Download Myths of the twelve Olympians

Introduction to
Greek
Mythology
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Introduction to Greek Mythology
Prepare yourself for a spectacular and
scandalous journey filled with:
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Unit Objectives
Students will be able to…
define
mythology and explain its purpose.
identify
mythological vocabulary and its relevance in today’s
world.
identify
the gods and goddesses and explain their relevance to
today’s world.
identify
the archetypes of mythology and explain their
relevance to today’s world.
read
and analyze stories from Greek Mythology to make
connections between these classic stories and modern society.
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Why We Study Greek Mythology
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It provides insight into the human
condition (human nature).
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It grants us a glimpse at an ancient
people trying to make sense of
phenomena they could not explain.
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Big Ideas of the Unit
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Greek Mythology has provided the
foundation of our modern vocabulary.
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The plots, themes, and characters of
classical literature still resonate today
because they illustrate human nature.
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Archetypes are symbols used in
literature to effectively communicate
their ideas.
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What is a myth?
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Myth comes from the Greek “mythos” which
meant “speech” or “discourse” and
now means “fable” or “legend.”
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A myth is “a story of forgotten or vague origin,
basically religious or supernatural in nature,
which seeks to explain or rationalize one or
more aspects of the world or a society.”
Pantheon.org
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In the same way, Greek Myths…
Were used to explain:
~ the creation of the earth,
~ death and the afterlife, and human
experiences: love,
~ jealousy, revenge, & war.
*They were also used as entertainment and
were only told orally because most
people could not read.
Gods & Goddesses
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Greek Myths include gods & goddesses.
A god or goddess is immortal. This means
that they can never die but they had human
emotions.
 Mortals are men and women that lived on
earth. The gods often interacted with them.
 Polytheistic – They had more than just
one god
Ajax - Greek warrior in the Trojan War, who "cleaned up" in
battle; Ajax is the name of a popular household cleanser.
 Amazon - Race of warrior women; amazon.com - huge online bookstore. There is also the Amazon Health Care.
 Ambrosia - In ancient Greek mythology, ambrosia is
sometimes the food, sometimes the drink, of the Greek gods.
There is Ambrosia Natural Foods, Ambrosia Software, the
famous Ambrosia Salad, and a ton of cafes, banquet halls and
restaurants named Ambrosia.
 Atlas - Was doomed to support the heavens on his
shoulders; a modern moving company (Atlas Van Lines); also,
Atlas Travel is a popular name for travel agencies all over the
globe. Atlas Railroad Company, Atlas Snowshoes, and even
Atlas Games.
 Juno - Roman name for Hera, wife of Zeus; Juno is a popular
web-hosting
company (www.juno.com), specializing in free
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web pages and custom e-mail.
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MYTHS OF THE TWELVE
OLYMPIANS
English I
Twelve Olympians
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Zeus (Jupiter)
•
Hera (Juno)
Poseidon (Neptune)
•
Hades (Pluto)
Pallas Athena (Minerva)
Apollo
Artemis (Diana)
Hermes (Mercury)
Ares (Mars)
Hephaestus (Vulcan and Mulciber)
Hestia (Vesta)
Aphrodite (Venus)_
Came after the
Titans.
Called Olympians
because Olympus
was their home.
Mt. Olympus
Place of perfect peace
 Not the same as Heaven
 Where the 12 Olympians live
 Eat ambrosia
 Drink nectar
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Zeus (Jupiter)
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Supreme ruler-Lord of the Sky, the Rain-god and the Cloudgatherer
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Had the greatest power, but was NOT omnipotent (all-knowing) he
could be deceived.
