Transcript Greek Mythology - Ms. Robb`s English 9

Mythology
Why do we tell myths?

What do myths try to accomplish?
Explain the world around us
 Explain the unknown
 Entertain
 Preserve history
 Teach moral lessons

Archetypes
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What is an archetype?
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A literary model or pattern
What are some mythological archetypes?
Flood
Stories
Hero/quest
Punishment from god(s)
Global Myth
Archetypes
underworld
Stories
Miraculous births
First Man/Woman
stories
Trickster stories
Creation
stories
Flood Stories
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Christian Tradition:
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Noah and the Great Flood
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Mesopotamian Tradition:
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The Epic of Gilgamesh
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God commands Noah to build an Ark in advance of a flood sent
by God as punishment.
One of the “Great Gods,” Ea, commands Utnapishtim to build a
boat to save living creatures from a flood caused by the gods.
Hindu Tradition:
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Manu and the Great Flood
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Manu a man created by the gods to give life to all other humans
Manu saves a small fish who then promises to save him from a
great flood
The fish instructs Manu to build a large boat to save himself and
his animals and then grows very large and pulls Manu’s boat
through the flood to calm waters.
Flood
Stories
Manu
and the
Great
Flood
Noah’s
Ark
The Epic of
Gilgamesh
Trickster Stories
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Native American Tradition
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English Folklore
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Loki
West African (Akan) Mythology
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Robin Hood
Norse Culture
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Coyote/Old Man Coyote
Ananse
Greek Mythology

Hermes
Trickster
Stories
Old Man
Coyote
Loki
Hermes
Ananse
Robin Hood
Miraculous Births
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Christian Tradition
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Jesus Christ
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Aztec Tradition
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Quetzlcoatl
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Virgin Birth
Native American Tradition
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Kutoyis
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Virgin Birth
Born from a blood clot of a wounded buffalo
Greek Mythology

Hercules
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Fathered by a god (Zeus)
Miraculous Birth Stories
Jesus Christ
Hercules
Quetzlcoatl
Quest Stories
(A quest archetype is one in which a Hero goes on a journey and oftentimes
must overcome their own weaknesses and faults in order to succeed.)
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Greek Mythology
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Judeo-Christian Tradition
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Moses Leading the Israelites through the desert
Native American Tradition
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Jason and the Golden Fleece
Hercules
Wunzh
English Mythology
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Percival (one of King Arthur’s knights) and his
quest for the Holy Grail
Quest
Stories
Jason
Hercules
Wunzh
Moses
Percival
Greek myths – religious history
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800 BC – 330 BC
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Peaked during the Classical period (c. 500-338
B.C.E.)
No uniform faith
Many different belief systems, many different
temples, gods, goddesses
 Cults centered around worship of mythological
figures – heroes, gods, etc.
 Religion was local and domestic

 Each
village had its own cults and rituals
 Each family/home honored various deities
Greek myths - religious history

Oral poetic tradition
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Bards –
traveling singing storytellers
 Memorized and recited epic poems
telling of Greek heroes, gods, and
monsters
 Bards memorized millions of lines of
poetry

Greek mythology
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Oral storytelling tradition
The tradition predates Greek alphabet – stories
not written down
 Most famous poems are __________________
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 Epic
stories telling of battles and heroes
Greek mythology
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Mythologia
 Term
coined by Plato (Greek philosopher)
 Myths have several purposes:
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to entertain
to tell the stories of a multitude of gods, goddesses,
heroes, monsters and mortals
to teach lessons about right behavior - morality
to explain the nature of the world ; fire, human suffering,
sickness, the seasons, etc.
What central characters appear in Greek
mythology?
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Central characters
 Gods
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Human-like personalities; arguing, interfere with human
affairs, help their favorites
Reside on Mount Olympus
 Heroes
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Can be gods, mortals or part god - part mortal
Men of action, strength and power
Warlike figures
“Heroic ideal” – many Greeks modeled their lives on these
heroes
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Central characters (cont’d.)
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Monsters
 These
characters usually present a challenge to the
lesser gods or human characters
 The monsters sometimes work in cooperation with the
gods, or as their servants
 Examples?
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Medusa, Cyclops, Minotaur
What archetypes appear?
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Quest archetype
Type of story found in many cultural traditions
 Hero is sent on a mission, or goes looking for
something, faces trials along the journey, is
usually (but not always) successful
 Examples of quests:
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Jason and the Golden Fleece
Early written versions
 This is one of the oldest stories in Greek
mythology, with its roots in the Bronze Age
(2300-700 BCE)
 Apollonius – Author of first written version of
the story, in poetic form, around 200 A.D.
 Other early written versions:
Euripides – 5th century A.D., tragic play centered
on this quest tale
 Pindar – 5th century A.D., lyric poem
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Jason and the Golden Fleece
Rooted in History
 Elements of the story appear to reflect actual
history places and events:

Jason travelled from Volos (most likely the
ancient town of Iolkos) through the Bosphorus
Canal and across the Black Sea
 What
ancient city was located at the Bosphorus and
the Dardanelles?
 What is the significance of Jason traveling past this
important place?