Euryale - too obscure?

[oggbashan]

In my last posted story, Rapunzel, I made Euryale her mother.

No one seemed to know who Euryale was.

She was a Gorgon, sister to Medusa, and was made a gorgon for -




- sexual excess. Her name means 'wide-roaming' - the Greeks were fond of puns too.

She seems the right sort of demi-goddess for Literotica but no one had heard of her. Hesiod claimed to have been descended from her so she can't have been all bad.

Anyone else heard of Euryale?

Og

 

[cloudy]

I had heard of her (I took a mythology class), but it was one of those things I'd forgotten until you posted it here.

Isn't it cool when you realize you have more tidbits of knowledge than you thought?

 

[Guest]

Og, i didnt know.. but im learning everyday. thank you for broadening my horizons...

humbly,
vella

 

[oggbashan]

I'm glad one person knows Euryale. Thanks Cloudy.

Since she was an immortal she should be around now. Perhaps she is enjoying the internet.

Og

 

[cloudy]

I'm glad one person knows Euryale. Thanks Cloudy.

Since she was an immortal she should be around now. Perhaps she is enjoying the internet.

Og

I thought her name was cool.

 

[cantdog]

A wicked fun read for me, along these lines, was American Gods by Neil Gaiman. The story is peppered with allusions; nearly every character is a god or folk hero (like Anansi or Coyote) or demigod or something, from mythic traditions all over the world. It's part of the fun to identify them as you go.

Mister Wednesday, Low-Key Lyesmith, and so on. Great fun. There are muses and graces, furies and fates, as well.

cantdog

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I have heard of her. But I also have a thing for mythology. The rference is slightly obscure, but then again, any reference to mythology in this day & age is likely to be. People don't know who theseus was. In fact, unless disney has done a movie about them or they made it into Clash of the Titans, most mythological characters are obscure to most readers younder than 30. We weren't taught mythology in any class in my HS.

-Colly

 

[cheerful_deviant]

I have heard of her. But I also have a thing for mythology. The rference is slightly obscure, but then again, any reference to mythology in this day & age is likely to be. People don't know who theseus was. In fact, unless disney has done a movie about them or they made it into Clash of the Titans, most mythological characters are obscure to most readers younder than 30. We weren't taught mythology in any class in my HS.

-Colly

I think this is very true. Quite frankly, a large portion of the population probablly doesn't even know who Rapunzel is....

Can't you hear it now... "Rapunzel? Isn't she one of the chicks in Destiny's Child?"

Sad to say, but refrence to a character who hasn't been features on The Cartoon Network lately will probablly be lost on most of the public.

 

[Guest]

Among other things, I read mythology stories to my sons when very young (Greek, Aztec, Chinese...) They cherished those books; later when they saw certain films (e.g., Clash of the Titans), they felt as if they were being reunited with family. My younger son saw "Troy" t'other day and had so much criticism re. the "facts" .

Ogg, you might consider putting footnotes at times; I did it with the Spanish and Russian in two of my stories.

Perdita

 

[Alex De Kok]

I'm a little (little? A lot!) deprived in my mythology reading, but I had heard of Euryale. Mind, I had no idea who she was, so thanks, Og.

I just last week finished reading a version of 'Tales From The Thousand And One Nights'. Now that Sindbad could benefit from a bit of Litting!

Maybe we should start a chain, retelling tales from myth and legend with the good bits left in

Alex

 

[Guest]

 

[oggbashan]

I'm a little (little? A lot!) deprived in my mythology reading, but I had heard of Euryale. Mind, I had no idea who she was, so thanks, Og.

I just last week finished reading a version of 'Tales From The Thousand And One Nights'. Now that Sindbad could benefit from a bit of Litting!

Maybe we should start a chain, retelling tales from myth and legend with the good bits left in

Alex

If you are reading the unexpurgated 1001 nights you should know that they don't need MORE sex.

I have them in my shop as 4 volumes (out of reach of small people).

The translation by Sir Richard Burton (not Liz Taylor's Burton) shocked the Victorians and was sold 'under the counter'.

Og

 

[Alex De Kok]

If you are reading the unexpurgated 1001 nights you should know that they don't need MORE sex.

< snipped >

Og

Nah. A very tame expurgated version, hence the comment. Amusing stories, though. One day I'd like to read the unexpurgated version . . .

Alex

 

[Remec]

In my last posted story, Rapunzel, I made Euryale her mother.
No one seemed to know who Euryale was. She was a Gorgon, sister to Medusa, and was made a gorgon for -
- sexual excess. Her name means 'wide-roaming' - the Greeks were fond of puns too.

She seems the right sort of demi-goddess for Literotica but no one had heard of her. Hesiod claimed to have been descended from her so she can't have been all bad.

Anyone else heard of Euryale?

Took me a moment, at first I thought she was one of the Furies, but then I read your details...You say "made" a Gorgon. I hadn't heard of any myths or stories where being a Gorgon was inflicted on anyone. Sounds like I need to expand my mythological studies some more....<g>

BTW, wasn't there another sister? I seem to think the Gorgons were another one of those sets of three sisters that seem to populate myth and folklore the world over...

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: Euryale - too obscure?

BTW, wasn't there another sister? I seem to think the Gorgons were another one of those sets of three sisters that seem to populate myth and folklore the world over...

