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“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” Joseph Campbell
Essential Questions
List of Heroes
Achilles
Hercules
Beowulf
Atalanta
Theseus
Thor
King Arthur
Odysseus
Gilgamesh
Perseus
Jason
Prometheus
1.
2.
Make a list of
heroic traits:
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of
overwhelming obstacles.” Christopher Reeve
Vocabulary Words
Keep a record of unfamiliar words you come across in your readings. Write
down their definitions and use them in a sentence!
Word
Definition and Sentence
How Prometheus Gave Fire to Men
Many years ago, according to the stories told by the people of ancient
Greece, there lived two brothers who were not like other men, or like the
gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus. They were the sons of one of the
Titans who had fought against Zeus and had been sent in chains to the
prison of the Lower World.
The name of the elder of these brothers was Prometheus (which means
Forethought). Prometheus was always thinking of the future and making
things ready for what might happen tomorrow, or next week, or next
year, or even in a hundred years time. The younger was called
Epimetheus (which means Afterthought). Epimetheus was always so busy
thinking of yesterday, or last year, or a hundred years ago, that he never
worried at all about what might come to pass in the future.
Prometheus did not want to live amongst the clouds on Mount Olympus.
He was too busy for that. While the gods were spending their time in
idleness, drinking nectar and eating ambrosia, he was planning how to
make the world wiser and better than it had ever been before.
So instead of living on Olympus, Prometheus went out amongst men to
live with them and help them and he quickly noticed that they were no
longer happy as they had been during the golden days when Kronos, the
titan, was king. He found them living in caves and in holes of the earth,
shivering with the cold because there was no fire, dying of starvation,
hunted by wild beasts and by one another—the most miserable of all
living creatures.
"If they only had fire," said Prometheus to himself, "they could at least
warm themselves and cook their food; and after a while they could learn
to make tools and build themselves houses. Without fire, they are worse
off than the beasts."
Prometheus went boldly to Zeus and begged him to give fire to the
people, so that they might have a little comfort through the long, dreary
months of winter.
"I will not!" said Zeus, "Not one spark will I share with them! For if men
had fire they might become strong and wise like us, and after a while they
would drive us out of our kingdom. Besides, fire is a dangerous tool and
they are too poor and ignorant to be trusted with it. It is better that we on
Mount Olympus rule the world without threat so all can be happy."
Prometheus didn't answer, but he had set his heart on helping mankind,
and he did not give up. As he was walking by the seashore he found a tall
Notes:
stalk of fennel. He broke it off and then saw that its hollow center was filled
with a dry, soft substance which would burn slowly and stay alight for a
long time. He carried the stalk with him as he began a long journey to the
top of Mount Olympus.
"Mankind shall have fire, despite what Zeus has decided," he said to himself.
And with that thought, he snuck quietly into Zeus' domain and stole a spark
from Zeus' own lightning bolt. Prometheus touched the end of the long reed
to the spark, and the dry substance within it caught on fire and burned
slowly. Prometheus hurried back to his own land, carrying with him the
precious spark hidden in the hollow center of the plant.
When he reached home, he called some of the shivering people from their
caves and built a fire for them, and showed them how to warm themselves
by it and use it to cook their food. Men and women gathered round the fire
and were warm and happy, and thankful to Prometheus for the wonderful
gift which he had brought to them.
One chilly winter evening, Zeus gazed down from Mount Olympus and
noticed fires burning cheerfully at the hearths of men and women in every
village across the land. It did not take him long to realize that Prometheus
had disobeyed him and had given fire to men.
Zeus was very angry and ordered that Prometheus be chained to the side of
a mountain to suffer there for all eternity. And there Prometheus stayed,
thinking of the future, happy in the knowledge that he had given fire to men
until he was one day rescued by Hercules, the mortal son of Zeus ... but that
is a story for another day!
Theseus and the Minotaur
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a king named Minos. King
Minos lived on a lovely island called Crete. King Minos had a powerful navy,
a beautiful daughter, and a really big palace. Still, now and then, King Minos
grew bored. Whenever King Minos was bored, he took his navy and attacked
Athens, a town on the other side of the sea.
