Greek Mythology, Epic Poetry,

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• Greek Mythology, Epic Poetry,
• And
• The Odyssey

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Greek Mythology

• Mythology is the study of myths
• Myths are stories involving gods, goddesses, and
  heroes.

Why did myths begin?

• To entertain
• To explain natural phenomena
• To explain the relationship of god to man
• To teach lessons and morals

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Homers The Odyssey

• The Odyssey is an epic poem based on Greek
  mythology

What is an Epic Poem?
A long narrative poem about a national or
legendary hero.
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Characteristics of an Epic Poem

• Incorporate myth, legend, folk tale, and history
• Have a grand tone
• Heroes and their adventures appear larger than
  life (Epic Hero)
• Many were drawn from oral tradition

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The Ancient Gods of Greek Mythology-The Family
Tree
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It All Started with Chaos

• The world was formed from a great mass called
  Chaos.
• Out from Chaos came Gaea, the earth Goddess.
• She gave birth to a son, Uranus, and together
  they had six children. Three 50 headed
  100-handed giants and three one-eyed Cyclopes.

• Uranus hated these children and sent them to the
  underworld.
• On their second try, Uranus and Gaea produced
  seven Titans CLYMENE HYPERION CRONUS
• PHALLA PHOEBE
• RHEA
• TETHYS

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The Betrayals Continue . . .

• Gaea, however, was still upset that Uranus
  banished their other children.
• She told the Titans what Uranus had done and
  asked them to seek revenge.
• Cronus (their son) did seek revenge by castrating
  Uranus, and becoming the new ruler.
• But, when he saw the other children, he agreed
  they were too ugly to allow out of the
  underworld.

• Cronus married Rhea.
• They had five children, but since Gaea had warned
  him that one of his kids would overthrow him,
  Cronus swallowed his own children.
• Rhea was tired of this, so she hid the sixth
  child, Zeus, in Crete.
• When Cronus asked for the child, Rhea wrapped a
  rock in clothes and Cronus swallowed it.

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Zeus Takes Vengeance

• Zeus grows up, Rhea tells him the story about his
  siblings, and he plots revenge against Cronus.
• He poisons Cronus, and his siblings pop out of
  Cronuss belly (after the rock, of course).
• After this, Zeus tries to take over, but the
  other Titans wont recognize him, so they start a
  war.
• Gaea tells Zeus about her first six children, and
  with their help he wins against the Titans. Then
  he takes the whole family to Mt. Olympus (Thus
  the name Olympian Gods).

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Zeus

• After overthrowing his father Cronus, Zeus drew
  straws with his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Zeus
  won the draw and became the supreme ruler of the
  gods.
• He is lord of the sky, the rain god.
• His symbol is a thunderbolt which he hurls at
  those who anger him.
• He is married to Hera, but is famous for his many
  affairs with goddesses and mortals.
• He is also known to punish those that lie or
  break oaths.

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Zeuss Wife, Lovers Kids
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Poseidon

• Brother of Zeus and Hades
• Lord of the sea.
• To impress Demeter, Poseidon created the first
  horse. In some accounts, his first attempts were
  unsuccessful and he created a variety of other
  animals in his quest.
• His symbol is a trident, which can shake the
  earth and shatter any object.
• He is second only to Zeus in power among the
  gods.
• He has a difficult, quarrelsome personality, is
  greedy, and has many disputes with other gods.

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Hades

• Brother of Zeus and Poseidon.
• He had the worst draw and was made lord of the
  underworld, ruling over the dead.
• He is a greedy god who is greatly concerned with
  increasing his subjects and doesnt want any of
  them to leave.
• God of wealth, due to the precious metals mined
  from the earth.
• He has a helmet that makes him invisible.
• He rarely leaves the underworld. He has no pity
  and is mean.
• His symbol is a sceptera two pronged staff.

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Athena

• Daughter of Zeus, she sprang from his
  foreheadfull grown and in armor.
• The goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, justice and
  skill.
• She is fierce and brave in battle.
• She invented the bridle, which permitted man to
  tame horses, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the
  rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the
  chariot.
• She represents wisdom, reason, and purity. She
  was Zeus's favorite child and was allowed to use
  his weapons, including his thunderbolt.
• Her symbols are the olive tree and the owl.
• She is a virgin goddess.

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Hermes

• Hermes is the son of Zeus and Maia.
• He is the god of messengers, safe travel, good
  fortune, trickery, and truth.
• While Hermes can never tell a lie, he may not
  always tell the whole truth.
• He is the fastest of the gods.
• He wears winged sandals, a winged hat, and
  carries a magic wand.
• He guides the dead to the underworld.
• He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical
  scale, astronomy , weights and measures, boxing,
  gymnastics, and the care of olive trees.

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Circe

• Circe, daughter of the sun god Helios, was a
  sorceress best known for her ability to turn men
  into animals with her magic wand.
• She was jealous of Scylla, a beautiful young
  woman, and turned Scylla into a sea monster.

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The Sirens

• The Sirens are creatures with the head of a
  female and the body of a bird.
• They lived on three small rocky islands, and with
  the irresistible charm of their song, they lured
  sailors to their death on the rocks surrounding
  the island.

