Mythology NotesMythology Notes

Mr. LamarEnglish 9

A myth is…A myth is…

A traditional story that attempts to explain a natural phenomenon or justify a certain practice or belief of a society

Myths were made up by..Myths were made up by..

1. The Greeks

2. The Romans

The only difference is…The only difference is…

The Gods and

Goddesses

have different

names

• Through the reading of myths, we learn that the 2 most important qualities or characteristics a person could have are…

strength beauty

• Myths were passed down from generation to generation.

• Myths were often told orally and were not written down for many years.

Subsequently, many of the stories may have changed or evolved over time.

Myths were written and toldMyths were written and told

For

entertainment

To explain

something that

was mysterious to them

Epic PoetryEpic Poetry

a.author begins by stating the theme and uses someone who is all-knowing and wise to help in understanding

b.the story starts in the

middle of the action (in media res), and at a critical point; the events that occurred before the opening are

mentioned later

c.The Setting: vast in scope, sometimes world

wide and beyond

d.The Hero: a figure of great national or

international importance

e. The Action: involves

heroic deeds in battle, such as a long hard journey or

war

f. Point of View: often in the third person (standing outside looking in on the action) with little comment or opinion.

g.The Supernatural: the gods/supernatural beings take an interest and an active part in the

great deeds

performed in

the epic

More than just Gods…More than just Gods…• There were nine muses.• They are the daughters of

Zeus (the king of gods) and Mnemosyne (god of memory)

CiloCilo

Muse of history

UraniaUrania

Muse of astronomy

MelpomeneMelpomene

Muse of tragedy

ThaliaThalia

Muse of comedy

TerpsichoreTerpsichore

Muse of the dance

CalliopeCalliope

Muse of epic poetry

EratoErato

Muse of love poetry

PolyhymniaPolyhymnia

Muse of songs to the gods

EuterpeEuterpe

Muse of lyric poetry

Your AssignmentYour Assignment

• Create your own Muse

• Think of an activity you enjoy, and create a muse to represent your inspiration

• Explain the Muse’s meaning

ExamplesExamples

• Muse of Football

• Muse of Scrapbooking

• Muse of Skateboarding

• Muse of Reading

• On your card, create your Muse by 1. Give your muse a name…be creative!

2. Muse of ____

3. Create an image of your Muse

4. Write 2-4 sentences explaining why

your Muse is useful and/or what your

Muse does, etc…