1. TALL TALES AND MYTHS

2. TALL TALE  What is it? A type of folk tale that is characterized by hyperbole, or making an exaggeration or overstatement.

3.  These stories usually contain larger-than-life heroes, far- fetched situations, amazing feats, and a great deal of humor. They are a kind of legend, a story that is about the past that is often based on historical fact.  Many comes from American frontier (the West) and reflect the ideas of that period.  The purpose is to entertain readers and audience.

4. MYTHS  What is it? An ancient story that is intended to explain the actions of gods or human heroes, the reasons for certain traditions, or the causes of natural features and events.  Every culture has its own collection of myths. They are usually religious in nature and will express certain values of the person who created them.

5. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MYTH HERO AND A TALL TALE?  Tall tales tell how humans make things happen on their own while myths tell how gods shape human life.

6. MYTH HEROES  Mythical heroes have these attributes:  Devine parents and supernatural aid  Special Knowledge or weapons  Ability to achieve impossible tasks

7. TALL TALE HEROES  These heroes are oversized but still human  They are able to preform amazing feats because of their great size, strength, cleverness, or sheer force of will.

8. PERSEUS BY EDITH HAMILTON

9. CHARACTERS EXPLAINED  King Acrisius- Father of Danae. He prayed to the gods for them to give him a son. Apollo says no and that if he doesn’t kill his daughter, that her son will kill him.  Danae- Mather of Perseus. Is imprisoned in a house where she will be safe and no man can get to.

10.  Zeus- King of all Gods and father of Perseus  King Polydectes- falls in love with Danae and wants to kill Perseus so he asks Perseus to kill Medusa (an undoable task)  Medusa- a monster with hair made of snakes. If you look into her eyes you will turn to stone.

11.  Perseus- born from a human and a god. He is a demigod. Known for killing Medusa.  Dictys- A common fisherman, Dictys takes Danae and Perseus into his home when they wash up on his island.  the Gray Women- three sisters who live in a gray land and are gray themselves. They share only one eye among the three, and they alternate using it.

12.  Andromeda- Perseus finds Andromeda chained to a rock and rescues her. She marries him.  Hermes- the messenger god (also the smartest god) Helps Perseus on his quest to defeat Medusa  Athena- goddess of wisdom and war. Helps Perseus on his quest to defeat Medusa

13. THEMES SHOWN IN THE MYTH:  Conflict  Perseverance  Femininity  Cunning and Cleverness  Fate