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

     *I took notes on two different stories from Part A, as one is a story that I plan on doing my Storybook on this semester.

The two below stories are from Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4)

Deucalion and Pyrrha

• Zeus sends flood because he's not happy with man, and is helped by Poseidon
• One of many flood myths, which are found across time and different cultures
• Deucalion and Pyrrha (spouses, and cousins) ask for the help of Themis as to what to do when they survive the flood
• Structures and buildings destroyed, those that aren't are submerged completely
• animals mixed up in the water, sea animals where land used to be
• Those not swept away die from starvation
• Deucalion and Pyrrha land on Mount Parnassus, they worshipped gods of the mountains, Corycian nymphs, and goddess of oracles, Themis
• Pyrrha with great reverence for gods and Deucalion with a fondness for justice and was a virtuous man
• Zeus saw the two remaining, who were lovers of the gods and both innocent, so he called for water to be drained
• Deucalion cried to Pyrrha about being the only remaining people
• Goes on about how terrible it would have been if either survived alone
• Talks about if only he had the same power as his father, Prometheus, who made people from clay, which the couple will later do with stones
• Sprinkled water from springs of Cephisus on their heats and clothing as libations
• Reached temple of Themis, which was obviously not taken care of
• Themis takes pity and tells them how to recreate the human race, by throwing bones of the mother over their heads, by which she means stones, and they take a little bit to figure this out
• explains the toughness of the human race, as they were made from stone

    I also want to briefly mention a bit from the story of Io that I found pretty entertaining:

        'Either I am wrong, or being wronged' -Hera, on her way to find what mischief her husband has gotten into this time.

Phaethon's Ride

    Phaethon is a child of Apollo and a mortal, who goes to meet his father when he is made fun of for claiming Apollo as his father. Phaethon travels to the home of his father and asks for a favor to prove that he is in fact Apollo's son. Apollo agrees but immediately regrets it when Phaethon requests to drive his father's chariot (which serves as the sun) that even his father can struggle to control at times. Nevertheless, Apollo does not want to go back on his promise, so he prepares Phaethon and waits for the worst.

• Apollo says that what he has requested is basically a punishment, and Apollo could grant his son so many better things, but Phaethon remains firm
• Aurora (dawn) wakes in the east (from which the sun rises)
• Apollo informs his son to follow his wheel marks and to be sure equal warmth is spread between heaven and earth
• Told not to sink too far or go too high, stay in the middle; don't want to catch the earth on fire (foreshadowing)
• Apollo offers one more time to take the Sun's journey instead, but the boy is stubborn
• But, oh no, Phaethon is much lighter and smaller than his father, and the horses take off too fast for how little weight they are carrying
• Phaethon panics, as the 4 horses leave the predetermined track and he can't tell where they were supposed to go
• The boy regrets his decision to find his true father and now he just wants to be the son of his mom's mortal husband
• The boy sees Scorpio, who is quite terrifying, and drops the reins officially
• The horses run freely, causing the earth to burst into flames, killing entire nations, crumbling them to ask
• Earth comes out and asks why now if she is truly being punished
• Asks what Poseidon has done (she's attributing the fire to the lightning bolts of Zeus)
• Tells Zeus to think of their common interests, that he should not burn his own heavens for Gods sakes
• The next story then describes the boy's death and the consequences, such as a day without sun due to Apollo's shame

(Painting of Phaethon by Gustave Moreau)