Vania Liu

June 15, 2009

Biblical and Mythological Allusions Study Guide

Biblical Allusions
“The Creation” [Genesis 1]
 Creation of the world through God’s divine speech.
 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
 Day 1: Created light, Day, and darkness, Night.
 Day 2: Created the firmament and divided the water above the firmament and called it Heaven.
 Day 3: Created the seas and dry land as well as grass and trees that yielded its own fruit.
 Day 4: Created two great lights, one to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night, as well as stars.
 Day 5: Created sea creatures and birds.
 Day 6: Created the beasts of earth according to its kind. In addition, “So God created man in His own
image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
 Day 7: Ended his work and rested.

“The Fall/ Adam and Eve” [Genesis 3]

 The cunning serpent questioned Eve the credibility of what God had told them.
 “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing
good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)
o Tempted Eve into wanting to be as wise as God and gave Adam some.
o Both of them realized they were naked and sewed fig leaves to cover themselves.
o They hid themselves from God because they were naked; Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed
the Serpent.
 To the Serpent he punished him to crawl on his belly and eat dust for the rest of his life.
 To Eve he punished her by giving her pain when giving birth as well as submission to her
husband.
 To Adam he cursed the ground so that he would have to toil for the rest of his life and
return to dust after he has died.
 Eve – named because she was the mother of all living.
 They were now knowledgeable of good and evil, and God sent them out of the Garden of
Eden and placed cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

The Story of Cain and Abel/Mark of Cain [Genesis 4-6]

 Cain became a worker of the soil, while Abel became a Shepherd
 When time for offering, Abel brought some of the very finest from his flocks, while Cain deliberately
brought an average-quality offering from his crops.
o God accepted Abel’s offering because he had given him the best and whole heartedly while Cain
was selfish and unwilling to give him the best.
o Cain allowed his jealousy to turn to anger, and then his anger to hate. Instead of bringing himself
up by doing better next time (as God plainly explained to him in Genesis 4:7), he chose to take
Abel down - he committed the premeditated murder of his own righteous brother.

“The Flood” [Genesis 6]

 The reason for the flood was that humanity's behavior had become so hopelessly evil that God could no
longer tolerate them:
o “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…So the LORD said, ‘I will destroy man whom I
have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air,
for I am sorry that I have made them.’” (Genesis 6:5-7)
o Exception was Noah: "But Noah found favor in the eyes of The Lord ... Noah was a righteous
man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6:8-9 RSV)
o Noah was given the task to build an ark to save the remnants of earth.
o During the entire time spent building the ark, Noah would very likely have been subjected to
continuous taunts and ridicule from the people who saw that he was building a huge boat on dry
land, far from water.
  If other people had repented, God would have taken them; only Noah was concluded as
righteous.
 Ark was It was 450 feet / 137 meters long, 75 feet / 23 meters wide, and 45 feet / 14
meters high. It had upper, lower and middle decks, with a roof over the top. The sides of
the ark were open for 18 inches / 45 centimeters all along the top for light and ventilation.
• Inside the ark was Noah, his wife, their 3 sons (Shem, Ham and Japheth), and
their wives.
• 7 pairs of clean creatures and 2 pairs of unclean creatures. "Clean" and
"unclean" were determined according to God's dietary laws that observant Jews
and some Christian groups still observe today.
• Rained for 40 days
• God set a rainbow in the sky as a sign of the covenant between Him and Noah to never destroy the whole
world again.

The Tower of Babel [Genesis 11:1-9]

• After 3 centuries of The Flood, the people were united under one language, and set out to work together and
build a tower to heaven. (Brick for stone and asphalt for mortar)
• God saw this as a sign of Rebellion, and confused their language so that they would not understand each
other’s speech.
• “So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the
city.” (Genesis 11:8)
• Called Babel, because the Lord had confused their language and scattered them over all the earth.

Sodom and Gomorrah [Genesis 18]

• Were ancient cities of Judea
• "The Lord said, because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave"
(Genesis 18:20).
• However, it was a sinful city and the Lord had sought to destroy it, but Abraham questioned whether the Lord
would destroy the righteous with the wicked.
• God granted Abraham that he would not destroy the city of Sodom if he could find 10 righteous men.
• Chapter 19: Lot, the son of Abraham’s brother, dwelled in Sodom, and the Lord had favor on him and told him
to leave with his wife and two daughters.
• “Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. SO he
overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.” (Genesis
19:25-26)

Lot and his Wife [Genesis 19]

• While the Lord remained with Abraham he sent two angels to rescue Lot and his family.
• “Then, the men said to lot, “have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your songs, your daughters, and
whomever you have in the city – take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry
against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” (Genesis
19:12-13)
• His son-in-laws did not believe so he took his wife and two daughters to escape the city of Sodom, but his
wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.

Jacob and his Wives [Genesis 31-36]

• Jacob had fled from his brother Esau after stealing his inheritance and dwelled with his uncle Laban.
• He had married the two daughters of Laban, Leah and Rachel, and their maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah.
• He had met Rachel and fell in love with her immediately and asked for her hand in marriage in a month, but
Laban had switched Leah as the veiled bride.
• The couple therefore devised a series of signs by which Jacob could identify the veiled bride on his wedding
night. But when Rachel saw her sister being taken out to the wedding canopy, her heart went out to her for
the public shame Leah would suffer if she were exposed. Rachel therefore gave Leah the signs so that Jacob
would not realize the switch.
• Laban justified himself by claiming that it was unheard of wedding his younger daughter before his oldest, and
would grant Rachel to Jacob as well if he worked for him 7 more years.
• Because Jacob loved Rachel more and Leah felt hated, God opened Leah's womb and she gave birth to four
sons rapidly: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Rachel, however, remained barren.
• Rachel then gave her maidservant to Jacob, Bilhah, so that she could raise children through her.
• Bilhah gave birth to Dan and Naphtali.
• Seeing that she had left off childbearing temporarily, Leah then gave her handmaid Zilpah to Jacob in
marriage so that Leah could raise more children through her.
• Zilpah gave birth to Gad and Asher. (According to some commentators, Bilhah and Zilpah were younger
daughters of Laban.)
• Afterwards, Leah became fertile again and gave birth to Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah.
• God remembered Rachel, who gave birth to Joseph.

