The purpose of this essay is to discuss the five monolithic theories of myth as described in GS Kirk The nature of Greek Myths (1974), in relation to the myth of Hymn to Pythian Apollo by Cynaethus (Kynaithos) of Chios . In the first part of the essay I will briefly summarize the Hymn to Pythian Apollo by Cynaethus (Kynaithos) of Chios . The second part will be a brief description of the five monolithic theories as set out by GS Kirk in The nature of Greek Myths .The third part of the essay will discuss the extent to which each of these five monolithic theories provides an explanation of that myth . The conclusion will be my opinion on which of the five theories best describes Hymn to Pythian Apollo and my arguments for this theory over the others . I will be using Hymn to Pythian Apollo in our text Classical Mythology images and insights by Harris and Platzner and The nature of Greek Myths by GS Kirk as my major source . In my essay I will be using the line numbering system as used in Classical Mythology images and insights as I don?t have access to either the original text in the Greek or another English translation . A example of this would be; ? It?s here that I?m inclined 30 to build a very beautiful temple, 31 This would be page 172, lines 30,31 and 32 of the Hymn to Pythian Apollo as printed in our text by .
Chapter 3 of The Nature of Greek Mythology by G. S. Kirk describes the five monolithic theories . In reference to this work I will be using page numbers and paragraph from the 1974 edition (borrowed from Macquarie library) . A example of this would be ?The first universal theory has all ready been touched upon: It maintains that all myths are nature myths? This is would be page 43 paragraph 2 of The nature of Greek Myths by GS Kirk All other references will be given in full as footnotes to the text of this essay . A brief description of Hymn to Pythian Apollo by Cynaethus (Kynaithos) of Chios Phoebus Apollo is traveling around Greece looking for a suitable place to found his temple when he came upon the nymph Telphusa . Telphusa was the guardian of a beautiful stream and didn?t want Apollo to build his temple next to her stream and so convinced him that another place would be better to build . Later in the story Apollo returns to Telophase?s stream , angry at being fooled into building at Delphi and not at Telphusa beautiful stream . Apollo pushes over a mountain and a rock slide which covered over the stream belonging to Telphusa . Apollo also sets up temple where the people pray to him as Telphsaiani in a shaded grove
The Essay on Four Myth Theories Myths Theory Human
Four Theories of Myth There are four basic theories of myth. Those theories are: the rational myth theory, functional myth theory, structural myth theory, and the myth theory. The rational myth theory states that myths were created to explain natural events and forces. Functional myths are what you call the kinds of myths that were created as a type of social control. The third myth theory is the ...
Apollo then went to Pytho (Delphi), where he battles and kills the ?she-dragon? Python before laying the foundations for his temple . At this point in the hymn the story of Zeus , Hera and Typhaon is introduced as a side issue/anecdote to help explain the significance of Python . Hera, angry at Zeus for giving birth to Athena without her, decides to give birth without the help of her husband to Typhaon . When Typhaon was born, Hera gives him into the safe keeping of Python until Zeus battles with Typhaon, and in defeating him, places him under Mt Etna . Apollo is thinking over who will be his priests for this new temple when he sees a ship on the ocean . The ship from is from Minoan Cnossos and is manned by Cretan sailors who were sailing to Pylos . Diving into the sea, Apollo takes on the shape of a Dolphin, then jumps from the water into the ship of the Minoan sailors . The sailors were compelled by the vision of Apollo to stay in there ship and sail with the Dolphin thrashing about, North along the coast of Greece until they reached Crisa . Apollo, still in the shape of a Dolphin jumps from the ship and enters the shrine . Returning to the sailors in the shape of a man, Apollo invites the sailors to land there ship and take food with him and his followers .
The Term Paper on Nursing Theories
Introduction Theories are a set of interrelated concepts that give a systematic view of a phenomenon (an observable fact or event) that is explanatory & predictive in nature. Theories are composed of concepts, definitions, models, propositions & are based on assumptions. They are derived through two principal methods; deductive reasoning and inductive reasoning. Objectives to assess the ...
