by Homer

 Myth: a story (usually fiction) passed down through a culture in an attempt to teach the customs and ideals of a society (Cinderella teaches us to have faith and be humble. Those who do can escape the evil Step-mother and find her Prince Charming.)  Epic: a narrative centered on a hero  Epic Poem: a narrative in poetic form (a poem) that is centered on a hero and his/her battles to be successful. The Odyssey is an epic poem.  Hero Myth: myths that show people how to behave. Heroes are role models for appropriate values and behaviors.

 Characteristics of a hero: ◦ Child of a god/unusual birth (royal) ◦ Separated from family (orphaned, Leaves home, etc.) ◦ Unusual powers/abilities ◦ Extraordinary strength ◦ Displays valuable traits (intelligence, honesty, courage, determination, ethics, etc.) ◦ Kills monsters with a special weapon ◦ Goes on a quest or journey ◦ May go on a trip to the underworld ◦ Has an unusual death ◦ Has a flaw or weakness – this makes the hero like a regular person. No one is perfect, even heroes.

 1. A JOURNEY that is long and dangerous  2. Taken in search of something VALUABLE to… ◦ A. retrieve and object ◦ B. rescue a person/people ◦ C. find: freedom, penance, or love ◦ D. a place: lost city; home  3. Contains TESTS for the hero/ heroine to pass, such as… ◦ A. killing a monster with a special weapon/surviving the attack ◦ B. solving riddles/test of intelligence ◦ C. other physical obstacles (weather, ocean, hunger, etc.) ◦ D. NOT giving into temptation (physical or mental)

 4. Has “helper” friends to aid hero/heroine ◦ A. human companions ◦ B. animals ◦ C. gods, goddesses, or other supernatural beings  5. Ends with SUCCESS of the hero/ heroine ◦ A. saves person/people ◦ B. Retrieves objects ◦ C. Hero/heroine crowned king/queen ◦ D. married ◦ E. reach/find destination ◦ F. given a place with gods/becomes immortal *(A hero may have been successful at one or more of these accomplishments)

 Regarded as the greatest poet of all time, but did he really exist?  Wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey (his most famous works.)  Popular theory is that he existed: ◦ Born 750 BC ◦ He was a bard – he traveled around telling and performing stories ◦ Was blind  He may have been a myth: ◦ Theory #1 – maybe several people wrote his poems and put them all together for one poem; Homer may have been just one of many ◦ Theory #2 – Homer may have been the scribe (the one who writes everything down) – so he didn’t actually make up the stories ◦ Theory #3 – There are too many differences between poems, as well as differences within poems, that suggest that it couldn’t have been one man or the same man to write all the poems

 Not a real event (at least not as Homer wrote it)  Battle between Troy (Asian Minor) and Greece (and all of their gods and goddesses)  10 years war. The real battle between Greeks and Trojans didn’t start until the 10 th year.  Greeks fought in neighboring towns to Troy, defeating them as they went.  Deaths: Many Greeks died in battle. Achilles was one of them, hit by an arrow through the heel.  Odysseus – came up with the plan to get the Greeks into Troy. Plan called: The Trojan Horse.

 The geography of Ancient Greece caused people to be isolated.  The sea and the mountainous terrain hindered travel between communities.  The simple, herding lifestyle and warlike characteristics of the Achaeans prevented alliances between city-states, which began developing in the seventh century B.C.  Ancient Greece never became a united nation. Ancient Greeks felt loyalty only to their cities, whose populations were tiny by today’s standards.  Only Athens, the largest city-state, had more than 20,000 inhabitants.

Trojan War MapAncient Greece Map

 Respect the gods  Loyalty (to family and friends)  Intelligence  Hospitality  Journey