Greek and Roman Mythlogy

Introduction Key themes and symbols Greek mythology in art, literature, and everyday life Creation myth

KWL What I KnowWhat I Want to knowWhat I Learned

What is a Myth? A myth is a story belonging to any culture that is derived from primitive beliefs, presenting supernatural episodes to explain cosmic order and supernatural forces Stories created by cultures that explained the way the world worked

Myths are generally concerned with the same themes and motifs: Creation Divinity (gods) The significance of life and death Natural phenomena The adventures of mythical heroes

Purposes of Myths Attempts to explain natural phenomena such as a flood Religious speculations on the relationship between humans and the gods. Religious speculation on the mysteries of creation, death and the afterlife. Examinations on human behaviour

What cultures have produced myths? All cultures have certain beliefs about natural occurrences. The three myth systems that have been most studied are Green mythology, Roman mythology and Norse mythology.

Tricksters When you hear the word “trickster,” what traits come to mind?

Tricksters Tricksters are common characters who can be found in mythologies across many different cultures.

Tricksters Read Hermes as a class Read Raven and Loke in pairs Complete Venn diagram assignment

Meet the Olympians! …and Hades…

Olympian Summary Assignment

There are countless stories about the major Greek deities. If there was enough time, we could easily spend an entire semester just studying them! To save time, we will instead study them as a class using a jigsaw strategy.

Olympian Summary Assignment Every person in the class will have the opportunity to research two different deities. You will have one deity assigned to you, and then you may select the other one you wish to research. As you are researching, look for different myths surrounding your god or goddess. Your assignment is to summarize one of these myths in your own words so that you may share it with a partner later on. You will also be required to hand in hard copies of both of your summaries.

Olympian Summary Assignment Skills: write a story summary apply conventions for a formal writing assignment use and be aware of steps in the writing process ** Some myths may overlap with other gods’ or goddesses’ myths. This is fine as long as you write a separate story summary for each.

Olympian Summary Assignment **Go over how to write a summary story (on page 3) as a class

Major Deities Assignments Zeus: Haroon, Nyah Hades: Tyler, Isaiah Poseidon: Kane, Alyssa, Hephaestus: Josh, Gunner, Hermes: Kinley, Kristen, Ares: Toni, Autumn, Apollo: Kieran, Mataya, Tim Dionysus: Jahnavi, Hayley, Taylor Aphrodite: Taylor, Kalpana, Liam T. Hera: Alaina, Ben, Alyssa Demeter: Ashton, Liam W. Hestia: Chantal, Megan Artemis: Emily, Aidan Athena: Amy, Jaden

Olympian Bingo! Please get a bingo sheet

Olympian Bingo! Rules: 1) In the boxes with lines, fill in the names of the major Greek deities. You may check off the 2 that you researched. In order to check off another space, you must find a partner to present their research to you about a certain deity. After he/she summarizes his/her findings, he/she will initial your square. The same person may only initial one space. Listen to your partners carefully! Their stories may help you to fill in your Trivia Spaces. 2) The spaces with symbols on them are Trivia Spaces. In order to mark off these squares, you will need to fill in the correct name of the god or goddess based on the clues provided.

B1 – Symbol represents Jupiter, who was the king of the gods. What was his name in Greek mythology? B4 – Symbol represents the sun. Who was the god of the sun? I3 – Symbol represents Mars, the god of war. What was his name in Greek mythology? I5 – Symbol represents Mercury, the messenger god. What was his name in Greek mythology? N1 – Symbol represents Saturn, the father of Zeus. What was his name in Greek mythology? G2 – Symbol represents Pluto, the god of wealth. What was his name in Greek mythology? G5 – Symbol represents Neptune, who was also known as ____________ in Greek mythology. O2 – The goddess associated with the moon, who also happened to be the twin of the god of the sun, was named _______________. O3 – This symbol represents the father of the 12 Titans O4 – Symbol represents Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, also known as ____________ in Greek mythology.

Greek Pottery

How do we use images to tell stories today?

Olympian Comic Strip Assignment What would you do if you had an Olympian power?

Demigods Phaethon

Stream of Consciousness Writing: What is it? Some modern writers that felt writing today is too artificial, created “stream of consciousness writing”. They looked back on letters from the Victorian era and believed that this type of writing truly represented what the author thought and felt. So, instead of writing in complete sentences with correct grammar, they shifted to stream of consciousness, or in other words, trying to portray what they actually think and feel.

How do we Write in the “Stream of Consciousness?” WRITE !!! Don’t worry about punctuation, grammar, sentence structure or spelling. JUST WRITE

Here is your prompt: Demigods as Heroes Not all heroes in Greek/Roman mythology were demigods, but many of them were. PROMPT: What qualities should a hero possess?

Qualities of a Hero

Demigods Heroes Case Study: Theseus Read online story Take notes: what qualities of heroism does he possess? Are there any qualities that don’t make him a hero?

