25 HEROES & THEIR

MONOMYTHS

Elaiza May M. Dunque

BSED English 1A

Mr. Elvin E. Ruiz

EM 6 – Instructor
GODS and GODDESSES MONOMYTH (The Heroes Journey)

1. OSIRIS Call to Adventure: He excelled in everything he did. Ra saw in Osiris all the
qualities needed for a fine ruler. His standards were high, but he was extremely kind
and he showed great compassion for others.
Source: Twinkl Educational
Publishing. “Daily Reading | The Crossing of the First Threshold: As Osiris climbed in, it became obvious
Ancient Egypt Part One | the that it was indeed the perfect fit and the party guests clapped enthusiastically.
Story of Osiris.” YouTube,
20 Aug. 2020, The Road of the Trials: Osiris had a brother called Seth, who had always resented
www.youtube.com/watch?v his brother’s popularity, especially the way that his grandfather. When Osiris became
=VQgO9e8b314. pharaoh, it was as if every festering bad thought Seth had ever had towards his
brother overwhelmed him completely. His jealousy of Osiris drove him to set his
mind to planning his brother’s downfall. The devious Seth came up with a most vile
scheme to dispose of Osiris.
➢ The next step in Seth’s repulsive plan was to invite everyone, gods and
humans, to a party. There was music, an abundance of delicious food and
the wine was free flowing. Seth stopped the chatter by demanding
everyone’s attention and he called for his slaves to carry in the valuable
chest. “Whoever can fit inside this chest, will get to keep it. It’s a little party
game of sorts!” Seth urged his brother to have a try. It was at this moment
that Seth seized the lid and, with his angry eyes glaring at the crowd, he
pressed it onto the chest making it into a coffin. Instantly, the room was
filled with his slaves, and they helped him to move the chest out of the
palace. The crowd stood aghast, many frozen to the spot with shock.
➢ Isis let her husband’s crook fall to the ground with a clank. She chased
bravely after the group who were making with great speed to the banks of
the Nile. There, Seth took over and tipped the chest into the water. However,
it did not sink straight away. The current was strong, and the chest
disappeared out of sight very quickly.
➢ Isis let her husband’s crook fall to the ground with a clank. She chased
bravely after the group who were making with great speed to the banks of
the Nile. There, Seth took over and tipped the chest into the water. However,
it did not sink straight away. The current was strong, and the chest
disappeared out of sight very quickly.

Apotheosis: When Osiris passed into the afterlife, he became god of the dead. Just
as he had been a kind and goodhearted leader in life, he was also a loving and fair
judge of the dead. It was to be many years before Isis joined her beloved husband in
the afterlife. A short time after Osiris had passed into the afterlife, Isis gave birth to
a son, Horus, who vowed, almost as soon as he could talk, to avenge his father’s
death by murdering Seth. He succeeded but it took eighty years of fighting and
challenges between the two.
The Call to Adventure: Prometheus observed a man and longed to bestow upon
2. PROMETHEUS
him some great power, unshared by any other creature of mortal birth, which would
raise him far above all other living beings and bring him nearer to the perfection of
the immortal gods. Fire alone, in his estimation, could affect this; but the fire was
Source: Guerber, H. A. the special possession and prerogative of the gods, and Prometheus knew they would
“Myths of Greece and never willingly share it with man, and that, should anyone obtain it by stealth, they
Rome”, March 25, 2012. would never forgive the thief.
https://www.gutenberg.o
rg/files/39250/39250- Supernatural Aid: The benevolent deity who had risked his own life to obtain it
h/39250-h.htm#minerva for him.

Crossing the First Threshold: Long he pondered the matter, and finally
determined to obtain fire, or die in the attempt.

The Belly of the Whale: One dark night, therefore, he set out for Olympus,
entered unperceived into the gods’ abode, seized a lighted brand, hid it in his bosom,
and departed unseen, exulting in the success of his enterprise.

Road of Trials: To seize the offender in his mighty grasp, bear him off to the
Caucasian Mountains, and bind him fast to a great rock, was but a moment’s work.
There a voracious vulture was summoned to feast upon his liver, the tearing of which
from his side by the bird’s cruel beak and talons caused the sufferer intense anguish.
All day long the vulture gorged himself; but during the cool night, while the bird
slept, Prometheus’ suffering abated, and the liver grew again, thus prolonging the
torture, which bade fair to have no end.
 The Ultimate Boon: He consigned the stolen treasure to the care of man, who
immediately adapted it to various purposes.

Rescue from Without: After many centuries of woe, Hercules, son of Jupiter and
Alcmene, found Prometheus, killed the vulture, broke the adamantine chains, and
liberated the long-suffering god.

Freedom to Live: Jupiter, who justly ascribed a good part of this beatific
condition to the gift conferred by Prometheus, was greatly displeased and tried to
devise some means to punish mankind for the acceptance of the heavenly fire. With
this purpose in view, he assembled the gods on Mount Olympus, where, in solemn
council, they decided to create a woman; and, as soon as she had been artfully
fashioned, each one endowed her with some special charm, to make her more
attractive. Their united efforts were crowned with the utmost success. Nothing was
lacking, except a name for the peerless creature; and the gods, after due
consideration, decreed she should be called Pandora. They then bade Mercury take
her to Prometheus as a gift from heaven; but he, knowing only too well that nothing
good would come to him from the gods, refused to accept her, and cautioned his
brother Epimetheus to follow his example.

3. BUDDHA The Call to Adventure: Siddhartha was raised in a world of luxury and pleasure,
unaware of pain, suffering, and death. He was an extremely handsome young man,
and he married a neighboring princess at age sixteen with whom he had a son. One
Source: Harris, Reg. “The
day, many years later, the prince decided to visit the town. His father ordered
Legend of Buddha.”
servants to go ahead to clean and decorate the road and to remove any ugly or sad
georgeacademincs.com,
sights from his son’s path. The servants did as they were told. Somehow, however,
2016,
they overlooked an old man. The man was crooked and trembling with age, and when
georgeacademics.com/wp-
Siddhartha rode by and saw him leaning on his staff, he was astonished. He had never
content/uploads/2020/10/20
seen what years could do, and he realized that feebleness was the fate of all who
20-legend-of-buddha-
lived to old age. On the prince’s next ride, the king extended his guard, but again his
story.pdf.
efforts failed. Siddhartha met an incurable invalid, and he learned the suffering of
Accessed 12 Feb. 2023.
pain and disease. On a third ride, the young prince encountered a funeral procession,
and he saw the impermanence of all life. Finally, on a fourth ride, Siddhartha saw a
Hindu monk with a shaven head, wearing a yellow robe and carrying a beggar’s
bowl. The monk told the prince that he had abandoned worldly concerns to pass
beyond suffering and joy. On that day, Siddhartha learned the possibility of freedom
from the suffering of life. Finally, Siddhartha decided to break free of sensual
distractions, so he went to his father. “Everything in the world is changing and
transitory [temporary],” he said. “Let me leave to follow the call of the truth seeker.”

Crossing the Threshold: Reaching its edge by daybreak, Siddhartha changed

clothes with the gatekeeper, who returned to break the news to the family. The
prince, dressed as a pauper [poor person], shaved his head and plunged into the forest
in search of truth and enlightenment.

The Road of Trials: One day, starving and near death, Gautama sat down to rest
on the bank of a broad river. As he sat, a young village girl named Sujata saw him
and offered him a bowl of rice.
➢ Near the end of his meditation, a great storm raged for seven days. Naga
Mucilinda, a giant cobra who was King of Serpents, emerged from the roots
of the tree to protect him. The serpent made a seat with his body and a
canopy of his outspread hood to shelter the Buddha from the storm.

The Meeting with the Goddess: To achieve enlightenment, Gautama had to

master the desires and impulses which chain the human spirit to the material world.
The struggle was not easy, for he had to battle Mara, the Evil One, god of death,
desire, and illusion.

Woman as Temptress: First, the Evil One tried sensual temptation. He displayed
his beautiful daughters--Desire, Longing, and Lust--surrounded by their attendants.
They sang and danced before Gautama, but the mind of the Great Being was not
distracted. The daughters of Mara withdrew.
➢ Knowing that Buddha had achieved enlightenment, Mara tried one more
temptation. This time he appealed to reason. “Who will understand truth as
complex as that which you have discovered?” he asked Buddha. “What you
have experienced goes beyond words and human understanding. Why bother
to spread this message before uncomprehending eyes? Why not leave
mankind to the devil and slip at once into nirvana?” Buddha saw the truth in
these words.
 ➢ “You must save humanity from the hell of attachment and the sin of
ignorance,” they said. “You hold the path to peace and spiritual liberation.”

Apotheosis: But Gautama was not swayed. He simply touched the ground with his
fingertips, asking the mother goddess Earth to confirm his right to be where he was.
She did so with a hundred thousand roars. At the sound, Mara’s elephant fell to its
knees in reverence, and Mara’s army disappeared.
➢ As he considered, the Hindu gods approached, begging him to remain. “You
must save humanity from the hell of attachment and the sin of ignorance,”
they said. “You hold the path to peace and spiritual liberation.”

The Ultimate Boon: After defeating Mara, Gautama worked through the night,
meditating on life and death, rebirth, and on karma (the chain of cause and effect).
Then, as the sun rose, he experienced perfect enlightenment. Gautama now became
the Buddha, the “awakened” or “enlightened” one. For seven weeks he meditated on
his experience, on life, and on nirvana, the state of freedom from pain, worry, and
the impermanence of the physical world.
➢ Buddha was persuaded to remain and preach, and Mara, seeing that he had
lost, left Buddha’s life forever.

Crossing the Threshold: Buddha decides not to remain in the Special World but
to return to the Ordinary World to teach others how to achieve enlightenment.

Master of the Two Worlds: After that sermon, Buddha took his message
throughout India. For forty-four years he preached moderation and liberation,
converting those who heard him to his new philosophy. He founded a religious order
and maintained a rigorous schedule of preaching and counseling.

Freedom to Live: One evening about 480 B.C.E., in the town of Kusinagara,
Buddha ate dinner at the home of Cunda, a village blacksmith and one of his
disciples. Somehow, poison mushrooms got into his dish, and the Buddha fell
mortally ill. Near death, he was taken to a grove of trees where his disciples had
prepared a couch for him. Even as he was dying, Buddha thought of others. In the
midst of his pain he realized that Cunda might feel responsible for his death. “Tell
Cunda,” he directed his companions, “that of all the meals I have eaten during my
life, only two stand out as exceptional blessings. One was the meal which enabled
me to regain my strength so that I could attain enlightenment. The other was Cunda’s
meal, which is now opening for me the gates to nirvana.” As their master suffered
his last agony, many of the disciples wept, but Buddha comforted them. “Do not say
you have lost your master,” he said. “The doctrine that I have preached will guide
you when I have disappeared. Remember, all created things are impermanent. Work
diligently for liberation.” With these words, the Buddha’s journey ended, and he
passed into eternal bliss.

4. MOSES
The Call to Adventure: God told Moses that he had chosen him to be the deliverer
of his people and their leader to the land of Canaan, which he had promised to
Abraham.

Refusal of the Call: Moses felt unequal to this great undertaking and tried to
excuse himself on various grounds.
Source: Willard, James H.
"The Adopted Son: The Supernatural Aid: God told him just what he had to do and that his brother Aaron
Story of Moses", March 27, should be his spokesman. He bestowed upon him the power to do wonderful things
2012. and promised his own protection and help.
https://www.gutenberg.org/
cache/epub/39282/pg39282 Crossing the First Threshold: So Moses set out on his journey and on the way met
- his brother Aaron, whom God had sent to meet him. Then Moses related to Aaron
images.html?fbclid=IwAR3 all that God had said to him from the burning bush, told him the part he was to take
UD1EHiZRzbKR_5T2kOE in God's plan and showed him the rod which he was to use in performing the
TZnGUHdR- wonderful things by which the Israelites were to be convinced that he was their
CCDFv76Elx9HGjYtNRW divinely appointed deliverer from the land of Egypt. Then the two brothers went on
jWEbv0JA0 their way together.

The Belly of the Whale: As soon as Moses and Aaron arrived in Egypt, they called
the people together and told them that God was going to deliver them from their
bondage and give them the land of Canaan. At first, the Israelites were very thankful
for the message.
Road of Trials: After the first failure of Moses to get Pharaoh's consent to let them
go they began to doubt it, especially as from that time the King imposed harder tasks
than ever upon them. Then Moses and Aaron went a second time to Pharaoh. Aaron
threw down his rod and it became a serpent. The magicians of the court did the same
thing and threw down their rods, which became serpents, but Aaron's rod swallowed
theirs. Then the King once more refused to let the people go.
➢ God sent terrible plagues upon the Egyptian people. The first of these
plagues was the changing of the waters of the Nile into blood. The Egyptians
were very clean people, paying great attention to their bodies, and were
generally dressed in white. They were accustomed to bathe in the Nile, and
its appearance at this time must have filled them with loathing. But Pharaoh
again refused to let the people go.
➢ At midnight the tenth and last judgment fell on the Egyptians. A wail of
anguish rose from every home in the land, for the firstborn child in every
home lay dead. The angel of death had entered the palace of the King and
the hovel of his poorest subject alike, sparing only the homes where the
blood-sprinkled doorways told of God's protection.

Apotheosis: Convinced at last that he could not successfully combat the God of the
Israelites, Pharaoh now begged Moses to hasten their departure, and the Egyptian
people were so anxious to have them out of the land that they gave them jewels and
clothing to induce them to go quickly.

The Ultimate Boon: The whole Israelitish nation—some six hundred thousand
men without counting the women and children—set forth, on foot and in the night,
under the leadership of Moses, for the land of Canaan. With them, they took the
coffin containing the embalmed body of Joseph, which had been carefully kept in
Egypt since his death.

The Magic Flight: Pharaoh in the meanwhile had recovered from his terror and
remorse, and with a mighty army was pursuing the Israelites, intending to take them
back to Egypt. He first came in sight of them encamped upon the African border of
the Gulf. When the Israelites knew that they were pursued they turned angrily upon
Moses and Aaron for taking them away from Egypt. But Moses told them to trust
God for He would not let Pharaoh overtake them.

Rescue from Without: Then Moses lifted his rod and stretched it out over the
waters, and God sent a strong east wind which forced them back and left a passage
for the wandering people to cross to the other shore. So on they marched in the fury
of the storm, while Pharaoh and his host were overwhelmed by the waters, which
rushed back again after the children of Israel had reached the further side.

Road of Trials: During the next three days of their journey, no water was found.
Then they came to a well, but the water was not fit to drink.
➢ Before long they were traveling in a desert country and their stock of food
gave out. Then they got out of the desert and camped at a place called
Rephidim. But here there was no water.
➢ A people called the Amalekites attacked them, and for the first time since
leaving Egypt, they were obliged to defend themselves by fighting.

The Crossing of the Return Threshold: Moses chose a young man named
Joshua to be the leader of a selected band and sent him to do battle for the children
of Israel, while he held up his hands in prayer to God to help His people. So long as
Moses' hands were uplifted Joshua was victorious, but when from weariness he let
them fall then the Amalekites prevailed. So Aaron on one side and Hur on the other
supported his weary arms and at sunset, Joshua had won the battle.

Master of the Two Worlds: From the top of Mount Sinai, God gave Moses a
message for them. Among clouds from which lightning gleamed and thunder
muttered, Moses was given the Ten Commandments, which were to be kept by the
Israelites and their children, and laws which they were to observe.
➢ At last, the Israelites came within sight of their inheritance, and Moses' work
was nearly done. He appointed Joshua to succeed him and lead the children
of Israel into the land of Canaan. Then he gathered the people together and
made them an affectionate farewell address. He wrote down for them all the
words of the laws which God had given him for them and gave them to the
priest.

Freedom to Live: Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab onto a mountain
from which he could look over the land of Canaan, which he was not to enter, and
 there he died. He was one hundred and twenty years old, yet we are told that his
eyesight was undimmed. Where he was buried no one knows.
5. JESUS CHRIST The Call to Adventure: Matthew 3:13-17 - Jesus was baptized to "fulfill all
righteousness" (v15). The gospel teaches that we today need to be baptized to receive
remission of sins (Acts 2:38). But Jesus had no sins to be forgiven, so He was not
baptized for the same reason as us. But He still had to be baptized to obey God's will.
Source: Pratte, David E.
“Story of Jesus Christ: His Supernatural Aid: As Jesus was being baptized, the Holy Spirit came in the
Birth, Life, Death, and bodily form of a dove, and the Father spoke from heaven. This shows that the Father,
Resurrection.” Gospel Way, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct Beings or individuals.
2011, ➢ But though Jesus is a separate individual, yet the Father and the Holy Spirit
https://gospelway.com/god/ affirmed their unity with Jesus and their approval of Him. The miraculous
jesus-story.php. voice of the Father and the miraculous appearance of the Spirit constitute
Divine proof that Jesus was the Son of God.

Road of Trials: Matthew 4:1-11 - Jesus fasted in the wilderness 40 days and
nights. Satan then came to tempt Him.
➢ Matthew 26:1-4,14-16 - Jewish leaders determined to kill Jesus, because
He had revealed their sins to the multitudes. Judas, one of Jesus' disciples,
was also a thief. He agreed to betray Jesus to His enemies for thirty pieces
of silver.
➢ Matthew 26:36-41 - After teaching His disciples how to partake of the
Lord's Supper in memory of His death, Jesus went to Gethsemane. There He
prayed that He might avoid the suffering of the cross, but even so He was
willing to obey the Father's will.
➢ Matthew 26:47-56 - Judas came bringing soldiers to capture Jesus and
showed the soldiers which man to arrest by kissing Him. When Jesus refused
to allow His disciples to defend Him, they all forsook Him and fled. Later
Peter denied Him three times, just as Jesus had earlier predicted he would.
➢ Luke 23:8-11 - Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, who mocked Him and sent Him
back to Pilate. Pilate (vv 13-16) then told the people that neither he nor
Herod found any fault in Jesus worthy of death.
➢ Matthew 27:15-26 - Pilate repeatedly stated that Jesus was innocent and
tried to release Him, but the Jews refused. Pilate's wife sent him a message
saying she knew Jesus was innocent. But the Jews said they and their
children would bear responsibility for His death, so Pilate called for Jesus to
be crucified.
➢ Matthew 27:27-54 - Read Matthew's account of the actual crucifixion .
➢ John 18:31-34 - Adds that Jesus' side was pierced with a spear to
guarantee He was dead.

Woman as the Temptress: Matthew 4:1-11 - Jesus fasted in the wilderness 40

days and nights. Satan then came to tempt Him. The Devil tempted Jesus to turn
stones into bread, to which he replied “Human beings cannot live on bread alone,
but need every word God speaks.” The second temptation was for Jesus to throw
himself from the highest point of the temple and order angels to catch him. Jesus
replied “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Finally, the Devil offered Jesus
all the kingdoms of the world in return for worshipping him. Jesus replied “Worship
the Lord your God and serve only him!”

Rescue from Without: Romans 1:4 - God proved Jesus to be His Son by raising
Him from the dead. The resurrection is the most basic and fundamental of all Jesus'
miracles. The only way you can be saved from sin is to believe it to be true (Rom.
10:9,10).

Crossing the Return Threshold: 1 Corinthians 15:16,17 - If Jesus had

simply died without being raised, Satan would have been the victor. He would have
defeated Jesus, and we would all still be in our sins. In order to defeat Satan and
thereby justify us, Jesus had to arise from the dead.
➢ On the third day, an early Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and another
Mary came to the tomb and found it empty. Sitting on the rolled-away stone
was an angel of the Lord who told them not to be afraid because Jesus had
risen. As the women left to tell the disciples, Jesus Christ met them and
showed them his nail-pierced hands.
➢ Matthew 28:1-10 - All four of the gospel accounts affirm that Jesus was
raised. All four record accounts of eyewitnesses who saw Him alive after
His death.
➢ John 20:24-31 - This example shows the factual, historical nature of Jesus'
appearances. Thomas had said he would not believe Jesus had been raised
 until he personally saw Him alive. When Jesus gave Him the proof, Thomas
confessed Him to be "my Lord and my God.

Master of the Two Worlds: Acts 1:2-11 - Having appeared to His disciples
over a period of 40 days, and having discussed with them about His kingdom, Jesus
ascended to heaven. Angels promised He would someday return in the same way.

6. GILGAMESH
The Call to Adventure: The epic begins with Enkidu. He lives with the animals,
suckling at their breasts, grazing in the meadows, and drinking at their watering
places. A hunter discovers him and sends a temple prostitute into the wilderness to
tame him. In that time, people considered women and sex calming forces that could
domesticate wild men like Enkidu and bring them into the civilized world. When
Enkidu sleeps with the woman, the animals reject him since he is no longer one of
them. Now, he is part of the human world. Then the harlot teaches him everything
Source: Ronan, Mark. he needs to know to be a man. Enkidu is outraged by what he hears about
“Gilgamesh – the Full Gilgamesh’s excesses, so he travels to Uruk to challenge him. When he arrives,
Story.” Mark Ronan, 18 Gilgamesh is about to force his way into a bride’s wedding chamber. Enkidu steps
Nov. 2015, into the doorway and blocks his passage. The two men wrestle fiercely for a long
https://www.markronan. time, and Gilgamesh finally prevails. After that, they become friends and set about
com/languages/gilgames looking for an adventure to share.
h/ ➢ Gilgamesh can’t stop grieving for Enkidu, and he can’t stop brooding about
the prospect of his own death. Exchanging his kingly garments for animal
“The Epic of Gilgamesh skins as a way of mourning Enkidu, he sets off into the wilderness,
(Ca. 1900-250 B.C.E.).” determined to find Utnapishtim, the Mesopotamian Noah
Tattooed Professor, 21
Sept. 2019, Crossing the Threshold: Gilgamesh and Enkidu decide to steal trees from a
https://tattooedprofessor distant cedar forest forbidden to mortals. A terrifying demon named Humbaba, the
.blog/2017/07/01/the- devoted servant of Enlil, the god of earth, wind, and air, guards it. The two heroes
epic-of-gilgamesh-ca- make the perilous journey to the forest, and, standing side by side, fight with the
1900-250-b-c-e/ monster.

The Belly of the Whale: Utnapishtim lives beyond the mountain, but the two
scorpion monsters that guard its entrance refuse to allow Gilgamesh into the tunnel
that passes through it. Gilgamesh pleads with them, and they relent.

The Road of Trials: After a harrowing passage through total darkness. Gilgamesh
emerges into a beautiful garden by the sea.

The Meeting with the Goddess: With assistance from Shamash the sun god,
they kill him.

Woman as Temptress: There he meets Siduri, a veiled tavern keeper, and tells
her about his quest. She warns him that seeking immortality is futile and that he
should be satisfied with the pleasures of this world.

