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Agenda and Learning Objective:. Bell Ringer History of Greek mythology Notes: The Titans Video clip: Zeus vs. Cronus Exit Slip
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Agenda and Learning Objective: • Bell Ringer • History of Greek mythology • Notes: The Titans • Video clip: Zeus vs. Cronus • Exit Slip Learning Objective: By the end of class today, I can… explain the myths of the origins of the gods and the defeat of the Titans that create the foundation for the history of Greek mythology.
Bell Ringer: Imagine that you are a god/goddess and consider the following questions: • How/why were you created? • With what special powers, aspects of nature, or emotions are you associated? • Where do you live? • What symbol are you commonly associated with? Be sure to explain your answer to these questions with details about your personality or interests that are a part of your life today.
Introduction to mythology: Myths are always religious or spiritual in a sense. There were six primary uses for myths. The uses were the following… • To explain natural phenomena or an occurrence. • To explain the creation of the world. • To teach people moral lessons. • To explain some historical event. • To explain some ancient religious practices. • To reveal the common hopes and fears of mankind.
7 primary characteristics of Greek myths: • Show man’s desire to explain the universe (Example: Apollo, son of Zeus, drove a chariot carrying the sun across the sky each day to explain sunrise and sunset.) • Include several gods and goddesses within each myth. • Depict the gods and heroes as super human in nature (Example: Atlas bore the weight of the world and heavens on his shoulders.) • Even gods were capable of human-like emotions and fears. (Example: Hera is jealous of her husband, Zeus, and his several mistresses.) • Magic is almost always present. (Example: Athena was born out of the forehead of Zeus.) • Gods often appeared on Earth disguised in form. (Example: Zeus once came to Hera as a poor bird caught in a storm.) • Metamorphosis of characters sometime occur. (Example: Narcissus is turned into a flower.)
History of Greek Mythology Long, long ago in ancient Greece, people told stories that explained the mysteries of life…
History of Greek Mythology • The Greek mythology of today was the religion of yesterday and Greeks and Romans believed in these stories that we now call myths. • The gods and goddesses ruled the Greek world and were believed to be directly responsible for the success or failure of human life. • S o the Greeks worshiped their gods and regularly prayed, gave offerings and built temples to please the gods.
Important Vocabulary Terms: • Anthropomorphism: means to give human form or qualities to beings or things not human, especially to gods • Polytheism: means the belief in many gods • Oral Tradition: to pass down from generation to generation by word off mouth
The Unique Greeks The Greeks were distinctly different from all previous civilizations because they were one of the first to create gods in their own image. • These immortal gods were easier to relate to that other previous gods. • Gods looked and acted human. Their stories consisted of marriage, love, and quarrels. They often participated in games, challenges, and trickery • However, despite their looks, the Greek gods were immortal and could never die because ichor, not blood, ran in their veins.
Mount Olympus • The gods and goddesses lived at the top of Mt. Olympus in Greece behind a gate of clouds. • There they ate only ambrosia and drank only nectar. • They also kept an eye on the mortals down on earth, which they could visit at any time.
In the beginning… To understand the most famous Greek gods, it’s important to know where they came from. Their story begins at the beginning of time. At first there was only darkness, or Chaos.
In the beginning... • Chaos had two children: • Night (darkness) • Erebus (death) • “All was black, empty, silent, endless.” • Mysteriously, Love was born of darkness and death.
And then... • When Love was born, order and beauty began to flourish. • Love created Light and Day. • Earth (world) was created. • She was the solid ground, but also a personality. • The Earth bore Heaven to cover her and be a home for the gods.
Gaea (begin notes on organizer) Then Gaea (the Earth) grew out of Chaos…
Gaea or Gaia (pronounced Geea) • Gaea became Mother Earth, mother off all living things and mother of the first gods. • Gaea gave birth to Uranus, the sky. • When rain fell on Gaea, plants, animals and rivers were created. • Her domain is Earth. • She is a symbolic as a mother figure and EARTH.
