Download GREEK AND ROMAN MYTHS 3 Echo and Narcissus Echo was a

GREEK AND ROMAN MYTHS
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Echo and Narcissus
Echo was a wood nymph who loved a youth by the name of Narcissus. He was a beautiful
creature loved by many but Narcissus loved no one. He enjoyed attention, praise, and envy. In
Narcissus' eyes nobody matched him and as such he considered none were worthy of him.
Echo's passion for Narcissus was equaled only by her passion for talking as she always had to
have the last word. One day she enabled the escape of the goddess Juno's adulterous husband by
engaging Juno in conversation. On finding out Echo's treachery Juno cursed Echo by removing
her voice with the exception that she could only speak that which was spoken to her.
Echo often waited in the woods to see Narcissus hoping for a chance to be noticed. One day as
she lingered in the bushes he heard her footsteps and called out “Who's here?” Echo replied
“Here!” Narcissus called again "Come", Echo replied "Come!". Narcissus called once more
“Why do you shun me?... Let us join one another.” Echo was overjoyed that Narcissus had asked
her to join him. She longed to tell him who she was and of all the love she had for him in her
heart but she could not speak. She ran towards him and threw herself upon him.
Narcissus became angry “Hands off! I would rather die than you should have me!” and threw
Echo to the ground. Echo left the woods a ruin, her heart broken. Ashamed she ran away to live
in the mountains yearning for a love that would never be returned. The grief killed her. Her body
became one with the mountain stone. All that remained was her voice which replied in kind
when others spoke.
Narcissus continued to attract many nymphs all of whom he briefly entertained before scorning
and refusing them. The gods grew tired of his behavior and cursed Narcissus. They wanted him
to know what it felt like to love and never be loved. They made it so there was only one whom
he would love, someone who was not real and could never love him back.
One day whilst out enjoying the sunshine Narcissus came upon a pool of water. As he gazed into
it he caught a glimpse of what he thought was a beautiful water spirit. He did not recognize his
own reflection and was immediately enamored. Narcissus bent down his head to kiss the vision.
As he did so the reflection mimicked his actions. Taking this as a sign of reciprocation Narcissus
reached into the pool to draw the water spirit to him. The water displaced and the vision was
gone. He panicked, where had his love gone? When the water became calm the water spirit
returned. “Why, beautiful being, do you shun me? Surely my face is not one to repel you. The
nymphs love me, and you yourself look not indifferent upon me. When I stretch forth my arms
you do the same; and you smile upon me and answer my beckoning with the like.” Again he
reached out and again his love disappeared. Frightened to touch the water Narcissus lay still by
the pool gazing in to the eyes of his vision.
He cried in frustration. As he did so Echo also cried. He did not move, he did not eat or drink, he
only suffered. As he pined he became gaunt losing his beauty. The nymphs that loved him
pleaded with him to come away from the pool. As they did so, Echo also pleaded with him. He
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was transfixed; he wanted to stay there forever. Narcissus like Echo died with grief. His body
disappeared and where his body once lay a flower grew in its place. The nymphs mourned his
death and as they mourned Echo also mourned.
Vocabulary
Nymph—
Shun—
Enamored—
Mimicked—
Reciprocation—
Beckoning—
Pined—
Mourned—
Questions:
1. What words do we derive in English from the names Echo and Narcissus? Why are they
appropriate?
2. What is the moral/message of this myth? What values from ancient Greek culture can you
infer from this story? Do we have similar values in our culture today?
Daedalus and Icarus
King Minos of Crete asked the sea god Poseidon for a sacrificial bull, and a beautiful white bull
had emerged from the sea. Indeed, the bull was so magnificent that Minos decided to keep it
rather than sacrifice it to Poseidon. The angry sea god punished the king by causing his wife,
Pasiphae, to fall helplessly in love with the bull. At the request of the queen, the famous
craftsman Daedalus built a lifelike model of a cow in which she could conceal herself and spend
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time with her beloved bull. As a result of these visits, Pasiphae gave birth to the Minotaur, a
monstrous creature with the body of a man and the head of a bull.
