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CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN
GODS
Student worksheets
Pilar Torres Carmona
December 2008
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
UNIT 1. MYTH AND MYTHOLOGY
A myth is a story about gods and other supernatural beings and how they
made or shaped the world and humanity. The events told in these stories
happened in a very remote past. Myths are a part of religion, and they give an explanation of the
world from a moral point of view; there is an ideology under every myth. Myths are also
metaphorical; they do not try to explain the world in a logical or scientific way, but through
imagination. However, we can still use myths to understand and explore culture: its viewpoints,
activities and beliefs.
What is a myth?
Myths are very old stories. They are so old, that we do not know who
made them up: they are anonymous. People told these stories over the
years and this is why we have many versions of them. Sometimes
these stories –or parts of them—were written down and now we can enjoy them.
Who made up
myths?
Where does the
word ‗myth‘
come from?
What is
mythology?
The word ‗myth’ comes from the ancient Greek word μῦθος ―mythos‖. It
means ―word, story‖ and it reveals the oral origin of these stories.
‗Mythology’, from the Greek words μῦθος ―mythos‖ story and λόγος
―logos‖ collection or study means both collection of stories/myths and study
of the myths.
Every civilization has its myths. We call classical mythology the body of
myths of ancient Greece and Rome. We are going to study them because of
their importance and influence on European culture: art, literature, music…
even on everyday products and publicity! Look at two instances below:
Why classical
mythology?
The birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli (1485-86)
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence (Italy). From
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Botticelli_
Venus.jpg
Pilar Torres Carmona
Gillette Venus, a brand of disposable razors for women,
at http://www.gillettevenus.com/uk/.
Visit it!
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
UNIT 1. MYTH AND MYTHOLOGY. ACTIVITIES
Look at the picture below. What do you see?
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
Image from http://nikeid.nike.com, 2007
In pairs, go to the website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
answer to the following questions:
and find out the
a) Where does the name of the brand in the advertisement come from?
b) The man in the advertisement is wearing a pair of wings; why do you think he
has been represented in that way?
c) What is the logo of this brand? Draw it.
d) What is the logo’s name? What does its name mean? To find it out look up the
word in the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary CD. You can also listen to
the pronunciation. Does it have any relationship with the wings?
e) In your opinion, do many people know what ‚nike‛ means? Why do you think
they do/don’t?
f) Think of two reasons to choose ‚Nike‛ as a sports brand name.
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
STAGE 3. SUMMARY CHART (Whole group oral activity except ‚Further thinking‛)
TRADEMARK
AMERICAN
SPORTSWARE
BRAND
GREEK
MYTH
Look at the
picture. It
represents the
Greek goddess
of Victory.
Does she seem
to be running
away? Why?
AMERICAN
VERSION
VS.
GREEK
VERSION
MYTH AS
METAPHOR
FURTHER
THINKING
JUST FOR
FUN
Pilar Torres Carmona
NAME
MEANING
WHAT DOES THE
WING STAND FOR
(=)?
LOGO
SHAPE
WINGS = V _ _ _ _ _ y
Therefore, if you wear this brand, you are wearing wings,
therefore you are a w_ _ _ _r.
Have you ever tried to catch a winged being –butterflies,
flies, birds...?
Was it easy or difficult?
Once you caught it, was it easy or difficult to keep?
According to ancient Greeks, Victory had wings, therefore
Greeks thought that victory was
d _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to reach and to keep.
Musée du Louvre, Paris (France) from
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Bronze_Nike_Louvre_Br1679.jp
g
- Is there any difference between the versions?
According to the American sportswear brand, is victory easy or difficult to reach?
Remember its motto: Just do it!
According to the ancient Greek myth, victory was _____________________ because
she __________________.
Therefore ancient Greek and contemporary Americans have a
d_ ff_ _ _ nt point of view about victory. They have different
i_ _o_l_g_es.
