Monday, March 31, 2008

Ariadne (Greek)

Ariadne

Alternative Names (異名):
Ariadne


Ariadne, in Greek mythology, was daughter of King Minos of Crete and his queen, Pasiphaë, daughter of Helios, the Sun-titan. She aided Theseus in overcoming the Minotaur and later became the consort of the god, Dionysus.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Andromeda (Greek)

Andromeda

Alternative Names (異名):
Andromeda, Ανδρομέδη, Andromedē, 안드로메다



Andromeda was a woman from Greek mythology who was chained to a rock to be a sacrifice to a sea monster as divine punishment for her mother's bragging. She was saved from death by Perseus, her future husband. Her name is the Latinized form of the Greek Ανδρομέδη (Andromedē). The etymology of the name is "to think of a man," from ανδρος (andros) "man" combined with μηδομαι (mēdomai) "to think, to be mindful of."



Myth

In Greek mythology, Andromeda was the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, king and queen of the Phoenician kingdom Ethiopia.

Her mother Cassiopeia bragged that she was more beautiful than the Nereids, the nymph-daughters of the sea god Nereus and often seen accompanying Poseidon. To punish the Queen for her arrogance, Poseidon, brother to Zeus and God of the Sea, sent a sea monster, Cetus, to ravage the coast of Ethiopia and the kingdom of the vain Queen. The desperate King consulted the Ammon, the Oracle of Zeus, who announced that no respite would be found until the king sacrificed his virgin daughter Andromeda to the monster. She was duly chained to a rock on the coast.

Perseus, returning from having slain the Gorgon Medusa, found Andromeda and slew the monster Cetus. He set her free, and married her in spite of Andromeda having been previously promised to Phineus. At the wedding a quarrel took place between the rivals, and Phineus was turned to stone by the sight of the Gorgon's head (Ovid, Metamorphoses v. 1).

Andromeda followed her husband to Tiryns in Argos, and together they became the ancestors of the family of the Perseidae through the line of their son Perses. Perseus and Andromeda had six sons Perseides, Perses, Alcaeus, Heleus, Mestor, Sthenelus, and Electryon, and one daughter, Gorgophone. Their descendants ruled Mycenae from Electryon down to Eurystheus, after whom Atreus attained the kingdom, and would also include the great hero Heracles. According to this mythology, Perses is the ancestor of the Persians.

After her death she was placed by Athena amongst the constellations in the northern sky, near Perseus and Cassiopeia. Sophocles and Euripides (and in more modern times Corneille) made the story the subject of tragedies. The tale is represented in numerous ancient works of art.


Constellations

Andromeda is represented in the northern sky by the constellation Andromeda which contains the Andromeda Galaxy.

Four constellations are associated with the myth. Viewing the fainter stars, visible to the naked eye, the constellations are rendered as:

A large man wearing a crown, upside down with respect to the ecliptic. (The constellation Cepheus)
A smaller figure, next to the man, sitting on a chair. As it is near the pole star, it can be seen the whole year, although sometimes upside down. (The constellation Cassiopeia)
A maiden, chained up, facing/turning away from the ecliptic. (The constellation Andromeda), next to Pegasus.

A sea monster just under the ecliptic. (The constellation Cetus)

The king of Ethiopia Cepheus and the Cassiopeia queen thank Perseus for freeing their daughter Andromeda, La Délivrance d'Andromède (1679) Pierre Mignard, Louvre.Other constellations related to the story are:

Perseus
The constellation Pegasus, who was born from the stump of Medusa's neck, after Perseus had decapitated her.

The constellation Pisces, which may have been treated as two fish caught by Dictys the fisherman who was brother of Polydectes king of Seriphos where Perseus and his mother Danaë were stranded.


Reference

Apollodorus, Bibliotheke II, iv, 3-5.
Ovid, Metamorphoses IV, 668-764.
Edith Hamilton, Mythology, Part Three, 204-207.


