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HERMES, ARES, HEPHAESTUS, AND HESTIA

Unit Overview

In this unit, you will learn about Hermes, Ares, Hephaestus, and Hestia. All three of these gods and goddesses played important roles in Olympus, but not necessarily important roles in literature.

Hermes

Hermes was Zeus’ messenger. His father was Zeus, and his mother was Maia. He wore winged sandals on his feet, and there were also wings on his helmet. He carried a magic wand called the caduceus. He was shrewd, or sharp. He was also considered to be a master thief. Hermes was the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them. He watched out for shepherds and cowherds. He favored literature and poets. He was the patron of weights and measures, of invention, and of general commerce. His symbols include the tortoise, the rooster, winged sandals, and the caduceus (shown below).

Although these details portray Hermes as fun-loving and smart, he had another job that was a serious contrast. He was the guide of the dead who led souls to the Underworld. He is one of the few gods who can enter and exit the Underworld.

Hermes was special from the day he was born. He was born on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia. His mother, Maia, was also the daughter of Atlas, the Titan. The daughters of Atlas were called the Pleiades. Maia was a nymph. Maia and Hermes, in addition to the other Pleiades, were taking refuge in a cave of Mount Cyleene in Arcadia. She and Hermes were discovered by Acacus, the local king. He raised Hermes as his own son.

On Hermes’ first day, he invented the lyre, or stringed instrument made from a turtle shell. By nightfall on his first day, he had rustled the immortal cattle of Apollo. Hermes drove the cattle back to Apofalfa and hid them. He covered their tracks by shodding, or shoeing, the cattle with horses’ shoes. When Apollo accused Hermes of stealing his cattle, they went to the courts of the gods so that Zeus would be the one to rule on the decision. Hermes claimed that he stole the cattle in order to have milk to drink. He offered the lyre to Apollo, his half brother, and he returned the cattle.

Pan is often said to be the son of Hermes and the nymph Dryope. It was said that Dryope ran away from Pan after she gave birth to him because of his goat-like appearance.

Ares

Ares was the god of war. He was the son of Zeus and Hera. Ares, however, was detested by both of his parents. Several works of Ancient Greek literature express that heroes occasionally rejoiced in the delight of battle, but most of the time they were glad to have escaped the fury of the “ruthless god.” Ares is referred to as murderous, bloodstained, and a coward who runs away when wounded. He had a quadriga (pictured below), which is a chariot that was drawn by four golden bridled fire emitting immortal stallions, and he wore bronze armor.

There are other deities who accompany Ares to the battlefield. They include Eris, his sister and her son, Strife. Enyo, the goddess of war, is also present on the battlefield with Ares. Terror, Trembling, and Panic are also present.

Ares plays a small part in the literature aspect of mythology. In one story, he is portrayed as the love interest of Aphrodite, and he is held up to the contempt of the Olympians by Hephaestus. For the majority of literature, he is little more than the symbol of war. He does not have a distinct personality like the other Olympians.

Once, Helios, the sun god, saw Ares and Aphrodite together in the hall of Hephaestus. Helios immediately reported what he saw to Hephaestus, Aphrodite’s husband. Hephaestus decided that he would catch the two of them together. He made a net with which he planned on catching the two together.

Ares and Aphrodite were captured in Hephaestus’ net. Just catching the two of them, however, was not enough. Hephaestus invited the other Olympians to view the two together. The goddesses declined this invitation, wanting to remain modest. The gods, however, went to view the two of them trapped in the net. Many of the gods agreed that they would trade places with Ares because of Aphrodite’s beauty. They mocked the two as they passed the net. Eventually, they were set free and Ares left quickly because he was embarrassed.

In the Iliad, Ares has no alliances or respect for the order of things. First, he promised Athena and Hera that he would fight on the side of the Achaeans. Aphrodite was then able to persuade Ares to fight for the Trojans. During the war, Diomedes fought with Hector and saw Ares fighting on the Trojans’ side. Diomedes called for his soldiers to fall back slowly. Hera, Ares’ mother, saw her son’s interference. She asked Zeus for permission to drive Ares away from the battlefield. Hera even encouraged Diomedes to attack Ares. Diomedes threw a spear at Ares. His cries made the Achaeans and Trojans tremble. Athena then drove a spear into Ares’ body. He fled in pain. This forced the Trojans to retreat. Later, Zeus allowed Ares to fight in the war again. Ares tried to fight Athena to avenge himself the previous injury. Ares was able to overpower Athena by throwing a large boulder at her.

Ares has no cities where he is worshiped. His bird was the vulture. The dog was his animal, which is considered odd by some because dogs are thought to have been loyal and loving toward man.