In ancient Greek μεταφορά, ‚metaphorá‛ meant ‚transport‛. Therefore metaphor
occurs when we ‚transport‛/transfer the meaning from a concept (‚wing‛) to
another (‚victory‛).
However, concepts mean different things to different people; in this case, ‚wings‛
meant ‚difficulty‛ to Greeks while the same concept means ‚ease‛ to Americans.
That is why metaphors and myths are durable, because they can be adapted to
different circumstances.
This is the way myths work.
Think about another trademark which uses the concept of wings in its
advertisements/commercials. Try to justify this use.
Invent a new brand and logo for a product using the concept of wings. Which of the
meanings above (‚difficulty‛/‛ease‛ or maybe a different one) would you choose
and why?
Go to the website http://youtube.com/watch?v=XeKDFGbCUGA and watch the video
‚Impossible Nike‛. What do you think is the meaning of this commercial? There is a
clue here:
N_ _e wears Adidas, therefore V_ _ _ _ _ y wears Adidas, therefore if you want to be
a w_ nn _r, you m_ _t wear Adidas (not Nike!).
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
UNIT 1. MYTH AND MYTHOLOGY. Myth as explanation of the world.
TEXT A:
1. With your partner, read the text and decide which column in the chart below matches your
text.
A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or crust, which allows hot, molten rock,
ash and gases to escape from below the surface. Volcanic activity tends to form mountains or
features like mountains over a period of time.
Volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates are pulled apart or come together.
Cross-section through a stratovolcano:
1. Large magma chamber
9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano
2. Bedrock
10. Throat
3. Conduit (pipe)
11. Parasitic cone
4. Base
12. Lava flow
5. Sill
13. Vent
6. Branch pipe
14. Crater
7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano 15. Ash cloud
8. Flank
Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano
Scientific discourse
Text___
Descriptive
Objective
Exposition of facts
Intervention of physical laws
Use of observation, experiments and
demonstration
General
Pilar Torres Carmona
Mythological discourse
Text ___
Narrative
Metaphorical
Presentation of actions
Intervention of divine beings
Need of faith
Particular
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
Order the phrases below to write a summary of your text:
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
are generally found.
You can also
of a volcano.
what a volcano is,
This text explains
and where volcanoes
forms mountains
how volcanic activity
see a cross-section
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
TEXT B
1. With your partner, read the text and decide which column in the chart below
matches your text.
In Aztec mythology, Popocatéptl was a warrior who loved Iztaccíhuatl.
Iztaccíhuatl‘s father sent Popocatéptl to war in Oaxaca, promising him his daughter as his wife if he returned (which
Iztaccíhuatl‘s father presumed he would not.).
Iztaccíhuatl‘s father told her that her lover had fallen in battle and she died of grief. When Popocatéptl returned, and
discovered the death of his lover, he committed suicide by plunging a dagger through his heart. The gods covered them
with snow and changed them into mountains. Iztaccíhuatl‘s mountain was called ―La Mujer Dormida‖ (the ―Sleeping
Woman‖). Popocatéptl became the volcano Popocatéptl, raining fire on Earth in blind rage at the loss of his beloved.
Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popocatapetl
Scientific discourse
Text___
Descriptive
Objective
Exposition of facts
Intervention of physical laws
Use of observation, experiments and
demonstration
General
Mythological discourse
Text ___
Narrative
Metaphorical
Presentation of actions
Intervention of divine beings
Need of faith
Particular
2. Order the phrases below to write a summary of your text:
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
the story
changed him into a volcano
after he committed suicide
of an Aztec warrior
and how gods
This text tells
his beloved.
because he had lost
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
TEXTS A AND B
2. Change partner and tell him/her what your text is about. Then compare your texts and match
the text on the left with the text on the right.
