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Name:
DAEDALUS AND ICARUS
Nick Pontikis
Daedalus-his name means “skilled worker”- was
a famous architect, inventor, and master craftsman
known for having
created many objects
that figure prominently
in various myths. He
had a beloved son
named Icarus. Among
the many inventions a
nd creations crafted by
Daedalus were the
wooden cow he
constructed for Queen
Pasiphae, the Labyrinth
of the Minotaur at
Knossos on the island
of Crete, artificial wings
for himself and his son
Icarus, and he was even said to have invented images.
The infamous Labyrinth was so cunningly crafted
that Daedalus himself could barely find his way out after
constructing it. With countless winding passages and
turns that opened into one another, the Labyrinth
appeared to have neither beginning nor end. Daedalus
built the maze to imprison the Minotaur, half man - half
bull beast. His homeland was Athens but his parentage
is uncertain. Alcippe, Merope, and Iphinoe are all
mentioned at different times as being his mother. His
father’s identity was never precisely established, but
many claim that it was Metion, son of Erectheus.
For a short time, his apprentice was his sister’s
son Perdix. But Daedalus was so proud of his
achievements that he could not bear the idea of a rival.
His sister had placed her son Perdix under his charge to
be taught the mechanical arts. Perdix was an apt scholar
and showed striking evidence of ingenuity. Walking on
the seashore, he picked up the spine of a fish. According
to Ovid, imitating it, he took a piece of iron and notched
it on the edge, and thus invented the saw. Perdix also
put two pieces of iron together, connecting them at one
end with a rivet, and sharpening the other ends, and
made a pair of compasses. Daedalus was so envious of
his nephew’s accomplishments that he seized an
opportunity to toss him from the hill of the Acropolis. As
he was plunging to his death, however, the goddess
Athena turned Perdix into a partridge to save him.
Other sources claim instead that his apprentice
was his nephew Talos. They say that it was Talos, at the
age of twelve, who displayed a skill that nearly rivaled
his mentor’s. Daedalus, fearing that the boy would
surpass him in talent, murdered the boy by tossing him
from the Acropolis of Athens. He was then tried at the
Areiopagus, which was the ancient Greek court, and
Grade and Section:
banished from his home city of Athens. He fled to the
island of Crete, where he began to work at the court of
King Minos and Queen Pasiphae, in the magnificent
palace of Knossos. It is said that Daedalus was the first
to conceive masts and sails for ships for the navy of
Minos, helping Crete become a naval power. The
statues he carved were so exquisite, they looked as if
they were alive. It is said that they would have escaped
were it not for the chain that bound them to the palace
wall. Daedelus also constructed a wooden cow for the
queen to hide in to satisfy her amorous longings for a
white bull sent by Poseidon.
When the dreadful Minotaur was born, Daedalus
built the Labyrinth to contain the monstrous half-man,
half-bull. For years, Minos demanded a tribute of youths
from Athens to feed the creature as punishment for the
accidental killing of his son while he was visiting Athens.
Eventually, the Athenian hero Theseus came to Crete to
attempt to slay the Minotaur. Princess Ariadne, daughter
of King Minos and Queen Pasiphae, fell in love with
Theseus and asked Daedalus to help him. Daedalus
gave her a flaxen thread for Theseus to tie to the door of
the Labyrinth as he entered, and by which he could find
his way out after killing the monster. Theseus
succeeded, and escaped Crete with Ariadne. Minos,
enraged at the loss of his daughter, not to mention the
killing of his pet Minotaur, shut Daedalus and his son
Icarus into the Labyrinth, knowing that Theseus could
not have accomplished the deed without inside help.
Daedalus managed to get out of the Labyrinth - after all,
he had built it and knew his way around. Daedalus
decided that he and his son Icarus had to leave Crete
and get away from Minos, before he brought them harm.
However, Minos controlled the sea around Crete. The
King kept strict watch on all vessels, permitting none to
sail without being carefully searched by his soldiers.
Since Minos controlled the land and sea routes, and
there was no route of escape there; Daedalus realized
that the only way out was by air. But only the gods could
fly!
To escape, Daedalus built wings for himself and
Icarus, fashioned with feathers held together with wax.
Daedalus tried the wings on himself first and was
satisfied that his plan would work. Before taking off from
the island, Daedalus warned his son to follow closely
behind him. He sternly cautioned Icarus not to fly too
close to the sun, as it would melt his wings, and not too
close to the sea, as it would dampen them and make it
hard to fly.
They successfully flew from Crete, but Icarus
grew exhilarated by the thrill of flying and began getting
careless. The father and son passed the islands of
Samos, Delos and Lebynthos, and the further away from
 Page |2

