What is a Myth?

• Some people use the word myth to mean fake, but…

For Our Purposes

• Mythology is the study of stories that were used to explain the world and other human experiences.

Myth

• A myth 'conveys a truth' to those who tell it and hear it, rather than necessarily recording a true event. Myths are often used to explain universal and local beginnings and involve supernatural beings.

Categories of Myths•Myths of creation: these explain the beginning of time, space, and man

•Myths of explanation: these explain the great questions of the universe

•Myths of morality: these teach lessons and reinforce cultural morality

Myths

• Myths are were usually thought to be true by their original tellers – no matter how wild or strange they seem to be

Oral Tradition•The practice of passing along stories, tales, and folklore by word of mouth

•Oral tradition is responsible for many of the “inconsistencies” of ancient mythology.

Why were Myths told?

Here are a few reasons:

• To strengthen the community and provide a common understanding. Stories often reflect the beliefs of the people who tell them.

• As a way of providing moral guidance and to show people how they should conduct themselves. The stories also warn of the consequences of not making the right choices.

• To explain how the world works, for example why the seasons change, and to explain strange happenings or phenomena such as eclipses. The reasons for these events were often unknown in early times.

• Purely for entertainment. Stories were told to amuse and enthrall an audience in the days before TV and other forms of mass entertainment.

• To pass on history and knowledge, such as the outcome of battles and tales of courage, in ages when many people could not read or write.

• For fame, money or recognition – a good story could enhance the teller’s status, line their pockets with gold or build their reputation.

What do you know about Greek mythology?

– Polytheistic & Pantheon.– Gods interact with humans, take sides in wars, etc.– Humans worship the Gods (often a particular one

most of all) and give them offerings of burnt meat.– Gods were very human/had flaws/were often comical

The Greeks and Their Beliefs

• The Greeks were “a tough, restless, ambitious, hard-living, imaginative race.”

• The Greeks loved life. • They believed in living life to the fullest,

because death was going to happen whether you wanted it to or not.

• The only response to death was to make a mark on the world. Be a legend…be grandiose.

Continued: The Greeks & Their Beliefs

• The Greeks had many gods.• The Olympian gods resembled the Greeks need

to be grandiose.• Because the Olympian gods mirrored the

Greeks, they were heavily flawed.• They were quarrelsome, unforgiving, jealous,

vengeful, spiteful, sinful deities.• Because the Greeks focused on being

grandiose, the Olympian gods were mostly portrayed as physically strong, beautiful and intelligent.

• The same applies to the heroes in their legends and myths.

The World according to the Greeks

• Both good and evil comes from the gods.

• Heroes and monsters came from the gods.

• This idea has influenced all religions that came after.

• Many of the conflicts that are portrayed in the myths are between family members.

Why do we study Greek Myths?

• Studying myths teach us about people around the world – their cultures and what is or was important to them

• References to Greek Mythology are all around us

• 60% of English words have Greek or Latin roots• We can see the archetypes from Greek myth in

our literature• Greek myths are the foundations for our arts

TWO NAMES, POWERS THE SAME

Many gods and goddesses have both Greek and Roman names. That is because the ancient Romans adopted a great deal of Greek mythology and made it their own.

Often, they changed the names of the particular gods and goddesses.

TWO NAMES, POWERS THE SAME

Generally, the deity’s powers and myths stayed the same--even though they had a new name.

As a result, the study of Greek and Roman mythology is often grouped together under the same name-- classical mythology.

The World according to the Greeks

In the Beginning…In the beginning there was no earth, sky or sea. There was

only confusion and darkness, called Chaos. Chaos gave birth to Mother Earth. She eventually gave birth to a son, Uranus, also known as Father Heaven. Mother Earth and Father Heaven had many children.

• First, they had three monstrous sons. Each had fifty heads and one hundred hands.

•Then, they had three more sons. They were just as big and just as ugly. They were called Cyclops. They had one eye in the middle of their foreheads. They were as strong as Earthquakes and Tornadoes combined.

•Finally, they had the first gods, six sons and six daughters called the Titans.

Among their children was the greatest Titan, Cronus (Kronus). Cronus gained power from his father, Uranus, by castrating him. Then, Cronus became ruler over heaven and Earth and married his sister, Rhea. From their union came the Olympian gods.

The bigger you are, the harder you fall

Power changed Cronus and made him evil. He was so afraid that one of his sons was going to do to him what he did to his father that he swallowed all of his children immediately after their birth. One by one, Cronus swallowed Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. When Rhea was pregnant with her sixth child, she thought of a plan. She secretly gave birth to her sixth child, Zeus, and gave him to Mother Earth.

Heroes, Gods, and Monsters

• Let’s read the Zeus story together

The gods and goddesses of Mt. Olympus

• Mt. Olympus was the largest mountain in Greece. It was the home of the gods and goddesses.

• Gods and goddesses were immortal, they could not die.

• No humans were allowed on top of Mt. Olympus, but the Olympians were allowed on Earth.

The Twelve Olympians• Aphrodite: goddess of love and beauty. Her

symbols were the dove, and myrtle, a type of evergreen shrub. Her Latin name was Venus.

• Apollo: god of the sun and of music. His symbols were the lyre, the chariot, and the laurel tree. His Latin name was Apollo.

• Ares: god of war. His symbols were armor,

dogs, and vultures. His Latin name was Mars.

• Artemis: goddess of the hunt and of the moon. Her symbols were hunting, weapons, stags, and the crescent moon. Her Latin name was Diana.

• Athena: goddess of wisdom and war. Her symbols were the owl, the olive tree, and two types of armor—the breastplate and the aegis, a shield. Her Latin name was Minerva.

• Demeter: goddess of agriculture. Her symbols were sheaves of wheat, and the poppy. Her Latin name was Ceres.

• Dionysus: god of wine and revelry. His symbols were grapes and other crops. His Latin name was Bacchus.

• Hephaestus: god of fire and of the forge. His symbols were the anvil and the hammer. His Latin name was Vulcan.

• Hera: queen of the gods. Her symbols were the peacock and the pomegranate. Her Latin name was Juno.

• Hermes: messenger of the gods. His symbols were the caduceus, and a winged cap and sandals. His Latin name was Mercury.

 • Poseidon: god of the sea. His symbols were

the trident, a three pronged spear, and dolphins. His Latin name was Neptune.

 • Zeus: king of the gods. His symbols were

the thunderbolt, the eagle, and the oak tree. His Latin name was Jupiter.

Hades

• Hades was not one of the 12 gods because he did not live on Olympus

• god of the underworld and the dead

• god of wealth

The Underworld

• Is not the same thing as HELL. All people went to the Underworld when they died.

• Hades is NOT the devil. He’s as noble as the other gods.• Charon: the boatman who would ferry people/spirits

across the river Styx so they could make it to the Underworld. He wanted to get a tip, so people were buried with coins on their eyes so they could pay him.

• Cerberus: 3-headed dog who guards the gate.• 3 Levels: Tartarus: Place of pain and suffering.• Asphodel Fields: Where spirits roam like shadows.• Elysian Fields: Where Heroes go – paradise.