Thunderbolt
Married to Hera, but often cheated on her – a womanizer
Breastplate-aegis (“eejis” armor plate that protects the chest)
Bird-eagle
Tree-oak
Oracle-Dodona in the land of oak trees
Zeus (Jupiter)
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Jupiter is so named because it is so big – it is the “King of Planets”
Zeus
Hera
Zeus’s wife and sister
 Protector of marriage and married women
 Considered one of the most beautiful
 Cow and peacock sacred to her
 Argos was her favorite city
 Shows her anger in punishing the many
women Zeus fell in love with, even if when
they yielded only because he coerced or
tricked them
 A very important role in Trojan War
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Hera
No planet, but there is an
asteroid named after her
plus a city in Alaska
Poseidon (Neptune)
Ruler of the sea
 His wife – Amphitrite (grandaughter of the
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Titan, Ocean)
Gave the first horse to man
 Storm and calm were under his control
 Shown carrying his trident, a threepronged spear
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 Called
the “earth shaker”
Poseidon
Neptune is so
named
because the
blue looks like
water
Hades (Pluto)
Son of Cronos and Rhea
 Not necessarily evil
 Underworld and ruler over the dead
 Also called “Pluto, the God of Wealth, of the
precious metals hidden in earth”
 Wife Persephone (Proserpine) whom he
carried from the earth and made Queen of
the Lower World
 King of the dead
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Hades (Pluto)
Pallas Athena (Minerva)
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Daughter of Zeus-sprang from his head (no mother)
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Daughter of Zeus and Metis (titan) – she popped out of his head after he
swallowed the pregnant Metis
Virgin goddess
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Goddess of the City, the protector of civilized life, of handicrafts
(weaving) and agriculture, Goddess of war, goddess of
wisdom
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Inventor of bridle (a harness fitted around a horse’s head to
restrain or guide an animal) who first tamed horses for men to
use
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Zeus’ favorite child – she would carry his thunderbolt
Temple Parthenon
Athens her special city
Olive created by her; was her tree
Pallas Athena (Minerva)
Phoebus Apollo
Son of Zeus and Leto (Latona)
 Master of musicians who delights Olympus as he plays the
golden lyre
 Lord of the “silver bow”
 Archer-god
 The Healer (first taught men the healing art)
 God of Light
 God of Truth
 No false words ever comes out of his mouth
 Oracle was at Delphi-direct link between the gods and men
 Laurel was his tree
 Dolphin and crow sacred to him
 God of sun, music, and medicine
 “Phoebus” means brilliant or shining
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Apollo
Artemis (Diana)
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The goddess of wilderness, the hunt and wild
animals
Apollo’s twin sister, daughter of Zeus and Leto
Cypress was sacred to her and wild animals
especially the deer
In some stories she is fierce and revengeful
She is the moon goddess sometimes
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Virgin goddess
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As Diana, she is also a goddess of light
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Artemis
Aphrodite (Venus)
The Goddess of Love and Beauty
 laughter-loving goddess
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 Often
in a mocking manner
Daughter of Zeus and Dione in The Iliad
 Myrtle was her tree
 The dove her bird—sometimes to the
sparrow and the swan
 In some stories, known as the wife of
Hephaestus
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Aphrodite (Venus)
•Born from the foam in the
sea caused by the attack of
Cronos/ Saturn on
Ouranus/Uranus. “Aphros” is
foam in Greek
Venus is so named
because it is a
beautiful planet and
can be easily seen
with just the eye
Hermes (Merury)
Son of Zeus and Maia (daughter of Atlas)
 On his feet winged sandals; wings were on his
low-crowned hat too and on his magic wand,
the Caduceus
 Shrewdest and most cunning of all gods
 Made the lyre out of tortoise shell
 God of Commerce and the Market, protector of
traders
 Guide of the dead, the Divine Herald who led
the souls down to their last home
 Messenger of gods
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Hermes
Mercury revolves
around the sun so fast,
it was named for the
messenger god. One
year is faster than one
day on Mercury
Ares (Mars)
God of War
 Son of Zeus and Hera
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 Supposedly
both detested their son
His bird was the vulture
 Dog wronged by being chosen as his
animal
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Ares
Hephaestus (Vulcan)
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God of Fire
Considered unattractive
Also lame because he was thrown off Mt. Olympus for
interfering with a fight between Hera and Zeus
Kindly peace-loving god popular on earth and heaven
Protector of the blacksmiths—patron of handicrafts
Wife is Aphrodite
Some poets said Vulcan's forge was under
volcanoes and caused smoke and fire to come
from them during an eruption.
Hephaestus
Hestia (Vesta)
Zeus’ sister
 Virgin goddess
 Goddess of the hearth, symbol of home,
around which newborn children must be
carried before they could be received into the
family.
 Every meal began and ended with a prayer to
her
 Each city had a public hearth to Hestia where
the fire was never allowed to go out.
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Hestia