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Penia
In Plato's ''Symposium'', Penia (Ancient Greek: , ''Penía''), or Penae (Latin: "Poverty", "Deficiency"), is the personification of poverty and need. She conceived Eros with an intoxicated Porus ("Resource", "Contrivance") in Zeus's garden while at Aphrodite's birthday. Her sisters are Amechania and Ptocheia. Penia was also mentioned by other ancient Greek writers such as Alcaeus (Fragment 364), Theognis (Fragment 1; 267, 351, 649), Aristophanes ('' Plutus'', 414ff), Herodotus, Plutarch (''Life of Themistocles''), and Philostratus (''Life of Apollonius''). Mythology Plato's account Perhaps one of the most famous mentions is in Plato's Symposium (203b–e), a Socratic Dialogue written by Plato c. 385–370 BC. She is part of a story narrated by Socrates, that he originally heard from a priestess by the name of Diotima. There, Penia appears during a banquet thrown by the gods to celebrate the birth of Aphrodite, in order to beg. In the hope for alleviating her misery, she ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greek Goddesses
In ancient Greece, deities were regarded as immortal, anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, and powerful. They were conceived of as individual persons, rather than abstract concepts or notions, and were described as being similar to humans in appearance, albeit larger and more beautiful. The emotions and actions of deities were largely the same as those of humans; they frequently engaged in sexual activity, and were jealous and amoral. Deities were considered far more knowledgeable than humans, and it was believed that they conversed in a language of their own. Their immortality, the defining marker of their godhood, meant that they ceased aging after growing to a certain point. In place of blood, their veins flowed with ichor, a substance which was a product of their diet, and conferred upon them their immortality. Divine power allowed the gods to intervene in mortal affairs in various ways: they could cause natural events such as rain, wind, the growing of crops, or epidemics, and w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Symposium (Plato)
The ''Symposium'' (, ''Symposion'') is a Socratic dialogue by Plato, dated . It depicts a friendly contest of extemporaneous speeches given by a group of notable Athenian men attending a Symposium, banquet. The men include the philosopher Socrates, the general and statesman Alcibiades, and the comic playwright Aristophanes. The Panegyric, panegyrics are to be given in praise of Eros, the god of love and sex. In the ''Symposium'', Eros is recognized both as erotic lover and as a phenomenon capable of inspiring courage, valor, great deeds and works, and vanquishing man's natural fear of death. It is seen as transcending its earthly origins and attaining spiritual heights. The extraordinary elevation of the concept of love raises a question of whether some of the most extreme extents of meaning might be intended as humor or farce. ''Eros'' is almost always translated as "love," and the English word has its own varieties and ambiguities that provide additional challenges to the effor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plutus (play)
''Plutus'' (, ''Ploutos'', "Wealth") is an Ancient Greek comedy by the playwright Aristophanes, which was first produced in 388 BC. A political satire on contemporary Athens, it features the personified god of wealth Plutus. Reflecting the development of Old Comedy towards New Comedy, it uses such familiar character types as the stupid master and the insubordinate slave to attack the morals of the time. Plot The play features an elderly Athenian citizen, Chremylos, and his slave Cario or Carion. Chremylos presents himself and his family as virtuous but poor, and has accordingly gone to seek advice from an oracle. The play begins as he returns to Athens from Delphi, having been instructed by Apollo to follow the first man he meets and persuade him to come home with him. That man turns out to be the god Plutus — who is, contrary to all expectations, a blind beggar. After much argument, Plutus is convinced to enter Chremylos's house, where he will have his vision restored ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Porus (Greek Mythology)
There are related mythological figures named Porus or Poros () in Greek classical literature. In Plato's ''Symposium'', Porus was the personification of resourcefulness or expediency. Porus was the son of the goddess Metis, but his father is unknown. He was seduced by Penia (poverty) while drunk on more than his fill of nectar at Aphrodite's birthday. Penia gave birth to Eros (love) from their union. According to the character Diotima, Eros is forever in need because of his mother, but forever pursuing because of his father. This figure exists in Roman mythology as well and is known as Pomona, in which Porus is the personification Personification is the representation of a thing or abstraction as a person, often as an embodiment or incarnation. In the arts, many things are commonly personified, including: places, especially cities, National personification, countries, an ... of abundance. Notes References * Grimal, Pierre, ''The Dictionary of Classical Mythology'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amechania
In Greek mythology, Amechania or Amekhania (Ancient Greek: Àμηχανίην) was the spirit of impossibility. She was regarded as a close companion (and sister) of Penia and Ptocheia. She was virtually identical to Aporia. Amechania was mentioned by ancient Greek authors such as Alcaeus and Herodotus.Herodotus, '' Histories'' 8.111.1 Notes References * Herodotus, ''The Histories'' with an English translation by A. D. Godley. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. 1920. Online version at the Topos Text Project. * '' Realencyclopädie der classischen A ...