Hephaestus

Hephaestus is the god of fire. He is sometimes said to have been the son of Zeus and Hera. Other stories say that Hera bore Hephaestus alone as retaliation for Zeus carrying Athena alone. Hephaestus is the only deity that is considered ugly. This is odd among the other Olympians because they are considered to be very handsome and beautiful individuals. Hephaestus is lame as well. His status at Mt. Olympus is debated; the Iliad says that Hera cast him out of Olympus. In the Odyssey, Hephaestus is honored at Mt. Olympus because he is the workman.

The responsibilities of Hephaestus included making dwellings, furnishings, and weapons. In his workshop, he had handmaidens forged out of gold that moved about and helped with his work. Hephaestus is also considered the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire, and volcanoes. His symbols are the smith’s hammer, an anvil, and a pair of tongs. Sometimes, he is portrayed holding an axe.

Hephaestus was a kind, peace-loving god. He was popular on earth and at Mt. Olympus. He was important to life in the city. He was worshiped in the manufacturing and industrial centers of Greece, particularly in Athens. He was a patron of handicrafts and the arts. He was the protector of the blacksmiths. When children were formally admitted to the city organization, the god of the ceremony was Hephaestus.

Hephaestus was responsible for creating a lot of the equipment used by the gods. He created Hermes’ winged helmet and sandals. He made Achilles’ armor, Eros’ bow and arrows, the Aegis, and Aphrodite’s girdle, to name a few.

His wife is another topic of debate. In the Iliad, his wife is one of the three Graces. In the Odyssey, his wife is Aphrodite. The previous story about Hephaestus catching Ares and Aphrodite in a net shows that Aphrodite was not always a faithful wife. Zeus gave her hand in marriage to Hephaestus because Zeus was worried about conflict. Zeus thought that Aphrodite’s beauty would cause conflict between the other gods. After Hephaestus caught Ares and Aphrodite together, he invited the other gods to look at them. Eventually, Poseidon persuaded Hephaestus to free them. In exchange, Ares had to pay an adulterer’s fine.

Hestia

Hestia was Zeus’ sister. She was a maiden goddess like Athena and Artemis. She had no distinct personality and plays no part in the myths. She was the goddess of the hearth, which is the symbol of the home. There was a tradition that when a newborn baby was born, the baby must first be carried around the hearth and introduced to Hestia before it could be received into the family. Every meal began and ended with an offering to her. Although she had no children of her own, she was a maternal goddess. Humans, safe in their homes, and wanderers finding shelter in caves all worshiped her.

Each city had a public hearth dedicated to Hestia. At this hearth, the fire was never allowed to go out. If a colony was going to be founded, someone would carry coals from the hearth of the mother-city. At the site of the new colony, the coals were deposited in the hearth in order to start the new fire.

Hestia is described as passive and non-confrontational. Sometimes, it is said that because of these personal characteristics, she gave up her seat in the Olympian twelve in order to prevent conflict. Her lack of participation in myths is sometimes explained because the hearth is immovable. Because the hearth cannot be moved, Hestia couldn’t take part in the procession of the gods or any of the other activities the Olympians participated in. Leaving Olympus made her a lesser goddess.

Poseidon and Apollo each attempted to court Hestia. Hestia was not impressed. She swore on the head of Zeus that she would retain her virginity. Because she swore on the head of Zeus, this meant that she would remain a maiden.

Now answer questions 1 through 38.

Writing about Literature: The Expository Paragraph

This unit introduced Hermes, Ares, Hephaestus, and Hestia, gods and goddesses who did not play an important role in literature, but who were important to the Greeks. You will use the information given in this unit to write an expository paragraph explaining the important roles these four gods and goddesses played on Mt. Olympus and on Earth.

An expository paragraph is a paragraph written to explain or to share information. It is written using a topic sentence, supporting details, and a conclusion sentence. Linking words such as first, second, next, and finally are used to help the reader follow the flow of ideas. When writing an expository paragraph, the author should not mention himself or herself but simply present the facts. Expository paragraphs should be written using formal language, not informal, everyday vocabulary.

To prepare to write an expository paragraph, you can use the same prewriting tasks that you have used in past units. Choose one of those tasks from the list below. You will submit your prewriting in the questions section of this unit.

Gathering Information Tasks
Brainstorming	A technique in which you come up with as many ideas as possible on a subject
Clustering	A technique in which you break down a subject into smaller parts – Place the subject in the middle and circle it. Write related ideas around the subject, circling them and drawing lines to the subject.
Asking Questions	A technique in which these questions are used to gather information: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
Direct Observation	A technique in which the writer relies on the five senses – sight, touch, smell, hearing, tasting.
Indirect Observation	A technique in which the writer examines the experiences of others by asking questions, watching, interviewing, etc.
Imaging	A technique in which the writer uses his imagination to generate ideas

Once you have completed the prewriting activity, you will need to form your topic/thesis sentence. This sentence needs to clearly explain to the reader what is being discussed in the paragraph, and it should capture the reader’s attention.