Crete they flew, the more cocky became Icarus. Cocalus in a place called Camicus. On the island’s south
Forgetting his coast, Daedalus built a temple for Apollo, and hung up
father’s stern advice, his wings, as an offering to the Olympian god. But
Icarus flew too close vengeful King Minos wasn’t quite done — he then went
to the sun god in pursuit of Daedalus, hoping to locate and trick the
Helios, who was great inventor into revealing himself.
pulling the sun At each city he visited, Minos offered a reward to
behind his chariot whoever could thread a spiral seashell, a seemingly
high in the sky. impossible task. Eventually, Minos came to Camicus in
The wax Sicily and presented the contest at Cocalus’ court.
holding together his Cocalus knew of Daedalus’ talents, and gave the shell to
wings softened and him. The clever Daedalus tied the string to an ant,
melted from the heat placed the ant at one end of the shell, and allowed the
and, try as he might, ant to walk through the spiral chambers until it came out
Icarus could not the other end. When Minos saw that someone had
prevent the feathers solved the puzzle, he demanded that Cocalus surrender
from falling off his Daedalus, for he insisted that only he would have been
body. Furiously he inventive enough to solve the task. King Cocalus
flapped his arms, but promised to do so, but he persuaded Minos to first take
soon no feathers at all were left and he fell to his death, a bath and stay for some entertainment. Minos agreed,
drowning in the sea, as his helpless father wa tched his and was consequently murdered by Cocalus’ daughters,
son perish with anguish. His father cried, bitterly who had been totally impressed by the toys and gifts
lamenting his own arts, and called the land near the which Daedalus had bestowed upon them. Daedalus
place where Icarus fell into the ocean Icaria in memory eventually left Camicus, much to the dismay of King
of his child. The Icarian Sea, where he fell, was forever Cocalus and his daughters, and ended up in Sardinia
named after him and it is said that the great hero with a group led by Iolaus, who was a nephew of
Heracles (Hercules), who was passing by, gave him Heracles.
proper burial. Source: http://thanasis.com/icarus02.html
Daedalus grieved for his dead son and then
continued to Sicily, where he came to stay at the court of

FACTS AND DETAILS

1. Who hired Daedalus?
2. What did Daedalus design to hold the Minotaur?
3. What did Daedalus invent to help him and Icarus escape from the Labyrinth?
4. What did he warn Icarus not to do?
5. What happened to Icarus?

DIGGING DEEPER
GROUP 1
1) Why did Minos imprison Daedalus in the Labyrinth?
2) If you had access to building resources and materials, devise a design of a flying machine to
help you escape the island prison of Crete.
GROUP 2
1) Why did Minos think that, if Daedalus can’t find his way out, “so much the better”?
2) Which events in the myth could have happened in real life? Give examples.
GROUP 3
1) Daedalus tells Icarus that the plan is dangerous. Why does he want them to take this risk?
2) Do you think Daedalus’ plan is a good one? Explain your answer.
GROUP 4
1) Why did Daedalus leave his wings on the altar of Apollo?
2) In a short paragraph, describe how Daedalus planned to escape from the island prison of
Crete.

Name:
THE GORGON’S HEAD
From Ancient Greece
Anne Terry White
Acrisius, King of Argos, came home from Delphi
with a heavy heart, for he had received a dreadful
oracle. “No sons shall be born to you,” the priestess had
told him. “But you shall have a grandson, and by his
hand you shall die.”
Now the King had an only daughter, who was yet a
maiden. So in his distress he thought: “I will evade my
fate. I will shut Danae up away from the sight of men in a
house of bronze all sunk underground.” And he carried
out his cruel plan. But Acrisius forgot to take the gods
into account. Part of the roof of the house was open to
the sky. And one day, as lovely Danae sat sadly looking
up at the passing clouds, Zeus beheld the maiden.
Changing himself into a shower of gold, he stormed into
her chamber.
When afterwards a son was born to Danae, she
hid him from her father’s sight. Nevertheless, the King
discovered the baby and was more than ever filled with
fear. He dared not kill little Perseus directly lest the gods
avenge the murder. Instead, he had a great chest built,
placed Danae and her boy in it, and set them adrift upon
the sea. All day and all night the chest tossed upon the
waves. Danae lulled her child with song, and he slept.
But when dawn came, a great wave picked up the chest
and carried it close to the tiny island of Seraphos. It
happened that a fisherman, Dictys by name, saw the
chest bobbing on the waves close to the shore. He
dragged the box to land and opened it. When he beheld
the pitiful mother with the helpless little child, his heart
was moved. He took them both to his wife, for Dictys
was childless, and there in the kindly fisherfolk’s humble
home Perseus grew up.
Now Danae had been a beautiful maiden. And
when Perseus has
grown into a fine tall
youth, she was still
beautiful. So it was not
strange that King
Polydectes, who was
Dictys’ Brother, fell in
love with her and
made her his wife. But
the King hated the
youth-just because
Danae doted on him-
and sought some way
to get rid of him. At
last Polydectes said to
his stepson, “The time
has come, Perseus,
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Grade and Section:
for you to win glory for yourself in some bold adventure.”
Young Perseus thought so, too. But what should the
adventure be?
“I think,” the wily Polydectes said, “It would be a
good idea for you to cut off the Medusa’s head. That
would bring you to the greatest fame.” All unsuspecting,
Perseus set off to find Medusa, not knowing in the least
how perilous an adventure he had undertaken. For
Medusa was one of the three Gorgons, terrible winged
monsters who lived alone on an island. They had teeth
like the tusks of a boar, hands of brass, and snakes
instead of hair. Perseus did not know where to look for
the Gorgons. Nor did he know which of them was
Medusa. And this was important, for Medusa was the
only one of the three that could be slain.
From place to place the prince went on in his
quest, getting more and more discouraged. Then one
day he beheld a young man of great beauty, wearing
winged sandals and a winged cap, and carrying in his
hand a wand around which two golden serpents twined.
Perseus knew at once that this was Hermes and was
overjoyed when the god said: “Perseus, I approved the
high adventure you have in mind. But you must be
properly equipped for it. Without the winged sandals, the
magic wallet, and the helmet of invisibility, but I will take
you to the Gray women. You can find out from them.”
“And will they indeed tell me?” Perseus asked.
“Not willingly,” Hermes replied. “But you can
make them do it. They have but one eye shared among
the three. Snatch it from them as they pass it from one
to another and none can see. And do not give it back till
they tell you what you want to know.”
With that, Hermes gave Perseus a magnificent
curved sword.
“You will need it,” he said, “for Medusa’s scales
are hard as metal.”
Perseus had just taken the sword when there
was a sudden brightness in the sky, and he beheld the
goddess Athene descending toward them.
“Of what use will be your sword, my brother,” she
said to Hermes, “when none may look the Gorgons and
live? The sight of them as you well know, turns men into
stone. Take my bright shield, Perseus. Look into it
instead of at the monster as you approach to do battle,
and you will see the Medusa reflected as in a mirror.”
So saying, the goddess disappeared, and the brightness
with her.
On and on with god-companion, Perseus
journeyed, farther than man had ever been. At last they
came to the end of the earth. There the weird Gray

