Bellringer If myths aren’t real, why do we study them in history class?

Bellringer

• If myths aren’t real, why do we study them in history class?

Agenda

1. Myths2. Stories from Greek Mythology3. Create your own myth!

Objectives

Students will be able to…34. Understand the purpose and

characteristics of Greek Mythology.

Mythology

• What is a myth?• Why did the Greeks have myths?• What made them so important?

Objective #34

Greek religion

What kind of religion did the Greeks practice?

• Polytheistic • Worshipped the gods

through:– Prayer– Sacrifice of animals,

wine and olive oil– Festivals in honor of

the gods

Greek Mythology

• Stories about the gods and humans

• Explained events in nature, in life and the behavior/qualities of human beings

GREEK GODS & GODDESSES

Zeus

• King of Olympian gods

• God of the sky• Symbols:

– Eagle– Lightening bolt

Hera• Wife of Zeus• Goddess of marriage

Apollo (the Sun God)

• God of music, healing and prophesy

• Symbol: Lyre

Artemis

• Goddess of the hunt• Helped women during

childbirth • Symbol – the bow• Sacred Animals – – Snake & deer

Athena• Goddess of wisdom

& war strategy • Daughter of Zeus• Symbols:– Owl– Olive branch

Aphrodite

• Goddess of love, beauty & fertility

Greek religion today

• Architecture:– Government buildings in

Washington D.C

• Literature: – Percy Jackson and the

Olympians

• Movies:– Clash of the Titans– Wrath of the Titans

Phrases from Greek Mythology

• Listen to these stories and match them to the phrases on your chart. Then,–Summarize the story–Explain the meaning of the phrase–Think up a modern application of the

phrase• When done, you can create your own myth

for homework!

Back up Slides

Major Greek Gods• Aphrodite: The most attractive goddess of Mount Olympus.

She was the goddess of Love, Beauty and Eternal Youth, arousing desire to gods and humans as well as birds and beasts. In addition, she was connected with the death/rebirth of nature and human beings. Nevertheless, Aphrodite was a rather weak, frightful goddess, according to the Iliad. Aphrodite's symbols were the girdle, which she was using to compel love, the seashell and the mirror. Her sacred animal was the dove.

• Apollo: The Greek god of the Music, also called the Sun God.

He invented the lute (a plucked string instrument with a body shaped like a pear), but most popular he was for his playing the lyre. Apollo excelled in important music contests, competing against Greek god Hermes and the Satyr Pan as well as other deities.

In addition, Apollo owned the precious gift of prophecy, given to him by his father Zeus in his infancy, and was the patron of the ancient city of Delphi, where the first oracle in Ancient Greece was located.

Apollo and Artemis are twin children of Zeus.

His symbols were the lyre, the tripod, and the laurel tree.

• Ares: the Greek god of War, was the son of Zeus and Hera. Just like his mother Hera, Ares had a very difficult character to deal with and was therefore rather unpopular among the other deities and mankind.

• For this reason, no Greek city wanted to have him as its patron.

• He often had conflicts and fights with Artemis, the goddess of the Hunt and also with his sister Athena, especially during the Trojan War.

• His symbols were the spear and the dog.

• Athena: the Goddess of Wisdom, was born fully grown and armed out of Zeus’s head after he swallowed Metis, her mother.

• Athena was the goddess who taught mankind various skills such as weaving and sewing to the women and agriculture and metallurgy to men and was always giving precious advice and stood by on any danger.

• She was known as "Athena Nike" (Athena the victorious), as she was believed to have given the Athenians the victory during the Persian War.

• Athena's symbols were the distaff and the aegis- a goat-like shield, to which the head of the Gorgon Medusa was fastened in order to terrify the opponents. Athena's sacred animal was the owl, the symbol of wisdom.

• Artemis: the Virgin Huntress, was associated with the moon, nature, and childbirth.

• Apollo (the Sun God) and Artemis are twin children of Zeus. Artemis was born before Apollo and had helped her mother Leto to give birth to her little brother.

• Artemis had absolute sovereignty over nature and was said to bring fertility to all places that worshipped her. Usually accompanied by Nymphs and Oceanids, Artemis loved to hunt with arrows dipped in poison; oddly enough, Artemis was both a killer of wild animals and their protector.

• Her symbol was the bow and her sacred animals were the snake and the deer.

• Demeter: was a peace-loving deity and the source of all growth and life; she was the goddess who provided all nutrition on the earth and taught mortals how to cultivate the earth and ease life.

• Demeter was most appreciated for introducing wheat to mankind, making man different from animals.

• She was Zeus’s sister. • Her symbols were the ear of wheat and the grains.

