mythology, folk tales, and fables introduction definitions notes
TRANSCRIPT
Mythology, Folk Tales, and Fables
Introduction
Definitions
Notes
INTRODUCTIONAncient myths were told by people to explain their history and the natural world around them.Ancient myths originated in the area around the Mediterranean Sea: Greece and Rome.Ancient myths were passed on orally from generation to generation
NOTES
A.Myths teach us about great GREEK & ROMAN civilizations
B. Modern Day Influences:
1. Art or law
2. Architecture
3. Astronomy
4. Mathematics5. Philosophy6. Medicine7. Monetary systems8. Government
C. DemocracyD. Reveal truths about ourselves
II. What is a myth?
Religious
Explains mysteries of the universe
Explains the creation
Explains a person’s role in the world
III. Collectors of the Myths
A.Originated around the Mediterranean Sea
B. Passed by word of mouthC. Famous Greek poets were:1. Homer who wrote The Iliad &
The Odyssey2. Hesiod who wrote Theogony &
Works and Days
D. Famous Roman poets were:1. Less serious about religion2. Ovid who wrote Metamorphoses3. Virgil who wrote Aeneid
IV. Uses of Mythology
A.Never merely silly or superstitiousB. Used for these purposes:1. To explain the creation of the
world2. To explain natural phenomena3. To give story form to ancient
religious practices
4. To teach moral lessons5. To explain history6. To express, as dreams do, the deepest fears & hopes of the human race
V. Myths of Creation
A.There were many storiesB. Hesiod wrote a creation storyC. Patriarchal means male-dominatedD. The story begins with Chaos & birth
of Earth (Gaea – Earth Mother & Sky (Uranus – Earth Father)
E. Golden Age followsF. Rise of Zeus
VI. Gods and GoddessesA. Myths tell about gods &
goddessesB. Divinities lived on Mount
OlympusC. Spend time with ordinary
peopleD. Represent good & evil
MYTHOLOGY DEFINITIONS
MYTH: a story that explains something about the world and typically involves gods or other super human beings
ORIGIN MYTH: stories that explain how something in the world came to be
FABLE: a brief story in prose or verse that teaches a moral or gives a practical lesson about how to get along in life
MYTHOLOGY DEFINITIONS
QUEST: a long and perilous journey taken in search of something of great value
PARTS OF A QUEST: a hero, villains representing evil, obstacles to overcome, riddles or puzzling questions to answer, a reward at the end
MYHTOLOGY DEFINITIONS
FOLK TALE: a story, with no known author, that originally was passed on from one generation to another by word of mouth
TALL TALE: an exaggerated, fanciful story that gets “taller & taller” & more far-fetched, the more it is told and retold