Women sat, passing their eye from one to another just
as Hermes had said. Danae’s son knew what to do. He
left the god and crept quietly towards them, waited till
one had taken the eye from her forehead, and snatched
it away as she passed it to her sister.
The Gray Women raised a fearful clamor when
they realized that a stranger had their eye. They howled
and they threatened. But without the eye they were
helpless, and in the end they grudgingly told Perseus the
way to the Nymphs of the North. So again Perseus went
on, this time to find the happy beings who possessed the
three priceless things he needed. And when the Nymphs
heard the reason he wanted them, they were willing to
give him the winged shoes, the helmet that would make
him invisible, and the magic wallet that would become
the right size for whatever he wish to carry. Fully
equipped now, Perseus lightly sped through the air over
land and over sea to the fearful island of the Gorgons.
As he approached, he
could see, scattered in
the fields and along the
roads, statues of men
and beasts whom the
sight of the Gorgons
had turned stone. And,
at last, from high
above, he beheld the
monsters themselves
reflected in his shield.
Their scale-covered
bodies glistened in the
sun, their great wings
were folded, the snakes
that were their hair lay
hideously coiled and
intertwined. The Gorgons were asleep.
But which of the three was Medusa? Perseus could see
no difference among them.
Suddenly he heard Athena’s voice: “Descend,
Perseus, and strike! The Gorgon nearest the shore is
Medusa.” Perseus swept down, and still gazing into the
shield, boldly swung his blade. With one stroke he cut off
the gristy head. Then, springing into the air, he thrust his
prize, all writhing and hissing, into the magic wallet.
Up leaped the Gorgon sisters, for they heard the rattle of
Medusa’s scales as the severed body thrashed about.
They turned their snaky heads and when they saw
Perseus, they roared with fury. Flapping their great
wings, they set off in pursuit. But they could not outstrip
the winged sandals.
Over lands and peoples the hero flew, on and on.
He had lost his way now, for Hermes had left him.
Below, the Lybian desert stretched endlessly. Perseus
did not know what those sands were, nor did he guess
that the ruby drops falling from Medusa’s head were
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turning into venomous snakes that would inhabit the
desert forever. But now he saw a sight that made his
heart beat fast with excitement and wonder. Fastened by
chains to a cliff by the sea was a beautiful maiden. Had
it not been that a slight breeze stirred her hair and that
tears flowed from her eyes, he would have thought her a
statue. Perseus almost forgot to keep his winged
sandals moving, so struck was he by her rare beauty.
“Lovely maiden, you should not wear such chains
as these,” he stammered out, “but rather those which
bind the hearts of lovers. I pray, you, tell me your name
and why you are bound like this.” Do you think Perseus
can slay the Gorgon by his own hands?
At first the girl made no reply, so abashed was
she before the youth. But when he urged her again and
again to speak, she told him all her story.
“I am Andromeda,” she said, “Daughter of
Cepheus, King of the Ethiopians. The beautiful
Cassiopeia is my mother. It is her beauty that has
chained me here for the gods are jealous, and in nothing
may we mortal surpass them. Woe, woe the day my
mother vaunted herself fairer than the daughters of
Nereus! The sea god has sent a serpent to prey upon
our people , and my death alone can appease his anger.
So, says the oracle.”
She had scarcely finished speaking when the
loud roaring of the waves announced that the monster
was on his way. Andromeda shrieked. At her cry, her
frantic father and mother came running. They clung to
their daughter and lamented.
“Enough of tears!” Perseus said to them sternly.
“I am Perseus, son of Zeus and Danae. Now I will make
this contract with you-that Andromeda shall be mine if I
save her from the serpent.”
“Indeed, indeed, valorous youth, she shall be
yours! Only save her from the monster, and you shall
have our Kingdom as well as our daughter.”
The monster was coming on, his breast parting
the waves like a swift ship. Suddenly Perseus sprang
into the air and shot high up in the clouds. Seeing the
youth’s shadow upon the sea, the monster attacked it in
fury. Then Perseus swooped like an eagle from the sky
and buried his sword up to the hilt in the beast’s right
shoulder.
The creature reared upright, then plunged
beneath the water, and turned around and around like
some fierce wild boar in the midst of baying hounds.
Nimbly avoiding the snapping jaws, Perseus dealt blow
after blow wherever he had the chance to strike. Red
blood poured from the monster’s mouth. The air was so
filled with spray that the hero’s winged sandals grew
heavy. He dared not trust himself to them longer. Spying
a rock over which the waves were breaking , he braced
himself against it with his left hand, and four times he
drove his sword into the monster’s side. As the creature