The Life of Joseph [Genesis 37-48]

• He was the youngest out of the 12 sons of Jacob, and the most favored; was given tunic of many colors by
his father.
• This caused jealousy and hatred by the rest of his brothers.
• “Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more…There we were,
binding shaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves
stood alla round and bowed down to my sheaf.” (Genes 37:7-8) – hated him even more.
• While his brothers were feed the flock, Jacob sent Joseph to see whether they were doing well at the Valley
of Hebron.
• He found them at Dothan instead, but his brothers were planning to kill him, however, Reuben heard it and
said, “Let us not kill him.” (Genesis 37:21)
• When he came, they stripped his tunic and threw him into an empty pit; later they sold him into slavery
through merchants traveling to Egypt.
• They took his tunic and spread blood on it so that they could justify Joseph’s disappearance by telling their
father he had been devoured by a beast.
• Joseph was sold to Potiphar, and officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard – he became the overseer of his
house, and granted authority; the Lord blessed this house.
o However, Potiphar’s wife wanted Joseph to sleep with her, but he refused to disobey the Lord.
o She deceived her household when he had ran away from her and had taken her garment when she
had attempted to force him to lie with her; he was taken to prison, but the Lord showed him mercy
and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
o Interpreted the dreams of the butler and baker of the king of Egypt; the butler was restored and the
baker was hung, as interpreted. The butler forgot Joseph.
o The pharaoh later had a dream, and the butler remembered that Joseph could interpret it for him. In
the dream, the Pharaoh stood at the bank of the river and seven cows came out of the river, fine
looking and fat. Later, seven other cows came up, poor and ugly, and ate up the fat cows. They
remained just as ugly when he had awakened.
o Joseph interpreted that the first 7 cows were the good years that were to come, and the 7 cows after
were the famine that would rise. Pharaoh appointed him officers over the land to college one fifth of
the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years, as a reserve during the famine.
o Pharaoh called him Zaphnathpaaneah, and became Pharaoh’s right hand man.0
o When the famine came, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain; Joseph recognized them and
accused them of being spies. He would not let them leave unless they brought their youngest brother,
Benjamin, with them.
o They returned and were granted a feast by Joseph. Their sacks were filled with grain, their money,
and a silver cup; Joseph later instructed that whoever had that sack would be sentenced death.
o He then revealed himself to them, and claimed that it was God that had sent him to Egypt not them so
that he could save the land. He instructed they bring his father and family to Egypt and they did so,
and were granted land; Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt.
o Had two sons: Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh –.

The Ten Commandments [Exodus 20:1-17]

o God had called Moses to rescue the Israelites from Egypt, and upon their Exodus he gave them the ten
commandments.
o Originally spoken by the voice of God on Mt. Sinai
o Were written on two stone tablet by the finger of God
o The first tablet was shattered when Moses threw it at the golden calf the Israelites had built.
o The second tablet was kept in the Ark of Covenant

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.

2. You shall not make idols of anything.
 3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
4. Keep the Sabbath holy
5. Honor your father and mother
6. You shall not murder
7. You shall not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal
9. You shall not bear false witness
10. You shall not covet

David and Goliath [1 Samuel 17]

o Battle between Philistines at Sochoh against Israelites.
o Goliath, the giant of the philistines, stood six cubits and a span; he bronze helmet and coated of mail
which was the weight of five thousand shekels of bronze; bronze armor on his legs and bronze javelin
between his shoulders.
o Two armies faced each other between opposite hills with the Valley of Elah
o Every morning for forty days, the mighty Goliath .
o challenged the Israelites for someone to come out and fight him, but none would go out.
o David, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, from Bethlehem had come to bring goods to his brothers
and voluntarily chose to fight him.
o He explained to King Saul that he had been fighting fierce animals all his life, he convinced the king that
he could defeat the Philistine.
o Rejected the king’s armor and went down to the creek and got five suitable stones
o “Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I
come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” (1
Samuel 17:45)
o He slung his sling and the stone struck Goliath in the forehead and he fell on his face, and cut off his
head.
o Philistines fled after they saw their champion dead, and the Israelites prevailed.

Judgment of Solomon [Kings 3:16-28]

o Two women, who were living in the same house, each had a child at about the same time.
o One of the infants died; the conflict began after the woman who lost her baby switched her dead infant
with the living infant of the other woman.
o Both were harlots, there was no father to help make identification, so the matter was brought before
Solomon.
o "And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide
the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other." (1 King 3:24-25)
o The woman whose son was living cried out and asked King Solomon to give her son to the other woman;
she had compassion because she was the real mother.
o All of Israel feared the king, for the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

The Nativity [Matthew 1; Luke2]

o Caesar Augustus had issued a decree that every man should be taxed in his home city.
o Joseph had returned to Bethlehem with his espoused wife, Mary, because he was of lineage of David.
o She had been found with child of the Holy Spirit; angel had found Joseph and told him that all this
was done that the prophecy would be fulfilled that a virgin should conceive a child.
o There were no more rooms in the inn left so they stayed in a barn house, where Jesus was born and laid
in a manger.
o "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by
night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:
and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is
Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
lying in a manger." [Luke 2:8-12]
o The shepherds made known to everyone about the child

