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Greek Mythology Study Guide
An exploration of Justice in literature, part I
English 10
Inside this packet, you will find several resources for your journey into Greek Mythology,
including:
• A guide to the gods of Greek myths
• Modern vocabulary inspired by Greek myths
• Vocabulary from the accompanying Greek Mythology reading packet
• A reading guide for the Greek Mythology reading packet
• A final project in which you will find examples of Greek mythology in modern day life.
What is Mythology?
Mythology is a collection of stories that we associate with a culture. Myths usually include
larger-than-life heroes, gods, and monsters that can achieve things normal people cannot.
Why study Greek Mythology?
The myths of many cultures have influenced our own. The Roman gods’ names were given to
the planets of our solar system. The Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh was the first major written
work known to history. We study choose Greek Mythology to study because it has arguably had
the greatest influence in English and American writing. References to Greek myths abound in
classic literature. In fact, the term “classic” is a reference to the “Classical Era” of the Greek and
Roman cultures.
Greek Mythology Study Guide page 1, English 10: Mr. Krauss
Name ______________________________
Greek Mythology: The Gods
Directions: Examine the chart of Greek gods below, and read the paragraph on sacrifice below
the chart. At the bottom of the page, you will complete the chart explaining which god an
ancient Greek person would sacrifice to in order to receive good fortune in the endeavor listed on
the left.
Greek God
Zeus
Poseidon
Area of Control; Notes
Sky; ruler of Olympus
Sea and earthquakes
Hades
Ares
Dionysos
Death; Ruler of the
Underworld
Marriage; Zeus’ wife
Wisdom, war, crafts
Arts, archery, divination, the
sun
War
Wine, mystery, theater
Hephaestos
Artemis
Demeter
Aphrodite
Hermes
Smiths and metal-working
Hunt; protector of children
Agriculture, fertility
Love and beauty
Merchants; messenger of Zeus
Hera
Athena
Apollo
Symbol
Thunderbolt, eagle, oak
Trident (three-pronged spear),
horse, bull
Scepter, cornucopia
Scepter, peacock
Aegis (shield), owl, olive tree
Bow, lyre, laurel
Spear
Grape vine, ivy, thyrsos (a
weird staff with ivy on it)
axe
Bow, deer
Scepter, torch, corn
Scepter, dove
Caduceus (staff with two
intertwined serpents), winged
boots.
Information obtained from Mythography.com
Sacrifice: The Greeks made sacrifices to their gods in the hopes that one of the gods might
favorably intervene. These sacrifices usually involved killing livestock while performing a
particular ritual, perhaps in the temple devoted to one of the gods.
An Ancient Greek looking for…
A calm Caribbean cruise
A prom date
…would pray to
Poseidon (because he’s the god of the sea)
A bright day for a picnic
A lasting relationship with your husband or
wife
A good price when bidding for the Dawson’s
Creek finale on ebay
Triplets
Greek Mythology Study Guide page 2, English 10: Mr. Krauss
Name ______________________________
Vocabulary One: Terms connected to Greek Mythology
Below are seven English words adopted from Greek Mythology.
• Find the definition of all of the terms, and write them in the “definition” column.
• Find the mythological origin of 4 of the terms (not including the one done for you),
and write them in the “Origin” column. If you’re not sure, try www.mythweb.com.
Term
Midas touch
Definition
The ability to make, manage, and keep large
amounts of money.
Origin
King Midas was able to turn
anything into gold by touching
it.
Herculean
Sisyphean
Tantalize
Titanic
Stygian
Achilles’ heel
Greek Mythology Study Guide page 3, English 10: Mr. Krauss
Name ______________________________
Vocabulary Two: Terms from the Myths
Directions: Look up the definition for each of the words below and copy it into the “Definition”
column (I recommend using www.dictionary.com). Finally, write a sentence using the word
appropriately. You do not need to provide sentences for the shaded boxes.
