ancient greek mythology_001
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Ancient Greek Mythology
What do I need to know?
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How does Ancient Greek mythology
provide insight into the customs andvalues of the period?
What is mythology?
Who were the Greeks?
What were their customs and values?
How does myth help us to uncover the
Greeks culture?
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How can we use Ancient Greekcustoms, language, and archetypalcharacters to understand our world
today?
How have aspects of Ancient Greekculture and language endured in our
modern world?
Who were the gods and heroes, and why
are they so notable?
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What are the purposes for which
myth is written and literary
technique used?
What are the main types of myth?
How did the writers use each type?What are the elements of literary style and
structure used in mythology?
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Modern man often holds themistaken belief that myth is about
magic and nature rather thanreligion.
In ancient times, the stories we refer
to as myth were considered truthfulaccounts of the past.
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Mythology
A myth is traditionalnarrative considereda truthful account of
the past in society inwhich it is told.Generally, mythexpresses and
confirms religiousvalues and norms.
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Mythology versus Folklore
Myth is different fromfolklore or fairytale(admittedly fantastic).
Both contributed tothe cultural base oforal stories finally putto paper.
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Oral Tradition
For centuries, stories, history, et cetera were passed downby word of mouth. Finally committing this information towritten form fixed the stories and allowing them to be
organized and reflected upon in art, philosophy, and
theatre.
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Written Word
Linear Blettersrepresented variousphonetic (sound)
patterns
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Why begin with the gods?
The Greeks, unlike otherearly cultures onrecord, imagined theirgods in their own
image.
Before then, deitieswere monsters thatinspired a crippling
fear, like the sphinx.
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Human form grounded the gods
in reality. Greeks couldunderstand them and be at
ease with them.
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Though Hercules spent his life battlingmonsters, he was born in Thebes.
One can point to the exact spotwhere Aphrodite rose out of foam inCythera.
Pegasus, the winged horse had astable.
Even the gods have houses built by
Hephaestus and beds they sleep in.
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Even though the godsand goddesses were
beautiful and
powerful (and mostwere, of course,
immortal), they were
also jealous, silly,and vengeful. They
could be tricked.
They fell in love.They chose favorites.
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What does Classical Lit really shows us? It shows us how members of the human race
thought and felt during a time period. One may argue that this is what all literature
does. We learn about a time period bymean of its records.
These texts provide amazing insight into anearly civilization and early man, which isparticularly significant as the Greeks are ourpredecessors intellectually, politically, and
artistically.
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Types of Greek Myth
1. Origin myth
2. Creation myth
3. Moral stories
4. Hymns (prayers)
5. Epic
6. Ritual