1. Text __ is descriptive because
2. Text __ is narrative because
3. Text __ is objective because
4. Text __ is metaphorical because
5. There is intervention of physical laws in text __
because
6. There is intervention of divine beings in text
__because
7. There is use of observation and demonstration in
text __ because
8. There is need of faith in text __ because
9. Text __ is general because
10. Text __ is particular because
a. there are gods in the story.
b. a volcano stands for the rage of a warrior.
c. you can see a cross-section through a volcano.
d. there is a presentation of actions.
e. no one can demonstrate that the story is true.
f. there is an exposition of facts.
g. a volcano stands for a volcano.
h. it cites volcanic activity and tectonic plates.
i. it refers to a single volcano.
j. it refers to all volcanoes.
1__; 2__; 3__; 4__; 5__; 6__; 7__; 8__; 9__; 10__
3. Summary charts. With your partner, complete the following charts:
The scientific discourse
is
descriptive
while
the mythological
discourse is
presentation of
actions
exposition of facts
In the scientific
discourse there is
narrative
while
in the mythological
discourse there is
Both the ________ discourse and the __________ discourse intend to _________ the world
although in a ________ way.
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
Watch the Power Point presentation about Arachne and, in groups, order the following statements to
read
THE STORY OF ARACHNE
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
N.
O.
P.
1J
2__
3__
4__
5__
6__
7__
8__
9__
10_
_
11_
_
12_
_
13_
_
14_
_
15_
_
16H
Disguised as an old woman she warned Arachne not to offend the gods.
She also struck Arachne‘s head with the shuttle.
However, Athena was outraged because Arachne had represented the gods in a disrespectful way.
Athena‘s tapestry represented the scene of her victory over Poseidon.
Arachne‘s tapestry represented many episodes of the infidelity of the gods, disguised as animals.
That made Athena angry.
Arachne laughed at her and challenged the goddess to a contest.
Athena took pity on Arachne and changed her into a spider.
Ashamed, Arachne ran off and killed herself.
Arachne, Idmon‘s daughter, was a girl of humble birth but very good at weaving.
The goddess admitted that Arachne‘s tapestry was perfect.
Athena dropped her disguise and the contest began.
So much praise went to Arachne‘s head.
Athena lost her temper and destroyed Arachne‘s tapestry and loom.
People thought that she was the best weaver and told her so.
She began to claim that her art was greater than Athena‘s, the goddess of wisdom and crafts.
Arachne, Idmon‘s daughter, was a girl of humble birth but very good at weaving.
Athena took pity on Arachne and changed her into a spider.
Read the story again and in groups answer the following questions:
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
1. Who judged the contest? ______________________________________.
2. Was there a winner? ___________________________________________.
3. Although Arachne‘s tapestry was perfect, she made some mistakes. Think of two mistakes Archne made in her
relationship with Athena.
1) To claim that her art was greater than Athena‘s, the goddess of wisdom and crafts.
2) To
3) To
4. When did Archne get ashamed? ____________________________________________.
5. What did she realise at that moment?
1) That she shouldn‘t have claimed that her art was greater than Athena‘s.
2) That she shouldn‘t have
3) That she
6. Why shouldn‘t she have made these mistakes? Look at the comparative table below to answer the question.
ATHENA
Goddess
Immortal
Mighty/powerful
ARACHNE
Human
Mortal
Humble
Proud
Best weaver
7. What is the moral of the story?
The moral of the story is that __________ shouldn‘t ___________ to _______________.
8. Myths reflect the ideology of the society that made them up; look at the table above and decide if the fact of
being proud is a positive or a negative value or if it depends on the kind of person who is proud.
9.
Look at the table below and consider if the society that made up this myth is a class-conscious one. Then fill in
the gaps with the words in the box.
Upper social class
(ATHENA)
Mighty/powerful
Ruler and judge
Lower social class
(ARACHNE)
Humble
Judged and ruled
Proud
Best at doing something
warned / compared / proud of / challenged / destroyed (2)/ reduced (2)/
disrespectful / offend / lower class / upper class /
Arachne was .......... her art and .......... herself with Athena. Athena, disguised as an old woman, .......... Arachne not to
......... the gods. Arachne .......... the goddess to a contest. She was .......... towards the gods. Athena .......... Arachne‘s
work and tools. Finally, Athena ........... Arachne to a hideous beast: to a spider.