Atonement with the Father: However, when she can’t turn him away from his
purpose, she directs him to Urshanabi, the ferryman. Urshanabi takes Gilgamesh on
the boat journey across the sea and through the Waters of Death to Utnapishtim.
Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh the story of the flood—how the gods met in council and
decided to destroy humankind. Ea, the god of wisdom, warned Utnapishtim about
the gods’ plans and told him how to fashion a gigantic boat in which his family and
the seed of every living creature might escape. When the waters finally receded, the
gods regretted what they’d done and agreed that they would never try to destroy
humankind again. Utnapishtim was rewarded with eternal life. Men would die, but
humankind would continue. When Gilgamesh insists that he be allowed to live
forever, Utnapishtim gives him a test. If you think you can stay alive for eternity, he
says, surely you can stay awake for a week. Gilgamesh tries and immediately fails.
So Utnapishtim orders him to clean himself up, put on his royal garments again, and
return to Uruk where he belongs. ust as Gilgamesh is departing, however,
Utnapishtim’s wife convinces him to tell Gilgamesh about a miraculous plant that
restores youth. Gilgamesh finds the plant and takes it with him, planning to share it
with the elders of Uruk. But a snake steals the plant one night while they are camping.
As the serpent slithers away, it sheds its skin and becomes young again.

The Ultimate Boon: Then they cut down the forbidden trees, fashion the tallest
into an enormous gate, make the rest into a raft, and float on it back to Uruk.

Crossing the Threshold: Upon their return, Ishtar, the goddess of love, is
overcome with lust for Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh spurns her. Enraged, the goddess asks
her father, Anu, the god of the sky, to send the Bull of Heaven to punish him. The
 bull comes down from the sky, bringing with him seven years of famine. Gilgamesh
and Enkidu wrestle with the bull and kill it. The gods meet in council and agree that
one of the two friends must be punished for their transgression, and they decide
Enkidu is going to die. He takes ill, suffers immensely, and shares his visions of the
underworld with Gilgamesh. When he finally dies, Gilgamesh is heartbroken.
➢ When Gilgamesh returns to Uruk, he is empty-handed but reconciled at last
to his mortality.

Freedom to Live: He knows that he can’t live forever but that humankind will.
Now he sees that the city he had repudiated in his grief and terror is a magnificent,
enduring achievement—the closest thing to immortality to which a mortal can aspire.

7. HORUS The Call to Adventure: Now that Horus had taken his place among the gods,
Osiris decided that the time had come to deal with Set. He tested Horus's readiness
to avenge his father's murder.

Source: “Osiris, Isis, and Supernatural Aid: Osiris was pleased to hear his son's responses, for they showed
Horus.” MHCC Library that he was mature enough to fight Set. Osiris then taught Horus how to use weapons
Press, 11 Feb. 2021, of war and encouraged his son to take vengeance upon Set.
https://mhcc.pressbooks.
pub/app/uploads/sites/2 Crossing the First Threshold: When he became an adult, Horus decided to make
8/2021/02/ENG250_Egy a case before the court of gods that he, not Set, was the rightful king of Egypt. A
ptian_Myth.pdf?fbclid=Iw long period of argument followed, and Set challenged Horus to a contest. The winner
AR29evSIXR7oyMUp16bR would become king.
ito2RyjG8U6cGzd6-
nDgiXGA8SB3eXObVJ3PW The Belly of the Whale: Horus and Set did fight each other, first in the form of
6M. two men and then in the form of two bears. The battle was so fierce that it lasted for
three days and three nights.
Rose, Christopher. The
Story of Osiris, Isis and
Road of Trials: Set was still determined to become king of Upper and Lower
Horus: The Egyptian Myth
Egypt. He next tried to acquire the throne by accusing Horus of being an illegitimate
of Creation. 27 July 2000,
child of Isis and, therefore, not the legal heir to the kingdom.
https://www.laits.utexas. ➢ Set decided that the final round of the contest would be a boat race.
edu/cairo/teachers/osiris However, in order to make the contest a challenge, Set decided that he and
.pdf. Horus should race boats made of stone.
➢ But Set did not give up. Twice more he challenged Horus, and twice more
he lost in combat. At last he accepted Horus's right to rule the kingdom of
Osiris.

Woman as the Temptress: But once Horus had conquered Set, Isis suddenly felt
great pity for him. In her sympathy for her fallen enemy, Isis used her father's
magical power with words. "Drop your weapons, Horus!" she cried. Horus found
himself powerless to resist. In spite of his own intentions, his weapons fell to the
ground. Set was free!

Apotheosis: Men and women would pray to him while they were still alive, asking
him to notice their good lives and plead with Osiris for their resurrection after death.

The Ultimate Boon: So it came to pass that the assembly of gods formally
acclaimed Horus to be lord of all the earth as his father had been before him.

Master of the Two Worlds: Since he had been born from the seed of his dead
father, Horus was chosen to be the intermediary between the living and the dead.

Freedom to Live: Once Horus had inherited his father's kingdom, Isis remained
with Osiris in the Other World and always accompanied him. She was satisfied and
happy. Her husband had returned to life and love. Her son had avenged his father.
The gods had proclaimed the truth of their words against Set's accusations. The
kingdom of Upper and Lower Egypt was in good hands, and all was well.
 8. RAMA First Journey

The Call to Adventure: One day a holy man came to the king. "I need your son
Rama," he said. "There are two powerful demons who daily defile a sacrifice that I
Source: Byrd, Charlotte M. am performing in the forest. They showered the sacred fire with flesh and blood. I
The Story of Prince Rama could destroy them myself, but it is not proper to curse anyone at the time of sacrifice.
(Adapted From the Send warlike Rama to me. He will be able to kill the rakshasas and earn fame and
“Ramayana”): A Study Unit glory for himself in the three worlds" " I am afraid for my son," said the king. "Do
Grades 5-7. Fulbright-Hay. not fear, great king. No harm will come to Rama for the past, present, and future is
401 165, vol. 1–33, Center known to me. II So the young prince Rama and his brother and constant companion
for International Lakshmana set out with the holy man for their first adventure.
Education (ED),
Washington, DC, 1965, Crossing the First Threshold: Glowing like the morning sun they set out to
file:///C:/Users/CHK/Do confront the forces of darkness. Soon they entered the Dandaka forest. Dark, dense
wnloads/MYTHOLOGY/R and dangerous, the forest was a home of a wicked and ferocious rakshasi named
AMA%20MYTH.pdf. Tadaka. . She was huge and hairy, her red teeth were pointy. The claws on her hands
and feet were stained with the blood of the peasants that she had terrorized. Her
strength was the strength of a thousand elephants.

The Belly of the Whale: Rama raised his bow and twanged the bowstring until it
resounded in the forest. In the forest the lesser demons shuddered, but the Tadaka
heard the challenge of Rama's bow. She tore trees from the earth and then flew into
the air and hurled the trees at the brothers. New at the art of war, Rama shot his
arrows merely attempting to wound her.

Supernatural Aid: "Kill her," shouted the wise man, "or she will destroy you.
Night is coming and her strength will double. Rama aimed his arrow at her breast
and the rakshasi crashed to the earth with such force that the tremors were heard by
King Dasharatha in his palace in capital city of Ayodhya.

Meeting the Goddess: It is time to teach Rama the use of celestial weapons," said
the gods to the wise man. So the wise man along with Rama and Lakshmana retired
to his ashrama. There the holy man faced east in meditation and prayed.

Apotheosis: One by one the weapons of the gods appeared before Rama,
acknowledging him as their master. One night, soon after Rama had received these
wonderful weapons from the gods, the sky darkened as an army of rakshasa appeared
to destroy Rama and the ashrama. With the celestial weapons, Rama hurled the
demons far over the mountains.

The Ultimate Boon: The two princes destroyed the entire rakshasa army. "Thanks
to you," the holy man said, " the woods are now again a safe retreat.

Second Journey
The Call to Adventure: Now my priests and I are able to complete our sacrifices
without fear. Come with me tomorrow to visit Raja Janaka. Here is a wondrous thing
for you to see."

Crossing the First Threshold: Rama and Lakshmana arrived early one morning
and King Janaka welcomed the sons of his good friend.

The Belly of the Whale: At their request, the great bow was brought out before
them. Rama opened the case, lifted the bow, and bent the bow to string it. With a
resounding crack, the weapon broke in two. At that moment, showers of flowers fell
from heaven to celebrate the mighty deed.

The Road of Trials: Suddenly, a fierce storm began to crash around them and
from a dark thunder cloud swooped the sage Parasuama armed with a battle axe and
a bow exactly lie the one Rama had strung and broken in Raja Janaka's court. The
sage was said to be the sixth avatara of Vishnu and the bow he held was the bow of
Lord Vishnu. "I challenge you to prove your strength by stringing this bow," he said.

The Meeting with the Goddess: Rama strung the mighty bow with ease. And
with great reverence, Parasurama acknowledged the divinity of the young prince
Rama.
Apotheosis: "The bow is yours," he said to Rama, "Use it for justice and for the
good of the kingdom."

The Ultimate Boon: Rama was so happy, that he forgot that he was to fight
Ravana, the King of all demons.

The Road of Trials: Ravana's sister had seen Rama and thought he was as
handsome as a young lion. "He is obviously a prince," she thought. "I want to marry
him. I will trick him into becoming my husband." And she changed herself into a
beautiful, young princess and came one morning to the garden of the palace to meet
Rama.

Woman as a Temptress: "Come with me," she said in enchanting tones. "Marry
me and I will make you the happiest and richest man in the world." But to no avail.
Her words had no affect on Rama. "Sita is a horrible wife to you. She is not faithful
and you must send her back to her own land and marry me instead." "My dear brother
is very powerful. He will make the rakshasa wait on you forever." Rama suddenly
knew at once that the beautiful young princess was really a demon in disguise. He
turned his back on her. In shame, she ran off into the forest, and as she ran, her body
again took on the shape of the ugly demon. She vowed vengeance.

Road of Trials: Ravana's sister was enraged. Lakshmana was forced to fight the
demon. She was strong and powerful. She fought with tooth and nail and Lakshmana
fought long and hard. In the struggle, with one huge blow of his mighty sword,
Lakshmana cut off her nose and ears. Howling in pain, Ravana's sister ran to her
brother's palace. "You must send your rakshasa, dear brother, to kill them all," she
begged. "Rama will never willingly leave Sita. She is far too beautiful." "You shall
be avenged," shouted Ravana. "I will destroy them with my power." Secretly Ravana
was mush intrigued with the stories he had heard of Sita's beauty. Although he had
many wives, he had been thinking of obtaining a new one for some time and Sita
sounded like just the one for him. Ravana got together his huge rakshasa army. He
set his Demon Warrior in charge of fourteen Demon Warlords. Armed with their
forks, swords, and battle-axes and spears they attacked Rama and Lakshmana. The
battle lasted for seven days and seven nights and at the end of it there were fourteen
thousand dead demons. Those that were alive fled in terror.
➢ Far away, back at the house, Lakshmana and Sita heard Rama's voice cry
out in distress. Lakshmana suspected a trick, because he knew that only a
mighty force could harm Rama, but Sita begged him to find Rama and go to
his aid. The moment Lakshmana left the house, Ravana, the King of all
demons changed himself into a old beggarman and knocked on Sita's door.
When Sita opened the door, she saw an old beggar standing there. "Come
in," she said. "I will make you some breakfast." Having gained entrance to
the house, Ravana changed back to his shape with ten heads and twenty
arms. Ravana seized Sita and dragged her by the hair to his hidden chariot.
"Forget Rama. You will never see him again. Be mine." "All creatures of the
forest," she cried out, "tell Rama of my fate." Sita struggled and wept in vain.
But only one creature saw Ravana and Sita--the vulture king Jatayu. Jatayu
was the son of the mighty man-bird Garuda, Lord Vishnu's charger. Jatayu
attacked. His wings beat so strong they made windstorms. The old vulture
fought valiantly with beak and claw. Ravana seized a weapon in all twenty
of his hands and slashing at the valiant bird. The vulture crashed into the
chariot and Ravana dealt him a death blow with a cruel stroke to the throat.
Dying, Jatayu plummeted to the earth.

Third Journey
The Call to Adventure: The brothers searched and searched for Sita.

Supernatural Aid: Soon they came to the land of the monkey-people where the
country was at war. The brothers helped to bring peace to the land. While there, they
earned the allegiance of Hanuman, general of the monkey army, who vowed to serve
Rama forever. General Hanuman possessed great strength, intelligence and a will to
succeed. As a monkey child, he had been given power of movement. Once, as a
child, he had soared into the sky to capture the sun, imagining it to be a delicious
piece of fruit. To protect the sun, Indra, the king of the gods, hurled a thunderbolt.
As Hanuman fell, he broke his jaw. Hanuman's father, the Wind God, was so enraged
that he held his breath ceasing all motion in the three worlds till the other gods
begged for breath and showered Hanuman with blessings. They gave him the gift of
immortality. No weapon would destroy him. He would die only when he himself
wished to die.

Crossing the First Threshold: Hanuman soon found the palace and heard a voice
behind a high garden wall singing a sad song.

The Belly of the Whale: Leaping to the top of the wall he saw a young woman,
tears streaming down her cheeks, but through them her beauty remained undimmed
and Hanuman knew she was Sita, Rama's adored wife. As he approached Sita to talk
to her, he was overcome by several demons who took him and threw him at the feet
of Ravana. "You must give up Sita and your evil ways, or Rama's army will destroy
you and all the demons," Hanuman warned. "I will gladly fight," raged Ravana, "but
kill this insolent ape at once," Ravana roared. "Patience my Lord," said one of the
younger rakshasa. "It would be wrong to kill a messenger who is only conveying
another's words." "Then at least he must be punished," thundered Ravana. "Set fire
to his tail and parade him through the streets of Lanka!

The Meeting with the Goddess: Hanuman prayed to Agni, the Fire God, "If I
am chaste, if I am pure of heart, then be kind to me." Suddenly the flames no longer
scorched, but felt as cool as raindrops. Hanuman allowed himself to be dragged
through the streets. His sharp eyes observed all the fortifications of the city for future
reference. His task accomplished, he snapped his bonds, extended his burning tail,
and set fire to building after building, until the whole of Lanka was in flames. Then
he doused his flaming tail into the ocean and with tremendous speed flew back to his
comrades.

The Road of Trials: That day was the first of many days of fighting. Soon Ravana
could see that he was slowly losing the battle. So he made his son, a Demon Warlord,
invisible and sent him into battle. Ravana gave him invisible weapons and wove a
spell of invisible fire around him. So Ravana's son stormed out into the middle of
the monkeys and the bears. Many brave soldiers were killed. No-one could see where
the arrows came from, but they still fought bravely. The whole army soon lay dead
or dying. Rama and Lakshmana ran back and forth to find the cause of the deaths
until at last they too were struck down. No one was left unharmed but Hanuman.
"There is a cure," gasped a dying bear. "Go to the Himalaya Mountains and seek our
four special herbs that grow there. They will disarm the invisible arrows. If you do
it quickly, they will even bring the dead soldiers to life again."

Apotheosis: Hanuman wasted no time. He crossed India to the mountains and lifted
off the top of a mountain and flew back to Lanka with it. As soon as the mountain
was near the battlefield, the anecdote began to work, restoring the army to life and
health.

Rescue from Without: After the death of his son, Ravana could see the end was
coming and that Rama's army was winning each battle and was winning the war. The
only thing left for him to do was to fight Rama himself. He put on special armor to
protect his ten heads and twenty arms. So the two faced each other across the battle
field. Ravana had ten bows in ten of his hands and notched ten arrows to the bows.
He charged over the bloodstained earth. Releasing all his pent up hatred, Ravana
unleashed shaft after shaft of devastating power. Rama countered each one. Both
were so skilled and so matched that each admired the prowess of the other, though
each sought the other's death. The sun was blackened by the crisscross of flaming
arrows. Each time a head was severed, Ravana grew another. Hundreds of his heads
rolled in the dust, yet Ravana lived.

Crossing the Return Threshold: Suddenly a messenger from Brahma appeared.

"Use this sacred weapon," he declared. There in his hand was a mighty sword,
seeming to burn in its own bright light. Ravana protected his head and his arms and
body, but nothing guarded his evil heart. The arrow flew straight, piercing the heart
and Ravana fell dead from his chariot. The crash shook the tree worlds. The war was
over. "Do not feel sad. Ravana died a hero's death. Comfort his queen and cremate
him with honor," Rama said to Ravana's brother. "You are now the king of Lanka.
Reign in peace." Then he spoke to Hanuman. "Go to Sita. Tell her what has happened
and escort her here

Master of the Two Worlds: Hanuman found Sita sitting pale and wan,
surrounded by her guards. "It's all over. Ravana is dead," he said gently. Lord Rama
awaits you." Sita heard the news with joy. Adorned with fresh clothes and jewelry,
Sita came before Rama. But Rama's face was harsh and hid voice stern. "I have done
my duty and have killed the rakshasa king and freed you. But I cannot take you back
 as my wife. Too long have you lived under the protection of another. In the eyes of
the world, your virtue is suspect." Sita's heart was pierced by those words. "I have
no reason to live," she cried out. Prepare my funeral pyre." Sita approached the
brightly burning funeral pyre and prayed to Agni, God of Fire. "If I am pure, protect
me." A huge crowd watched her as she fearlessly entered the flames. Suddenly rays
of bright light rose from the fire and out stepped glorious shining figures--Brahma,
the creator of three worlds, Shiva, great lord of destruction, Indra, and other gods.
"Virtuous Rama, you destroyed evil on earth and have fulfilled your purpose. Return
to Ayodhya with Sita. Fear not. She is pure and sinless. Rule the kingdom with your
brothers." The gods faded from sight and out of the flames stepped Sita--radiant and
untouched by her ordeal. Rama opened his arms and welcomed her. Rama ascended
to the throne where his father had been king. The gods showered flowers on them in
celebration. Sita sat beside him , his brothers near him, and his faithful Hanuman
was at his feet.

Freedom to Live: There was no hunger. It was a time of perfect peace, and
holiness made earth like heaven for... just a little time.
9. HERCULES First Journey
The Call to Adventure: Hera, as always, was furiously jealous and she was
determined to kill Hercules.
Source: Hamilton, Edith.
Mythology: Timeless Crossing the First Threshold: One evening Alcmena gave both the children their
Tales of Gods and Heroes. baths and their fill of milk and laid them in their crib, caressing them and saying,
Grand Central “Sleep, my little ones, soul of my soul. Happy be your slumber and happy your
Publishing, 2011. awakening”. She rocked the cradle the moment the babies were asleep. But at the
darkest midnight when all was silent in the house two great snakes came crawling
into the nursery.

Road of Trials: There was a light in the room and as the two reared up above the
crib, with weaving heads and flickering tongues, the children woke. Iphelis screamed
and tried to get out of the bed, but Hercules sat up and grasped the deadly creatures
by the throat. They turned and twisted and wound their coils around his body, but he
held them fast. The mother heard Iphicles’ screams and calling to her husband, and
rushed to the nursery.

Apotheosis: There sat Hercules laughing, in each hand a long limp body. He gave
them gleefully to Amphitryon. They were dead.

The Ultimate Boon: All knew then that the child was destined to great things.
Teiresias, the blind prophet of Thebes, told Alcemena: “I swear that many a Greek
woman as she cards the wool at eventide shall sing of this your son and you who
bore him. He shall be the hero of all mankind.”

The Road of Trials: By the time he was eighteen he was full-grown and he killed,
alone by himself, a great lion which lived in the woods of Cithaeron, The Thespian
lion.

Freedom to Live: Even after he wore its skin as a cloak with the head forming a
kind of hood over his own head.

Second Journey

The Call to Adventure: His next exploit was to fight and conquer the Minyans, who
had been exacting a burdensome tribute from The-Bans.

Belly of the Whale: The grateful citizen gave him as a reward the hand of Princess
Megara.

The Road of Trials: When Megara had borne him three sons he went mad. Hera
who never forgot the wrong sent madness upon him. He killed his children and
Megara, too, as she tried to protect the youngest.

Apotheosis: Then his sanity returned. He found himself in his bloodstained hall, the
dead bodies of his sons and his wife beside him. He had no idea what had happened,
how they had been killed. Only a moment since, as it seemed to him, they had all
been talking to gather. As he stood there in utter bewilderment the terrified people
were watching him from a distance saw the mad fit was over, and Amphitryon dared
to approach him. There was no keeping the truth from Hercules. He had to know
how this horror had come to pass and Amphitryon told him. Hercules heard him out:
then he said, “And I myself am the murderer of my dearest.”
“Yes ,” Amphitryon answered trembling, “But you were out of your mind”
Hercules paid no attention to the implied excuse. “Shall I spare my life
then?” he said. I will avenge upon myself these deaths.

Refusal of the Return: Hercules said “Do you know what I have done?” “I know
this,” Theseus answered. “Your sorrows reach from earth to heaven.” “So I will die,”
said Hercules. “No hero spoke those words,” Theseus said. “What can I do but die?”
Hercules cried. “Live? A branded man for all to say, ‘Look. There is he who killed
his wife and sons! Everywhere my jailers, the sharp scorpions of the tongue!” “Even
so, suffer and be strong,” Theseus answered.

Rescue from Without: But before he could rush out and kill himself, even as he
started to do so, his desperate purpose was changed and his life was spared. This
miracle–it was nothing less–of recalling Hercules, from frenzied feeling and violent
action to a god descending from the sky. It was a miracle caused by human
friendship. His friend Theseus stood before him and stretched out his hands and
clasped those bloodstained hands. Thus according to the common Greek idea he
would himself become defiled and have a part in Hercules’ guilt.

Freedom to Live: “You shall come to Athens with me, share my home and all things
with me. And you will give to me and to the city a great return, the glory of having
helped you.” Theseus said. A long silence followed. At last Hercules spoke, slow,
heavy words. “So let it be,” he said, I will be strong and wait for death.

Third Journey
The Call to Adventure: The two went to Athens, but Hercules did not stay there
long.

Refusal of the Call: But he himself could not understand such ideas. He could not
think the thing out all; he could only feel. He had killed his family. Therefore, he
was defiled and a defiler of others. He deserved that all should turn from him with
loathing.

Supernatural Aid: Theseus, the thinker, rejected the idea that a man could be guilty
of murder when he had not known what he was doing and that those who helped
such one could be reckoned defiled.

Crossing the First Threshold: The Athenians agreed and welcomed the poor hero.

The Belly of the Whale: At Delphi, where he went to consult the oracle, the priestess
looked at the matter just as he did. He needed to be purified, she told him, and only
a terrible penance could do that. She bade him go to his cousin Eurystheus, King of
Mycenae and submit to whether he demanded of him clean again. It was plain from
the rest of the story that the priestess knew what Eurystheus was like and that he
would beyond question purge Hercules thoroughly.

