English 8 Modul1

Mythology & Folklore:
LEGENDARY TALES
Since the beginning of time, people have gathered

around fires to tell stories of angry gods, harrowing journeys,
cunning animals, horrible beasts, and the mighty heroes who
vanquished them. Mythology and folklore have provided a
way for these colorful stories to spring to life for thousands of
years. Mythology and Folklore: Legendary Tales will illustrate
how these famous anecdotes have helped humans make
sense of the world. Beginning with an overview of mythology
and different types of folklore, you will journey with age-old
heroes as they slay dragons, outwit gods, defy fate, fight
endless battles, and outwit clever monsters with strength and
courage. You‘ll explore the universality and social significance
of myths and folklore and see how these powerful tales
continue to shape society even today.
1
LESSON 1: Introduction to
Mythology and Folklore
Lesson Summary
Since prehistoric times, people have passed important stories down from
generation to generation. Although cultures differed significantly
throughout history, many of these oral traditions are similar. In fact, did you
know that for most of the gods in Greek mythology, there are
corresponding gods in Roman mythology, along with striking similarities in
the stories? As time moved from prehistory (before writing) into history (the
written age), these stories were written down so that others could learn
from them and enjoy them. All of these stories—myths, legends, folktales,
and fairy tales—serve a distinct purpose in the literature of the world.
Learning Objectives:
• Identify characteristics of myths, folklore, folktales, and fairy tales.
• Describe the different types of myths.
• Identify the purposes of myths.
2
Myth
A myth is a traditional story that may answer life's overarching questions,

such as the origins of the world (the creation myth) or of a people. A myth
can also be an attempt to explain mysteries, supernatural events, and
cultural traditions. Sometimes sacred in nature, a myth can involve gods or
other creatures. It presents reality in dramatic ways.
Many cultures have their own versions of common myths that contain
archetypal images and themes. One common myth that spans multiple
cultures is that of a great flood. Myth criticism is used to analyze these
threads in literature. A prominent name in myth criticism is that of the
literary critic, professor, and editor Northrop Frye.
Folklore and Folktale
Whereas myth has at its core the origins of a people and is often sacred,
folklore is a collection of fictional tales about people or animals.
Superstitions and unfounded beliefs are important elements in the folklore
tradition. Both myths and folklore were originally circulated orally.
Folktales describe how the main character copes with the events of
everyday life, and the tale may involve crisis or conflict. These stories may
teach people how to cope with life (or dying) and also have themes
common among cultures worldwide. The study of folklore is called
folkloristic.
Legend
A legend is a story that's purported to be historical in nature but that is

without substantiation. Prominent examples include King
Arthur, Blackbeard, and Robin Hood. Where evidence of historical figures,
such as King Richard, actually exists, figures such as King Arthur are
legends due in large part to the many stories that have been created
about them.
3
Legend also refers to anything that inspires a body of stories or anything of
lasting importance or fame. The story is handed down orally but continues
to evolve with time. Much of early literature began as legend told and
retold in epic poems that were passed down orally originally, then at some
point written down. These include masterpieces such as the Greek
Homeric Poems ("The Iliad" and "The Odyssey"), circa 800 BCE, to the
French "Chanson de Roland," circa 1100 CE.
Fairy Tale
A fairy tale may involve fairies, giants, dragons, elves, goblins, dwarves,
and other fanciful and fantastic forces. Although originally not written for
children, in the most recent century, many old fairy tales have been
"Disneyfied" to be less sinister and to appeal to kids. These stories have
taken on lives of their own. In fact, many classic and contemporary books,
such as "Cinderella," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Snow White," are based
on fairy tales. But read the original Grimm brothers' fairy tales, for example,
and you'll be surprised at the endings and how they differ from the versions
that you may have grown up with.
THREE TYPES OF
1. Aetiological Myths
Aetiological myths (sometimes spelled etiological) explain the reason why

something is the way it is today. The word aetiological is from the Greek
word aetion (αἴτιον) meaning ―reason‖ or ―explanation‖. Please note that
the reasons given in an aetiological myth are NOT the real (or scientific)
reasons. They are explanations that have meaning for us as human beings.
There are three subtypes of aetiological myths: natural, etymological, and
religious.
4
A natural aetiological myth explains an aspect of nature. For example, you
could explain lightning and thunder by saying that Zeus is angry.
An etymological aetiological myth explains the origin of a word.

(Etymology is the study of word origins.) For example, you could explain the
name of the goddess, Aphrodite, by saying that she was born in sea-foam,
since aphros is the Greek word for sea-foam.
A religious aetiological myth explains the origin of a religious ritual. For

example, you could explain the Greek religious ritual of the Eleusinian
Mysteries by saying that they originated when the Greek goddess,
Demeter, came down to the city of Eleusis and taught the people how to
worship her002E
All three of these explanations are not true: Zeus‘ anger is not the correct
explanation for lightning and thunder; Aphrodite‘s name was not actually
derived from the Greek word aphros; and Demeter did not establish her
own religious rituals in the town of Eleusis. Rather, all of these explanations
had meaning for the ancient Greeks, who told them in order to help them
understand their world.
2. Historical Myths
Historical myths are told about a historical event, and they help keep the
memory of that event alive. Ironically, in historical myths, the accuracy is
lost but meaning is gained. The myths about the Trojan War, including
the Iliad and the Odyssey, could be classified as historical myths. The Trojan
War did occur, but the famous characters that we know from the Iliad and
the Odyssey (Agamemnon, Achilles, Hector, etc.) probably did not exist.
3. Psychological Myths
Psychological myths try to explain why we feel and act the way we do. A
psychological myth is different from an aetiological myth because a
psychological myth does not try to explain one thing by way of something
else (such as lightning and thunder can be explained by Zeus‘ anger). In a
psychological myth, the emotion itself is seen as a divine force, coming
from the outside that can directly influence a person‘s emotions. For
example, the goddess, Aphrodite, is sometimes seen as the power of erotic
love. When someone said or did something that they did not want to do,
the ancient Greeks might say that Aphrodite ―made them‖ do it.
5
Lesson 1
Exercises
1st task
Answer the following questions. (10 points each)

1. What is the effect of mythology in today’s generation?
2. What is the importance of mythology?
3. Do you believe that the stories in myth might really exist on earth?
2nd task
Search one (1) example of myth, folklore, and fairytale. Afterwards, create a
short reflection of it.
6
LESSON 2: Stories of creation
Greek and Roman
• Compare or contrast various myths of creation

• Recognize parallel creation stories between different continents and
the Bible.
• Assume social roles based on different mythologies.
The Titans and the Twelve Great Olympians
The Titans, often called the Elder Gods, were for untold ages supreme in the
universe. They were of enormous size and of incredible strength. The most
important titan of all was Cronus, in Latin Saturn. He ruled over the other
Titans until his son Zeus dethroned him and seized the power for himself. The
Romans believed that when Zeus ascended the throne, Cronus fled to Italy
and brought it in its Golden Age. Another notable Titan is Ocean, the river
that is said to encircle the world; his wife Tethys; Hyperion, the father of the
sun, the moon and the dawn; Mnemosyne, which means memory; Themis,
usually translated by justice; And Iapetus, important because of his sons,
Atlas, who bore the world on his shoulders, and Prometheus, who was the
savior of mankind. The great Olympians were supreme among those who
succeeded to the Titans. They were called Olympians because Olympus
were their home. Olympus was first said to be on a mountain top, and
generally identified with Greece's highest point, Mt. