. These two rivers are attested in several verse inscriptions on gold plates dating to the 4th century BC and onward, found at Thurii in Southern Italy and elsewhere throughout the Greek world. Updates? 1 - 8. I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. : This act proved that the Lima was not as dangerous as the local myths described. While no English translation of Cinthio was available in print during Shakespeare's lifetime, it is possible that Shakespeare knew both the Italian original, Gabriel Chappuy's 1584 French translation, and an English translation in manuscript. The daimona, or spirit, Lethe was not just the goddess of forgetfulness, she was the state of mind itself. In Greek mythology, Lethe (/lii/; Ancient Greek: Lth; Ancient Greek:[lt], Modern Greek:[lii]), also referred to as Lesmosyne, was one of the five rivers of the underworld of Hades. [3], Lethe is often compared to Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. She was essentially urban and civilized, the antithesis in many respects of Artemis, goddess of the outdoors. In this version of the story, Dionysus memorialized Ampelus by turning him into the first grapevine. On the left of the sanctuary of Despoine is Mount Lykaios (Lycaeus). Dionysus was so heartbroken by his young lovers death that he immortalized the satyr in the stars. See more. 5) (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : 15. The realm of Hades was a place of shadow and mist, populated by souls with no direction. Ampelus is one of the lesser-known characters of Greek mythology. Athena, also spelled Athene, in Greek religion, the city protectress, goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason, identified by the Romans with Minerva. She was the mother by Zeus of the Palikoi (Palici), gods of geysers and hot-water springs. Dorian (Greek origin) meaning "child of the sea"; the main character from ' Picture of Dorian Gray'. In act 2, Othello's lieutenant, Cassio is disgraced in a brawl and falls from Othello's favor. DESPOENA (Despoine) - Greek Goddess of the Arcadian Mysteries Dionysus memorialized his lover by creating a new constellation. On the first relief are wrought Moirai (Moirae, the Fates) and Zeus surnamed Moiragetes (Guide of Fate), and on the second Herakles (Heracles) wresting a tripod from Apollon . No longer was every soul doomed to wander without an identity for all eternity. Othello really had to contemplate his plan and why he should kill his wife because he doesn't want to because he knows she will be dead and he cannot reverse that, but he thinks he should kill her out of duty. Pindar, Pythian Ode 1. Callimachus, Fragment 207 (from Scholiast on Lycophron 1225) (trans. Thomas Mann in his short story "A Man And His Dog" has the pointer Bashan's owner express the sentiment: "It is good to walk like this in the early morning, with senses rejuvenated and spirit cleansed by the night's long healing draught of Lethe". https://www.thoughtco.com/desdemona-and-othello-2984765 (accessed May 1, 2023). AETNA (Aitna) - Sicilian Mountain-Goddess of Greek Mythology - Theoi ii. 15. Desdemona definition, (in Shakespeare's Othello) Othello's wife, murdered by her husband as a result of jealousy instilled by Iago. Add to this the fact that he is now an honored and powerful man in her country, and what young noble woman would not find him attractive? He was the sire of at least three of Heracles adversaries: Cycnus, Lycaon, and Diomedes of Thrace. Desdemona is a lady of spirit and intelligence. . Like another great player in Greek mythology, the Oracle of Delphi, Cal believes he can put himself inside the bodies of others. Disdemona's death in Cinthio is strikingly different from Desdemona's death in Shakespeare. In Classical Greek, the word lethe ( ) literally means "oblivion", "forgetfulness", or "concealment". Nameberry is a registered trademark of Nameberry, LLC. Her speeches are not as lengthy as those of the men, but with Desdemona, every word counts. When you have gone up a little, beside the temple of Despoine on the right is what is called the Hall, where the Arkadians celebrate Mysteries, and sacrifice to Despoine many victims in generous fashion. In Lethe's lake they long oblivion taste, It was said that Acheron was once the son of. Unlike his Roman counterpart, Mars, he was never very popular, and his worship was not extensive in Greece. To make things even more bleak, many ancient writers believed that the souls of the dead were made to drink from the waters of the River Lethe. The river could touch the living as well even if they were far from it. Other references not currently quoted here: Servius on Virgil's Aeneid 9.584, Euripides Cyclops 296, Cicero On Diviniation 2.19. The daughter of a Venetian senator, Desdemona is greatly loved by Othello, an honoured and heroic Moorish general in the service of Venice. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : Desdemona's cousin Lodovico then orders that Iago be tortured and executed. A little farther up is the circuit of the wall of Lykosoura (Lycosura), in which there are a few inhabitants. Meanwhile, Iago persuades Othello that Desdemona has formed an illicit relationship with Cassio. "That enemy of the gods, who lies in fearsome Tartaros, Typhon [Typhoeus]the hundred-headed, who long since was bred in the far-famed Kilikian (Cilician) cave. He represented the distasteful aspects of brutal warfare and slaughter. Drinking from it, or even touching its surface, could trap them in the underworld forever.