Transcript File - Mr. Williams

 Mythology – a body of stories (from
any culture) about gods and heroes
that try to explain how the world
works.
 Like many cultures we’ve studied, the
Greeks were polytheistic (believed in
many gods), and their Gods were not
perfect individuals. They had both
strengths and weaknesses.
 Their stories explained natural or
historical events.
 Having completed the webquest, which
Greek god or goddess do you think you
are most like?
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For additional review of the Greek gods, check out the PowerPoint on the
website.
 Greek heroes - In addition to stories
about the gods, the Greeks had lots of
myths about great heroes
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Some were real; some were not.
Often had special abilities
Often faced terrible monsters
Cities often had favorite heroes, usually
someone from there.
 Examples:
 Theseus (Athens) – went to Crete and
killed the Minotaur
 Jason – sailed the seas searching for the
golden fleece, fighting enemies along the
way
 Hercules – twelve labors including killing
the hydra
 Perseus – killed Medusa
Think about it . . .
A hero overcomes obstacles and helps others.
A celebrity is famous.
A hero seeks honor and wisdom.
A celebrity is famous.
A hero is interested in becoming all that he or she can be.
A celebrity is famous.
 Greek heroes displayed character traits that were admirable in Greek culture, so the Greeks looked up to heroes
and tried to be like them. What do Greek heroes tell you about what ancient Greek culture valued.
 Today, we sometimes look up to celebrities instead, confusing fame with heroism.
 Think about the difference between a celebrity and a hero. Are all heroes famous? Are all celebrities heroic?
Whom do you admire, and why? What do our modern heroes say about what our society values.
 Honored the gods by holding sporting contests
 Olympic Games – largest contest, held at city of
Olympia in southern Greece to honor Zeus. In
fact, in the city there stood a 40 foot statue of
Zeus made of gold and ivory which was one of
the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
 Though other games had taken place, the first
official Olympics took place in 776 BC and
consisted of only one event, a footrace 200
meters long. It still drew a crowd of over 45,000
spectators.
 Events – footraces, chariot races, boxing,
wrestling, and throwing events.
 One of the most exciting events was a chariot
race in the Hippodrome, a flat arena with a post
at each end. The racers had to make 12 turns
around the posts, which meant they covered
about 5 ½ miles.
 Only men could compete, participants were
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naked, and women weren’t allowed to even
watch.
Went on for more than 1,000 years
Only Greeks could participate.
In 394 AD, Emperor Theodosius of Rome put
an end to the games, claiming they went
against the spirit of Christianity, the official
religion of the Roman Empire at the time.
The first modern Olympics took place in
1896 in Athens, and featured 280 participants
from 13 nations, competing in 43 events.
Since 1994, the Summer and Winter Olympic
Games have been held separately and have
alternated every two years.
HH Olympics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROZRuPBK03E
HH Flame https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ0UB__I9j4
 Epic poems – Very long poems, often
passed on orally and eventually written
down. Usually tell of great adventures
and heroes.
 Lyric poetry – Often set to music. During
a performance, the poet played a stringed
instrument called a lyre while reading
the poem. Today, words of songs are
called lyrics after these ancient Greek
poets.
 Fables – stories told to teach people
important lessons.
 Let’s look at some of the most famous
examples of each of these.
 Greece’s most famous works of literature,
Homer’s epic poems The Odyssey and
The Iliad were written much later, but
both have to do with the Trojan War.
 The Iliad – set during the final year of the
10 year war; tells about battles and events
during weeks of a quarrel between King
Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles.
 This is the where the idea of referring to
a person’s weakness as an Achilles’ heel
comes from.
 Historians know nothing about Homer,
and some don’t think he ever lived.
According to legend, he was blind and
recited The Iliad and The Odyssey aloud.
They were written down much later.
 Also attributed to Homer, The Odyssey
tells about the ten year journey home of
Odysseus and his struggle to reestablish
himself as king of Ithaca.
 In part of the story, the half woman and
half bird Sirens sing sweet songs that
make passing sailors forget everything
and crash their ships. To trick the Sirens,
Odysseus plugs his crew’s ears with wax
and has himself tied to his ship’s mast so
he can hear the song.
 Later, he is kept on an island for seven
years by the nymph Calypso. Although
he is her prisoner, he certainly seems to
enjoy his time there with her.
 Can you think of any modern references
to the Calypso character?
Read the following poem and see if you can figure
out what the “Queen of the Night” is.
The stars that round the Queen of Night
 Most poets were men, but the most
Like maids attend her
famous lyric poet was a woman name
Sappho. Her poems were mostly about
love and relationships with her friends
and family.
 She was an aristocrat who married a
wealthy merchant. Because she had
plenty of money, she spent her time
studying the arts and writing poetry.
 Although she was extremely wellknown, and had at least nine complete
volumes of work, we only have one
complete poem today. All the rest of
what we have are just fragments.
 Have a look at these examples of her
poetry. (Click to see the animations.)
Hide as in veils of mist their light
When she, in full-orbed glory bright.
O’er all the earth shines from her height
A silver splendor.
Did you figure it out?
The title of this poem is “The Moon and Stars.”
Who do you think this poem is talking about?
Thou liest dead, and there will be no memory left behind
Of thee or thine in all the earth, for never didst thou bind
The roses of Pierian streams upon thy brow; thy doom
Is now to flit with unknown ghosts in cold and nameless gloom.
Its title is “To One Who Loved Not Poetry.”
 Historians don’t know for sure if a man named Aesop
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ever really lived, but many ancient legends are told
about him.
According to one story, Aesop was a slave in the 500s
BC.
Another story says he was an adviser to a king.
Some historians think that the fables credited to Aesop
were actually written by many different people and
collected together under a single name.
Many of these stories you have grown up with and they
are very familiar: “The Tortoise and the Hare,” “The
Grasshopper and the Ants,” “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”
Let’s read a few other fables and see if you can figure
out the morals to these stories.
 The Milkmaid & Her Pail
 Moral: Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
 The North Wind & the Sun
 Moral: Gentleness and kind persuasion win where force and bluster fail.
 Belling the Cat
 Moral: It’s one thing to say that something should be done, but quite a different matter
to do it.
 The Dog & His Reflection
 Moral: It is very foolish to be greedy.
 The Ass in the Lion’s Skin
 Moral: A fool may deceive by his dress and appearance, but his words
will soon show what he really is.
 The Miller, His Son, & the Ass
 Moral: If you try to please all, you please none.
 During the Mycenaean Age the Greek
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language began to spread across the islands of
the islands of the Aegean.
It was a strange mix of Hebrew, Turkish,
Arabic, and other languages now lost in time.
This common language is what is used to
classify people as “Greeks.”
Their alphabet consists of 24 letters, some of
which look very different from our alphabet.
See if you can write your name
phonetically using the Greek alphabet.
 Ancient Greece has had a huge impact on our
modern language.
 Our language often borrows stems that come
from Greek (and Latin).
 Many of these stories are popular movies and
books today.
 Many words and expressions come from Greek
mythology and literature.
 Let’s take a look at some of these examples.
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HH Words https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXpS62orsyI