URANUS • Son and husband of Gaea • The primal Greek god personifying the sky. • Doman: sky • His equivalent in Roman mythology was Caelus.
The Titans Gaea and Uranus married and gave birth to 12 Titans, all powerful giants – 6 boys and 6 girls.
Cronus/Kronos • Married to his sister Rhea • Overthrew his father Uranus • Swallowed his own children (except for Zeus) out of fear that one would one day defeat him and take over the world. • Overthrown by son, Zeus, and other children • Usually seen carrying a sickle • Was considered a god of harvest • Domain: earth • Roman equivalent: Saturn
Rhea • Daughter of Gaea and Uranus • Married brother Cronus • Her roman name is Cybele • Symbol-pair of lions • Children:Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Zeus
Oceanus • Original god of oceans and streams • Ancient Greeks believed one giant stream surrounded the Earth • Married Tethys and fathered sea nymphs and the rivers • Domain: Arcadia
Tethys • Personification of the fertile ocean • Sea goddess • Married Oceanus and mothered sea nymphs and the rivers
Iapetus/Iapetos • Father of Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Atlas • Titan of mortal life • Nickname “the Piercer” • Worked with his brothers to defeat their father Cronus
Prometheus • The wisest of Iapetus’ sons and had the power to see the future. • Fought on the side of Zeus against his brother Cronus • With the assistance of his brother, Epimetheus, he helped created mankind. • Stole and gave the gift of fire to mankind and convinced man to eat the good part of meat and sacrifice the rest to the gods • Was punished by Zeus by being chained to a rock to get his liver eaten by an eagle (saved by Hercules) for all of eternity. Each day the eaten part would regenerate and he would have to suffer all over again.
Epimetheus • Known as the foolish son of Iapetus. His name actually means “after-thinker” or “hindsight.” • Helped create mankind with his brother Prometheus. • Accepted the gift of Pandora’s box, which led to the release of evil in the human world.
Atlas • Led his brother Cronus’ army against Zeus. • Punished by Zeus by having to sustain the world on his back for all of eternity.
Phoebe • Titan of the moon • Mother to Leto (who is the mother of Apollo and Artemis)
Coeus • Father of Leto (mother of Apollo, Artemis) • Married Phoebe
Theia • Titan goddess of shining light and the clear blue sky • Endowed gold, silver and gems with their brilliance and intrinsic value. Married Hyperion (light)and bore him three bright children— Helios the Sun, Eos the Dawn, and Selene the Moon.
Hyperion • Titan of light • Father of sun, moon, dawn
Mnemosyne • Goddess of memory • Mother of the muses (gave the gift of song and poetry)
Crius • Fought with his brother Cronus against father Uranus • He and brothers (Coeus, Iapetos, and Hyperion) posted at the four corners of the world and seized hold of the sky-god while Cronus castrated him with a sickle. • He guarded the south which is found both in his name and family connections--he is "the Ram," the constellation Aries, whose springtime rising in the south marked the start of the Greek year. • His eldest son is Astraios, god of the stars; and his wife is Eurybia, a daughter of the sea.
Themis • Goddess of justice and order • Mother to the Fates (assigned a man to be good or evil) and the Seasons.
Gaea gave birth to more children… • Three huge one-eyed giants called Cyclopes • And three Hecatoncheires – each of these monsters had 50 heads and 100 arms
Cronus comes to power… • Uranus hated these ugly children and threw them away into the Underworld • This greatly angered Gaea and she convinced Cronus, one of the Titans, to overthrow Uranus.
Writing Assignment Imagine that you are Zeus. Write a speech to deliver to your followers the night before the great battle with Cronus. The speech should inspire the army to fight for your cause, provide the reasons why they should defeat Cronus, and include a promise of how you will be a better king than your father.
Exit Slip: Use our notes and discussion from today’s class to answer the following: • Why do you believe the Greeks created one god (Zeus) to be more powerful than the others if they were polytheistic (believed in more than one god)? • Why do you think the story of Zeus’ reign was created the way that is was? Why wasn’t Zeus born into the powerful leadership role all along?