Links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Mythology

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Atlas

Atlas

Atlas was the son of Iapetus. Unlike his brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus, Atlas fought with the other Titans supporting Cronus against Zeus. Due to Cronus's advance age Atlas lead the Titan's in battle. As a result he was singled out by Zeus for a special punishment and made to hold up the world on his back.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

AFI #001 Clark Gable as Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind (1939)


Rhett: It seems we've been at cross-purposes, doesn't it? But it's no use now. As long as there was Bonnie, there was a chance that we might be happy. I liked to think that Bonnie was you, a little girl again, before the war, and poverty had done things to you. She was so like you, and I could pet her and spoil her, as I wanted to spoil you. But when she went, she took everything.
Scarlett: Oh, Rhett, Rhett please don't say that. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry for everything.
Rhett: My darling, you're such a child. You think that by saying "I'm sorry," all the past can be corrected. Here, take my handkerchief. Never, at any crisis of your life, have I known you to have a handkerchief.
Scarlett: Rhett! Rhett, where are you going?
Rhett: I'm going to Charleston, back where I belong.
Scarlett: Please, please take me with you!
Rhett: No, I'm through with everything here. I want peace. I want to see if somewhere there isn't something left in life of charm and grace. Do you know what I'm talking about?
Scarlett: No! I only know that I love you.
Rhett: That's your misfortune. [turns to walk down the stairs]
Scarlett: Oh, Rhett! [watches Rhett walk to the door] Rhett! [runs down the stairs after him] Rhett, Rhett! Rhett, Rhett... Rhett, if you go, where shall I go? What shall I do?
Rhett: Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

- Clark Gable as Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind (1939)

The bolded line is ranked #1 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema.


http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gone_with_the_Wind
American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

AFI #002 Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone from The Godfather (1972)

Johnny Fontane: A month ago, he bought the movie rights to this book. A best seller – and the main character, it's a guy just like me. I, uh, I wouldn't even have to act, just be myself. [choking up] Oh, Godfather, I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do.
[Don Corleone stands up and shakes Johnny]
Don Corleone: [shouting] You can act like a man!
[Don Corleone slaps Johnny]
Don Corleone: What's the matter with you? Is this how you turned out? A Hollywood finocchio that cries like a woman? [mockingly] "What can I do? What can I do?" What is that nonsense? Ridiculous. You spend time with your family?
Johnny Fontane: Sure I do.
Don Corleone: Good. A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man. Come here … you look terrible. I want you to eat. I want you to rest a while. And in a month from now, this Hollywood bigshot's gonna give you what you want.
Johnny Fontane: It's too late, they start shooting in a week.
Don Corleone: I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse. Now, you just go outside and enjoy yourself, and, uh, forget about all this nonsense. I want you – I want you to leave it all to me.

- Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone from The Godfather (1972)

The bolded line is ranked #2 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema.


American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

AFI #003 Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy from On the Waterfront (1954)

Charlie: Look, kid, I - how much you weigh, son? When you weighed one hundred and sixty-eight pounds you were beautiful. You coulda been another Billy Conn, and that skunk we got you for a manager, he brought you along too fast.
Terry: It wasn't him, Charley, it was you. Remember that night in the Garden you came down to my dressing room and you said, "Kid, this ain't your night. We're going for the price on Wilson." You remember that? "This ain't your night"! My night! I coulda taken Wilson apart! So what happens? He gets the title shot outdoors on the ballpark and what do I get? A one-way ticket to Palooka-ville! You was my brother, Charley, you shoulda looked out for me a little bit. You shoulda taken care of me just a little bit so I wouldn't have to take them dives for the short-end money.
Charlie: Oh I had some bets down for you. You saw some money.
Terry: You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am. Let's face it. It was you, Charley.

- Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy from On the Waterfront (1954)

The bolded line is ranked #3 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema.


American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations

Monday, October 24, 2005

AFI #004 Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Dorothy: [has just arrived in Oz, looking around and awed at the beauty and splendor] Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.
Dorothy: [after a pause] We must be over the rainbow!
[a bubble appears in the sky and gets closer and closer. It finally lands, then turns into Glinda the Good Witch wearing a spectacular white dress and crown, holding a wand]
Dorothy: [to Toto] Now I... I know we're not in Kansas!

- Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz (1939)

The bolded line is ranked #4 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema.


American Film Institute's list of the top 100 movie quotations