Word
Definition
Sentence
Ambrosia
Food and drink of the gods;
The bakery’s scents were ambrosia to me:
Something with an especially
my mouth watered every time I walked by.
delicious flavor or fragrance;
A dessert of oranges and coconut
Atone
Hind
Female red deer
Idol
Insatiable
Mare
Nemesis
(the word,
not the
goddess)
Nereid
Sea goddess in service to Poseidon
Oracle
Sieve
Greek Mythology Study Guide page 4, English 10: Mr. Krauss
Name ______________________________
Reading Guide
You will read several Greek Myths in this unit of study. For each myth, you must answer several
questions to demonstrate your understanding of its plot and characters.
Minor Gods
1. What decided how long a mortal would live?
2. Who was in charge of repaying all the good and evil on the Earth?
3. Who created Man?
Prometheus
4. What gift did Prometheus steal for mankind?
5. Describe two ways people worshipped their gods?
a. ______________________________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________________________
6. How did Zeus punish Prometheus for stealing and teaching mankind to cheat the gods?
Pandora
7. Hephaestus gave Pandora a body, Athena gave her life, Aphrodite gave her jewels and a smile.
What two things did Zeus give her?
a. ______________________________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________________________
8. When Pandora opened her jar, what flew out? What remained?
Perseus
9. Forty-nine Danaïdes (daughters of Danaüs) were punished in the afterlife. What was their
crime?
Greek Mythology Study Guide page 5, English 10: Mr. Krauss
Name ______________________________
10. How were the forty-nine Danaïdes punished?
11. Why did Acrisius lock Danaë away in a sealed chamber?
12. Who was Perseus’ father?
13. Perseus offered his service to the king who wanted to marry Danaë (Perseus’ mother). What
service did the king request?
14. How did Perseus get the three Gray Sisters to talk to him?
15. The Gorgons turned people to stone simply by looking. How did Perseus manage to kill
Medusa?
16. Why was Andromeda chained to a cliff for a monster to eat?
17. How did Perseus greet the king who had sent him on his quest?
18. What was Acrisius’ ultimate fate?
19. What is one statement you can make about justice based on this myth?
Sisyphus
20. How did Sisyphus first trick Hades?
21. How did Sisyphus trick Hades a second time?
22. When Sisyphus finally did die, what was his punishment in the underworld?
Greek Mythology Study Guide page 6, English 10: Mr. Krauss
Name ______________________________
Bellerophon
23. Describe Pegasus
24. What monster did Pegasus and Bellerophon slay together? Describe it.
25. Bellerophon made a mistake after becoming king that cost him Pegasus, his kingdom, and his
health. What was his mistake?
Heracles
26. Why did Hera hate Heracles?
27. For what crime did Heracles feel he needed to atone?
28. Complete the following chart, briefly describing what Heracles had to do for each of his 12
labors.
Labor Number What did Heracles have to do?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Greek Mythology Study Guide page 7, English 10: Mr. Krauss
Name ______________________________
12
29. Why did Heracles return to the Underworld after all his labors were done?
30. What finally “killed” Heracles (or caused him to ascend to Mt. Olympus)?
Theseus
31. To what creature did Poseidon cause Queen Pasiphaë to give birth?
32. King Minos agreed not to sack Athens as long as the Atheneans gave him what?
33. What sign does Theseus tell his father to look for on the ships if he defeats the creature?
34. Who gave Theseus the string that led him to the creature?
35. In his rush to escape Crete, what did Theseus forget to do?
36. What did King Aegeas do when he saw Theseus’ boat returning home? Why?
Oedipus
37. What prophecy does Oedipus receive when he visits the Oracle at Delphi?
38. What creature walks on four feet in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?
39. When a pestilence settles on Thebes, Oedipus calls a seer to help him solve the problem.
What does the seer tell him to do?
40. A servant that was present at the king’s death comes forward. What is his news?
Greek Mythology Study Guide page 8, English 10: Mr. Krauss
Name ______________________________
41. What does Oedipus do when he hears the news?
Justice in Greek Mythology
Since we are exploring the theme of justice through several works of literature, we need to
develop a couple of culminating ideas about justice based on our Greek Myths. Try to create two
general statements about justice based on one or more of the myths you have read. Explain how
the myth supports the statement, then explain whether or not that statement is true for our lives in
the United States.
Statement
The gods gave
mortals
punishments that
fit their crimes.
