Course Six: Spectrum, Part 2 285
In Ireland, the goddess of poetry, music, and the
creative arts is Brigit. As matron of the Bardic oral
tradition, she is the Mother of Memory. She is also the
Goddess of herbalism, the healing arts, metal-smithing,
sacred wells, animal husbandry, and midwifery. Given
those qualities, my Ravenheart Family has adopted
Brigit as our matron goddess, and she has a special
place on our family altar.Lesson 3: Classic Myths
In the Western world, what are called the “Classic
myths” are stories of mainly Greek origin that were
adopted and passed down by the Romans when they
ruled the world. After 21-year-old Cleopatra, the last
Pharaoh, allied with Julius Caesar in 48 BCE, some
Egyptian myths also found their way into Rome.
In Greece, Hesiod’s Theogony (“birth of the
gods”), written in the 8th century BCE, told of the origins
of the gods and the establishment of the rule of Zeus.
His account of the succession of generations of gods
shows the influence of Near Eastern mythology,
particularly Sumerian, Akkadian, and Hittite. Around
the same time, Homer recorded the saga of the Trojan
War and the 10-year journey of Odysseus in his Illiad
and Odyssey. Other poets and playwrights expanded
greatly upon this material over the following centuries.
In Rome, Ovid’s Metamorphoses (“transforma-
tions”), written in 1 CE, collected about 250 mythic
stories and became an instant popular hit. He trans-
lated and adapted many Greek legends into Roman
versions, frequently changing the names and locales.
Ovid’s influence on Western art and literature cannot
be exaggerated. He was a major inspiration for Dante,
Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, and many others.Common Themes
In the many hundreds of myths that have come down
to us, several common themes are often repeated:- Prophecies that a child as yet unborn will someday
show up and kill the ruler. Efforts made to thwart
these prophecies inevitably ensure their fulfillment. - A mortal woman boastfully comparing her beauty
or skills with that of a goddess invites divine
retribution, as does a mortal man comparing himself
with the gods. - Hospitality is a sacred obligation. Refusing it brings
certain doom, whereas offering it generously is
greatly rewarded by the gods. - A bastard son born to a women impregnated by the
supreme God will grow up to be a great hero. - If you attempt to flee from your destiny, it will
overtake you from behind and destroy you. The hero
must face his destiny and embrace it; only then will
he triumph. Making the choice gives you the power.
Throughout this Grimoire I have mentioned manyof these stories to illustrate various lessons. Now, here
are a few more of my personal favorites I’d like to
share with you. If you enjoy these, there are many more
awaiting your exploration!Prometheus and Pandora
Prometheus (pro-MEE-thee-us) (“forethought”)
and Epimetheus (EP-ih-MEE-thee-us) (“afterthought”)
were two of the four sons of the Titan Iapetus.
Prometheus was wise but Epimetheus was foolish.
When the gods were creating living creatures,
Epimetheus was given the task of assigning qualities to
them. But when the job was done, Prometheus discov-
ered that his foolish brother had given all the strengths,
powers, weapons, protections, and defenses to the
animals, leaving humans naked and defenseless.
To remedy this situa-
tion, Prometheus stole
fire from the gods and
gave it to humanity—the
greatest power of all.
Thus did Prometheus be-
come the great benefactor and
champion of humanity—in oppo-
sition to Zeus, who feared that hu-
mans might become too powerful
and threaten his rule.
Zeus demanded that men offer
up animal sacrifices as tribute to the Gods
of Olympus. Prometheus divided the
butchered parts of an ox into two piles and asked Zeus
to choose a portion for the gods. In one pile Prometheus
had wrapped the meat and edible organs up in the dry
skin. In the other, he had hidden the bones and inedible
parts under glistening fat. Zeus chose the second pile,
and from that time, humans have burned the fat, bones
and offal as offerings to the Gods, while keeping the
meat and hides for themselves.
Angry over being tricked again, Zeus plotted re-
venge upon Prometheus and his pet humans. He had
Hephaestos, the smith god, mold a woman of clay, and
all the goddesses gave her some of their attributes.
Thus was she named Pandora (pan-DORE-ah), mean-
ing “gift of all.” Zeus gave her a box which he warned
her never to open, and had Hermes take her to
Prometheus. But Prometheus knew better than to ac-
cept any gift from Zeus, and he refused her.
Epimetheus, however, was so taken by her
charms that he married her.
Eventually, of course,
Pandora could no longer
restrain her curiosity about
the contents of the mys-
terious box, and she opened
it, as Zeus knew she would.
Out flew all the ills and evils,
which would ever after- Spectrum 2.p65 285 1/15/2004, 9:31 AM