1. Myth and Legends Mrs. Hoegh
Greek Mythology
Myth and Legends
Mrs. Hoegh

2. Hero Discussion Why do people have heroes?
Do heroes have to live virtuously in all areas of life and have morals? Explain and provide an example.
Can a person who has committed murder become a hero? Explain and provide an example.
Create a list of heroes (10) and admirable qualities.
What do heroes have to do with myths?
Create a group definition of a hero.
Create a one word definition of a hero.

3. Answer the following questions the best you can:
What is a myth?
Are myths true or false? How do you know?
Based on what you know about myths, how can you make sense of myths?
What is the difference between a myth and a legend?
What are the different ways to interpret a myth?
What do myths have to do with heroes?

4. What is a myth? Some people use the word myth to mean fake, but…
Mythology is the study of stories that were used to explain the world and other human experiences.

5. What is a myth?
Myths attempts to provide an etiology to explain the unexplainable
Etiology, coined from Greek work aition (“cause”), means the study of first causes
Myths provide moving or entertaining stories for puzzling phenomena

6. What is a myth?
Many myths serve a religious function, offering sacrifices to the gods
Humans petitioned for specific types of help:
Hestia (Vesta) for safety of home and family
Athena (Minerva) for wisdom or courage
Demeter (Ceres) for abundant harvest
Artemis (Diana) for successful hunt
Ares (Mars) for military might
Hermes (Mercury) for traveler’s aid
Poiseidon (Neptune) for safe sea voyage
Zeus (Jupiter) for justice
Aphrodite (Venus) for love
Consequence of stories concern themselves with nature and actions of gods and the way they relate to the human race

7. What is a myth? Myths also explored terrifying aspects of life
Myths pointed the way toward acceptable behavior in interactions between gods and humans

8. The Sacred, Profane and Heroic
Hero comes from the Greek word heros
Term refers to great men who have died and have become protective local divinities through burial in the soil
In wartime, heroism has meant fearlessness in battle, loyalty to allies and cause, slaughtering the enemy
In peaceful times, heroism has meant honor, hospitality, loyalty, devotion, adventure

9. Tellers and Their Tales
Myths of Greece and Rome come from an oral tradition
Homer and Hesiod, Greek poets, are recognized as the oldest sources we have (eighth or seventh century B.C.)
Oracles were priests who received divine knowledge about the future or past events

10. Contributions
Knowledge of classical mythology comes through the work of eight poets and writers:
Homer (Greek poet, The Illiad and The Odyssey)
Sophocles (philosopher, plays about Oedipus)
Ovid (Roman poet)
Hesiod (Greek poet)
Aeschylus (dramatist)
Euripides (dramatist)
Apollodorus (mythographer)
Vergil (Roman poet)

11. Elements of Classical Mythology
Pantheon of gods, each with his/her own domain and attributes
Human and superhuman characters descended from gods
Tales of unexplainable events
Specific place at an unspecified time
Separation or distance from humans
Hand of destiny, cannot escape fate
Reflection of culture that gave rise to them
Myths are essential parts of specific cultures
Myths give us insight into how the ancient Greeks and Romans thought and felt about nature, society, gender and many other aspects of their culture

12. In a Nutshell—What is a myth?
Classical myths are terrific, entertaining stories
Myths explain the creation of the universe
Elements the classical mythology helped establish a distance between world of myths and everyday worlds of people

13. Are myths true or false?
Myths are metaphorically and symbolically true— looking at aspects of human origins, culture, questions (e.g., how did the earth get here? Who are the gods? Where did that rock come from?)
Myths are in fact false—think about science and technology

14. How can you make sense of myths?
Analyze metaphors and symbols
Compare/contrast characters, events, actions in various myths
Learning about specific cultures
Understanding the hero’s journey

15. A Myth and a Legend?
Myths are narratives believed to be true based on particular societies but later found to be false
Legends are narratives based on some element of history making it realistic fiction, also elements of religion are discovered

16. The Purposes of Myths
Disguised history—modern day Turkey as historical Troy
Fables illustrating moral truths
Pre-scientific explanation
Entertaining Stories
Analyzing the hero’s journey

17. Myths and Heroes? A hero completes a journey: Separation—
The Call
The Threshold
Initiation and Transformation—
The Challenges
The Abyss
The Transformation
The Revelation
The Atonement
The Return

18. Discuss this with a person near you:
Describe your ultimate hero