The Sermon on the Mount [Matthew 5:3-7; Luke 6:17-49]

o "Now when he saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him,
and He began to teach them, saying…” (Matthew 5:1)
 o First taught them that everyone was blessed.
o "You are the Salt of The Earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no
longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." (Matthew 5:13); light of the
world as well
o He has come to fulfill the law
o Do not murder
o Do not commit adultery or divorce
o Do not swear an oath by heaven or earth
o “Eye for an Eye”
o Love your enemy
o Perform acts of charity
o Pray not like hypocrites who stand in synagogues but in privacy
o "This, then, is how you should pray:

"'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'" (Matthew 6:9-13)

o Fast by putting oil on your head and washing your face

o True wealth lies in heaven
o Do not worry God will provide
o Do not judge
o "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
(Matthew 7:8)
o Enter through the narrow gate to find life
o Beware of false prophets
o Be a wise builder

The Parable of the Prodigal Son [Luke 15:11-31]

o A man had two sons, and the younger one asked for his share of the wealth and traveled into a faraway
country and wasted it on riotous living.
o A famine befell the city, and with nothing left, became a citizen and worked to feed the pigs; because no one
gave him food, he began to eat the swine meal.
o “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to
spare, and I perish with hunger! 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have
sinned against heaven, and before thee, 15:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of
thy hired servants. 15:20 And he arose, and came to his father.” (Luke15:17-20)
o But his father had compassion when he saw him, and ran to him and ordered a feast to be held with the finest
calf killed and gave him a ring and a robe.
o His older brother became jealous, but his father replied:
o “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and
be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.” (Luke 15:31-32)

Lazarus [John 11:1-12:11]

o Jesus was a close friend of Lazarus, and his sisters, Mary and Martha in Bethany.
o They were aware of what Jesus was capable of doing, so when Lazarus was sick they sent for his help,
but He arrived after Lazarus had died.
o When he arrived, an emotional scene greeted him although he also wept.
o He instructed they roll the stone away from the tomb, but Martha insisted that it would smell.
o After he prayed, he called “Lazarus, come forth!” and Lazarus walked out still wrapped in cloth.
o The chief priests and Pharisees heard of this and plotted to kill him; Jesus no longer walked openly
among the Jews.
o Later, Jesus come to have supper with them, and Mary took out a pound of very costly oil and anointed
Jesus’s feet and wiped His feet with her hair.
 o Judas Iscariot rebuked her actions saying that she could sell it and give it to the poor, but Jesus replied
“for the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.” (John 12:8)

Temptation of Christ [Matthew 5:3-7;27; Luke 6:17-49]

o Jesus had been led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness and had been tempted by the devil for 40 days.
o He first tempted Jesus that if he was the Son of God, He could turn these stones into bread, but Jesus
replied.
o “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth
of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
o His second attempt was to make Jesus jump off the pinnacle of a temple, for if He were God the angels
would rescue him.
o His third attempt was to make Jesus bow down and worship him by offering Him all the kingdoms of the
world, but He refused.
o Finally Jesus said, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘you shall worship the LORD your God, and
Him only you shall serve.” (Matthew 4:10)
o The devil then left him and angels came and ministered to Him.

The Last Supper [Mark 14; John 13]

o Jesus instructed His disciples to into the city and find a certain man where they would eat the Passover
dinner.
o When they had sat down, he said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” (Matthew 26:21)
o “He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.” (Matthew 26:23);
Judas did
o He took the bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying “Take, eat; this is My
body.” (Matthew 26:26)
o He passed them the cup to drink and said that it was His blood of the new covenant.
o He told them that they would also leave him when he was caught, but Peter denied it although Jesus said
he would.
o On the same night, they went to the Mount of Olives where Jesus prayed.
o “And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me;
nevertheless, not what I will but what You will.” (Mark 14:36)

The Garden of Gethsemane [Matthew 26]

o "Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to His disciples, "Sit here, while I
go yonder and pray." And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful
and troubled. Then He said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch
with Me." (Matthew 26:36)
o He prayed, and came back and found his disciples sleeping.
o He went a second time to pray and said, “O My rather, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I
drink it, Your will be done.” (Matthew 26:39)
o He returned and found his disciples sleeping again.

The Betrayal [Matthew 25,26]

o While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve disciples arrived with the chief priests and men with
swords and clubs.
o “Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “whomever I kiss, he is the One; seize him.” (Matthew
26:49)
o The men came and took Him, but one of his disciples took a sword and struck the servant of the high
priest cutting off his ear.
o But Jesus rebuked his action saying that it was necessary for this to be done to fulfill the Scriptures.
o As predicted, all the disciples fled.
“The Denial” [Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 18]

o As predicted, Peter denied him 3 times before the crow had called.
o Peter was standing outside in the courtyard when a servant girl came and accused him of being with
Jesus of Galilee; he denied it.
o When he had left another girl say him and accused him, but once again he denied knowing Jesus of
Nazareth.
o Later, the men surrounding him accused him but he stood and swore that he did not know Him;
immediately a rooster crowed.
o “And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will have
deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.” (Matthew 26:75)

30 Pieces of Silver [Matthew 26,27; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13,18]

o Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests, and asked “What will you give me if I deliver Him to you?” and
they gave him 30 pieces of silver.
o From them on he sought an opportunity to betray him.
o However, at Jesus’s capture, Judas went and hung himself

Golgotha [Matthew 27:33; Mark 15;22; John 19:17]

o The soldiers had led him inside the palace, and put a scarlet robe upon Him, and plaiting a crown of
thorns they put it on His head, and put a reed in His right hand. And kneeling before Him they mocked
Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spat upon Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the
head. And when they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the robe, and put His own clothes on Him,
and led Him away to crucify Him.
o As Jesus was on his journey to Golgotha to be crucified, which means the place of skull, they made a
man name Simon, a man of Cyrene as well as father of Alexander and Rufus, carry his cross.

