Hey i am preparing for my Greek mythology finals and I really need someone to tell me if I am on the right track with my content or not but also my real bad grammar and use of punctuation
2011: "As to Apollo's functions, they are so multiple and complex that it is often hard to connect one with another." What were these functions? Can they be connected?
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto and also the twin brother of Artemis. He had several functions namely: god of music, prophesy, medicine, archery, poetry, dance, intellectual inquiry and carer of flocks and herds. Moreover, he was considered as the god of light, plagues and the god of religious healing. As the god of music Apollo is the leader of the choir of muses, the nine daughters of Zeus and Mneuosyne. He is frequently depicted with his lyre. One myth about Apollo and his music involves Marsyas, a satyr who challenges him to a music contest, which Apollo wins and flays him alive for his arrogance. He was born of the floating island of Delos. Delos was an important sanctuary dedicated to Apollo. His most important power was to prophesize. He gets Delphi first in his deed, by killing the dragon of Pytho. He also prophesize that the barren land will bear richness which of course does. Not all these functions can be connected, however, Apollo as the god of religious healing and ritual purification is linked with him being carer of flocks and herds. Having killed Python who was the son of Gaia, Apollo amends for his killing and serves king Admetus for 9 years as a cowherd. Through his son Asklepios, Apollo gives healing back to human. However, this can be contradicted with his title of god of plagues. He can also punish mankind with plague, this can be shown in the Illiad when the daughter of Chryses (a Trojan priest of Apollo), is abducted and given to Agamemnon. Chryses begs for his daughter back but Agamemnon doesn't head to his begging. Chryses prays to Apollo who hears his prayers and with his bow plagues and burns the city. As a god of poetry and dance, Apollo is sent to Mount Olympus where all the gods enjoy his music and dance, outside of Olympus, he entertains banquets which is how he becomes the god for the aristoi. Furthermore, intellectual enquiry could be linked to his shrine at Delphi where mottoes such as "Know yourself", "You are only human" could be found. This acts as an encouragement to both males and females. Not all the functions of Apollo can be connected; some of them such as illustrated above can be definitely connected to each other while others can be contradicted with each other.
2010: "Apollo appears to be the most characteristically Greek God in the whole pantheon." Explain why would you agree or disagree with this statement.
Apollo has several functions which make him the most characteristically Greek God in the whole pantheon, this is highly agreeable. He is a god of restraint and violence, balance, rationality, harmony and music, sickness and healing; he carries the bow and lyre. Greeks prized beauty which Apollo was symbolic in every single way. He embodied youth but was a mature male with beauty and moral excellence. He was associated with the benefits of civilization giving to Greek culture its ideal of the beautiful, athletic, virtuous and cultivated young man. Despite being the god of plague he is also the god of healing. He is the god of music especially the lyre and also archery however not war, nor hunting. He is the god of prophecy, and brings great richness to Delphi. Law and order would be Apollo's most influential aspect; Apollo represents the Greek preference for "the intelligible, determinate, measurable, as opposed to the fantastic, vague and shapeless. Apollo's advice at Delphi was "Know thyself" all Greece looked as Apollo as giver and interpreter of law. Although Apollo kills we can notice that his killings are somehow justified and that he is protecting the righteous, for example burning the city of Agamemnon, because Chryses's daughter was unjustly taken away from him and slaying the Python because he attempted to rape his mother. He also punished several characters such as Cassandra and Sibyle, however, he doesn't kill them but merely takes revenge because they were not true to their word. After being defied by the satyr Marsyas, he could easily become angry and kill him; however he spares his life which can only show how great Apollo is. His lyre which soothes any person listening to it is in direct contrast to his bow which promotes death. Therefore, Apollo can be seen as a god of multifunction. He gives balance to everything and thus making him the most characteristically god.
2009: "Apollo, God of Shamans." What aspects of Apollo can be linked to the figure of the shaman?
Shamans can read inner meaning behind signs and omens for example, the flight of the bird, the appearance of entrails in scarified animals and lightening or other heavy phenomena. He can summon spirit of the dead, and dreams reveal to him will come to pass. He controls the invisible and dangerous forces that interfere constantly in the lives of human beings. He is the medicine man of the most popular lore, the seer and also the healer. Shaman in Siberian means "he who knows". He leaves his body in trance and goes to faraway realms to acquire knowledge of the future. He directly combats hostile spirit that causes the disease. He has friend in the other world that may possess his spirit and talk however; the voice will not be the same. Apollo can embody all this as he unites inner and outer world, impairing knowledge and bringing healing. Apollo also commands the aristocratic privilege accorded to the shaman of preliterate society. He inspired both women and men in different ways. He inspired male seers, who through heightened awareness saw hidden meaning behind appearance and healed the sick. He took possession of medium females, gave themselves up unwillingly to the god and lost consciousness and communicated the god's knowledge of past, present and future. Apollo's son also reinforces this aspect of Apollo. Asklepios, was more a master of healing than his father. His strong healing powers would have been a direct link to shamanism. He also acquired a lot of knowledge that he could bring the dead back. All those aspects show Apollo link to Shamanism, which was his cult.