After creating your topic/thesis sentence, write the rough draft of your paragraph. These sentences should support your topic/thesis sentence. Each sentence should contain information that is directly related to your topic/thesis sentence, and they should be written using formal language.

Follow the body of your sentence with a conclusion sentence. This sentence should restate the topic of your paragraph and bring the paragraph to a close. The reader should be left with a sense of closure.

Since no paragraph is perfect the first time it is written, you will again be working through the self-evaluation, revision, and editing processes in the questions section. Once you have completed these steps, you will submit your final draft.

Now answer questions 39 through 45.

Applying Learning: Who Do You Choose?

Now that you’ve learned about many Greek gods and goddesses, choose the one who most resembles you. You may choose any god or goddess you have learned about in any unit up to this point. Research the god or goddess to learn even more about him or her. Keep a list of the sources that you use for your research, as you will be asked to submit that list in the questions section of this unit.

After your have completed your research, brainstorm a list of things that you have in common with the god or goddess you chose. List items such as personality traits, family structure, and interests. Use this list to create one of the following projects.

Give a Speech

Write a speech describing the similarities between you and the god or goddess you chose. Your speech should be two to three minutes long, and you should type it using Microsoft Word or another word processing program. You will be able to record yourself giving your speech in the questions section of this unit. Click the Add Recording button in question 46, and follow the on-screen directions for recording your speech. You should speak clearly and slowly, making sure that your teacher is able to understand each word of your speech.

In addition to submitting the recording of your speech, you should attach a copy of your speech to question 46. This will allow your teacher to read what you have written. Your written speech should also contain a complete list of the sources that you used to find information about your topic. If you used a website, you should list the complete URL (web address) for the site.

Create a Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation

Create a PowerPoint presentation describing what you have in common with the god or goddess you chose. Your slides should include the following:

· Slide 1 – Cover Slide

Include the name and picture of the god or goddess and your name. You may choose to include a picture of yourself, but it is not required.

· Slides 2 through 8 – Informational Slides

These slides should describe what you have in common with the god or goddess you chose. Include items such as personality traits, family structure, and interests. Each of these pages should include at least one picture and two or three sentences about your topic. Sentences should be complete, and you should use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Under each picture, type the website where you found the picture.

· Slide 9 – Works Cited

This slide should list all of the sources that you used to find information about your topic. If you used a website, you should list the complete URL (web address) for the site. You should also include websites that you used to find pictures.

If you do not have PowerPoint software on your computer, you may download the free software OpenOffice (http://www.openoffice.org). It is similar to Microsoft Office, and it has a presentation tool similar to PowerPoint. A presentation created using OpenOffice can be opened with your teacher’s PowerPoint software.

Create a Windows Movie Maker (or Mac Equivalent) Project

Create a Movie Maker presentation describing what you have in common with the god or goddess you chose.

· Slide 1 – Cover Slide

Include the name and picture of the god or goddess and your name. You may choose to include a picture of yourself, but it is not required.

· Slides 2 through 17 – Informational Slides

Your pages should alternate between pictures and text. For example, slide 2 should be a picture, slide 3 text, slide 4 a picture, slide 5 text, and so on. To insert text, use the caption feature of Movie Maker.

For each picture slide, you should add a caption giving the complete URL (web address) for the site where you found the picture. Each text slide should contain two or three sentences about your topic. These text slides should describe what you have in common with the god or goddess you chose. Include items such as personality traits, family structure, and interests. Sentences should be complete, and you should use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

· Slide 18 – Works Cited

This slide should list all of the sources that you used to find information about your topic. If you used a website, you should list the complete URL (web address) for the site. You should also include websites that you used to find pictures.

When your project is complete, you should export it to your computer so that it can be played back using Windows Media Player or QuickTime. When you send your finished project to your teacher, only send the exported file, not your original Movie Maker project file. You may choose to add music in the background. However, your music choice should be appropriate for the topic, and all music should be cited on your Works Cited slide.

If you do not have Windows Movie Maker on your computer, it is available as a free download from Microsoft here.

If you have another idea for a project to communicate the information, check with your teacher first. Your project file will need to be opened by your teacher, so your software must be compatible with the software that your teacher is using.

If you do not have access to any of these software tools, please contact your teacher.

Now answer question 46.