Hero Quest

Universal/Unique- Representative of every man with a special characteristic that sets him apart.
"...and the baby grew up thus into an active, daring little girl."
"She became in the end more than their equal in all the feats of a hunter's life."

Major Flaw- Hero is special, but not perfect.
“…when a daughter and not a son was born to him, he was of course bitterly disappointed.”

Call To Adventure- Hero is given a goal or assigned a quest.
“Then came the famous hunt of the Calydonian boar…Oeneus called upon the bravest men of Greece…with them came as a matter of course Atalanta, ‘the pride of the woods of Arcady.’”

Initiation- Entering of a strange world and leaving behind the familiar.
“Once two centaurs, swifter and stronger by far than any mortal, caught sight of her when she was alone and persued her.”

Journey- The road of trials, battles and obstacles.
“In this confusion of dying men and wildly flying weapons, Atalanta kept her head and wounded the boar. Her arrow was the first to strike it.”

Companions- Sidekicks, partners and support.
“Some of the heroes resented her presence and felt it beneath them to go hunting with a woman, but Meleager insisted.”

Supernatural Guide- Provides information, magic, weapons, or charms.
“A she-bear took care of her, nursed her and kept her warm. Kind hunters then found her and took her to live with them.”

Ultimate Battle- The final test.
“…the goal was now very near. But then the third golden sphere flashed across her path…she could not resist it. As she picked the apple up, her lover panting and almost winded touched the goal. She was his.”

Transformation- Hero is altered in some way in the final battle.
“The two are said to have been turned into lions because of some affront offered either to Zeus or Aphrodite.”


Death/Rebirth- Out with the old, in with the new.
“Her free days alone in the forest and her athletic victories were over.”

Boon- Gift of renewal; reward to be shared.
“The pride of the woods of Arcady…she walked in on that masculine gathering.”

Definitions

A myth is someone’s belief or story of how things happen. Myths are symbols of human experiences and spiritual values. They are crucial to culture.
An example of a myth is the story of Demeter and Persephone.

A hero is a person who helps people. They have qualities/strengths greater than other people. A hero is someone that people look up to and respect.
An example of a hero is Hercules.

A hero journey is the story of the hero’s life. It explains all the stages of his life including the transformation, battles, gifts, etc.
An example of a hero journey is when Hercules goes through his twelve labors.

Universal means known by all. Everyone can use it and it is familiar with it.
An example of something universal is duality. Everyone knows that good and evil always exist together.

An archetype is an original kind or model. It is the foundation.
An example of an archetype is the three different starts of creation: watery abyss, void, and the egg.

Cyclical means something has a pattern, or a cycle that repeats itself.
An example of cyclical is how the sun rises and sets everyday.

Duality means opposites existing in a whole.
An example of duality is good and evil.

Creation is when something/someone is made, how something came to be, or how something starts.
An example of creation is birth or newness in the world.

Cosmology is the studies of the world/universe.
An example of cosmology is the belief of evolution.

Life out of death means something good coming from something bad. Something has to die in order for something else to live.
An example would be when an animal dies for a human to eat, to survive.

Matriarchal means the foundation of female power, when the mother rules.
An example is Mother Earth.

Patriarchal means the foundation of male power, when the father rules.
An example is Father Sky.

A sacrifice is what someone gives up for other people.
An example of a sacrifice is putting your life in danger to help another person.

Demeter and Persephone

Shelby Adams
Interpretation Essay
Myth2
19 September 2008

Demeter and Persephone

Taken from your only known surroundings-taken to a place you have never been, with a man you do not know! Scary at first…but would temptation get the best of you? Could you turn out to like it? The story of Demeter and Persephone explains how the seasons came to be. The cold winters and the fresh spring, but that is only the big picture. The deeper part of the story represents loss and temptation. Not just the loss of Demeter’s daughter, but the loss of Persephone’s innocence and presence of temptation of something new and exciting. The three levels of interpretation are natural, social, and psychological. These levels are important to understand so you get all the details about the myth, so you know the myth better and not just the general view.
Demeter is the corn goddess and the mother of Persephone. She provides food and nourishment for everyone. She cares about her daughter more than anything and is known as the “good mother.” When Hades takes Persephone, Demeter has a great feeling of loss and sadness. They were very close with each other and had the special bond between mother and daughter. This could somewhat represent, in the social view, marriage. Being a mother, she wanted to be with her daughter all the time and care for her, but Hades takes that away.
Before Hades kidnaps Persephone, she represents youth, spring and virginity. She is innocent and inexperienced to the bad things in the world. When she is taken, she is very afraid at first but then gives in to the temptation in the underworld. She eats pomegranate seeds, knowing that if she eats them, she will have to return to the underworld with Hades again. So she is changed and has lost her innocence. When Persephone is taken, Demeter is lonely and sad, which is how winter and fall came to be. When Persephone is in the underworld, Demeter does not grow anything on earth. But when Persephone is back, it is spring and summer again and everything is growing and beautiful.
To everyone else, a pomegranate is just a yummy fruit, yet in the story of Demeter and Persephone, it is what holds Persephone to the underworld. She was trapped in the underworld for months and she knew she could not eat anything while she was there or else she would have to keep coming back forever. But, she let temptation get the best of her, she ate six of them, representing the six months out of the year she is with Hades and Demeter is alone. The pomegranate seeds represent her sin and desire and how giving in to bad things come with consequences.
So now we know the reason of the seasons. When Demeter is sad, it is cold and gloomy outside, no growth. But when she is happy, she is with her daughter and it is sunny and nice outside. The story is a lot deeper than that though…it represents the bond between mother and daughter and also the shame of losing your innocence. It shows how easy it is to give in to your temptation and desires and the consequences that come from them.