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Ptocheia
Ptocheia or Ptokheia (pronounced pa-toh-KEE-uh; ) was the ancient Greek female spirit of beggary. She was regarded as a companion (and a sister) of Penia and Amechania. Her opposites were Euthenia and Ploutos.Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ..., '' Plutus'' 549 ff. Note Greek goddesses Personifications in Greek mythology {{Greek-deity-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eros
Eros (, ; ) is the Greek god of love and sex. The Romans referred to him as Cupid or Amor. In the earliest account, he is a primordial god, while in later accounts he is the child of Aphrodite. He is usually presented as a handsome young man, though in some appearances he is a juvenile boy full of mischief, ever in the company of his mother. In both cases, he is winged and carries his signature bow and arrows, which he uses to make both mortals and immortal gods fall in love, often under the guidance of Aphrodite. His role in myths is mostly complementary, and he often appears in the presence of Aphrodite and the other love gods and often acts as a catalyst for people to fall in love, but has little unique mythology of his own; the most major exception being the myth of Eros and Psyche, the story of how he met and fell in love with his wife. Eros and Cupid, are also known, in art tradition, as a Putto (pl. Putti). The Putto's iconography seemed to have, later, influenced t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diotima Of Mantinea
Diotima of Mantinea (; ; ) is the name or pseudonym of an ancient Greek character in Plato's dialogue ''Symposium'', possibly an actual historical figure, indicated as having lived circa 440 B.C. Her ideas and doctrine of ''Eros'' as reported by the character of Socrates in the dialogue are the origin of the concept today known as Platonic love. Role in ''Symposium'' In Plato's ''Symposium'' the members of a party discuss the meaning of love. Socrates says that in his youth he was taught "the philosophy of love" by Diotima, a prophetess who successfully postponed the Plague of Athens. In an account that Socrates recounts at the symposium, Diotima says that Socrates has confused the idea of love with the idea of the beloved. Love, she says, is neither fully beautiful nor good, as the earlier speakers in the dialogue had argued. Diotima gives Socrates a genealogy of Love (Eros), stating that he is the son of "resource (''poros)'' and poverty (''penia)''". In her view, love dri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Socratic Dialogue
Socratic dialogue () is a genre of literary prose developed in Greece at the turn of the fourth century BC. The earliest ones are preserved in the works of Plato and Xenophon and all involve Socrates as the protagonist. These dialogues, and subsequent ones in the genre, present a discussion of moral and philosophical problems between two or more individuals illustrating the application of the Socratic method. The dialogues may be either dramatic or narrative. While Socrates is often the main participant, his presence in the dialogue is not essential to the genre. Platonic dialogues Most of the Socratic dialogues referred to today are those of Plato. Platonic dialogues defined the literary genre subsequent philosophers used. Plato wrote approximately 35 dialogues, in most of which Socrates is the main character. The protagonist of each dialogue, both in Plato's and Xenophon's work, usually is Socrates who by means of a kind of interrogation tries to find out more about the other ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philostratus
Philostratus or Lucius Flavius Philostratus (; ; 170s – 240s AD), called "the Athenian", was a Greek sophist of the Roman imperial period. His father was a minor sophist of the same name. He flourished during the reign of Septimius Severus (193–211) and died during that of Philip the Arab (244–249), probably in Tyre. Name and life Some ambiguity surrounds his name. The nomen ''Flavius'' is given in ''The Lives of the Sophists'' and Tzetzes. Eunapius and Synesius call him a Lemnian; Photius a Tyrian; his letters refer to him as an Athenian. His praenomen was probably ''Lucius'', although this is not entirely confirmed. It is probable that he was born in Lemnos, studied and taught at Athens, and then settled in Rome (where he would naturally be called ''Atheniensis'') as a member of the learned circle with which empress Julia Domna surrounded herself. Works attributed to Philostratus Historians agree that Philostratus authored at least five works: '' Life of A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plutarch
Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', a series of biographies of illustrious Greeks and Romans, and ''Moralia'', a collection of essays and speeches. Upon becoming a Roman citizen, he was possibly named Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus (). Family Plutarch was born to a prominent family in the small town of Chaeronea, about east of Delphi, in the Greek region of Boeotia. His family was long established in the town; his father was named Autobulus and his grandfather was named Lamprias. His brothers, Timon and Lamprias, are frequently mentioned in his essays and dialogues, which speak of Timon in particular in the most affectionate terms. Studies and life Plutarch studied mathematics and philosophy in Athens under Ammonius of Athens, Ammonius from AD 66 to 67. He attended th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herodotus
Herodotus (; BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey), under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the '' Histories'', a detailed account of the Greco-Persian Wars, among other subjects such as the rise of the Achaemenid dynasty of Cyrus. He has been described as " The Father of History", a title conferred on him by the ancient Roman orator Cicero, and the " Father of Lies" by others. The ''Histories'' primarily cover the lives of prominent kings and famous battles such as Marathon, Thermopylae, Artemisium, Salamis, Plataea, and Mycale. His work deviates from the main topics to provide a cultural, ethnographical, geographical, and historiographical background that forms an essential part of the narrative and provides readers with a wellspring of additional information. Herodotus was criticized in his times for his inclusion of "legends an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
