Intro to Greek Mythology The Elements and Purposes of Myth Our focus will be on Greek myth but we will be talking today about myth in general as well as characteristics of Greek mythology.

Myth Defined Greek Mythos=“discourse” or “speech” Dictionary: A traditional story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that informs or shapes the world view of a people, by explaining aspects of the natural world or delineating the customs or ideals of society.

Elements of Greek Myth Interaction between gods and humans Gods as hypertrophied humans Gods as flawed beings Supernatural beings and monsters Larger than life, godly “superheroes”

Myths Explain Natural Occurrences Examples? Gaea and Ouranos Thunder and lightning (Zeus) Earthquakes (Poseidon) Seasons (Persephone & Demeter) The sun rises (Greece: Helios’ chariot, Egypt: Ra and Semektet) Can you think of examples? Why do we see thunder and lightning? Because Zeus is on Mt. Olympus throwing them at someone—he’s probably angry

Myths Explain Fundamental Philosophical Questions Early Greeks as proto philosophers Attempting to answer fundamental questions Where did we come from? Who created the universe? Is there life after death? To explain is to control Comfort in knowing Typically, when we think of the earliest philosophers we think of the pre-Socratics, the handful of Greek philosophers who lived before Socrates—around the 6th century BC We will come back to many of these questions as the year continues and study several philosophers and how their ideas influenced literature. Story of Orpheus and Eurydice explains where Greeks believed they went after they died—and that once there, one could not return. Depiction of Underworld as an actual place is one example of the Greeks attempting to explain and show the order of the universe An order centered on Greece So, there is power is explaining, comfort in knowing answers, we control our culture, our identities, our very lives by explaining and answering certain questions

Myths Explain Culture and Institutions Why women couldn’t vote To explain is to control Athena and Poseidon both want to rule and protect Athens Gift contest Poseidon=saltwater well (useless) Athena=olive tree (olive, wood, oil) Men vote for Poseidon, women for Athena Athena wins Poseidon flood the Attic plain Athenians blame the women, take away vote Another purpose of mythology. Again, to explain is to control—this myth reinforces male control, patriarchal systems of power

Myths as Means to Instruct Myths often relay a message or moral Teach cultural traditions, values Icarus—life has limits Narcissus and the dangers of pride and self love

Myths to Explain History A biased version of history Reinforce Greek culture and power Trojan War Crete and King Minos Founding of Rome Founded by sons of Mars Gave tellers sense of identity, sense of place Minos was believed to have been the son of Zeus and Europa and became the first king of Crete Rome was believed in some stories to have been founded by Romulus and Remus, the sons of the Roman war god Mars Not all cities were founded by sons of gods but… If you believe your city or state was founded by a god or son of a god, it gives you pride

Myths to Entertain People were illiterate in early Greece Couldn’t read or write Entertainment in an oral culture Blood, shock, exciting tales The Heroes Herakles, Odysseus, Theseus, Jason Stronger, smarter, more handsome than mere mortals Nobility in humanity Humans are better than gods Actually, the earliest Greeks could write during the Bronze age (from about 1700 BC to around 1200) but then somehow loss that ability during what is called the Dark Age in Greece They would relearn how to write around 800 or 700 BC The heroes were the Brad Pitts, or more appropriately Harry Potters of their day—but bigger because there was less competition

Cultural Supremacy and Civil Order Persuasion Greek superiority over non-Greeks Other as “barbarians” Religion: Cult & Ritual Maintained order Gave people reason to be loyal to a city Temples and sacrifices Feared retribution of the gods The word barbarian is basically an onomatopoetic word The Greeks thought everyone who didn’t speak Greek sounded like “ba ba ba” Apollo’s Temple at Delphi

Why Study Myth?

To Understand Literature and Art Mythical allusions and references Keats and the Romantics Shakespeare and many others “Like Hyperion to a satyr” (Hamlet) If you want to be a really good student of Western literature, you must know your Greek and Roman myths Knowing them enhances the meaning and enriches the experience

Brueghel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus (1555) Don’t need to discuss this. Not sure anyone could really understand this painting if they didn’t understand, at least partially, the myth of Icarus Brueghel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus (1555)

Truth in Myth Universal truths Stories about the human condition Another reason to study myth…

Archetypes and Mythic Patterns Greek characters, places, themes have influenced (consciously or not) Western literature and art Journeys to the underworld Serpent figures And others… Finding connecting patterns

Myth and Language Word origins Volcano Herculean music atlas tantalize Narcissism Are there any of these you don’t know?

Journal #1—Intro to Myth What purpose did Mythology serve in Ancient Greece, and what purpose does it serve today? Support your answer with evidence from the slide show as well as examples of modern-day allusions to Greek Mythology.