The Road of Trials: The tasks Eurystheus gave him to do are called “the Labors of
Hercules.” There were twelve of them and each one was all but impossible.
➢ The first was to kill the lion of Nemea, a beast no weapons could wound.
That difficulty Hercules solved by choking the life out of him. Then he
heaved the huge carcass up on his back and carried it into Mycenae.
➢ The second labor was to go to Lerna and kill a creature with nine heads
called the Hydra which lived in a swamp there. This was exceedingly hard
to do, because one of the heads was immortal and the others almost as bad,
inasmuch as when Hercules chopped off one, two grew up instead.
➢ The third labor was to bring back alive a stag with horns of gold, sacred to
Artemis, which lived in the forests of Cerynitia. He could have killed it
easily, but to take it alive was another matter and he hunted it a whole year
before he succeeded.
➢ The fourth labor was to capture a great boar which had its lair on Mount
Erymanthus. He chased the beast from one place to another until it was
exhausted; then he drove it into deep snow and trapped it.
➢ The fifth labor was to clean the Augean stables in a single day. Augeas had
thousands of cattle and their stalls had not been cleared out for years.
Hercules diverted the courses of two rivers and made them flow through the
stables in a great flood that washed out the filth in no time at all.
➢ The sixth labor was to drive away the Stymphalian birds, which were a
plague to the people of Stymphalus because of their enormous numbers.
➢ The seventh labor was to go to Crete and fetch from there the beautiful
savage bull that Poseidon had given Minos. Hercules mastered him, put him
in a boat and brought him to Eurystheus.
➢ The eighth labor was to get the man-eating mares of King Diomedes of
Thrace. Hercules slew Diomedes first and then drove off the mares
unopposed.
➢ The ninth labor was to bring back the girdle of Hippolyta, the Queen of the
Amazons. When Hercules arrived she met him kindly and told him she
would give him the girdle, but Hera stirred up trouble. She made the
Amazons think that Hercules was going to carry off their queen, and they
charged down on his ship. Hercules, without a thought of how kind
Hippolyta had been, without any thought at all, instantly killed her, taking it
for granted that she was responsible for the attack. He was able to fight off
the others and get away with the girdle.
➢ The tenth labor was to bring back the cattle of Geryon, who was a monster
with three bodies living on Erythia, a western island. On his way there
Hercules reached the land at the end of the Mediterranean and he set up as a
memorial of his journey two great rocks, called the pillars of Hercules (now
Gibraltar and Ceuta). Then he got the oxen and took them to Mycenae.
➢ The eleventh labor was the most difficult of all so far. It was to bring back
the Golden Apples of the Hesperides, and he did not know where they were
to be found.
➢ The eleventh labor was the most difficult of all so far. It was to bring back
the Golden Apples of the Hesperides, and he did not know where they were
to be found. Atlas, who bore the vault of heaven upon his shoulders, was the
father of the Hesperides, so Hercules went to him and asked him to get the
apples for him. He offered to take upon himself the burden of the sky while
Atlas was away. Atlas, seeing a chance of being relieved forever from his
heavy task, gladly agreed. He came back with the apples, but he did not give
them to Hercules. He told Hercules he could keep on holding up the sky, for
Atlas himself would take the apples to Eurystheus. On this occasion
Hercules had only his wits to trust to; he had to give all his strength to
support that mighty load. He was successful, but because of Atlas' stupidity
rather than his own cleverness. He agreed to Atlas' plan, but asked him to
take the sky back for just a moment so that Hercules could put a pad on his
shoulders to ease the pressure. Atlas did so, and Hercules picked up the
apples and went off.
➢ The twelfth labor was the worst of all. It took him down to the lower world,
and it was then that he freed Theseus from the Chair of Forgetfulness. His
task was to bring Cerberus, the three-headed dog, up from Hades. Pluto gave
him permission provided Hercules used no weapons to overcome him. He
could use his hands only. Even so, he forced the terrible monster to submit
to him. He lifted him and carried him all the way up to the earth and on to
Mycenae. Eurystheus very sensibly did not want to keep him and made
Hercules carry him back. This was his last labor.
➢ When all were completed and full expiation made for the death of his wife
and children, he would seem to have earned ease and tranquility for the rest
of his life. But it was not so.He was never tranquil and at ease. An exploit
quite as difficult as most of the labors was the conquest of Antaeus, a Giant
and a mighty wrestler who forced strangers to wrestle with him on condition
that if he was victor he should kill them. He was roofing a temple with the
skulls of his victims. As long as he could touch the earth he was invincible.
If thrown to the ground he sprang up with renewed strength from the contact.
Hercules lifted him up and holding him in the air strangled him.
➢ He fought the river-god Achelous because Achelous was in love with the
girl Hercules now wanted to marry. Like everyone else by this time,
Achelous had no desire to fight him and he tried to reason with him. But that
never worked with Hercules. It only made him more angry. He said, "My
hand is better than my tongue. Let me win fighting and you may win
talking." Achelous took the form of a bull and attacked him fiercely, but
Hercules was used to subduing bulls. He conquered him and broke off one
of his horns. The cause of the contest, a young princess named Deianira,
became his wife.
➢ At Troy he rescued a maiden who was in the same plight as Andromeda,
waiting on the shore to be devoured by a sea monster which could be
appeased in no other way. She was the daughter of King Laomedon, who
had cheated Apollo and Poseidon of their wages after at Zeus's command
they had built for the King the walls of Troy. Hercules agreed to rescue the
girl if her father would give him the horses Zeus had given his grandfather.
Laomedon promised, but when Hercules had slain the monster the King
 refused to pay. Hercules captured the city, killed the King, and gave the
maiden to his friend, Telamon of Salamis, who had helped him.
➢ On his way to Atlas to ask him about the Golden Apples, Hercules came to
the Caucasus, where he freed Prometheus, slaying the eagle that preyed on
him.
➢ He killed with a careless thrust of his arm a lad who was serving him by
pouring water on his hands before a feast. It was an accident and the boy's
father forgave Hercules, but Hercules could not forgive himself and he went
into exile for a time.
➢ Far worse was his deliberately slaying a good friend in order to avenge an
insult offered him by the young man's father, King Eurytus. For this base
action Zeus himself punished him: he sent him to Lydia to be a slave to the
Queen, Omphale, some say for a year, some for three years. She amused
herself with him, making him at times dress up as a woman and do woman's
work, weave or spin. He submitted patiently, as always, but he felt himself
degraded by this servitude and with complete unreason blamed Eurytus for
it and swore he would punish him to the utmost when he was freed.
➢ I must bring Alcestis back from the dead. Of course. Nothing could be
clearer. I’ll find that old fellow, Death. He is sure to be near her tomb and
I’ll wrestle with him. I will crack his body between my arms until he gives
her to me. If he is not by the grave I will go down to Hades after him. Oh, I
will return good to my friend who has been so good to me.” He hurried
exceedingly pleased with himself and enjoying the prospect of what
promised to be a very good wrestling match. When Admetus returned to his
empty and desolate house. Hercules was there to greet him and by his side
was a woman. “Look at her, Admetus,” he said. “Is she like anyone you
know?” And when Admetus cried out, “A ghost! Is it a trick— some
mockery of the gods? Hercules answered, “It is your wife. I fought Death
for her and I made him give her back.”

Apotheosis: As Hercules had sworn to do while he was Omphale’s slave, no sooner

was he free than he started to punish King Eurytus because he himself had been
punished by Zeus for killing Eurytus’ son. He collected an army, captured the King’s
city and put him to death. But Eurytus, too, was avenged, for indirectly this victory
was the cause of Hercules’ own death.

The Ultimate Boon: In return Apollo sent a pestilence, and Poseidon the sea serpent.

Rescue from Without: However, he was helped by his nephew Iolaus who brought
him a burning brand with which he seared the neck as he cut each head off so that it
could not sprout again. When all had been chopped off he disposed of the one that
was immortal by burying it securely under a great rock.
He was helped by Athena to drive them out of their coverts, and as they flew
up he shot them.
b. Crossing the Return Threshold: Before he had quite completed the
destruction of the city, he sent home—where Deianira, his devoted wife, was
waiting for him to come back from Omphale in Lydia—a band of captive
maidens, one of them especially beautiful, Iole the the King’s daughter.

c. Freedom to Live: Since death would not come to him, he would go to death.
He ordered those around him to build a great pyre on Mount Oeta and carry
to it. When at last he reached it he knew that now he could die and he was
glad. “This is rest,” he said. “This is the end.” And as they lifted him to pyre
he lay down on it as one who at a banquet table lies down upon his couch.
He asked his youthful follower, Philoctetes, to hold the torch and set the
wood on fire; and he gave him his bow and arrows, which were to be far-
famed in the young man’s hand,too, at Troy. Then the flames rushed up and
Hercules was seen no more on earth. He was taken to heaven, where he was
reconciled to Hera and married her daughter Hebe, and where
After his mighty labors he has rest.
His choicest prize eternal peace.
Within the homes of blessedness.
 The Call to Adventure: An oracle had cautioned Pelias that the man prophesied to
10. JASON
kill him would arrive while wearing only one sandal. Jason had come to the River
Anaurus, which was his last obstacle before reaching Iolcus. Jason countered by
declaring his ancestry, and told Pelias that he was here to take back his rightful
Source: Smith, N. Jason inheritance. The king sprung his trap, telling Jason that the land was cursed and only
and the Argonauts by retrieving the Golden Fleece could it prosper once more.
(Myths and Legends),
2013. Supernatural Aid: Pallas Athena, the goddess of wisdom and courage, added her
https://www.pdfdrive.co inspiration and support to the expedition. It did not take long for an all-star crew of
heroes to gather in Iolcus.
m/jason-and-the-
argonauts-myths-and-
Crossing the First Threshold: As far as he was concerned there was only one
legends- captain, and that was Jason. The Argonauts nodded their assent, then Jason rose to
e194611166.html speak. His first orders were for the crew to drag the ship down to the sea and
complete the provisioning. With that, Jason turned to the work at hand, getting the
ship ready for launch.

Road of Trials: Worse was to come, however, as the south, west, and east winds
joined in with Boreas to toss the Argo around like a child’s toy. The ship’s hull
breached and began to break apart and water poured in over the sides.

Woman as the Temptress: The Lemnian women begged them to return, but even
the queen herself could not stop the Argonauts from leaving. She turned to Jason and
pleaded for him to come back when he had finished his quest so that she could be a
proper mother to any child she might have as a result of their brief affair.

Road of Trials: The serpentine creature’s coils flowed along behind the upraised
neck upon which its fearsome head jutted forward, displaying three rows of razor
sharp fangs. On the monster came, driven by a howling wind and raging sea towards
its sacrificial meal. Telamon glanced sidelong at Heracles, who was already
incanting a prayer to the gods, and readying his weapons. Heracles leaped on to a
rock between the monster and its target and loosed his bow, sending arrow after
arrow into the raised neck of the beast. Still the monster ploughed on, ignoring the
pinpricks on its thick hide. Heracles jumped into the water in a fury, smashing the
monster with a rock, then following up with his war club to deliver the final crushing
blows.
➢ The watching Gegenees seized this opportune moment, however, to launch
their attack on the ship. Jason and his force of Argonauts sprinted down the
mountain, unleashing a barrage of arrows and spears into the now-trapped
Gegenees until all of them fell dead. Once the fighting was over, Jason
ordered the Gegenees’ corpses to be laid in rows along the beach, with their
bodies half in the water so that both the fish and birds could feed on them.
➢ Zetes and Calaïs tried to stop Telamon but, as they did, Glaucus, a god
renowned for his prophetic abilities, rose from the sea and grabbed the ship’s
keel. He pointed out to the frightened Argonauts that to go back for the
missing men was to interfere with Zeus’s wishes: Heracles’s destiny was to
complete his twelve labours, while Polyphemus would found a great city.
➢ Determined to end the Harpies’s reign of terror on the old prophet, the
winged brothers took off in pursuit. Hunters and hunted swooped through
the sky, Zetes and Calaïs closing with every wing-beat until they came
within inches of latching on to the terrified Harpies. Then, all of a sudden,
the goddess Iris appeared. She told the two men that to kill the Harpies would
indeed go against the will of Zeus, but she pledged that if the brothers spared
them, she would see that they never came near Phineas again. Zetes and
Calaïs, their mission accomplished, turned back to tell their comrades the
good news
➢ It did not take long for the Argo to reach the dreaded clashing rocks. A
winding strait surrounded by cliffs marked the entrance to the channel where
the rocks promised a violent welcome for unsuspecting travellers, but what
truly heralded their location was the awful din created by the rocks
constantly crashing together and then falling back.
➢ The Argonauts and King Lycus grieved for three days, then buried Idmon in
a specially raised barrow. Calamity struck again almost immediately, when
Tiphys suddenly fell ill and died. The Argonauts buried their navigator
beside the young seer, and made their way down to the shore, where they sat
in desolate silence at this latest cruel turn of events. Most of the crew thought
their quest was now at an end, and they rapidly lost hope at ever returning
to Greece.
 ➢ He said that Jason could have the Fleece if he proved himself more
courageous than the king. To do that, continued Aeëtes, Jason would have
to complete two tasks that Aeëtes himself had already performed. The first
was to yoke two fire-breathing bulls, and plough the Plain of Ares. If he
managed that, Jason was to sow the teeth of a dragon, and, when they grew
out of the ground and became armed soldiers, he was to kill them all. If Jason
did all that in one day, Aeëtes concluded, he could take the Golden Fleece.

Meeting the Goddess: Medea, instead handed over the potion, much to the delight
of Jason. After another soulful pause, Medea finally addressed the man with whom
she was completely besotted. The potion only worked if Jason followed her strict
instructions, she told him. When he received the dragon’s teeth from Aeëtes, he was
to bathe at midnight in the stream of the nearby sacred river. Then, without any
witnesses, he should dig a round pit in which he was to sacrifice a ewe to Hecate.
After his dedication, Jason must cover himself in honey and then retreat from the
sacrificial pyre without looking back. At dawn, he must apply the potion all over.

Woman as the Temptress: Jason noted, if she came to Greece it would be as his
wife, to be parted only by death. In that moment, Medea knew that Jason felt about
her as she did about him, and the two star-crossed lovers fell silent, lost in the
moment.

Apotheosis: Back at the Argo, Jason steeled himself in preparation for the challenges
ahead. He submerged Medea’s potion in water then liberally sprinkled the solution
over his spear, sword, and shield. The still-sceptical Idas walked over and slashed
the spear with his sword but recoiled in pain when it failed to make a dent. Jason
next drizzled the solution over his body, feeling the strength course immediately
through his limbs, swelling his arms and legs with energy.

The Ultimate Boon: Jason needed no second invitation; he snatched the Golden
Fleece from the oak, then withdrew quickly past Medea. While Jason carried out his
raid, Medea rubbed more potion over the serpent’s head to keep it calm. She stopped
when Jason reached a safe distance and called for her to leave the sacred grove. The
monster slumbered on as the couple stole away, Jason hauling the heavy Fleece over
his left shoulder. With the Fleece trailing down his back down to his ankles, Jason
appeared to shimmer and shine, while he held on tightly to the wondrous object in
fear that he should ever lose it.

Refusal of the Return: The Argonauts gathered, and reasoned that they would likely
lose in a fight to the Colchians; therefore, they had little choice but to hold a
conference with Apsyrtus and his heralds to debate the available options. At the
subsequent meeting between the two sides, it was decided that the Argonauts could
keep the Fleece because Aeëtes had promised it to them. As for Medea, the
Argonauts agreed she should be placed in the temple of Artemis until a decision was
made to either allow her to continue or send her back to face the king.

The Magic Flight: Fearing Aeëtes’s wrath, and with nowhere else to go, the
Colchians decided to stay in the lands surrounding them and disembarked. On the
Argonauts sailed to the land of the Hylleans, with no idea of the Colchian drama left
in their wake. Nor had they any clue about the trials an angry Zeus had planned for
them.

Rescue from Without: Circe immediately recognized the guilt of Jason and Medea,
and began the rituals that would cleanse them of their crimes. She sacrificed a
newborn piglet, and drizzled its blood on their hands while calling on Zeus to hear
her prayer, then prepared drinks and cakes to appease the gods and keep the Furies
away from the couple. With the ritual complete, Circe sat opposite Jason and Medea.
Recognizing a kindred spirit in the younger sorceress, Circe asked them about their
journey and why they had come to her island asking for help.

Road of Trials: Jason and the other Argonauts grieved for their comrade (Canthus
and Mopsus) and built a burial mound over his body, befitting his heroic status. It
was with heavy hearts that the crew boarded the Argo for the next leg of their
journey.
➢ The Argonauts lacked direction, however, and could not find an exit to the
ocean. With mounting frustration amongst its crew, the little ship meandered
around aimlessly until Orpheus called for Jason to steer into shore. His plan
was to make an offering to the gods in exchange for a path through to the
sea.
➢ The island of Crete was protected in unique fashion by a bronze giant called
Talos. His armoured skin was invulnerable to mortal weapons, so that when
 the Argonauts tried to tie up on the shore Talos easily drove them away by
throwing rocks. The Argonauts drew back the Argo to a safe range while
they considered their options. What the Argonauts did not know was that
Talos was created with a weak point on his ankle, where a lightly covered
vein presented a lifethreatening target.
➢ The Argo sailed all that day and into the night, but the Argonauts grew
increasingly fearful when the stars and moon did not show to help them
navigate. The chaos of darkness sent the sailors into new fits of anguish, and
some even wondered if they were alive or dead.

The Crossing of the Return Threshold: The Argonauts sailed on, passing along
the coast of Greece without further incident until they came to the beach of Pagasae.
Jason’s epic adventure to recover the Golden Fleece and return to claim his kingdom
was nearly over.

Master of the Two Worlds: Jason did not follow; rather he stayed on until finally
linking up with Peleus, who was a prince in his own right, and Telamon. They
attacked Iolcus and restored Jason to his kingdom, but Jason had also upset his
benefactor goddess Hera when he abandoned Medea.

Freedom to Live: His misfortunes continued, therefore, until finally a weary Jason
fell asleep beside the rotting remains of the Argo on the beach, where it had been
deserted after the search for the Fleece. While the former hero slept, the rotting stern
broke off and killed him, an ignominious end to a life that would become legend.

11. PERSEUS The Call to Adventure. Polydectes evidently talked to Perseus about the fearsome
monsters called Gorgons; he probably told him that would rather have the head of
one of them than anything else in the world. This seems practically certain from the
plan he devised for killing Perseus. He announced that he was about to be married
Source: Hamilton, Edith. and he called his friends together for a celebration, including Perseus in the
Mythology: Timeless invitation. Each guest, as was customary, brought a gift for the bride-to-be, except
Tales of Gods and Perseus alone. He had nothing he could give. He was young and proud and keenly
Heroes. Grand Central mortified. He stood up before them all and did exactly what the King had hoped he
Publishing, 2011. would do, declared that he would give him a present better than any there. He would
go off and kill Medusa and bring back her head as his gift.

Supernatural Aid. Hermes said, would give him a sword to attack Medusa with—
which could not be bent or broken by the Gorgon`s scales, no matter how hard they
were. Another great deity was at hand to help, Pallas Athena stood beside Perseus.
She took off the shield of polished bronze which covered her breast and held it out
to him.

Crossing the First Threshold. He took ship as soon as he left the King’s hall, not
daring to see his mother first and tell her what he intended, and he sailed to Greece
to learn where the three monsters were found.

The Road of Trials: He went to Delphi, but all the priestess would say was to bid
him seek the land where men eat not Demeter’s golden grain, but only acorns. They
found the Gray Women at last, looking in the wavering light like gray birds, for they
had the shape of swans. But their heads were human and beneath their wings they
had arms and hands. Perseus spoke out and told them he had taken it and that it would
be theirs again only when they showed him how to find the nymphs of the North.
They gave him full directions at once; he was bound, although he did not know it, to
the blessed country of the Hyperboreans, at the back of the North Wind, of which it
is said: “Neither by ship nor yet by land shall one find the wondrous road to the
gathering place of the Hyperboreans.”

The Meeting with the Goddess: When Perseus together with Hermes arrived in
Hyperboreans, at the back of the North Wind. They showed him great kindness: they
welcomed him to their feast, and the maidens dancing to the sound of flute and lyre
paused to get for him the gifts he sought. These were three: winged sandals, a magic
wallet which would always become the right size for whatever was to be carried in
it, and, most important of all, a cap which made the wearer invisible. With these and
Athena’s shield and Hermes’ sword Perseus was ready for the Gorgons.With these
and Athena’s shield and Hermes’ sword Perseus was ready for the Gorgons. Hermes
knew where they lived, and leaving the happy land the two flew back across Ocean
and over the sea to the Terrible Sisters’ island.
➢ This radiant personage told him that before he attacked Medusa he must first
be properly equipped, and that what he needed was in the possession of the
nymphs of the North. To find the nymphs’ abode, they must go to the Gray
Women who alone could tell them the way. These women dwelt in a land
 where all was dim and shrouded in twilight. No ray of sun looked ever on
that country, nor the moon by night. In that gray place the three women lived,
all gray themselves and withered as in extreme old age. They were strange
creatures, indeed, most of all because they had but one eye for the three,
which it was their custom to take turns with, each removing it from her
forehead when she had had it for a time and handing it to another. All this
Hermes told Perseus and then he unfolded his plan. He would himself guide
Perseus to them. Once there Perseus must keep hidden until he saw one of
them take the eye out of her forehead to pass it on. At that moment, when
none of the three could see, he must rush forward and seize the eye and
refuse to give it back until they told him how to reach the nymphs of the
North.

The Ultimate Boon. Perseus on his winged sandals hovered above them, looking,
however, only at the shield. Then he aimed a stroke down at Medusa’s throat and
Athena guided his hand. With a single sweep of his sword he cut through her neck
and, his eyes still fixed on the shield with never a glance at her, he swooped low
enough to seize the head. He dropped it into the wallet which closed around it. He
had nothing to fear from it now. But the two other Gorgons had awakened and,
horrified at the sight of their sister slain, tried to pursue the slayer. Perseus was safe;
he had on the cap of darkness and they could not find him.

The Magic Flight. On his way back he came to Ethiopia and alighted there. By this
time Hermes had left him. Perseus found, as Hercules was later to find, that a lovely
maiden had been given up to be devoured by a horrible sea serpent. Her name was
Andromeda and she was the daughter of a silly vain woman.

Crossing the Return Threshold: With her he sailed back to the island and his
mother, but in the house where he had lived so long he found no one. The fisherman
Dictys’ wife was long since dead, and the two others, Danaë and the man who had
been like a father to Perseus, had had to fly and hide themselves from Polydectes,
who was furious at Danaë’s refusal to marry him. They had taken refuge in a temple,
Perseus was told.

Master of the Two Worlds. He learned also that the King was holding a banquet in
the palace and all the men who favored him were gathered there. Perseus instantly
saw his opportunity. He went straight to the palace and entered the hall. As he stood
at the entrance, Athena’s shining buckler on his breast, the silver wallet at his side,
he drew the eyes of every man there. Then before any could look away he held up
the Gorgon’s head; and at the sight one and all, the cruel King and his servile
courtiers, were turned into stone. There they sat, a row of statues, each, as it were,
frozen stiff in the attitude he had struck when he first saw Perseus.