2008: "Apollo was the God of rational intellect." Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement.
Some of Apollo's actions made him undeniably the God of rational intellect. Apollo is known for his distance yet always close to his followers. The mottoes in his shrine such as: "Know Thyself" and "Nothing in Excess" is a reminder that human beings should act as mortals and not try to copy Gods. The oracle that Apollo acquires after his battle with the serpent/dragon python shows his urge and power. Since the oracle belonged to a female before he acquired it we can clearly see the patriarchy kicking in and showing the subordinate of women in Greek society. He nevertheless choses a virgin as a consultant of his oracles, this is very appropriate since virgins were of high importance and that their words would be taken more seriously. Their virginity could be associated with the purity of virgin goddess such as Artemis and Athena. After killing and leaving the serpent/dragon to rot, he leaves the remains of the previous oracle owner for nature to do its work, therefore in a sense he doesn't diminish the value and prestige of the python. Since Gaia is the mother of the python, Apollo in a sense reunites both by allowing decomposition, which can also be referred to fertility. The perseverance and skill of Apollo both at the bow and lyre is remarkable sense of art, which mean that Apollo was very skilled in art and since the young males look up to him they would be inspired to be skilled in arts too and not concentrate only on the athletics side. This is also clearly shown in the Pythian Games where not only athletics is test but also mental and skill area. His creativity not only limited itself to the young men of Greece but also to the aristocratic. He became the god of the aristocratic with sweet symphony and also good poetry. Since the nine muses where already skilful and brought joy to the ones who would hear their music, Apollo being the patron of them must have over topped them, which mean he was beyond skilled.
2005: What aspects of life and experience did Apollo represent for the Greeks or classical Period.
Apollo being the most characteristically god of the pantheon, gave a lot of life experience to the Greeks. He was enthusiastically worshipped in troy because he supported them during the war. His intellectual and motivating mottoes found on the walls of his shrine, made Greeks look at Apollo as both a legislator and a judge for example using mottoes such as "Know thyself". The Delphic oracle was consulted in extreme and difficult situations for example when there would be political debate, or financial problems. Being the god of healing, Apollo has influenced a lot of people throughout Greece. Some Greeks would take this as part of his cult, also known as Shamanism. The cult of healing has appealed a lot to both males and females. Apollo is also a role model and a protector of young men; he is what young men should aspire to be. Greeks like beauty which Apollo was in all the sense of the word but he was also very skilled. There were also the Pythian Games which were different compared to the Olympian one. Pythian Games were more aesthetic or intellectual nature such as musical, dramatic, and literary competitions but also involved athletics.
2011: "As to Apollo's functions, they are so multiple and complex that it is often hard to connect one with another." What were these functions? Can they be connected?
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto and also the twin brother of Artemis. He had several functions namely: god of music, prophesy, medicine, archery, poetry, dance, intellectual inquiry and carer of flocks and herds. Moreover, he was considered as the god of light, plagues and the god of religious healing. As the god of music Apollo is the leader of the choir of muses, the nine daughters of Zeus and Mneuosyne. He is frequently depicted with his lyre. One myth about Apollo and his music involves Marsyas, a satyr who challenges him to a music contest, which Apollo wins and flays him alive for his arrogance. He was born of the floating island of Delos. Delos was an important sanctuary dedicated to Apollo. His most important power was to prophesize. He gets Delphi first in his deed, by killing the dragon of Pytho. He also prophesize that the barren land will bear richness which of course does. Not all these functions can be connected, however, Apollo as the god of religious healing and ritual purification is linked with him being carer of flocks and herds. Having killed Python who was the son of Gaia, Apollo amends for his killing and serves king Admetus for 9 years as a cowherd. Through his son Asklepios, Apollo gives healing back to human. However, this can be contradicted with his title of god of plagues. He can also punish mankind with plague, this can be shown in the Illiad when the daughter of Chryses (a Trojan priest of Apollo), is abducted and given to Agamemnon. Chryses begs for his daughter back but Agamemnon doesn't head to his begging. Chryses prays to Apollo who hears his prayers and with his bow plagues and burns the city. As a god of poetry and dance, Apollo is sent to Mount Olympus where all the gods enjoy his music and dance, outside of Olympus, he entertains banquets which is how he becomes the god for the aristoi. Furthermore, intellectual enquiry could be linked to his shrine at Delphi where mottoes such as "Know yourself", "You are only human" could be found. This acts as an encouragement to both males and females. Not all the functions of Apollo can be connected; some of them such as illustrated above can be definitely connected to each other while others can be contradicted with each other.
2010: "Apollo appears to be the most characteristically Greek God in the whole pantheon." Explain why would you agree or disagree with this statement.
