Mitologi Yunani

Mitologi Yunani adalah kumpulan legenda Yunani tentang dewa-dewi Yunani serta para pahlawan yang berawal dan tersebar melalui tradisi lisan. Kebanyakan dewa Yunani digambarkan seperti manusia, dilahirkan namun tak akan tua, kebal terhadap apapun, bisa tak terlihat, dan tiap dewa mempunyai karakteristik tersendiri. Karena itu, para dewa juga memiliki nama-nama gelar untuk tiap karakternya yang mungkin lebih dari 1 seperti Demeter. Dewa-dewi ini terkadang membantu manusia dan bahkan memperistri seorang wanita manusia menghasilkan anak yang setengah manusia setengah dewa. Anak-anak inilah yang kemudian dikenal sebagai pahlawan.

Asal Usul Mitologi Yunani

Walaupun ada berbagai mitologi di seluruh dunia kata mitologi berasal dari Yunani yang terdiri dari 2 kata

* Muthos yang dalam bahasa Yunani berarti sebuah seni bahasa yang menjadi ritual.

* Logos yang berarti sebuah kata, sabda, firman, cerita atau argumen yang meyakinkan.

Beberapa sumber yang dipakai sebagai rujukan mitologi Yunani antara lain adalah karya-karya Homerus dan Hesiodus.

Rentang Waktu

· Masa Dewa-Dewi Dasar

· Masa Para Titan

· Masa Dewa-Dewi

· Masa Dewa dan manusia hidup bersama

· Masa Para Pahlawan

Twelve Olympians

12 Dewa Olimpus juga dikenal dengan sebutan Dodekatheon (Greek: δωδεκα /dodeka = 12, θεον /theon = dewa) dalam Mitologi Yunani adalah dewa dewi utama Yunani yang tinggal di puncak Gunung Olimpus. Ada sekitar 17 dewa dewi yang dianggap 12 Dewa Olimpus walaupun jumlahnya tidak lebih dari dua belas dalam satu daftar.

Dewa Dewi Olimpus

Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Ares, Hermes, Hefestus, Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo dan Artemis selalu masuk dalam daftar Dewa Dewi Olimpus. Dua dari Hebe, Helios, Hestia, Demeter, Dionisius, Hades dan Persefone menjadi pelengkap dari kesepuluh dewa dewi itu.

Kisah Pelengkap Para Dewa

Hestia menyerahkan posisinya sebagai anggota Olimpus kepada Dionisius agar dapat hidup bersama manusia (akhirnya dia diangkat sebagai penjaga api di Olimpus) maka ia menolak disebut sebagai anggota Olimpus. Persefone tingal selama 6 bulan setiap tahunnya bersama suaminya Hades di dunia bawah tanah (konon mengakibatkan kegersangan di musim gugur dan dingin). 6 bulan lainnya, ia boleh kembali ke Olimpus dan tinggal bersama ibunya, Demeter. Walaupun Hades termasuk dewa utama Yunani, tetapi karena tinggal di dunia bawah tanah maka ia tidak erat dengan Olimpus. Dalam kisah lain, Helios memberikan tempatnya untuk Apollo. Hebe, seorang pembawa cawan anggur bagi para dewa menyerahkan posisinya di Olimpus untuk menikahi Herakles yang menjadi dewa Olimpus setelah wafat.

Karakteristik Dewa

Setiap dewa dewi dalam Mitologi Yunani memiliki setidaknya satu unsur yang dikuasai dan dilindunginya. Unsur itu masing-masing adalah :

1. Zeus adalah pemimpin para dewa, penguasa Olimpus, dewa iklim dan cuaca.



2. Hera, istri Zeus, adalah dewi pelindung pernikahan, pengorbanan dan kesetiaan.



3. Poseidon adalah dewa laut.



4. Ares adalah dewa perang dan pembantaian.



5. Hermes adalah dewa penunjuk jalan, pelindung para petualang,penggembala dan penghiburan. Ia juga utusan dewa Zeus.



6. Hefestus adalah dewa api, tukang kayu, penempa besi dan pengrajin senjata.



7. Aphrodite adalah dewi cinta, seks dan keindahan fisik.



8. Athena adalah dewi kebijaksanaan, perang, keindahan jiwa, seni dan pendidikan.



9. Apollo adalah dewa cahaya, musik, tarian, obat-obatan dan pelindung para pepanah.



10. Artemis adalah dewi pelindung hewan, perburuan, kesuburan dan kesucian.



11. Demeter adalah dewi bunga, tumbuh-tumbuhan, makanan, argraris dan pelindung bahtera perkawinan.



12. Hestia adalah dewi pelindung rumah, keluarga dan perapian.

Sabtu, 06 Februari 2010

History Of Saint Seiya

Saint Seiya also known as Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.

