WHAT IS GREEK MYTHOLOGY?

Mythology is the study of stories that have been used to explain the world and other human experiences.

Mythology is used to explain such things as the creation of the earth, death and the afterlife, and human experiences (e.g. love, jealousy, revenge).

In the beginning there was only Chaos. Chaos is not quite a god; for some of the ancient writers Chaos was just a formless, shapeless mass of matter, a confused assemblage of all the elements.Out of Chaos spun other elemental forces or principles like love, earth, and sky, and in a later generation, the Titans.

The Titans were the children of Gaea (Earth) and Uranus (Sky).

The Olympian gods and goddesses were children born later to one specific pair of Titans.

The most famous of the Titans was Cronus, who, with his sister Rhea as wife, sired six children: Hestia, Hera, Demeter, Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus.

A god or goddess is immortal. This means that they live forever and can never die.

Though they could not die, they still made mistakes and had human emotions such as love, jealousy, and anger.

Mount Olympus was the home of the twelve Olympian gods.

In myth, Olympus formed after the gods defeated the Titans in the Titan War; soon afterwards Olympus was inhabited by the gods.

The twelve Olympians include Zeus (the ruler), Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Aphrodite, Ares, and Hephaestus.

We will now go to the computer lab to complete the “Olympian Gods & Goddesses Chart.”

Also, if you do not know them already, find out the meaning of the following expressions:

Achilles heelMidas touchTo open Pandora’s box

From “ATHENA”:

Cronus – father to Hestia, Hera, Demeter, Poseidon, Hades, and ZeusMetis – Athena’s mother and Zeus’ first wife; goddess of prudenceUranus – Cronus’s father and god of the skyNike – goddess who personified victoryArachne – a mortal woman and talented weaver who challenged Athena and was transformed by her into a spider

1. Why does Zeus swallow Metis when she is a fly?

QUESTIONS

Zeus does not want Metis to bear him a son because a son might dethrone him, just as Zeus had dethroned his own father, Cronus.

2. Why does Zeus have headaches?

QUESTIONS

Metis is hammering out a helmet for Athena while inside Zeus’s head.

3. How do Athena and Arachne test their skills against each other?

QUESTIONS

They have a weaving competition, where each is to weave a tapestry and judge whose craftsmanship is best.

4. How do Athena and Poseidon determine who will claim and control Athens, Greece?

QUESTIONS

They each present a gift to the city and see whose is better. Athena’s gift of an olive tree is more useful than Poseidon’s gift of a spring because it gives food, oil, and wood.

Zeus is looking for three new gods/goddesses. Prepare a resume applying for one of the positions. You should include past employment, attributes/strengths/powers, and anything else worthy of mention.

Be convincing and be creative!