Greek Mythology Mrs. Dianne Cline Oak Mountain Middle School Shelby County Schools
I. Origins of Greek Myths 1. Myths can be traced to 900 800 BC in the Geometric period of Greece 2. Myths consisted of stories about the lives and adventures of gods & goddesses, heroes & heroines, & mythical creatures
II. Sources of Greek Myths 1. Pottery & vase paintings from 900 500 BC 2. Homer, Greek poet 850 BC, who wrote the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey 3. Hesiod, Greek poet 705 BC, who wrote the epic poems Theogony and Works and Days
III. Mythology Meaning 1. From a Greek word meaning story-telling, a legendary lore 2. Meaning = a collection of myths, legends, or folklore of a particular people or culture that was believed to be true & addressed their origin, history, religion, ancestors, & heroes
IV. History of Mythology 1. Ancient myths were used to explain a culture s history, the natural world around them, & their religion 2. By the 5 th century BC, Greek historians & philosophers criticized & excluded the study of the supernatural myths
3. 850 680 B.C. Geometric & Archaic ages of Greece (when ancient myths were passed on orally from generation to generation) 4. 750 680 B.C. - Myths written down
V. Modern Day Influences from ancient Greece: 1. Architecture a. Greek architects were trained craftsmen b. The temple was the most common form of Greek public architecture
c. Other common Greek structures were: stoa (a long row of shops), agora (commercial center), gymnasium (for exercise & contests for men), outdoor theatres, & bouleuterion (large public building used as a court house & for council meetings) d. Three main styles of Greek architecture were Corinthian, Doric & Ionic
Doric & Ionic Style in the U.S. US Treasury Building, NY State Treasury, Market Building, Boston; Girard College, PA; & Ohio State Capital Building
2. Art & Law a. Ancient Greek lawgivers were Draco & Solon (appointed to write laws) b. Greeks gave us the court system c. Greeks gave us trial by jury d. Greek art consisted of sculpture, painting, pottery & jewelry making
Examples of Greek Art
3. Politics & Government a. The word democracy is Greek it means government by the people b. The two most important Greek citystates were Athens & Sparta c. Greeks gave us the constitution & citizenship 4. Literature & Theatre a. Greek literature consisted of poetry, drama, odes, & histories
b. Famous Greek poets were: Homer & Hesiod c. Famous Roman poets were: Ovid who wrote Metamorphoses Virgil who wrote Aeneid d. The Roman poets were less serious about religion in their poetry
5. The Olympics a. Ancient Olympics were held in Olympia, Greece from 776 BC to 393 AD b. Representatives of Greek city-states & from other countries competed in athletic competitions c. The prize for winners was a crown or olive wreath
d. The Olympics also featured religious & artistic celebration e. A statue of Zeus was built in Olympia to show Zeus presided over the games f. Only free men who spoke Greek were allowed to compete g. The Olympics ended when Rome took over & the Emperor declared the Games to be against God
VI. Purpose of Greek Myths 1. Greek myths were invented to: a. Explain the creation of the world b. Explain the creation of the gods c. Explain the creation of animals & humans d. Explain natural phenomena (rain, thunder, earthquakes, death, etc.)
2. Myths explain that the world was formed from Chaos who produced: a. Gaia (Mother Earth) & Uranus (Father Sky) b. Gaia gave birth to 12 Titans & several creatures c. One Titan, Cronus, murdered his father Uranus & married his sister Rhea d. With her husband Cronus, Rhea gave birth to 12 Olympians
3. The Olympian gods & goddesses, led by Zeus: a. Battled their father Cronus & the Titans b. Overthrew them & banished them to the underworld c. Became the new rulers of the world from Mt. Olympus
VII. Olympian Gods & Goddesses 1. The gods & goddesses can be both good & evil 2. They have human characteristics but are immortal 3. Greeks built temples to the gods & goddesses to worship them 4. Gods & goddesses can travel between Mt. Olympus & Earth
VIII. Greek Heroes 1. Heracles (Hercules): son of Zeus, known for his strength & performing 12 impossible tasks or labors 2. Achilles: son of the nymph Thetis, known for his triumph in the Trojan war until Paris shot him with an arrow in his heel & killed him
3. Theseus: son of Poseidon, known for defeating the minotaur & saving Athenians from human sacrifice 4. Perseus: son of Zeus, known for cutting off the head of Medusa & rescuing the maiden Andromeda from a sea monster
5. Odysseus: a descendent of Hermes, known for the idea of the Trojan horse that led the Greeks to defeat the Trojans 6. Jason: son of Aeolus, a wind god, known for his quest to get the golden fleece in his ship, the Argo
IX. Mythical Creatures 1. Centaurs: half manhalf horse, known for chasing nymphs & drinking a lot. The centaur Chiron was the intelligent & kind teacher of heroes. 2. Cerberus: the 3- headed dog that guarded the gates of the Underworld.
3. Cyclops: member of a race of giants with one eye in the middle of his forehead. 4. Gorgons: female creatures with hair of living venomous snakes & a horrifying gaze that turned anyone who looked at them into stone. Two of them were immortal Medusa was not. She was killed by Perseus.
5. Kraken: a mythical giant sea monster, described as part octopus & part crab. It attacked ships & people on the ocean. 6. Lernaean Hydra: a serpent-like water beast that had many heads. The middle head had poisonous breath. If a head was cut off, 2 more grew back.
7. Minotaur: a creature with the head of a bull & the body of a man. He was held in the center of the Cretan Labyrinth. 8. Pegasus: a winged horse born from Poseidon & Medusa who served Zeus & was used by heroes.
9. Satyr: a creature with the upper half of a man & the lower half of a goat. Adults have horns & juveniles have nubs in their foreheads. They drank wine, chased women, but were usually shy & cowardly. 10. Sirens: creatures with a woman s head, bird feathers, & scaly feet. Their music & voices would lure sailors to their death on rocky shores & cliffs.
X. Why do we study Greek Mythology? 1. Greek mythology was the world s first written literature (Greek is 1 of the oldest written languages) 2. It connects us to our past in language (words from mythology & alphabet) & history 3. It helps us understand how mythology is used in our culture