Freedom to Live. So Apollo’s oracle was again proved true. If Perseus felt any grief,
at least he knew that his grandfather had done his best to kill him and his mother.
With his death their troubles came to an end. Perseus and Andromeda lived happily
ever after. Their son, Electryon, was the grandfather of Hercules. Medusa’s head was
given to Athena, who bore it always upon the aegis, Zeus’s shield, which she carried
for him.

12. ODYSSEUS The Call to Adventure: The Greeks went mad with victory the night they
entered the city; they forgot what was due to the gods; and on their voyage
home they were terribly punished.

Source: Hamilton, Edith. Crossing the 1st Threshold: In the fearful tempest, which struck the Greeks
Mythology: Timeless after they left for Greece, Agamemnon came nearing to losing all his ships;
Tales of Gods and Heroes. Menelaus was blown to Egypt; and the arch-sinner, sacrilegious Ajax was
Grand Central Publishing, drowned.
2011.
The Belly of the Whale: Odysseus did not lose his life, but if he did not suffer
as much as some of the Greeks, he suffered longer than them all.

The Road of Trials: On Ithaca, the island where his home was, things had gone
from bad to worse. Everyone by now took it for granted that he was dead, except
Penelope, his wife and his son Telamachus. From the islands round about and, of
course, from Ithaca, men came swarming to Odysseus' house to woo his wife. She
would have none of them; the hope that her husband would return was faint, but it
never died. Moreover she detested every one of them and so did Telemachus, and
with good reason. They were rude, greedy, overbearing men, who spent their days
sitting in the great hall of the house devouring Odysseus' store of provisions,
slaughtering his cattle, his sheep, his swine, drinking his wine, burning his wood,
giving orders to his servants. Telechamus they treated with amused contempt as if
he were a mere boy and quite beneath their notice. It was an intolerable state of things
to both mother and son, and yet they were helpless, only two and one of them a
woman against a great company.
➢ Penelope had at first hoped to tire them out. She told them that she could not
marry until she had woven a very fine and exquisitely wrought shroud for
Odysseus' father, the aged Laertes, against the day of his death. They had to
give in to so pious a purpose, and they agreed to wait until the work was
finished .But it never was, inasmuch as Penelope unwove each night what
she had woven during the day. But finally the trick failed. One of her
handmaidens told the suitors and they discovered her in the very act. Of
course after that they were more insistent and unmanageable than ever.
➢ Telemachus whispered to his friend very softly for fear someone might hear,
"Zeus's hall in Olympus must be like this. It takes my breath away." But a
moment later he had forgotten his shyness, for Menelaus began to speak of
Odysseus_ of his greatness and his long sorrows. As the young man listened,
tears gathered in his eyes and he held his cloak before his face to hide his
agitation. But Menelaus had remarked it and he guessed who he must be.
➢ Meantime Hermes had gone to carry Zeus's command to Calypso. He laced
to his feet the sandals of imperishable gold which bore him swift as a breath
of air over sea and earth. He took his wand with which he could charm men's
eyes to slumber, and springing into the air he flew down to sea-level.
Skimming the wave-crests he reached at last the lovely island which had
become for Odysseus a hateful prison. He found the divine nymph alone;
Odysseus as usual was on the sandy shore letting his salt tears flow while he
gazed at the empty sea. Calypso took Zeus's orders in very ill part. She had
saved the man's life, she said, when his ship was wrecked near the island,
and cared for him ever since. Of course everyone must give in to Zeus, but
it was very unfair. And how was she to manage the voyage back? She had
no ships and crews at command. But Hermes felt this was not his affair. "Just
take care not to make Zeus angry," he said and went gaily off.
➢ Never did any man do work more joyfully than Odysseus made his raft.
Twenty great trees furnished the wood, all very dry so that they would float
high. On the raft Calypso put food and drink in abundance, even a sack of
the dainties Odysseus specially liked. The fifth morning after Hermes' visit,
Odysseus put out to sea before a fair wind over quiet waters.
➢ Seventeen days he journeyed without change of weather, always steering,
never letting sleep close his eyes. On the eighteenth day a cloudy mountain
top arose up across the sea. He believed that he was saved. At that very
moment, however, Poseidon, on his way back from Ethiopia, caught sight
of him. He knew at once what the gods had done. "But," he muttered to
himself, "I think I can give him even yet a long journey into sorrow before
he reaches land." With that he summoned all the violent winds and let them
loose, blinding sea and land with storm-clouds. The East Wind fought with
the South, and the ill-blowing West with the North, and the waves rose up
mightily. Odysseus saw death before him. "Oh, happy the men who fell
gloriously on the plain of Troy!" he thought. "For me to die thus ignobly!"
It seemed indeed that he could not escape. The raft was tossed as a dried
thistle goes rolling over a field in autumn days.
➢ Poseidon sent a wave of waves to him, a terror of the sea. It tore the logs of
the raft apart as a great wind scatters a heap of dried chaff; it flung Odysseus
into the wild waters. But, if he had only known it, bad as things seemed the
worst was over. Poseidon felt satisfied and went off contentedly to plan some
other storm somewhere, and Athena, left free to act, calmed the waves. Even
so, Odysseus had to swim for two days and nights before he reached land
and could find a safe landing-place. He came out of the surf exhausted and
starving and naked. It was evening; not a house, not a living creature, was to
be seen. But Odysseus was not only a hero, he was a man of great
resourcefulness. He found a place where a few trees grew so thick and close
to the ground, no moisture could penetrate them. Beneath were heaps of dry
leaves, enough to cover many men. He scooped out a hollow and lying down
piled the leaves over him like a thick coverlet. Then, warm and still at last,
with the sweet land odors blowing to him, he slept in peace.
➢ The next day in the presence of all the Phaeacian chiefs he told the story of
his ten years' wandering. He began with the departure from Troy and the
storm that struck the Fleet. He and his ships were driven across the sea for
nine days. On the tenth they made the land of the Lotus-eaters and put in
there. But weary though they were and in need of refreshment they were
forced to leave quickly. The inhabitants met them with kindness and gave
them their flower-food to eat, but those who tasted it, only a few fortunately,
 lost their longing for home. They wanted only to dwell in the Lotus Land,
and let the memory of all that had been fade from their minds. Odysseus had
to drag them on shipboard and chain them there. They wept, so great was
their desire to stay, tasting forever the honey-sweet flowers.
➢ Their next adventure was with the Cyclops Polyphemus, a full account of
which is given in Part One, Chapter 4. They lost a number of their comrades
at his hands, and what was even worse, made Poseidon, who was
Polyphemus' father, so angry that he swore Odysseus should reach his own
country again only after long misery and when he had lost all his men.
➢ From the Cyclops' island they came to the country of the Winds, ruled over
by King Aeolus. Zeus had made him keeper of the Winds, to still them or
arouse them at his will. Aeolus received them hospitably and when they left
gave Odysseus as a parting gift a leather sack, into which he had put all the
Storm Winds. It was so tightly fastened that not the very least puff of any
Wind that spells danger for a ship could leak out. in this excellent situation
for sailors Odysseus' crew managed to bring them all near to death. They
thought the carefully stored bag was probably full of gold; at any rate, they
wanted to see what was in it. They opened it, with the result, of course, that
all the Winds rushed out at once and swept them away in a terrific tempest.
➢ Finally, after days of danger, they saw land, but they had better have stayed
on the stormy sea for it was the country of the Laestrygones, a people of
gigantic size and cannibals too. These horrible folk destroyed all Odysseus'
ships except the one he himself was in which had not yet entered the harbor
when the attack was made.
➢ This was by far the worst disaster yet, and it was with despairing hearts that
they put in at the next island they reached. Never would they have landed if
they had known what lay before them. They had come to Aeaea, the realm
of Circe, a most beautiful and most dangerous witch. Every man who
approached her she turned into a beast. Only his reason remained as before:
he knew what had happened to him. She enticed into her house the party
Odysseus dispatched to spy out the land, and there she changed them into
swine. She penned them in a sty and gave them acorns to eat. They ate them;
they were swine. Yet inside they were men, aware of their vile state, but
completely in her power.
➢ All ghosts had an irresistible craving to drink blood. Every one of them
would come rushing to the pit, but Odysseus must draw his sword and keep
them away until Tiresias spoke to him. This was bad news, indeed, and all
were weeping when they left Circe's isle and turned their prow toward
Erebus where Hades rules with awesome Persephone. It was terrible indeed
when the trench was dug and filled with blood and the spirits of the dead
flocked to it. But Odysseus kept his courage. He held them off with his sharp
weapon until he saw the ghost of Teiresias. He let him approach and drink
of the black blood, then put his question to him. The seer was ready with his
answer. The chief danger that threatened them, he said, was that they might
do some injury to the oxen of the Sun when they reached the island where
they lived. The doom of all who harmed them was certain. They were the
most beautiful oxen in the world and very much prized by the Sun. But in
any event Odysseus himself would reach home and although he would find
trouble waiting for him, in the end he would prevail.
➢ From Circe he had learned that they must pass the island of the Sirens. These
were marvelous singers whose voices would make a man forget all else, and
at last their song would steal his life away. Moldering skeletons of those they
had lured to their death lay banked high up around them where they sat
singing on the shore. Odysseus told his men about them and that the only
way to pass them safely was for each man to stop his ears with wax. He
himself, however, was determined to hear them, and he proposed that the
crew should tie him to the mast so strongly that he could not get away
however much he tried. This they did and drew near the island, all except
Odysseus deaf to the enchanting song. He heard it and the words were even
more enticing then the melody, at least to a Greek. They would give
knowledge to each man who came to them, they said, ripe wisdom and a
quickening of the spirit. "We know all things which shall be hereafter upon
the earth." So rang their song in lovely cadences, and Odysseus' heart ached
with longing. But the ropes held him and that danger was safely passed.
➢ A sea peril next awaited them the passage between Scylla and Charybdis.
The Argonauts had got through it; Aeneas, who just about that time had
sailed for Italy, had been able to avoid it because of a prophet's warning; of
course Odysseus with Athena looking after him succeeded in passing it. But
it was a frightful ordeal and six of the crew lost their lives there.
➢ However, they would not in any case have lived much longer, for at their
next stopping place, the Island of the Sun, the men acted with incredible
 folly. They were hungry and they killed the sacred oxen. Odysseus was
away. He had gone into the island alone by himself to pray. He was in
despair when he returned, but the beasts had been roasted and eaten and
nothing could be done. The vengeance of the Sun was swift. As soon as the
men left the island a thunderbolt shattered the ship. All were drowned except
Odysseus. He clung to the keel and was able to ride out the storm. Then he
drifted for days, until finally he was cast ashore on Calypso's island, where
he had to stay for many years. At last he started home, but a tempest
shipwrecked him and only after many and great dangers had he succeeded
in reaching the Phaeacian land, a helpless, destitute man.

The Meeting with the Goddess: Ten years, however, is a long time for anger to
last. The gods had by now grown sorry for Odysseus, with the single exception of
Poseidon, and Athena was sorriest of all. Her old feeling for him had returned; she
was determined to put an end to his sufferings and bring him home. With these
thoughts in her mind, she was delighted to find one day that Poseidon was absent
from the gathering in Olympus. He had gone to visit the Ethiopians, who lived on
the farther bank of Ocean, to the south, and it was certain he would stay there some
time, feasting merrily with them. Instantly she brought the sad case of Odysseus
before the others. He was at the moment, she told them, a virtual prisoner on an
island ruled over by the nymph Calypso, who loved him and planned never to let
him go. In every other way except in giving him his freedom she overwhelmed him
with kindness; all that she had was at his disposal. But Odysseus was utterly
wretched. He longed for his home, his wife, his son. He spent his days on the
seashore. searching the horizon for a sail that never came, sick with longing to see
even the smoke curling up from his house. The Olympians were moved by her words.
They felt that Odysseus had deserved better at their hands and Zeus spoke for them
all when he said they must put their heads together and contrive a way for him to
return. If they were agreed Poseidon could not stand alone against them. For his part,
Zeus said, he would send Hermes to Calypso to tell her that she must start Odysseus
on his voyage back. Athena well-pleased left Olympus and glided down to Ithaca.
She had already made her plans.
➢ Athena was exceedingly fond of Telemachus, not only because he was her
dear Odysseus' son, but because he was a sober, discreet young man, steady
and prudent and depend-able. She thought it would do him good to take a
journey while Odysseus was sailing home, instead of perpetually watching
in silent fury the outrageous behavior of the suitors. Accordingly, she
disguised herself to look like a seafaring man and went to the house.
Telemachus saw her waiting by the threshold and was vexed to the heart that
a guest should not find instant welcome. He hastened to greet the stranger,
take his spear, and seat him on a chair of honor. The attendants also hurried
to show the hospitality of the great house, setting food and wine before him
and stinting him in nothing. Then the two talked together. Athena began by
asking gently was this some sort of drinking-bout she had happened upon?
She did not wish to offend, but a well-mannered man might be excused for
showing disgust at the way the people around them were acting. Then
Telemachus told her all, the fear that Odysseus must surely by now be dead;
how every man from far and near had come wooing his mother who could
not reject their offers out-and-out, but would not accept any of them, and
how the suitors were ruining them, eating up their substance and making
havoc of the house. Athena showed great indignation. It was a shameful tale,
she said. If once Odysseus got home those evil men would have a short shrift
and a bitter end. Then she advised him strongly to try to find out something
about his father's fate. The men most likely to be able to give the news, she
said, were Nestor and Mene-laus. With that she departed, leaving the young
man full of ardor and decision, all his former uncertainty and hesitation
gone. He felt the change with amazement and the belief took hold of him
that his visitor had been divine.
➢ Calypso gloomily set about the necessary preparations. She told Odysseus,
who was at first inclined to think it all a trick on her part to do something
detestable to him, drowning him, very likely, but she finally convinced him.
She would help him build a splendidly strong raft, she promised him, and
send him away on it equipped with everything necessary.
➢ But a kindly goddess was at hand, Ino of the slim ankles, who had once been
a Theban princess. She pitied him and rising lightly from the water like a
sea-gull she told him his one chance was to abandon the raft and swim to
shore. She gave him her veil, which would keep him from harm as long as
he was in the sea. Then she disappeared beneath the billows. Odysseus had
no choice but to follow her advice.
➢ Nausicaa, for so the girl was called, never imagined the next morning that
she was to play the part of rescuer to a hero. When she woke up she thought
 only about doing the family washing. She was a princess, indeed, but in
those days highborn ladies were expected to be useful, and the household
linen was in Nausicad's charge. Washing clothes was then a very agreeable
occupation. She had the servants make ready an easy-running mule-cart and
pack it with the soiled clothes. Her mother filled a box for her with all sorts
of good things to eat and drink; she gave her too a golden flask of limpid
olive oil to use if she and her maids went bathing, Nausicaä driving. They
were bound for the very place where Odysseus had landed. A lovely river
flowed into the sea there which had excellent washing pools with an
abundance of clear bubbling water. What the girls did was to lay the clothes
in the water and dance on them until all the dirt was worked out. The pools
were cool and shadowy; it was very pleasant work. Afterwards they
stretched the linen smooth to dry on the shore where the sea had washed it
clean. Then they could take their ease. They bathed and anointed themselves
with the sleek oil, and had their lunch, and amused themselves with a ball
which they threw to one another, dancing all the while. But at last the setting
sun warned them the delightful day was over. They gathered up the linen,
yoked in the mules, and were about to start home when they saw a wild-
looking naked man suddenly step out of the bushes. Odysseus had been
awakened by the girls' voices. In terror they ran away, all except Nausicad.
She faced him fearlessly and he spoke to her as persuasively as his eloquent
tongue could. "I am a suppliant at your knees, O Queen," he said." But
whether you are mortal or divine I cannot tell. Never anywhere have I set
eyes on such a one. I wonder as I look at you. Be gracious to your suppliant,
shipwrecked man, friendless and helpless, without a rag to cover him.
Nausicad answered him kindly. She told him where he was and that the
people of the country were kind to luckless wanderers. The King, her father,
would receive him with all courteous hospitality. She summoned the
frightened maids and bade them give the stranger the oil so that he could
cleanse himself and find for him a mantle and a tunic. They waited while he
bathed and dressed, then all set forth for the city. Before they reached
Nausicaa's home, however, that discreet maiden directed Odysseus to fall
back and let her and the girls go on alone. "People's tongues are so ill-
natured," she said. "If they saw a handsome man like you with me, they
would be hinting at all sorts of things. And you can easily find my father's
house, it is so much the most splendid. Enter boldly and go straight to my
mother, who will be spinning at the hearth What my mother says my father
will do.” Odysseus agreed at once. He admired her good sense, and he
followed her directions exactly. Entering the house he strode through the
hall to the hearth and sank down before the Queen, clasping her knees and
praying for her help. The King quickly raised him and bade him sit at a table
and take his fin of food and drink without fear. Whoever he was and
wherever his home, he could rest assured that they would arrange to send
him there in one of their ships. It was now the time for sleep, but in the
morning he could tell them his name and how he had made his way to them.
So they slept through the night, Odysseus blissfully, on a couch soft and
warm as he had not known since he left Calypso's isle.
➢ When Circe had used on Odysseus the magic which had always hitherto
been successful and to her amazement saw him stand unchanged before her,
she so marveled at the man who could resist her enchantment that she loved
him. She was ready to do whatever he asked and she turned his companions
at once back into men again. She treated them all with such kindness,
feasting them sumptuously in her house, that for a whole year they stayed
happily with her. When at last they felt that the time had come to depart she
used her magical knowledge for them. She found out what they must do next
in order to reach home safely. It was a fearful undertaking she put before
them. They must cross the river Ocean and beach the ship on Persephone's
shore where there was an entrance to the dark realm of Hades. Odysseus
then must go down and find the spirit of the prophet Tiresias who had been
the holy man of Thebes. He would tell Odysseus how to get back home.
There was only one way to induce his ghost to come to him, by killing sheep
and filling a pit with their blood.

The Magic Flight: The long story was ended, but the audience sat silent, entranced
by the tale. At last the King spoke. His troubles were over, he assured Odysseus.
They would send him home that very day and every man present would give him a
parting gift to enrich him. All agreed. The ship was made ready, the presents were
stowed within, and Odysseus embarked after taking a grateful leave of his kind hosts.

Rescue from Without: Luckily for Odysseus, one of the party had been too cautious
to enter the house. He watched what happened and fled in horror back to the ship.
The news drove any thought of caution out of Odysseus. He started off, all alone not
one of the crew would go with him to try to do something, bring some help to his
men. On his way Hermes met him. He seemed a young man, of that age when youth
looks its love-liest. He told Odysseus he knew a herb which could save him from
Circe's deadly art. With it he could taste anything she gave him and suffer no harm.
When he had drunk the cup she offered him, Hermes said, he must threaten to run
her through with his sword unless she freed his followers. Odysseus took the herb
and went thankfully on his way. All turned out even better than Hermes had
predicted.
➢ A young man approached him, seemingly a shepherd lad, but fine and well-
mannered like the sons of kings when they tend sheep. So he seemed to
Odysseus, but really it was Athena in his semblance. She answered his eager
question and told him he was in Ithaca. Even in his joy at the news Odysseus
kept his caution. He spun her a long tale about who he was and why he had
come, with not a word of truth in it, at the end of which the goddess smiled
and patted him. Then she appeared in her own form, divinely tall and
beautiful. "You crooked, shifty rogue!" she laughed. "Anyone who would
keep pace with your craftiness must be a canny dealer." Odysseus greeted
her with rapture, but she bade him remember how much there was to do and
the two settled down to work out a plan. Athena told him how things were
in his house and promised she would help him clear it of the suitors. For the
present she would change him into an old beggar so that he could go
everywhere unrecognized.
➢ That night he must spend with his swineherd, Eumaeus, a man faithful and
trustworthy beyond praise. When they had hidden the treasures in a nearby
cave they separated, she to summon Telemachus home, he, whom her art
had turned into a shambling ragged old man, to seek the swineherd. Eumaeus
welcomed the poor stranger, fed him well and lodged him for the night,
giving him his own thick mantle to cover him.

Crossing the Return Threshold: When he woke he was on dry land, lying on a
beach. The sailors had set him ashore just as he was, ranged his belongings beside
him, and departed. He started up and stood staring around him. He did not recognize
his own country.