In desperation, the king of Athens offered King Minos a deal. If King Minos
would leave Athens alone, Athens would send seven Athenian boys and
seven Athenian girls to Crete every nine years to be eaten by the Minotaur.
The Minotaur was a horrible monster that lived in the center of a huge maze
on the island of Crete. King Minos loved that old monster. He did like to give
his monster a treat now and then. He knew his people would prefer that he
Notes:
feed his monster Athenian children rather than their own. Well, after thinking
it over, King Minos took the deal.
Nine years passed swiftly. It was just about time for Athens to send seven boys
and seven girls to Crete to be eaten by the Minotaur. Everyone in Athens was
crying.
Prince Theseus of Athens knew the importance of keeping one’s word. He
knew that a deal was a deal. But, he was also quite sure that it was wrong to
send small children to be eaten by a monster just to avoid a battle with King
Minos. Prince Theseus told his father, the king, that he was going to Crete as
the seventh son of Athens. He was going to kill the Minotaur and end the
terror.
"The Minotaur is a terrible monster! What makes you think you can kill it?"
cried his father.
"I'll find a way," Theseus replied gently. "The gods will help me."
His father begged him not to go. But the prince took his place as the seventh
Athenian boy. Along with six other Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls,
Prince Theseus sailed towards Crete.
When the prince and the children arrived on the island of Crete, King Minos
and his daughter, the Princess Ariadne, came out to greet them. The king told
the children that they would not be eaten until the next day and to enjoy
themselves in the palace in the meantime. The Princess Ariadne did not say
anything. But her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Late that night, she wrote
Prince Theseus a note and slipped it under his bedroom door.
Dear Theseus (Ariadne wrote),
I am a beautiful princess as you probably noticed the minute you saw me. I
am also a very bored princess. Without my help, the Minotaur will surely
gobble you up. I know a trick or two that will save your life. If I help you kill
the monster, you must promise to take me away from this tiny island so
that others can admire my beauty. If interested in this deal, meet me by the
gate to the Labyrinth in one hour.
Yours very truly,
Princess Ariadne
Prince Theseus slipped out of the palace and waited patiently by the gate.
Princess Ariadne finally showed up. In her hands, she carried a sword and a
ball of string.
Ariadne gave the sword and the ball of string to Prince Theseus. "Hide these
inside the entrance to the maze. Tomorrow, when you and the other children
Notes:
from Athens enter the Labyrinth, wait until the gate is closed, then tie the string
to the door. Unroll it as you move through the maze. That way, you can find your
way back again. The sword, well, you know what to do with the sword," she
laughed.
Theseus thanked the princess for her kindness.
"Don't forget, now," she cautioned Theseus. "You must take me with you so that
all the people can marvel at my beauty."
The next morning, the Athenian children, including Prince Theseus, were shoved
into the maze. The door was locked firmly behind them. Following Ariadne's
directions, Theseus tied one end of the string to the door. He told the children to
stay by the door. Their job was to make sure the string stayed tied so that
Theseus could find his way back. Theseus entered the maze alone.
He found his way to the center of the maze. Using the sword Ariadne had given
him, Theseus killed the monstrous beast. He followed the string back and
knocked on the door.
Princess Ariadne was waiting. She opened the door. Without anyone noticing,
Prince Theseus and the children of Athens ran to their ship and sailed quietly
away. Princess Ariadne sailed away with them.
On the way home, they stopped for supplies on the tiny island of Naxos. Princess
Ariadne insisted on coming ashore. There was nothing much to do on the island.
Soon, she fell asleep. All the people gathered to admire the sleeping princess. She
was a lovely sight indeed. Theseus sailed quietly away with the children of
Athens and left her there, sleeping.
After all, a deal is a deal.
Perseus and Medusa
Once there was a king named Acrisius and he had a beautiful daughter named
Danae. The oracle of Apollo told Acrisius that Danae's son would one day kill
him. Acrisius could not let that happen, so he locked Danae in a bronze tower so
that she would never marry nor have children.