The story follows five mystical warriors called the "Saints" (or "Knights") who fight wearing sacred armors named "Cloths" which designs derive from the various constellations the characters have adopted as their guardian symbols. These Saints have sworn to defend the reincarnation of the Greek goddess Athena in her battle against the other Olympian gods who want to dominate Earth.

Both the anime and manga were very successful in Japan and several European countries, including France, Italy and Spain. but neither of them were translated in English until 2003. Four animated feature films were even shown in Japanese theaters. However the anime was cancelled and left unfinished in 1989. In 2002, Toei Animation continued the anime in the form of three OVA series (the final one ended in 2008)in order to adapt the remaining manga story arcs, and following this revival of the franchise, a fifth film was screened in 2004.

Plot
Six years before the events at the focus of the series, one hundred orphans from Japan are sent to different parts of the world to become legendary warriors known as "Saints", who are the soldiers under the command of Greek goddess Athena. These warriors are under the protection of a celestial constellation.

The power of the Saints originates from the understanding of the "Cosmo". The concept of the "Cosmo" advocates that each atom within a human body resembles a small solar system, and since the human body consists of billions of atoms, the totality forms a "small Cosmo" or a "small Universe". Each person's Cosmo has its own unique signature. The Saints take the knowledge of the Cosmo to the next level: since humans are composed of atoms, humans should be able to use the mysterious forces behind the atoms to achieve super human feats.

The story focuses on one of these orphans named Seiya. He is sent to the Sanctuary in Greece to become the Pegasus Saint. After six years, Seiya becomes the Pegasus Saint and returns to Japan to find his older sister. Because his sister disappeared the same day Seiya went to the Sanctuary, Saori Kido, the granddaughter of the person who sent all the orphans to train, makes a deal with him to go to fight in a tournament called the Galaxian Wars, where the orphans who survived and became Bronze Saints must fight to win the most powerful Cloth: The Sagittarius Gold Cloth. If Seiya goes to compete there and wins, Saori would start a search to find Seiya's sister.

During the series, Seiya becomes the partner and friend of other Bronze Saints: Shun, Shiryu, Ikki, and Hyoga. As the myth of the saints, they must fight together to protect the reincarnation of the goddess Athena from any danger.

Production
When Masami Kurumada was in the process of creating Saint Seiya, he gave Seiya the name Rin at first, since Kurumada was going to title his manga "Ginga no Rin" (Rin of the Galaxy). However, as Kurumada continued developing his manga, he decided to change the name to Seiya, which was more fitting. First he spelled the name with the kanji that meant "Holy Arrow", to relate it to Seiya's condition as a Saint, but later decided to use the kanji that meant "Star Arrow", to emphasize the constellation and mythological motif. Finally, he changed his manga title as well, to Saint Seiya, once he fully developed the concept of the Saints. Also, Kurumada stated that one of the first ideas he conceived for Saint Seiya was the Pegasus Meteor Fist. Since his manga was going to use the constellations as a very important and ever-present theme, he wanted his protagonist to have a special move that would be like a shower of meteors.[11]

When Kurumada designed Seiya's likeness, he was inspired by Ryuuji Takane, the main character of his hit manga Ring ni Kakero, which he created 9 years before Seiya. Most protagonists of Kurumada's works bear a resemblance to Ryuuji, because Kurumada subscribes to the revered Osamu Tezuka's Star System (a stable cast of characters) technique. The same process is done with almost all the other characters from the series.[11]

Author : Masami Kurumada
Publisher : Shueisha
Original run : January 1986 – April 1991
Director : Kōzō Morishita (001-073) & Kazuhito Kikuchi (074-114)
Writer : Takao Koyama (001-073) & Yoshiyuki Suga (074-114)
Composer : Seiji Yokoyama
Studio : Toei Animation
Network : TV Asahi