William Sterling

Head of one of the four horses of the moon goddess Selene from the northern end of the East Pediment of the Parthenon in Athens c. 420 BC, currently in the British Museum. One of the most popular of the so-called Elgin Marbles which Lord Elgin rescued from Athens in the early nineteenth century. The East Pediment showed the birth of Athena as she burst out of the head of her father, Zeus, and the reaction of those who were present. Although all the central figures are long gone at either end are depictions of the sun god Helios rising from the sea with his four horse chariot and the moon goddess Selene returning to the sea with hers showing that Athena was born at dawn. Image © Trustees of the British Museum

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Great voyages from Greek and Roman myths – Jason, Odysseus and Aeneas

January 16, 2021

£59

A detailed examination of the voyages and their fantastical encounters relating them to reality.

  1. What is the course about?

A detailed examination of the voyages and their fantastical encounters relating them to reality.

  1. What topics will we cover?

Jason’s voyage to collect the Golden Fleece was described by Apollonius of Rhodes in his Argonautica written in Alexandria in the C3rd BC. He encountered the murderous women of Lemnos, the six-armed giant Gegeines, Phineas and the harpies, the clashing rocks, the sirens and the bronze giant Talos.  We shall also look at the rest of his story and his relationship with Medea. Odysseus’s story comes from Homer’s Odyssey composed in the C8th BC. Odysseus encountered the Lotus Eaters, the Cyclopes, the cannibalistic Laestrygonians, the witch Circe, the sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, the nymph Calypso and the Phaeacians on his epic voyage home from Troy. We shall also cover the rest of his story briefly. Aeneas’s voyage from Troy to Italy was described by Virgil in his Aeneid written for the emperor Augustus round about 25 BC. He encounters Polydorus in Thrace, the harpy Celeano, Hector’s widow Andromache in Buthrotum, Scylla and Charybdis, the Cyclopes, and Queen Dido in Carthage. We shall briefly note the rest of his story.

  1. What will I learn? By the end of the course you should be able to:

Recognise different episodes from Myths of Voyages

Understand the moral and ethical lessons in Greek Myths

Appreciate the perils of sea voyages in the Ancient World.

Details

Date:
January 16, 2021
Cost:
£59
Event Tags:
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Website:
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/great-voyages-from-greek-and-roman-myths-jason-odysseus-and-aeneas

Venue

City Lit via Zoom

Organizer

City Lit

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