storytelling 1.what is the role of storytelling in a culture? 2.what does a culture’s traditional...
TRANSCRIPT
Storytelling
1. What is the role of storytelling in a culture?2. What does a culture’s traditional stories tell
us about them?3. Does traditional storytelling still have a
place in our society?
Myth • Myth is a traditional story, rooted in a
particular culture, that usually explains a belief, a ritual, or a mysterious natural phenomenon.
• Myths are essentially religious because they are concerned with the relationship between humans and the unknown spiritual realm.
Greek Myths
• Revolve around the gods and goddesses
http://www.history.com/videos/greek-gods
The Olympians
Mount Olympus, Greece
1. Zeus, Chief of the Gods
• aka Jupiter
• sky and thunder
• married to Hera
• fathered MANY children
3. Poseidon, God of the Sea
• aka Neptune
• sea and earthquakes
• Brother of Zeus
• violent mood swings
4. Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest
• aka Ceres
• fertility, agriculture, nature & seasons
• mother of Persephone
• very close to the people
10. Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty
• aka Venus
• love, beauty & desire
• sprang from white beauty of seafoam
• married to Hephaestus
• many affairs
11. Hephaestus, God of Metalworking
• aka Vulcan
• forge & fire
• son of Zeus & Hera
• ugly, peace-loving
12. Hermes, Messenger of the Gods
• aka Mercury
• guide dead souls
• son of Zeus
• mischievous & clever
Persephone, Goddess of Spring
• aka Proserpine
• springtime
• daughter of Zeus & Demeter
• forced to be queen of dead
Epic • An epic poem is a long narrative poem that
“tells of the adventures of a hero who in some way embodies the values of his civilization”– A physically impressive hero of national or
historical importance– A vast setting encompassing much of the known
physical world and sometimes the Land of the Dead
– A quest or journey undertaken in search of something of value
– The involvement of supernatural forces– Glorification of (deification) the hero at the end– A basis in a specific culture or society
How Epics Were Told
• Epics were told orally.• They followed basic story lines and incorporated formulaic
descriptions. • Most of the words were improvised to fit a particular rhythm or
meter.• Begin with an invocation to the muse
• Minstrels had to be VERY talented• “Formulas”
– Homeric epithets: compound adjective regularly used to modify a particular noun (gray-eyed goddess Athena)
– Homeric/epic similes: compare heroic/epic events to everyday things
3,000 years ago….
• in Ancient Greece, people sat around and told stories about the great Trojan war
• Later, a man named Homer gathered all these stories together into 2 great epics which became the Iliad and the Odyssey
Homer
• Later Greeks say he was a blind minstrel• Scholars say he’s a legend• Either way, he’s a model for the Rhapsodes –
the traveling minstrels/mythmakers of the time
The IliadTells the story of the ten-year battle at Troy.
According to Homer, thiswar “was fought betweenthe people of Troy and an alliance of Greek kings…caused by sexual jealousy: The world’s most beautiful woman, Helen, abandoned her husband, Menelaus, a Greek king, and ran off with Paris, a prince of Troy” (640). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkTXVFRBUpc
Reflect
Paris is a greedy young man, and much is made of the fatal repercussions of his greed. Is Helen equally guilty, or is she a victim? Explain your answer, and include at least one example each of an adverb and an adjective phrase.
Helen of Sparta/Troy• Zeus had relations with a mortal
woman and Helen, the “most beautiful woman on earth”, was born
• Helen married Menelaus, king of Sparta
• Paris, young Trojan prince, fell in love with her and carried her away
• Menelaus got help from brother Agamemnon and others
• Launched 1,000 ships to Troy– “the face that launched a
thousand ships”• Fought for 10 years but couldn’t
get past walls
Wooden Horse Trick• Odysseus’s idea• Built big wooden horse
with hollow belly• Left outside gates;
pretended to sail away• Trojans brought into
city• At night, Greeks
crawled out of it, opened gate, and slaughtered
The Odyssey• In brief: the Odyssey is
“the story of the attempt of one Greek soldier, Odysseus, to get home after the Trojan War” (640).
Odysseus: A Hero in Trouble
• Tried to draft-dodge by acting insane – they threw his baby in front of the plow, and he had to reveal his sanity to save his baby
• Left wife (Penelope) and 2 year old son (Telemachus) at home to fight
• Hero in Trojan War – thought of famous Wooden Horse trick
• Now, he just wants to get home