The Crucifixion [Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19]

o At Golgotha they offered him wine mingled with gall to drink, but when he tasted it he refused.
o They crucified him and cast lots for his garments; over his head was a sign “This is Jesus the King of the
Jews”
o “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come
down from the cross.” (Matthew 27:40); was mocked by chief priests and those who passed by
o From the 6th-9th hour darkness was over all the land; at the 9th hour, “Jesus cried out with a loud voice,
saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” (Matthew
27:46)
o "And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost." (Mark 15:37)
o Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with Him. And when they came to
the place, which is called The Skull, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right and one
on the left.
o Following his death, the veil of the temple was torn, the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.
o Graves were opened and many bodies of the saints who had died arose, and appeared to many.
o “So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things
that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54)

The Resurrection [Luke 24; John 20, 21]

o The Messiah’s body was placed in the tomb on the preparation day before the beginning of the annual
Sabbath, the first day of Unleavened Bread.
o A counselor named Joseph, of Arimathea, a city of Jews, went to Pilate and begged for Jesus’s body.
o He wrapped the body in linen and lay in a new tomb and rolled a large stone across it; Mary Magdalene
and the other Mary was there.
 o Pilate had placed guards to keep the tomb secure until the third day
o The day after Sabbath, (after 3 days and 3 nights) Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the
tomb, and a great earthquake happened two angels of the Lord came and rolled the stone away from the
tomb and sat on it.
o The guards were afraid because his appearance was like lightening and his clothing, which as
snow.
o “But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus
who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the
Lord lay…” (Matthew 28;6-7)
o Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Marry the mother of James, and the other women who went o the
apostles to tell the good news; many doubted but Peter rose and rant o the tomb and found the
linen cloths.
o He appeared to two of his disciples, but they did not recognize him until dinnertime when he
broke the bread, but He vanquished from their sight, and they returned to the other disciples.
o As they discussed what had happened on the road, Jesus appeared to them and said “Peace to
you.”’ They were terrified, but he showed them his hands and nails.

The Holy Spirit [Acts 1,2]

o Jesus had instructed they remain in Jerusalem to wait for the “Promise of the Father”
o “…for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from
now.” (Acts 1:5)
o “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me
in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8); Jesus then
descended into the clouds
o On the Day of Pentecost, they were all together and a sound came from heaven with a might wind and
filled the house.
o They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit had granted
them.
o The multitude came and heard them speaking in his own language and were amazed; others
thought they were drunk
o Those who received Peter’s word were baptized and about three thousand souls believed.

Mythological Allusions

The Pantheon of Gods and Goddesses

Prometheus Giving Fire to Humans

o Prometheus was a Titan from Greek myth, born from the union of the Titan Iapetus and the Nymph Asia;
name means foresight
o Father led a revolt against the gods, but Prometheus and his brother sided with the gods, winning favor
o Zeus demanded a sacrifice from Man to the Gods to show that they were obedient and worshipful.
o Man went to Prometheus to inquire which parts belonged to Zeus and the Gods, and which parts
belonged to Man.
o At Prometheus instructions, Man sacrificed an ox and placed the sacrifice into two bags. In the first bag
the bones were placed with the fat from the ox placed on top to conceal them. In the second bag the meat
was placed with the intestines on top to conceal them as well.
o Prometheus called for Zeus to choose which portion of the sacrifice he and the other Gods demanded.
Zeus chose the bag with the fat on top, giving the Gods the bones of the ox as their sacrifice.
o Zeus forbade Prometheus to give fire to Man, but Athena showed him an unguarded back entrance; he
snuck into Olympus ade his way to the Chariot of the Sun and lit a torch from the fires that burned there.
o Extinguishing the torch, Prometheus carried the still hot coals down the mountain in a pithy fennel stalk to
prevent being seen. Upon reaching the lands of Men, Prometheus gave to them the coals, breaking Zeus'
order by giving fire to Man.

Pandora and Epimetheus

o Zeus had been furious of Prometheus’s action in giving the fire to mankind and sought to make a trap
by gathering all the horrors of the world and placed it in Pandora’s box, which he had created.
o Pandora was sent to Prometheus as a gift from Zeus, but he saw through the evils and gave it to his
brother, Epimetheus; he married Pandora and told her to never open the box.
 o However, she was curious and when everyone was out she opened the box and let all the evils
escape into the world.
o disease, despair, hunger, poverty, war, sickness, death, old age, greed, violence and a few
more evil things flew out of the box. She quickly closed the box leaving one thing in, hope.

Echo and Narcissus

o Echo was a nymph that had been punished by Hera, Zeus’s wife, for excessive talking that had distracted
her while Zeus had many love affairs with many nymphs.
o She took away her voice, except in foolish repetition of another's shouted words. Thus, all Echo could do
was repeat the voice of another.
o Echo fell in love with a vain youth named Narcissus, who was the son of the blue Nymph Leiriope of
Thespia. The River god Cephisus had once encircled Leirope with the windings of his streams, and thus
trapping her, had seduced the nymph. Narcissus was their child.
o Leirope went to consult the oracle called Teiresias regarding her son's future. Teiresias told the nymph
that Narcissus "would live to a ripe old age, as long as he never knew himself."
o Narcissus had rejected many due to his beautiful appearance, but Echo followed him into the woods, but
could not speak to him first until he questioned, “Whose there?” and she replied the same
o She ran and embraced him, but he rejected her leaving her broken hearted.
o Similarly, man named Ameinius was one of Narcissus' most ardent admirers, and sought for his
attention, but Narcissus responded by giving him a sword telling him to prove his adoration
o He committed suicide but begged the gods to punisht he vain Narcissus; the goddess of hunt, Artemis,
heard his plea and made Narcissus fall in love with himself when he bent down to a pond to drink water
o He caught sight of his own reflection, and killed himself over the agony of never being able to
have his infatuation.

