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Greek Mythology

Page history last edited by Cheryl Madden 9 years, 11 months ago

Mythology is a body of stories told to explain the world and its mysteries. Such stories are known as myths. People have always tried to understand why certain things happen. For example, they have wanted to know why the sun rises and sets and what causes lightning. They have also wondered how Earth was created and how and where humanity first appeared. Today, people have scientific answers and theories for many such questions. But in earlier times—and in some parts of the world today—people lacked the knowledge to provide scientific answers. They therefore explained natural events using stories about gods, goddesses, and heroes. For example, the Greeks had a story to explain the existence of evil and trouble. They believed that at one time the world's evils and troubles were kept in a box. They escaped when the container was opened by Pandora, the first woman.

 

In early times, every society developed its own myths, which played an important part in the society's religious life. This religious significance has always separated myths from similar stories, such as folk tales and legends. The people of a society may tell folk tales and legends for amusement, without believing them. But they usually consider their myths sacred and completely true.

 

Most myths concern divinities (divine beings). These divinities have supernatural powers—powers far greater than any human being has. But in spite of their supernatural powers, many gods, goddesses, and heroes of mythology have human characteristics. They are guided by such emotions as love and jealousy, and they experience birth and death. A number of mythological figures even look like human beings. In many cases, the human qualities of the divinities reflect a society's ideals. Good gods and goddesses have the qualities a society admires, and evil ones have the qualities it dislikes.

 

By studying myths, we can learn how different societies have answered basic questions about the world and the individual's place in it. We study myths to learn how a people developed a particular social system with its many customs and ways of life. By examining myths, we can better understand the feelings and values that bind members of society into one group. We can compare the myths of various cultures to discover how these cultures differ and how they resemble one another. We can also study myths to try to understand why people behave as they do.

 

For thousands of years, mythology has provided inspiration for much of the world's great art. Myths and mythological characters have inspired masterpieces of architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture.


 

 

Objectives:

 

 

  • Retell the basic plots of several Greek myths.

 

  • Discuss three types of themes in Greek myths: 

              stories about heroes;

              stories about "how it came to be;" and

              stories about the consequences of unwise behavior.

 

  • Give examples of words from Greek mythology that are used 

      in modern-day language.

 

 

 

Brainpop:  "Greek Gods"

 

Safari Montage: 

"The Gods of Olympus"  (~20 min.) Quiz

"Defying the Gods"  (~20 min.) Quiz
"Nature Myths" (Persephone; Echo and Narcissus; Phaethon - ~22 min.) Quiz

"Constellation Myths" (~21 min.) Quiz

"Perseus and Medusa" (~19 min.) Quiz

"Jason and the Golden Fleece" (~23 min.) Quiz

"Theseus and the Minotaur"  (~19 min.) Quiz

"The Trojan War"  (~21 min.) Quiz

"The Journeys of Odysseus" (~22 min.) Quiz

"The Labors of Heracles" (~19 min.) Quiz

 

 

Read-alouds:  
   

World Book Article:  "Pandora" 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Term  
                 
Mythological Character
Meaning of Term
Achilles' heel    
arachnid    
echo    
fate    
fortune     
fury     
genius     
grace    
hypnotize    
janitor    
muse    
nemesis    
panic    
siren    
tantalize    
victory    
     

 

 

 

 

 

 

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