Download Ancient Greek Mythology

Ancient Greek Mythology
What do I need to know?
How does Ancient Greek mythology
provide insight into the customs and
values of the period?
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What is mythology?
Who were the Greeks?
What were their customs and values?
How does myth help us to uncover the
Greeks’ culture?
How can we use Ancient Greek
customs, language, and archetypal
characters to understand our world
today?
– How have aspects of Ancient Greek
culture and language endured in our
modern world?
– Who were the gods and heroes, and why
are they so notable?
What are the purposes for which
myth is written and literary
technique used?
– What are the main types of myth?
– How did the writers use each type?
– What are the elements of literary style and
structure used in mythology?
Modern man often holds the
mistaken belief that myth is about
magic and nature rather than
religion.
In ancient times, the stories we refer
to as myth were considered truthful
accounts of the past.
Mythology
A myth is traditional
narrative considered
a truthful account of
the past in society in
which it is told.
Generally, myth
expresses and
confirms religious
values and norms.
Mythology versus Folklore
Myth is different from
folklore or fairytale
(admittedly fantastic).
Both contributed to
the cultural base of
oral stories finally put
to paper.
Oral Tradition
For centuries, stories, history, et cetera were passed down
by word of mouth. Finally committing this information to
written form “fixed” the stories and allowing them to be
organized and reflected upon in art, philosophy, and
theatre.
Written Word
Linear B—letters
represented various
phonetic (sound)
patterns
Why begin with the gods?
• The Greeks, unlike other
early cultures on
record, imagined their
gods in their own
image.
• Before then, deities
were monsters that
inspired a crippling
fear, like the sphinx.
Human form grounded the gods
in reality. Greeks could
understand them and be at
ease with them.
• Though Hercules spent his life battling
monsters, he was born in Thebes.
• One can point to the exact spot
where Aphrodite rose out of foam in
Cythera.
• Pegasus, the winged horse had a
stable.
• Even the gods have houses built by
Hephaestus and beds they sleep in.
Even though the gods
and goddesses were
beautiful and
powerful (and most
were, of course,
immortal), they were
also jealous, silly,
and vengeful. They
could be tricked.
They fell in love.
They chose favorites.
What does Classical Lit really shows us?
• It shows us how members of the human race
thought and felt during a time period.
• One may argue that this is what all literature
does. We learn about a time period by
mean of its records.
• These texts provide amazing insight into an
early civilization and early man, which is
particularly significant as the Greeks are our
predecessors intellectually, politically, and
artistically.
Types of Greek Myth
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Origin myth
Creation myth
Moral stories
Hymns (prayers)
Epic
Ritual