sank to its death, Perseus heard shouts of joy from the
shore. And when he looked, Andromeda already stood
free beside her parents.
“I will take fair maiden without dowry,” Perseus
said.
And that very day the wedding was celebrated.
Torches were tossed in the air, incense was thrown on
the flames. Garlands were hung from the palace’s roof.
And everywhere the sound of lyres and pipes and
singing was heard. Now while the marriage feast was at
its height, the door of the banquet hall was suddenly
flung open, and in burst a mob of shouting, riotous men.
Foremost stood Andromeda’s uncle, Phineas, javelin in
hand.
“Behold, I am here!” he cried. “I have come to
avenge the theft of my promised bride.”
“What are you doing, Brother?” the father cried.
“Do you, who stood by and watched while Andromeda
was put in chains and did nothing to help her, dare to be
indignant because another has snatched the prize? Let
the man who rescued her have the reward he was
promised! He has not been chosen in preference to you,
but in preference to certain death.”
Phineas said not a word. He looked from the
King to Perseus, undecided at which to aim his weapon,
then hurdled it at the hero. The spear stuck in Perseus’
couch. Perseus leaped up from the cushions, wrenched
out the spear, and hurdled it back at his foe. Had
Phineas not taken refuge behind the altar, he would
have perished. As it was, one of his followers received
the weapon full in his forehead. Then the rioters went
wild. Weapons were hurdled, and the feast turned into a
battle. Thick as hail, javelins sped by Perseus’ ears. He
set his shoulders against a great stone column and
struck down one man after another. But at last he
realized that valor could not withstand the numbers
against him.
“If I have any friends here, let them hide their
faces!” he shouted.
With this he drew Medusa’s head out of the
wallet. One of the attackers was just preparing to cast
his javelin, but before he could cast, he was turned to
stone. Another, who was about to thrust his sword
through Perseus, stood frozen with it in his hand. A third
was turned to stone even as he uttered a taunt. Two
hundred men became stony statues before Phineas
yielded, crying:
“Put away your horrible weapon. Hide it! Grant
me only my life and may the rest be yours!”
“What I can give you, most cowardly Phineas, I
will!” Perseus replied. “You shall be a lasting monument
here in the palace of my father-in-law.” The unhappy
Phineas tried to turn away his eyes, but even as he did
so, his flesh turned to stone. When at the year’s end,
Perseus sailed home with Andromeda, Polydectes’
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hatred had in no way lessened. The King was furious
that his stepson had returned, and refused to believe
that he had actually slain Medusa. With scornful truants
he upbraided the young man for having come home
empty-handed. It was more than Perseus could bear.
“I shall prove to you that what I say is true!” he cried,
“hide your eyes, all you who are my friends!” and he
showed the Gorgon’s head to cruel Polydectes.
That was the last time Perseus ever used the horrible
head. He gave it most willingly to Athene, who kept it
ever after.
Do you think that Perseus’ extraordinary ability is
a gift? Why or why not? Now that Polydectes was dead,
Danae yearned to go home again and be reconciled with
her father. So Perseus made the fisherman Dictys King
of island and sailed with his mother and Andromeda to
Greece. But it happened that when they came to Argos,
King Acrisius was away from home. Games were being
held in Larissa, and Perseus, hearing of them, decided
to go there and take part. And there at the game it was
that the oracle which Acrisius had received at Delphi
was strangely fulfilled. For when it came to Perseus’ turn
to throw the discus, he threw it so that it swerved to one
side. It landed among the spectators and killed an old
man. That old man was King Acrisius,
Perseus and Medusa Study Questions
Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
1. Why does Perseus have to go on a quest for
Medusa's head?
2. What happens to people unlucky enough to look
Medusa in the eyes?
3. Do you feel bad for Medusa? Why or why not?
4. How does Perseus get the Graeae to tell him the
location of the Nymphai?
5. What magical artifacts do the Nymphai give to
Perseus to help him complete his quest?
6. What are the properties of each artifact?
7. Is it right for Perseus to kill Medusa? Why, or why
not?
8. Which of Perseus' qualities are heroic? Does he have
any un-heroic qualities?
9. Watch either the 1981 or 2010 version of Clash of the
Titans. Compare and contrast the Hollywood films to
the original myth.
10. Research the myths surrounding other famous Greek
heroes like Odysseus, Theseus, or Heracles. Compare
and contrast these figures to Perseus.
11. Pick a modern superhero or action star and compare
him or her to Perseus. How are our modern heroes
similar or different from the ancient Greek ones?
What qualities do we admire in heroes? What
qualities did the ancients admire?