The tower had no doors, but it had one very small window. Danae was very sad,
but one day a bright shower of gold came through the small window. A man
appeared, he had a thunderbolt in his hand and Danae knew he was a god, but
she didn't know which. The man said, "Yes, I am a god and I wish to make you my
wife. I can make this dark prison a wonderful sunny land with many flowers."
All happened as he said. The horrible prison became fields almost as wonderful
as the Elysian Fields themselves, but one day Acrisius saw light coming out of the
Notes:
small window. He told his men to tear down one of the walls. He walked into
the tower and saw Danae with a baby on her lap! Smiling, she said, "I have
named him Perseus." Acrisius was furious so he shut Danae and baby Perseus
up in a large chest and cast them out to sea.
Somehow they got safely to the island of Seriphos where Polydectes was king.
The king’s brother who was a fisherman, caught them in his net and pulled
them to shore. His name was Dictys. Perseus grew up to become a strong
young man. Polydectes heard about Danae and wanted her to marry him, but
she rejected him. Polydectes would have married Danae by force if Perseus
wasn't there to protect her.
Polydectes decided on a plan to get rid of Perseus. Polydectes pretended to be
marrying a daughter of a friend of his. Everybody had to bring a present,
including Perseus. Polydectes pretended to be furious when Perseus arrived
empty-handed, for he was not only very strong and brave but very poor.
"What, no wedding present?" yelled Polydectes. "I don't have any money,"
exclaimed Perseus. "That's what you get for being a lazy good-for-nothing,"
said Polydectes. Perseus was furious. "I can bring you any present in the
world. Anything!" he said. "Then bring me the head of the gorgon Medusa!"
replied Polydectes. "Fine!" said Perseus.
So he went off on his perilous voyage. For days he wandered, searching for the
gorgon’s lair. One night in an unknown country he realized how hopeless
things were. The gorgons were horrible. Instead of hair, they had black
serpents that writhed on their head, they had brazen hands that could have
squashed poor Perseus, but worst of all if you looked a gorgon you were
instantly turned to stone.
Then suddenly a tall woman and a young man with winged sandals appeared.
The man said, "I am Hermes and this is our sister Athena. Yes, you are a son of
Zeus. We have some things that may help you in slaying Medusa. Here are my
winged sandals and the sickle which Cronos used to overpower Uranus and
Zeus used against mighty Typhoeus." "And here is a gift from me." said Athena,
"Use this shield to reflect the image of Medusa so you won't be turned to
stone." "You must find the Graeae and get them to tell you how to get to the
Nymphs of the North. They will give you the cap of darkness and give you a
magic wallet and tell you how to get to the Gorgons' lair." Hermes said.
So Perseus went to the cave of the Graeae. The Graeae were strange women.
There were three of them having only one eye for all three of them which they
constantly fought over. Perseus hid behind some bushes and watched them.
When one took out the eye to give to another, Perseus sprang from his hiding
place and snatched the eye from them. Then he said, "I have your eye and if
you don't tell me how to find the Nymphs of the North you shall never have it
Notes:
back!" So they reluctantly told them how to find the Nymphs of the North. He
gave them back their eye and flew off on his winged sandals.
The kindly Nymphs of the North gave him the Cap of Darkness, which has the
power to make it's wearer invisible, and the magic wallet. They told him how
to reach the gorgons' lair. Perseus went farther north until he found an island
surrounded by rocks and statues which used to be men.
Perseus raised his shield and saw Medusa and her sisters asleep; he put on the
Cap of Darkness and flew down. He swung the sickle and felt it tearing through
her sinew and bone. Still looking into the shield, he put Medusa's head in the
magic wallet. Medusa's sisters woke up and attacked Perseus. He flew quickly
away on his winged sandals and was not hurt.
On his way back to Seriphus he had many adventures. One was when he saw
the Atlas holding up the sky. Perseus felt sorry for Atlas and turned him to
stone by showing him the head of Medusa so he could no longer feel the
weight of his burden.