So it happens to .......... people when they want to be equal to .......... people: they are .......... and .......... to the slightest.
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
Why Classical Mythology? Power Point presentation activities.
Look at these pictures and discuss the following questions with your partner/s. After you have
discussed them they will be discussed by the whole class.
The academy of hair
and beauty. Derby
(United Kingdom).
Photograh by Pilar
Torres (2008)
Tattoo
and
piercing
Medusa,
Barcelona. Photograph by Pilar Torres
(2008)
Where is Medusa‘s head represented?
What kind of shop are these?
What element of Medusa‘s story has been chosen here?
Does this element have a positive or a negative meaning here?
In your opinion, what do people think about other people who have tattoos, piercings or their
hair done in dreadlocks?
 Do you think that there is a different concept of beauty here –an ‖alternative beauty‖?
 How has Medusa‘s motive changed from ancient times to nowadays?
 Do you think that knowing Medusa‘s story has helped you understand your environment
better?





Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
UNIT 2: SOURCES OF CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
1. Go to the website http://historylink102.com/greece2/sources.htm and fill in the table
with the requested information about your author, then tick the degree of certainty
of our knowledge about them.
DEGREE OF CERTAINTY
QUESTION
ANSWER
We are
sure about
this
It is
probable
We don’t
know
Not
informe
d
What is his name?
Where was he born?
When did he live?
What kind of poetry did
he compose/ write?
In what language did he
write/compose his works?
(Greek / Latin)
How many works did he
write?
How many of his works
have survived?
Could you cite some of his
works?
Could you give many
details about his life?
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
2. Now complete the table of authors with information from your classmates:
AUTHOR’S
NAME
PERIOD HE
WAS BORN OR
LIVED IN
LANGUAG
E
LITERARY
GENRE
WORKS
HOW
MUCH DO
WE KNOW
ABOUT
HIM?
ca 8th c BC
ca 8th-7th c BC
525-456 BC
496-406 BC
ca 480-406 BC
70-19 BC
43 BC-17 AD
3. In pairs, answer the following questions:
a) Who are the authors in the table we know less about?
b) Who are the best known authors in the table?
c) Why do you think it is so?
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
UNIT 2. SORUCES OF CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
ACTIVITIES
1. Match each author with his period and work:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
Virgil
Aeschylus
Hesiod
Homer
Sophocles
Ovid
Euripides
A) 496-406 BC
B) 8th century BC
C) 70-19 BC
D) 8th-7th century BC
E) 526-456 BC
F) 43 BC-17 AD
G) 480-406 BC
a) Metamorphoses
b) Medea
c) Aeneid
d) Agamemnon, Prometeus bound
e) Oedipus the King, Antigone
f) Theogony, Works and Days
g) Iliad, Odyssey
2. Read the summaries below and match them with the right title.
a) This play by Sophocles shows the tragedy of a hero when finds out that he has
killed his father and has married his mother.
b) This play by Euripides shows the tragedy of a heroine who kills her own
children in vengeance because her husband has abandoned her to marry
another woman.
c) This long poem takes its title from a Greek word that means ‘transformations’,
because it narrates how some mythic characters were turned into animals
(Arachne), trees (Daphne), etc.
d) This long poem narrates the origin of the world and of the gods, and how Zeus
became the ruler of the universe.
e) This epic poem tells of the wrath of Achilles, when he and Agamemnon –chief of
the Greek army at Troy—quarrel and part because of a woman. Achilles then
quits the fighting out of anger until Patroclus, his best friend, is killed by Trojan
prince Hector. That is why Achilles decides to return to the battlefield and kills
Hector in vengeance.
f) This epic poem by Virgil narrates the adventures of a Trojan hero, the only one
who was able to escape safe and sound from the city when the Greeks sacked it.
