Greek Mythology

Building Background: Myth: a traditional story that was once believed to be true. (Myths frequently attempt to explain the origin of something.)

Greek Gods and Goddesses http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuCvWAbAV0Q

Cronus the Titan “Saturn” Father of the gods. Married his sister, Rhea, goddess of Earth. Former king of gods because he killed his father, Uranus, the First One. Swallowed his own children.

Zeus “Jupiter” King of Gods. Son of Cronus and Rhea. Married his sister, Hera. Zeus is God of the sky. He is said to shape the weather according to his mood. (earthquakes, lightning, thunder) Symbols: Thunderbolt & Eagle

Poseidon “Neptune” God of the Sea, horses, and earthquakes. Son of Rhea and Cronus. Changeful, quarrelsome, greedy, and aggressive. Symbols: Trident and dolphin

Hades “Pluto” Ruler of the Underworld. Son of Cronus and Rhea. Married Persephone. Owned a three-headed, attack dog named “Cerberus.” Jealous of his brothers and very possessive.

Hera (“Juno”) Goddess of marriage, family, and protector of women. Zeus’s wife. Symbol: Peacock

Ares (“Mars”) Olympian god of war. Figure behind all violence. Very difficult god. Secret mistress was Aphrodite, which was seen as a blend of two opposing powers. Symbols: The Spear & the Dogs

Athena Greek goddess of wisdom, skill and war. Daughter of Zeus and Metis, a mortal woman. Believed in justice, (“compassion is the best part of wisdom,”) taught men how to fight. Symbols: Owl and distaff

Apollo Most beautiful god. God of the sun, light, music and the prophecy. Son of Zeus and mortal woman Leto; twin of Artemis. Invented the lute but most popular for playing the lyre. Excelled in music competitions. Symbol: The lyre, the tripod, the laurel tree.

Aphrodite (“Venus”) Greek goddess of Love, Beauty, and Eternal Youth. Connected with the death/rebirth of nature and human beings. Married to Hephaestus though she was unfaithful. Symbols: The seashell and the mirror.

Hermes Mercury Messenger god; god of the cheaters and the thieves. Because of his speed, Hermes received the role of the messenger and conductor of souls to the Underworld. Symbols: Winged Sandals.

Pandora (the “all-gifted”) The first woman created by an Olympian god. Zeus ordered the woman to be as beautiful as a god, and all the other gods gave her a gift during her creation. Hermes gave Pandora a box, which she was not to open, but Hera made her a curious woman, so she could not resist. She opened the box and unleashed evil spirits, pain and sorrow.

Artemis The Greek goddess of the Hunt, the Moon and the Childbirth and protector of the young. One of the three Virgin Goddesses in Greek mythology. Artemis' twin brother was Apollo, the god of the Sun, whereas Artemis' cult was connected with the Moon. Symbols: the bow, the snake, and the deer.

The Graces Three lovely goddesses of Joy, Charm and Beauty.

The Muses Nine goddesses presiding over the arts and the sciences. The Muses taught the Greek writer Hesiod the origins and genealogies of the ancient Greek gods and then blessed and inspired him to write his famous epic poem, the Theogony.

Demeter “Ceres” The Greek goddess of agriculture and vegetation. Symbols: The ear wheat and the grain.

Hephaestus The blacksmith among gods. The only unattractive god. Because he was ugly, his mother Hera cast him to the sea, crippling his leg, where he was rescued and raised in a cave for nine years. Married Aphrodite. Responsible for creating Pandora.

Perseus The Greek hero who killed the Gorgon Medusa. Born of Zeus and a mortal woman, cast into the sea with his mother upon birth and raised on an island.

Prometheus Did not see the point of having a separate race called man if they all lived in caves and were as simple as beasts, so he gave man the gift of fire. Zeus punished Prometheus for his actions and chained him up to a mountaintop where vulture fed on him.

Dionysus God of wine

King Menelaus King of Ancient Sparta whose wife, Helen, was stolen from him by Paris. Helen was the most beautiful woman and when Paris stole her away to Troy, the Trojan War commenced.

Paris Trojan Prince. His actions directly spark the Trojan War. Aphrodite promised Paris he could wed Helen because he graciously declared that Aphrodite was the most beautiful god. During the war, Paris fatally wounded Achilles by shooting an arrow through his heel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e0BLcd_WsE

Helen of Troy “The face that launched She was so beautiful a thousand ships” She was so beautiful that all men desired her. She married Menelaus, then Prince Paris.

Achilles A hero of the Trojan War. Achilles was the most handsome, capable and worthy of all the heroes that participated in the Trojan War. When Achilles was born, his mother Thetis attempted to make him immortal by dipping him in sacred waters. While she was pulling her infant from the water, she was holding him by one heel so this heel remained dry, leaving a vulnerable spot on Achilles' body. This weakness turned out to be crucial for Achilles, since he got killed during the Trojan War by an arrow of Paris that hit exactly that spot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRynDLOAaB8&feature=related

Literary Terms Fables: a story that teaches a moral (lesson).

Literary Terms: Epic: a long, narrative poem that tells a story. Characterization: Conflict: Foreshadow:

A Few More Lit Terms to Know: Epic Hero: a larger-than-life figure who takes on an adventure and shows superhuman strength and courage. Epithet: Brief, descriptive phrases that help characterize a person or thing. Simile

Brief Recap of The Odyssey http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=e46e2067-f9c4-4886-8f97-45b14f26cf76&productcode=US&CFID=284800&CFTOKEN=85602938