Mythology Essay: Two Sides to the Power

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the case of Hera, Aphrodite, Ares and Dionysus.
Many people know Hera as the beautiful and generous wife of Zeus who helps women whenever they need it. However, not everyone knows about the other side of this powerful goddess. She may seem like a protector to women and families, but she actually has another side to her. Throughout the myths, she has two different sides of her personalty which helps us understand the myths clearly. Hera is said to be the protector of married women, that was her special power, but she also secretly ruined the lives of women who Zeus fell in love with. Due to this, she punished the women and their children because of what they did with her husband. “Her implacable anger followed them and their children too.” (Hamilton page 27) Near the end of the Trojan War , it could have ended peacefully and both sides could have gone unconquered if she didn’t have hatred towards a Trojan who judged another goddess who was lovelier than her. Throughout the Trojan ...

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wasn’t her only side, with no surprise she had an opposite side as well. Surprisingly, she has three sides, that describe her in many ways. In the Illiad, a book all about battle with heroes, Aphrodite is a quiet and weak creature who mortals don’t fear to attack. And then in later poems she is seen as a malicious, deadly and dangerous god with tremendous power over men. This shows that her joyful and lovely side isn’t what she is like all the time, her bad and sneaky side came into action a few times. This is a perfect example to show that gods and goddesses aren’t always one-dimensional, and that some of them can even have three different sides to their personalities. Aphrodite was said ...

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