Calliope Teacher s Guide July/Aug 2014: Hercules A Curse on You! Page 2 Fill in the Blanks To see the relationships between Hera and Hercules, fill in the blanks below of the family tree. Also use the information on page 27 to fill in the names of Hercules four wives on the left. Zeus Hercules Why Eurystheus? Page 5 Journal Hera s life was controlled by her constant jealousy. In your journal tell about a time you were jealous of someone else. What happened? Was your jealousy necessary? What else could you have done or felt? Impossible Tasks? Page 6 Chart Not So Difficult Page 12 Using the information in this issue, complete this chart. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Task Complication Outcome
12 With Cattle in Tow Page 17 Creative Writing Rewrite the ending of the play. What would have happened if Hercules had not obtained the bull back from Eryx? How might Hercules have used logic rather than brute strength to kill Eryx and get the bull? Divine Punishment Page 20 Answer questions 1. What did Pelias do to anger Hera? 2. What did Teiresias do that angered Hera? 3. Why did Paris anger Hera? 4. Why did Hera detest Aeneas? 5. Why did Hera dislike Leto? 6. Why did Hera burn Semele? 7. Why did Hera send a gadfly to torment Io? Immortal at Last Page 24 Vocabulary Use your dictionary to define these terms or draw a picture that depicts them. 1. Metamorphosis 2. Centaur 3. Pyre 4. Pathos 5. Immortal Finally Wedded Bliss Page 26 Group Discussion In your groups, discuss how Hera must have felt when Hercules married his half-sister Hebe and Hera became his mother-in-law! Hero Cults Page 30 Research Research modern cults. Choose one and compare it to the Greek s reverence for Hercules as a hero. Do you think Hercules deserves this honor? What about the cults you researched? Did their leader deserve to be a leader? Heavenly, Yes! And Forever Page 34 Star gazing
Obtain a star chart like the one at http://www.midnightkite.com/index.aspx Find Hercules. Now find your astrological sign on the star chart. How close is your sign to Hercules in the night sky?
ANSWER KEY: A Curse on You! Page 2 Fill in the Blanks Hera Zeus Alcmene Amphitryon Megara Omphal Hercules Iphicles Deianeira Hebe Impossible Tasks? Page 6 Chart Not So Difficult Page 12 Task Complication Outcome 1 Slay the Nemean lion The lion had special powers Hercules use the body for protection 2 Slay the nine-headed Hydra Two heads grew when one was cut off Hercules seared each head closed so no new ones grew 3 Capture the Hind of Ceryneia Hercules did not want to offend the golden deer Hercules delivered her alive and unharmed 4 Capture the Erymanthian boar It was a strong, fierce boar Hercules drew it out into a huge snowdrift to capture it 5 Clean the Augean stables Stables of 1,000 cattle had never been cleaned Hercules created the Olympic Games to honor his father 6 Slay the Stymphalian birds Birds shot feathers like Birds never returned to Greece arrows 7 Capture the Cretan bull Fierce bull terrorized Crete Hercules rode the bull back to Mycenae 8 Steal the Mares of Diomedes Horse were man-eating He fed Diomedes to the horses who lost their taste for humans 9 Obtain the belt of Hippolyta Warlike queen fell in love with Hercules Hercules defeated Amazons and killed the queen to get her belt 10 Obtain the cattle of Geryon Geryon has three heads and three legs Hercules had to perform two more tasks 11 Steal the apples of Hesperides A dragon guarded the trees and Atlas needed to help Formation of the Strait of Gibraltar 12 Bring back Cerberus Hercules could not use any weapons Hercules used the Nemean lion skin to capture the dog Divine Punishment Page 20 Answer questions 1. He murdered his step-grandmother
2. He said that being a man was better than being a woman 3. He chose Aphrodite as the prettiest goddess over Hera 4. He was related to the Trojans and a cousin to Paris 5. She was the mother of twin gods by Hera s husband Zeus 6. Zeus had fallen in love with her 7. Because Zeus had turned her into a cow to hide her from Hera