Ancient Greek Mythology

500 B.C.E. 2009 C.E.

Myth: a story that explains natural and / or human phenomenon.

The Greek Pantheon

and

Heroes of Legend

Before the beginning,

there was

CHAOS.

From this void,

GAEA

emerges.

Creation Myths

Earth = Gaea or Ge

Related words?

From Chaos,along with Gaea, came

Tartarus, the Underworld

PangaeaGeology

Geography

The third and final force born from Chaos is Eros

Eros is a force of love

Review: Chaos → Gaea, Tartarus, Eros

Anthropomorphism

Eros

Chaos + Gaea

__________

Titans

___________ = the sky

___________ + Gaea

Oceanus, Atlas, Rhea, Tethys, Prometheus, Epimetheus, Hyperion, Mnemosyne, Themis, Metis, Iapetus, Coeus, Crius,

Phoebe, Thea, and Cronos

(Monsters: Cyclopes and Hundred Handed…)

Warning: This slide contains some shocking information.

The father of the Titans, ____________, fears his children will overthrow him.

He tries to destroy them, but Gaea, their mother, plots with Cronos to prevent this.

In a vicious move, Cronos castrates his father and flings his testicles into the ocean.

From this, a beautiful goddess, Aphrodite is born.

The Olympians

Cronos + Gaea

Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Hestia, Ares, Demeter, Aphrodite

Olympians vs. Titans

Cronos Banished under a mountain

Atlas Holds up the world

Prometheus Chained to a mountain!

An eagle tears out his liver every morning!

He can never die…

How About a Game?

Who’s your daddy?

Or

Are you my mother?

Pantheon of Greek Gods

Zeus + Hera Ares Aphrodite Hephaestus

Zeus + Metis

Athena

Zeus + SemeleDionysus

Zeus + Leto

Apollo

Artemis

Zeus + Danae

Perseus

Zeus + Leda

Zeus + Alcmene

Heracles

It’s All Greek to Me!Journal / Discussion

• Is the Greek creation myth a good explanation of how the universe began? Why or why not?– Do you think that the four first essences (Chaos, Gaea, Tartarus,

Eros) are necessary at the beginning of every creation myth? Are there others?

• What do you think of the conflicts between fathers and sons? How are they similar? How are they different and complicated?

• What do the qualities of the gods, goddesses and heroes tell us about the beliefs and ideals of the people who shared these stories?

Mythography

History?

Religion?

Literature?Science?

Psychology?

Philosophy?

Which natural phenomenon does the myth of Persephone

explain?

Persephone is the lovely daughter of Demeter.

Hades kidnaps her to the Underworld.

Demeter searches for Persephone instead of caring for the earth. The world becomes cold, and the humans suffer.

Greek Writers

• Hesiod: Theogony

• Ovid: Metamorphoses (collection of short stories)

• Homer: The Iliad and The Odyssey (epic poems)

• Sophocles: Oedipus Rex (tragic play)

Ages of Man• Golden Age• Silver Age• Age of Bronze • Age of Heroes• Iron Age * Paleolithic (? – 6000 B.C.E.)

* Neolithic / Stone Age ( 6000 – 3000 B.C.E.)

* Bronze Age (3000 – 1100 B.C.E.)

* Iron Age (1100 B.C.E. – today)

Which of these ages would you like to live in? Why?

The Age of WomenHesiod recounts a famous myth that explains the

creation of women,

Connecting them to both trouble and hope…

Zeus creates Pandora

Epimetheus (afterthought) marries Pandora

Pandora opens the forbidden box

All the troubles of the world fly out of it.

The box also holds a creature called Hope…

Ovid’s Metamorphoses

Creation Myths

Chaos Gaea Uranus Cronos Zeus

Hera = Wife of Zeus Apollo = Sun, Prophesy, Wisdom

Aphrodite = Love Artemis = Moon, Chastity

Ares = War Athena = Wisdom

Poseidon = Sea Dionysus = Wine, Theater

Hephaestus = Forge Hermes = Messenger of gods

Hades = Underworld

Demeter = Harvest Others…?