Remec, I'm thinking that was Ethel.

helpfully, Perdita

 

[cheerful_deviant]

Re: Re: Euryale - too obscure?

BTW, wasn't there another sister? I seem to think the Gorgons were another one of those sets of three sisters that seem to populate myth and folklore the world over...

There were three. There were two (sisters?) Stheno and Euryale.
There was also the more famous of the three, Medusa (the queen), the only of the Gorgons who was supposed to be mortal. She was killed by Perseus who cut off her head with the aid of a mirrored sheild that helped him avoid her guaze that would have turned him to stone.

Hopefully all of my facts are correct.

CD

 

[oggbashan]

Re: Re: Re: Euryale - too obscure?

There were three. There were two (sisters?) Stheno and Euryale.
There was also the more famous of the three, Medusa (the queen), the only of the Gorgons who was supposed to be mortal. She was killed by Perseus who cut off her head with the aid of a mirrored shield that helped him avoid her gaze that would have turned him to stone.

Hopefully all of my facts are correct.

CD

Yes. The facts are correct. The other two were immortal and had descendants. Most people who know any mythology seem to have heard of the Medusa's head, but the other two Gorgons are less well known.

I usually use Robert Graves' Greek Myths as a source but he was reticent about the sexual connations of the myths. Euryale was supposed have been punished for being a sexual predator. Heresy to the ancient Greeks.

Medusa's 'sin' was pride (hubris). Stheno's sin I need to look up tomorrow when I'm back in my shop.

The three sisters motif comes from the triple Goddess.

Og

 

[snooper]

Re: Re: Re: Euryale - too obscure?

Remec, I'm thinking that was Ethel.

helpfully, Perdita

No, dear, that was the Mermen.

 

[oggbashan]

More info

The Gorgons, Medusa, Euryale and Stheno were beautiful sisters.

(The three Graiae, who were also sisters of the Gorgons, are representatives of extreme old age having only one eye and one tooth between them.)

Medusa (or all three Gorgons - there is some confusion) was turned into a monster by Athena for making love to Poseidon in Athena's temple.

Medusa represented vanity, Euryale sexual excess, and Stheno social perversion(?). Medusa was mortal and was killed by Perseus. The other two were immortal and presumably are still with us somewhere. Immortal and beautiful demi-goddesses representing sexual excess and social perversion seem suitable patrons for Literotica.

Og

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I always wondered what it was about the Greeks that made them tell so many stories. I mean, all cultures have a mythology, but no one has so rich a mythology as the ancient Greeks, and they really weren't around for that long.

---dr.M.

 

[oggbashan]

Dr. M.

The Greeks were around longer than the USofA has been known to Europe but the US has enough legends from Pocohontas, through Benedict Arnold to the frequent reappearances of Elvis and UFOS.

What about Davy Crockett, Billy the Kid, and Rip van Winkle?

Og

Edited for: How about the legendary unbought politician?

 

[NoJo]

In my last posted story, Rapunzel, I made Euryale her mother.

No one seemed to know who Euryale was.

She was a Gorgon, sister to Medusa, and was made a gorgon for -




- sexual excess. Her name means 'wide-roaming' - the Greeks were fond of puns too.

She seems the right sort of demi-goddess for Literotica but no one had heard of her. Hesiod claimed to have been descended from her so she can't have been all bad.

Anyone else heard of Euryale?

Og

Not only have I heard of her, but from your description and the paintings I've seen I'm pretty sure she's the same woman that runs the caff down the road from me.

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I always wondered what it was about the Greeks that made them tell so many stories. I mean, all cultures have a mythology, but no one has so rich a mythology as the ancient Greeks, and they really weren't around for that long.

---dr.M.

One answer to your question doc is that the ancient greeks were not one country. in that time a man wasn't greek, he was an Athenian, a Spartan, a Corinthinian, a Macedonian. Each city-state had it's own cycles of lore. Thus you have a host of stories that over time are interwoven to fit each other.

Consider, for example Thesus. His tales are predominantly Athenian. He is incredibly powerful, but also very cerebral as far as heros go. Hercules, Jason, Odysseus, each were the parton hero of a different state or were closely ties to one or another of them.

Minor gods & godesses like Tyche for example, worked their way into the overall volumes of lore, but had their beginings as more or less house hold or famlial diety's linked to a ruling or noble house in one or another of the city-states. She was the godess of luck and was patron to I believe a Corinthian noble house.

-Colly

 

[snooper]

... Minor gods & godesses like Tyche for example, worked their way into the overall volumes of lore, but had their beginings as more or less house hold or famlial diety's linked to a ruling or noble house in one or another of the city-states. ...

I know it's bad manners to point out errors, but I laughed so much at the thought of a "household diety" in the 21st Century, who would be called "Atkins" of course ...

 

[SummerMorning]

Re: Troy

A sad day it is, when people go watch a movie... having read reviews about how "historically accurate" it is and they believe they know the Illiad

Happened to me as well, Perdita. Criticized it? Well, I didn't really bother - I viewed Troy as a Holywood knock off and rewrite, so an original bricolage rather than a movie version of the Greek myth.

BTW - the combat coreography in Troy was... pitiful. But that's the movies for you...