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Scylla

• Circe, jealous of Scylla, poisoned the water
  where Scylla bathed.
• Scylla became a monster with twelve feet and six
  heads, each with three rows of teeth. Below the
  waist her body was made up of hideous dog-like
  monsters.
• She threatened passing ships, and in the Odyssey
  she ate six of Odysseuss companions.

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Helios

• The god of the sun.
• His chariot rises in the East and descends in the
  West (like the sun).
• Warm, friendly and compassionate, Helios respects
  truth and honesty.
• Helios was keeper of the sacred cattle.
• His symbol is the chariot.

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Calypso

• Calypso was a nymph, the daughter of the Titan
  Atlas.
• She lived on the island of Ogygia.
• Calypso fell in love with Odysseus, taking him as
  her lover and promising him immortality if he
  would stay with her.
• In Greek mythology, nymphs are spirits of nature.
  They are minor female goddesses and the
  protectors of springs, mountains, and rivers.

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The Muses

• These are the 9 daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus
• Each is in charge of a different art or science
  and inspires those who excel at these pursuits.
• Clio history
• Urania astronomy
• Melpomene tragedy
• Thalia comedy
• Terpsichore dance
• Calliope epic poetry
• Erato love poetry
• Polyhymnia songs
• Euterpe lyric poetry

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Homer

• Author of The Iliad and The Odyssey
• The Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War.
• The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseuss long
  trip home after the war.
• Scholars think Homer lived between 1500 B.C and
  700 B.C.
• Most scholars believe he was blind, but there is
  no evidence to verify this.

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Homer Continued

• Homer used the legendary material of the Trojan
  war as the basis for his poems adding original
  plot structure, realistic characters, dialogue
  and detail, and tales of fabulous monsters.
• The study of Homers epics became the basis of
  Greek education.
• Homer made his characters believable by giving
  them both good and bad traits.

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Who Knew an Apple Would Start it All?

• According to Greek mythology, all the gods were
  invited to a wedding, except Eris, the goddess of
  strife or trouble. (Who wants trouble at a
  wedding?)
• She went anyway and brought a golden apple that
  had "For the fairest" (the most beautiful)
  written on it.
• Hera (Zeus's wife), Aphrodite (Zeus's daughter),
  and Athena (Zeus's daughter) all made a claim for
  the apple, and they appealed to Zeus for
  judgment.
• He refused to decide a beauty contest between his
  wife and two of his daughters, and the task of
  choosing a winner fell to Paris, a male mortal.

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The Judgment of Paris

• The three great goddesses offered Paris bribes.
• Hera promised him power.
• Athena offered him wisdom.
• And Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful
  mortal woman in the world (Helen) as his wife.
• In the famous Judgment of Paris, Paris gave the
  apple to Aphrodite. (He wanted Helen for
  himself!)

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Theyre Fighting Over a Girl??

• Helen, a mortal daughter of Zeus, was the most
  beautiful girl in the world.
• Only there was a huge problemshe was already
  married to King Menelaus.
• Paris went to Sparta, met and fell in love with
  Helen, and they ran away together to Troy
  (Pariss home).
• Menelaus demanded that his wife be returned, and
  when Paris refused The Trojan War began.

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The Trojan War

• Due to a promise they had made to King Menelaus
  to help him defend Helens honor, all the kings
  of Greece went to Troy to fight to get Helen
  back.
• The Greeks fought the Trojans for 10 years.
• Odysseus came to the rescue with a strategy to
  win the war that involved a huge wooden horse.

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The Trojan Horse

• To gain entrance into Troy, clever Odysseus
  ordered a large wooden horse to be built.
• Its insides were hollow so that soldiers could
  hide within it.
• All the Greek ships sailed away and left the
  Trojan horse behind. (To make it look like they
  had given up.)
• The Spartans thought they had won the war,
  brought the horse into the city, and had a
  drunken celebration.
• While the Spartans slept, Odysseus and his men
  climbed out of the horses belly, let their
  comrades into the city, and slaughtered the
  Spartans.

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The Odyssey

• Its an 11,300 line epic poem divided into 24
  books (chapters.)
• It was passed down orally between the generations.

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3 Parts to the Story

1. Odysseuss wanderings for 10 years after the
   Trojan War.
2. What happens in Ithaca to his wife, Penelope, and
   his son, Telemachus, while he is gone.
3. What happens when Odysseus returns home to
   reclaim his throne and family.

So, how long has Odysseus been away from home?
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Themes of The Odyssey

• loyalty devotion
• wandering hero
• triumph of good over evil
• obedience to the laws of the gods
• Greek ideal of a strong body strong mind

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Odysseus

• The son of Laertes and the ruler of the island
  kingdom of Ithaca.
• He was one of the most prominent Greek leaders in
  the Trojan War, and is the epic hero of The
  Odyssey.
• He was known for his cleverness and cunning, and
  for his eloquence as a speaker.
• Favored by Athena

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Timeline of Odysseuss Adventures20 Years
Missing!
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Penelope

• Penelope was the daughter of Icarius and a first
  cousin of Helen of Troy.
• She was the wife of Odysseus.
• She was famous for her cleverness and for her
  faithfulness to her husband for 20 years.

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Telemachus

• Odysseus and Penelopes son
• Favored by Athena
• She helped him gain self-confidence and
  assertiveness when his father was gone for so
  many years. (He grew up without a father.)

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THE END
Of taking notes, anyway.