![]() 2014 - 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
0672-1533-01 | Consulting the Oracle: Prophecies in Greek Mythology | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FACULTY OF HUMANITIES | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Consulting the Oracle – Prophesis in Greek Mythology
Like human beings the gods often asked for prophesies to help them make their mind. It was as a result of prophesy, that Zeus decided to prevent Metis to give birth to a son who would be stronger than his father; and for a similar reason he married Thetis to Peleus. Likewise was Thetis' attempt to prevent Achilles from joining the Trojan War a prophesy resultant. In Greek Mythology fait belongs with prophesy; therefore each narrative includes at least one. The oracles and prophets served people under circumstances such as yearning for a child to be conceived (like the cases of Aegeus, Theseus' father, of Laius, Oedipus' father, of Acrisius, Danae's father and of Creusa, the daughter of Erechtheus, king of Athens); facing war (Troyan War) or mission (as Jason); overcoming a disease (as Heracles) or a wound (as Telephus); searching for a missing person (as Cadmus' for Europa), or murder (Orestes). With these and/or other myths of the kind we'll deal during the semester.