1. What does mythology mean to you?

2. Does this sound familiar yet?
What is Mythology?
It’s the study of “Myths” and MYTHS are stories about supernatural beings, in early times handed down orally from one generation to another---
Mythology includes a collection of stories about a given people - - such as Greeks, Romans, Celts, etc.
Does this sound familiar yet?

3. Myths attempt to explain such things as…
(1) NATURE
Where did the earth come from?
heavens
seasons
geography

4. (2) MAN - where did man come from?
his life
his victories
his defeats
his end

5. (3) GODS
Where did the gods come from?
number of gods
role of gods

6. KNOWLEDGE
The chief source of knowledge of ancient myths is from LITERATURE!
Homer’s Iliad and The Odyssey
Ovid’s Metamorphoses
Virgil’s Aeneid

7. Why is mythology important?
because it’s interesting and entertaining
shows how the ancient people viewed their world
and because you’ll find CONSTANT REFERENCES to mythology all your life…
Take a look at these modern references…

8. IN LITERATURE
Sophocles  Oedipus
Shakespeare  Troilus and Cressida

9. IN MUSIC
GLUCK  Orpheus and Eurydice
MOZART  Jupiter symphony

10. IN THE ARTS
The Renaissance saw the re-introduction of myths into various art forms 
Sandro Botticelli, Venus and Mars(69K GIF). Panel (c. 1483). Image courtesy of the Trustees, The National Gallery, London.

11. IN ADVERTISING
Brand names based on mythological characters indicate high quality:
“Atlas” cement  strong
“Midas” mufflers  save money
Ford “Mercury” cars – speed

12. IN HISTORY
produce facts about ancient people not discoverable through formal research
cite causes for war
show religious beliefs of an ancient people

13. IN LANGUAGE Mythology is the source of such words as: JANITOR  Janos
MARTIAL  Mars
MUSEUM  Muses
VOLCANO  Vulcan
Days of the Week  Thors Day
Expressions  By Jove!

14. Mythology is ESPECIALLY interesting to…
Psychologists  see expression of subconscious needs
Theologians  study religions and myths to understand people
Students of Literature  who must understand myths to understand poetry and other works

15. And EVERY COUNTRY has its OWN SET OF MYTHS
Celtic myths
Egyptian myths
Aztec and Mayan myths (think Survivor!)

16. AND OTHER RELATED FIELDS
LEGENDS

17. FOLK TALES

18. MODERN MYTHS

19. SO WHAT?
Sooo…
MYTHOLOGY touches us in some way almost daily. It leads to a better understanding of our world and the people of ancient times. You’ll find many books of myths and about myths in your public library.

20. Toronto Argonauts…

21. Wawa, Ontario
a city so nice, we named it twice!

22. Titan Atlas – carried the heavens on his shoulders
today, we read an atlas to find the location of geographical sites

23. The Junos – not only a Canadian music award, but a reference to Juno, the goddess of marriage and the month of June

24. Are you myth informed?
THE END… 