Transcript Classical Greek Mythology

Classical Greek
Mythology
Literature
Mrs. Schultz
Mythology
• Oral tradition
• Rewritten many times over
• Many discrepancies
Purpose of Myths
• Explain events in nature
• Teach a lesson or moral: explain how
things were supposed to be or how
humans were supposed to act
• To entertain
Classical Mythology
• “Coming of the Immortals”
p. 2
• “Zeus and His Family”
p. 6
• “Hephaestus and the Birth of Hermes” p. 21
“Coming of the Immortals”
• By Roger Lancelyn Green
• Known for entertaining retellings
Greece
• Origin of mythology lies in Greece
• Mountains of Greece and their beauty inspired
the immortals that are believed to have lived
there.
• Gods and Goddesses lived on Mount Olympus
Stories were told, and told, and
told…
• There are many discrepancies between
names and actual events for different
stories because humans retold the stories
and changed the details or “facts.”
“Zeus and His Family”
• Who were the first gods?
– Gaea, Mother Earth
– Uranus, God of the Sky
– Cronus, Son of Gaea and Uranus
• See family tree chart handout
Cronus
– Son of Gaea and Uranus
– Married his sister Rhea and had six children:
• Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Zeus, Poseidon, & Hades
– Swallowed his children whole because of the
prophecy that he would be killed by one of
them.
Cronus
• Rhea had Cronus swallow a rock wrapped
in a blanket so that she could save Zeus.
• Zeus fulfilled the prophecy and killed
Cronus.
Zeus
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King of the Gods
God of the Sky (next generation after Uranus)
More powerful than the other gods
Children of Zeus:
– Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Heracles, Dionysus,
Ares, Hephaestus, Hermes, & Persephone
Zeus Shared Powers
• Shared powers with brothers and sisters
– Hades, God of the Underworld
– Poseidon, God of the Sea
– Aphrodite, Goddess of Love
– Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest
– Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth
– Hera, Queen of the Gods
Zeus Shared Powers
• Shared powers with children
– Ares, God of War
– Hermes, Messenger God
– Athena, Goddess of Wisdom
– Apollo, God of the Sun
– Artemis, Goddess of the Moon
– Dionysus, God of the Vine
“Hephaestus and
the Birth of Hermes”
• Hephaestus
– Son of Zeus and Hera
– Hera was not happy when he was born
because he was so ugly.
– She threw him over a cliff to die.
– Raised by Thetis
Hephaestus
• He was a great craftsman
• God of Smithing
• Made the thunderbolts, trident, and most
of the palaces
• Married Aphrodite
Hermes
• Son of Zeus and Maia
• Messenger God (winged feet)
• Grew to age 4 in one day
• Worked for Hades, great inventor
Classical Mythology
• “Aphrodite”
p. 25
• “Demeter and Persephone”
p. 98
• “Midas”
p. 183
Aphrodite
• Goddess of Love
• Most beautiful woman in the world
• Magic girdle—all men were under her spell
• Born from the dismembered body of
Uranus in the foam of the ocean
“Demeter and Persephone”
• Demeter
– Goddess of Crops and Agriculture
– Happy—fields are green, grasses grow
– Sad—fields and grass suffer
– Mother of Persephone
– Myth explains seasonal changes
Classical Mythology
• “Midas”
p. 183
• “Prometheus”
p. 185
• “Pandora”
p. 190
Midas
• King Midas was given a reward from
Bacchus (Dionysus)
• He asked that all that he touches turn to
gold
• He wanted to get rid of the power
• He went to the River Factolus and plunged
in to get rid of the “curse”
Prometheus
• Titan thought to create humankind
• Defies Zeus and brings fire back to
humans
• Was chained to a rock for years by Zeus
as a punishment
“Pandora”
• Zeus’s revenge on Prometheus and
humans for stealing back fire was
Pandora.
• Hephaestus molded her out of clay and
Zeus was said to have breathed life into
her. Modeled after Aphrodite.
“Pandora”
• A wedding gift of a beautiful box was given
to Pandora, but she was told not to open
it.
• Hera gave her curiosity. HMMM…
“Pandora”
• Pandora’s curiosity got the better of her
and she opened the box.
• Disease, famine, insanity, and all other
foul kin were released into the world.
• Foreboding did not get released.
Classical Mythology
• “The Trojan War: Paris and Helen” p. 234
• “The Trojan War: Odysseus” p. 239
The Trojan War: Paris and Helen
• Eris was not invited to a wedding so she
caused problems with a golden apple that
signified being the fairest between Athena,
Aphrodite, and Hera.
• Zeus decided that Paris would choose
which goddess was the most beautiful.
The Trojan War: Paris and Helen
• Aphrodite was chosen because she
promised him the most beautiful woman
he wanted.
• He chose Helen and this started the
Trojan War because she was married to
King Menalaus, King of Sparta.
The Trojan War: Odysseus
• Odysseus is the Greek hero that devised
the plan for the Trojan Horse.
• His plan helped the Spartans take the city
of Troy.
Questions to Consider
• Why are the Greek soldiers so desperate
for the war to end?
– It had been 10 long years. They miss their
homes and families. They are tired.
Classical Mythology
• “Arachne the Spinner”
p. 331
• “The End of the Olympians”
p. 366
“Arachne the Spinner”
• Arachne was a mortal girl.
• She committed the sin of arrogance which
was felt to be the worst sin according to
the gods.
• Athena disguised as an old woman heard
Arachne’s arrogant remarks.
“Arachne the Spinner”
• Athena challenged her to a weaving
contest.
• Athena won and turned Arachne into a
spider.
“The End of the Olympians”
• Map of Greece