Master of the Two Worlds: Odysseus was helping prepare breakfast when the
young man appeared at the door. Eumaeus greeted him with tears of joy and begged
him to sit and eat. Before he would do so, however, he dispatched the swineherd to
inform Penelope of his return. Then father and son were alone together. At that
moment Odysseus perceived Athena just beyond the door beckoning to him. He went
out to her and in a flash she turned him back into his own form and bade him tell
Telemachus who he was. That young man had noticed nothing until instead of the
old beggar a majestic-looking person returned to him. He started up amazed,
believing he saw a god. "I am your father," Odysseus said, and the two embraced
each other and wept. But the time was short and there was much to plan.
➢ Odysseus was determined to drive the suitors away by force, but how could
two men take on a whole company? At last it was decided that the next
morning they should go to the house, Odysseus disguised, of course, and
that Telemachus should hide all the weapons of war, leaving only enough
for the two of them where they could easily get at them. Athena was quick
to aid. When Eumaeus came back he found the old beggar he had left.
➢ Within the hall the suitors, idly loafing after their meal, were in a mood to
make fun of the miserable old beggar who entered, and Odysseus listened to
all their mocking words with submissive patience. At last one of them, an
evil-tempered man, became irritated and gave him a blow. He dared to strike
a stranger who was asking for hospitality. Penelope heard of the outrage and
declared that she would herself speak with the ill-treated man, but she
decided first to pay a visit to the banqueting hall. She wanted to see
Telemachus and also it seemed wise to her to show herself to the suitors.
Then she sent for the stranger who had been ill-used. She spoke graciously
to him and Odysseus told her a tale of meeting her husband on his way to
Troy which made her weep until he pitied her. Still he did not reveal himself,
but kept his face hard as iron. By and by Penelope remembered her duties as
hostess. She summoned an old nurse, Eurycleia, who had cared for Odysseus
from babyhood, and bade her wash the stranger's feet. Odysseus was
frightened, for on one foot was a scar made in boyhood days by a wild boar
he had hunted, and he thought she would recognize it. She did, and she let
the foot fall so that the tub was upset. Odysseus caught her hand and
muttered, "Dear nurse, you know. But not a word to another soul." She
whispered her promise, and Odysseus took his leave. He found a bed in the
entrance hall, but he could not sleep for wondering how he could overcome
 so many shameless fellows. At last he reminded himself that his state in the
Cyclops' cave had been still worse and that with Athena's help he could hope
here too to be successful, and then he slept.
➢ Morning brought the suitors back, more insolent even than before.
Carelessly and at ease they sat down to the rich feast spread for them, not
knowing that the goddess and the much-enduring Odysseus were preparing
a ghastly banquet for them. Penelope all unknowing forwarded their plan.
During the night she had made one of her own. When morning came she
went to her store-chamber where among many treasures was a great bow
and a quiver full of arrows. They belonged to Odysseus and no hand but his
had ever strung the bow or used it. Carrying them herself she descended to
where the suitors were gathered.
➢ "Hear me, my lords," she said. "I set before you the bow of godlike
Odysseus. He who strings the bow and shoots an arrow straight through
twelve rings in a line, I will take as my husband." Telemachus instantly saw
how this could be turned to their advantage and he was flicking play up to
her. "Come on, suitors all, back or excuses. But stay. I will try first and see
that I am man enough to bear my father's arms."
➢ Certain that no one would be successful Odysseus left the contest and
stepped out into the courtyard where the swineherd was talking to the keeper
of the cattle, a fellow as trustworthy as himself. He needed their help and he
told them who he was. As proof he showed them the scar on his foot which
in other years they had both seen many a time. They recognized it and burst
out weeping for joy. But Odysseus hushed them quickly. None of that now,"
he said. "Listen to what I want of you. Do you, Eumaeus, find some way to
put the bow and arrows into my hands; then see that the women's quarters
are closed so that no one can enter. And you, O herder of cattle, must shut
and bar the gates of the court here." He turned back to the hall, the two
following him.
➢ When they entered the last suitor to make the trial had just failed. Odysseus
said, "Pass me the bow and let me see if the strength I once had is still mine."
An angry clamor broke out at the words. A beggarly foreigner should never
touch the bow, they cried. But Telemachus spoke sternly to them. It was for
him, not them, to say who should handle the bow, and he bade Eumaeus give
it to Odysseus. All watched intently as he took it and examined it. Then, with
effortless ease, as a skilled musician fits a bit of catgut to his lyre, he bent
the bow and strung it. He notched an arrow to the string and drew, and not
moving from his seat he sent it straight through the twelve rings. The next
instant with one leap he was at the door and Telemachus was beside him.
"At last, at last," he cried in a great voice and he shot an arrow. It found its
mark; one of the suitors fell dying to the floor. The others sprang up in
horror. Their weapons where were they? None were to be seen. And
Odysseus was shooting steadily. As each arrow whistled through the hall a
man fell dead. Telemachus on guard with his long spear kept the crowd back
so that they could not rush out through the door either to escape or to attack
Odysseus from the rear. They made an easy target, gathered there together,
and as long as the supply of arrows held out they were slaughtered without
a chance to defend themselves. Even with the arrows gone they fared little
better, for Athena had now come to take a part in the great deeds being done
and she made each attempt to reach Odysseus miscarry. But his flashing
spear never missed its stroke and the dreadful sound of cracking skulls was
heard and the floor flowed with blood. At last only two of that roistering,
impudent band were left, the priest of the suitors and their bard. Both of them
cried for mercy, but the priest, clasping Odysseus' knees in his agony of and
location, met with none. The hero’s sword ran him through and he died in
the midst of his prayer. The bard was fortunate. Odysseus shrank from
killing such a man, taught by the gods to sing divinely, and he spared him
for further song.

Freedom to Live: The battle slaughter, rather- -was ended. The old nurse Eurycleia
and her maids were summoned to cleanse the place and restore all to order. They
surrounded Odysseus, weeping and laughing and welcoming him home until they
stirred within his own heart the desire to weep. At last they set to work, but Eurycleia
climbed the stairs to her mistress's chamber. She stood by her bed. "Awake, my
dear," she said, "for Odysseus has come home and all the suitors are dead.""O crazy
old woman," Penelope complained. "And I was sleeping so sweetly. Off with you
and be glad you are not smartly slapped as anyone else would have been who waked
me." But Eurycleia persisted, "Indeed, indeed Odysseus is here. He showed me the
scar. It is his very self." Still Penelope could not believe her. She hurried down to
the hall to see with her own eyes. A man tall and princely-looking was sitting by the
hearth where the firelight fell full on him. She sat down opposite him and looked at
 him in silence. She was bewildered. At one moment she seemed to recognize him,
the next, he was a stranger to her. Telemachus cried out at her: "Mother, Mother, oh,
cruel! What other woman would hold herself aloof when her man came home after
twenty years?"
➢ "My son," she answered, "I have no strength to move. If this is in truth
Odysseus, then we two have ways of knowing each other." At this Odysseus
smiled and bade Telemachus leave her alone. "We will find each other but
presently," he said.
➢ Then the well-ordered hall was filled with rejoicing. The minstrel drew
sweet sounds from his lyre and waked in all the longing for the dance. Gaily
they trod a measure, men and fair-robed women, till the great house around
them rang with their footfalls. For Odysseus at last after long wandering had
come home and every heart was glad.

13. THESEUS First Journey

Source: Hamilton, Edith. Call to Adventure: The time had come for the next installment of the tribute. At
Mythology: Timeless once, Theseus came forward and offered to be one of the victims. All loved him for
Tales of Gods and Heroes. his goodness and admired him for his nobility, but they had no idea that he intended
Grand Central Publishing, to try to kill the Minotaur.
2011.
The Crossing of the First Threshold: When the young victims, including Theseus,
arrived in Crete they were paraded before the inhabitants on their way to Labyrinth.

The Road of The Trials: This he did and, certain that he could retrace his steps
whenever he chose, he walked boldly into the maze-looking Minotaur. He come
upon him asleep and fell upon him, pinning him to the ground; and with his fists –
he had no other weapon—he battered the monster to death.

The Meeting with the Goddess: Minos’ daughter Ariadne fell in love with Theseus
at first sight as he marched past her. She sent for Daedalus and told him he must
show her a way to get out of the Labyrinth, and she sent for Theseus and told him
she would bring about his escape if he would promise to take her back to Athens and
marry her.

The Ultimate Boon: When Theseus lifted himself up from a terrific struggle, the
ball of thread lay where he had dropped it. With it in his hands, the way out was
clear.

The Crossing of the Return Threshold: The others followed and taking Adriane
with them they fled to the ship and over the sea toward Athens.
Freedom to Live: So, Theseus becomes the King of Athens, a most wise and
disinterested King. He declared to the people that he did not wish to rule over them,
he wanted to a people’s government where all would be equal. He resigned his royal
power and organized a commonwealth, building a council hall where the citizens
should gather and vote. The only office he kept for himself was that of Commander
in Chief. Thus, Athens became, of all earth’s cities, the happiest and most
prosperous, the only true home of liberty, the one place in the world where the people
governed themselves.

Second Journey
Call to Adventure: It was for this reason that in the great War of the Seven against
Thebes, when the victorious Thebans refused burial to those of the enemy who had
died, the vanquished turn to Theseus and Athens for help, believing that free man
under such a leader would never consent to having the helpless dead wronged.
Crossing the First Threshold: Theseus led his army against Thebes
Road of Trials: Theseus conquered her and forced her to allow them to be buried.
The Crossing of the Return Threshold: But when he was victor he did not return
evil to the Thebans for the evil they had done. He showed himself the perfect Knight.
He refused to let his army enter and loot the city. He had come not to harm Thebans,
but to bury the Argive dead, and the duty done he led his soldiers back to Athens.

Third Journey
 Call of Adventure: All the cares of state, however, and all deeds of knight-errantry
to defend the wronged and helpless, could not restrain Theseus’ love of danger for
the sake of danger.
Crossing the First Threshold: He went to the country of Amazon, the women
warriors, some say with Hercules, some say alone.
Road of Trials: He brought away one of them, whose name is given sometimes as
Antiope, sometimes as Hippolyta. The amazon came to rescue her and invaded
Attica, the country around Athens, even making there way into the city.
Ultimate Boon: The amazon were finally defeated.
Freedom to Live: No other enemy entered Attica as long as Theseus Lived.

Fourth Journey
Call to Adventure: He was one of the men who sailed on the Argo to find the
Golden Fleece. He took part in Calydonian Hunt, when the King of Calydon called
upon the noblest in Greece to help him kill the terrible bar which was laying waste
his country.
The Belly of the Whale: During the hunt, Theseus saved the life of his rash friend
Pirithous, as he did a number of times. Theseus was devoted to him and always
helped him out.
Road of Trials: The friendship between them came about through an especially rash
act on Pirithous part. It occurred to him that he would like to see for himself if
Theseus was as great a hero as he was said to be, and he forthwith went to Attica and
stole some of Theseus’ cattle. When he heard that Theseus was pursuing him, instead
of hurrying away he turned around and went to meet him, with and intention, of
course, of deciding then and there which was the better man. But as the two faced
each other Pirithous, impulsive as always, suddenly forgot everything in his
admiration of the other.
➢ When Pirithous, who was the king of the Lapithae, married, Theseus was,
of course, one of the guests, and was exceedingly useful there. The marriage
feast was perhaps the most unfortunate that ever took place. The centaurs,
creatures who each had the body of a horse and the chest and face of a man,
were related to the bride and came to the wedding. They proceeded to get
drunk and to seize the women. Theseus leaped to the defense of the bride
and struck down the Centaur who was trying to carry her off. A terrible battle
followed, but the Lapithae conquered and finally drive the whole race of
Centaurs out of the country, Theseus helping them to the end.
➢ The two undertook he could not save his friend. Quite characteristically,
Pirithous, after the bride of the disastrous wedding feast was dead, decided
for the second wife he would try to get the most carefully guarded lady in
all universe, none other than Persephone herself. Theseus agreed to help
him, but, stimulated probably by the idea of this magnificently dangerous
undertaking, declared that the first he would himself carry off Helen.
Theseus succeeded in getting the little girl.
Rescue from Without: He was on his way to the underworld with Pirithous. Lord
Hades was perfectly aware of their intention and amused himself by frustrating it in
a nice novel way. They did so on the seat he pointed them to and there they stayed.
They could not rise from it. Whoever sat from it forgot everything. Pirithous sits
forever, but Theseus was freed by his cousin, Hercules. When Hercules came to the
underworld, he lifted Theseus from the seat and brought him back to Earth.

14. BILBO Call to Adventure: Bilbo's early adulthood passed quietly as he spent his
time in quiet comfort at Bag End, but that sense of quiet was disrupted by the
arrival of Gandalf back in the Shire. Because he remembered Bilbo as a
curious and energetic boy, Gandalf thought of Bilbo to be a participant in an
Source: Jackson, upcoming quest.
Matthew. “Bilbo Baggins’
Entire Story Explained.” Refusal of the Call: Bilbo declined to hear anything more about Gandalf's
Looper, 11 Feb. 2020, proposal, but the wizard didn't let up.
www.looper.com/188222/
bilbo-baggins-entire-
Crossing the Threshold: Bilbo was suggested by Gandalf to be the group's
story-explained.
"burglar," and while he was reluctant to go, Bilbo did ultimately agree to set
out from the Shire with the dwarves.

Belly of the Whale: It didn't take long after Bilbo left the Shire for danger to
 find him. After venturing out with Thorin and company, he encountered a trio
of trolls who very nearly put an end to the quest before Gandalf came to the
rescue.
Road of Trials: The company left Rivendell to pass through the Misty
Mountains, where they tried to shelter in what they thought was a cave. They
soon found that goblins were infesting the mountain, and while Bilbo
managed to accidentally escape capture, Thorin and company were not so
lucky. While the dwarves and Gandalf dealt with the goblins, Bilbo stumbled
through the dark and happened to find a golden ring. Soon after, he
encountered a strange creature known as Gollum, who threatened to eat him
unless he could win a riddle contest.

The Meeting with a Goddess: Outside, Bilbo reunited with the dwarves,
who'd managed to fight their way out of the Misty Mountains. The group was
then attacked by wargs, only to be rescued by Gandalf's friends the Great
Eagles.

Apotheosis: When Smaug flew into a rage and departed the mountain to burn
the countryside around it in retribution for Bilbo's thievery, Bard shot the
dragon in his bare spot, killing him.

The Ultimate Boon: In the ensuing battle, known as the Battle of Five
Armies because the Eagles also participated, Thorin was killed, putting an
end to his quest to reclaim his kingdom.

Refusal of the Return: He returned home to the Shire, stopping in Rivendell

along the way, and when he arrived at Bag End he discovered there was
another battle to fight. His jealous and meddling cousins, the Sackville-
Bagginses, had assumed Bilbo had died while off on his long adventure, and
therefore began to auction off all of his belongings so they could move into
Bag End themselves.
Freedom to Live: While Bilbo continued to try and live a quiet life in Bag
End again, things were changing out in Middle-earth. Dark forces massed in
the East, and Gandalf the wizard began to grow suspicious of Bilbo's little
trinket.
15. MAUI First Journey
The Call to Adventure: They had caught many fine fish and were satisfied, so
Source: Westervelt, W. D. thought to paddle homeward; but their younger brother plead with them to go out,
(William Drake). “Legends far out, to the deeper seas and permit him to cast his hook. He said he wanted larger
of Ma-Ui-a Demi God of and better fish than any they had captured.
Polynesia, and of His
Mother Hina.” The Project Supernatural Aid: Maui possessed the power of changing himself into different
Gutenberg EBook of forms and Maui's mother sent him to his father for a hook with which to supply her
Legends of Ma-Ui, a Demi need.
God of Polynesia and of His
Mother Hina, by W. D. Crossing the Threshold: It was evidently easier to work for him than to argue with
Westervelt., 14 Feb. 2023, him—therefore far out in the sea, they went. The homeland disappeared from view;
https://www.gutenberg.o they could see only the outstretching waste of water. Maui urged them out still
rg/cache/epub/32601/pg farther.
32601-
images.html?fbclid=IwAR The Belly of the Whale: Then he drew his magic hook from under his malo or loin-
0PxzzOpXZcjksiaLP9zlqU cloth. The brothers wondered what he would do for bait. The New Zealand legend
kftOs9K-pg- says that he struck his nose a mighty blow until the blood gushed forth. When this
B95Ri_sDQB8Ezr55au83I blood became clotted, he fastened it upon his hook and let it down into the deep sea.
qaA.
Road of Trials: Down it went to the very bottom and caught the underworld. It was
a mighty fish—but the brothers paddled with all their might and main and Maui
pulled in the line. It was hard rowing against the power which held the hook down
in the sea depths—but the brothers became enthusiastic over Maui's large fish, and
were generous in their strenuous endeavors. Every muscle was strained and every
paddle held strongly against the sea that not an inch should be lost. There was no
sudden leaping and darting to and fro, no "give" to the line; no "tremble" as when a
great fish would shake itself in impotent wrath when held captive by a hook. It was
simply a struggle of tense muscle against an immensely heavy dead weight. To the
brothers there came slowly feeling that Maui was in one of his strange moods and
that something beyond their former experiences with their tricky brother was coming
to pass.

The Ultimate Boon: Out of the great seas, the black, ragged head of a large island
was rising like a fish—it seemed to be chasing them through the boiling surf. In a
little while the water became shallow around them, and their canoe finally rested on
a black beach. Maui's, hook, and brought up in islands. Thus in the legends, the
thought has been perpetuated that someone of the ancestors of the Polynesians made
voyages and discovered islands.

Second Journey
The Call to Adventure: Maui came to a woman and said: "Give me a drink from
your gourd calabash, and I will push the heavens higher." The woman handed the
gourd to him.

Road of Trials: When he had taken a deep draught, he braced himself against the
clouds and lifted them to the height of the trees. Again he hoisted the sky and carried
it to the tops of the mountains; then with great exertion he thrust it upwards once
more and pressed it to the place it now occupies. Nevertheless dark clouds many
times hang low along the eastern slope of Maui's great mountain—Haleakala—and
descend in heavy rains upon the hill Kauwiki; but they dare not stay, lest Maui the
strong come and hurl them so far away that they cannot come back again.

Apotheosis: A man who had been watching the process of lifting the sky ridiculed
Maui for attempting such a difficult task. When the clouds rested on the tops of the
mountains, Maui turned to punish his critic. The man had fled to the other side of the
island. Maui rapidly pursued and finally caught him on the sea coast, not many miles
north of the town now known as Lahaina. After a brief struggle, the man was
changed, according to the story, into a great black rock, which can be seen by any
traveler who desires to localize the legends of Hawaii.

The Ultimate Boon: Maui raised the sky and made the earth inhabitable for his
fellow men.

Third Journey
The Call to Adventure: Maui planned to capture the sun and punish him for
thinking so little about the welfare of mankind.

Supernatural Aid: His mother gave him fifteen strands of well-twisted fiber and
told him to go to his grandmother, who lived in the great crater of Haleakala, for the
rest of the things in his conflict with the sun.
➢ The old woman gave me a magic stone for a battle axe and one more rope.
She taught him how to catch the sun, saying: "Make a place to hide here by
this large wiliwili tree. When the first leg of the sun comes up, catch it with
your first rope, and so on until you have used all your ropes. Fasten them to
the tree, then take the stone axe to strike the body of the sun."

Crossing the First Threshold: When his mother had taught him all things, he went
up the mountain to Kaupo to the place Hina had directed. There was a large wiliwili
tree. Here he waited for the rooster to crow. The name of that rooster was Kalauhele-
moa. When the rooster had crowed three times, the grandmother came out with a
bunch of bananas to cook for the sun.

The Belly of the Whale: Maui dug a hole among the roots of the tree and concealed
himself.

Road of Trials: Soon the first ray of light—the first leg of the sun—came up along
the mountainside. Maui threw his rope and caught it. One by one the legs of the sun
came over the edge of the crater's rim and were caught. Only one long leg was still
hanging down the side of the mountain. It was hard for the sun to move that leg. It
shook and trembled and tried hard to come up. At last, it crept over the edge and was
caught by Maui with the rope given by his grandmother.

The Ultimate Boon: When the sun saw that his sixteen-long legs were held fast in
the ropes, he began to go back down the mountainside into the sea. Then Maui tied
the ropes fast to the tree and pulled until the body of the sun came up again. Brave
Maui caught his magic stone club or axe, and began to strike and wound the sun until
he cried: "Give me my life." Maui said: "If you live, you may be a traitor. Perhaps I
had better kill you." But the sun begged for life. After they had conversed for a while,
they agreed that there should be a regular motion in the journey of the sun. There
should be long days, and yet half the time he might go quickly as in the winter time,
but the other half he must move slowly as in summer. Thus men dwelling on the
earth should be blessed.

Fourth Journey

The Call to Adventure: Maui, looking landward, saw a fire on the mountainside.

Supernatural Aid: The bird told the demi-god to rub the stalks of water plants
together. He guarded the bird and tried the plants. Water instead of fire ran out of the
twisted stems. Then she told him to rub reeds together—but they bent and broke and
could make no fire. He twisted her neck until she was half dead—then she cried out:
"I have hidden the fire in a green stick."

Crossing the First Threshold: Maui rolled some kapa cloth together and stuck it
up on one end of the canoe so that it would look like a man. He then concealed
himself near the haunt of the mud-hens, while his brothers went out fishing. The
birds counted the figures in the boat and then started to build a heap of wood for the
fire.

The Belly of the Whale: Maui was impatient—and just as the old Alae began to
select sticks with which to make the flames he leaped swiftly out and caught her and
held her prisoner. He forgot for a moment that he wanted the secret of fire making.
In his anger against the wise bird, his first impulse was to taunt her and then kill her
for hiding the secret of fire.

Road of Trials: Maui worked hard, but not a spark of fire appeared. Again he caught
his prisoner by the head and wrung her neck, and she named a kind of dry wood.
Maui rubbed the sticks together, but they only became warm. The neck twisting
process was resumed—and repeated again and again until the mud-hen was almost
dead—and Maui had tried tree after tree.

The Ultimate Boon: At last, Maui found fire. Then as the flames rose he said: "There
is one more thing to rub." He took a fire stick and rubbed the top of the head of his
prisoner until the feathers fell off and the raw flesh appeared. Thus the Hawaiian
mud-hen and her descendants have ever since had bald heads, and the Hawaiians
have had the secret of fire making.

Fifth Journey
Road of Trials: Maui worked hard, but not a spark of fire appeared. Again he caught
his prisoner by the head and wrung her neck, and she named a kind of dry wood.
Maui rubbed the sticks together, but they only became warm. The neck twisting
process was resumed—and repeated again and again until the mud-hen was almost
dead—and Maui had tried tree after tree.

The Ultimate Boon: At last, Maui found fire. Then as the flames rose he said: "There
is one more thing to rub." He took a fire stick and rubbed the top of the head of his
prisoner until the feathers fell off and the raw flesh appeared. Thus the Hawaiian
mud-hen and her descendants have ever since had bald heads, and the Hawaiians
have had the secret of fire making.

Meeting the Goddess: Maui sought Hina-a-te-lepo, "daughter of the swamp," and
secured her as his wife.

The Ultimate Boon: When "the long eel" had crossed the stream, Maui rushed out
and killed him with a mighty blow of the stone axe, cutting the head from the body.
 16. ODYSSEUS Call to Adventure: When Setanta was about seven, he heard of the fame of the court
at Emain Macha, and despite his youth, insisted on setting out alone to join the young
men in their games and hurling. When he arrived, he played so well that the others
set upon him, but he defended himself stoutly, and attracted Conchubar's attention.
Source: Barber, Richard When Conchubar learnt that he was his sister's son, he made him welcome.
W., and Richard William ➢ Cuchulainn, however, said: 'If my life were to last one day and one night
Barber. Myths and only, I would not care so long as my name would live after me.' He then
Legends of the British tried eighteen chariots that were offered to him and broke them all; only the
Isles. Boydell and king's chariot could hold him. He at once set out across the border of Ulster
Brewer, 1999. and challenged and slew the sons of Nechtan. On the way back, he seized
wild deer and swans and tied them to the chariot and returned in triumph.
Conchubar said: 'If his anger cannot be cooled, the young men at Emain
Macha will be in danger from him.' So, he sent three fifties of the women of
Emain to meet him, and they naked as the day they were born. And
Cuchulain was ashamed, and hid his face in the chariot, and his anger abated.
➢ So, then Forgall went home, and Cuchulain rose up in the morning, and
made ready to set out for Alban, and Laegaire Buadach the BattleWinner,
and Conall Cearnach said they would go with him. But first Cuchulain went
across the plain of Bregia to visit Emer, and to talk with her before going in
the ship. And she told him how it was that Forgall had gone to Emain, and
had advised him to go and learn warriors' feats, so that they two might not
meet again. Then each of them promised to be true to the other till they
would meet again, unless death should come between them, and they said
farewell to one another, and Cuchulain turned towards Alban.
➢ Cuchulain encountered various adventures on the way; he met a lion, which
he mounted and rode for four days, the beast going whichever way it chose.
With the help of friendly strangers, he crossed the plain of ill-luck, and
avoided the monsters sent by Forgall to destroy him.
➢ Then he came to the place where Scathach's scholars were, and among them
he saw Ferdiad, son of Daman, and Naoise, Ainnle and Ardan, the three sons
of Usnach, and when they knew that he was from Ireland they welcomed
him with kisses and asked for news of their own country. He asked them
where Scathach was. 'In that island beyond,' they said. 'What way must I
take to reach her?' he asked. 'By the bridge of the cliff,' they said, 'and no
man can cross it till he has proved himself a champion, and many a king's
son has got his death there.' And this is the way the bridge was: the two ends
of it were low, and the middle was high, and whenever anyone would leap
on it, the first time it would narrow till it was as narrow as the hair of a man's
head, and the second time it would shorten till it was as short as an inch, and
the third time it would get slippery till it was as slippery as an eel of the
river, and the fourth time it would rise up on high against you till it was as
tall as the mast of a ship
➢ All the warriors and people on the lawn came down to see Cuchulain making
his attempt to cross the bridge, and he tried three times to do it, and he could
not, and the others were laughing at him, that he should think he could cross
it, and he so young. Then his anger came on him, and the hero light shone
round his head, and it was not the appearance of a man that was on him, but
the appearance of a god. And he leaped upon the end of the bridge and made
the hero's salmon leap, so that he landed on the middle of it, and he reached
the other end of the bridge before it could raise itself fully up, and threw
himself from it, and was on the ground of the island where Scathach's sunny
house was; and it having seven great doors, and seven great windows
between every two doors, and three times fifty couches between every two
windows, and three times fifty young girls, with scarlet cloaks and beautiful
blue clothing on them, waiting on Scathach.