King Minos wanted to hide the Minotaur. He ordered Daedalus to construct a prison from which
the monster could never escape. Daedalus designed the Labyrinth, a mazelike network of
winding passages that had only one entrance. Its layout was so complex that no one who entered
it could ever find a way out. King Minos kept the Minotaur imprisoned in the Labyrinth.
The Minotaur was given humans to eat. Some were provided by the city of Athens. After
suffering defeat in battle with Crete, Athens had to send King Minos a yearly tribute of seven
boys and seven girls. These unfortunate Athenians were sent into the Labyrinth one by one as
food for the Minotaur.
One year the Greek hero Theseus came to Crete as one of the youths. He was determined to put
an end to the human sacrifice. Ariadne, the king's daughter, fell in love with Theseus and asked
Daedalus to help her find a way of saving him. When Theseus went into the Labyrinth to slay the
Minotaur, Ariadne gave him a ball of string that she had obtained from Daedalus. Theseus tied
the string to the entrance of the Labyrinth and unwound it as he made his way toward the
Minotaur. He killed the beast and then used the string to find his way out of the Labyrinth.
When King Minos discovered what had happened, he was furious. To punish Daedalus for his
role in the escape, the king imprisoned him and his young son Icarus in the Labyrinth.
Daedalus put his talents to work. Day after day, he collected the feathers of birds. He also
gathered wax from a beehive. When he had enough feathers and wax, Daedalus set to work
making two pairs of enormous wings, one pair for himself and the other for Icarus.
Daedalus carefully instructed his son how to use the wings to fly He warned Icarus not to fly too
high or too low. If he flew too high, the sun's heat could melt the wax that held the wings
together. If he flew too low, he risked being swept up by the sea.
With that, father and son took off from Crete. The wings worked well, and Daedalus and Icarus
began to fly across the sea. However, Icarus did not pay attention to his father's warning. He flew
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higher and higher until the sun's heat melted the wax in his wings. Icarus fell into the ocean and
drowned. Daedalus managed to fly safely to Sicily.
Vocabulary
Labyrinth—
Questions
1. This myth is actually three myths condensed into one (Pasiphae and the Minotaur, Theseus
and Ariadne, and Daedalus and Icarus). Like many Greek myths, they are connected. Construct a
timeline of cause/effect events below to trace this myth from beginning to end.
______________________________________________________________________________
2. All of these myths involve innocent people being punished for others’ crimes. Who is the root
of the conflict? Who suffers? Is this fair? What does this say about how Greeks viewed the
world?
Orpheus and Eurydice
Be warned: this story is beautiful but tragic. It begins with Orpheus, the best musician that ever
lived. One strum of his lyre, one note sung, and beasts would crawl to him, rocks would shift
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their moss to move to be closer, trees would tear their roots to be closer to him. He had more
power than a mortal man ought to for he was the son of the Muse Calliope.
He lived his life simply and carelessly until the day he met Eurydice. She was a Dryad, and when
they fell in love it meant everything to them. But the rustic god Aristaeus saw Eurydice's beauty
and desired it, and did not care that she was unwilling and in love with another. She ran from
him in terror, without thought to her step, and so it was she stepped on a poisonous snake in her
flight. The venom of its bite killed her at once and her spirit went to the Underworld. Orpheus
was inconsolable. His grief was bitter, but he did not let it lull him into a stupor, he decided to
take action.
With his lyre, Orpheus descended into the Underworld. A normal mortal would have perished
any number of times, but Orpheus had his lyre and his voice and he charmed Cerberus - the
three-headed monster dog of Hades who guarded the Underworld - into letting him pass. Facing
Hades and his cold Queen Persephone he played for them his sorrow at the loss of his love. The
heart that was frozen by Hades' abduction melted in Persphone's breast and a tear rolled down
her cheek. Even Hades could not help weeping. They let Orpheus through to Eurydice, but
warned him very carefully: Eurydice would follow him into the light of the world and once she
entered the sunlight she would be changed from a shade back to a woman. But if Orpheus
doubted, if he looked back to see her, she would be lost to him forever.
