Transcript Greek Mythology

Mythology:
“The
Beginning”
Grade 10 Academic
GDHS
Revised Sept 2013
Part 1 of
Mythology Unit
What is Mythology?
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Long ago, people had a hard time
explaining what was happening around
them.
There were no scientists or teachers to
explain why things happened - like why
we have 4 seasons, for example.
They made up their own stories to
explain why and how things worked.
These stories are called MYTHS.
Why Study Mythology?
 We study mythology
because it is the
religion, the science,
and the literature of
people from the past.
 Much of what we
have produced as a
society has roots in
mythology (literature,
art, politics, dramas,
music, tales, etc)
Types of Myths
 Explanatory Myths:
Myths that answer natural questions about natural
objects.
 Aesthetic Myths:
Myths that have no purpose except to entertain.
Explanatory Myths
 They serve to explain some phenomenon of
nature, the origin of man, or customs and
institutions of society.
 In other words, it explains the “big questions”
in life
 Ex: Why are there different seasons? Why is
the sky blue? How was man created?
Explanatory Myths
 Note: In mythology, the truths about the facts of
the myth are less important than the truth the
myth conveys
 Ie: the end result is more important than the story
of how it got there.
 This is why myths have so many variations of the
same story
Greek gods - Family Tree
ZEUS: King of the gods and the sky


Roman name:
Jupiter
Symbol:
Thunder bolts
Poseidon: god of the oceans
 Zeus’ brother
 Roman Name:
Neptune
 Symbol: Trident
HADES: god of the underworld
 Brother of Zeus and
Poseidon
 Roman Name: Pluto
 Symbol: Invisible Helmet
HERA: Queen of the gods

Wife of Zeus

Roman Name: Juno
Symbol:
Golden Crown

HESTIA: goddess of home and hearth
 Zeus’ virgin sister
 Roman Name: Vesta
 Symbol: Hearth,
Sacred Fire
DEMETER: goddess of grain and harvest
 Responsible for the
creation of seasons
 Also known for
fertility
 Roman Name: Ceres
 Symbol: Rake, wheat
ATHENA: goddess of wisdom and law
 Daughter of Zeus
 Roman Name:
Minerva
 Symbol: Armor and
an Owl
APOLLO: god of the sun

Son of Zeus, twin brother of Artemis

Roman Name: Helios

Symbol: Golden Chariot and Harp
ARTEMIS: goddess of the hunt and moon
 Daughter of Zeus
and twin sister of
Apollo
 Roman Name: Diana
 Symbol: Silver bow
and arrow
APHRODITE:
goddess of Beauty and Love
 Married
HEPHAESTUS
 Roman Name: Venus
 Symbol: Roses and
Doves, clamshells
ARES: god of War
 Son of Zeus and
Hera
 Roman Name: Mars
 Symbol: Sword and
Spear
HEPHAESTUS:
god of fire and forge
 Son of Hera
 Fatherless
 Roman Name: Vulcan
 Symbol: Anvil and
Hammer
HERMES: Messenger of the gods
 Son of Zeus
 Responsible for guiding
souls to the underworld
 Roman Name: Mercury
 Symbol: Winged
Sandals & Helmet
Mythology:
“Archetypes”
Grade 10 Academic
GDHS
Revised Sept 2013
Part 2 of
Mythology Unit
What is an archetype?

Archetypes are recurring character types (and
relationships), and/or patterns of symbols or
situations found in the mythology, religion, and
stories of all cultures
For example:
 The questing heroes
 Heralds who call them to adventure
 Wise old men or women who give them advise or/and magical
gifts
 Threshold guardians who seem to block their way
 Shadowy villains who try to destroy them
Carl Jung’s ideas about
Archetypes