Supernatural Aid: The armies were going out to fight, but Cuchulain was not with
them, for Scathach had given him a sleeping-drink that would keep him safe and
quiet till the fight would be over; for she was afraid some harm would come to him
if he met Aoife, for she was the greatest woman warrior in the world, and she
understood enchantments and witchcraft.
➢ And as for Cuchulain's terrible spear, the Gae Bolg, this is how he got it.
There were two monsters fighting in the sea once, the Curruid and the
Coinchenn their names were, and at the last the Coinchenn made for the
strand to escape, but the other followed him and killed him there. Bolg, son
of Buan, a champion from the east, found the bones of the Coinchenn on the
strand and he made a spear with them. It had to be made ready on a stream,
and cast from the fork of the toes. It entered a man's body through a single
wound, and then opened into thirty barbs. Only by cutting away the flesh
could it be taken out again. And Bolg gave it to a great fighting man, and so
it went from one champion to another, until it came to Aoife, the woman
 warrior, who gave it to Cuchulain. And with it he killed his son, and his
friend Ferdiad afterwards.

The Crossing of the First Threshold: On the morning of the morrow the fight was
begun again, and the two sons of Scathach were going up the Path of Feats to fight
against three others of the best champions of Aoife, Cite, Bire and Blaicne, sons of
Ess Enchenn. When Scathach saw them going up, she gave a sigh, for she was afraid
for her two sons, but just then Cuchulain came up with them, and he leaped before
them on to the Path of Feats, and met the three champions, and all three fell by him.

The Belly of the Whale: So, then Cuchulain and Aoife attacked one another and
began a fierce fight, and she broke Cuchulain's spear in pieces, and his sword she
broke off at the hilt. Then Cuchulain called out, 'Look, the chariot and the horses and
the driver of Aoife are fallen down into the valley and are loss!' At that Aoife looked
about her, and Cuchulain took a sudden hold of her and lifted her on his shoulders,
and brought her down to where the army was, and laid her on the ground, and held
his sword to her breast, and she begged for her life, and he gave it to her. And after
that she made peace with Scathach and bound herself by sureties not to go against
her again. And Aoife gave her love to Cuchulain; and out of that love great sorrow
came afterwards.
The Road of Trials: And when the third night came, Cuchulainn went into the seat
of the watch. When midnight was come, he heard a noise, and by the light of the cold
moon he saw nine grey shapes coming towards him over the marsh.
➢ 'Stop,' said Cuchulainn, 'who is there? If they are friends, let them not stir; if
they are enemies, let them come on.' Then they raised a great shout at him,
and Cuchulainn rushed at them and attacked them, so that the nine fell dead
to the ground, and he cut their heads off and made a heap of them and sat
down again to keep the watch. Another nine, and then another, shouted at
him, but he made an end of the three nines, and made one heap of their heads
and arms. While he was watching on through the night, tired and
downhearted, he heard a sound rising from the lake, like the sound of a very
heavy sea. However, tired he was, his mind would not let him quiet, without
going to see what the cause of that great noise was he heard. Then he saw a
great worm coming up from the lake, and it raised itself into the air over him
and made for the dun, and opened its mouth, and it seemed to him that one
of the houses would fit into its gullet. Then Cuchulainn, with one leap,
reached its head and put his arm round its neck, and stretched his hand across
its gullet, and tore the monster's heart out, and threw it to the ground. Then
the beast fell down, and Cuchulainn hacked it with his sword, and made little
bits of it, and brought the head along with him to the heap of skulls. He was
sitting there, towards the break of day, disconsolate and worn out, and he
saw the great shadow shaped like a giant coming to him westward from the
sea. 'This is a bad night,' he said. 'It will be worse for you yet,' said
Cuchulainn. Then he threw one of the beams at Cuchulainn, but it passed
him by, and he did those two or three times without reaching either his shield
or his skin. Then he stretched out his hand to grip Cuchulainn as he did the
others, but Cuchulainn leaped his salmon leap at the head of the monster,
with his drawn sword, and brought him down. 'Life for life, Cuchulainn,' he
said, and with that he vanished and was no more seen.
➢ Then Cuchulain went to him and laid his head on the block. 'Stretch out your
head better,' said Uath. 'You are keeping me in torment,' said Cuchulain; 'put
an end to me quickly. For last night, by my oath, I made no delay with you.'
Then he stretched out his neck, and Uath raised his axe till it reached the
rafters of the hall, and the creaking of the old hide that was about him, and
the crashing of the axe through the rafters, was like the loud noise of a wood
in a stormy night. But when the axe came down, it was with its blunt side,
and it was the floor it struck, so that Cuchulain was not touched at all. And
all the chief men of Ulster were standing around looking on, and they saw
at that moment that it was no strange ugly fellow was in it, but Curoi, son of
Daire, that had come to try the heroes through his enchantments.
➢ 'That is not the appearance that was on him yesterday,' said Natchrantal; for
Cuchulain's anger had come on him so that the appearance he had was
changed, and he was leaning against a pillarstone, and in the strength of his
anger, as he was throwing his cloak about him, he broke off the pillar-stone,
and he never noticed it was wrapped between the cloak and himself; and
Natchrantal threw his sword at him, and it broke to pieces against the pillar-
stone, and then Cuchulain gave him a blow over the top of his shield that
struck off his head.
➢ As they were fighting, the Morrigan came against Cuchulain with the
appearance of a white, red-eared heifer, and fifty other heifers along with
her, and a chain of white bronze between every two of them, and they made
 a rush into the ford. But Cuchulain made a cast at her and wounded one of
her eyes.

Meeting with the Goddess: She took the appearance of an old woman on her, and
she milking a cow with three teats. Cuchulain was passing by, and there was thirst
on him, and he asked a drink, and she gave him the milk of one teat. 'May this be to
the good of the giver,' he said, and with that her eye that was wounded was healed.
Then she gave him milk from another teat, and he said the same words; then she
gave him the milk from the third teat. 'The full blessing of the gods, and of the people
of the plough, on you,' he said. And with that, all the wounds of the Great Queen
were healed.

Woman as the Temptress: So, they went on till they met with a chariot, and a red
horse yoked to it, and a woman sitting in it, with red eyebrows and a red dress on
her, and a long red cloak that fell onto the ground between the two wheels of the
chariot, and on her back she had a grey spear. 'What is your name, and what is it you
are wanting?' said Cuchulain. 'I am the daughter of king Buan,' she said, 'and what I
have come for is to find you and offer you my love, for I have heard of all the great
deeds you have done.' 'It is a bad time you have chosen for coming,' said Cuchulain,
'for I am wasted and worn out with the hardship of the war, and I have no mind to be
speaking with women.' 'You will have my help in everything you do,' she said, 'and
it is protecting you I was up to this, and I will protect you from this out.' 'It is not
trusting to a woman's protection I am in this work I have in my hands,' said
Cuchulain. 'Then if you will not take my help,' she said, 'I will turn it against you;
and at the time when you will be fighting with some man as good as yourself, I will
come against you in all shapes, by water and by land, till you are beaten.'
➢ Then there was anger on Cuchulain and he took his sword and made a leap
at the chariot. But on the moment chariot and horse and woman disappeared;
all he saw was a black crow, and it is sitting on a branch; and by that he
knew that it was the Morrigan had been talking with him.

The Road of Trials: And Cuchulain and Ferdiad fought: they met first in their
chariots, and as Cuchulain leapt into his chariot, there shouted around him the
Bocanachs and the Bacanachs, and the witches of the valley; for the Tuatha de
Danaan would set up their shouts around him, the way the fear and the wonder would
be great before him in every fight he would go into. And they welcomed each other
at the first; but then they quarrelled, with bitter boasts and taunts, and each of them
spoke sharp unfriendly words against the other, until Ferdiad said: fit is too long we
are delaying like this; what arms shall we use today, Cuchulain? 'And Cuchulain
gave him the choice of arms that day, until nightfall; and first they took their casting
spears, but they were both so skilful in defence, that neither could harm the other. So
they took their straight spears, and threw spears at each other from midday until the
fall of evening; and each wounded the other in that time. And that night they shared
their provisions and the healing herbs that were sent to them, and their horses were
in one enclosure, and their chariot-drivers at the same fire. The next day Cuchulain
had the choice of arms; and he chose the great broad thrusting spears, 'for', he said,
'we shall be nearer to the end of our battle by the thrusting today than we were by
the throwing yesterday.' And they wounded each other so that if it were the custom
for birds in their fight to pass through the bodies of men, they could have passed
through their bodies on that day, and they could have carried pieces of flesh and
blood through their stabs and cuts, into the clouds and sky all around. And that night
was as the previous night; they shared their provisions and the healing herbs that
were sent to them, and their horses were in one enclosure, and their chariot drivers
at the same fire.
➢ Each of them began to throw his weapons at the other, from the dawn of
early morning to the middle of midday. And when midday came, the anger
of each grew hotter, and then it was that Cuchulain leaped on to Page 283
the boss of Ferdiad's shield, to strike at his head over the rim of the shield.
But Ferdiad gave the shield a blow of the left elbow, and threw Cuchulain
from him like a bird on the brink of the ford. Laeg saw this and said, 'My
grief indeed, the fighter that is against you, Cuchulain, casts you away as a
light woman would cast her child, he throws you away as foam is thrown by
the river, he grinds you as a mill would grind fresh malt, and from this out,
you have no call nor claim to courage or a brave name to the end of life and
time, you little fairy fighter.' It is then that Cuchulain leaped up with the
quickness of the wind, and with the readiness of the swallow, and with the
fierceness of the lion, towards the troubled clouds of the air, until he lit on
the boss of Ferdiad's shield, to strike at his head from above. But Ferdiad
gave his shield a shake, and cast Cuchulain from him, the same as if he had
never been cast off before at all. And it is then Cuchulain's anger came on
him, and the flames of the hero light began to shine about his head, like a
 red thorn bush in a gap, or like the sparks of a fire, and he lost the appearance
of a man, and what was on him was the appearance of a god. So close was
the fight they made now, that their heads met above and their feet below,
and their hands in the middle, over the rims and bosses of their shields. So
close was the fight, that they broke and loosened their shields from the rim
to the middle. So close was the fight, that they turned and bent and shattered
their spears from the points to the hilts. So close was the fight, that the
Bocanachs and Bacanachs and the witches of the valley screamed from the
rims of their shields and from the hilts of their swords, and from the handles
of their spears. So close was the fight, that they drove the river out of its bed
and out of its course, so that it might have been a place for a king or a queen
to rest in, so that there was not a drop of water in it, unless it dropped into it
by the trampling and the hewing the two champions made in the middle of
the ford. So great was the fight, that the horses of the men of Ireland broke
away in fright and shyness, with fury and madness, breaking their chains
and their yokes, their ropes and their traces; and the women and the young
lads and the children and the crazy and the followers of the men of Ireland
broke out of the camp to the south-west. They were using the edge of their
swords through that time; and it was then Ferdiad found a time when
Cuchulain was off his guard, and he gave him a stroke of the sword, and hid
it in his body, and the ford was reddened with Cuchulain's blood, and
Ferdiad kept on making great strokes at him. And Cuchulain could not bear
with this, and he called to Laeg for the Gae Bolg, and it was sent down the
stream to him, and he caught it with his foot. And when Ferdiad heard him
call for the Gae Bolg, he made a stroke of his shield down to protect his
body. But Cuchulain made a straight cast of the Gae Bolg, from the middle
of his Page 284 hand, and it passed through his armour and went out through
his body, so that its sharp end could be seen. Ferdiad gave a stroke of his
shield up to protect the upper part of his body, but it was 'The relief after
danger', as the saying is. 'That is enough,' said Ferdiad; 'I die by that. And I
may say, indeed, you have left me sick after you, and it was not right that I
should fall by your hand. O Hound of the Beautiful Feats, it was not right,
you to kill me; the fault of my death is yours, it is on you my blood is. I am
going away, my end is come. My ribs will not hold my heart, my heart is all
mined to blood. I have not done well in the battle; you have killed me,
Cuchulain.’

Rescue from Without: The noise on the plain that the men of Ulster were gathering
for the battle, he used all his strength and tried to rise up; and he gave a great shout,
that all his own troop heard it, and all the whole army. But his people that were about
him laid him down on the bed again by force, and put ropes and fastenings over him,
the way he could not move from it to open his wounds again.

Atonement of the Father: And Conchubar knew then who was before him, and he
cried out: 'It is the man, Fergus, that is greater and more comely and younger and
better than yourself, the man whose father and mother were better than your own;
the man that put to death the three great candles of the valour of the Gael, the three
prosperous sons of Usnach, in spite of your guarantee and your protection; the man
that banished you out of your own country; the man that made your house a dwelling
place for deer and foxes; the man that never left you so much as the breadth of your
foot of land in Ulster; the man that drove you to the entertainment of a woman; and
the man that will drive you back today in the presence of the men of Ireland,
Conchubar, son of Fachtna Fathach, High King of Ulster, the High King of Ireland.'

Apotheosis: And Cuchulain said: 'It is a pity your mother not to be here to see you
brought down. She might have stretched out her hand to stop the Gae Bolg that
wounded you.' And Conlaoch said, 'My curse be on my mother, for it was she put
me under a geasa, it was she sent me here to try my strength against yours.' And
Cuchulain said: 'My curse be on your mother, a woman full of treachery; it is through
her harmful thoughts these tears have been brought on us.' And Conlaoch said: 'My
name was never forced from my mouth until now; I never gave an account of myself
to any man under the sun. But, O Cuchulain of the sharp sword, it was a pity you not
to know me the time I threw the slanting spear behind you in the fight.' And then the
sorrow of death came upon Conlaoch, and Cuchulain took his sword and put it
through him, sooner than leave him in the pain and punishment he was in. And then
great trouble and anguish came on Cuchulain, and he made this lament: 'It is a pity
it is, O son of Aoife, that ever you came into the province of Ulster, that you ever
met with the Hound of Cuailgne. If I and my fair Conlaoch were doing feats of war
on the one side, the men of Ireland from sea to sea would not be equal to us together.
It is no wonder I to be under grief when I see the shield and the arms of Conlaoch.
 A pity it is there is no one at all, a pity there are not hundreds of men on whom I
could get satisfaction for his death.
➢ 'It is very well for the men of Alban, it was not they destroyed your fame;
and it is well for the men of the Gael. 'It is bad that it happened; it is on me
is the misfortune, O Conlaoch of the Red Spear, I myself to have spilled your
blood. I to be under defeat, without strength. It is a pity Aoife never taught
you to know the power of my strength in the fight. It is no wonder I to be
blinded after such a fight and such a defeat. 'It is no wonder I to be tired out,
and without the sons of Usnach beside me. Without a son, without a brother,
with none to come after me; without Conlaoch, without a name to keep my
strength. 'I am the father that killed his son, the fine green branch; there is
no hand or shelter to help me. 'I am a raven that has no home; I am a boat
going from wave to wave; I am a ship that has lost its rudder; I am the apple
left on the tree; it is little I thought of falling from it; grief and sorrow will
be with me from this time.'

Freedom to Live: Then Lugaid threw the last spear, and the spear went through and
through Cuchulain's body, and he knew that he had got his death- wound; and his
bowels came out on the cushions of the chariot, and his only horse went away from
him, the Black Sainglain, with half the harness hanging from his neck, leaving his
master, king of the heroes of Ireland, to die upon the plain of Muirthemne. Then
Cuchulain said: 'There is great desire on me to go to that lake beyond, and to get a
drink from it.' 'We will give you leave to do that', they said, 'if you will come back
to us after.' 'I will bid you come for me if I am not able to come back myself,' said
Cuchulain. Then he gathered up his bowels into his body, and he went down to the
lake. He drank his fill, and he washed himself, and he turned back again to his death,
and he called to his enemies to come and meet him. There was a stone pillar west of
the lake, and his eye lit on it, and he went to the pillar and tied himself to it with his
breast-belt, the way he would not meet his death lying down, but standing up. Then
his enemies surrounded him, but they were in dread of going close to him, for they
were not sure but he might still be alive. Page 306 Then the Grey of Macha came
back to defend Cuchulain so long as there was life in him and the hero-light shining
above him. And the Grey of Macha made three attacks against them, and he killed
fifty men with his teeth, and thirty with each of his hoofs. And a bird came and settled
on Cuchulain's shoulder. 'That is not a pillar on which birds were used to settle,' said
Erc. Then Lugaid came and lifted up Cuchulain's hair from his shoulders, and struck
his head off, and the men of Ireland gave three great heavy shouts. The sword fell
from Cuchulain's hand, and as it fell, it struck off Lugaid's right hand, which also fell
to the ground. Then they cut off Cuchulain's hand, in satisfaction for it; and the light
faded from about Cuchulain's head, leaving it as pale as the snow of a single night.
Then all the men of Ireland said that as it was Maeve had gathered the army, it would
be right for her to bring away the head to Cruachan. 'I will not bring it with me; it is
for Lugaid that struck it off to bring it with him,' said Maeve. And so Lugaid and his
men brought away Cuchulain's head and his right hand, and went southward.

17. AENEAS First Journey

The Call to Adventure: When Aeneas set sail from Troy many Trojans had joined
him. All were eager to find somewhere to settle, but no one had any clear idea what
that should be.
Source: Hamilton, Edith.
Mythology: Timeless Tales
Supernatural Aid: At last Aeneas was told in a dream that the place destined for
of Gods and Heroes. Grand them was a country far away to the west, Italy—in those days called Hesperia.
Central Publishing, 2011. ➢ They entertained them with utmost hospitality and before they bade the
farewell Helenus gave them useful advice about their journey. They must
not land on the nearest coast of Italy, the east coast, he told them, because it
was full of Greeks.

Crossing the 1st Threshold: Several times they started to build a city, but they were
always driven away by misfortunes or bad omens.

The Belly of the Whale: They were then on the island of Crete and although the
promise land was distant by a long voyage over unknown seas they were thankful
for the assurance that they would someday have their own home and they started
once on the journey.
➢ Although the Argonauts had sailed east from Greece and Aeneas/ company
were westward bound from Crete, the Trojans came upon the Harpies just
as Jason and his men had done.

The Road of Trials: They were on the point of killing the horrid away by them, and
forced to put out to sea to escape them.
 ➢ Their destined home was on the west coast, somewhat to the north, but they
must by no means take the shortest way and go up between Sicily and Italy.
In those waters was that most perilous strait guarded by Scylla and
Charybdis, which the Argonauts had succeeded in passing only because
Thetis helped them and where Ulysses had lost six of his men.
➢ When the Trojans had taken leave of their kind hosts and had successfully
rounded the eastern tip of Italy, they kept on sailing southwestward around
Sicily with all confidence in their prophetic guide. Apparently, however, for
all his mysterious powers Helenus was not aware that Sicily, at least the
southern part, was now occupied by the Cyclopes, for he did not warn the
Trojans against landing there. They reached the island after sunset and made
camp on the shore with no hesitation at all. Probably they would all have
been captured and eaten if very early the next morning, before any of the
monsters were astir, a poor wretch of a man had not come running to where
Aeneas was lying. He threw himself upon his knees, but indeed his obvious
misery was enough of an appeal, his pallor like that of one half dead from
starvation, his clothes held together only by thorns, his face squalid in the
extreme with a thick growth of hair. He was one of Ulysses' sailors, he told
them, who had been left behind unintentionally in Polyphemus' cave and had
ever since lived in the woods on whatever he could find there, terrified
perpetually lest one of the Cyclopes should come upon him. There were a
hundred of them, he said, all as big and as frightful as Polyphemus. "Fly,"
he urged them. "Up and away with all speed. Break the ropes that hold the
boats to the shore." They did as he said, cutting the cables, making breathless
haste, all as silently as possible. But they had only launched the ships when
the blind giant was seen slowly making his way down to the shore to wash
the cavity where his eye had been, which still flowed with blood. He heard
the splashing of the oars and he rushed toward the sound out into the sea.
The Trojans, however, had got enough of a start. Before he could reach them
the water had deepened too much even for his towering height. They escaped
that peril, but only to meet another as great.
➢ While rounding Sicily they were struck by a storm such as there never was
before or since: the waves were so high that their crests licked the stars, and
the gulfs between them so deep that the floor of the ocean was disclosed. It
was clearly something more than a mere mortal storm and in point of fact
Juno was back of it.
➢ As Juno's brother he was quite aware of her way of doing things and it did
not suit him to have her interfere with his sea. He was as cautious, however,
in dealing with her as Jupiter always was. He said not a word to her, but
contented himself with sending a stern reprimand to Aeolus. Then he calmed
the sea, and made it possible for the Trojans to get to land. The north coast
of Africa was where they finally beached their ships. They had been blown
all the way down there from Sicily. As it happened, the place they came
ashore was quite near to Carthage and Juno began at once to consider how
she could turn this arrival to their disadvantage and the advantage of the
Carthaginians.
➢ The morning after they landed, Aeneas with his friend, the faithful Achates,
left his wretched shipwrecked followers to try to find out what part of the
world they were in. He spoke cheering words to them before he started.
Comrades, you and I have had long acquaintance with sorrow.
Evils still worse we have known. These also will end. Call back
courage.
Send away gloomy fear. Perhaps some day to remember
This trouble too will bring pleasure.