Orpheus heard and rejoiced. He turned and left the dark hall of Hades and began his ascent back
to life. As he walked he rejoiced that his wife would soon be with him again. He listened closely
for her footfall behind him, but a shade makes no noise. The closer to the light he got, the more
he began to believe that Hades had tricked him to get him out of the Underworld, He feared that
Eurydice was not behind him. Only feet away from the light Orpheus lost faith and turned
around. He saw Eurydice, but only for a moment as her shade was whisked back down among
the other dead souls. She was gone.
Orpheus tried again to enter the Underworld and demand her return, but one cannot enter twice
the same way - and no other way was open to him. All that was left to him was death. Here the
story changes. There are different stories of his death. Some say he played so mournfully that his
songs called for death, and that the animals who surrounded him tore him apart, weeping as they
did. Some say it was Maenads in a frenzy who ripped the singer to shreds. Some say he was
struck down by Zeus for disclosing mysteries that were meant to be kept sacred. Either way, he
was torn apart, and much of him was thrown to the winds. But the Muses mourned the death of
their son and prodigy, and saved his head to sing forever.
Vocabulary
Lyre—
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Rustic—
Inconsolable—
Stupor—
Prodigy—
Questions
1. The ancient Greeks valued music, beauty, and art. How does this myth show this cultural trait?
2. This is one of the many myths that involve a hero descending into the Underworld. Why do
you think that archetype (see notes) exists in so many myths around the world?
Cupid and Psyche
There was once a king who had three daughters, all lovely maidens, but the youngest Psyche,
excelled her sisters so great that beside them she seemed like a goddess consorting with mere
mortals. The fame of her surpassing beauty spread far and wide and soon many people came to
worship her as though she were a goddess. Venus' temples lay in filth and her favorite city lay in
ruins, for now, all that cared for Venus cared for Psyche.
Venus grew jealous of Psyche and as always turned to her son Cupid for help. She told Cupid to
go to earth and shoot Psyche with an arrow as to make her fall in love with the most despicable
creature on the earth. He would have done so if he was not first shown Psyche. It was as though
Cupid pierced his own heart with one of his arrows. Venus left Cupid confident that he would
carry out her orders.
What happened next, Venus did not count on. Psyche did not fall in love with a horrible creature
and still more strange she did not fall in love at all. All the men were content in worshiping and
admiring her but no one ever truly loved her. Both her sisters inexpressibly inferior to her had
gotten married to kings and yet she sat sad and solitary, only to be admired, not loved.
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Her father in discourse turned to an oracle of Apollo for advice. The oracle said that Cupid
himself told him to say that Psyche be dressed in deepest mourning and placed on the summit of
a mountain to be taken away by a winged serpent, stronger than the gods themselves, to make his
wife.
Misery came as her father told the family the lamentable news. They dressed Psyche up as
though she was to attend her own funeral and walked with her to the top of the hill. Though her
parents wept grievously, she kept her courage and said she was glad the time had come. They
went in despairing grief leaving her helpless on the top of the mountain and returned to the
palace and mourned all their days for her.
As she sat atop the mountain she wept and trembled not knowing what was to come. Suddenly a
warm breath of wind caressed her neck and she felt herself being lifted up and away until she
came down upon a soft meadow with flowers so fragrant. She had forgotten all her fears here and
fell asleep. As she woke beside a bright river; and on its bank was a stately mansion that was fit
for the gods themselves. So awe-struck as she hesitated at the threshold, she heard voices telling
her the house was for her and that she should bath and refresh and a banquet table will be set for
her and then it told her they were her servants.
The food and so delicious and the bath so refreshing. While she dined, she heard sweet
melodious music, but could not see who was playing. As the day passed she began to feel
reassured that she would soon meet her husband. As night came she heard the sweet whispers of
her husband’s voice in her ears and realized that her husband was no monster or shape of terror,
but the husband she had so desperately longed for.
