Brei’Anna Barber
Classical Mythology
Essay 1
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There are many similarities between reality and the world of mythology. Whether it is through emotions, actions, or the overall message of the myth, reality can be intersected with mythology. Our culture and customs can be compared and contrasted in almost every myth. This proves true when examining the myth of Aphrodite and Adonis. Its “love lost” theme intertwines with how humans view the subject of love. Another example would be through the myth of Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Ares. This myth can be relatable with human life because of how the underdog (Hephaestus) ultimately comes out on top.
Mythology intersects with reality when the subject of loyalty between friends arises. “Tormented by her sense of shame and guilt, the poor girl was on the point of suicide, but she was rescued just in time by her faithful nurse, who eventually wrenched the secret from her. Although the old woman was horrified by what she learned, she preferred to help satisfy the girl’s passion rather than to see her die.” (Morford, pg. 185) In reality, it is not uncommon to see friends go to drastic lengths for each other. Most of us do not like to see our friends hurt, and we would do anything to make them happy again. This is no different when analyzing this section of the myth. Aphrodite’s nurse admitted that her helping Aphrodite engage in sexual activities with her father was horrible; however she proceeded to do so anyway. Often we say we would do anything for the people we care for, but when something as horrible as this situation arises, would you still be so willing? Sometimes we, as humans, have the tendency to have a bigger bark than bite. In this sense, I mean that we say what we would and would not do, but we do not really know until the time actually arises to do said thing. Loyalties between friends exist in both reality and mythology, sometimes though, to a greater extent.
The subject of stubbornness in reality can also be paralleled with that of mythology when discussing the myth of Aphrodite and Adonis. In the myth, Aphrodite warns Adonis of the dangers of hunting. “She warned Adonis against the dangers of the hunt, telling him to be especially wary of any wild beasts that would not turn and flee but stood firm.” (Morford, pg. 185) However, Adonis was stubborn and did not heed Aphrodite’s warning, which resulted fatally. This can intertwine with reality because often we find ourselves thinking we are invincible, like nothing bad will ever happen to us. Adonis was the same way. Heeding the warnings given to us can save us from a lot of trouble; in Adonis’ case, it could have saved his life. This can be a lesson learned to humans: we are not invincible; sometimes we need to heed warnings and not be so careless. You never know, it could save our lives one day.
Masculinity can also be compared when viewing the similarities between reality and mythology. “The boar buried its tusk deep within his groin and bought him down on the yellow sand, dying” (Morford, pg. 185). When Adonis was killed, he was emasculated. His ability to create life was taken away. The boar’s way of doing this was like he was trying to prove a point – a lesson we all could learn from in reality. We should never display carelessness, no matter how big, strong, etc. you are, there is always someone (in Adonis’ case something) bigger, stronger, etc. It is no secret that men are said to be superior to women. What they say goes; however, it was the man this time that should have listened to the woman.
Grief is a common emotion between reality and mythology and particularly in the theme of Aphrodite an Adonis. “When she saw from the air above his lifeless body lying in his own blood, she rushed down, and rent her bosom and her hair and beat her breast with hands not meant to do such violence” (Morford, pg. 186). To see Aphrodite—the goddess of beauty, reacting this way was something new. She was showing human characteristics, therefore making her relatable. Her overspill of grief caused her emotions to run wild. There is no difference in reality. Grief is humanistic, and when we are experiencing too much of it, sometimes we act out of character and people see a side of us that they never have. Our emotions tend to take control and often we express them through violence, and there is no difference when discussing a goddess as delicate as Aphrodite.
Memorials are also a similarity between reality and mythology. “But still everything will not be subject to your decrees; a memorial of my grief for you, Adonis, will abide forever” (Morford, pg. 186). I find it interesting that there are rituals done for the deceased in mythology. It is a very common custom in reality to have memorials, or rituals that are performed when someone passes. This is another way the two worlds intersect. Americans mostly identify their way of celebrating a person’s life when they die by religion. Mythology indeed has ceremonies to celebrate the fallen, but as we know, there was no religion. This is just another way the two are similar.
“In no longer than an hour’s time a flower sprang from the blood, red as the thick skin of the fruit of the pomegranate that hides the seeds within” (Morford, pg. 186-187). I believe Aphrodite’s reasoning for making turning him into a flower contrasted with how flowers perform in reality. In reality, flowers are beautiful for the time being, but when it comes time, they die off. However, they always come back in the spring. She wanted Adonis to be alive somehow; she did not want him to die off completely, so because he could not come back to life as a god, she asked for him to be another beautiful living thing, a plant. This similarity has more to do with the external lives of humans rather than the internal lives.
There are many different myths you can examine for similarities between human life and mythology. Another myth with tons of evidence is the myth of Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Ares. This myth is oozing with relatable content.
In the myth, it spoke of Hephaestus loving his art and his wife. “Hephaestus is a figure of amusement as he hobbles around acting as the cupbearer to the gods on Olympus; but he is a deadly serious figure in his art and in his love” (Morford, pg. 126). Reality can relate to this already. Humans have passions. Those are the things we are serious about. Mythology shares that characteristic by allowing the gods/goddesses to have passions as well. When it comes to the things and the ones we love, we have no boundaries (just as Hephaestus).
Infidelity is another subject that exists among the myths and occurs in reality. “My love, come let us go to bed and take our pleasure, for Hephaestus is no longer at home…” (Morford, pg. 127). Sadly, in reality, infidelity is not uncommon. There are even shows that are surrounded by the fact that someone was unfaithful such as Maury, Jerry Springer, etc. In mythology, it is not uncommon for infidelities to happen either. Often we read about gods or goddesses who have stepped out on their spouses, which also enables mythology to become relatable to human life.
Revenge is also another shared theme between the two worlds. “… and Hephaestus when he heard the painful tale went straight to his forge planning evil in his heart” (Morford, pg. 127). Hephaestus shares many characteristics with humans. When humans are angered to a certain level, we often look for ways of revenge on the person/people who do us wrong. An example of that would be the Columbine shooting. The shooter was bullied, which I am sure angered him to a certain extent, and as a result of that, the shooting happened. Mythology is no different, if someone did the god/goddesses wrong, they were going to get revenge. Hephaestus thought out him plan more than some people do, but nevertheless, these are two similar themes that occur in our world, and in mythology.
The fact that Aphrodite chose looks over personality alone can be relatable to reality. Sometimes we, as humans, go for the things in life that are temporary, rather than choosing something that would last the long run. Mythology is the same. The goddess chose to commit adultery because her husband did not look as she thought he should. She let Hephaestus’ deformity stop her from seeing the good in him. We often hear, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Though the first thing we see is each other’s external, there is more to us than that. In the myth, Aphrodite and Ares learned that when they were outsmarted. “Bad deeds do not prosper; the slow overtakes the swift, since now Hephaestus who is slow and lame has caught by his skills Ares…” (Morford, pg. 128). This myth can be taken as a lesson to never underestimate anyone. Just because someone looks different on the outside, does not mean they have just as much or even more fight inside than you do.
In conclusion, reality indeed intersects with mythology in countless ways. While reading the exciting and suspenseful myths you may find yourself relating to it, or even taking away a lesson or two. Emotions run deep in both of the parallel worlds, as well as the need to seek revenge, the bad habit of judging a book by its cover, etc. All can be discussed in the real world, and all can spark discussion in mythology. The lessons learned in mythology can help us live our life in a better way, if only we choose to draw from these stories that are fictional instead of creating our own real-life drama.