Later he saw what looked like a statue chained to a rock and he flew down. He
saw that it was not a statue, but a woman. He asked why she was chained to
the rock. "My name is Andromeda and I have been punished because of my
vain mother. She boasted that I was more beautiful than the Nereids. Poseidon
was angered and said that I must be sacrificed to a sea monster," she said.
Even as she spoke a monster rose from the sea.
Perseus pulled Medusa's head out of the wallet and the sea monster turned to
stone and crumbled to pieces. Perseus cut Andromada's chains and took her to
her father, King Cepheus of Phoenicia. When Perseus asked Andromeda's hand
in marriage, Cepheus gladly agreed. So Perseus, with Andromeda in his arms,
set off for Seriphus.
On the way they stopped at Larisa so Perseus could compete in some games,
but when he threw a discus it hit an old man in the stands who was Acrisius.
So the prophecy came true and after mourning for a while Perseus and
Andromeda left.
When they arrived at Seriphus, the first person they met was Dictys the
fisherman who brought Danae and Perseus to shore after they sailed in the
trunk. Dictys told Perseus and Andromeda how Polydectes had never really
married, but since Danae wouldn't marry Polydectes, he forced her to be his
handmaiden. Perseus was furious. He told Dictys to take care of Andromeda.
Perseus stormed to the palace, walked in and said, "Let all who are my friends
shield their eyes!" He raised Medusa's head and Polydectes and his courtiers
were changed to statues. Perseus and Andromeda lived happily for many
Notes:
years and their descendants became great kings, but the greatest of these was
Heracles the strongest man in the world.
Later Perseus was killed by Dionysus. Perseus and Andromeda were put up
in the sky as constellations.
The Story of Hercules
Hercules (who was also known as Heracles), was the son of Zeus and Alcmene, the
wife of Amphitryon. As a father, Zeus had great hopes for his offspring. On the day of
his birth, he announced to all the gods the arrival of a child to his kingdom who
would become king. Hera, who was the guardian of married women, delayed the
arrival of Hercules. Eurystheus, the cousin of Hercules, who was a "spineless
creature", came into the world before Hercules. Zeus had to live up to his promise
and made Eurystheus king. As a result of this, Hercules could only be a champion in
his service to his family and the world.
Hercules demonstrated his strength right from birth. He choked the serpents
that had been sent to him by the jealous Hera. When he was born, he was first
named Alcide ("the strong") but was renamed "Heracles" ("the glory of
Hera") after overcoming the tests that were imposed on him by Hera.
Hercules was educated by Linus, the musician. He learned literature and
music but was found to be a mischievous student. When Linus wanted to beat
him one day, Hercules grabbed a stool and hit Linus with it, killing him. At his
trial, Hercules was acquitted on the grounds that he was only defending
himself. Amphitryon feared his adopted son (most likely due to his strength)
and sent him to a Scythian cattleman, Teutarus, who taught Hercules archery.
At the age of eighteen, Hercules spent fifty days trying to kill the lion of
Cithaeron. Each night he returned to the palace of King Thespius. Because
King Thespius wanted to have Hercules father his grand-children, he put one
of his fifty daughters in Hercules' bed each night. Thus, Hercules had fifty
sons, the Thespeiades, who would eventually colonize Sicily.
Hercules married Megara, the daughter of the Theban king. However, this
marriage was not successful. Hera, who was still jealous of Hercules, made
Hercules go mad and made him kill his children and threaten Amphitryon,
who would have died because of Hercules if Athena hadn't stopped him. To
repent from his crime, he decided to leave his wife, Megara, and put himself
at the service of Eurystheus, his cousin who was now king.