He and his people then sailed across the Mediterranean Sea until they arrived in
Italy and founded the city of Alba Longa and the lineage of Rome.
g) This play by Aeschylus is the tragedy of the chief of the Greek army at Troy,
when he gets back home and is killed by his wife Clitemnestra and her lover
Aegistus.
3. Which of the authors above were the three famous Athenian playwrights?
4. Which of them wrote epic poems?
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
UNIT 2: SOURCES FOR CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY (Power Point presentation)
TEXT 1
Sing, goddess, the anger of Achilles, son of Peleus, that accursed anger, which brought the
Greeks endless sufferings and sent the mighty souls of many warriors to Hades, leaving
their bodies as carrion for the dogs and a feast for the birds… It all began when
Agamemnon lord of men and godlike Achilles quarrelled and parted.
TEXT 2
Tell me, Muse, the story of that resourceful man who was driven to wander far and wide
after he had sacked the holy citadel of Troy. He saw the cities of many people and he
learnt their ways. He suffered great anguish on the high seas in his struggles to preserve
his life and bring his comrades home… Tell us this story, goddess daughter of Zeus,
beginning at whatever point you will.
TEXT 3
From the Muses of Helicon let us begin our singing… Once they taught Hesiod fine
singing as he tended his lambs below holy Helicon… and they gave me a branch of bay for
a staff and they breathed into me wondrous voice, and they told me to sing of the family
of blessed ones who are for ever.
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
With your partner, complete the following tables:
TEXT 1
TITLE
AUTHOR
ARGUMENT
WHO SINGS/TELLS THE
STORY?
TEXT 2
TITLE
AUTHOR
ARGUMENT
WHO SINGS/TELLS THE
STORY?
TEXT 3
TITLE
AUTHOR
ARGUMENT
WHO SINGS/TELLS THE
STORY?
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
 According to these fragments, early forms of poetry consisted of s_ _ _ _.
 Therefore, people did not read these poems but they
l_ _ _ _ _ _ _ to them.
 Early poets s_ _ _ their poems to their audience by means of improvisation, because
writing had not been introduced yet.
 That is why m_ _ _ _ _ was so important to them. However, in ancient times people
did not know how memorisation or poetry making worked, so they explained these
activities through a _ _ _ _.
 How did poets make poems, then? Find a mythological reason .
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
UNIT 2. SORUCES OF CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
ACTIVITIES
1. Fill in the gaps in this text about the nine Muses.
The Muses, goddesses of p________, m________ and d_________, were daughters of
Zeus and the Titaness M___________. In ancient Greek, this word means
‚m_________‛. Memory was very important to poets because in those times poetry
was o_________ and poets had to remember everything without the help of writing.
The main function of the Muses was to i__________ poets.
2. Read the texts about the nine Muses, then look at the pictures on the next page and
write their names and the art or science assigned to each of them.
3. Make sentences about de Muses following the pattern below:
first Muse
The
is
because she is
holding a
wearing a
posing
4. Write the terms for each definition:
a) ________________: a building where objects of historical, scientific or artistic interest
are kept.
b) ________________: a pattern of sounds made by musical instruments, singing or
computers or a combination of these intended to give pleasure to people listening to
it.