Psyche had not spoken with her sisters in some time and requested from her husband that she
give them welcome to the palace. He said that this would bring bad fortune upon her but she
wept and wept and soon he gave in and granted her request. Her sisters greeted her with tears and
embraces. Both sisters became overcome with jealousy as they realized their wealth was nothing
in comparison with hers, they began plotting a way to ruin her.
That very night Psyche's husband warned her once more. Already Psyche's sisters realized
Psyche's contradictory remarks on the appearance of her husband and realized she had not seen
him before. They began to invoke feelings of suspicion and fear that her husband was really the
serpent that the oracle had said would come and that one night he would devour her.
Psyche's heart began to fill with terror and not love. She plotted that night that she would sleep
with a sharp knife and lamp near her bed, and that once her husband fell fast asleep that she go to
his bed and plunge the dagger into his body for it was forsaken that she would see a hideously
misshapen body of a monster.
She was confused she thought it was her loving husband, not a serpent monster, but it also was
her loving husband. She must have certainty; she finally decided one thing for sure she would
see him tonight.
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That night she mustered up the courage and lit the lamp and tiptoed to her husband's bedside. As
the light came upon him, she realized it was not a monster but the most beautiful man she had
ever seen, overcome with shame at her mistrust she would have plunged the dagger into her
breast if it had not fallen from her hands. But the same hands that saved her betrayed her, as she
trembled a drop of hot oil from the lamp fell on her husband's shoulder and he began to wake. At
the sight of this infidelity, he fled without a word.
Psyche fled into the night in search of her husband she traveled far and wide in search for him.
Meanwhile her husband had gone to Venus' chamber to have his wound cared for, but as soon as
she heard the story she left her him in his pain as she became even more overcome with jealousy.
She vowed to show Psyche what it felt like to bring down the wrath of a goddess.
Psyche's search was to no avail; she had not found her husband so she went to Venus herself.
Venus would grant her wish if she completed the task of separating a great quantity of the
smallest seeds by night fall. As she sat there alone she realized that this was an impossible task to
complete. No one had heard Psyche's prayers for they did not want to become an enemy of
Venus. But the tiniest of creatures felt sympathy for her. The ants began to sort the seeds for
Psyche. All the seeds lay in ordered neat piles. This is what Venus saw when she came. "Your
work is by no means done" said Venus. She gave Psyche a piece of crust and bade her sleep on
the ground as she left to her soft fragrant couch.
The next morning, she devised another task for Psyche, this time a dangerous one. There were
sheep down near the riverbank with golden fleece. She was to fetch some fleece and bring it back
to Venus. As she reached the river, she had the urge to hurl herself into it ending all her pains,
but a voice bade her not to. The voice instructed her to wait till the sheep came out of the bushes
toward the evening for the sheep were indeed very fierce. She did as she was told and once the
sheep left she gathered the fleece from the sharp briars and she carried it back to her cruel
mistress. Venus received it with an evil smile. Venus knew that Psyche could not have
accomplished this alone said that she must prove herself by obtaining a flask filled with water
from the river Styx. As she approached the waterfall, she realized that only a winged creature
could reach it. This time her savior was an eagle, who poised with great wings beside her, seized
the flask from her with his beak and brought it back to her full of the black water.
But Venus kept on. She sent Psyche with a box which she was to carry to the underworld and ask
Persephone to fill with some of her beauty. Psyche found her guide in a tower on her path. It
gave her careful directions on how to get to Persephone's palace. All had happened as her guide
had told her and Persephone was willing to do Venus a favor, and Psyche, greatly encouraged,
bore back the box.
The last trial was brought upon herself out of curiosity. She wished to see the beauty-charm in
the box and perhaps use some herself for she must look beautiful if she was to see the God of
Love again. She opened the box but nothing was to be found inside suddenly a deadly languor
took possession of her as she fell into a heavy sleep.