Just as an individual may possess a personal
unconscious, a culture too has a collective
unconscious
Fairy tales and myths are like the dreams of an
entire culture, springing from the collective
unconscious
Archetypes and Literature
 Carl Jung first applied the term archetype to literature. He
recognized that there were universal patterns in all stories
and mythologies regardless of culture or historical period.
 He believed that part of the human mind contained a
collective unconscious shared by all members of the human
species, a sort of universal, primal memory.
The term archetype
can be applied to:
 An image
 A theme
 A symbol
 An idea
 A character type
 A plot pattern
Archetypes can be expressed in
 Myths
 Dreams
 Literature
 Religions
 Fantasies
 Folklore
Key things to know about
archetypes
 Archetypes are prototypes
 As their name suggests, they derive from
associations in our distant past (arche = original
or first; type = stamp or model)
 They are recurring images, character types,
symbols, and story patterns that are structural
principles that give literature its unity
 Archetypes often have heritage so far in the
past that we now accept the association without
fully realizing the initial connection.
 Their presence in literature makes it possible to
connect one literary work to another and to
literature as a whole
The Hero’s Quest
There are 8 stages to the Hero
Quest Monomyth
It is visualized as
a cycle as opposed
to a plot diagram
Stage 1: Call to Adventure
 The hero is called to adventure by some external
event or messenger. The Hero may accept the
call willingly or reluctantly.
Stage 2: Helper
 During the early stages of the journey, the hero
will often receive aid from a protective figure.
This supernatural helper can take a wide variety
of forms, such as a wizard, and old man, a dwarf, a
crone, or a fairy godmother.
Stage 3: Crossing the
“Threshold of Adventure”
 Upon reaching the threshold of adventure, the hero
must undergo some sort of ordeal in order to pass
from the everyday world into the world of adventure.
 This trial may be as painless as entering a dark cave or
as violent as being swallowed up by a whale. The
important feature is the contrast between the familiar
world of light and the dark, unknown world of
adventure.
Stage 4: Tests and Helpers
 Tests: The hero travels through the world of adventure
where he must undergo a series of tests. These trials are
often violent encounters with monsters, sorcerers,
warriors, or forces of nature. Each successful test
further proves the hero's ability and advances the
journey toward its climax.
 Helpers: The hero is often accompanied on the journey
by a helper who assists in the series of tests and
generally serves as a loyal companion. Alternately, the
hero may encounter a supernatural helper in the world of
adventure who fulfills this function.
Stage 5: The Ordeal
 Climax/The Final Battle: This is the critical
moment in the hero's journey in which there is
often a final battle with a monster, wizard, or
warrior which facilitates the particular resolution
of the adventure.
Stage 6: Flight
 Flight: After accomplishing the mission,
the hero
must return to the threshold of adventure and
prepare for a return to the everyday world. If the
hero has angered the opposing forces by
stealing the “elixir” or killing a powerful monster,
the return may take the form of a hasty flight.
Stage 7: Return
 Return: The hero again crosses
the “threshold
of adventure” and returns to the everyday world
of daylight. The return usually takes the form of
an awakening, rebirth, resurrection, or a simple
emergence from a cave or forest.
Stage 8: Elixir
 Elixir: The object, knowledge, or blessing that
the hero acquired during the adventure is now
put to use in the everyday world. Often it has a
restorative or healing function, but it also serves
to define the hero's role in the society.
Example: The Lion King
 Remember the beginning of Lion King? Simba's
birth is being celebrated. The unusual aspect of
his birth is his royal status. His father, Mufasa,
is the King of the Jungle.
 Simba's father is
murdered by Scar, but
Simba believes he is responsible
for his father’s death…
 ...which leaves our little hero helpless and forces
him to leave his kingdom. Have no fear, however;
heroes always return to their land.
 Call to Action: Simba initially fights with Nala,
but he soon realizes they are old friends. She
tells him of Scar's terrible reign, asking that he
return to the kingdom to return it to prominence.
This begins Simba's quest to gain his father's
kingdom back from Scar.
 Helper: Simba receives help from Rafiki,
a medicine man-type character. Rafiki is
the supernatural force in The Lion King.
He influences Simba and provides him
with guidance.
 Simba is immature at first and unable to
be the hero he will eventually become.
However, once he realizes Scar must be
removed and that he is the only one that
can do it, he assumes his proper role as
the hero.
 Helper (supernatural): The spirit of
Mufasa, Simba's father, tells Simba to
