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LAST SUPPER - PAGE 10
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Apollo |
God of sun and light |
- Apollo, God of sun and light, archery, knowledge, poetry and music,
dance, truth, prophecy and healing.
- Zeus and
Leto produced Apollo who had many heroic victories over
monsters and giants.
- Twin brother of Artemis, goddess of
the hunt.
- Born on Mount Cynthus on the island of Delos.
- Phoebus, bright.
Laurel wreath |
- Apollo is the only major god who appears with the same name
in both Greek and Roman mythology.
- Depicted with a
laurel crown on his head and either a bow and arrow or a lyre
and plectrum in his hands.
- He was also associated with a
dolphin, called Delphinius.
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Delphi |
Limestone cliffs in Delphi - Shining Ones |
- Delphi is a sacred place in the mountains and
the ancient Greeks considered it as the center of the world.
- It was surrounded by limestone cliffs known as the Shining Ones which
dazzled, especially at midday when they cast bright light on the
temples and surrounding landscape.
- It was as though the
Gods at Delphi were shining their lights on the compound.
Wall art at Temple of Apollo |
- The sanctuary at Delphi was comprised of several
temples and the most magnificent temple was the one built for
Apollo.
In spite of the still widespread idealised image, Greek temples were painted, so that bright reds and blues contrasted with the white of the building stones or of stucco.
The more elaborate temples were equipped with very rich figural decoration in the form of reliefs and sculptures on the pediment. (Wikipedia)
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Pythia |
Oracle of Delphi |
- Pythia was the name of the high priestess of the
Temple of Apollo at Delphi.
- The original Oracle was Gaia
and she was protected by a monstrous serpent called Pytho.
- Pilgrims would visit the temple from
all parts of the country not only to worship in the temple,
but to visit the priestess, the Oracle of Delphi, who could
provide answers to the most challenging questions and offer
guidance to those who were lost.
Oracle temple pillars |
- Pilgrims left Delphi
with a feeling of happiness and peace after visiting with the
Oracle.
Hercules / Heracles
Hercules, son of Zeus and Alcmene |
- A dark-eyed visitor to the temple at Delphi, named Hercules,
a demigod,
who had short curly hair and the look of the divine in his eyes, was the
illegitimate son of Zeus,
god of sky and thunder, and Alcmene.
- He was half-mortal,
half-god, an imperfect hero.
- He was a descendant and half-brother (as they are both sired by the god Zeus) of Perseus.
- His mother was also related to Perseus.
- God of strength and heroes, Divine protector of mankind and the patron of the gymnasium.
Lion skin |
- Hercules can be identified by his attributes, the lion skin and the gnarled club
which was his favorite weapon.
- Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
- Hercules obtained a lock of Medusa’s hair (which possessed the same powers as
her head) from goddess Athena and gave it to Sterope, the daughter of Cepheus, as a protection for the town of Tegea against attack; when exposed to view, the lock was supposed to bring on a storm, which put the enemy to flight.
In the movie spotlight |
- In ancient times he was known as Heracles which
comes from goddess Hera.
-
Movie vs. Myth, there have been many changes made to his
character.
Alcmene
Mother of Hercules |
- His mother, Alcmene,was a mortal and her eyes were so beautiful they rivaled
goddess Aphrodite's.
- Alcmene was one of the wisest and
most beautiful mortal women.
- When Zeus desired Alcmene, he decided to make one night last three by ordering Helios, the god of the sun, not to rise for three days, so he would have more time with
her.
Amphitryon
Shield
of soldier home early from war |
- Zeus made love to Alcmene after disguising himself as her husband, Amphitryon, home early from war.
- Amphitryon did arrive home later that night and he
conceived a child with Alcmene too.
- Heracles twin mortal brother, son of Amphitryon, was Iphicles.
- Shortly before Heracles was born, Zeus proclaimed the next-born descendant of Perseus should
inherit the kingdom.
- Hera ended Zeus' ambitions by
causing Eurystheus to be born prematurely at seven months so
he would have the advantage over Heracles.
Milky Way |
- At the time of his birth, his half-sister, Athena,
took him to Hera, who nursed him out of pity, until Hera
realized it was Heracles and she pulled away from him and her
milk sprayed across the heavens and created the Milky Way.
- Hera had been
trying to murder Heracles since his birth because of the
affair his mother had with Zeus.
- From Hera's divine milk, Heracles acquired supernatural powers.
- Athena brought Heracles back to his mother, and he was raised by his parents.