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
1)
2)
STUDENT WORKDHEETS
3)
4)
5)
THE NINE
MUSES
Sgraffito by Lithuanian
painter Rimantas Gibavičius
(1935-1993) in the vestibule
of the Nine Muses on the
second floor of the south
building of the S. Daukantas
Courtyard (Vilnius
University, Philology
faculty). 1970
6)
Pilar Torres Carmona
7)
8)
9)
IES Narcís Monturiol, Barcelona
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKSHEETS
Sources for the pictures of the nine Muses:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Urania_in_Domus_Philologiae.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Calliope_in_Domus_Philologiae.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Clio_in_Domus_Philologiae.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Erato_in_Domus_Philologiae.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Euterpe_in_Domus_Philologiae.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Melpomene_in_Domus_Philologiae.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Polyhymnia_in_Domus_Philologiae.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Terpsichore_in_Domus_Philologiae.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Thalia_in_Domus_Philologiae.JPG
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Urania_in_Domus_Philologiae.JPG
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKSHEETS
1. Complete the family tree of the Olympian Gods and Goddesses with the information you have
obtained from the presentation. Paint each label in a different colour according to the key attached to
the family tree:
APHRODITE
GAIA
OCEANUS
THEA
PHOEBE
THEMIS
MNEMOSYNE
TETHYS
HYPERION
COEUS
IAPETUS
CRIUS
ZEUS
DEMETER
HERA
Primal gods
Titans
Olympians I
Olympians II
Other deities
THE GREEK GODS‘
FAMILY TREE
Mortals
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKSHEETS
2. What is the chronological order of the events? In groups, write a number from 1to 21 next
to each letter (number 1 is done). Then copy down the sentences in the correct order in the
space below the table.
ORDER
EVENTS
A___
Gaia persuaded Kronos, her youngest son, to attack his father.
Uranos’ blood dripped down to the sea and from the foam Aphrodite came to
B___
life.
C___
Kronos swallowed his children as soon as they were born.
D 1
In the beginning there was Chaos.
Rhea tricked Kronos with a stone wrapped up as a baby and he swallowed it as
E___
if it was the new born child.
F___
Kronos was banished and Zeus took his place.
G___
Out of Chaos came Gaia, the Earth.
H___
Gaia and Uranos gave birth to the first generation of gods, the twelve Titans.
Uranos was so afraid of his children that he kept them in the dark centre of the
I___
earth.
When Zeus, the youngest child of Kronos and Rhea, was about to be born, Rhea
J___
asked Gaia and Uranos for help to save her son.
Zeus grew up hidden from his father and when he came of age decided to fight
K___
him.
L___
Gaia produced a son, Uranos, the Sky.
M___
Kronos attacked Uranos with a sharp sickle while he was asleep.
N___
Zeus gave a potion to Kronos that made him sick.
O___
Gaia was very angry with Uranos because of that.
Zeus and his brothers Poseidon and Hades shared the power: Poseidon got the
P___
realm of the sea and Hades the Underworld.
Uranos was left wounded and powerless and Kronos became the new ruler of
Q___
the world.
R___
Kronos threw up his five children, still alive.
S___
Gaia and Uranos hid Rhea in a cave, where she gave birth to Zeus.
Kronos married his sister Rhea, and had six children: Hestia, Demeter, Hera,
T___
Hades, Poseidon and Zeus.
U___
Along with his brothers and sisters, Zeus fought against Kronos and the Titans.
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKSHEETS
3. In pairs, fill in the gaps with a suitable word from the box below.
Therefore; then (3); meanwhile; firstly; however (2); at the end; finally; after that (2); later; so
that (2); so; secondly
(1) In the beginning there was Chaos. (2) Out of Chaos came Gaia, the Earth. (3) Gaia _______
produced a son, Uranus, the Sky. (4) _______ Gaia and Uranus gave birth to the first generation of
gods, the twelve Titans. (5) Uranus, _______, was so afraid of his children that kept them in the
dark centre of the earth, _______ (6) Gaia was very angry because of that. (7) _______Gaia
persuaded Kronos, his youngest son, to attack his father. (8) _______ Kronos attacked Uranus with
a sharp sickle while he was asleep. (9) Uranus’ blood _______ dripped down to the sea and from
the foam Aphrodite came to life. (10) Uranus was left wounded and powerless and Kronos
became the new ruler of the universe. (11) _______ Kronos married his sister Rhea and they had
six children: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus. (12) Kronos, _______, swallowed
his children as soon as they were born. (13) When Zeus, the youngest child of Kronos and Rhea,
was about to be born, Rhea asked Gaia and Uranus for help to save her child. (14) They _______
hid Rhea in a cave, where she gave birth to Zeus. (15) _______ Rhea tricked Kronos with a stone
wrapped up as a baby and he swallowed it as it if was the new born child. (16) _______, Zeus
grew up hidden from his father and when he came of age he decided to fight him. (17) _______, he
gave a potion to Kronos that made him sick so that (18) he threw up his five children still alive.