Theme of Women and Femininity in Perseus
and Medusa
The issue of women and femininity in Perseus' stories are
kind of problematic. As we see it, women are either
beautiful and helpless damsels in distress (Danae,
Andromeda) or ugly monsters (the Gorgons, the Graeae).
Perseus saves the damsels and defeats the monsters either
through might (Medusa) or clever tricks (other Gorgons,
icky sisters). In other words, in this myth, we don't see
any strong female characters – at least not any that
survive.
Questions About Women and Femininity
1. Why do you think we don't see any strong female
characters in this story? How might this story reflect
the role of women in ancient Greek society?
2. Many feminists have taken on Medusa as a symbol.
Why do you think that is? What about Medusa is
appealing?
3. Does Athena offer a strong female presence in the
story, or is she too minor of a character?
4. How did you feel about Perseus' treatment of the
female "monsters" in this story?
5. Is it significant that Medusa doesn't get a chance to
fight Perseus?
Questions to Perseus and Andromeda
1. What can this story tell us about the role of
women in the ancient world?
2. What is created when Medusa's blood touches the
seaweed?
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3. How does Perseus do away with Phineas,
Andromeda's angry uncle/fiancé? Was Perseus
being fair?
4. Compare and contrast Andromeda with a modern
damsel in distress, like Superman's girl, Lois
Lane, and Spiderman's girl, Mary Jane.
Theme of Love in Perseus and Andromeda
Superman has Lois Lane, Spiderman has Mary Jane,
Mario has Princess Peach, and Perseus has Princess
Andromeda. Like pretty much every hero ever, Perseus
has a ladylove who he's willing to face down any villain
for. No adventure story is complete without a little
romance thrown in, and the episode of Perseus and
Andromeda is one of the most famous love affairs of all
time, a classic story of love at first sight. This story also
brings in questions of familial love, when King Cepheus
decides to sacrifice his daughter in order to save his
kingdom.
Questions About Love
1. What is it about Andromeda that attracts Perseus?
2. Do you believe in love at first sight? Why, or why
not?
3. Compare and contrast the tale of Perseus and
Andromeda to a "damsel in distress" story from a
recent movie.
4. Do we get any hints about whether Andromeda loves
Perseus?

Name:
ORPHEUS
Alice Low
There were nine goddesses called Muses. Born out of
Zeus and a Titan named Mnemosyne, each muse presided
over a different art or science. Calliope, one of these sisters,
was the inspiration of poets and musicians. She was the
mother of Orpheus (a mortal because his father was one) and
gave to her son a remarkable talent for music.
Orpheus played his lyre so sweetly that he charmed
all things on earth. Men and
women forgot their cares
when gathered around him
to listen. Wild beasts lay
down as the y gathered
around him as if they were
tame, entranced by his
soothing notes. Even rocks
and trees followed him, and
the rivers changed their
direction to hear him play.
Orpheus loved a
young woman named
Eurydice, and when they
were married, they looked
forward to many years of
happiness together. But soon after, Eurydice stepped on a
poisonous snake and died. Orpheus roamed the earth, singing
sad melodies to try to overcome his grief. But it was no use.
He longed for Eurydice so deeply that he decided to follow her
to the underworld. He said to himself, “No mortal has ever
been there before, but I must try to bring back my beloved
Eurydice. I will charm Persephone and Hades with my music
and win Eurydice’s release.”
He climbed into a cave and through a dark passage
that led to the underworld. When he reached the river Styx, he
plucked his lyre again, and Cerberus, the fierce three-headed
dog who guarded the gates, heard the sweet music and lay
still to let him pass.
Orpheus continued to play his lyre tenderly as he
made his way through the gloomy underworld. The ghosts
cried when they heard his sad music. Sisyphus, who had been
condemned to roll uphill forever, stopped his fruitless work to
listen. Tantalus, who had been sentenced to stand in a pool of
receding water, stopped trying to quench his thirst. And even
the wheel to which Ixion was tied as punishment stopped
turning for one moment.
At last Orpheus came to the palace of Hades and
Persephone, King and Queen of the underworld. Before they
could order him to leave, he began his gentle song, pleading
for Eurydice.
When stern Hades heard Orpheus’ song, he began to
weep. Cold Persephone was so moved that, for the first time
in all her months in the underworld, her heart melted.
“Oh, please, my husband,” she said to Hades, “let
Eurydice be reunited with Orpheus.”
Page |7
Grade and Section:
And Hades replied, “I, too, feel the sadness of
Orpheus. I cannot refuse him.” They summoned Eurydice, and
the two lovers clasped each other and turned to leave.
“Wait!” said Hades to Orpheus. “Eurydice is yours to
take back to earth on one condition.”
“What is that?” asked Orpheus
“She must follow you, and you must not look back at
her until you are on earth again.”
“I understand,” said Orpheus, “and I am forever
grateful.”
Orpheus and Eurydice left the underworld and made
their way through the dark passage that led to the upper
world. At last they reached the cave through which Orpheus
had descended.
“I can see daylight ahead” called Orpheus to Eurydice.
“We are almost there.”
But Eurydice had not heard him, and so she did not answer.
Orpheus turned to make sure that she was still following him.
He caught one
last glimpse of her arms stretched out to him. And then she
disappeared, swallowed
by darkness.
“Farewell,” he heard her cry as she was carried back
to the underworld.
Orpheus tried to follow her, but this time the gods
would not allow it. And so he wandered the earth alone. He
sang his sad songs to the trees and longed for the time when
he, too, would die and be reunited with his beloved Eurydice
in the underworld.
Processing Questions:
1. What was the greatest strength of Orpheus? What was his
weakness?
2. What effect did Orpheus’ music have on people and gods?
Cite two examples of this.
3. Why did Orpheus decide to rescue his wife from the
underworld?
4. Why did Orpheus look back to see if Eurydice was following
him?
5. What reasons might the gods have for allowing Orpheus
and Eurydice to be reunited?
6. Explain why the gods gave a condition to Orpheus and to
his bride to return to earth.
7. What main characteristic of this text makes it a myth?
8. To whom does Orpheus owe his talent? Why was he able
to win the sympathy of the gods?
9. In what situations were the gods willing to help humans?
10. Does the story reveal certain realities about Greeks? What
are these?
11. What does the story reveal about the concept of gods in
Greek Mythology?

