Pacify... a character in Greek Mythology???
Mónica Leal
I'm translating a film and I have a question I would like you to help me
with.
I one scene, one of the characters, a child of ten, is reading one of his
grandfather's secret books with pictures of "naked ladies" (this is set in
the 1920's). He innocently says: "In one of the books, 'Greek Mythology',
there's a lovely picture of a lady and a swan. Also a nother lady called
Pacify and her pet bull which she loved hugely"
The scrip just says "Fraser (character's name) looks down to M.S. picture of
woman and bull". In the picture all we see is a painting (most probably by
a Romantic or Neoclassic artist) of a woman and a bull, there is no
indication if Pacify refers to the name of the painting, a chapter in the
book or if it is in fact the name of the lady in the portrait. Since I
think it is a rather unsual name I was wondering if there actually is such a
character in Greek Mythology...?
Thanks in advance for all you help!
M.
Chris Camfield
"pacify" is, I think, a coincidence.
Pasiphae was the wife of Minos. Minos offended the gods by not
sacrificing to them a marvelous bull sent to him out of the sea. For
this offense, the gods made Pasiphae fall in love with the bull. With
the help of Daedalus (who made her a hollow wooden cow) she was able
to consummate her passion. The result of this union was the Minotaur.
Chris
John Donchig
"Mónica Leal" wrote:
That name would be Pasiphae, with the "ae" a dipthong that is pronounced as a
long "I" sound.
Pasiphae=Pacify
John
--
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become
a monster. And when you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.
-Friedrich Nietzsche
Fiona McRae
"Mónica Leal" wrote:
> He innocently says: "In one of the books, 'Greek Mythology',
> there's a lovely picture of a lady and a swan. Also a nother lady called
> Pacify and her pet bull which she loved hugely"
Hi,
I've never heard of a character called Pacify. But I believe the lady you are
refering to is actually Io. One of Zeus mortal lovers who visited as a bull and
whom Hera turned into a cow. The lady with the swan is obviously Leda with Zeus
disguised as a swan.
Fiona McRae
Australia
kaw...@humbug.org.au
Chris Camfield
wrote:
>
>
>"Mónica Leal" wrote:
>
>> He innocently says: "In one of the books, 'Greek Mythology',
>> there's a lovely picture of a lady and a swan. Also a nother lady called
>> Pacify and her pet bull which she loved hugely"
>
>Hi,
>I've never heard of a character called Pacify. But I believe the lady you are
>refering to is actually Io. One of Zeus mortal lovers who visited as a bull and
>whom Hera turned into a cow.
Actually Zeus turned her into a cow to prevent Hera from finding out.
:) You're right about the lady with the swan being Leda, though.
Chris
Carl KICE Brown
I didn't see the original post, so I can't identify what book so mangled
the name of Pasiphae -- I know her name in English characters looks like
a Latin form ending in the diphthong "ae" (comparable to the Greek
diphthong "alpha iota" -- both classically pronounced as a "long i"), so
would seem phonetically to be "Pacify" -- but the Greek is actually
"alpha eta" -- rather than three syllables the name comprises 4. Anyway
Pasiphae is the wife of Minos and, by mating with the bull sent by
Poseidon from the sea (with the help of Daidalos, who constructed a
wooden "heifer"), she became the mother of the minotauros. Her name
(following Root's book) means "all-shining" or perhaps "She who shines
for all". It's likely she originally was a solar diety, for she is the
daughter of Helios, sister of Kirke and Aietes, aunt therefore of
Medeia, and mother of Asterios (or Asterion) [the minotauros], Ariadne
(also known as Aridela), and Phaidra -- these latter children being "the
Starry one", the Holy one (or also "She seen from afar"), and "the
Shining one". Concerning Pasiphae, Pierre Grimal's _Dictionary of
Classical Mythology_ (in translation) adds that, like Kirke and Medeia,
Pasiphae had arcane powers. [QUOTE] To try to prevent Minos from lying
with other women, she put a curse on him so that all the women to whom
he made love were devoured by the serpents that emerged from all over
his body. He was cured of the curse by Phokris. [END QUOTE] The
_Dictionary_ provides an array of references for the Pasiphae entry, but
which was the actual source of this latter is not specified.
We also should not forget that Minos himself was the get of a mating
with a sacred bull (i.e. Zeus and Europa), and that Poseidon's bull from
the sea also figured in the death of Hippolytos, whom Phaidra loved.
Finally, the holy mating (hieros gamos) with "King Bull" seems to me
comparable to the hieros gamos with "King Horse".
--
Kice, writing from Lone Tree
"There are things we do not understand.
Yet they exist nonetheless." -- Lt. Worf
paul...@my-deja.com
> He innocently says: "In one of the books, 'Greek Mythology',
> there's a lovely picture of a lady and a swan. Also a nother lady
called
> Pacify and her pet bull which she loved hugely"
Pasiphae, though "pacify" would be a phonetic pronunciation, and
especially charming from a chld.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Richard Eney
with a diaresis over the e so her name is pronounced "pa-SIF-aa-ee". She
was the wife of King Minos of Crete. Minos had prayed to his father, the
sea-god Poseidon, to send him a fine bull, which the King would then
sacrifice to the god. When one emerged from the sea, however, Minos
thought it so fine that he put it to stud and sacrificed another in its
stead. Now things get a little rough for any film not XXX-rated. Miffed,
Poseidon had Aphrodite (a sea-born goddess, remember) to
inspire Pasiphae with an unnatural lust for the bull. The inventor,
Daedalus, made an artificial cow; Pasiphae fitted herself into it in an
appropriate way and presently the bull came over and did its thing. (She
was probably disappointed; bulls, like other hoofed mammals, ejaculate
after one or two thrusts.) The resulting infant was the monstrous
Minotaur.
-- Dick Eney