be strong and assume his place on the
throne. Simba, who has been reluctant up to this
point to return to his kingdom, realizes he has
little choice but to avenge his father's murder.
 Tests: The hyena’s prove to be quite the
challenge to Simba at first.
But Simba is determined to
achieve success and defeat Scar,
and the hyena’s are no match.
 Ordeal: Simba's descent into "hell" is combined
with his defeat of Scar and the hyenas.
Remember all the flames in the background as he
fights Scar? He symbolically goes where none
of the other lions could go in order to help his
tribe and prove himself. Simba's unhealable
wound? His past, where his courage failed him
and his tribe, will always haunt him.
 Simba
becomes king, earning his elixir
(power). He returns the animal kingdom
back to normal and the hero quest
comes to an end.
Creation Myths
It’s not all Greek to us
 There is only one earth…
 So isn’t there only one way the earth and
mankind was created?
 If there are hundreds of thousands of cultures…
 With hundreds of thousands of beliefs…
 Aren’t hundreds of thousands of cultures
incorrect in their beliefs?
 Who’s right??
It’s not all Greek to us
 Although we may never know, it is essential to our
understanding of literature, archetypes, patterns,
character behaviours, symbols, and themes to study
these in more depth and examine our human history.
 By examining different cultures and their versions of
events, we get an in-depth look at their values, beliefs,
intelligence, concerns, fears, afterlife, and mindset. This
helps us interpret their literature, which has roots for so
much of our own modern art and literature.
Creation Myth Research
Presentation
 Groups or 3-4
 10-15 minutes
 PowerPoint/Prezi Presentation
Why are there similar plot
events?
 Which plot event repeated most?
Think about it:
 Why has this event been repeated so many
times? What is the “cause” of this repetition?
Pangaea
 In geologic terms, a plate is a large, rigid slab of solid rock.
The word tectonics comes from the Greek root “to build.”
Putting these two words together, we get the term plate
tectonics, which refers to how the Earth’s surface is built
of plates. The theory of plate tectonics states that the
Earth’s outermost layer is fragmented into a dozen or more
large and small plates that are moving relative to one
another as they ride atop hotter, more mobile material.
Before the advent of plate tectonics, however, some
people already believed that the present day continents
were the fragmented pieces of preexisting larger
landmasses (“supercontinents”). The diagrams below show
the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea (meaning “all
lands” in Greek), which figured prominently in the theory of
continental drift – the forerunner to the theory of plate
tectonics
Think Critically
 Why is this information important for the study
of mythology?
 How does it contribute to our understanding of
archetypes?
 How can it further explain some of the
similarities we’ve noticed in the study of various
creation myths from around the world?
Mythology
“Legends,
Epics, Fables,
and Fairytales”
Grade 10 Academic
GDHS
Revised Sept 2013
Part 3 of
Mythology Unit
Legends
 A narrative that has taken place in human
history
 It does not include things that can be deemed
impossible (ex: miracles)
 It is historically grounded
Epics
 Normally composed by one poet and involves a
considerable amount of time, space, and
characters.
 Generally involves a hero of noble (sometimes
even godly) origin, who performs from great
deeds of valour.
 A narrative that is national in character; meaning
it is meant to arouse in its readers/listeners a
sense of great pride in their country.
Fables
 A fable is a brief, succinct
story, in prose or verse, that
features animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of
nature which are anthropomorphized (given human
qualities). A fable illustrates a moral or ethical lesson (the
moral of the story), which may be expressed explicitly at
the end of the story in a pithy phrase.
 Fables connect to other genres of writing:
 the lesson becomes the theme in a short story or novel
 how the lesson is taught becomes the plot
 characters can be developed to create point of view
Fairytales
 A fairy tale is a story of marvels and magic
featuring characters from folklore such as fairies,
goblins, elves, trolls, giants, talking animals and
others. These stories often involve royalty, and
modern versions usually have a happy ending.
They are about the adventures, fortunes, and
misfortunes of a hero or heroine who ends up
living happily ever after.
Fairytales
 The fairy tale leaves all decisions
up to us,
including whether we wish to make any at all. It is
up to us whether we wish to make any application
to our life from a fairy tale, or simply enjoy the
fantastic events it tells about. Our enjoyment is
what induces us to respond in our own good time
to the hidden meanings, as they may relate to our
life experience and present state of personal
development.