Transcript Greek Mythology

An Introduction
What are the purposes of a Myth?
 Explain natural phenomena
 Teach people morals
 Explain the world
 Explain a historical event
 Explain a religious practice
 Reveal the common hopes and fears of mankind
What are the characteristics of a
myth?
 Man’s early desire to explain the universe
 A metamorphosis might occur
 Focus on the adventures of a god, goddess, or hero
 Super human in nature (Atlas)
 Sometimes appear in disguised forms (Zeus)
 Gods and goddesses experience human emotion (Hera)
 Magic (Athena)
What is Greek Mythology?
 People of ancient Greece shared stories called Myths
 Each myth was about gods, goddesses, and heroes in which
they believed
 Each god or goddess was worshiped as a deity and ruled
over a specific aspect of the Greeks’ lives
 The myths were exciting and action packed. They
explained the natural phenomena that the Greeks could
not explain.
What is Greek Mythology? Cont.
 Many of the myths focused on the happenings of the
Earth and the sky.
 Also used to guide people’s behaviors
How did Greek Mythology Come to be?
 As people from different villages met they combined
their knowledge and rituals into one belief system.
 Those who lived in ancient Greece and the
surrounding areas believed that the Olympians ruled
the universe.
 The Greek gods were the children of the Titans who
early societies believed created the Earth.
Mythology in Daily Life
 The Greeks built extravagant temples to honor the
gods and named cities after them (Athens)
 Myths explained how mortals could interact with the
gods and explained what would happen if they
displeased the gods
 Believed that being in the gods favor provided them
with good health, harvest, and weather
Just Myths
 Eventually, as people learned more about the world
around them, they realized the myths were not real.
 Remained popular because of well-written tales
 Tales about the heroism of the virtuous
 Tales about the bad luck that followed the deceitful
Why do we Study Greek
Mythology?
 Offer us a glimpse into day to day life of the ancient
Greeks
 Some are based on events in history (Trojan War)
 Influenced western society in art, literature, and even
the naming of the stars
 The myths are entertaining
Where do we see Greek Mythology
in present day?
 Nike (the goddess of victory)
 Ajax cleaner (Greek hero)
 The Olympics (Mt. Olympus)
 Midas (the Midas touch)
 Medical field symbol (Hermes)
 Achilles tendon
 Siren (sirens)
 The Apollo Theater
 The Apollo Shuttle
 The Titanic (titans)