Apollo has several functions which make him the most characteristically Greek God in the whole pantheon, this is highly agreeable. He is a god of restraint and violence, balance, rationality, harmony and music, sickness and healing; he carries the bow and lyre. Greeks prized beauty which Apollo was symbolic in every single way. He embodied youth but was a mature male with beauty and moral excellence. He was associated with the benefits of civilization giving to Greek culture its ideal of the beautiful, athletic, virtuous and cultivated young man. Despite being the god of plague he is also the god of healing. He is the god of music especially the lyre and also archery however not war, nor hunting. He is the god of prophecy, and brings great richness to Delphi. Law and order would be Apollo's most influential aspect; Apollo represents the Greek preference for "the intelligible, determinate, measurable, as opposed to the fantastic, vague and shapeless. Apollo's advice at Delphi was "Know thyself" all Greece looked as Apollo as giver and interpreter of law. Although Apollo kills we can notice that his killings are somehow justified and that he is protecting the righteous, for example burning the city of Agamemnon, because Chryses's daughter was unjustly taken away from him and slaying the Python because he attempted to rape his mother. He also punished several characters such as Cassandra and Sibyle, however, he doesn't kill them but merely takes revenge because they were not true to their word. After being defied by the satyr Marsyas, he could easily become angry and kill him; however he spares his life which can only show how great Apollo is. His lyre which soothes any person listening to it is in direct contrast to his bow which promotes death. Therefore, Apollo can be seen as a god of multifunction. He gives balance to everything and thus making him the most characteristically god.
2009: "Apollo, God of Shamans." What aspects of Apollo can be linked to the figure of the shaman?
Shamans can read inner meaning behind signs and omens for example, the flight of the bird, the appearance of entrails in scarified animals and lightening or other heavy phenomena. He can summon spirit of the dead, and dreams reveal to him will come to pass. He controls the invisible and dangerous forces that interfere constantly in the lives of human beings. He is the medicine man of the most popular lore, the seer and also the healer. Shaman in Siberian means "he who knows". He leaves his body in trance and goes to faraway realms to acquire knowledge of the future. He directly combats hostile spirit that causes the disease. He has friend in the other world that may possess his spirit and talk however; the voice will not be the same. Apollo can embody all this as he unites inner and outer world, impairing knowledge and bringing healing. Apollo also commands the aristocratic privilege accorded to the shaman of preliterate society. He inspired both women and men in different ways. He inspired male seers, who through heightened awareness saw hidden meaning behind appearance and healed the sick. He took possession of medium females, gave themselves up unwillingly to the god and lost consciousness and communicated the god's knowledge of past, present and future. Apollo's son also reinforces this aspect of Apollo. Asklepios, was more a master of healing than his father. His strong healing powers would have been a direct link to shamanism. He also acquired a lot of knowledge that he could bring the dead back. All those aspects show Apollo link to Shamanism, which was his cult.
2008: "Apollo was the God of rational intellect." Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement.
Some of Apollo's actions made him undeniably the God of rational intellect. Apollo is known for his distance yet always close to his followers. The mottoes in his shrine such as: "Know Thyself" and "Nothing in Excess" is a reminder that human beings should act as mortals and not try to copy Gods. The oracle that Apollo acquires after his battle with the serpent/dragon python shows his urge and power. Since the oracle belonged to a female before he acquired it we can clearly see the patriarchy kicking in and showing the subordinate of women in Greek society. He nevertheless choses a virgin as a consultant of his oracles, this is very appropriate since virgins were of high importance and that their words would be taken more seriously. Their virginity could be associated with the purity of virgin goddess such as Artemis and Athena. After killing and leaving the serpent/dragon to rot, he leaves the remains of the previous oracle owner for nature to do its work, therefore in a sense he doesn't diminish the value and prestige of the python. Since Gaia is the mother of the python, Apollo in a sense reunites both by allowing decomposition, which can also be referred to fertility. The perseverance and skill of Apollo both at the bow and lyre is remarkable sense of art, which mean that Apollo was very skilled in art and since the young males look up to him they would be inspired to be skilled in arts too and not concentrate only on the athletics side. This is also clearly shown in the Pythian Games where not only athletics is test but also mental and skill area. His creativity not only limited itself to the young men of Greece but also to the aristocratic. He became the god of the aristocratic with sweet symphony and also good poetry. Since the nine muses where already skilful and brought joy to the ones who would hear their music, Apollo being the patron of them must have over topped them, which mean he was beyond skilled.
2005: What aspects of life and experience did Apollo represent for the Greeks or classical Period.
Apollo being the most characteristically god of the pantheon, gave a lot of life experience to the Greeks. He was enthusiastically worshipped in troy because he supported them during the war. His intellectual and motivating mottoes found on the walls of his shrine, made Greeks look at Apollo as both a legislator and a judge for example using mottoes such as "Know thyself". The Delphic oracle was consulted in extreme and difficult situations for example when there would be political debate, or financial problems. Being the god of healing, Apollo has influenced a lot of people throughout Greece. Some Greeks would take this as part of his cult, also known as Shamanism. The cult of healing has appealed a lot to both males and females. Apollo is also a role model and a protector of young men; he is what young men should aspire to be. Greeks like beauty which Apollo was in all the sense of the word but he was also very skilled. There were also the Pythian Games which were different compared to the Olympian one. Pythian Games were more aesthetic or intellectual nature such as musical, dramatic, and literary competitions but also involved athletics.
