the world of fantasy. She arrived at the hut and met the people who wanted to train her to make a good warrior. For this reason, she started training which involved spending several years alone on the mountain with limited eating or drinking. After completing the trainings, she returned from the mountain. At home, she watched some images of her parents, husband, and brother, an aspect which she acquired from her mentor who taught her the fights. She wanted to save them but had to wait because she was not prepared for it. Finally, she learned the way of using the magical power then went to meet the baron’s army to save her parents. In the process of preparation, a ‘white horse’ appeared to carry Kingston, and she got ready to lead. Then she confronted the baron for stealing the village.
From this story, Kingston displayed how Chinese Americans have been treating women in the American society. As a woman, even though she may have been good at something, she got no prize but bad treatment. Likewise, she could not do anything in the presence of racist men and as a result people died at the mercy of communists. In conclusion, Kingston realized that the words or sayings would be the only way to gather and reunite Chinese-Americans.
From my perspective, Kingston is a person hard to define with one word. That is because she is the character who portrays a variety of appearances and plays multi-roles in “Woman Warrior.” Sometimes Kingston disappeared in the middle of the story, “White Tigers”. As I read the “Woman Warrior”, I thought that differences existed among the items disclosed in the story and biography. The episodes were quite confusing. Despite causing such a problem to the readers, Kingston overlooks it.
The most significant matter, regardless of the confusion, lies in her memories. She is depicted as an elusive character, unique to her audience. Besides, her character can be visibly recognized as changing in each of the different parts discussed, from “No name woman” to “White tigers” and so on. As we know, she grew from a girl who could not speak well to a woman who found an outlet for her words and sayings. According to her autobiography, she grew up from a frustrated girl to a magnificent adult, unbelievably writing her own memoirs. In addition, her special characteristic was an innovative method of attracting readers into this book.
The most important thing is that she conclusively delivered her main idea about the difficulties of reconciliation and assimilations in American cultures as one of Chinese-Americans main challenges. “My American life has been such a disappointment.”(45) This sentence directly supports her opinion with no doubt. “I live now where there are Chinese and Japanese, but emigrants from my own village look at me as if I had failed them. Living among one’s own emigrant villagers can give a good Chinese far from China glory and a place.”(52) These sentences also point out her mind suffering and desires to the society at the same time. Of course, she showed how much it is difficult to live well in a different world as a different person altogether. However, she also indicated the possibility of recovery through her life. In particular, she felt the difference from her friend who is American in her class. In other words, they were fundamentally different from childhood so she could not help but undergo the hard experience unintentionally. On a brighter note, we apparently see how she overcame all these challenges since growing up as Chinese-Americans would be hard for anyone.
In addition, there is an exciting fact in the “Woman warrior”. I could not find men characters in its entirety. I am not exactly sure whether or not it was the author’s intentions to emphasize on the women’s worth by completely overlooking men. Most of the stories relating to Kingston tend to uphold women characters. The author attempted to show the women’s roles in Chinese society while at the same time getting rid of the biases surrounding them as illustrated in Kingston’s life. Since she played the role of mother, wife, and daughter in the battle as a woman warrior, it was easy to convey her message of this theme. “Each racial stereotype comes in two models, the acceptable model and the unacceptable model… Chin and Chan believe that while the “masculine” stereotypes of blacks, Indians, and Mexicans are generated by “racist hate,” “racist- love” has been lavished on Chinese Americans detailed as targets of “effeminate stereotypes” (309). As the article revealed, the stereotypes of specified people or groups have been in existence.
In particular, the ‘Woman Warrior’ by Kingston succeeded in showing the importance of women and their roles no matter where they lived or came from. “Given these divergent views, the stage is set for a confrontation between “heroism” and “feminism” in Chinese American letters” (311). This implies that both concepts can not be separated from each other in matters regarding Chinese-American cultures. At a glance, these concepts cannot be attached to Kingston’s discussions, however, relations are evidently existent since Kingston displayed these problems simultaneously through the events that take place in her life. To begin with, she suffered from feminism and racism in “White tigers” then became a hero reflecting “heroism” at the end of her story. Therefore, it’s apparent that she is the proper protagonist as a representative of the Chinese-American woman.
In conclusion, her fantasy was not a fantasy but a reality which came true obviously. She gave many people dreams, hopes and opened infinitive possibilities of assimilation and adaptation in the mainstream of other cultures.
Works Cited
Cheung, King-Kok. “The Woman Warrior versus The Chinaman Pacific: must a Chinese American choose between feminism and heroism?” Gender.Ed. Wu and Song.