• Dionysus: was a god known for his lightheartedness and always offered his help to anyone in need.

• He was the god of wine and theater. He was therefore very popular among gods and mortals and many festivals were being held every year in his honor.

• Dionysus was one of the Olympian gods who actually did not live in Mount Olympus but was constantly travelling around the world together with Satyrs and Maenads in order to discover the secrets of winemaking.

• The sacred animal of Dionysos was the panther.

• Hades: was the Greek god of the Dead and, according to Plato, [1] he should be considered as one of the Olympian gods.

• Hades was the supreme ruler of the Underworld. Almost never did he leave his gloomy kingdom but was residing there instead, surrounded by darkness and silence.

• Hades' helper was Charos, the angel of dead. Charos had the duty to transfer the dead people 's souls with a boat over the River Acheron from the world of the living to the world of the dead.

• Hades had a dog with three heads which was named Cerberus. • His sacred symbol was the helmet, which helped him stay invisible.

• Hephaestus: The God of Fire “The Blacksmith” • A kind and loveable god, but was the only deity who was physically ugly

and lame. When his mother Hera saw him for the first time, she was so frustrated that she took her son and threw him from Mount Olympus to the depths of the seas, causing a deformation to his leg. Hephaestus was finally rescued by two Nereids, Thetis and Eurynome, who raised him for nine years inside a cave, far away and hidden from his cruel mother.

• Hephaestus had his working lay beneath the crater of the volcano of Aetna in Italy. There, he was working together closely with the one-eyed Cyclops to create strong thunderbolts for his master Zeus.

• Hephaestus was also famous for having created the first woman of the ancient world, Pandora.

• His symbols were fire, the axe, the pincers and the hammer.

• Hera: the Queen of the Gods, • She is most often associated with bitterness and jealousy

relating to her husband. Although Hera was one of the fairest goddesses in Mount Olympus, Zeus gave Hera plenty of reason to be suspicious and jealous; Hera therefore used to stay in high places in order to keep an eye on her husband's doings. There were times she would also interfere, causing harm to Zeus' mistresses, since Zeus himself was invincible.

• Hera's symbol was the pomegranate, a symbol of fertility• Her sacred animal was the peacock.

• Hermes: wore wings on his sandals and therefore was the speediest of all Greek gods. Because of his speed, Hermes received the role of the messenger and conductor of souls to the Underworld.

• Hermes was the only Olympian god who was authorized to visit Heaven, Earth and also the Underworld and enjoyed this way popularity among all the Greek gods and spirits.

• It is well known that Ancient Greeks endowed their gods with human weaknesses. Hermes, for instance, felt an irresistible impulse of stealing ever since his infancy and quickly developed as the god of the cheaters and the thieves.

• Hermes was a messenger of all gods, but mostly he was known for performing duties for his father Zeus with great pleasure. Zeus appreciated Hermes' wits highly and always asked for Hermes' assistance throughout his decisions, especially when it came to cheating on his wife Hera.

• He is known for his winged sandals and staff.

• Poseidon: the Greek god of the Seas• Considered to be the bad-tempered, moody and

greedy god among the Olympians. Once insulted, he would revenge himself, like he did in the case of Odysseus.

• Poseidon was the Greek god responsible for natural and supernatural events, mainly the ones associated to the sea world. He possessed a trident which was so powerful that it could shake the earth. Poseidon could cause tempests and earthquakes, drown lands, shatter rocks and had the ability to finally bring back peacefulness. Poseidon possessed two palaces, the one was up in Mount Olympus and the other was located in the depths of the seas and was bejewelled with gold and precious gems.

• Usually Poseidon preferred to stay with his wife Amphitrite beneath the ocean.

• His symbol was the trident and his sacred animals were the dolphin and the horse.

• Zeus: King of the Gods and master of the thunderbolt• Had his golden throne on the highest summit of

Mount Olympus and was respected and awed by all Gods and mortals. He was the "Lord of Justice", punishing anyone who lied or broke an oath, but was fair and always striving to keep a balance of all things.

• Furthermore, Zeus was responsible for the weather and was shaping it according to his temper. When in high spirits, Zeus was blessing the world with fine weather; in case of bad mood, however, he would throw rain, winds, lightnings and thunderbolts to cause disaster to the mortals.

• But even Zeus' powers had their limits, for, however powerful as he was, he had neither the right nor the ability to intervene the decisions of the Fates.

• Zeus was carefree and loved to laugh out loud. He possessed the perfect knowledge and was just, merciful and prudent. However, he was rather unpredictable, and not known for his faith to his wife, Hera.

• The main symbol of Zeus was the thunderbolt. His sacred animal was the eagle.