Part 1: Places and How the Earth Began

Greek Mythology Part 1: Places and How the Earth Began

Places Mt. Olympus The Underworld Earth The Ocean The River Styx

Mt. Olympus Olympus was where the gods lived. Zeus married his sister and together they ruled Olympus. There really is a Mt. Olympus and since it was so high up the Ancient Greeks decided it was the realm of the gods. Humans and other creatures could only visit Olympus if they had an invitation.

Earth Earth is where the humans lived. Sometimes gods visited Earth, and often fell in love with one of Earth’s inhabitants. Sometimes they would have children who would be half human/half god. Many strange and dangerous creatures roamed Earth and heroes had to slaughter them.

The Underworld The underworld was a place inside the earth that was made up of three places; Tartarus, The Asphodel Fields, and The Elsyian Fields. The underworld was ruled by Hades, a.k.a. Pluto. Hades was Zeus’s brother. The Asphodel Fields The Elsyian Fields Tartarus

The Ocean The Ocean surrounded the Earth. The Ocean was ruled by Poseidon and his wife, Amphitrite, who was a sea-nymph. Poseidon controlled the wind and the waves. Sailors often made sacrifices to him so they would have smooth sailing.

The Styx The River Styx was the way to get to the underworld. To get across you must pay Charon, the boatman. The cost was one obol, a Greek coin. After you paid him he would take you across.

The Asphodel Fields Normal commoners went to the Asphodel Fields. This was a gray, shadowy, misty, and ghostly place. Here their souls wandered around like shadows.

Tartarus Tartarus is where the worst humans and gods went. They suffered horrendous punishments such as eternal hunger and thirst, being tied to a wheel of fire, being hit with thunderbolts, climbing a mountain endlessly, and shameful donkey’s ears. These people had to suffer for eternity.

The Elysian Fields Heroic, kind, and noble people went to the Elysian Fields. Here they rested and enjoyed lives of luxury and bliss. You could be sent to Earth to live another life after you died. If you went to the Elysian Field three times you could go to the Isles of the Blessed and never leave.

How the Earth Began Mother Earth and her child, Uranus, had children. Rain fell from the sky, so the plants and animals appeared on Earth. Then, monsters came. Uranus banished these monsters to the Underworld.

PART TWO: THE GODS

WHO CAME FIRST? • The gods were not the first rulers of the universe. • Legends say that the Titans ruled the universe first. • Cronus, the top titan, used to eat his children for fear of losing power. • Zeus managed to keep from being eaten and killed Cronus, thus beginning the reign of the gods.

King of the gods. • Very promiscuous • Weakness: girls, girls, girls! • God of mankind.

HERA • Queen and mother of the gods. • Zeus’s sister. • Goddess of marriage.

ARES • God of war • God of storms • Loved war and massacre

Aphrodite • Goddess of love and beauty. • Born from the foam in water. • Pictured as the most beautiful being in the universe.

HADES • God of the underworld. • Zeus’s brother • Ruler of the myriad rivers (river of lamentation, river of hate, etc.)

Persephone • Happy and kind • Kidnapped by Hades to be his queen • Goddess of the underworld • Must return to the underworld during wintertime because she ate the seed of a pomegranate.

POSEIDEN • God of the seas. • Zeus’s brother. • Controlled earthquakes.

APOLLO • God of light and prophecy. • Twin brother of Artemis. • Mother was Leto.

ATHENA • Goddess of war and wisdom. (civilized war) • Athens was named after her. • Born from Zeus’s head.

PART THREE: STYLE OF LITERATURE

PART THREE: STYLE OF LITERATURE • EPIC POEMS: Long, narrative poems that tell the story of heroes who embody the values of their society.

PART THREE: CHARACTERISTICS OF EPICS • Physically impressive hero of national importance. • Huge setting involving much of the known world, and possibly the land of the dead. • A quest taken in search of something of value. • Evidence of supernatural forces (the gods) at work. • Glorification of the hero at the end (he wins, always!!!)

PART THREE: CHARACTERISTICS OF EPICS • Literary devices – lots of metaphors and similes, alliteration, personification and hyperbole. • Stories were meant to be told – have a song-like rhythm. • Lots of repetition of words and symbols. • HOMERIC SIMILES – Compare epic, heroic events to everyday things – usually an extended comparison. • Images of nature and the gods throughout.

PART THREE: STYLE OF LITERATURE • MYTH: Story that uses fantasy to express ideas about life that cannot be expressed in realistic terms. • Myths focus on the relationship between humans and the unknown or spiritual realm.

PART THREE: STYLE OF LITERATURE • ALTER EGO: When a god acts for or against the hero BUT reflects his best or worst qualities. • In The Odyssey, it is Poseidon for Odysseus.

PART FOUR: THE ODYSSEY

PART FOUR: THE ODYSSEY • Background: • The Trojan War has been over for ten years. • Odysseus is being held on an island by Calypso. • Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, is at home in Ithaca, in Greece, trying to fend off men who want to marry his mother, and rob him of his inheritance. • Oddyseus is searching for balance, for inner peace.

Part 1: Places and How the Earth Began