Hercules and his 12 Labors

o Hercules was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, and was thus hated by Zeus’s wife, Hera. She had
attempted to kill him when he was young, but instead he grew into a powerful human.
o Although he was strong, Hercules was driven mad by Hera and in a frenzy, he killed his wife and kids
o He was sentenced to perform 12 labors by King Eurytheus.

1. First task was to kill the Nemean lion, which would only be penetrated by Zeus’s lightening bolt; but he
managed to strangle it and wore the impenetrable skin for armor and its jaws for a helmet
2. The next task was to seek out and destroy the monstrous multi-headed hydra. It had summoned a giant
crab to help it and bit Hercules in the leg, but Hercules’s cousin came and helped put each head on fire
so Hercules could chop all of them off without having them grow back.
3. The third labor was to capture the Cerynitian Hind, but because it was sacred to the goddess of hunt,
Artemis, Hercules carefully captured it without shedding blood
4. The fourth labor was to bring back an enormous boar alive from Arcadia, which he found on Mt.
Erymanthus
5. Hercules had to clean out the stable of King Augeas in one day. Augeas owned many herds of cattle
which deposited their manure in such quantity over the years that a thick smell hung over the entire
Peloponnesus. Instead of using a shovel and a basket like Eurytheus imagined, Hercules diverted two
rivers through the stable yard and finished the job without getting dirty.
6. His sixth task was to kill the Stymphalian birds, which were deadly because they either ate human flesh or
killed them with their feathers. He lured them out with the sound of castanets and dropped arrows on
them
7. In the seventh labor, Hercules had to defeat the Cretan Bull, which was owned by Queen Pasiphae.
8. In his 8th task Hercules had to bring Eurytheus the mares of Diomedes, which ate the travelers who made
a mistake by accepting Diomedes’s hospitality. He fed Diomedes to his own mares and sent them to
Eurtheus.
9. The ninth labor took Hercules to the Land of the Amazons to get their queens belt for Eurytheus’
daughter. Although she had at first given it to them willingly, Hera deceived the Amazons by telling them
the greeks had captured their queen, following a great war; Hercules escaped
10. Hercules had to steal cattle from Thus Geryon for the tenth labor.
 11. His 11th task was to steal Hera’s apples that were guarded by the Hesperides nymphs. In order to do so,
he would need the assistance of Atlas, who had been punished by Zeus to hold the heavens and earth
because he had sided against him in a war. He helped him hold the earth while Atlas retrieved the apples,
but Atlas had at first refused to hold the Earth and heavens again until Hercules deceived him.
12. As the final labor, Hercules was to bring the hellhound up from Hades, the kingdom of the dead. He had
to pass Cerberus who had razor teeth, three heads of dogs, and a venomous snake for a tail. He dragged
it to Tyryns where he received his credit for all the labors.
o Hercules finally died when his wife Deinara gave him a tunic covered in the Hydra’s venom on
accident. He died in agony after he put it on.

The Trojan Horse

o The original Trojan Horse was a huge, hollow wooden horse constructed by the Greeks to gain entrance
into the City of Troy during the Trojan War in the 12th or 13th century B.C
o Odysseus soon devised a way to end the Trojan War -- the erection of a giant wooden horse filled with
Achaean (Greek) men to be left at the gates of Troy.
o The Trojans had noticed Achaean ships sailing away earlier that day and thought the giant horse was a
peace (or sacrificial) offering from the Achaeans.
o Rejoicing, they opened the gates and led the horse into their city.
o Then, after 10 years of privations for the sake of the war, the Trojans brought out their equivalent of
champagne.
o They feasted, drank hard, and fell asleep. During the night, the Achaeans stationed inside the
horse opened the trap door, crept down, opened the gates, and let in their countrymen who had
only pretended to slip away. The Achaeans then torched Troy, killing the men and taking the
women prisoner, ending the Trojan war.

Atlas

o Atlas was a Titan, one of the firstborn sons of Earth.

o Atlas made the mistake of siding with his brother Cronus in a war against Zeus.
o In punishment, he was compelled to support the weight of the heavens by means of a pillar
on his shoulders.
o He was temporarily relieved of this burden by Heracles, who needed the Titan's aid in
procuring the Golden Apples of the Hesperides.
o In connection with another heroic quest, Atlas divulged the whereabouts of the Graeae to
Perseus.

