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Greek Mythology & Epics
Amanda L. RobbinsNinth Grade LiteratureSpring Semester 2012
Unit Overview Mythology and epics Greek Culture Greek Gods and Goddesses
What is mythology? A sacred narrative Usually to explain how the world or humankind came to be “Ideology in narrative form” – Bruce Lincoln
o Basically, philosophy or religion told as stories Often includes supernatural characters like epic heroes,
gods, or goddesses May start as:
o Overelaborated historical eventso Explanation of ritualso Allegory for or personification of natural phenomena
Epics can often be counted as myths if they include creation stories (Ex: in Gilgamesh, the snake eats the plant of eternal life, and this is why he sheds his skin)
Why do we read mythology?
To gain understanding about ancient cultureso Before we had modern science and medicine, people
made up myths to explain things; this teaches us about the way they learned, what they valued, etc.
To learn a new belief systemo Mythology often relates to stories of gods or goddesses.
By reading myths, we learn the ancient religions and the beings associated with them
To view the stories of ancient societieso Stories were not written in ancient cultures for
entertainment; they were written with specific purposes in mind (IE to explain natural phenomena, to celebrate gods and goddesses)
Ancient Greece 800 BC – 600 AD Began in Greece, a southern European country
o Capital: Athenso Near many seas
Leader in many different cultural movementso Philosophy (reasoning and questioning of life)o Theatero Literature (they were the first to put dialogue in their stories)o Architecture (white columns)o Art (marble statues)o Debateo Language (many root words are based in Greek)o The Olympics
Not just in Greece!o Spread from Central Asia to the western end of the Mediterraneano Grecian Culture outside of Greece is called “Hellenistic Culture”
Ancient Greece Basically, much of our
governmental structure, basis of religion, art and architecture, and even language can be tied back to Greek culture
All the way until the 1960s, a young man’s education was not considered complete unless he was taught the “Classics” (Greek language and culture)
What was life like for the Greeks?
Farming Societyo Families grew and produced their own foodo Grain, olives (pressed into oil), goat’s milk and sheep’s milk cheese known as
feta Also a warring society
o Fought many wars (Spartans were especially trained for battle)o Conquered many lands under the leadership of Alexander the Great
Very creativeo Creators of dramatic and comedic theatero Debate as a source of judicial law, problem-solvingo Played the first Olympic games
Male-focusedo Men were in charge of the farm, wars, government, etc.o Women were delegated to the house only
Religiouso Temples devoted to the Gods and Goddesseso Part of a farm’s crop was often given as sacrifice at these temples
Who are the Gods? That’s a long story…
According to Greek mythology…
The earth was begun by the goddess Gaia (earth) and the god Uranus (sky)
They had a son, Cronus, who killed his father with a scythe
Cronus and his wife, Rhea, had many children – the first gods and goddesses
Cronus – History’s first deadbeat dad
Cronus worried his own children would do what he did, so he decided to kill them by eating them
Rhea saved their last son from death by giving Cronus a stone wrapped in cloth
This son, Zeus, grew up and defeated his father, making him throw up the dead children who come back to life
Zeus King of the Gods Creator of Mount
Olympus, the home of the gods
Throws lightning bolts when mad
Has many children with many different women
Hera Queen of the Gods Zeus’s wife Goddess of marriage Gets very jealous of
Zeus’s women and often curses them
Poseidon God of the Sea Zeus’ brother Can control storms Often carries a trident
Hades God of the Underworld
and the dead Zeus’ brother Rarely leaves the
underworld and guards the river that surrounds it
Kidnapped Persephone and made her his wife
Ares God of War Son of Zeus and
Hera Wears the
trademark warrior helmet and carries a spear
Athena Goddess of Wisdom Daughter of Zeus –
sprang out of his head fully formed and has no mother
Also often shown wearing a helmet
Aphrodite Goddess of Love and
Beauty Daughter of Zeus and
Dione, a lesser earth goddess
Wife of Hephestus, who makes Zeus’s lightning bolts
Mother of Cupid
Apollo and Artemis Twin god and goddess Children of Zeus and
Leto, a lesser goddess Apollo – god of music
and the suno In charge of driving the
chariot that pulls the sun across the sky
Artemis – goddess of the hunt and childbirtho Often shown with a bow
and arrow
Dionysus God of Wine and
Revelry (partying) Son of Zeus and
Semele, a mortal princess
Often dressed in a toga with grapes in his hair
Sometimes bearded and fat, sometimes young and thin
Hermes Messenger of the Gods Son of Zeus and Maia,
a wood nymph Wears winged sandals
and a winged helmet Carries a staff Often mischievous and
troublemaking Plays the pipes
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