Introduction to Western Literature and Arts
Lecture Note-3: Ovis's Metamorphoses Book 1& Book 2

Table of Contents

1. Structure of Ovid's Metamorphoses
2. Some mythological concepts behind the transformation
3. Where can I find "The Ovid Project" and other OVID resources ?
4. Reading Book 1: The Creation and the Four Ages
5. Reading Book 2: The Love of Gods and Goddesses

Structure of Ovid's Metamorphoses

1. Structure of Metamorphoses
2. A table of Metamorphoses in GGGM (Who is transformed into what by whom and for what motivation)
3. For your interest: A Ovid-link by Jim O'Hara 

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Some mythological concepts behind the metamorphoses

The following goddesses in Greek & Roman Mythology are personification of the Greek and Roman thinking of causality and justice.  To figure out the significance of the stories of transformation in Ovid's Metamorphoses, you can about the causation of bodily transformation in terms of certain psychological need.  These psychological need, maybe orientated toward ethical order, or toward unconscious wish fulfillment.
Themis (Law) : Thetis delivered oracle at Delphi until Apollo took place.
Moerae (Fates) : The Moerae are three sisters who decide on human fate (the length of life). They give human their share of lot. They supervised fate rather than determined it. Though Zeus was superior to all other divinities and was the father of the Moeare, he could not alter Fates' decrees. Zeus was often depicted as holding a balanced scale to discover what fate ordains, placing the respective lots of the hero on both sides of the scale and seeing which way the balance will fall. In this way, Zeus plays the role of the executor of fate, and not determiner of fate.
Erinyes (Furies) : Three goddess of vengeance and retribution. They are especially significant in Greek Tragedy. Eg. Aeschylus's Orestes Trilogy
Nemesis (Goddess of vengeance, retribution (報應)): The goddess of vengeance and retribution. She was a Titaness and earlier than Erinyes.  

• Note:
  
  1. Lots of Greek goddess are three in number. In addition to, Moerae, Horae, Erinyes, there are the monstrous three Gorgans, the hoary three Graeae who share with only one eye, and the charming three Graces.  You can see how easily to confuse these names.  For spelling, the "Graces" is confused with "Graeae." For the similar fearful outlook, it is easy to confuse Erinyes with Gorgans and Graeae. For the similarity of abstract concept, Moerae (Fates) is confused with Erinyes (Furies).
  2. To prevent confusion, I suggest you to remember three things:
  
  • 
    First, they are all different!
    Second, the similarity among Themis, Nemesis, Moerae, and Erinyes lies in that they are all personification of the abstract thinking about justice and causality.
    Third, make the distinction between Moerae (Fates) and Erinyes (Furies) first, and memorize these two triads first, for you will read them quite often in Greek and Roman literature. 

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Where can I find "The Ovid Project" and other OVID resources ?

Ovid: Metamorphoses, B1, B2
--The Ovid Project

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Reading Book 1: The Creation and the Four Ages

1. According of Ovid's Metamorphoses, what distinguish human from other animals?
2. Essay Question:
Compare the story of the flood in Sumerian epic (Gilgamesh), Hebraic myth (Genesis), and Greco-Roman myth (Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 1).  Discuss the following elements of the flood stories: a. The cause of the flood. b. The process of the flood. c. the meaning of the flood to human d. the relation of God (Gods, Goddesses) to human.

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Reading Book 2: The Love of Gods and Goddesses

Essay Question:
If the story of Lycaon's transformation is about the punishment for profanity, and the survival of Deucalion and Pyrrha from the flood is about god's gift for piety, then what do the stories of the loves of the gods (Apollo, Jupiter) suggest to you about the quality of Greco-Roman gods? What is your opinion about this arrangement?

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Quiz 3

Composed and Edited by Chen Chi-szu
Revised: 十月 07, 2003.