MYTH NARRATIVE Final project for The Odyssey

Purpose To write a short myth using the elements of mythology as used in The Odyssey To demonstrate understanding of plot structure and characterization To demonstrate an understanding about cultural values that are important in OUR culture To have some fun telling an original story about Greek gods and heroes

REQUIRED ELEMENTS

Invocation Begin your myth with an invocation to your Muse. Ask for help Give hints about the plot of the story Briefly mention the main character and the conflict he/she faces Include some idea of the important values contained in the myth HELPFUL HINT: Review the invocation at the beginning of The Odyssey to see how Homer did it

Plot elements Exposition: Background information Setting – must be set in ancient Greek times Characters – ordinary people, heroes, gods, etc. Conflict Rising Action/complications Climax (the BIG SCENE) Falling Action Resolution of the conflict Can be a happy ending or not

Characters Protagonist can be YOU as Ordinary person Demi-god God or goddess Antagonist(s) Monsters Gods/Goddesses Threshold Guardian Traitors Helpers Best friend Protector god or goddess Mentor Family members The Hero must demonstrate HEROIC characteristics! He/she must embody the characteristics OUR culture believes are heroic.

Sample Myth plots: the Heroic Journey Protagonist is given a task He/she undertakes a journey of some kind to complete the task He/she encounters difficulties along the way: Monsters Threshold Guardian Angry gods/goddesses “Fatal flaw” He/she is given help by a Mentor He/she completes the task and returns to where he/she started, smarter/richer/kinder

Sample Heroic Tasks Retrieve something Magic object (Lord of the Rings) Important information (Land of the Dead) A person (Shrek) Fight something to save something/someone A monster guarding a treasure or a person (Perseus, Shrek) A villain threatening home, family, life (Odysseus and the Suitors) An “evil something” inside the hero that makes him/her to do wrong

Sample Myth plots: the Origin Myth Plot describes how a natural phenomena came to be – the origin of A kind of animal A characteristic of an animal A kind of plant (must be important to humans!) A recurring natural event such as sunrise, seasons changing, the tides, the cycles of the moon, etc. Plot explains how/why this phenomena came to be Protagonist can be human, demi-god or god

Sample Myth plots: When bad things happen Plot details something very bad that happened and/or how the hero made it okay again Humans in trouble, god saves them (Prometheus) A god makes a mistake and then has to fix it Someone insults a god and pays a big price There must be a lesson learned in this kind of myth – bad things happen for a reason!

Format 500 to 2,000 words Can be handwritten (must be readable) Can be typed (bonus for typing) Standard format: NO FANCY FONTS! Times New Roman 12 pt Double-spaced One-inch margins Indented paragraphs Must have a title! NO Illustrations! Do not include pictures in your myth

Deadline Wednesday, February 6 This is the FIRST grade of the new semester!