Name:
ARACHNE
Translated by Olivia Coolidge
Arachne was a maiden who became famous
throughout Greece, though she was neither well-born
nor beautiful and came from no great city. She lived in
an obscure little village, and her father was a humble
dyer of wool. In this he was very skillful, producing many
varied shades, while above all he was famous for the
clear, bright scarlet which is made from shellfish, and
which was the most glorious of all the colors used in
ancient Greece. Even more skillful than her father was
Arachne. It was her task to spin the fleecy wool into a
fine, soft thread and to weave it into cloth on the high,
standing loom within the cottage. Arachne was small
and pale from much working. Her eyes were light and
her hair was a dusty brown, yet she was quick and
graceful, and her fingers, roughened as they were, went
so fast that it was hard to follow their flickering
movements. So soft and even was her thread, so fine
her cloth, so gorgeous her embroidery, that soon her
products were known all over Greece. No one had ever
seen the like of them before.
At last Arachne’s fame became so great that
people used to come from far and wide to watch her
working. Even the graceful nymphs would steal in from
stream or forest and peep shyly through the dark
doorway, watching in wonder the white arms of Arachne
as she stood at the loom and threw the shuttle from
hand to hand between the hanging threads, or drew out
the long wool, fine as a hair, from the distaff as she sat
spinning. “Surely Athene herself must have taught her,”
people would murmur to one another. “Who else could
know the secret of such marvelous skill?”
Arachne was used to being wondered at, and
she was immensely proud of the skill that had brought
so many to look on her. Praise was all she lived for, and
it displeased her greatly that people should think
anyone, even a goddess, could teach her anything.
Therefore when she heard them murmur, she would
stop her work and turn round indignantly to say, “With
my own ten fingers I gained this skill, and by hard
practice from early morning till night. I never had time to
stand looking as you people do while another maiden
worked. Nor if I had, would I give Athene credit because
the girl was more skillful than I. As for Athene’s weaving,
how could there be finer cloth or more beautiful
embroidery than mine? If Athene herself were to come
down and compete with me, she could do no better than
I.”
One day when Arachne turned round with such
words, an old woman answered her, a gray old woman,
bent and very poor, who stood leaning on a staff and
peering at Arachne amid the crowd of onlookers.
Page |8
Grade and Section:
“Reckless girl,” she said, “how dare you claim to be
equal to the immortal gods themselves? I am an old
woman and have seen much.
Take my advice and ask pardon of Athene for your
words. Rest content with your fame of being the best
spinner and weaver that mortal eyes have ever beheld.”
“Stupid old woman,” said Arachne indignantly. “Who
gave you a right to speak in this way to me? It is easy to
see that you were never good for anything in your day,
or you would not come here in poverty and rags to gaze
at my skill. If Athene resents my words, let her answer
them herself. I have challenged her to a contest, but
she, of course, would not come. It is easy for the gods to
avoid matching their skill with that of men.”
At these words the old woman threw down her
staff and stood erect. The wondering onlookers saw her
grow tall and fair and stand clad in long robes of
dazzling white. They were terribly afraid as they realized
that they stood in the presence of Athene. Arachne
herself flushed red for a moment, for she had never
really believed that the goddess would hear her. Before
the group that was gathered there she would not give in;
so pressing her pale lips together in obstinacy and pride,
she led the goddess to one of the great looms and set
herself before the other. Without a word both began to
thread the long woolen strands that hang from the
rollers, and between which the shuttle moves back and
forth. Many skeins lay heaped beside them to use,
bleached white, and gold, and scarlet, and other shades,
varied as the rainbow. Arachne had never thought of
giving credit for her success to her father’s skill in dyeing
though in actual truth the colors were as remarkable as
the cloth itself.
Soon there was no sound in the room but the
breathing of the onlookers, the whirring of the shuttles,
and the creaking of the wooden frames as each pressed
the thread up into place or tightened the pegs by which
the whole was held straight. The excited crowd in the
doorway began to see that the skill of both in truth was
very nearly equal, but that, however the cloth might turn
out, the goddess was the quicker of the two. A pattern of
many pictures was growing on her loom. There was
border of twined branches of the olive, Athene’s favorite
tree, while in the middle, figures began to appear. As
they looked at the glowing colors, the spectators realized
that Athene was weaving into her pattern a last warning
to Arachne. The central figure was the goddess herself
competing with Poseidon for possession of the city of
Athens; but in the four corners were mortals who had
tried to strive with gods and pictures of awful fate that