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At this point, Cupid stepped forward. Cupid was healed from his wound and had fled the palace
by flying through the windows for Venus lock him in his chamber. Cupid picked Psyche up and
wiped the sleep from her eyes and placed it into the box. Cupid told her to take the box to his
mother and all would be fine. To make sure Cupid flew up to Mount Olympus and spoke with
Jupiter himself. Although Cupid had done Jupiter harm previously by making him turn into a
bull and a swan, he agreed to help him. Jupiter summoned all the gods, including Venus, and
announced the marriage of Cupid and Psyche. Mercury brought Psyche to the palace of the gods,
and Jupiter himself gave her the ambrosia to make her immortal. Venus was in turn satisfied for
with Psyche up in Heaven; she would not command attention from the men on earth.
So all came to a most happy end. Love and Soul (for that is what Psyche means) had sought and,
after sore trials, found each other; that union could never be broken.
Vocabulary
Excelled—
ConsortingDespicable—
Lamentable—
Melodious—
Contradictory—
Mustered—
Infidelity—
Avail—
Languor—
Questions
1. What does this myth show that the ancient Greeks believed about their gods? What
characteristics did their gods have?
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2. Who is the hero of this myth? Why are they heroic?
3. Are you happy with the ending? Why or why not?
4. If Psyche means “soul,” what do you think “psychology” means?
Glossary of Greek and Roman Gods/Terms
These are a few (but not all) of the Greek gods with their Roman names included. Use as a
reference while studying your myths. The first 12 gods/goddesses are known as the Pantheon.
Zeus (Jove/Jupiter)—king of the gods; god of the sky
Hera (Juno)—queen of the gods; goddess of marriage
Poseidon (Neptune)—god of the sea
Hades (Pluto)—god of the underworld and wealth
Apollo (Apollo)—god of the sun, medicine, and music
Aphrodite (Venus)—goddess of love and beauty
Athena (Minerva)—goddess of wisdom, war (defense), and civilization
Ares (Mars)—god of war (offense)
Artemis (Diana)—goddess of the hunt, the wild, and virgins. Known as goddess of the moon
(Selene) in the heavens and goddess of witchcraft (Hecate) in the underworld.
Hephaestus (Vulcan)—god of fire, weapons, and the forge
Hermes (Mercury)—messenger of the gods; god of thieves
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--Ceres (Demeter)—goddess of grain and agriculture
Persephone (Proserpine)—goddess of flowers
Dionysus (Bacchus)—god of wine and celebration
Eros (Cupid) – god of love
Hynos (Somnus)—god of sleep
Nike (Victoria)—goddess of victory
Cronus (Saturn)—king of the Titans; father of Zeus
Ambrosia/nectar—the food and drink of the gods
Additional Gods/Goddesses/Terms:
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Word Origins
Look up the following words and find their origins in mythology. Most come from Greek and
Roman mythology, but not all.
Aphrodisiac—
Atlas—
Fortune—
Panic—
Midas-touch—
Typhoon—
Martial—
Hypnosis—
Insomnia—
Erotic—
Diva—
Tuesday—
Wednesday—
Thursday—
Friday—
Saturday—
January—
March—
June—
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Mr. Elrod
What Makes Us Human (English 9)
Unit 9.2—Myths and Legends: Heroes Under the Surface
Introduction
We have spent the last four weeks studying stories. We know that a story cannot exist without a ____________________ (and their motivations/ wishes/ fears) and ____________(their setting
and what happens to them). We use stories to explain ____________________ that happens or
exists.
__________ are a specific type of story. They are narratives, not necessarily false, that explain
how humanity came into its present state. They explain phenomena of nature, religious rituals,
and human nature. They delve into the spiritual or moral side of humanity, and societies use
them to preserve their morals and values.
Human beings have always been curious, and they produce myths to carve truths from the chaos
they find in the world. Therefore, mythology preserves the sanity and meaning of an otherwise
insane and meaningless world.
Myths speak truths that somehow relate to us all. There is something inside all humans, that
recognizes universal patterns that repeat in literature across times and cultures. These patterns,
usually symbols, images, themes, or characters, are called ________________. Common ones
include floods, trees of life, earth divers, tricksters, heroes, fated lovers, femme fatales, fountains
of youth, magic swords or rings, quests, wise old men, etc.
