Writing a Greek MythLesson 1: Designing a

monster

Myths and LegendsThe Ancient Greek people told many stories featuring their gods and goddesses. Many Greek myths feature scary monsters and tell tales of heroic quests. The stories helped the Ancient Greek people make sense of the world and explained how things came to be.

Centaurs

The Centaurs were half-man half-horse creatures. Their upper half was human, while their lower half had four legs like a horse. In general, centaurs were loud and vulgar. However, one centaur named Chiron was intelligent and skilled in training. He trained many of the Greek heroes including Achilles and Jason of the Argonauts.

Cerberus

The Cerberus was a giant three-headed dog that guarded the gates of the Underworld. Cerberus was the offspring of the feared monster Typhon. Hercules had to capture Cerberus as one of his Twelve Labours.

Charybdis

Charybdis was a sea monster that took the shape of a giant whirlpool. Any ships that came near Charybdis were pulled down to the bottom of the sea. Ships that passed through the Strait of Messina had to either pass by Charybdis or face the sea monster Scylla.

Chimera

The chimera was a giant monster that was a combination of many animals including a goat, lion, and snake. It was an offspring of Typhon. The Chimera was feared throughout Greek mythology as it could breathe fire.

Cyclopes

The Cyclopes were one-eyed giants. They were famous for making Zeus his thunderbolts and Poseidon his trident. Odysseus also came into contact with a Cyclops while on his adventures in the Odyssey.

Hydra

The hydra was a fearsome monster from Greek Mythology. It was a giant snake with nine heads. The problem was that if you cut one head off, more heads would quickly grow back. Hercules slew the hydra as one of his Twelve Labours.

Medusa

Medusa was a type of Greek monster called a Gorgon. She had a woman's face, but had snakes for hair. Anyone who looked into Medusa's eyes would be turned to stone. She was once a beautiful woman, but was turned into a Gorgon as punishment by the goddess Athena.

Minotaur

The Minotaur had the head of bull and the body of a man. The Minotaur came from the island of Crete. He lived underground in a maze called the Labyrinth. Each year seven boys and seven girls were locked into the Labyrinth to be eaten by the Minotaur.

Sirens

The Sirens were sea nymphs who lured sailors to crash on the rocks of their islands with their songs. Once a sailor heard the song, he could not resist. Odysseus encountered the Sirens in his adventures on the Odyssey. He had his men put wax in their ears so they could not hear the song, then he tied himself to the ship. This way Odysseus could hear their song and not be captured.

Sphinx

The Sphinx had the body of a lion, the head of a woman, and the wings of an eagle. The Sphinx terrorized the city of Thebes, killing all those who could not solve its riddle. Finally, a young man named Oedipus solved the Sphinxes riddle and the city was saved.

Your task:1. Select a mythical Greek creature or design your

own.2.Draw your creature.3. Describe and label it using:

- expanded noun phrases- prepositional phrases (under, behind, in etc.)- similes (like or as) - metaphors (was, were)- personification - alliteration

Use an existing Greek creature to

inspire your myth!

Wild Boar

Head

Head

Bull

Bull

Body

Body

BearSnake

Tail

Tail

Monkey

Use the spinners to help you create your

monster if you need some ideas!

What are its main features?What noises does it make?Does it have a specific smell?Think about texture! How does it move?

Success Criteria:- expanded noun phrases- prepositional phrases- similes/metaphors/personification/alliteration

• smooth, curved horns• his muscular torso• sturdy, hairy legs

• The silhouette of his towering, beastly figure stood menacingly in the archway of the stony maze.

• When a musky, earthy stench wafted under the mighty hero’s nose, he knew the Minotaur was close by.

S: As bright as the inferno of the sun, his red, devilish eyes glared at our hero.

M: He was a nightmare brought to life.It’s eyes were darting search lights, sensing for movement in the dark.

P: The stones underneath his hooves groaned at the sheer weight of him as he stomped and thudded his way through the maze.

A: monstrous might / roars rang out and echoed

Lesson 2:Designing a Hero