Myth

What is Classical Mythology?

Quick Intro:
What is Classics?
Classics:
The study of Ancient Greek and Roman literature, art, and
history.
What is myth?
Myth comes from the Greek word mythos (look now
you know Greek), which means speech, tale, or
story.
Basically, a myth is a story
People who specifically study mythology say myth is a
story that involves humans and their relations with
gods.
Myth helps explain the unexplainable
What elements define a
story?
Characters
Setting
Plot
What elements define a
traditional story?
Anonymous author
Collective importance to culture
Subject to constant change
Where do we get myths?
In ancient times people didnt write stories down like
Rick Riordan or J.K. Rowling. Instead they told stories
orally.
Orator: A person whose profession is to tell stories by
word of mouth.
Why do you think the stories were different in different
areas of Greece?
See map on next slide
The Storytellers
Who are the people that told the myths?
Homer the Iliad and the Odyssey
Hesiod Theogony tells us the relations between the
Olympians and the Titans
Playwrights such as: Aeschylus, Sophocles, and
Euripides
Lets read a myth
The following myth comes from Hesiods Theogony (8
th

cent BC), and tells the story of how the world began.
Together well read and practice annotating the
passage.