INTRODUCTION TO MYTHOLOGY

English II

UNIT QUESTIONS What is a myth? What makes Gilgamesh and Iliad epics? What are some similarities and

differences between creation stories around the world?

MYTH a traditional or legendary story, usually

concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.

GREEK MYTHOLOGY ORIGIN Greeks were polytheistic people, meaning

that they believed in the existence of Gods, the famous 12 Gods of Mount Olympus and numerous deities and semi gods that played supporting roles to the original Gods.

Ancient Greeks believed that their Gods had enormous powers, and that they were able to control nature in all its forms. The interesting part is that it was Greeks themselves who appointed all this power to their Gods, yet, they were full of respect and fear for them.

ORIGIN OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY CONTINUED The oldest sources of Greek Mythology are the

two epic poems written by Homer: the Odyssey and the Iliad, although the origins of the world and the vast effort to explain the nature, the surroundings and the very essence of Greek mythology itself, lies at the texts of Hesiod, especially Theogony:

“At the beginning, there was chaos” he said, explaining the Genesis of the world, the birth of Gods, the succession of rulers, the origins of human woes. Till today, Theogony is considered the basis of the Greek mythology, probably the most comprehensive literal creation of that time.

ICARUS Greek mythology Characters: Daedalus, Icarus, and King

Minos Setting: Labyrinth of Crete Plot: Daedalus and Icarus are held

prisoner by King Minos because he wants to keep Daedalus’ talent to himself

WHAT IS AN EPIC Epic- is a long narrative poem about a

larger than-life- hero who is engaged in a dangerous journey, or quest, that is important to the history of a nation or people

Types of Epics:Folk Epics- stories about heroes that were

originally recited or sung as entertainment at feasts

Literary epics were written by a specific author, usually borrowing the style and characteristics of folk epic

ELEMENTS OF EPIC An epic focuses on the adventures of a

larger-than life main character called the epic hero

Heroic quest- hero goes in search of something of value to his people

Divine intervention- the epic hero often receives help from a god or some other supernatural force

EPIC CONVENTIONS Epic usually begins with an open statement of

theme, followed by an invocation, or appeal for supernatural help

Story begins in medias res- readers are plunged right into the action, and then flashbacks and other narrative devices report on earlier events

Serious tone Epic similes- comparisons using like and as Epithets- stock descriptive words or phrases.

Poems were originally composed and recited orally Kind of shorthand

THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH NOTES: Long Narrative Poem Traced to 2700-2500 BC Named for a Sumerian King Concerns: Timeless and Universal

How to become known and respectedHow to cope with the loss of a dear friendHow to accept one’s own inevitable death

HOW EPIC STORIES ENDURED Told and handed down by Sumerians for

hundreds of years after death Babylonians conquered the Sumerians

soon afterward; they inherited the Sumerian cultural tradition

Babylonian author created the start of the unified Gilgamesh epicOthers modified the epic, adding the

prologue and the flood story and emphasizing the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu

Most important search for immortality

STORY OF THE ANCIENT KING Gilgamesh is the King of Uruk gods and goddesses in his life to provide

challenges, obstacles, and challenging tests

Gods and goddesses Aruru creates Enkidu to provide such a challenge to Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh and Ekindu became engaged in a heated wrestling match, which Gilgamesh wins after a hard fought battle with his opponent

The two men became close friends

Worried about his mortality, Gilgamesh goes in search of everlasting life

Utnapishtism the sole survivor of a great flood that had destroyed humanity centuries before

Gilgamesh learns for him there is no permanence

His death then completes the cylce of life

ARCHETYPE

An archetype is a basic plot, character, symbol, or idea, that recurs in the literature of many cultures

HERO’S QUEST A plot in which an extraordinary person

goes on a difficult journey or mission The hero may search for a person,

place, or object of value; the answer to a problem or puzzling question or some other kind of special knowledge

In Gilgamesh, a heroic king searches for the secret of immortality

CHARACTERIZATION Characterization is the means by which

characters are created or developed Authors reveal characters’ personalities

through direct statements; through characters’ actions, speech, and thoughts; or through descriptive details

AS YOU READ

Before you read complete an overview of Sumerian and Babylonian civilization

As you read look for details about the way the people lived, worked, and believed

On a chart record the details that provide clues to the culture that created this epic

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Those who spoke Semitic languages, the

Semites, were nomadic people who had migrated to Mesopotamia from the Arabian Peninsula

At the times that Sumerian civilization was developing along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Egyptian civilization arose along the banks of the Nile in Northeaster Africa.

At first the villages along the Nile were divided into two countries: Upper Egypt in the south and Lower Egypt in the north

TIME PERIOD The history of the pharaohs, or rulers,

who then led Egypt to be divided into: Early Dynastic Period (c. 2925-2575 B.C)Old Kingdom (c. 2575-c. 2130 B.C) Middle Kingdom (1938-c 1600 B.C) New Kingdom (c. 1540- 1075 B.C)

BACKGROUND CONTINUED The pharaohs were looked at as gods The pyramid that housed a pharaoh's

remains was both a symbol of the afterlife and an image of Egyptian societyAt top of pyramid was pharaoh Beneath pharaoh were priest and nobles

who held administrative positions Next were the middle class: artisans,

merchants, and physicians who served the ruling class

Last were the lowest and most numerous: the peasants and slaves

BABYLONIANS Babylonians had a reverent attitude

toward Sumerian culture, however, they were far more than slavish imitators

The Babylonians reshaped the group of Sumerian tales about a legendary king, Babylonian scribes fashioned a brilliant work that we know today as The Epic of Gilgamesh

HEBREW SCRIPTURE Hebrew monotheism, or belief in a

single God, served as a basis for two other world religions, Christianity and Islam

Hebrew law demonstrated a greater respect for human life than had previously existed in the ancient North East

Another new idea was the Hebrews’ deep concern with moral behavior