Monsters of Greco-Roman Myth Essay - 1478 Words

Monsters of Greco-Roman Myth To have a hero there must be a monster to vanquish. Monsters in Greco-Roman mythology are often portrayed as: irrational, nearly impossible to communicate with, often a compound of animal parts or some form of mutation, and are set upon human destruction. â€Å"Monsters in the language of mythology were beings of unnatural proportions or parts, usually regarded with terror, as possessing immense strength and ferocity, which they employed for the injury and annoyance of men† (Bullfinch Pg. 143). Mythological monsters are a way for man to explain what he doesn’t understand. They are an attempt to explain ‘why’ to things such as: storms, droughts and other unseasonable weather, unexplained deaths, birth†¦show more content†¦From Babylon, Marduk, Ea made Marduk a double god so that he would surpass all the other gods in form and in strength. Four sparkling eyes shone forth from Marduk’s face, enabling him to see everything, and four large ears extended outward, enabling him to hear everything. Whenever Marduk moved his lips, fire blazed fourth from his mouth† (Rosenberg 7). For Eastern cultures multiple body parts such as eyes and limbs was something to be worshiped. Greco-Roman culture turned these attributes into mutations. Having excessive or less than a normal amount of body parts was a deformity, something to be feared and loathed. Egyptian gods such as Horus and Anubis had an appearance part human and part animal. For the Greeks it appears they were transformed into fearsome beasts such as the Minotaur, â€Å"[†¦] the Minotaur, a monster with a bull’s body and a human head. It was exceedingly strong and fierce and was kept in a labyrinth constructed by Daedalus, so artfully contrived that whoever was enclosed in it could by no means find his way out unassisted. Here the Minotaur roamed, and was fed with human victims† (Bullfinch 181). The Babylonians took the Sumerian’s nurturing mother goddess, Tiamat, â€Å"Mother Tiamat personified and ruled the salt waters† (Rosenberg 6) and turned her into an irrational and enraged creature and Marduk vanquished her. Similarly theShow MoreRelatedPower Structures in Greek History1788 Words   |  8 Pages[Class] 03 August 2010 Power Structures in Greco-Roman Mythology: The Power and the Powerless of Women Introduction Greco-Roman mythology is rich in names, characters, and events. Dozens of gods, goddesses, and mortal women and men participate in a variety of activities that reflect or exemplify behaviors and power relations in Greek and Roman societies. A wealth of literature was written about the relationships between mortals and immortals in Greco-Roman mythology. 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