had overtaken them. The goddess ended a little before
Arachne and stood back from her marvelous work to see
what the maiden was doing.
Never before had Arachne been matched against
anyone whose skill was equal, or even nearly equal to
her own. As she stole glances from time to time at
Athene and saw the goddess working swiftly, calmly,
and always a little faster than herself she became angry
instead of frightened, and an evil thought came into her
head. Thus, as Athene stepped back a pace to watch
Arachne finishing her work, she saw that the maiden had
taken for her design a pattern of scenes which showed
evil or unworthy actions of the gods, how they had
deceived far maidens, resorted to trickery, and appeared
on earth from time to time in the form of poor and
humble people. When the goddess saw this insult
glowing in bright colors on Arachne’s loom, she did not
wait while the cloth was judged, but stepped forward, her
gray eyes blazing with anger, and tore Arachne’s work
across. Then she struck Arachne across the face.
Arachne stood there a moment, struggling with anger,
fear, and pride. “I will not live under this insult,” she
cried, and seizing a rope from the wall, she made a
noose and would have hanged herself.
The goddess touched the rope and touched the
maiden. “Live on, wicked girl,” she said. “Live on a spin,
both of you and your descendants. When men look at
you, they may remember that it is not wise to strive with
Athene.” At that the body of Arachne shriveled up, and
her legs grew tiny, spindly, and distorted. There, before
the eyes of the spectators hung a little dusty brown
spider on a slender thread.
All spiders descend from Arachne, and as the Greeks
watched them spinning their thread wonderfully fine,
they remembered the contest with Athene and thought
that it was not right for even the best of men to claim
equality with the gods.
SMALL GROUP DIFFERENTIATED ACTIVITIES
(SGDA) - THE GOLDEN
DOOR
• Form four groups, and work on your assigned task.
• Remember to share your ideas, thoughts, and
experiences with the class.
Group 1 Word Finder
Find difficult/unfamiliar words in the selection, and look
up the meaning of each through the use of a dictionary
or context clues.
Page |9
Group 2 Image Makers
Discuss the answers to these questions:
1. What caused Arachne’s fears and failures?
2. How did Arachne try to fight her fear and carry out the
conditions of the challenge?
3. How does she feel about her weaving skill?
4. What prevailing mood is conveyed in “Arachne”? Find
words/phrases in the selection that convey that mood
clearly.
5. What tone is used in the selection? Cite paragraph/s
that support your contention?
6. Describe how the mood and the tone contribute to the
total effect of the story.
Group 3 Justifiers
Discuss the answers to these questions:
1. What is the nature of the conflict in Arachne?
2. What does Arachne do that makes it difficult for her to
solve her problem?
3. What happens to her as she lives through her
experience?
4. What character trait is clearly shown by Arachne?
5. What are some details in the story that will prove that
Arachne’s pride is the reason for her downfall?
6. What is your opinion on the characteristics of the
following based on their
words and actions, especially in dealing with
challenges?
a. Arachne
b. the old woman (Athene)
Group 4 Theme Builders
Discuss your answers to these questions:
1. Is the use of poetic justice (a happy ending where a
virtue is rewarded and the vice/wrong doing is punished)
as a literary device effective in “Arachne”? Explain.
2. Had Arachne changed her attitude, do you think the
old woman would have punished her? Explain.
3. Does the story help you understand the value of
dealing with challenges?
Explain.
4. What generalization or statement about human
experience (theme) does the story make?
5. Ponder on the title “Arachne.” In what way does it
relate to the theme (general truth or observation about
human experience/message) of the selection?
6. Is it used as a symbol to clarify the theme? Explain.
 P a g e | 10

Name: Grade and Section:

HOW ODIN LOST HIS EYE

Retold by Catherine F. Sellew

Once the world was still very young, Odin sat on his throne in the most beautiful palace in Asgard. His throne
was so high that he could see over all three parts of the world from where he sat. On his head he wore a helmet
shaped like an eagle. On his shoulder perched two black ravens called Memory and Thought. And at his feet
crouched two snarling wolves.
The great king gazed thoughtfully down on the earth below him. He had made the green land that stretched
out before his eyes. With the help of the other gods he had made men and women who lived on that earth. And he
felt truly like the All- father he was called.
The fair elves had promised they would help his children of the earth. The elves were tiny people who lived
between heaven and earth. They were so small that they flit about doing their work unseen. Odin knew that they were
the artists who painted the flowers and made the beds for the streams. They took care of all the bees and butterflies.
And it was the elves that brought the gentle rain and sun shine to the earth.
Even the ugly dwarfs, who lived in the heart of the mountains, agreed to help. They forged iron and metals,
made tools and weapons. They dug gold and silver, and beautiful jewels out of the earth. Sometimes they even cut
the grain and ground the flour for the farmers on the earth.
All seem to be going well. Odin found it hard to think of evil times. But he knew that the frost giants were only
waiting for the chance to bring trouble to his children. They were the ones who brought cold and ice to the world and
shook the earth in anger. They hated Odin and all the works of the gods.
And from high on his throne Odin looked down beyond the earth deep into the gloomy land of his enemies. He
saw dark figures of huge men moving about. They looked like evil shadows. He, the king of gods, needs to have
more wisdom. It was not enough just to see his enemies. He ought to know more about them.
So, Odin wrapped his tall figure in a blue cloak. Down from his throne, he climbed. Down the broad rainbow
bridge, he strode and across the green earth till he came to one of the roots of the great evergreen tree. There, close
by the tree, was a well full of clear water. Its surface was so still it was like a mirror. In it one could see pictures of
things that had happened and things that were going to happen.
But beside the well, here sat an old man. His face was lined with the troubles of the world. His name was
Mimir, which means “memory.” No one, not even the great Odin, could see the pictures in the well unless he first
drank some of its water. Only Mimir could give the magic drink.
“Aged Mimir,” Odin said to the old man, “You who hold the knowledge of the past and the future in your magic
waters, let me have but one sip. Then, I can know enough to protect the men and women of the earth from the hate
of the giants.”
Mimir looked kindly at Odin, but he did not smile. Athough he spoke softly, his voice was so deep it reminded
Odin of the distant roar of the ocean.
“The price of one drink from this well is not cheap,” Mimir said. “And once you have drunk and gazed into the
mirror of life, you may wish you had not. For sorrow and death as well as joy are pictured there so you should think
again before you ask to drink.”
But once the king of the gods had made up his mind, nothing could change it. He was not afraid to look upon
sorrow and death.
“What is your price aged Mimir?” Odin asked.
“You are great and good, Odin,” answered Mimir. “You have worked hard to make the world. Only those who
know hard work may drink from my well. However, that is not enough. What have you given up that is very dear to
you? What have you sacrificed? The price of a drink must be a great sacrifice. Are you still willing to pay the price?”
What could the king of the gods sacrifice? What was most dear to him? Odin thought of his handsome son,
Balder, whom he loved most in the world. To give up his son would be like giving up life and all that was wonderful
around him. Odin stood silent before Mimir. Indeed that would be a high price! Then, Mimir spoke again. He had read
Odin’s thoughts.
“No, I am not asking for your dear son. The fates say his life must be short, but he has time yet to live and
bring happiness to the gods and the world. I ask for one of your eyes.”
Odin put his hands up to his bright blue eyes. Those two eyes had gazed across the world from his high
throne in the shining city of the gods. His eyes had taught him what was good and beautiful. What was evil and ugly?
But those eyes had also seen his children, the men and women of the earth, struggling against the hate of the giants.
 P a g e | 11