Twelve Olympians
Reign |
- In the story of the Twelve Olympians, there was a contest of wills between Hera and Zeus over whose candidate would be hero
(last man standing).
- The contestants were fated to defeat
the remaining creatures representing an old order and bring
about the reign of the Twelve Olympians.
- Eurystheus was Hera's candidate.
- Heracles was the candidate of Zeus.
Hercules in nursery |
- Even at a young age, that were signs that Hercules
was different.
- At 8 months old, two poisonous snakes
sent by Hera, slithered into his nursery which scared his twin brother
who cried in fear.
- Hercules
squeezed the life out of the snakes with his hands.
- His
parents were astonished
by his strength and bravery.
Famous prophet |
- Alcmene and Amphitryon consulted a famous
prophet who predicted a glorius future for their son Hercules, which
included defeating all kinds of monsters.
- Hercules was destined
to become a hero.
- After killing his music tutor Linus with a lyre, he was sent to tend cattle on a mountain by his foster father Amphitryon.
- Heracles married King Creon's daughter, Megara,
in Thebes.
Heracles madness |
- In a fit of madness sent to him by Hera, Heracles murdered
his wife and children.
- The Twelve Labors were a set of tasks, imposed on
Heracles by Eurystheus as penance for Heracles' murder of his
own family.
- His madness was cured with the herb hellebore
and realizing what he did to his family, he fled to the Oracle
of Delphi.
Unbeknownst to him, the Oracle was guided by Hera.
He was directed to serve King Eurystheus for ten years
and perform any task Eurystheus required of him.
Eurystheus decided to give Heracles ten labours, but
after completing them, Heracles was cheated by
Eurystheus when he added two more, resulting in the
Twelve Labors of Heracles. If he succeeded, he would
be purified of his sin and, as myth says, he would
become a god, and be granted immortality. (Wikipedia) |
Dark-eyed Hercules waits his turn in line
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- The years passed and Hercules grew into a man, but
he had not become a hero yet, he felt lost, like he needed
direction and purpose.
- He was patiently waiting his turn
in line to see the Oracle of Delphi.
- Standing in front of
the temple, he felt very calm and relaxed which was the
opposite of how he had lived his life.
- Already, Delphi
had changed him and he hadn't even met the Oracle yet.
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Hercules causes colossal wave that upsets ships
and cities |
- The other pilgrims at the
temple in Delphi noticed Hercules and whispered about him, there was
something about him that was different.
- Massive Head of Hercules Pulled From Historic Shipwreck.
- Discovery of Remains of Underwater City of Heracleion Below Nile.
Oracle of Delphi |
-
Someone called his name and when he looked he saw an old man,
a priest, who announced that the Oracle would meet him next.
- He was excited to learn his fate and followed the priest
into the innermost sanctuary past enormous columns and
statues.
- He was one of the lucky few to be granted access
to that part of the temple.
- He found himself in a small,
narrow, dimly lit chamber standing opposite the Oracle who had
white hair and a white dress.
Gloves on, bronze dish of water
with cheroot |
- The Oracle sat on a golden 3-legged chair and held a
sprig of laurel in one hand and in the other, a bronze dish of
water.
- The air
was filled with a fume or vapor that had a strange sweet smell
like perfume that appeared to come from a crack in the floor
near her chair.
- Breathing in the vapor, he became more
relaxed, and soon discovered the Oracle already knew his
question, and her answer.
- She was deep in thought and
seemed to look at him without looking at him, and then she
would gaze at the water in the bronze bowl.
- Hand-rolled.
Hercules feather pen solving the riddle |
- When she
finally spoke, her words were slow and slurred and came in a
pecular random order.
- Hercules had to untangle the words
as though he was solving a riddle.
World map |
- The message showed
Hercules that he must travel south and serve his cousin, King
Eurystheus, doing whatever the king asked.
- The heros
reward was eternal life, immortality.
- When he left the temple, his
head was spinning, it wasn't the answer he expected, or
wanted, but he trusted the Oracle because she spoke on behalf
of Apollo.
- This moment stayed
with him forever.
Io the beautiful gray mare |
- Hercules traveled to Delphi on his
wild horse, he named Io (Violet Flower), who was a beautiful gray
mare and he loved her more than any other creature.
- He
named her that because he found her with other wild horses in
a meadow surrounded by purple violet flowers.
- The day after he met the Oracle, he put a bridle on
Violet and rode out of Delphi.
- His journey to find the
center of the world was over because Delphi was the center of
the earth to the Greeks.
- He was ready to start a new journey
south.