Supporting
Myth(s)
Sisyphus
Specific Example from Myth
Sisyphus was clever in life, and
tricked Hades. When Sisyphus
finally died, Hades made him roll a
boulder forever to keep him from
thinking up clever plans.
True in U.S.A.?
Why/why not?
Not usually:
punishments are
already established
as fines, community
service, jail, etc.
Greek Mythology Study Guide page 9, English 10: Mr. Krauss
Name ______________________________
Project: Greek Myth Sells!
Due: ________________________
Purpose: We studied a limited number of the many, many Greek myths available. Greek myths
can be found everywhere—they’re the foundation of many of our stories, and references
(allusions) to them can be found in literature, on television, and even in advertising.
Project: You will compile three examples of references to Greek mythology used in
advertising. For each example you will provide:
• A basic overview of how the myth is used in the ad.
• A graphic (the company logo, a piece of their advertising, a clip from the yellow
pages) that demonstrates the use of this myth.
• A brief (2-3 sentence) overview of the myth referenced
• A brief (2-3 sentence) explanation of why the company chose that particular
myth.
Resources
For advertisements, check the Internet, the yellow pages, and advertising papers like “The
Pennysaver”.
For myths, check www.mythweb.com, or look to your mythology packet.
If you’re not sure what to look for, try the following key words. These are just a few of the
many possibilities.
Zeus
Cerberus
Apollo
Odysseus (Ulysses)
Minos
Perseus
Hera
Persephone
Perseus
Pygmalion
Midas
Medusa
Hades
Bacchus / Dionysus
Pegasus
Orpheus
Muse
Labyrinth
Mercury
Aphrodite / Venus
Bellerophon
Theseus
Mount Olympus
Minotaur
Grading
This will count as a project for Marking Period 1
Each of your three advertisements will be graded using the following rubric—the final project
grade will be an average of the three.
25% Overview of how the myth is used
25% Graphic
25% Brief summary of the myth
25% Explanation of how the myth ties in with the product.
See the next page for an example of what one of these advertisements might look like.
See the last page of the packet for a copy of the grading rubric.
Greek Mythology Study Guide page 10, English 10: Mr. Krauss
Name ______________________________
Example: The Mobil Pegasus
Mobil gas stations use the Pegasus as a symbol for their products:
What is it?: The Pegasus was a winged horse in Greek Mythology that came from the blood of
the Medusa. Bellerophon captured the Pegasus and rode it to kill a monster called the Chimera.
Later, Bellerophon tried to ride the Pegasus to the top of Mount Olympus, but his steed threw
him off, realizing that no mortal should try to achieve what belongs only to the gods.
How does it tie in?: The horse is a symbol for speed; a flying horse would probably be that
much faster. Mobil wants the consumer to associate their products (automobile gas and oil) with
speed, so the Pegasus is an obvious choice.
Greek Mythology Study Guide page 11, English 10: Mr. Krauss
Name ______________________________
Greek Myth Sells! Rubric
Your project will be graded on the following criteria for each of your three advertisements. The
final project grade will be the average of the three grades.
Note: If a section of an advertisement is missing (ie, no graphic), you will receive a 0 for that
section.
25
20
15
10
The paper
The paper points The paper
The overview is
Overview of
explicitly
out that a myth is implies that a
unreadable or
how myth is
describes how
used in the
myth is used in
very difficult to
used
the
advertisement,
the
understand.
advertisement
but does not
advertisement.
uses the myth
explicitly state
how.
The paper
The paper
Graphic
contains a
contains a
graphic
graphic that
demonstrating
seems to have
the company, the
little to do with
myth, or the
the company,
connection
product, or myth.
between the two.
The myth is
The myth is
The myth is
The myth is
Summary of
clearly told,
clearly presented somewhat
completely
myth
brief, and
inaccurate or
inaccurate.
relevant to the
difficult to
company or
understand.
product.
The explanation
The explanation
The explanation The explanation
Explanation of
explicitly
implies that the
is somewhat
is nearly
how the myth
connects the
myth is
unclear or
unreadable, or
ties in with the
myth with the
connected to the difficult to
wildly
product
product
product.
understand
inaccurate.
Greek Mythology Study Guide page 12, English 10: Mr. Krauss