Reading Notes: Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4) Part A

Ovid's Metamorphoses

(Image Information: image by Peter de Vink)

Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4) Part A

Deucalion and Pyrrha

This is meant to be an explanation of the great flood.

The god Jupiter is upset and his brother Neptune helps him. All the channels of water were opened and overflowed lands and sacred temples. Everything was in chaos. When Deucalion and Pyrrha arrived, they worshipped. Jupiter saw them and ordered the flood and destruction to cease. The Earth rose from the ocean. However, Deucalion and his wife were saddened by the lack of life and begged the gods to repair the Earth. 

There seems to be a riddle when a goddess asks Deucalion and Pyrrha to leave and throw the bones of their mother's spirit behind them. Then, the thought of what if the great mother must be the Earth. This ties into the lesson or reason for humanity's strength.

They threw the stones, and it began to soften leading to the growth of marble-like statues that soon become flesh. The humans were returned.

The lesson or reason at the end of the myth is humanity's ability to endure hardships is proof our race gives off from which we were birthed, stone.

In this like so many other myths, this ends with the deus ex machina meaning... the gods fixed it. However, the two main characters weren't completely passive and did throw the stones causing some action led by the characters.

Io

This is myth is meant to be the story of Io as well as how the peacock has its colorful tail feathers, which appear like eyes.

Jupiter lusts and rapes a priestess of the temple of Juno, Io. Jupiter trying to not be caught by his wife, Juno, transforms Io into a heifer. She is given to Juno's guard, Argus. He has many eyes and doesn't let Io out of his sight.

Juniper can no longer stand Io suffering and calls for Mercury to kill Argus. Mercury disguises himself as a shepherd and talks with Argus. However, Argus falls asleep and is killed. Juno took his eyes and set them into the tail feathers of her bird. Juno is angried, and I believe, wants to vengeance against Io. Jupiter pleads for it to stop. Io is returned to her human form.

This story ending was deus ex machina because the issue of Io being was heifer was solved by mysterious means equaling to probably the gods. This has no character growth for anyone. Things are simply happening because the author says so. Io is passive and does nothing for herself.

Phaethon and the Sun

This myth is meant to be about Phaethon who wants to drive his father's, the sun god, chariot to the sky. I am somewhat familiar with the ending of this myth.

While his friend doubts his divinity, Phaethon wants to prove it and goes speak with his father, the sun god. The sun god confirmed Phaethon was his son and was willing to grant him a favor. Phaethon asked to control his father's chariot and wing-footed horses for a day. However, the sun king is hesitant because this is an immortal task and Phaeton is mortal.

Though it was short, Phaethon went on a quest to determine if the sun god was his father. He desires to drive the chariot but is halted because his father deems it dangerous. This is a great conflict for the character. He must fight for what he wants.

Phaethon's Ride

Even though his father urges him not to, Phaethon insists and is given instructions to drive the chariot, and Aurora, the goddess of dawn, awakes. However, Phaethon takes to the sky, loses control, and is fearful. He tried to prevent himself from being harmed, Phaethon released the horse reins and the horses run without direction. The horses fly into the heavens and cause damages to Earth. The Earth cries out to the gods.

I appreciate how the plot moves along through conflict and places the character in more trouble. Phaethon is an active character who went for his dream and is now suffering from the choice he made. Even though his fear, Phaethon is trying to find a way out for himself, which drives the plot forward.

The Death of Phaethon

Jupiter steps in to save the Earth and takes out Phaethon on the chariot. Phaeton falls similarly to a fallen star or meteorite to his death. His mother and sister weep and mourn his death. His sisters, the Heliads, become trees. Continuing on with grief, Phaethon's friend Cycnus transformed into a swan.

The sun king is mad with grief leaves the Earth in darkness and lashes out at the horses. He blames them for his son's death.

In my opinion, the story ended the moment the mother found his body. Everything else is simply additional content that adds nothing to the overall development of Phaeton or the story. I like how the words were carved into stone for memory and warning. I truly like how the sun king actually cares for and mourns his son unlike so many of the gods.

Callisto

This myth is about Callisto and references the Great Bear and Little Bear constellations.

Jupiter lusts for a nymph who is devoted to Diana, Callisto. He pretends to be Diana and rapes Callisto. Diana reappears and calls for Callisto who is now ashamed. After it is revealed Callisto is pregnant, Diana banishes her from bathing in a stream and orders her to leave. Callisto gave birth to a boy, Arcas, which made the wife of Jupiter, Juno, upset. Juno transformed Callisto into a bear. She runs off to live in the wilderness.

Now grown, Arcas is hunting and comes across the bear, which he didn't know was his mother. Arcas was ready to kill the bear when Jupiter stepped in and placed them in the sky as similar constellations.

Again, this is an example of deus ex machina where the god or gods step in and fix the problem. There really wasn't enough drive for the characters and left them weak and passive. Things just happened to them rather than the characters making things happen.

Semele

This myth is about the god Dionysus.

Jupiter had an affair with Semele and she is pregnant, which makes Juno angry. Juno wants to ruin Semele's faith. Juno disguised herself as an old woman and tries to discourage the baby is Jupiter's child. The old woman says, Jupiter must embrace Semele as Juno does toward Jupiter. However, she was tricked. When she repeats the words of Juno, Semele is killed by the fires started by a sorrowful Jupiter and his bolts of lightning.

The child is removed from the mother's womb but saved by Jupiter and was given to the nymphs of Mount Nysa who hid and fed the child.

Juno disguising herself as an old woman is indeed a trope. The story only progress because of the antagonist, Juno. She is angry and tricks Semele. Without her, the story wouldn't really go anywhere. At least Semele speaks what she was told and causes her own demise.

Bibliography: 

Ovid, Deucalion and Pyrrha translated by Tony Kline(2000)

Ovid, Io translated by Tony Kline(2000)

Ovid, Phaethon and the Sun translated by Tony Kline(2000)

Ovid, Callisto translated by Tony Kline(2000)

Ovid, Semele translated by Tony Kline(2000)