The captain of the ship replies with a question about his whereabouts and who is speaking to him . Apollo discloses his identity to the sailors and explains the it was he who brought them to this place to become his priests and be honored before all other men . Apollo then explains that the sailors should make a Alter to him on the beach and offer up Barley and pray to him as Delphonus ( as he appeared to them first in the shape of a Dolphin ).From there that they would be taken to his Temple and act as the priests . In accordance with his wishes, the sailors follow Apollo?s instructions and in time are lead to Parnassus and to his Temple .The sailors start to complain about the area around Parnassus as it is not suitable to support a large number of people . Apollo answers there fears by explaining that will always be enough food for them and not to worry about such day to day tasks, but to guard his Temple and bring honor and justice to all . Apollo also warns them that if any are disobedient or careless or contemptuous, use idle words and incidents or are arrogant then other men would come to rule them by force . Apollo bids farewell and so the Hymn ends . A brief description of the five monolithic theories, as set out in G.S. Kirk?s book The Nature of Greek Mythology (1974) Chapter 3 of The Nature of Greek Mythology describes the five monolithic theories . In reference to this work they are as follows . The first universal theory states that all myth are nature myth .That Myth is used to explain natural or meteorological or Cosmological phenomena .
The second theory is one loosely covered by the term aetiological, that is that Myth is a form of early science and is used to explain something of the real world . The third theory is the Charter theory of Myth . The Charter theory says that Myths are narratives that explain certain customs that are in use at the time of telling of the Myth .
The fourth theory, which is a subtle development of the Charter theory, is to evoke or re-establish in some sense the Creative era .That is that myth would in effect recreate the event and help the participants share in the power of the divine action
The fifth theory states that all Myth is closely associated with ritual or even derived from rituals . How each of the 5 monolithic theories of myth applies to Hymn to Pythian Apollo The explanation of the nature myth can bee seen to apply to some extent to Hymn to Pythian Apollo . When Apollo revisits the nymph Telphusa he is angry that she had deceived him . Apollo then pushes over a mountain top and creates a rock slide which cover over her streams as a punishment to Telphusa . This could be seen as a explanation for a earthquake or other geological activity in the area around Telphusa?s streams . A angry God who wishes to punish a water nymph is easier to explain than a rockslide caused by random geologic events . Another event which could be explained to a lesser extent by the theory of a nature myth, is when Apollo appears as a Dolphin in the boat of Minoan sailors . Although not a common occurrence it is quite possible that while out traveling from Cnossos, a Dolphin could jump into a boat . This would not necessarily be seen as a supernatural occurrence but when combined with a freak storm which blows the Minoan sailors of course to the North could well be seen as a sign from the Gods .
The Essay on The Dispositional and Learning Theories
An individual’s personality is his/her distinctive pattern behavioral tendencies or psychological process that defines how he/she reacts with the environment. Personality manifests itself in one’s behavior towards others people and situations in the surrounding. While some aspects of personality are genetically inherited, others are picked from one’s environment. Personality that is influenced by ...
The second monolithic theory of myth, which states that a myth is a form of proto science, would apply, in my opinion, in this case to a very lesser extent . The only possible reference would be when Apollo kills the she-dragon and it decays (rots) away . The sun is used to rot away the carcass of the she dragon, so the story tells us, and the word used for rot in the hymn is Pytho . If I could discount this as just a name used by the ancient Greeks for the area around the temple of Delphi then there would be no reference to a attempt at proto scientific thought . It would seem that the ancient Greeks did understand that if you left the carcass of a dead animal in the sun it would decay and Apollo is gloating over the decaying body of the she-dragon . The charter theory can be seen as a major part of Hymn to Pythian Apollo . The use of the narrative of the Minoan sailors who were compelled to go to Delphi because of the intervention of Apollo can explain why the priests of Apollo at Delphi were from Crete . This would seem to me be to a classic example of the narrative used to explain why the priests were not from the local populous . This would also give the priests a very good precedent to use if there power base among the people was trying to undermined by new priests .
The Essay on The myths of Greek
Society serve as a key to understand Ancient Greek people in different aspects such as political life, religion, morality and culture. In the case of creation myths; they tried to provide an explanation for the origin of our universe and all that happen around us. They are mostly composed by combining realism with fantasy. Fantasy is included as they had a limited perception. Perception, reason ...
