Monsters In Myth: The Greek Antithesis Of Order

Monsters in Myth: The Greek Antithesis of Order (1) Among the various occult beings who appear in the captivating stories of early Greek texts, few are as terrifying and vile as the gruesome cast of monsters portrayed in the mythos. The presence of monsters in Greek myth seems to take inspiration from the traditional conflict between good and evil, where an outmatched hero prevails over a monstrous creature. However, monsters are far more than just exciting trials for a hero's bravery and wit, providing deep insight into Greek culture and thoughts on the human condition. Religion was closely intertwined with the Panhellenic social order, and many early Greek customs were derived from some etiological myth, in which a divine choice or consequence

In Hesiod's Theogony, Zeus secures his role as supreme ruler of the universe by defeating Typhoeus—a colossal, turbulent monster born from Gaia and Tartaros to directly challenge him. Typhoeus was the ultimate test for Zeus' dominion, and a manifestation of chaotic, primordial power that if uncontested, “would have [him] become lord over gods and men” (837). A universe governed by Typhoeus implied an unbounded propagation of mayhem that would resemble the storm monster’s tumultuous appearance. Zeus’ destruction of Typhoeus set a precedent for the power struggle between the Olympians and chthonic creatures, where the gods would subdue the anarchy of ancient evil with their new order. In a similar mythological battle depicted in the Homeric Hymn to Apollon, the god Apollo slays the She-dragon Pytho at Delphi with a fatal arrow before founding his oracle there. Apollo boasts that she "shall not ever again be an evil bane for living men... [as] the holy fury of Helios [makes] her rot away" (364–371). Like Typhoeus, Pytho and her death signify the conquest of the Olympians and Panhellenic civilization over the uncultivated primal nature of such beasts. Despite their many deadly encounters with the gods, monsters persisted beyond the reaches of sacred law. In Homer’s Odyssey, the hero Odysseus

When Odysseus' companions disobey his command and kill the sacred cattle of Helios, Odysseus despairs over the men who "committed this monstrous crime" (12.385). His description of their actions indicates the severity of their error, for the Ithacan soldiers had desecrated the sanctity of Helios' domain, violating divine law with their criminal slaughter. As a result, they suffer the consequences when Zeus destroys their ship and "their day of return / [is] Snuffed out by the Sun God" (12.431–432). Not unlike the rotting of Pythos' corpse, Helios takes responsibility for punishing the men's monstrosity with death. Shunning the customs of Greek society was also a matter of disobeying the gods, and the lack of xenia exhibited by the rowdy suitors in Odysseus' home ensured their demise. Before skillfully killing the suitors, Odysseus berates them for wasting away his wealth and harassing his wife "Without any fear of the gods in high heaven / Or of any retribution from the world of men" (22.39–43). Odysseus implicates the suitors by calling out their behavior as equally uncivil and impious. Though Odysseus massacres the suitors for their transgressions, his response was justified as retribution on behalf of Athena and the gods. On the other hand, Clytemnestra's murder of her husband was