One eye was a small sacrifice to win knowledge of how to help them. And without another thought, Odin plucked out
one of his blue eyes and handed it to Mimir.
Then, Mimir smiled and gave Odin a horn full of the waters of his well.
“Drink deeply, brave king, so you may see all that you wish in the mirror of life.”
Odin lifted the horn to his lips and drank. Then, he knelt by the edge of the well and watched the pictures
passing across its still and silent surface. When he stood up again, he sighed, for it was as Mimir had said. He had
seen sorrow and death as well as joy. It was only the glorious promise at the end that gave him courage to go on.
So Odin, the great king of the gods, became one-eyed. If you can find Mimir’s well, you will see Odin’s blue
eye resting at the bottom. It is there to remind men and women of the great sacrifice he made for them.

Focus on character change and use the dialogue or the character’s experiences with the supporting
character/s to support your answers.
1. Do you consider Odin as a hero? Why or why not?
2. Does he only think of himself or other people? Why does he think that way?
3. Consider Odin’s desire. Does it serve as an opportunity to prove he can face the challenges?
4. How did the character succeed over his challenges? What did he learn from the experience?
5. Was there a change in his actions, thoughts, feelings, and attitude, or did he remain the same till the end?

Lasting Virtue
1. What do Odin’s actions and traits reveal about human nature?
2. What behavior (admired or condemned by gods) has been illustrated or featured in “How Odin Lost His Eye”?
3. Are the virtues highlighted still observed these days? Prove your point.
4. Which of the characters do you like best? Did he promote an enduring virtue that can be applicable even today? In
what way?
5. Do you think Odin’s attitude would be helpful to win over our personal challenges? Explain.
6. From which of the characters do you think you learn the most valuable lesson? Why?
7. Which of the characters consistently portrayed a positive attitude of winning over challenges?
8. How did the last part surprise you? Explain.
 P a g e | 12

From the Analects

by Confucius
translated by Arthur Waley
The Master said, “To learn and at due times to repeat what one has learnt, is that not after all a pleasure?
Those friends should come to one from afar, is this not after all delightful? To remain unsoured even though one’s
merits are unrecognized by others is that not after all what is expected of a gentleman?”

The Master said, “A young man’s duty is to behave well to his parents at home and to his elders abroad, to be
cautious in giving promises and punctual in giving them, to have kindly feelings towards everyone, but seek the
intimacy of good. If, when all that is done, he has any energy to spare, and then let him study the polite arts.”

The Master said, “The good man does not grieve that other people do not recognize his merits. His only
anxiety is lest he should fail to recognize theirs.”

The Master said, “He who rules by moral force is like the Pole star, which remains in its place where all the
lesser stars do homage to it.”

The Master said, “If out of three hundred songs I had to take one phrase to cover all my teaching, I would say,
Let there be no evil in your thoughts.”

The Master said, “Govern the people by regulations, keep order among them by chastisements, and they will
flee from you, and lose all self-respect. Govern them by moral force, keep order among them by ritual, they will keep
their self-respect and come to you of their own accord.”

Meng Wu Po asked about the treatment of parents. The Master said, “Behave in such a way that your father
and mother have no anxiety about you, except concerning your health.”

The Master said, “A gentleman can see a question from all sides without bias. The small man is biased and
can see a question only from one side.”

The Master said, “You, shall I teach you what knowledge is? When you know a thing, to recognize that you
know it, and when you do not know a thing, to recognize that you do not know it. That is knowledge.”

The Master said, “High office filled by men of narrow views, ritual performed without reverence, the forms of
mourning observed without grief—these are things I cannot bear to see!”

The Master said, “In the presence of a good man, think all the time how you may learn to equal him. In the
presence of a bad man, turn your gaze within!”

The Master said, “In old days, a man kept hold on his words, fearing the disgrace that would ensue should he
himself fail to keep pace with them.”

The Master said, “A gentleman covets the reputation of being slow in word but prompt in deed.”

The Master said, “In old days, men studied for the sake of self-improvement; nowadays men study to impress
other people.”

The Master said, “A gentleman is ashamed to let his words outrun his deeds.”

The Master said, “He who will not worry about what is far off will soon find something worse than worry close
at hand.”
The Master said, “To demand much from oneself and little from others is the way (for a ruler) to banish
discontent.”