Violet flowers have a long and rich history. In
ancient Greek mythology, the nymph Io was turned into
a white heifer by Zeus as a way to hide her from his
jealous wife, Hera. As Io grazed in meadows and
pastures, she shed tears of grief and sorrow, which
became violets.
(symbolgenie.com)
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Violet flower |
- Violets are seen as a symbol of death, suffering and
resurrection as the flower sprung from the blood of Christ
after his death.
- In Europe during the Middle Ages, violets were used to signify chastity and fidelity in love.
- The flower has many practical uses in herbal remedies
and for culinary purposes.
- The petals of the violet flower can be candied or used to make
syrups, jellies and jams and even wine; they are also used to
decorate cakes.
Violet |
- Violets can be dried and used to make potpourri, or they can be infused in oils to create natural perfumes.
- The leaves of the flower can be used to make tea, which has many calming and soothing
medicinal properties.
- Essential oil from the flower has calming, soothing, and anti-inflammatory effects
and can also help with anxiety relief, stress relief, and emotional healing.
- Violet is a natural dye for
fabrics or paints and is used in make-up.
I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows.
(Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
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Mount Olympus day |
- After days in Delphi, it felt good to get on the road
again and Heracles passed over golden fields and he rode along high
coastal paths that overlooked the radiant blue ocean.
Nightfall at King Eurystheus's palace |
-
He traveled past village after village and acres of olive trees,
and at last he arrived at nightfall at King Eurystheus's
palace.
- The palace stood at the top of a hill surrounded
by cypress trees.
- In his fatiqued state, the castle looked unreal,
like something he had dreamed about.
Horse stable |
- The sound of
cicada's soothing sound and his horse hoofs almost put him to sleep astride his
horse; but somehow he made it to the top of the hill where he
put Violet in the castle stable.
King Eurystheus
Crown |
- His cousin, King Eurystheus, which means broad
strength, ruled over
Tiryns (Argos) and serving him would prove to be very
difficult.
- Eurystheus was the son of King Sthenelus and
Nicippe (also called Antibia or Archippe).
Doorknob to palace front door |
- Hercules went inside the
castle to introduce himself to the King, his older cousin, and
he had only vague memories of them together playing as
children.
- They hadn't seen each other in many years and
the King had even stolen some of his marbles, he smiled,
wondering if the King remembered that.
Ogre |
- When the King saw Hercules, he could barely contain
his surprise and when he found out the reason, his eyebrows
went even higher.
- The King thought it was very strange
that the Oracle had given him Hercules as his slave.
-
First dinner, with a smile, Hercules politely declined, all he
wanted was a cup of water, a bath, and to go to sleep.
Palace guest bedroom |
- A servant escorted him to a drab little guest
bedroom, very modest, with simple wood furniture.
- The
room was very different from the guest bedrooms he remembered
staying in at the palace during his childhood, but in his
sleepy state he didn't mind.
- He drank the water the
servant brought and held the orange cup to the light and there
was an image of Dionysus and dolphins moving joyfully through
the waves in the sea.
- Beauty was everywhere, he set down
the cup and yawned and fell fast asleep.
Pancakes for breakfast |
- The next
morning, Hercules awoke refreshed and went down to the dining
hall for breakfast of pancakes feeling very relaxed.
- He
was sitting on a terrace overlooking the sea when the King
arrived with a list of tasks for him to work on.
- Hercules
signed, he could see that he was going to be there for awhile.
- His first task was to slay the Nemean lion, at least twice
the size of a normal lion which had terrorized local residents
for years.
Eurystheus hiding in jar |
- The goddess Hera accelerated Eurystheus' birth so that the throne of Mycenae and the Argolid would fall to
him rather than his cousin, Hercules, who was the illegitimate son of her husband Zeus and therefore her enemy.
- In ancient literature and art, Eurystheus was usually
depicted as a cruel and cowardly man, even going so far as to
hide in a large jar when Heracles came to report to him.
He was said to have been buried in the region of Attica, and was sometimes even viewed as a protector of the region against Heracles’ Dorian descendants.
(mythopedia.com)
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Hercules with hook (ring) in lip |
- Heracles was commanded to perform his Twelve Labors as Eursytheus’ slave, and Eurystheus did his best to make these labors as grueling as possible.
Because they rage against me and thy tumult, is
come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook
in thy nose and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn
thee back by the way by which thou camest.
(Isaiah 37:29)
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Sun |
Moon |
Stars |
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Signed by Leonardo DaVinci
A new
day!
As above, so below. |
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Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master.
Leonardo DaVinci
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