“...the
Kouretes
hid
the goddess's holy
infant
in a cave, unbeknownst
to
Kronos of the crooked counsels,
when
blessed Rhea stole him
and
from the immortals won
great
honor.“ That was what he sang;
and
the Muses at once directed
the
blessed ones to drop their secret
voting
pebbles into the urns
of
gleaming gold. They all rose up together,
and
Kithairon won the large number;
and
Hermes speedily declared,
shouting,
that he had won the victory
which
he desired, and with garlands...
...he
was adorned
by
the blessed ones; and his mind rejoiced.
But
Helikon, in the grip
of
cruel torments,
tore
out a bare rock,
shaking
the mountain, and groaning
pitiably
he dashed it from on high
into
innumerable stones.
- Kouretes- They were spirits that Rhea got to guard Zeus in a
cave on Mount Ida when he was an infant. He needed protection from
his father, Cronus, since he wanted to eat Zeus. The Kouretes were
gods of the wild mountainside who used pioneer crafts and were the
first armed warriors.
- Kronos- He was a Titan, the god of time. He wanted to kill
Zeus because of a prophecy telling of his son overthrowing him.
- Rhea- She is a Titaness and the mother of Zeus, known as “the
mother of the gods”.
- “ That was what he sang”-
refers to one of the two mountains, Kithairon and Helikon, that were
having a singing contest that was judged by the Olympian gods. From
Greek Lyric by Andrew M. Miller
- “and from the immortals
won great honor.”- refers to the other gods that were thankful for
Rhea saving Zeus, since he would kill Kronos eventually.
- Muses- They were the
daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. There were 9 of them total and they
were known for their music.
- The Blessed Ones- These
were the gods that were judging the singing contest between
Kithairon and Helikon.
- The pebbles and urns were
used to cast votes for the winner of the contest.
- Kithairon- He was a
mountain of Boiotia in central Greece that was also a god. He
apparently won the contest and was given garlands by Hermes as a
reward.
- Hermes- He was a god of
transitions and boundaries, messenger of the gods, and sometimes a
trickster.
- Helikon- He was a mountain
in Boeotia in central Greece, as well as a god. He lost the contest
and was very angry.
http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Kouretes.html
http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanKronos.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhea_(mythology)
http://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/The_Muses/the_muses.html
http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/OrosKithairon.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Helicon
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