Eurystheus sent Hercules on a mission over his twelve years of servitude, a
mission with twelve labours. On his mission of twelve labours, he strangled
the Nemean lion and made himself armour from the hide. Secondly, he cut off
the many heads of the Lernaean Hydra and brought back the enormous
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Erymanthian Boar alive. With his arrows, he shot down the many birds of the
Stymphalian Marsh who raided the crops and killed men. As well, he cleaned
the stables of Augeias by diverting the courses of two big rivers, the Alpheus
and the Peneius. He completed this task in just one day. Furthermore, he
brought back the angry Cretan Bull (alive for that matter) who breathed fire
through his nostrils. He killed Diomedes, who gave his horses human flesh to
eat. He also seized the girdle given by Ares to Hippolyta. Using the sun's
golden cup, he brought Geryon's cattle back to Greece from the Far East,
fighting along the way with enemies who included Neleus, who was the king of
Pylus. Hercules retrieved the golden apples from the Garden of the
Hesperides, challenging the giant, Antaeus, the Pygmies and the dragon,
Ladon, and freeing Prometheus on the way. Lastly, from Hades, he brought
Cerberus, the dog who defended the gates of Hades.
When he returned back to Eurystheus, he brought back the results of each
labour to Eurystheus. Because Eurystheus was afraid of Hercules, Eurystheus
shut himself within a bronze jar to protect himself.
It is impossible to list all the feats that Hercules achieved. Hercules travelled
everywhere, including the depths of hell. He stood up to the forces of a
different kind and succeeded in injuring Hades and Hera with his arrows.
Because of his feats, he was considered a superhuman, conceivably already a
god.
Hercules won the hand of Deianeira and lived with her in Calydon. Soon, after
being chased by bad luck and Hera's revengefulness, he accidentally killed one
of his father-in-law's pages. As a result of this incident, he had to leave with his
wife and son and when they crossed the River Evenus. Nessus, the boatman,
tried to rape Deianeira. Before Nessus was killed by Hercules, he had enough
time to tell her that his blood was a love potion which would bring back her
husband's affection should she ever lose his affection.
After, Hercules went mad and went to ask Pythia, priestess of Apollo, of her
opinion. She said that to free himself of this evil, he must sell himself as a slave
to someone. Omphale, the Queen of Lydia, bought him and he was in her
service for three years. This long separation between Hercules and Deianeira
led him to court Iole, who was the daughter of Eurytus. However, when
Deianeira was informed of this, she sent a new piece of clothing to Hercules
which she had soaked in Nessus' blood.
Hercules, who suspected nothing, put on the tunic and was seized by
incredible pain. He tried to tear the piece of clothing off but it stuck to his skin;
the love potion turned out to be poison. Hercules built a pyre and asked his
companions to ignite it.
Notes:
When the flames started to leap into the air, there was a strike of thunder,
and Hercules was taken up to heaven; he had just been immortalized. On
Olympus, he married Hebe (the goddess of eternal youth) and settled his
differences with Hera.
Atalanta and the Hunt
Deserted by her cruel and disappointed father, Iasus (also called Schoenius) left a
tiny, wailing baby lying on a mountainside to die. However, Iasus's scheme, resulting
from his anger at a daughter rather than a son, was unsuccessful. A she-bear came
across the infant, adopted her, and treated her as she would her own cub.
Six years later, when Atalanta was still a little girl, kind hunters found her
while she was picking berries. They took her in and taught her the ways of the
human world. They trained her in many things, including hunting, in which
she excelled. She eventually became more than their equal in all things
involved in the life of a hunter.
One day as Atalanta was off hunting, two Centaurs, Rhoecus and Hylaeus,
caught sight of her and followed her through the woods. Her keen hearing
and eagle-like eyes enabled her to spot her pursuers before it was too late.
She shot one arrow and killed both of the Centaurs with ease.
The great Calydonian Boar Hunt occurred as a result of a punishment to King
Oeneus, who had forgotten to make a sacrifice to Artemis at the harvest time.
In revenge, Artemis sent a huge boar to ravage the kingdom. A hunt was
planned to get rid of the monster. When the day of the hunt came, Atalanta
emerged from the wood dressed in simple clothing, but beaming with pride.