The Meeting with the Goddess: At their next landing place they met to their
amazement Hector's wife Andromache. When Troy fell she had been given to
Neoptolemus, sometimes called Pyrrhus, Achilles' son, the man who had killed old
Priam at the altar. He soon abandoned her for Hermione, Helen's daughter, but he
did not long survive this marriage and after his death Andromache married the Trojan
prophet Helenus. They were now ruling the country and of course were rejoiced to
welcome Aeneas and his men. They entertained them with the utmost hospitality and
before they bade them farewell Helenus gave them useful advice about their journey.
They must not land on the nearest coast of Italy, the east coast, he told them, because
it was full of Greeks.
➢ Venus suspected what was in Juno's mind, and was determined to block it.
She had her own plan. She was quite willing to have Dido fall in love with
Aeneas, so that no harm could come to him in Carthage; but she intended to
see to it that his feeling for Dido should be no more than an entire willingness
to take anything she wanted to give; by no means such as to interfere in the
least with his sailing away to Italy whenever that seemed best. At this
 juncture she went up to Olympus to talk to Jupiter. She reproached him and
her lovely eyes filled with tears. Her dear son Aeneas was all but ruined, she
said. And he, the King of Gods and Men, had sworn to her that Aeneas
should be the ancestor of a race who would some day rule the world. Jupiter
laughed and kissed away her tears. He told her that what he had promised
would surely come to pass. Aeneas' descendants would be the Romans, to
whom the Fates had decreed a boundless and endless empire.
➢ Venus took her leave greatly comforted, but to make matters still more sure
she turned for help to her son Cupid. Dido, she thought, could be trusted to
make unaided the necessary impression upon Aeneas, but she was not at all
certain that Aeneas by himself could get Dido to fall in love with him. She
was known to be not susceptible. All the kings of the country round about
had tried to persuade her to marry them with no success. So Venus
summoned Cupid, who promised that he would set Dido's heart on fire with
love as soon as she laid eyes on Aeneas. It was a simple matter for Venus to
bring about a meeting between the two.
➢ As the two heroes explored the strange country, Venus disguised as a
huntress appeared to them. She told them where they were and advised them
to go straight to Carthage whose Queen would surely help them. Greatly
reassured they took the path Venus pointed out, protected, although they did
not know it, by a thick mist she wrapped around them. So they reached the
city without interference and walked unnoticed through the busy streets.
Before a great temple they paused wondering how they could get to the
Queen, and there new hope came to them. As they gazed at the splendid
building they saw marvelously carved upon the walls the battles around Troy
in which they themselves had taken part. They saw the likenesses of their
foes and their friends: the sons of Atreus, Old Priam stretching out his hand
to Achilles, the dead Hector.

Woman as Temptress: Carthage had been founded by a woman, Dido, who was
still its ruler and under whom it was growing into a great and splendid city. She was
beautiful and a widow; Aeneas had lost his wife on the night he left Troy. Juno's plan
was to have the two fall in love with each other and so divert Aeneas from Italy and
induce him to settle down with Dido.
➢ "I take courage," Aeneas said. "Here too there are tears for things, and hearts
are touched by the fate of all that is mortal." At that moment Dido, lovely as
Diana herself, approached with a great train of attendants. Forthwith the mist
around Aeneas dissolved and he stood forth beautiful as Apollo. When he
told her who he was the Queen received him with the utmost graciousness
and welcomed him and his company to her city. She knew how these
desolate homeless men felt, for she herself had come to Africa with a few
friends fleeing from her brother who wanted to murder her. "Not ignorant of
suffering, I have learned how to help the unfortunate," she said. She gave a
splendid banquet for the strangers that night at which Aeneas told their story,
the fall of Troy first and then their long journeying. He spoke admirably and
eloquently, and perhaps Dido would have succumbed to such heroism and
such beautiful language even if there had been no god in the case, but as it
was, Cupid was there and she had no choice. For a time she was happy.
Aeneas seemed devoted to her, and she for her part lavished everything she
had on him. She gave him to understand that her city was his as well as she
herself. He, a poor shipwrecked man, had equal honor with her. She made
the Carthaginians treat him as if he too were their ruler. His companions as
well were distinguished by her favor. She could not do enough for them. In
all this she wanted only to give; she asked nothing for herself except Aeneas'
love. On his side he received what her generosity bestowed with great
contentment. He lived at his ease with a beautiful woman and a powerful
Queen to love him and provide everything for him and arrange hunting
parties for his amusement and not only permit him, but beg him, to tell over
and over again the tale of his adventures. It is small wonder that the idea of
setting sail for an unknown land grew less and less attractive to him.

The Magic Flight: Jupiter was very effective when he once roused himself. He
dispatched Mercury to Carthage with a stinging message for Aeneas. The god found
the hero walking about dressed to admiration, with a superb sword at his side studded
with jasper and over his shoulders a beautiful cloak of purple inwrought with thread
of gold, both Dido's presents, of course, the latter, indeed, the work of her own hands.
Suddenly this elegant gentleman was startled out of his state of indolent contentment.
Stern words sounded in his ear. "How long are you going to waste time here in idle
luxury?" a severe voice asked. He turned and Mercury, visibly the god, stood before
him. "The ruler of heaven himself has sent me to you," he said. "He bids you depart
and seek the kingdom which is your destiny." With that he vanished as a wreath or
mist dissolves into the air, leaving Aeneas awed and excited, indeed and determined
to obey, but chiefly wretchedly conscious how very difficult it was going to be with
Dido.

Master of the Two Worlds: He called his men together and ordered them to fit out
a fleet and prepare for immediate departure, but to do all secretly. Nevertheless Dido
learned and she sent for him. She was very gentle with him at first. She could not
believe that he really meant to leave her. "Is it from me you would fly? she asked.
"Let these tears plead for me, this hand I gave to you. If I have in any way deserved
well of you, if anything of mine was ever sweet to you–” He answered that he was
not the man to deny that she had done well by him and that he would never forget
her. But she on her side must remember that he had not married her and was free to
leave her whenever he chose. Jupiter had ordered him to go and he must obey. "Cease
these complaints," he begged her, "which only trouble us both."

Freedom to Live: The Trojans sailed that same night, very wisely. One word from
the Queen and their departure would have been forever impossible. On shipboard
looking back at the walls of Carthage Aeneas saw them illumined by a great fire. He
watched the flames leap up and slowly die down and he wondered what was the
cause. All unknowing he was looking at the glow of Dido's funeral pyre. When she
saw that he was gone she killed herself.

Second Journey

The Call to Adventure: Aeneas had been told by the prophet Helenus as soon as he
reached the Italian land to seek the cave of the Sibyl of Cumae, a woman of deep
wisdom, who could foretell the future and would advise him what to do.

Supernatural Aid: He found her and she told him she would guide him to the
underworld where he would learn all he needed to know from his father Anchises,
who had died just before the great great storm. She warned him however, it was no
light undertaking: —

Trojan, Anchises' son, the descent of Avernus is easy.

All night long, all day, the doors of dark Hades stand open.
But to retrace the path, to come up to the sweet air of heaven,
That is labor indeed.

The Belly of the Whale: Nevertheless, if he was determined she would go with him.
First he must find in the forest a golden bough growing on a tree, which he must
break off and take with him. Only with this in his hand would he be admitted to
Hades. He started at once to look for it, accompanied by the ever-faithful Achates.
They went almost hopelessly into the great wilderness of trees where it seemed
impossible to find anything. But suddenly they caught sight of two doves, the birds
of Venus. The men followed as they flew slowly on until they were close to Lake
Avernus, a dark foul-smelling sheet of water where the Sibyl had told Aeneas was
the cavern from which the road led down to the underworld. Here the doves soared
up to a tree through whose foliage came a bright yellow gleam. It was the golden
bough. Aeneas plucked it joyfully and took it to the Sibyl. Then, together, the
prophetess and hero started on their journey.

The Road of Trials: They found themselves soon on a road wrapped in shadows
which yet permitted them to see frightful forms on either side, pale Disease and
avenging Care, and Hunger that persuades to crime, and so on, a great company of
terrors. Death-dealing War was there and mad Discord with snaky, bloodstained hair,
and many another curse to mortals. They passed unmolested through them and
finally reached a place where an old man was rowing a boat over a stretch of water.
There they saw a pitiful sight, spirits on the shore innumerable as the leaves which
fail in the forest at the first cold of winter, all stretching out their hands and praying
the ferryman to carry them across to the farther bank. But the gloomy old man made
his own choice among them; some he admitted to his skiff, others he pushed away.
As Aeneas stared in wonder the Sibyl told him they had reached the junction of two
great rivers of the under-world, the Cocytus, named of lamentation loud, and the
Acheron. The ferryman was Charon and those he would not admit to his boat were
the unfortunates who had not been duly buried. They were doomed to wander
aimlessly for a hundred years, with never a place to rest in.
➢ Charon was inclined to refuse Aeneas and his guide when they came down
to the boat. He bade them halt and told them he did not ferry the living, only
the dead. At sight of the golden bough, however, he yielded and took them
 across. The dog Cerberus was there on the other bank to dispute the way,
but they followed Psyche's example. The Sibyl, too, had some cake for him
and he gave them no trouble.
➢ As they went on they came to the solemn place in which Minos, Europa's
son, the inflexible judge of the dead, was passing the final sentence on the
souls before him. They hastened away from that inexorable presence and
found themselves in the Fields of Mourning, where the unhappy lovers dwelt
who had been driven by their misery to kill themselves. In that sorrowful but
lovely spot, shaded with groves of myrtle, Aeneas caught sight of Dido. He
wept as he greeted her. "Was I the cause of your death?" he asked her. *I
swear I left you against my will." She neither looked at him nor answered
him. A piece of marble could not have seemed less moved. He himself,
however, was a good deal shaken, and he continued to shed tears for some
time after he lost sight of her.
➢ At last they reached a spot where the road divided. From the left branch
came horrid sounds, groans and savage blows and the clanking of chains.
Aeneas halted in terror. The Sibyl, however, bade him no fear, but fasten
boldly the golden bough on the wall that faced the crossroads. The regions
the left, she said, were ruled over by stern Rhadamanthus, also a son of
Europe, who punished the wicked for their misdeeds. But the road at the
right led to the Elysian Fields where Aeneas would find his father.

The Meeting with the Goddess: At dead of night in front of the dark cavern on the
bank of the somber lake she slaughtered four coal-black bullocks to Hecate, the dread
Goddess of Night. As she placed the sacrificial parts upon a blazing altar, the earth
rumbled and quaked beneath their feet and from afar dogs howled through the
darkness, With a cry to Aeneas, "Now will you need all your courage, she rushed
into the cave, and undaunted he followed her.

Atonement of the Father: There when they arrived everything was delightful, soft
green meadows, lovely groves, a delicious life-giving air, sunlight that glowed softly
purple, an abode of peace and blessedness. Here dwelt the great and good dead,
heroes, poets, priests, and all who had made men remember them by helping others.
Among them Aeneas soon came upon Anchises, who greeted him with incredulous
joy. Father and son alike shed happy tears at this strange meeting between the dead
and the living whose love had been strong enough to bring him down to the world
of death. They had much, of course, to say to each other.

The Magic Flight: Anchises led Aeneas to Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, of which
the souls on their way to live again in the world above must all drink. "A draught of
long oblivion," Anchises said. And he showed his son those who were to be their
descendants, his own and Aeneas', now waiting by the river for their time to drink
and lose the memory of what in former lives they had done and suffered. A
magnificent company they were the future Romans, the masters of the world. One
by one Anchises pointed them out, and told of the deeds they would do which men
would never through all time forget. Finally, he gave his son instructions how he
would best establish his home in Italy and how he could avoid or endure all the
hardships that lay before him.

Master of the Two Worlds: Then they took leave of each other, but calmly,
knowing that they were parting only for a time. Aeneas and the Sibyl made their way
back to the earth and Aeneas returned to his ships. Next day the Trojans sailed up
the coast of Italy looking for their promised home.

Third Journey
The Call to Adventure: Terrible trials awaited the little band of adventurers. Juno
was again the cause of the trouble. She made the most powerful peoples of the
country, the Latins and the Rutulians, fiercely opposed to the Trojans settling there.
If it had not been for her, matters would have gone well.

Crossing the 1st Threshold: The aged Latinus, a great-grandson of Saturn and King
of the City of Latium, had been warned by the spirit of his father, Faunus, not to
marry his daughter Lavinia, his only child, to any man of the country, but to a
stranger who was soon to arrive. From that union would be born a race destined to
hold the entire world under their sway. Therefore, when an embassy arrived from
Aeneas asking for a narrow resting place upon the coast and the common liberty of
air and water, Latinus received them with great good will. He felt convinced that
Aeneas was the son-in-law Faunus had predicted, and he said as much to the
envoys. They would never lack a friend while he lived, he told them.

The Belly of the Whale: To Aeneas he sent this message, that he had a daughter
forbidden by heaven to wed with any except a foreigner, and that he believed the
Trojan chief was this man of destiny.

The Road of Trials: But here Juno stepped in. She summoned Alecto, one of the
Furies, from Hades and bade her loose bitter war over the land. She obeyed gladly.
First she inflamed the heart of Queen Amata, wife of Latinus, to oppose violently a
marriage between her daughter and Aeneas. Then she flew to the King of the
Rutulians, Turnus, who up to now had been the most favored among the many suitors
for Lavinia's hand.Her visit to arouse him against the Trojans was hardly necessary.
The idea of anyone except himself marrying Lavinia was enough to drive Turnus to
frenzy. As soon as he heard of the Trojan embassy to the King he started with his
army to march to Latium and prevent by force any treaty between the Latins and the
strangers.
➢ Alecto's third effort was cleverly devised. There was a pet stag belonging to
a Latin farmer, a beautiful creature, so tame that it would run free by day,
but at nightfall always come to the well-known door. The farmer's daughter
tended it with loving care; she would comb its coat and wreathe its horns
with garlands. All the farmers far and near knew it and protected it. Anyone,
even of their own number, who had harmed it would have been severely
punished. But for a foreigner to dare such a deed was to enrage the whole
country-side. And that is what Aeneas's young son did under the guiding
hand of Alecto. Ascanius was out hunting and he and his hounds were
directed by the Fury to where the stag was lying in the forest. He shot at it
and wounded it mortally, but it succeeded in reaching its home and its
mistress before it died. Alecto took care that the news should spread quickly,
and fighting started at once, the furious farmers bent upon killing Ascanius
and the Trojans defending him.
➢ There was a custom in the city that when war was determined upon, the two
folding-gates of the temple of the god Janus, always kept closed in time of
peace, should be unbarred by the krins, locked in his paladlared and warriors
Ghouted. But Latinus, locked in his palace, was not available for the sacred
rite. As the citizens hesitated as to what to do, Juno herself swept down from
heaven, smote with her own und the bars and flung wide the doors. Joy filled
the city, joy in the battle-array, the shining armor and spirited chargers and
proud standards, joy altacing a war to the death.
➢ At dawn he started with a chosen few and for the first time a boat filled with
armed men floated on the Tiber. When they reached Evander's home a warm
welcome was given them by the King and his young son, Pallas.
➢ Next morning, awakened by the dawn and the call of birds, they all arose.
The King went forth with two great dogs following him, his sole retinue and
bodyguard. After they had broken their fast he gave Aeneas the advice he
had come to seek.
➢ Throughout the first day the Trojans defended themselves successfully,
following the strict orders which Aeneas at his departure had given them on
no account to undertake an offensive. But they were greatly outnumbered;
the prospect was dark unless they could get word to Aeneas what was
happening. The question was whether this was possible, with the Rutulians
completely surrounding the fort. However, there were two men in that little
band who scorned to weigh the chances of success or failure, to whom the
extreme peril of the attempt was a reason for making it. These two resolved
to try to pass through the enemy under the cover of the night and reach
Aeneas.

Atonement of the Father: In this perilous situation for the Trojans, Father Tiber,
the god of the great river they were encamped near, visited Aeneas in a dream. He
bade him go swiftly upstream to where Evander dwelt, a King of a poor little town
which was destined to become in future ages the proudest of earth's cities, whence
the towers of Rome should soar up to the skies. Here, the river-god promised, Aeneas
would get the help he needed.

Master of the Two Worlds: Finally Turns and Aeneas meet in single combat. By
this time Aeneas, who in the earlier part of the story seemed as human as Hector or
Achilles, has changed into something strange and portentous; he is not a human
being. Once he carried tenderly his old father out of burning Troy and encouraged
his little son to run beside him; when he came to Carthage he felt what it meant to
meet with compassion, to reach a place where "There are tears for things"; he was
very human too when he strutted about Dido's palace in his fine clothes. But on the
 Latin battlefields he is not a man, but a fearful prodigy. He is "vast as Mount Athos,
vast as Father Apennine himself when he shakes his mighty oaks and lifts his snow-
topped peace to the sky", like "Aegaeon who had a hundred arms and a hundred
hands and flashed five through fifty mouths, thundering on fifty strong shields and
drawing fifty sharp swords- even so Aeneas slakes his victorious fury the whole field
over."

Freedom to Live: Virgil’s poem ends with Turnus’ death. Aeneas, we are given to
understand, married Lavinia and founded the Roman race—who, Virgil said, “left to
other nations such things as art and science, and ever remembered that they were
destined to bring under their empire the peoples of earth, to impose the rule of
submissive nonresistance, to spare the humbled and to crush the proud."

18. OEDIPUS The Call to Adventure: Those who were spared death by disease faced death by
famine. No one suffered more than Oedipus. He regarded himself as the father of the
whole state; the people in it were his children; the misery of each one was his too.
He dispatched Jocasta’s brother Creon to Delphi to implore the god’s help. Creon
returned with good news. Apollo had declared that the plague would be stayed upon
one condition: whoever had murdered King Laius must be punished. Oedipus was
Source: Hamilton, enormously relieved. Surely the men or the man could be found even after all these
Edith. Mythology: years, and they would know well how to punish him.
Timeless Tales of Gods
and Heroes. Grand
Central Publishing, Supernatural Aid: He sent for Teiresias, the old blind prophet, the most revered of
2011. Thebans. Had he any means of finding out, he asked him, who the guilty were? To
his amazement and indignation the seer at first refused to answer. “For the love of
God,” Oedipus implored him. “If you have knowledge—” “Fools,” Teiresias said.
“Fools all of you. I will not answer.” But when Oedipus went so far as to accuse him
of keeping silence because he had himself taken part in the murder, the prophet in
his turn was angered and words he had meant never to speak fell heavily from his
lips: “You are yourself the murderer you seek.” To Oedipus the old man’s mind was
wandering; what he said was sheer madness. He ordered him out of his sight and
never again to appear before him. Jocasta too treated the assertion with scorn.
“Neither prophets nor oracles have any knowledge,” she said. She told her husband
how the priestess at Delphi had prophesied that Laius should die at the hand of his
son and how he and she together had seen to it that this should not happen by having
the child killed. “And Laius was murdered by robbers, where three roads meet on
the way to Delphi,” she concluded triumphantly. Oedipus gave her a strange look.
“When did this happen?” he asked slowly. “Just before you came to Thebes,” she
said.

Crossing the First Threshold: The old man wailed, “Oh, do not hurt me. I did give
him the child, but do not ask more, master, for the love of God.” “If I have to order
you a second time to tell me where you got him, you are lost,” Oedipus said. “Ask
your lady,” the old man cried. “She can tell you best.” “She gave him to you?” asked
Oedipus. “Oh, yes, oh, yes,” the other groaned. “I was to kill the child. There was a
prophecy—” “A prophecy!” Oedipus repeated. “That he should kill his father?”
“Yes,” the old man whispered. A cry of agony came from the King. At last he
understood. “All true! Now shall my light be changed to darkness. I am accursed.”

The Belly of the Whale: He had murdered his father, he had married his father’s
wife, his own mother. There was no help for him, for her, for their children. All were
accursed. Within the palace Oedipus wildly sought for his wife that was his mother.
He found her in her chamber. She was dead. When the truth broke upon her she had
killed herself. Standing beside her he too turned his hand against himself, but not to
end his life. He changed his light to darkness. He put out his eyes. The black world
of blindness was a refuge; better to be there than to see with strange shamed eyes the
old world that had been so bright.

Road of Trials: After Jocasta’s death and all the evils that came with it, Oedipus
lived on in Thebes while his children were growing up. He had two sons, Polyneices
and Eteocles, and two daughters, Antigone and Ismene. They were very unfortunate
young people, but they were far from being monsters all would shudder to look at,
as the oracle had told Oedipus. The two lads were well liked by the Thebans and the
two girls were as good daughters as a man could have. Oedipus of course resigned
the throne. Polyneices, the elder son, did the same. The Thebans felt that this was
wise because of the terrible position of the family, and they accepted Creon, Jocasta’s
brother, as the regent. For many years they treated Oedipus with kindness, but at last
they decided to expel him from the city. What induced them to do this is not known,
but Creon urged it and Oedipus’sons consented to it.
 Freedom to Live: In the course of their desolate wanderings Oedipus and Antigone
came to Colonus, a lovely spot near Athens, where the one-time Erinyes, the Furies,
now the Benignant Goddesses, had a place sacred to them and therefore a refuge for
suppliants. The blind old man and his daughter felt safe there, and there Oedipus
died.

19. ARTHUR The Call to Adventure: Sir Kay would willingly have assumed to himself the
distinction conferred by the possession of the sword; but when, to confirm the
doubters, the sword was replaced in the stone, he was utterly unable to withdraw it,
and it would yield a second time to no hand but Arthur’s. Thus decisively pointed
out by Heaven as their king, Arthur was by general consent proclaimed as such, and
Source: Frost, William an early day appointed for his solemn coronation.
Henry. The Knights of the
Round Table Supernatural Aid: By Merlin’s advice Arthur sent an embassy to Brittany to
Stories of King Arthur and solicit aid of King Ban and King Bohort, two of the best knights in the world. They
the Holy Grail. 2 July 2014, accepted the call, and with a powerful army crossed the sea, landing at Portsmouth,
www.gutenberg.org/files/46 where they were received with great rejoicing.
176/46176-h/46176-
h.html?fbclid=IwAR1Pxu5 Crossing the First Threshold: Arthur took the field against the Saxons.
Ec7lx2Mntc5pEtMYyHOn
e-
LYj_cm6eFpqASud6v1HJ The Belly of the Whale: As they were too strong for him unaided, he sent an
ROLb8Xi2tk. embassy to Armorica, beseeching the assistance of Hoel who soon after brought over
an army to his aid.
Road of Trials: After a severe conflict, Arthur, calling on the name of Virgin, rushes
into the midst of his enemies, and destroys multitudes of them with the formidable
Caliburn, and puts the rest to flight.
➢ The enemy, regardless of a truce into which they had entered with King
Laodegan, suddenly issued from their cap and made an attempt to surprise
the city, Cleodalis, the king’s general, assembled the royal forces with all
possible despatch. Arthur and his companions also flew to arms.
➢ The enemy appearing again with renewed force, it became necessary to
resume military operations. They were Gawain and his three brothers,
nephews of Arthur, sons of King Lot, and Galachin, another nephew, son of
King Nanters.
➢ Flollo challenged Arthur to single combat, proposing to decide the conquest
in that way.

