Saturday, January 21, 2017

Wikipedia Trail: From Sirens to Hera

1. Siren. Sirens are mythical creatures that are portrayed as beautiful women or birds with the head of a woman. They typically enticed sailors with their voices, which resulted in starvation because they were too entranced to leave the island. Sirens were meant to search for Persephone, but failed. They are also mentioned in the Odyssey; Odysseus managed to avoid his death by having his companions tie him up and plugging his ears. 

The Siren by Edward Armitage. Source.

2. Persephone. Persephone is the queen of the underworld and was kidnapped by Hades. She is also connected to spring and is related to the fertility of the soil. She was also able to visit her mother, Demeter, but only for part of the year. One of her common symbols is a pomegranate.

3. Dionysus. Dionysus drove people mad. He is the god of wine and fertility, among other things. His followers (who are also mad) are often seen dancing or playing music. Dionysus is the only god that has a human mother.

4. Hera. Hera is both Zeus's wife and sister. There are several stories that show her actions against Zeus's mistresses; she attempts to harm the children or the mothers, such as Heracles. When he was an infant, she sent snakes to kill him, but they failed. 

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