Transcript Echoes from Mount Olympus

Greek Mythology
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What prophecy worried Cronos?
Why do you think that the gods sometimes
married their own brother or sister?
Why do you think Greek mythology begins
with stories of overcoming gods overcoming
other gods?
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The Pantheons
 Many early cultures were polytheistic. They
believed in more than one deity, each with his or
her own personality and relationships with other
deities such as the sun, ocean, storms, wind, war,
or love
 The major gods and goddesses formed a
pantheon. The Greek pantheon had 12 members
who lived on Mount Olympus, and two who lived
on Earth.
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Activity
 Make a family tree of the gods/goddesses,
starting with the Titans.
▪ Be sure to include the areas each supervises
 Are there any differences in the areas that gods
supervise in contrast to those supervised by
goddesses?
 Were all Greek deities equal in strength? In
intelligence? What details from the story convey
this equality or inequality?
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Describe the early human races that Zeus
created.
Why do you think Prometheus was forbidden
to take anything from heaven?
Why do you think that Prometheus took the
forbidden fire?
What is a central theme in this story, and how
is it developed as the story unfolds?
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Special Focus: Fire
 Why is fire essential to civilization?
 What other elements are essential to civilization?
 Which do you think is most important to
civilization:
▪ Earth, water, air, fire?
▪ Explain why
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Prometheus taught people not only how to
use fire, but also how to tame wild things,
how to farm, and how to build shelters. If a
new hero appeared today, what might we
need to learn from him or her?
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Why does Pandora’s wedding gifts present a
problem?
What happens when Pandora does open the
box?
Why do you think that Hope was in the box
with the bad things?
Why might Hope have been kept in the box
when the others escaped?
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Story Telling
 How does the storyteller draw us into the story?
 What other words and phrases imply someone is
talking?
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Multi-media Homework
 Go find paintings/picture representations of
Pandora
▪ See Dante Charles Gabriel Rosset, John William
Waterhouse, and Giovanni Battista Rosso Florentino
 Which is most expressive? Choose the one you
like the most and be prepared to share with the
class why.
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Why is Athena’s miracle considered better
than the one Poseidon performs?
What valuable contributions did Athena
make?
How is Athena different from the war god,
Ares?
Do you think that Athena or Ares would
provide the best leadership for our own time?
Why?
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Conflict: the opposition of people or forces
that gives rise to dramatic action.
 What incidents and relationships in this myth
show conflict between two or more parties?
 Can a story be interesting without conflict? Why
or why not?
 DO you think conflict between people is good,
bad, or merely human?
 What are some potentially healthy ways to
resolve conflict? Destructive ways?
Greek gods often have contradictions in their
personalities. Did you notice any contradictions
in this selection?
 Any new generalizations about the gods and
goddesses?
1. Apollo established the oracle at Delphi to
fortell the future. Why do many humans today
continue to seek predictions of their own future
through fortune tellers, horoscopes, and tarot
readings. Do they really want to know what
the future hold for them? Would you?
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Summarize the events that led to Zeto having
such a hard time giving birth to the twins.
How did Aesculapius become a doctor?
Which do you think became the more
interesting deity, Apollo or Artemis? Why?
What basic differences in Greek and Roman
attitudes are revealed by their worship of
Apollo?
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Special Focus: Child Heroes
 In what ways do the children in this story give
evidence of unusual gifts?
 What current books, television shows or movies
feature an unusual child as a hero?
 Why do humans seem to have a fascination about
children with adult abilities?
 Under what circumstances might being markedly
different from peers be a blessing? An curse?
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Discussion Questions (To be addressed orally in class)
 Analyze the chronology of the story
▪ How does it affect the story’s meaning and impact?
▪ The story of the day Hermes was born and his trial are
framed by comments on the eternally 17-year-old
Hermes
 Describe the Tone of this story, referring to
specific words, phrases, and sentences in the text.
 What occupations might Hermes be suited for
today?
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Review the vocabulary words provided on the
Cluster 1 Vocabulary Sheet
What does baby Hermes invent?
Why does Hermes take Apollo’s cows?
How does Hermes manage to get by with his
deeds?
What career does Zeus assign to Hermes?
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Character & Plot Development
 To analyze how Character and Plot development
go hand in hand, make the following two-column
chart:
Plot Points/Episodes
Characterization
•List the major plot points and •For each episode, write down
episodes from the story in this the details and dialogue that
column.
characterize each character.
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Special Focus: Tricksters
 Mythology is often enlivened by characters
referred to as tricksters. They are practical jokers
and clowns and are sometimes tricked by others.
They represent the idea that a certain amount of
disorder is healthy for a culture.
▪ Why do you think the other gods respond so well to
Hermes’ tricks?
▪ How might tricksters be helpful to a culture?
▪ Can you identify and tricksters from today’s pop-culture
or other time periods?