Meeting the Goddess: The fair Guenever was then solemnly betrothed to Arthur.

Atonement with the Father: King Arthur perceived where sat a knight on
horseback, as if to guard the pass. “Sir Knight,” said Arthur, “for what cause abdest
thou here?” Then the knight said, “There may be no knight ride this way unless he
jousts with me, for such is the custom of the pass.” “I will amend that custom,”
said the king.

The Ultimate Boon: And as they rode, Arthur said, “I have no sword.” “No force,”
said Merlin; “hereby is a sword that shall be yours.” Anon withal came the damsel
to Arthur and saluted him, and he her again. “Damsel,” said Arthur, “what sword is
that that yonder the arm holdeth above the waves? I would if it were mine, for I have
no sword.” “Sir Arthur king,” said the damsel, “that sword is mine, and if ye will
give me a gift when I ask for it you shall have it.”

The Crossing of the Return Threshold: Then they returned unto the land and rode
forth. Sir Arthur looked at the sword and liked it very well. So they rode unto
Caerleon, whereof his knights were passing gladly. And when they heard of his
adventures they marveled that he would jeopardy his person so alone.. But a chieftain
would put his person in adventure as other poor knights did.

The Call to Adventure: When Galahad reached adulthood, he went back under the
20. GALAHAD
care of Sir Lancelot. Lancelot led Galahad to the court of King Arthur.At the King’s
famed Round Table, a seat called Siege Perilous was reserved specifically for the
person who would be successful in the search for the Holy Grail.Until the arrival of
Galahad, every knight who had sat in the chair had met his end tragically almost
instantly, and so the seat was meant only for one who would be truly successful in
the quest. When Galahad reached the court, an old knight led him to the seat and
made him sit on it.

Supernatural Aid: Sir Galahad to the river where a sword stood in the water. And
on the sword was inscribed that only the greatest knight could take it. King Arthur
asked Galahad to try to reach and take the sword, which Galahad did successfully.
 Crossing the First Threshold: Upon the success of this test, King Arthur
Source: Admin. “Sir proclaimed Galahad to be the greatest knight in the world.He immediately became
Galahad | Medieval one of the most famous Knights of the Round Table, destined to accomplish great
Chronicles.” feats in the service of the King.As soon as Sir Galahad became a part of King
Medieval Arthur’s body of knights, the court of the King was given signs from the heavens
Chronicles, 6 Dec. that the quest for the Holy Grail should begin.As a result, all the Knights of the
2022, Round Table began journeys to seek out the Grail. Sir Galahad initially set out alone,
www.medievalchro meeting many adventures along the way and rescuing many people. Later he met Sir
nicles.com/medieva Bors and Sir Percival on his way.The three knights were later met by Sir Percival’s
l-knights/famous- sister who led them to a ship headed for the site of the Holy Grail.
medieval-
knights/the- Road of Trials: The three prepared to embark the ship but Sir Percival’s sister died
knights-of-the- and Sir Bors was charged with taking her back for burial. So only Sir Galahad and
round-table/sir- Sir Percival continued their journey for the Grail.Sir Galahad found the broken
galahad/?fbclid=Iw Sword of David on the ship. Later, he and Sir Percival reached King Pelles. It was
AR33lEwg4nPM6 at the court of King Pelles that Galahad produced the Sword of David and then
BWqCOuT6Jz7sty mended it as well.He and Percival were then led to the location of the Holy Grail and
vGq_0dhOEGC9u Galahad stepped into the room containing the Grail.
HfcWcUuGZONHt
YqMtBg. Meeting the Goddess: He was the knight who finally saw and beheld the Grail,
according to Arthurian legends.

Atonement with the Father: King Arthur perceived where sat a knight on
horseback, as if to guard the pass. “Sir Knight,” said Arthur, “for what cause abdest
thou here?” Then the knight said, “There may be no knight ride this way unless he
jousts with me, for such is the custom of the pass.” “I will amend that custom,” said
the king.

The Ultimate Boon: And as they rode, Arthur said, “I have no sword.” “No force,”
said Merlin; “hereby is a sword that shall be yours.” Anon withal came the damsel
to Arthur and saluted him, and he her again. “Damsel,” said Arthur, “what sword is
that that yonder the arm holdeth above the waves? I would if it were mine, for I have
no sword.” “Sir Arthur king,” said the damsel, “that sword is mine, and if ye will
give me a gift when I ask for it you shall have it.”

Master of the Two Worlds: When Sir Galahad beheld the Grail, he asked Joseph
of Arimathea to grant him the wish of choosing his time of death. Galahad was
granted this wish. When he was later on his way to King Arthur’s court, Galahad
witnessed a number of divine experiences.

21. PERCEVAL Call to Adventure: Perceval was roused to a desire of military renown by seeing in
the forest five knights who were in complete armor.

Source: Bulfinch, The Crossing of the First Threshold: After this discourse Perceval mounted the
Thomas. Bulfinch’s horse, and, taking a number of sharp-pointed sticks in his hand, he rode forth.
Mythology: The Age of
Fable/the Legend of The Belly of the Whale: And he rode far in the woody wilderness without food or
Charlemagne/the Age of drink
Chivalry. Turtleback,
1999. The road of the trials: Perceval journeyed on till he arrived at Arthur's court. And
it so happened that just at that time an uncourteous knight had offered Queen
Guenever a gross insult. For when her page was serving the queen with a golden
goblet, this knight struck the arm of the page and dashed the wine in the queen's face
and over her stomacher. Then he said, "If any have boldness to avenge this insult to
Guenever, let him fol. low me to the meadow." So the knight took his horse and rode
to the meadow, carrying away the golden goblet. And all the household hung down
their heads, and no one offered to follow the knight to take vengeance upon him.
➢ Then said Kay to Perceval, "Go after the knight who went hence to the
meadow, overthrow him and recover the golden goblet, and possess thyself
of his horse and arms, and thou shalt have knighthood." "I will do so, tall
man," said Perceval. So he turned his horse's head toward the meadow. And
when he came there, the knight was riding up and down, proud of his
strength and valor and noble mien. "Tell me," said the knight, "didst thou
see any one coming after me from the court?" "The tall man that was there,"
said Perceval, "told me to come and over- throw thee, and to take from thee
the goblet and thy horse and armor for myself." "Silence!" said the knight;
"go back to the court, and tell Arthur either to come himself, or to Send some
other to fight with me; and unless he do so quickly, I will not wait for him."
"By my faith," said Perce- val, "choose thou whether it shall be willingly or
 unwill- ingly, for I will have the horse and the arms and the goblet." Upon
this the knight ran at him furiously, and struck him a violent blow with the
shaft of his spear, between the neck and the shoulder. "Ha, ha, lad!" said
Perceval, "my mother's servants were not used to play with me in this wise;
so thus will I play with thee." And he threw at him one of his sharp- pointed
sticks, and struck him the eye, and came out at the back of his head, so that
he fell down lifeless.
➢ And Perceval rode forward. And as he proceeded, behold a knight met him.
"Whence comest thou?" said the knight. "I come from Arthur's court," said
Perceval. "Art thou one of his men?" asked he, "Yes, by my faith," he
answered. "A good service, truly, is that of Arthur." "Wherefore sayest thou
so?" said Perceval. "I will tell thee," said he, "I have always been Arthur's
enemy, and all such of his men as I have ever encountered. I have slain."
And without further parlance they fought, and it was not long before
Perceval brought him to the ground, over his horse's crupper. Then the
knight besought his mercy. "Mercy thou shalt have," said Perceval, "if thou
wilt make oath to me that thou wilt go to Arthur's court and tell him that it
was I that over- threw thee, for the honor of his service; and say that I will
never come to the court until I have avenged the insult offered to the
maiden." The knight pledged him his faith of this, and proceeded to the court
of Arthur and said as he had promised, and conveyed the threat to Sir Kay.
➢ Perceval rode forward. And within that week he en- countered sixteen
knights, and overthrew them all shamefully. And they all went to Arthur's
court, taking with them the same message which the first knight had
conveyed from Perceval, and the same threat which he had sent to Sir Kay.
And thereupon Sir Kay was reproved by Arthur; and Sir Kay was greatly
grieved thereat.
➢ Now Arthur and his household were in search of Perce val, and by chance
they came that way. "Know ye," said Arthur, "who is the knight with the
long spear that stands by the brook up yonder?" "Lord," said one of them, "I
will go and learn who he is." So the youth came to the place where Perceval
was, and asked him what he did thus, and who he was. But Perceval was so
intent upon his thought that he gave him no answer. Then the youth thrust at
Perce- val with his lance; and Perceval turned upon him struck him to the
ground. And when the youth returned to the king, and told how rudely he
had been treated, Sir Kay said, "I will go myself." And when he greeted
Perceval, and got no answer, he spoke to him rudely and angrily. And Perce-
val thrust at him with his lance, and cast him down so that he broke his arm
and his shoulder-blade. And while he lay thus stunned, his horse returned
back at a wild and prancing pace.

Atonement with the father: Sir Owain unfastened his armor and his clothes. "Here,
my good soul," said he, "is a horse and armor better than thine. Take them joyfully,
and come with me to Arthur to receive the order of knight- hood, for thou dost merit
it." And Owain helped Perceval to put it on, and taught him how to put his foot in
the stirrup. and use the spur; for Perceval had never used stirrup nor spur, but rode
without saddle, and urged on his horse with a stick.
➢ "Ah, my life," said the old man, "come, now, and sit down, for thou wilt
become the best fighter with the sword of any in this island; and I am thy
uncle, thy mother's brother; I am called King Pecheur Thou shalt remain
with me a space, in order to learn the manners and customs of different
countries, and courtesy and noble bearing. And this do thou remember: if
thou seest aught to cause thy wonder, ask not the meaning of it; if no one
has the courtesy to inform thee, the reproach will not fall upon thee, but upon
me that am thy teacher.
➢ Perceval was resting on the shaft of his spear, pon-dering the same thought,
and Sir Gawain came to him, and said, "If I thought it would be as agreeable
to thee as it would be to me, I would converse with thee. I have also a
message from Arthur unto thee, to pray thee to come and visit him. And two
men have been before on this errand." "That is true," said Perceval, "and
uncourteously they came. They attacked me, and I was annoyed thereat."
Then he told him the thought that occupied his mind, and Gawain said, "This
was not an ungentle thought, and I should mar- vel if it were pleasant for
thee to be drawn from it." Then said Perceval, "Tell me, is Sir Kay in Arthur's
court?" "He is," said Gawain; "and truly he is the knight who fought with
thee last." "Verily," said Perceval, "I am not sorry to have thus avenged the
insult to the smiling maiden." Then Perceval told him his name, and said,
"Who art thou?" And he replied, "I am Gawain." "I am right glad to meet
thee," said Perceval, "for I have everywhere heard of thy prowess have it, by
my faith; and grant me thine," said he. "Gladly and uprightness; and I solicit
thy fellowship." "Thou shalt will I do so," answered Perceval.
 The Ultimate Boon: So they went together to Arthur, and saluted him. "Behold,
lord," said Gawain, "him whom thou hast sought so long." "Welcome unto thee,
chieftain," said Arthur. And hereupon there came the queen and her handmaidens,
and Perceval saluted them. they were rejoiced to see him, and bade him welcome.
And Arthur did him great honor and respect.

The Crossing of the Return Threshold: They returned toward Caerleon

22. BEOWULF The Call to Adventure: When he heard about Grendel, Hygelac's thane was on
home ground, over in Geatland. There was no one else like him alive. In his day, he
was the mightiest man on earth, highborn and powerful. He ordered a boat that would
ply the waves. He announced his plan: to sail the swan's road and seek out that king,
the famous prince who needed defenders. Nobody tried to keep him from going, no
elder denied him, dear as he was to them. Instead, they inspected omens and spurred
Source: his ambition to go, whilst he moved about like the leader he was, enlisting men, the
https://open.maricopa.ed best he could find; with fourteen others the warrior boarded the boat as captain,a
u/world mythology canny pilot along coast and currents.
volume2 heroic
mythology/chapter/beow Crossing the First Threshold: When the watchman on the wall, the Shieldings'
ulf/ lookout whose job it was to guard the sea-cliffs, saw shields glittering on the
gangplank and battle-equipment being unloaded he had to find out who and what the
arrivals were. So he rode to the shore, this horseman of Hrothgar's, and challenged
them in formal terms, flourishing his spear: "What kind of men are you who arrive
rigged out for combat in your coats of mail, sailing here over the sea-lanes in your
steep-hulled boat? I have been stationed as lookout on this coast for a long time.My
job is to watch the waves for raiders,any danger to the Danish shore.Never before
has a force under arms disembarked so openly - not bothering to ask if the sentries
allowed them safe passage or the clan had consented. Nor have I seen a mightier
man-at-arms on this earth than the one standing here: unless I am mistaken, he is
truly noble. This is no mere hanger-on in a hero's armor. So now, before you travel
inland as interlopers, I have to be informed about who you are and where you hail
from.Outsiders from across the water, I say it again: the sooner you tell where you
come from and why, the better.

The Belly of the Whale: At the door of the hall, Wulfgar duly delivered the
message:"My lord, the conquering king of the Danes, bids me announce that he
knows your ancestry; also that he welcomes you here to Heorot and salutes your
arrival from across the sea. You are free now to move forward to meet Hrothgar in
helmets and armor, but shields must stay here and spears be stacked until the
outcome of the audience is clear." The hero arose, surrounded closely by his
powerful thanes. A party remained under orders to keep watch on the arms; the rest
proceeded, led by their prince under Heorot's roof.

Road of Trials: But Breca could never move out farther or faster from me than I
could manage to move from him. Shoulder to shoulder, we struggled on for five
nights, until the long flow and pitch of the waves, the perishing cold, night falling
and winds from the north drove us apart. The deep boiled up and its wallowing sent
the sea-brutes wild. My armor helped me to hold out; my hard-ringed chain-mail,
hand-forged and linked, a fine, close-fitting filigree of gold, kept me safe when some
ocean creature pulled me to the bottom. Pinioned fast and swathed in its grip, I was
granted one final chance: my sword plunged and the ordeal was over. Through my
own hands, the fury of battle had finished off the sea-beast... From now on sailors
would be safe, the deep-sea raids were over for good.

Woman as the Temptress: Wealhtheow is the goddess, symbolizing peace as she

passes the cup from warrior to warrior.

Temptation: Grendel’s mother tempts Beowulf in the only way he can be, with the
challenge that feeds his ego, his desire for glory and fame.

The Ultimate Boon: The gallant man could see he had entered some hellish turn-
hole and yet the water there did not work against him because the hall-roofing held
off the force of the current; then he saw firelight, gleam and flare-up, a glimmer of
brightness.

Freedom to Live: Courage in the face of death is the true way to live. Beowulf dies
but lives on in his story because of his courage
 23. GAWAIN Call to Adventure: Gawain rode for a long time alone, till at last, at an abbey where
he stopped to spend the night, he found his brother Gareth and his cousin Uwain.
The next day they went on their way together, and as they rode so they met seven
knights, who called to them to stop and to tell who they were.
➢ "We are knights of King Arthur's court," they answered, "and we are seeking
Source: for the Holy Grail."
Frost, William Henry. The
Knights of the Round Crossing the First Threshold: "Then it is well that we have met you," said one of
Table Stories of King the seven knights. "We are from the Castle of Maidens. A knight of King Arthur's
Arthur and the Holy
court drove us out of our castle, and we have sworn to kill all of King Arthur's knights
Grail. 2 July 2014,
www.gutenberg.org/fil whom we meet. We will begin with you."
es/46176/46176- ➢ Then all seven of them put their spears in rest and charged against Gawain
h/46176- and Uwain and Gareth. But the three knights of the Round Table fought so
h.html?fbclid=IwAR1 well that they soon beat their seven enemies and wounded them and drove
Pxu5Ec7lx2Mntc5pEt them away.
MYyHOne-
LYj_cm6eFpqASud6v The Road of the Trials: The knights of the castle were against a great crowd of
1HJROLb8Xi2tk. other knights, and Gawain and Ector joined in the tournament against the knights of
the castle. And Gawain and Ector fought so well that it was plain that their side was
winning the day. Then of a sudden they saw a new knight among those of the castle.
They had not seen how he came or from where. He carried a white shield, with a red
cross upon it, and the rest of his arms were of the color of fire. Gawain charged
against him first. His spear was broken against the white shield, but the other knight
used no spear. He only raised his sword and struck Gawain so that he cut through his
helmet and wounded his head and threw him from his horse. Ector drew Gawain out
of the field and took off his helmet, and the knight with the white shield charged
against more of the knights who were against those of the castle. And everywhere he
overthrew them till the word was given that the knights of the castle had won the
day. Then he went away again as he had come, and no one knew where.
➢ The tournament was over, and Gawain was taken into the castle and laid
upon a bed. "Ector," he said, "do you know who the knight was who
wounded me?"
➢ "Yes," said Ector, "I know him. There is only one who could do such things
as I saw him do. It was Galahad. His arms were like Galahad's too, only
when we saw him last, he had no shield."

Freedom to Live: "Ector," said Gawain, "it is Galahad who will find the Holy Grail.
We are not like him, and we cannot do the things that he can do. We have gone far
enough in this quest. I shall seek the Holy Grail no more."
Call to Adventure: When the deal of integrating his life with nothing as he did not
24. LUKE SKYWALKER
know about Force and Jedi. Thus, he expects more in his ordinary life to move
forward with excitement. Little to his knowledge, he would take a chance of landing
in a great adventure.
Source:
“Luke Skywalker.” Refusal of the Call: The farm boy refused.
StarWars.com,
www.starwars.com/ Crossing the First Threshold: Along with hired pilot Han Solo and his co-pilot and
databank/luke- friend Chewbacca, Luke, Obi-Wan, and the droids headed for Alderaan aboard the
skywalker#:~:text= Millennium Falcon. But when they arrived, the planet wasn’t there -- only rubble, as
Luke%20Skywalke it had been destroyed by the Empire’s Death Star.
r%20was%20a%20
Tatooine,the%20tyr Belly of the Whale: The Falcon was soon caught in the tractor beam of the giant
anny%20of%20the space station, but it proved fortuitous; Princess Leia was being held there. Luke and
%20Sith. Han, in stormtrooper disguises, staged a rescue while Obi-Wan disengaged the
tractor beam.The Jedi Master, however, encountered his old student, Darth Vader,
and was killed in battle. Luke saw it happen shortly before escaping in the Falcon,
and was deeply affected by the loss of his mentor.

Road of Trials: The small band of heroes regrouped with the Rebel Alliance on
Yavin 4. With the Death Star plans successfully delivered, Luke joined the mission
to destroy the battle station, piloting an X-wing under the call sign Red Five. In the
ensuing battle, the Rebels suffered heavy losses, and Darth Vader entered the fray in
his TIE Advanced. One of the last remaining pilots, Luke flew through the Death
Star trench at blinding speed with the goal of shooting a volley of proton torpedoes
into a small exhaust port. Vader closed in, ready to destroy Luke's starship -- noting
that “the Force is strong with this one” -- but a surprise blast from Han and the
Millennium Falcon sent Vader's fighter tumbling into space, clearing Luke for the
shot. Calling on the Force with guidance from Obi-Wan’s disembodied voice, the
Jedi-to-be delivered a precise shot, and the Death Star was destroyed. Though the
Rebel Alliance had struck a major blow against the Empire with the destruction of
the Death Star, the war was far from over. The Alliance built a new secret base on
 the ice planet Hoth, with Luke now a commander. While out on patrol, Luke spotted
what he thought was a meteor impact on the surface -- in reality, it was an Imperial
probe droid. Before he could inspect it, however, Luke was viciously attacked by a
towering wampa. Though Luke escaped the ice creature’s cave, severing the
monster’s arm with his lightsaber, the young Jedi nearly died from the frigid surface
temperatures.

Meeting with the Goddess: Yoda also told him of another Skywalker, who Obi-
Wan would confirm was Leia, his twin sister.

Atonement with the Father: Luke joined his friends for the mission on Endor, but
departed when he sensed Vader’s presence. Luke believed there was still good in his
father, that the Emperor had not driven it from him fully. He tried to convert Vader
to the light side, but the Dark Lord claimed it was too late.

Apotheosis: But before he delivered the killing blow, Luke paused, remembering
his teachings. Calming himself, Luke threw away his weapon. “I am a Jedi, like my
father before me,” he said. The once reckless farmboy’s journey was complete: he
was a mature Jedi, freedom was restored to the galaxy, and his compassion had saved
his father.

The Ultimate Boon: After the Battle of Endor, Luke traveled the galaxy with R2-
D2, seeking long-forgotten Jedi lore as he pondered how to resurrect the Jedi order.
But his efforts ended with one of his apprentices leaving his plans in ruin.

Refusal of the Return: After this tragedy Luke vanished, and no one knew where
he had chosen to spend his self-imposed exile.

Rescue from Without: Luke refused, telling her it was time for the Jedi to end.
When Rey resisted refused to leave, Luke reluctantly agreed to teach her enough that
she would understand why he had made his decision.

Master of two Worlds: Luke projected himself through the Force to confront Kylo
Ren on Crait, giving the Resistance a chance to escape the First Order. He passed
into the Force, but his legend would continue to inspire the galaxy.

25. SUSANOO Call to Adventure: Descending to the earthly realm, Susanoo landed at Tori-kami
in the province of Izumo and whilst wandering along the river Hi, the god was
arrested by the sound of weeping. Investigating further, Susanoo found three pitiful
figures - an old man and woman and their beautiful young daughter - all sobbing
Source:
uncontrollably and absolutely terrified by something. On enquiry, they told the god
Cartwright, Mark. that their distress was caused by a gigantic serpent (known as Yamato-no-Orochi or
“Susanoo.” World History the Koshi) which came to terrorize the region every year and every visit ate one of
Encyclopedia, 15 Feb. 2023, the aged couple's daughters.
www.worldhistory.org/Susa
noo. The Crossing of the First Threshold: Now the distressed parents were down to
their last daughter, Kusha-nada-hime. Susanoo struck a bargain with them that if he
killed the monster, he could marry the beautiful girl. Agreeing to this, the parents
followed the god's instructions and placed eight cups filled with extra strong sake at
each of the doorways of their house.

The belly of the whale: After a while, the monstrous serpent duly arrived with fire
spitting from each of his eight heads. When the fearsome creature smelt the sake, it
could not resist, and each head drank from one of the cups.

The Road of the Trials: Consequently, the serpent collapsed completely drunk and
Susanoo nonchalantly stepped out from his hiding place and lopped off each of the
serpent's heads with his sword. Then opening the creature's belly

The Ultimate Boon: Susanoo discovered the special sword, the Kusanagi or 'grass-
cutting sword' (in other versions of the story he extracts it from the serpent's tail).
This sword, he presented to his sister, no doubt by way of apology for his earlier
misdeeds.