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Greek Mythology 1.What is the significance of learning Greek mythology? 1) Greek mythology reflects the Greeks’ a.deification of natural forces b.idealization of human powers c.perception, interpretation and personification of the universe d.rich and colorful treasure of oral literary creation in the primitive society 2) It provides lifelike materials for us to understand early human civilizations a.mode of production—farming b.social structure—matriarchal c.family structure—communal marriage 2.In what aspects does it influence the shaping of the European culture? a.development of Roman culture b.development of Christian culture c.as subjects for artistic creation in-painting, sculpture, music, literature 3.What are the three principal types of figures involved in Greek mythology? 1) Gods a.The creation of Gods b.Cronus and Rhea c.Zeus and the Olympian Gods d.The Offspring of Zeus e.Disruptive Deities 2) Mortals a.The creation of Human Beings b.The Greek People 3) Heroes a.Jason and the Golden Fleece b.Meleager c.Heroes of the Trojan War d.Heracles and Theseus e.Oedipus 4.Are the images of gods in Greek mythology the same as that of God in Christianity? a.with human emotions among us b.dominating, almighty above us 5.What are the Greek gods in nature? a.symbols of human desire to show authority b.symbols of human desire to punish anyone against authority c.symbols of human such emotions as jealousy, love, and grief d.idealized human forms 6.What are the Greek heroes in nature? a.supermen empowered by gods b.symbols of god-man relationship 7.What are the functions of Greek mythology? 1) Explanation 2) Exploration 3) Legitimation 4) Entertainment 8.What are the origins of Greek mythology? The Middle Eastern mythologies 9.How did it develop? By oral and written literature, and artistic works of sculpture and decorated pottery The Greeks built the Temple of Apollo at Didyma, Turkey (about 300 bc). The temple supposedly housed an oracle who foretold the future to those seeking knowledge. The predictions of the oracles, delivered in the form of riddles, often brought unexpected results to the seeker. With Ionic columns reaching 19.5 m (64 ft) high, these ruins suggest the former grandeur of the ancient temple. After wounding his father and taking away his power, Cronus became ruler of the universe. But Cronus, in turn, feared that his own son would supplant him. When his sister and wife Rhea gave birth to offspring—Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon—Cronus swallowed them. Only the youngest, Zeus, escaped this fate, because Rhea tricked Cronus. She gave him a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes to swallow in place of their baby son, Zeus. Zeus in Greek mythology was ruler of both the Olympian gods and the human race. Sometimes he is portrayed as a just and merciful defender of the weak. At other times he appears to be passionate, inconstant, and vengeful. This ancient Greek bust of Zeus is in the National Museum in Naples, Italy. Hermes Holding Infant Dionysus the (about 340 bc) is attributed to the Greek sculptor Praxiteles. Dionysus, the god of wine, had two distinct aspects—ecstasy and violence. The followers of Dionysus often worshiped him in drunken revelry. This statue of him as an infant with Hermes, the messenger of the gods, was originally made for the Temple of Hera at Olympia. Battle of Lapiths and Centaurs In Greek mythology, the centaurs were notorious for uncivilized behavior. When the Lapiths—neighbors of the centaurs—invited them to a wedding feast, they attempted to carry off the bride and other women. Dionysus, also known as Bacchus, was the Greek god of wine and was celebrated in annual festivals. The Sirens In Greek mythology sirens were sea nymphs who lured sailors with their sweet singing, causing their ships to founder. Odysseus overcame the temptation by tying himself to his ship’s mast This modern reconstruction of the legendary Trojan Horse stands at the archaeological site of Troy in what is now Turkey. During the Trojan War, attacking Greek soldiers hid in a hollow wooden horse, which the unsuspecting Trojans brought inside the city walls of Troy. The Trojan War ended soon afterward with a Greek victory. In the classical myth Penelope waited 20 years for her husband, Ulysses (the Latin name for the Greek hero Odysseus), to return from the Trojan War. Struggle of Hercules with the Hydra of Lerna Hercules engaged in one of his twelve great labors, battling a nine-headed serpent called the Hydra. Each time one of its heads was cut off, the Hydra would grow two more in its place. Standing to one side with a torch is Hercules's nephew Iolaus, who, according to one version of the story, helped to cauterize the necks of the monster after Hercules cut the heads off, thereby preventing them from growing back. Oedipus and the Sphinx French painter Jean-AugusteDominique Ingres was a superb draftsman who created numerous depictions of historical and mythological figures. Shown here is his Oedipus and the Sphinx (1808), Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt The Greek goddess Artemis was associated with hunting and wild animals. She was also connected to childbirth, nature, the harvest, the moon, and the protection of young women. Venus Adonis and Adonis was a Greek mythological figure noted for his great beauty. Three Gorgons, monstrous, dragonlike sisters with snakes for hair, who were shunned because they turned all who looked at them to stone. The only mortal of the three, Medusa was killed when the young hero Perseus severed her head. Death of Achilles Achilles, a Greek mythological hero, was invulnerable to injury except on one of his heels. Palace at Knossos The ancient city of Knossos was a center of the Minoan civilization, an advanced society on Crete named after Minos, a legendary Cretan king. Skilled in such fields as engineering and architecture, the Minoans constructed the palace at Knossos in 1700 bc. Dido Receiving Aeneas According to the Roman poet Virgil, Venus caused Dido to fall in love with the Trojan warrior Aeneas when he was shipwrecked at Carthage. When he was forced to continue his journey to Rome, Dido killed herself. Dido Receiving Aeneas and Cupid Disguised as Ascanius, created in the 1720s by Italian artist Francesco Solimena, is in the National Gallery in London, England.