Hercules -a hero

While reading Hercules (in Edith Hamilton's mythology),I did not feelas if I was reading about a real hero.What makes him different is his lack of cleverness and reason and his strong emotions and confidence.Killing loved ones and undefeatable monsters he was often mad with rage and power.Hercules' true character came through, however, when he was standing at the gate of the underworld ,unable to give up his own life.For the only way to get into the underworld was by offering a life. He asked many to die for him ,so he can kept his life but all refused except his wife,who died for him.His undefeated nature made him value his seemingly untouchable life over all others.On the other hand Hercules ended his life himself because nothing else could.His complex emotions and great strengh made him a hero of a different sort.Time and time again,heroes put themselves in great danger for others and for the good of their land and society .What if you knew no danger? What if nothing could defeat you? Hercules knew his strenght and was proud of it. Hercules killed himself,unable to face the consequences of being undefeatable.Maybe he got tired of watching everyone else die.Maybe he was a real hero or maybe he never was.

Cupid and Psyche

The story of Cupid and Psyche is one of love ,sacrifice,jealousy,despair and eternal joy.Psyche is the youngest and of three mortal maidens.Like in so many modern stories,
fairytales,the youngest and the fairest is cursed with divine beauty which ends up upsetting a more powerful,often evil female figure(Venus it this case;a goddess.)All mortals are looking upon Psyches' beauty as something not even the goddess can outdo,therefore they stop worshiping Venus in temples.Venus happens to have a son,Cupid(who Venus asked for help to charm Psyche and make her fall in love with the most awful creature) who upon seeing Psyche falls in love with her,as if piercing his own heart ,but disguises himself due to his divine, immortal nature( a reoccurrence in characters: young lovers and a reoccurrence in themes:forbidden love.)Psyche is carried by Zephyr,the wind, to a mansion where she will be treated like a goddess and will be with her unseen ,but felt husband to be,Cupid.When psyche is told by her sisters of her husbands mysterious and possibly dangerous nature (it is quite strange she never got to see him),Psyche is given the idea to kill him .Instead she sees him and falls into deeper love with her husband ,Cupid,the god of love himself.Cupid,revealed as a god becomes angry and flees to his mother.Venus is made even more jealous,and angered as her son reveals his love for Psyche to her. Meanwhile Psyche sets out on a journey to search(a lonely journey by a protagonist is a vital part of any adventure and love story) for her lover simultaneously searching for Venus and her forgiveness.Once at Venus' feet,Psyche is to fulfill perilous impossible tasks (which is her desperate Road of Trials ).Psyche is also sent to the underworld where she was to fetch some of Proserpine's beauty for Venus(Psyche opened the box to make herself more beauteous for Cupid).The god realized Psyches love and they got married.Psyche was made immortal.

Stories of divine beauty and love are often spiced up by the dramatic interaction of gods and their human-like emotions.The gods manipulate,fall in love with and loathe mortals for their fragile ,finite nature.It is enticing for us to read stories like Cupid and Psyche it makes us feel superior as mortals.Mythology is the interaction between the mortals and the gods,and so many adventure stories and love stories arise from that!