A check of the parents or nationality of any new priest who wished to join, but who had differing ideas from the controlling powers of the priests of Delphi, could be used to exclude them from the priesthood . The argument that ?we are the chosen , because Apollo brought us/our ancestors /fellow countrymen ? is a very compelling argument . The fourth monolithic myth which is that the myth will recreate the link between the Divine and the people, the same way in which the original participants were involved in the myth, I can not say one way or the other . In the research for this essay I have been checking into the ritual that was used at the temple of Apollo at Delphi . I was unable to get a precise guide to the ritual used and can not therefore say if a retelling of the myth was part of the method in the Oracles predictions . Logic would say that some reference to the myth would be part of the ritual but without proof I can?t say . This has only been my research into the ritual used at Delphi and given the short time span and limited resources at my disposal I don?t claim that there is no proof of the ritual only that I was unable to find the proof . The fifth monolithic theory used that most myths used are closely associated with ritual, in context of the Primary source, can be seen as valid in this case .
The relevant lines of the hymn where the Minoan sailors are instructed to set up a altar on the beach and offer white Barley , followed by singing of ?Io Paean, Hail Healer ?is a obvious ritual . G S Kirk identifies five monolithic theories in his work The nature of Greek Myth, and to some extent there are references to each of the five in our primary source Hymn to Pythian Apollo . If only in the broadest sense as in the case of the second theory regarding proto science or in a minor way as in the first monolithic theory regarding nature, the primary monolithic theory of the myth would be the Ritual theory supported by both the charter and creative myth theories . In any discussion of the Hymn to Pythian Apollo you can not get away from the fact that the temple of Delphi was used as not only a place of worship to Apollo but also as the most famous Oracle of the ancient world . The rituals that the Priestess performs are of a nature which would predict the future in the form of a verse or riddle .The oracle was pronounced by a priestess of Apollo, the Pythia, in a state of possession .The inducement of this possession has been argued for a long time, a theory that the tripod on which she sat was in its position in the rock chamber, conveniently placed to surround her with ?mephitic vapors? from the depth of the earth, now disproved, or that she chewed on Laurel leaves (a plant sacred to Apollo ) which contain cyanide are only two of the explanations for her possession .
The Essay on Greek Art
Ancient Greece 950 BCE was a culture that took great pride in perfection, excellence and overall greatness. The people werent what todays society would consider modern, but of their time they were. The Greeks essentially molded the creative world with their intelligence in art, architecture, and astronomy for many cultures to come. The Romans who basically claimed the Greeks developments as their ...
In reality no explanation is necessary for a divine possession of this type as there have been thousands of cases of ?speaking through ? someone else . The theories of charter and creative era , both support the ritual monolithic theory but are not themselves the primary driving force of Hymn to Pythian Apollo . The retelling of the myth and the re-enactment of the myth could be seen as part of the overall ritual of the Oracle That the temple was set up to Apollo, the most civilized and Greek of the Greek Gods and the Priests were Cretans are all part of the known rituals associated with the Oracle . That the Oracle herself was ? possessed? is also known, but as far as I can see the exact rituals themselves are not documented . Even though the exact rituals are not known this is a clear example where the myth surrounding the ritual has grown after the ritual has started, and it could even be argued that the Divine powers of Apollo to tell the future are associated with the Oracle and not that the Oracle was granted the powers from Apollo, as Apollo was one of the ?later ? Gods that didn?t become popular in Greece until after most of his fellow Olympians were already in place
Bibliography:
Bibliography Classical Mythology, Images and Insights Stephen L. Harris, Gloria Platzner The Nature of Greek Myths G.S. Kirk Greek Mythology; An Introduction F. Graf (translation by T. Marier) The use of Greek Mythology K. Dowden Interpretations of Greek Mythology J.Bremmer Structure and History in Greek Mythology and Ritual W. Burkert Approaches to Greek Myth L. Edmunds The Newnes Concise Dictionary of Greek and Roman Mythology M. Stapelton The Oxford History of the Classical World J. Boardman, J. Griffin, O. Murray