Perseus and Medusa

o The oracle of Apollo at Delphi warned King Acrisius of Argos that his daughter Danae would bear a
son who would one day kill Acrisius.
o To avoid this fate, Acrisius imprisoned Danae in a tower, but Zeus, the king of the gods, came to her
there in the form of a shower of golden rain, which Danae caught in her lap. After nine months had
passed, she gave birth to a son, whom she named Perseus.
o King Acrisius found out, and cast Danae and her son Perseus into the sea in a box, which was found
by Dictys, brother of Polydectes.
o Polydectes wanted Danae, but Perseus had grown strong and powerful and protected her, so he
sought a method to rid him.
o Polydectes ordered Perseus to bring him the head of the gorgon Medusa. The gorgons were
three sisters who lived at the end of the world, beyond the ocean, in the kingdom of Night.
Two of the sisters were immortal, like the gods, but Medusa was as mortal as any human.
o They had previously been beautiful maidens, but when Poseidon had courted Medusa, she
had rejected him causing him to curse the sisters into becoming monstrous creatures, with
live snakes in place of their hair, and hideously deformed bodies. But Medusa’s face
remained beautiful.
 Anyone that looked at her turned into stone
 o Perseus spent the night in the temple praying to the goddess Athena, who was, after all, the
daughter of Zeus and therefore his half-sister.
o She appeared to him and offered him her polished shield, so that he could see the gorgon’s
reflection in the shield when he cut off her head, and not be turned to stone by looking directly
on her face. To enable Perseus to get to the end of the world where the gorgons lived, the
god Hermes lent him his winged sandals.
o Athena told Perseus to visit the fountain nymphs and they would provide him with three gifts
that he would need to accomplish his task. Perseus did so, and the nymphs gave him a cap
of darkness, to render him invisible, a sword with a diamond edge, for the gorgon’s hide was
too tough for an ordinary sword to penetrate, and a bag to carry the head in once he had cut
it off.
o He went to three Gray sisters to find the Gorgon’s whereabouts by stealing their one eye.
o Looking at Medusa’s reflection in the polished shield, and with Athena guiding his hand, he
used the diamond-edged sword to cut off her head. He caught the head by its snaky locks,
and stuffed it quickly into the bag. From the pool of Medusa’s blood there suddenly appeared
a magnificent winged horse named Pegasus, who flew away immediately to make his home
among the muses on Mt. Helicon.
o When he returned, he found that Danae had been hiding in a temple from Polydectes. After
turning them into stone Perseus then returned to tell Danae that she could safely leave the
temple. He freed Dictys and his wife, and made them king and queen of Seriphos
o Many years later, Perseus, Danae, and Andromeda traveled to Argos, where Acrisius was
still king, though he was a lonely, pathetic old man.
 He was afraid that the prophecy would come true
 Acrisius went to the games at Larissa, hoping that if Perseus did not find him at court
in Argos, he would give up looking for him. The crowds at the games seemed a good
place for an old man to hide.
 When Perseus competed in the discus throw, the discus was caught by a gust of
wind and carried with great force into the watching crowd, where it struck the foot of
an old man. Perseus ran to the old man and lifted him in his arms, but he was already
dying from the shock of the blow. With his last breath, the dying man said one word,
“Danae.” Perseus realized that the man he held was Acrisius, and that he had died
grieving over the daughter he had treated so cruelly.
 Perseus assumed the throne of Argos, and he and Andromeda ruled there for many
years.

Achilles’s “Heel”

 Achilles was the son of Thetis and Peleus, the bravest hero in the Trojan war, according to Greek
mythology.
 When he was born, his mother Thetis attempted to make him immortal by dipping him into the River of
Styx, and held him by the heel. She forgot to dip him again so his heel became the only part that was
mortal, or vulnerable.
 He fought against heroically against the Trojans, but was killed by Paris, who shot him with a poisonous
arrow from behind into his heel.

Psyche and Eros

 Psyche was the youngest daughter of a king (incidentally, she had two older sisters).
 Psyche was so stunningly beautiful that her appearance rivaled that of a goddess. Indeed, the simple
people of her county were so in awe of Psyche's grace and beauty that they stopped worshipping
Aphrodite (the real goddess) and paid their honors instead to the daughter of a king.
 Jealous of a mortal, Aphrodite sent her son, Eros, to punish her by using his powers to make Psyche fall
in love with the most terrible and grotesque thing on earth.
 Eros fell victim to Psyche's beauty himself, and accidentally pricked his heart with his own golden arrow.
 He devised a plan to win Psyche for himself while keeping his mother Aphrodite ignorant of his actions.
o The god of love and desire arranged to have Psyche brought to a desolate area. Here, the
innocent girl was told, she would become the bride of an evil being
o In time, Zephyrus led her gently into a valley in which a majestic and grand palace dominated the
landscape.
 o At night when it was too dark to see anything, Eros came and told her that he was her husband,
and slept with her.
o She was content, but soon missed her sisters, and asked Eros to bring them to their palace. They
arrived and were jealous of her sister’s prosperity, and deceived her by telling her that her
husband was dangerous and that she would have to rid him.
 At night she brought a lamp but when she found out he was no monster, oil from the lamp
dropped and he woke up and departed immediately.
 She searched for her lost love, but alas went to Aphrodite for help, who made her
perform difficult tasks.
 Eros also yearend his lost love, and went to Zeus and told his story. Zeus granted him his
wish for the couple to be reunited and married.

The Three Fates

 Three daughters of Nyx, or night, but also said to be children of Zeus, the chief of the gods, and Themis,
the goddess of justice
 They had power over the gods determined how long a man or woman would live
o Clotho ("the spinner"), Lachesis ("the allotter"), and Atropos ("the unavoidable").
 In time, the name Clotho, with its reference to spinning thread, became the basis for
images of the three Fates as controlling the thread of each person's life. Clotho spun the
thread, Lachesis measured it out, and Átropos cut it with a pair of shears to end the life
span.

Tantalus

 Was king of Lydia, and son of Zeus.

 Was favorited by the gods and often invited to dine with them, but angered the gods when he betrayed
their secrets to mortals, while others claim that he stole the food of the gods.
o Another myth gives a more gruesome explanation, saying that Tantalus killed his son Pelops and
served the flesh to the gods to prove they could not tell the difference between human and animal
meat.
 The gods placed him in a pool of water in the underworld that was surrounded by fruit trees.
o When he went to drink, the water would recede. When he tried to eat the fruit, it moved out of
reach.
o Tantalus's punishment gave rise to the word tantalizing, meaning something that is tempting but
just out of reach.