(19) _______, along with his brothers and sisters, Zeus fought against Kronos and the Titans. (20)
_______ Kronos was banished and Zeus took his place. (21) _______ Zeus and his brothers
Poseidon and Hades shared the power: Poseidon got the realm of the sea and Hades the
Underworld.
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKSHEETS
4. Many words we use in our studies come from ancient Greek. Fill in the table below with
the word that results from combining the given stems. What do the new words mean?
anon-/without
cosmoorder; univers
theo- god
-logy
study
-gony
origin
----
polymany
monoone single
-metry
measure
---
---
-----
geo- earth
---
---
---
---
5. Write the following words next to their definition (from Cambridge Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary CD).
Aphrodisiac, Erotic, Titanium, Uranium, Chaos, Titanic
a)
b)
c)
d)
_____________: A state of total confusion and lack of order.
_____________: Related to sexual desire and pleasure.
_____________: A light strong metallic element.
_____________: A heavy metal which is radioactive and is used in the production of
nuclear power and in some types of nuclear weapon.
e) _____________: Something, usually a drug or food, which is believed to cause sexual desire
in people.
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKSHEETS
UNIT 3. THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD AND OF THE GODS
WHY GODS ARE IMMORTAL (Group and pair work)
1. Read the text below and answer the questions that you can with the information
from the text.
TEXT 1 (group 1)
Diomedes, meanwhile, had gone in pursuit of Aphrodite with his spear, knowing what a timid
goddess she was. After a long chase through the crowd he caught up with her and stabbed her
soft hand at the base of the palm. The point pierced her flesh where the palm joins the wrist. Out
came the goddess‘ immortal blood, the ichor that runs in the veins of the gods, who eat no bread
and drink no sparkling wine and so are bloodless and called immortals.
Adapted from Homer, Iliad, V, 330-340
Penguin classics, 2003
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
What do gods have instead of blood?
Why are gods immortal?
What do they eat and drink?
What do mortals eat and drink?
Do you think that gods grew old? Justify your answer.
2. Now fill in the table with the information gathered from the other groups’ texts to
show the differences between gods and humans.
are immortal
GODS
are mortal
while
HUMANS
3. You now know the differences between gods and humans. But in what were they
similar? Discuss it with your partner and try to find three things that gods and
humans had in common according to Greek mythology. Here you have some
questions to help you.
a) What did both gods and humans look like? Give some examples.
b) How did both gods and humans behave? Give some examples.
c) Could both gods and humans be wounded?
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKSHEETS
UNIT 3. THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD AND OF THE GODS
WHY GODS ARE IMMORTAL (Group and pair work)
1. Read the text below and answer the questions that you can with the information
from the text.
TEXT 2 (group 2)
The divine Calypso seated Hermes on a brightly polished chair. The goddess now put some
ambrosia on a table, drew it to his side, and mixed him a cup of red nectar. The Messenger began
to eat and drink, and when he had dined and refreshed himself, he answered Calypso‘s questions.
Adapted from Homer, Odyssey, V, 85-95
Penguin classics, 2003
a)
b)
c)
d)
What do gods have instead of blood?
Why are gods immortal?
What do they eat and drink?
What do mortals eat and drink?
e) Do you think that gods grew old? Justify your answer.
2. Now fill in the table with the information gathered from the other groups’ texts to
show the differences between gods and humans.
are immortal
GODS
are mortal
while
HUMANS
3. You now know the differences between gods and humans. But in what were they
similar? Discuss it with your partner and try to find three things that gods and
humans had in common according to Greek mythology. Here you have some
questions to help you.
a) What did both gods and humans look like? Give some examples.
b) How did both gods and humans behave? Give some examples.
c) Could both gods and humans be wounded?