The only woman in the hunt, she was looked upon unfavorably by the manly
group of hunters summoned by the king. However, Meleager, Oeneus's son,
thought her the loveliest creature he'd ever beheld. When the men protested
her participation in the hunt, Meleager argued until the men agreed to let
Atalanta join the hunt. The horrible boar killed three men before it was struck
by Atalanta's arrow and wounded. Meleager finished off the beast and in
appreciation; the other hunters gave Atalanta the boar skin as a souvenir of
her bravery and skill. Meleager's relatives thought he should be given the skin
and argued and threatened the girl and her family. Lashing out in fury,
Meleager tried to defend the woman he loved, but the fight led to his death.
After Meleager's death, Atalanta had many adventures. She competed in
several different hunting contests and went sailing around with the
Argonauts. She had many suitors, but didn't really want any. To avoid having
to marry, she challenged any suitor to a footrace. But no man could beat her.
Notes:
Aphrodite, as always, was offended at any woman who rejected the opposite
sex. She wanted desperately to make Atalanta fall in love and so she chose a
bright young man for her to love. Hippomenes was his name and he was given
three golden apples. On the day of his race for her hand, Hippomenes and
Atalanta stood waiting at the starting line. Hippomenes had the golden apples
in his hand. As they began to run, Hippomenes rolled the apples one by one
along the ground in Atalanta's path, so they would catch her eye and she
would stoop to pick them up. Her pauses gave Hippomenes just enough time
to get one stride ahead of her. He won the race and she was now in his
possession. They had a child together, Parthenopaeus, who was one of the
Seven against Thebes. As the result of a dispute with Zeus, the couple is
believed to have been turned into lions.
Notes:
Epic Heroic Poetry
Now that you have read some examples of ancient mythological heroes, you will do
research to choose your own hero who fits the typical heroic path. Your choice should be
from classical, mythological, or medieval times. Using your research, you will then write an
epic poem in the classic style about the deeds or heroic journey of your chosen figure.
(Epic poem: a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds)
Tips for Writing Epic Heroic Poetry
1. Include the whole story of the hero/heroine’s life or quest; you should include
important events and character’s names in order to clearly identify your hero or
heroine.
2. Give it a creative, clever title and include the name of the hero/heroine.
3. Epic poetry does not have to rhyme. However, if it does rhyme, it must follow a
rhyme scheme throughout.
4. Make the poem epic with use of dramatic description. Glorify your heroic figure with
virtues and hyperbole.
5. Epic poetry is written in equal single-spaced stanzas; usually stanzas are 4 lines
long.
6. You must include at least 4 vocabulary words.
7. The poem should be no longer than 2 pages in length.
8. Include a border and a picture of your hero.
Light My Fire: The Tragic Tale of
Prometheus
There were once two brothers
Who were unlike any gods or men.
Prometheus and Epimetheus were they called by others
Of the brothers who were then
As night and day, sunshine and rain.
Prometheus, the more conscientious of the two
Always looked forward to what might come.
Epimetheus never cared what the future might do,
Only worried about himself, so numb.
He was the more selfish one.
Prometheus grew bored of his life
On Mt. Olympus with the gods who were all so lazy.
So he instead went to live among men, among their strife.
To help them, and guide them through problems so hazy.
To make earth a more habitable place daily.
What he found was astonishing to witness,
Men living in caves, starving to death,
And dying like beasts in hopelessness.
He sympathized with their plight, noting in one breath.
“If they only had fire” their lives could change without a fret.
But Zeus refused to share what they desperately needed.
Fearing fire would allow man
To become strong and take over his kingdom, leaving the king defeated.
Yet, Prometheus had his mind made up and ran.
And stole a spark of fire from Zeus’ own thunderbolt according to his plan.
He brought it to the people.
He taught them how to use fire,
To yield weapons, cook, and keep warm within their steeple.
When Zeus discovered the deed had been done, without the need to inquire,
He punished Prometheus, catching him on the run in a situation so dire.
He chained him to the side of a mountain
To suffer consequences of his actions for all eternity.
But conscientious Prometheus only looked beyond where he was mounted.
To the future, happy with his destiny,
One day to be rescued by Hercules!