FANTASYFICTIONExplain:What’s the difference between fiction, fantasy, and mythology?

Bellringer

Fiction: a story that involves imaginary events that could be true, but aren’t.

Fantasy: a work of literature that involves elements that are so highly imaginative they could never truly exist.

Mythology: a collection of stories that teach a lesson, inspire, explain the unexplainable, entertain, that belong to a certain culture or tradition.

Mythology

The word ‘mythology’ made up of two Greek roots.1) “mythos” meaning story2) “-logy” meaning the study of.

By definition, mythology is the study of stories of a specific region or culture.

WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?

Many people wonder where myths come from.

About 2,000 years ago an ancient Greek scholar suggested that all myths are based on historical facts that, over time, have been exaggerated into impossible events.

Most modern scholars believe myths serve as metaphors or symbols for teaching the beliefs of a culture.

They believe the events are not based in truth, but serve as an exciting way to get people to listen and learn from the story.

WHY LEARN?

• Learning about myths is important when studying history because they teach a lot about a society’s values, life experiences, environment, and beliefs and allow people to compare them to their own.

• Myths, historical evidence, and archaeological finds offer insight into a society’s past.

ANCIENT GREEK MYTHOLOGY

Ancient Greece is well known for its stories of gods, goddesses, and heroes.

Basically, a myth is a story with a purpose.

Myths attempt to give explanations for events in the natural world among humans and between Gods.

For example in Ancient Greece where volcanic eruptions were common- they told myths about the God Hephaestus who lived underground.

They explained the lava and fire from the volcanoes as the huge fires of Hephaestus’s forge that he created weapons at.

MYTH OF THE SEASONS

The Greeks did not think that they Gods were only responsible for disasters, but also for basic daily events.

For example they believe the four seasons were created by the Goddess Demeter.

According to a Greek myth Demeter had a daughter, Persephone, who was kidnapped by Hades, God of the Underworld, because of her beauty.

Demeter missed her daughter terribly and begged Hades to release her. He agreed to let her return to her mother for 6 months every year.

During the fall & winter, Demeter is separated from her daughter once again and misses her. Her grief is what causes the plants to not grow.

When she returns home this is the spring & summer months when the plants return due to Demeter’s happiness.

A CLASSICAL GREEK MYTH:• Explains a natural phenomenon or the

creation of something

• Depicts a struggle between good and evil

• Shows a relationship between mortals and the supernatural

• Contains magical characters, gods, goddesses, nymphs, giants, etc.

• Sometimes depicts a hero’s quest to accomplish a great feat

• Makes reference to geological places and cultural aspects of ancient Greece

HONORING THE GODS• To keep the Gods happy the Greeks built great

temples to honor them around Greece.

• They expected the Gods to give them help when they needed it in return,

• When they needed advice they traveled to Delphi, a city in central Greece, to consult the Oracle.

• The Oracle was a female priest of Apollo to whom they though the Gods gave answers.

• Very well respected - was asked by Greek leaders for advice on how to rule.

GREEK MYTHOLOGY

IN THE BEGINNING…• Greek mythology begins with Gaia, the earth

goddess who formed the world from nothingness. She birthed and later married Uranous, the sky-god.

• They had a child named Cronus, who left his parents and started a group of fierce gods called the Titans.

• Nervous about being overthrown by one of his children, Cronus swallowed all but one of them—a child named Zeus.

OVERTHROW OF KRONOS

• As legend predicted Zeus killed his father, opened his father’s belly and freed his brothers and sisters. Zeus banished the Titans to the Underworld.

• He went to live on Mount Olympus. This would become the home of the Gods.

• The gods and goddesses who lived with Zeus on Mt. Olympus were known as civilized deities, helping to bring order to Greece.

GREEK GODS & GODDESSES

• Besides the main Olympian gods and goddesses, Greeks honored hundreds of other gods and goddesses.

• Some were local deities, known only to the residents of particular city-states, while others were known throughout Greece.

GODS AND GODDESSES OF ANCIENT GREECE

ZEUS (JUPITER)

King of the gods

Ruler of the Sky and weather

Upholder of oaths

Hospitality

Symbol: Lighting Bolt

HERA (JUNO)

Sister of Zeus

Wife of Zeus

Queen of the Gods

Upholder of marriage

Extremely Jealous

Symbols: Peacock & Cow

POSEIDON (NEPTUNE)

Brother of Zeus

God of the sea

Creator of Horses

Earthquakes

Symbol: Trident

HADES (PLUTO)

Brother of Zeus

God of the Underworld

Ugly, Unlucky, & Unfortunate

Watches over the souls of the dead and the monsters imprisoned by Zeus in the great war.

DEMETER (CERES)

Sister of Zeus

Goddess of the Earth/Agriculture

Symbols: Wheat & Plants

PERSEPHONE (PROSERPINA)

Daughter of Demeter

Wife of Hades

Queen of the Underworld

Spends six months in the underworld (winter) and six months with her mother (summer)

HESTIA (VESTA)

Goddess of the Hearth or Fireside

Daughter of Cronus and Rhea

ATHENA (MINERVA)

Daughter of Zeus

Born from Zeus’s head

Goddess of Wisdom & Strategy

Warfare

Crafts

Symbol: Owl

APOLLO (APOLLO)

Son of Zeus

God of many things:

Light & Sun

Truth & Prophecy

Healing & Plague

Music & Poetry

Drives a Golden Chariot Across the Sky

Twin sister is Artemis

Symbols: Python, Raven, & Bow & Arrows

ARTEMIS (DIANA)

Daughter of Zeus

Twin sister of Apollo

Goddess of the Hunt & the Moon

Wild animals

Childbirth

Symbol: Bow & the Deer

ARES (MARS)

Son of Zeus and Hera

God of War

While Athena was seen as strategic in war, Ares was seen as unpredictable and violent.

Loves battles.

Symbols: Wild Boar & a Spear

APHRODITE (VENUS)

Born from sea foam

Daughter of Zeus

Married to Hephaestus

Goddess of Love, Beauty, & Pleasure

Anyone will magically fall in love with her upon sight

Symbol: Dove

HEPHAESTUS (VULCAN)

Son of Hera

God of Metal Working, Fire, Smelting, & Crafts

Blacksmith for the Gods

Symbols: Hammer and Anvil

DIONYSUS (BACCHUS)

God of Wine , Music, Theater, and Wild Behavior

Son of Zeus and the mortal woman Semele

Only major God that has a mortal mother

Symbols: Grapes

HERMES (MERCURY)

Son of Zeus

Messenger of the Gods

God of commerce, thieves, travelers, sports, athletes, and border crossings,

Guide to the Underworld

Symbol: Cadeuces

EROS (CUPID)

Son of Aphrodite

Minor Love God

Represented as mischievous- interventions in affairs of Gods and Mortals to create bonds of love

Symbols: Bows, Arrows, Candles, Hearts, Cupids, & Wings and Kisses

PAN (FAUNUS)God of Nature, Shepherds and flocks, hunting, rustic music, & companions of nymphs

Legends tell us that he was so ugly his own mother ran away screaming in a panic.

Half man, half goat- such as the mythical creatures- Satyr

LEARN THESE!

Graded Quiz on Friday at the beginning of class over these Gods & Goddesses!

Study!!!