Extra Reading Diary: Ovid's Metamorphosis (Books 8-10)

Myth-Folklore Ovid III Reading Unit:

(Adonis, boy in beauty)

Reading B:
1. Orpheus and Eurydice

• Traveling to Hell to find your deceased love one. She had a "swift" and wrongful death.
• Singing as communicating. Reminds me of bards from games like Dungeons and Dragons.
• Spirits in the Underworld still bare their killing wounds.
• He turned to see his wife, and because of that he could never see her again.
• He could never love again.

2. Ganymede and Hyacinthus

• The second person tense is awkward. That really cannot be used very often.
• I guess this story was sung by Orpheus?
• This story was really confusing!

3. Pygmalion

• The Propoetides are condemned to prostitution for worshipping Venus incorrectly.
• Pygmalion fell in love with a statue he made.
• Sometimes he thinks that it "kisses him back."
• He asked Venus to make her real, and she did.
• What an interesting concept. Story idea: a girl falls in love with a drawing she makes, asks for him to be real, and he becomes real!

4. Myrrha and Cinyras

• I had to look this myth up, because the one here was confusing. Apparently Myrrha fell in love with her father and trick him into *ahem*. She is also the mother of Adonis.

5. Myrrha and the Nurse

• This was super creepy to read! Not enjoyable at all.
• A hasty suicide, saved by someone, but not wanting to be saved. 
• Having a sinful thought that cannot be rid of.

6. Myrrha's Punishment

• This was so incredibly CREEPY! This was hard to read.
• But okay, she is now pregnant with Adonis.
• Her punishment was to become a tree. Very interesting. Reminds me Dante's Inferno and the forest of suicide, the people who were to become trees and then be pecked by harpies for eternity.

7. Venus and Adonis

• Naids are water nymphs.
• "Even Envy would praise his beauty..." (Ovid)
• Venus is accidently hit by cupid's arrow. She falls in love with Adonis.
• “Be bold when they run, but bravery is unsafe when faced with the brave." (Ovid) This myth has a lot of great quotes! 

8. Atalanta and Hippomenes

• A break from Adonis? This was a confusing read.
• Atalanta can run the fastest.
• Marriage will be Atalanta's doom, according to the oracle.
• The only man she can marry must beat her in a foot-race.
• Many came to race her. Hippomenes prayed to Venus, who tossed him three goldren apples. 
• During the race he threw these, causing Atalanta to slow down.

9. The Foot-Race

• "Lest your courage ruin us both!"

10. The Death of Adonis

• His dead body is transformed into a flower, anemone. This is a very delicate flower. Winds can blow away the petals.
• He was killed by a boar, sent by Artemis.
• Adonis was taken in by Venus, and then by Persephone.