T HE U NDERWORLD

In the Iliad, Homer says that Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades cast lots for their realms. Zeus got to be ruler of the sky, Poseidon got to be ruler of the sea, and Hades got to be ruler of the Underworld. Throughout Greek and Roman mythology, the Underworld is an important setting for different stories. You already know that Hades is the ruler of the Underworld, but there is still a lot more that you can learn about it! Some of this information is listed on the following slides. The Underworld

T HE F IELDS OF A SPHODEL

The Fields of Asphodel are in the center of the Underworld. This is where most of the shades— or souls—of the Underworld live. “Asphodel” is actually a type of weed. It is a pale, ghostly flower. The Fields of Asphodel are a neutral zone. The souls that live there were neither good nor evil while they were alive. As a result, they are not rewarded or punished in the afterlife.

E LYSIUM

Upon entering the Underworld, Hades’ palace and Elysium are to the right. In Elysium, there is pure air that covers the plains in soft-coloured light. There is no snow and no heavy storms. The souls of Elysium have their own sun and their own stars. Some exercise on the grassy ground, play sports, or frolic on the yellow sand. Others dance and sing songs, while others feast. The souls who live here are those who suffered wounds while fighting for their country, and priests who remained pure while they lived. There are also skilled poets, and those who were remembered for making life better through their discoveries in the arts or sciences. E LYSIUM

T ARTARUS

When you enter the Underworld, Tartarus, (“Tar-ta-rus”) is to the left. It is a place of doom for sinful souls. Here, you will find those souls who hated others, fought with their parents, schemed against a friend, acted with unnecessary violence, or acted greedily. Each soul has a punishment to match his or her crime. For example, during his life, King Tantalus invited the gods to a banquet. At the banquet, he tried to trick some of the gods into eating bad food. As a punishment for disrespecting the gods, when Tantalus died, he ended up in Tartarus. In Tartarus, he had to stand in a pool of water beneath a fruit tree with low branches. Whenever he reached for the fruit, the branches raised the fruit out of his grasp. Whenever he bent down to get a drink, the water would recede.

The Underworld

There are five rivers in the Underworld: the Styx, the Acheron, the Lethe, the Cocytus, and the Phlegethon. One important river to remember is the River Acheron (“Ack-uh-ron”). It is “the river of woe” that souls had to cross in order to get into the Underworld. Perhaps the most noteworthy river is the River Styx (“Sticks”). The River Styx was “the river of hate.” When gods and goddesses made oaths, they would swear by the River Styx. When a god or goddess swore by the River Styx, he or she could not break his or her promise. T HE R IVERS OF THE U NDERWORLD

Charon The Boatman Cerberus The Guard

Besides Hades, the Underworld had a number of other important characters living in it. Cerberus (“Ker-ber-us”) was a giant, ferocious, three-headed dog with a snake for a tail. Cerberus guarded the entrance to the Underworld. Charon (“Kair-on”) was the boatman who would ferry souls across the River Styx in his boat so that they could get into the Underworld and learn their final fates. Charon would only accept people who had been buried properly after they died. If someone was not buried properly, they would have to wait on the shore for one hundred years before Charon took them across the river in his boat. W HO E LSE L IVED T HERE ?

R EMEMBER ! The Ancient Greeks believed that everyone ends up in Hades’ realm, where they may or may not find their paradise or their punishment. Although Hades is terrible and unstoppable in his severity, he is not an evil tormentor. People may fear him as they fear death, which they cannot avoid.

Analyzing Allusions Percy Jackson and the Olympians has built its foundation on allusions to Greek mythology. Many of these mythical elements have been reinterpreted in the film. For this assignment, contrast how the Underworld is portrayed in the film, compared to how it was traditionally portrayed in myths (use the PowerPoint provided to help you.) Complete this assignment on a separate piece of paper. (10 marks)

Movie VersionSimilaritiesDifferences

Comparison Paragraph 1.Topic Sentence – A sentence tells reader what the paragraph about. ( I.e. My hometown and the town I live in today have many differences as well as similarities) 2. Similarities 3. Differences 4. Closing Sentence – wrap up what you have said in one setnece

The Myth of Pyramus and Thisbe

Journal Activity Write a journal entry as either Pyramus or Thisbe that (1) summarizes the events leading up to your secret meeting outside of the city and (2) expresses your hopes for the plan.

The Abduction of Persephone

Witnessed Persephone’s abduction Later became Persephone’s companion in the Underworld The Abduction of Persephone Hecate

When Hades took Persephone, Zeus and Hades saw his actions as the divine right of gods and kings. Obviously, Demeter and Persephone did not agree. Hermes had to find a compromise. In the story, all of the characters have different points of view. Examine the perspectives of Zeus, Hades, Demeter, Hades, and Hecate by filling out the web provided. Whose point of view can you relate to or agree with the most? Explain why. The Abduction of Persephone