Midas

 Midas was a king of Phrygia

 One day some of his farmhands brought him a satyr they had caught napping in the vineyard.
o This creature, part man, part goat, still groggy and much the worse for wear, had been thoroughly
trussed up to keep him from escaping.
o Midas immediately recognized Silenus, right-hand satyr to the god Dionysus, and ordered him set
free.
 Silenus explained that he and his master had just returned from the East where they had been engaged
in spreading the cultivation of the grape.
 Dionysus had brought back a tiger or two, an ever-expanding flock of followers and one very drunken
satyr.
 Silenus had conked out in Midas's vineyard to sleep it off. Now he was grateful to the king for treating him
with dignity, and so was Dionysus. The god was so pleased, in fact, that he offered to grant whatever
Midas should wish for.
o Midas then wished that everything he touched be turned to gold, although Dionysus was hesitant.
o He quickly returned home, and began touching everything, which turned to gold in surprise.
o He grabbed his daughter by the hand to show her his power, but turned around to realize she had
turned into a gold statue.
o Fortunately, Dionysus allowed Midas to wash away his magic touch in the river Pactolus, which
ever after enjoyed renown for its shimmering deposits of gold
Sisyphus

 Sisyphus was the wisest and most prudent of mortals, but was punished by the gods to roll a rock up to
the top of a mountain, only to have the rock roll back down to the bottom every time he reaches the top.
o His condemnation had began when the god Hades came to claim him personally for the kingdom
of the dead.
o Hades had brought along a pair of handcuffs, a comparative novelty, and Sisyphus expressed
such an interest that Hades was persuaded to demonstrate their use - on himself; he then kept
Hades locked up, but let him go when summoned to by the Underworld.
 He simply told his wife not to bury him and then complained to Persephone, Queen of the
Dead, that he had not been accorded the proper funeral honors.
 In addition, his wife hadn't placed a coin under his tongue to secure passage with Charon
the ferryman. Surely her highness could see that Sisyphus must be given leave to
journey back topside and put things right.
• Eventually he was hauled down to Hades, where his indiscretions caught up with
him, and he was condemned to the task of labor with the stone.

Icarus and Daedalus

 Daedalus was a highly respected and talented Athenian artisan descendent from the royal family of
Cecrops, the mythical first king of Athens; known for his skill as an architect, sculpture, and inventor, and
he produced many famous works.
 King Minos called on Daedalus to build the famous Labyrinth in order to imprison the dreaded Minotaur.
o Theseus, the heroic King of Athens, volunteered himself to be sent to the Minotaur in the hopes
of killing the beast and ending the "human tribute" that his city was forced to pay Minos.
o When Theseus arrived to Crete, Ariadne, Minos's daughter, fell in love with him and wished to
help him survive the Minotaur.
o Daedalus revealed the mystery of the Labyrinth to Ariadne who in turn advised Theseus, thus
enabling him to slay the Minotaur and escape from the Labyrinth. When Minos found out what
Daedalus had done he was so enraged that he imprisoned Daedalus & Icarus in the Labyrinth
themselves.
 Daedalus conceived to escape from the Labyrinth with Icarus from Crete by constructing
wings and then flying to safety.
 He built the wings from feathers and wax, and before the two set off he warned Icarus not
to fly too low lest his wings touch the waves and get wet, and not too high lest the sun
melt the wax.
• But the young Icarus, overwhelmed by the thrill of flying, did not heed his father's
warning, and flew too close to the sun whereupon the wax in his wings melted
and he fell into the sea.
• Daedalus escaped to Sicily and Icarus' body was carried ashore by the current to
an island then without a name.
• Heracles came across the body and recognized it, giving it burial where today
there still stands a small rock promontory jutting out into the Aegean Sea, and
naming the island and the sea around it after the fallen Icarus

Jason and Medea

 Medea was the daughter of King Aeetes of Colchis, and the granddaughter of Helios, the sun god and
one of the great sorceresses of the world.
o King Aeetes' most valuable possession was a golden ram's fleece. When Jason and the crew of
the Argo arrived at Colchis seeking the Golden Fleece, Aeetes was unwilling to relinquish it and
set Jason a series of seemingly impossible tasks as the price of obtaining it.
o Medea fell in love with Jason and agreed to use her magic to help him, in return for Jason's
promise to marry her.
o Jason fled in the Argo after obtaining the golden fleece, taking Medea and her younger brother,
Absyrtis, with him.
 In order to delay King Aeetes’ persuit, Medea cut up her younger brother into pieces and
scattered them so that the persuers would have to stop to give him a proper burial
  Medea bore Jason two children before Jason forsook her in order to marry the daughter
of Creon, the king of Corinth. Medea got revenge for Jason's desertion by killing the new
bride with a poisoned robe and crown which burned the flesh from her body
 Medea fled Corinth in a chariot and took the bodies of her two children which she had
murdered to give Jason more pain, and sought refuge with King Aegeus of Athens.
• She married him and bore a son, Medus but Aegeus had another son, Theseus
o When Theseus returned to Athens, Medea tried to trick her husband into
poisoning him, but as unsuccessful and fled Athens with her son.
o After leaving Athens, Medus became king of the country which was later
called Media.

Persephone, Demeter and Hades

 Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, goddess of the harvest.
o She was said to be so beautiful that Hades abducted her with only Zeus and Helios as the
witness.
o Demeter sought earth looking for her daughter in loneliness when Helios told her what had
happened and the earth ceased to be fertile.
 Zeus knew this could not continue and made Hades release Persephone
• Before she left he gave her a pomegranate and when she ate it, it bound her to
underworld forever and she had to stay there one-third of the year.
• The other months she stayed with her mother.
• When Persephone was in Hades, Demeter refused to let anything grow and
winter began. This myth is a symbol of the budding and dying of nature.