Ovid’s Metamorphoses Continued

Apollo and Daphne

Daphne is a water nymph – a daughter of Poseidon

Apollo loves her, but Daphne is frightened of him.

Apollo chases Daphne. She calls her father for help.

She is transformed (metamorphosed) into a laurel tree.

Apollo wears the laurel branches as a crown ever after.

Ovid’s Metamorphoses Continued

Phaethon

Phaethon is son of Apollo by a mortal woman.

He does not believe his mother’s story.

He journeys to see Apollo.

Apollo swears to grant Phaethon’s greatest wish, and he swears by the River Styx…

Ovid’s Metamorphoses Continued

Narcissus and Echo

Ovid’s Metamorphoses Continued

Narcissus “narcissistic”

Greek root words

phobia = fear

Arachne

Characterization Themes?

Ovid’s Metamorphoses Continued

Orpheus and Euridyce

Orpheus is one of the most famous musicians in literature.

Entire forests uproot themselves to follow his

songs.

All his lyrics cannot bring his love, Euridyce, back from the underworld…

Ovid’s Metamorphoses Continued

Daedalus and Icarus

King Minos of Crete angers Poseidon

Poseidon’s revenge minotaur

Theseus of Athens + Ariadne of Crete

King Minos banishes Daedalus and Icarus

Ovid’s Metamorphoses Continued

Daedalus and Icarus

Continued

Daedalus creates wings out of seagull feathers and melted wax so that he and his son, Icarus, can escape the island…

Theme?

Homer

The Iliad and the Odyssey

composed in the 8th century B.C.E.

?

Epic Poetry

Battles and / or Journeys Time Supernatural (Gods and Monsters)

Cultural Heroes

The IliadGREEKS TROJANS

TYNDAREAUS   PARIS

MENELEAUS KING PRIAM

AGAMEMNON QUEEN HECUBA

CLYTEMNESTRA HELEN OENONE

IPHEGENIA BRISEIS

ODYSSEUS HEKTOR

PELEUS CASSANDRA

ACHILLES HELENUS

PATROKLUS LACCOON

AJAX

 GODS AND GODDESSES

 

ZEUS ERIS APHRODITE

HEPHAESTUS ARTEMIS

THETIS APOLLO

HERA HERMES

ATHENA

POSEIDON  

   

 

Apple of DiscordPeleus + Thetis

Eris, the goddess of discord

golden apple

Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite

Zeus sends Hermes to Paris, Prince of Troy

Hera Power

Athena Wealth

Aphrodite promised the most beautiful woman in the world.

Paris chooses Aphrodite (Oenone)

Helen

Helen

Menelaus Peleus

Odysseus

Agammemnon Achilles

Ajax Patroklus

The Trojan War

Troy = Ilium Iliad

Odysseus asks King Priam to return Helen

Nine years of the war consisted of both war in Troy and war against the neighboring regions.

Battles Greek victories

Briseis

The Greeks can not break down the walls of Troy.

Patroklus is killed by Hektor.

Achilles exacts a terrible revenge.

Beware of Greeks Bringing Gifts

Odysseus dreams up the Trojan Horse.

It is a nightmare for Ilium.

When the Greeks have destroyed Troy and returned Helen to her husband, Menelaus,

they begin their journeys home.

Journey Home

After ten years of war, the Greeks are ready to return home.

Agammemnon + Clytemnestra

Iphegenia

Odysseus…

Cyclopes

Aeolius

The Odyssey Continued

Laestrygonians Circe

Circe Hades

Tiresias Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis

Island of the Sun

Calypso

Phaecians

IthacaAlcinous ensures that Odysseus returns

home to Ithaca safely.

Athena warns Odysseus of danger.

Athena also helps Telemachus and Odysseus

reunite

after twenty years.

There is one last trial…

The End of the OdysseyPenelope, Odysseus’s wife, is still beautiful.

And, she is still Queen of Ithaca.

For years, every eligible bachelor has been trying to win her hand in marriage.

