Download station #1 - Net Start Class

STATION #1
“The Big 12” Gods and Goddesses
 Go to www.mythweb.com
 Click on the link “Gods” on the right.
 You will find a picture of the 12 most important and influential gods
and goddesses. Click on each one’s picture for a description, and fill
out the chart below.
GOD/GODDESS
SYMBOL
INTERESTING FACT
Aphrodite
Apollo
Ares
Artemis
Athena
Demeter
Dionysus
Hephaestus
Hera
Hermes
Poseidon
Zeus
RESPONSIBILITIES
 After you read all of the descriptions, decide which one most closely
fits your own personality. Write it down and give an explanation of
why you chose this god/goddess.
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Station #2
Mythology
What is Mythology? It is a group of stories dealing with the gods, demigods, and legendary
heroes, used to explain things in nature that the Greeks did not have a reason for. Remember:
They didn’t have science technology like we do today. For instance, when there was an
earthquake, the ancient Greeks had no way of knowing what it was or what caused it. Therefore,
they had a myth about Poseidon and how he stamped his foot upon the earth, causing it to shake.
When the sun rose each morning, they believed it was because Apollo had begun to drive his
chariot of fire up into the sky.
In this activity, you will create your own modern myth in the style of one from ancient Greece.
To do this, you will first read several myths, analyze and discuss them with your group, to make
sure that you all understand the purpose of mythology. Click on the links below and read the 3
Greek myths. When you are finished, discuss them with your group to make sure you all
understand their purpose. Then, write your own myth that explains one of the following: a
natural disaster, phenomenon or occurrence, a current or historical event, or some aspect of
modern life that would be inexplicable to someone from ancient Greece.
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STATION #3
What Is a Hero?
Famous Heroes,
Past and Present
Everyday
Heroes
Heroic Traits
Complete the chart above. Reflect on what you have listed, then write a paragraph
describing your idea of a hero. What does he or she look like? How do they act? What
traits make them heroic?
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STATION #4
Business Cards
RAFT: Gods and Goddesses
ROLE
AUDIENCE
FORMAT
TOPIC
A Greek God or Goddess
Prospective Clients
Business Card/Yellow Page Ad
Why should you hire me?
In the space below, design a business card or yellow page ad for a Greek God or
Goddess. Remember that you are trying to persuade people to hire this God or Goddess.
Business Cards for Greek Gods & Goddesses
Echo and Narcissus
Echo was a very talkative nymph. She could chatter on for
hours. Zeus decided to use this to his advantage. He used Echo to distract Hera, his
jealous wife, so he could steal away with other nymphs. Hera was furious when she
discovered that Echo was helping her husband with his infidelity. To punish Echo, Hera
made it so that Echo could no longer start a conversation. She could not speak first, but
had to be spoken to before she was able to say anything. Even then she could only repeat
the words which the other person had said.
One day, while out in the countryside, Echo spied a very handsome young man. His name
was Narcissus, son of Cephissus, a river god, and Liriope, a nymph. He was a very
conceited young man, who had rejected the advances of many possible mates. Echo
watched him from a distance, frustrated that she could not speak to him. After he had lost
his hunting party, he called out, “Is anyone here?” Echo repeated back, “Here”.
Narcissus yelled out, “Let us come together”.
Echo replied, “Let us come together,” and rushed at him with open arms.
Narcissus pushed Echo away stating that he would rather die than make love to her.
Echo was so crushed that she withered away, not able to eat or sleep. Eventually, she
turned to stone, and only her voice remains today, haunting the mountains.
Narcissus later also died in a similar manor of an unreturned love. One of Narcissus’
rejected suitors prayed to the gods that Narcissus would feel the same pain of unreturned
love. One day Narcissus stopped for water at a pool on Mount Helicon. He saw his
reflection and fell in love with this beautiful man. Yet every time he reached for the
image, it would disappear. He was so infatuated with the beauty of the image he could
not pull himself away. He died of starvation staring into the pool.
Today we have the term narcissistic personality, meaning someone who is too wrapped
up in themselves to the exclusion of all others.
Abduction of Persephone
Persephone was the daughter of Demeter and Zeus. Persephone was
picking flowers one day when Hades saw her. He was so captivated
by her beauty that he took her by force to the underworld.
Demeter, goddess of the harvest and fertility searched for her
daughter when Persephone went missing. Once she realized
Persephone was taken to the underworld, she protested the
abduction by stopping her work with the crops. Before this time,
food in Greece was always plentiful, but now crops failed and food
was scarce. Zeus and the other gods tried to convince Demeter to lift
her curse on the land, but she would not until her daughter was
released.
Zeus then sent Hermes to Hades urging him to the release Persephone. Hades understood
this as a demand that he needed to follow. Before releasing her, Hades had her eat seeds
of the pomegranate. Because she ate fruit from the underworld she was now tied to the
underworld and to Hades.
Zeus was forced to make a compromise between Demeter and Hades in their claims to
Persephone. He arranged a plan for Persephone to spend four months with Hades as his
queen, one for every seed of the pomegranate she had eaten. The other eight months she
would return to her mother. Demeter continued to allow the crops to fail when
Persephone was with Hades. This myth of Persephone was used by the Greeks to explain
the cycle of fertility in nature.
Creation of Man
Two stories of the creation of man are found in the Greek
myths. One was that man was created out of the earth. The
second is the story of Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus.
Zeus gave the task of creating man and the animals to the Titan
Prometheus (name means forethought) and his brother
Epimetheus (name means afterthought). Epimetheus was to
give all the animals special gifts for protection, such as shells
for turtles and claws for bears, and so on. He gave out all the
special gifts to the animals and there was nothing left when it
came to man.
Prometheus created man in the likeness of the gods. He wanted
to give man fire but Zeus would not permit it. Prometheus
defied Zeus and stole fire from the gods and brought it down to
man. Zeus was so mad that he chained Prometheus to a rock.
Each day an eagle tore out and ate his liver during the day
which grew back each night.
Zeus believed man needed to be weakened after the power of fire was given to him. He
ordered Hephaestus to create woman for this task. Hephaestus created woman in the
likeness of the goddesses. Every deity contributed to the creation of woman and gave her
not only beauty, grace, and charm but also the art of lies, seduction, and guile. The first
woman was named Pandora.
Zeus gave Pandora to Epimetheus as a gift. Prometheus warned
Epimetheus not to receive gifts from Zeus, but he took her as
his bride anyway. Zeus give Pandora a box which she was
forbidden to open. Pandora could not resist her curiosity about
what was in the box. She opened it and out came all the
plagues of mankind, such as disease, pain, envy, sorrow and
death. Pandora quickly shut the lid, trapping hope inside.
Today the expression of a Pandora’s box is often used to refer
to to something that produces danger or unforeseen trouble or
confusion.