Odysseus (The Hero’s Journey)

 In the tenth year of the Trojan War, Odysseus had devised the plan to use the Trojan Horse, thus
defeating the Trojans.
 Troy was destroyed and Odysseus set out to return home, which begins Homer’s tale.
o Book 1: Urged on by Athena, the goddess of war, they decide that Odysseus has been marooned
too long on the island of the nymph Calypso.
o Book 2: Having been away, Odysseus’s mansion is infiltrated with suitors for his wife, Penelope,
but her son, Telemachus calls an assembly to ask for help, and Zeus sends an omen of the
suitors' doom. Two eagles swoop down, tearing throats and necks with their talons.
 Afterwards Telemachus sets sail for the mainland to seek news of his father.
o Book 3: Telemachus consults King Nestor who tells him to Seek advice from Menelaus.
o Book 4: Menelaus tells what he learned of Odysseus while stranded in Egypt after the war; later
informed that Odysseus was with Calypso
o Book 5: Zeus, the King of the Gods, sends his messenger Hermes skimming over the waves on
magic sandals to Calypso's island, and makes her release him. However on his sail, they are
attacked by Poseidon and he is washed upon shore
o Book 6: Odysseus awakens to the sound of maidens laughing. Princess Nausicaa of the
Phaeacians allows him to follow her into town to seek help from the king
o Book 7: The king invites Odysseus to the banquet which is in progress and promises him safe
passage home after he has been suitably entertained.
o Book 8: An athletic competition is held, with foot races, wrestling and the discus, and Odysseus
participates and wins
o Book 9: Odysseus tells his story of the Cyclops
o Book 10: He then tells of when they met the Keeper of the Winds, who sent us on our way with a
steady breeze. He'd given me a leather bag, which my crew mistook for booty. They opened it
and released a hurricane that blew us back to where we'd started.
 They are later placed on the island of the enchantress Circe, who turned this men into
pigs but were later saved when Hermes gave him a herb to save them. She tells him that
in order for him to get home he must travel to the land of death
o Book 11: As instructed by Circe, Odysseus puts a bleeding sacrifice of lamb into the spit to
summon Tiresias, the blind prophet. He gives him warnings about his journey home and told him
what he must do to ensure a happy death when my time came.
o Book 12: His next encounter is with the Sirens, whose sweet singing lures sailors to their doom,
but he uses wax to cover his crews’ ears. Next came Charybdis, who swallows the sea in a
whirlpool, then spits it up again. “Finally we were becalmed on the island of the Sun. My men
disregarded all warnings and sacrificed his cattle, so back at sea Zeus sent a thunderbolt that
smashed the ship. I alone survived, washing up on the island of Calypso."
o Book 13: When Odysseus finishes he is sent to Ithaca. In joy Odysseus kisses the ground.
Athena transforms him into an old man as a disguise. Clad in a filthy tunic, he goes off to find his
faithful swineherd, as instructed by the goddess.
o Book 14: Eumaeus the swineherd welcomes the bedraggled stranger and treats Odysseus with
hospitality.
o Book 15: Athena summons Telemachus home and tells him how to avoid an ambush by the
suitors. Meanwhile back on Ithaca, Odysseus listens while the swineherd Eumaeus recounts the
story of his life
o Book 16: Telemachus evades the suitors' ambush. Following Athena's instructions, he proceeds
to the farmstead of Eumaeus. Odysseus meets him and Athena reviels his identity again, and he
tells him that he is his father. They plot to destroy the suitors.
o Book 17: Disguised once more as an old beggar, he begs the suitors for food, but one man,
Antinous, even hurls his footstool at Odysseus, hitting him in the back. This makes even the other
suitors nervous, for sometimes the gods masquerade as mortals to test their righteousness.
o Book 18: A real beggar shows up and battles Odysseus but Odysseus only breaks his jaw.
Another suitor, Eurymachus, marks himself for revenge by trying to hit Odysseus with a footstool
as Antinoos had done.
o Book 19: Odysseus has a long talk with his queen Penelope but does not reveal his identity.
Penelope takes kindly to the stranger and orders her maid Eurycleia to bathe his feet and anoint
them with oil. Eurycleia, who was Odysseus' nurse when he was a child, notices a scar above the
hero's knee. Odysseus had been gored by a wild boar when hunting on Mount Parnassus as a
young man. The maid recognizes her master at once, and her hand goes out to his chin. But
Odysseus silences her lest she give away his plot prematurely.
o Book 20: Zeus sends a clap of thunder out of the clear blue sky. A servant recognizes it as a
portent and prays that this day be the last of the suitors' abuse
o Book 21: Penelope now appears before the suitors in her glittering veil. In her hand is a stout bow
left behind by Odysseus when he sailed for Troy. "Whoever strings this bow," she says, "and
sends an arrow straight through the sockets of twelve ax heads lined in a row -- that man will I
marry." The suitors take turns trying to bend the bow to string it, but all of them lack the strength.
Odysseus asks if he might try. The suitors refuse, fearing that they'll be shamed if the beggar
succeeds. But Telemachus insists and his anger distracts them into laughter. As easily as a bard
fitting a new string to his lyre, Odysseus strings the bow and sends an arrow through the ax
heads. At a sign from his father, Telemachus arms himself and takes up a station by his side.
o Book 22: Antinous, ringleader of the suitors, is just lifting a drinking cup when Odysseus puts an
arrow through his throat. Athena arrives and helps defeat the suitors
o Book 23: The mansion is purged with fire, but Odysseus tells everyone to dress up so no one will
know what has truly happened. Penelope refuses to believe that the man is her wife and devices
her servant to move the bed his bed into the hall. "Who had the craft to move my bed?" storms
Odysseus. "I carved the bedpost myself from the living trunk of an olive tree and built the
bedroom around it." Penelope rushes into his arms.
o Book 24: Odysseus, his father and Telemachus meet the challenge of the kin of the suitors, but
Athena stops them and tells them to live peacefully with one another.