Maybe it's the heat, but this weekend's reading wasn't quite as engaging for me as in previous weeks. Hamilton shares four short adventure stories--all new to me, but I do recognize a few names if nothing else--the great winged horse Pegasus, the unconquerable Chimaera (which I'd never quite realized was so frightening), Daedalus and his labyrinth, and Icarus who flew too close to the sun. It's good to learn the stories behind the images I have in mind--especially Daedalus since one of my favorite book outlets is named after him.
It's not really a surprise, but you know the gods are really very fickle. Make them mad and there'll be hell to pay--ambition with the gods is not always a good thing neither is getting above oneself (or trying to get above the gods!). But at the same time there is a line they won't let humans cross--a certain depravity or immorality that they won't stand for and they are very good at reining them in. I know the myths were told to help explain the natural world, but I think they must also have been morality tales as well.
Hamilton begins with Phaethon and the palace of the Sun where he goes to discover whether or not the Sun is his father. Phaethon is mortal on his mother's side, and when he finds out that the Sun is his father he is granted a wish, whatever he desires, as proof. Phaethon asks for his father's chariot to drive for just one day. Of course that's the one thing that Phaethon is loathe to give him, but having given his word he must allow him this wish. This is a dangerous undertaking considering how difficult it is to control the horses and the steepness of the road. As expected Phaethon loses control on his way up into the Sky. His reckless driving sets the world afire. As the flames rage out of control Mother Earth lets out a cry, which even the gods hear. A thunderbolt is hurled out of the heavens stopping Phaethon. He falls from the sky aflame and is received by the river Eridanus. The naiads bury him in pity seeing him as one very young to die--he may have failed but he was bold enough to try.
On the cover of Edith Hamilton's Mythology is shown Bellerophon on the winged horse Pegasus. Somewhat in the vein of Jason and the Argonauts, this is another story of a quest that is undertaken as a sly way of getting rid of the hero. This is also a story with an unhappy ending. Bellerophon, thought to be the son of Poseidon, was a beautiful and bold young man verging on the divine. He wanted the marvelous horse Pegasus more than anything. Pegasus, by the way, was created from the blood of the Gorgon when Perseus killed her (I'll be reading that story next week). With a charm from the goddess Athena, who had come to him in a dream, he was able to set upon Pegasus a bridle and become his master. We're not told how or why, but Bellerophon killed his brother. When he went to King Proetus to be purified, the King's wife took a liking to him which was not reciprocated. Take care of of a woman scorned since she went to the King and complained, but rather than take revenge he sent Bellerophon off on a journey from which he was not expected to return. He did return, however, and with an attitude. It's not good to be too ambitious around the gods. Even Pegasus knew better and threw Bellerophon off his back. Bellerophon was destined to die an unhappy man all alone. Pegasus, however, ended up on Mount Olympus.
Twin Brothers Otus and Ephialtes were Giants who were dedicated to each other. Another set of ambitious young men they wanted to prove they were better than the gods. They peeved Zeus off so much he was ready to throw a thunderbolt at them but was stopped just in time by Poseidon. I had to chuckle when Otus thought it would be a great adventure to carry off Hera. Ephialtes had his eye on Artemis. Silly boys. They should know better than to mess with warrior women. Thinking they were catching Artemis they shot off their spears, but in their haste and folly the spears they threw hit each other. So they each managed to kill the other--and the person each loved best.
And then there's Daedalus--my favorite story of the bunch. Daedalus built the Labyrinth for the Minotaur in Crete. He also showed Ariadne and Theseus how to escape from it (another story I'll be reading soon), which perturbed King Minos. So he took his revenge by imprisoning Daedalus and his son, Icarus, in the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth was so complicated that even Daedalus needed a clue in getting out. Rather than looking for a way out by conventional methods, he made wings for himself and Icarus whom he warned not to fly too high or the glue would melt and he'd fall from the sky. Of course we all know the outcome of that adventure. Icarus fell into the ocean, but Daedalus made it to Sicily where the king protected him from King Minos.
Next week I'll be moving on to the third section of the book, The Great Heroes before the Trojan War, and will be reading about Perseus.