Mythology, like all art, flips past the brain and dives straight into our bellies. Therefore, it is
impossible to study mythology without diving into the gut of humanity.
1. What do you know about mythology already? Gods? Goddesses? Heroes? Stories?
2. What do you want to know about mythology? What culture’s mythology particularly interests
you?
Mr. Elrod
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What Makes Us Human (English 9)
Unit 9.2—Myths and Legends: Heroes Under the Surface
Objectives
Indiana State Standards for English 9 require that you learn about mythology, particularly Greek
and Roman mythology, because of its huge impact on our culture. So much of our politics,
philosophy, language, architecture, and worldview come from ancient Greek and Roman culture.
Therefore, as a class we will focus on Greek and Roman mythology, but I encourage you to
research myths from other ancient cultures, such as Norse, African, Asian, Incan, Mayan, Aztec,
Native American, Egyptian, and Celtic.
Diploma Plus content competencies for Language Arts require that you are familiar with
different genres of literature, that you know how to develop meaning from all types of literature,
and that you are aware of how language choice affects meaning. Since our models for literature
and vocabulary come from Greek and Roman culture, we will study these myths.
Diploma Plus personal competencies require that you have integrity. Since many of the heroes
from mythology display this quality of standing up for their convictions and beliefs, we will
study these myths as models for certain positive behaviors.
The following pages contain FOUR Greek myths that we will study as a class. Each includes
VOCABULARY and QUESTIONS that you are responsible for completing.
There is also a GLOSSARY of Greek and Roman gods that is helpful for understanding the
stories, as well as an exercise in WORD ORIGINS that includes common words that have
origins in mythology. You are also responsible for completing this.
Finally, there is a PROJECT GUIDELINE that describes your authentic assessment for this unit.
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Mr. Elrod
What Makes Us Human (English 9)
Unit 9.2—Myths and Legends: Heroes Under the Surface
Project Guidelines: Myth Magazine
You are being considered for a promotion to editor-in-chief of the prestigious Myth Magazine
publishing office in New York City. Your hiring depends entirely on a trial publication of the
magazine’s next issue. You have until your deadline in a few weeks (exact date TBA) to make
sure all columns, articles, and sections are completed, edited, formatted, and laid out for
publication. You are competing against several other candidates for the same job.
Myth Magazine has the following standard sections in every issue:
a) Classifieds—Located near the end of the magazine, people post ads on this full page to recruit
heroes and heroines for quests, to seek compatible love partners, and to sell exotic items.
b) Crossword Puzzle—Located anywhere in the magazine, this is fun full-page activity that
challenges readers in their knowledge of mythology. Clues should be typed, but the puzzle can
be hand drawn.
c) Fun Facts of Word Origins—Located anywhere in the magazine, this column includes at least
five obscure origins of English words that haven’t been included in any class notes but that come
from mythology.
d) “Dear Aphrodite” – Located near the beginning of the magazine, this half-page column runs
every week in which “Aphrodite” responds to letters from mythological Cupid-struck lovers
seeking relationship advice.
e) Tabloids—Two, half-page articles are included somewhere in the magazine issue that report
the more bizarre mythological news, such as a baby being born as a half-bull, half-human.
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f) Interview with a Hero—You will seek out a hero or heroine from any world mythology and
interview him/her. Include the transcript of your question/answer conversation on the two pages
of the segment. Find out their likes, love interests, greatest feats and accomplishments, and their
dirty secrets.
g) News Report—New myths are unfolding as we speak as breaking news. In this full-page
segment you will report the story of a modern myth that explains the origin of something in your
hometown community of South Bend, such as the St. Joe River, the Primrose Road haunting, or
any other story that will catch the reader’s interest.
Of course, every issue is complete with photos, headlines, a flashy cover, a table of contents,
page numbers, and credits. Model it on issues of other popular magazines, such as Newsweek or
Cosmopolitan. Fill it with other creative segments as you see fit.
As this is quite the challenge, you will receive support from the old editor-in-chief, Mr. Elrod
and his assistant, Mrs. Rife. Feel free to ask them questions at any time.
Good luck!