Download Greek Mythology What is Myth?

Intro to Greek
Mythology
The Elements
and Purposes of Myth
Myth Defined
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Greek Mythos=“discourse” or “speech”
Dictionary: A traditional story dealing with
supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes
that informs or shapes the world view of a
people, by explaining aspects of the
natural world or the customs and ideals of
that society.
Myth vs. Legend vs. Folktale
Legend = has a validated historical
basis unlike a myth or folktale
Folktale = a tale told for
entertainment; does NOT try to
explain/describe human behavior
Elements of Greek Myth
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Interaction between gods and humans
Gods as large and beautiful humans
Gods as flawed beings
Supernatural beings and monsters
Larger than life, godly “superheroes”
Best-known writers of Greek and
Roman mythology
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Homer – One of the oldest known Greek literary sources, Homer's epic
poems Iliad and Odyssey, focus on events surrounding the aftermath of
the Trojan War. He is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet.
Hesiod- Was a poor farmer and a near contemporary of Homer. His two
poems, the Theogony and the Works and Days, contain accounts of the
genesis of the world, the succession of divine rulers, the succession of
human ages, the origin of human woes, and the origin of sacrificial
practices.
Ovid - His poetry influenced European art and literature and remains as
one of the most important sources of classical poetry. One of his most
famous epic poems is Metamorphoses. He is a Roman poet that did not
really believe in the Gods, but used the myths as subjects for his writing.
Continued.
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Pindar- Greatest lyric poet, many versions of his poems still exists
today.
Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides- All tragic poets, Aeschylus was
the oldest and Euripides was the youngest. The famous play,
Oedipus Rex, came from Sophocles.
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Aristophanes- Great writer of comedy.
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Plato- Famous philosopher .
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Virgil- Found human nature in the myths, and he brought
mythological personages to life as no one had since the
tragedians.
Purposes of Myth
Hercules
Myths Explain Natural Occurrences
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Examples?
Gaea and Ouranos
Thunder and lightning (Zeus)
Earthquakes (Poseidon)
Seasons (Persephone &
Demeter)
The sun rises (Greece: Helios’
chariot, Egypt: Ra and
Semektet)
Myths Explain Fundamental
Philosophical Questions
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Early Greeks as proto
philosophers
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Attempting to answer
fundamental questions
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Where did we come
from?
Who created the
universe?
Is there life after
death?
To explain is to control
Comfort in knowing
Myths Explain Culture and Institutions
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Why women
couldn’t vote
To explain is to control
 Athena and Poseidon both want to rule and protect Athens
 Gift contest
 Poseidon=saltwater well (useless)
 Athena=olive tree (olive, wood, oil)
 Men vote for Poseidon, women for Athena
 Athena wins
 Poseidon floods the Attic plain (region in Greece)
 Athenians blame the women, take away vote
Myths as Means to Instruct
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Myths often relay a
message or moral
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Teach cultural
traditions, values
Icarus—life has limits
Narcissus and the
dangers of pride and
self love
Myths to Explain History
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A biased version of
history
Reinforce Greek culture
and power
Trojan War
Crete and King Minos
Founding of Rome
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Founded by sons of Mars
Gave tellers sense of
identity, sense of place
Myths to Entertain
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People were illiterate in early
Greece
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Entertainment in an oral
culture
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Couldn’t read or write
Blood, shock, sex, exciting tales
The Heroes
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Herakles, Odysseus, Theseus,
Jason, Perseus
Stronger, smarter, more
handsome than mere mortals
Nobility in humanity
Humans are better than gods
Cultural Supremacy
and Civil Order
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Persuasion
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Greek superiority over nonGreeks
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Other as “barbarians”
Religion: Cult & Ritual
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Maintained order
Gave people reason to be
loyal to a city
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Temples and sacrifices
Feared retribution of the
gods
Apollo’s Temple at Delphi
Why Study Myth?
To Understand Literature and Art
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Mythical allusions and
references
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Keats and the
Romantics
Shakespeare and
many others
“Well, in that hit you
miss. She'll not be hit
with Cupid's arrow”
(Romeo and Juliet)
Archetypes and Mythic Patterns
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Greek characters, places, themes have
influenced (consciously or not) Western
literature and art
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Femme fatale, the trickster, the great mother
and father, mentor, the monster
Great floods, virgin births, creation, paradise,
the underworld
Finding connecting patterns
Myth and Language
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Word origins
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Think of some words
that come from Greek
mythology
Myth and Language
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Word origins
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Volcano
Herculean
aphrodisiac
music
atlas
tantalize
Erotic
Narcissism
Myth and Cultural Literacy
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E.D. Hirsch
Knowledge of myths
makes us literate
Enriches our
understanding of the
Western world
Empowering
Shared culture
This is not a “G” rated class
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Mythology is …
- violence
- war
- love
- power
- ambrosia
- pride
- hate
- jealousy
- impossible feats
death
hideous injuries
sex
deceit
and much more
So please be
mature!!!
Journal #1—Intro to Myth
Summary
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What is mythology?
Why should we study Greek mythology in
High School?
What are some of the purposes of myth?
½ page minimum
Phaeton
Brueghel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus (1555)
How do the stories of
Phaeton and Icarus help
shape the worldview of the
Greeks?