In fact, they have moved in, calling upon the law of hospitality.

Fortunately, Penelope is as clever as her husband…

Telling stories happily ever after

The Language of Epic Poetry

These were condensed versions of Homer’s

epic poems.

If I had recited them in their full forms, it would have taken days.

Pneumonic (Memory) Devices:

Epithets

Caesura

Ancient Greek Theater

Dionysus

Playwrights:

Aeschylus (525 – 426 B.C.E)

Sophocles (ca. 496 – 413 B.C.E)

Euripedes (485 – 406 B.C.E.)

Tragedy

Socrates Plato Aristotle

Tragedy inspires empathy and fear

Catharsis

Structure of the Plays

Prologue

Parados

Scene / Agon

Ode

Exodos

Oedipus Rex

Before the play begins…

King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes

visit King Pelops

who has a handsome son named Chrysippa…

THE CURSE

Any son born to Laius and Jocasta will kill his father…

Pre-Story Continued

Fate vs. Free Will

Mount Cithaeron

The child survives.

Corinth

Polybus + Merope

Oedipus = swollen foot

Oracle

Thebes

Thebes

Sphinx

Woman + Lion + Eagle

Plague of riddles

What has four legs in the morning,

two legs in the afternoon,

and three legs in the evening?

RexThe answer to the riddle is: a human

Allegory: a story that has symbols representing the real world

Morning = early life = crawl on four “legs”

Afternoon = mid-life = walk on two legs

Evening = late life = walk on two legs with a cane

Oedipus solves the riddle.

He is a hero in Thebes.

He becomes king of Thebes by marrying the Queen,

Jocasta

Tragic HeroNoble character Knowledge of self

Anagnorisis

Realization of tragic flaw

Tragic flaw = hamartia

Oedipus’s hamartia = hubris

No self-awareness Death…

Review & Discuss

GODS LITERARY TERMS

Gaea Caesura

Uranus Epithet

Kronos (Cronos) Prologue

Zeus / Jupiter / Jove Parados

Hades / Pluto Ode

Poseidon / Neptune Scene / Episode / Agon

Athena / Minerva Tragic Flaw / Hamartia

Apollo Hubris

Artemis / Diana Catharsis

Dionysius / Bacchus In media res

Aphrodite / Venus Irony

Hermes / Mercury

Demeter / Ceres

Hera / Juno

Eros / Cupid

Hephaestus / Vulcan

 

MORTALSParis

HectorPriam

 AchilleusMenelaus

  Agammemnon  Helen of Troy

AjaxOdysseusOrpheusNarcissus

Cast of Oedipus Rex 

 WRITERSHesiodHomerOvid

Sophocles

Works CitedAristotle. Poetics. Trans. Malcolm Heath. Penguin Classics, 1996.

Hesiod. Theogony. Trans. M.L. West. Oxford World Classics, 1999.

-- Works and Days. Trans. M.L. West. Oxford World Classics, 1999.

Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Richmond Lattimore. University of Chicago Press, 1951.

--- The Odyssey. Trans. Richmond Lattimore. Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 1967.

“Leda and the Swan.” gallerygailbolliger.com/gallery_mythology.html

“Map of Antiquity.” http://www.lordalford.com/9grade/odyssey/odyssey_map.jpg

Ovid. Metamorphoses. Trans. Allen Mandelbaum. Harvest Books, 1995.

Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Robert Fagles. Penguin Books, 1984.

“The Trojan War.” http://www.stanford.edu/~plomio/history.html

Works Consulted

Goud, T.E. An Introduction to the Divine and Heroic Myths and to the Religion of the Roman World. 1 June 2009. http://www.unbsj.ca/arts/classics/courses/clas1502/

Stewart, Michael. "Zeus", Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant. http://messagenet.com/myths/bios/zeus.html (November 14, 2005)

Webster, Michael. World Mythology. 1 June 2009. http://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/Hesiod2.htm

Westmoreland, Perry L. Ancient Greek Beliefs. 1 June 2009. Google Books. Lee and Vance Publishing Co. San Ysidro, CA.