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKSHEETS
UNIT 3. THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD AND OF THE GODS
WHY GODS ARE IMMORTAL (Group and pair work)
1. Read the text below and answer the questions that you can with the information
from the text.
TEXT 3 (group 3)
The goddess and the man reached the great cavern together and Odysseus seated himself on the
chair that Hermes had just left. The Nymph placed at his side the various kinds of food and drink
that mortal men consume, and sat down facing the noble Odysseus. Her maids set ambrosia and
nectar beside her, and the two helped themselves to the meal spread before them.
Adapted from Homer, Odyssey, V, 191-198
Penguin classics, 2003
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
What do gods have instead of blood?
Why are gods immortal?
What do they eat and drink?
What do mortals eat and drink?
Do you think that gods grew old? Justify your answer.
2. Now fill in the table with the information gathered from the other groups’ texts to
show the differences between gods and humans.
are immortal
GODS
are mortal
while
HUMANS
3. You now know the differences between gods and humans. But in what were they
similar? Discuss it with your partner and try to find three things that gods and
humans had in common according to Greek mythology. Here you have some
questions to help you.
a) What did both gods and humans look like? Give some examples.
b) How did both gods and humans behave? Give some examples.
c) Could both gods and humans be wounded?
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
STUDENT WORKSHEETS
Revision activities for units 1, 2 and 3
1.
Look at this picture of a shop’s sign in Barcelona. Then read the text from the
Wikipedia and answer the questions.
In Greek mythology, Hēbē (Greek: Ἥβη) is
the goddess of youth (Roman equivalent:
Juventas). She is the daughter of Zeus and
Hera. Hêbê was the cupbearer for the gods
and goddesses of Mount Olympus, serving
their nectar and ambrosia.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebe_(mythology)
A) In your opinion, is Hebe a good name for a cosmetics and perfumes shop? Justify
your answer.
B) Why did Hebe (= Youth) serve nectar and ambrosia to the gods?
C) In your opinion, why did ancient Greeks imagine their gods young and immortal?
2.
Look at these vases and write the correct name in the boxes.
Body; handle; neck; foot; lip; mouth; stem
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
3.
STUDENT WORKSHEETS
Complete the following table. You can use the words in the exercise above.
Shape
Name
Amphora
Use
Description
It was used to store
and transport food.
This vase consists of a
large____, a narrow
____, two vertical ______
and a short ______
without stem
This vase consists of a
short and wide ______
on a long ______ and of
two vertical and high
______.
This vase consists of a
wide and shallow
_______ on a thin ______
and two horizontal
_________.
____________________ a
bell-shaped body on a
________ stem and two
__________ handles
This vase consists of an
S-________ body, a
trefoil-_______ ________
and a _________ handle.
This vase consists of a
broad _________ on a
short ______, a narrow
________ and ______
handles: two _______
and one _______.
This
__________________ of a
________ and _______
body on a short ______
and a single handle on
the _______.
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY: THE OLYMPIAN GODS
4.
STUDENT WORKSHEETS
Read the following text by the Greek historian Herodotus (ca. 485-425 BC) and
answer the questions.
‚I think that Hesiod and Homer lived no more than four hundred years before my
time, and they were the ones who created the gods’ family trees for the Greek
world, gave them their names, assigned them their honours and areas of expertise,
and told us what they looked like.‛
Herodotus, The Stories, translation by Robin Waterfield
Oxford World’s Classics, 2008
Oxford University Press
A) According to Herodotus, when did Homer and Hesiod live?
B) Why does Herodotus say that Hesiod and Homer crated the gods’ family trees
and gave them their names?
C) Herodotus also refers to the gods’ aspect. According to the literary and artistic
sources, what did Greek gods look like?
5.
How did Rhea trick Kronos to prevent him from eating little Zeus?
Pilar Torres Carmona
IES Narcís Monturiol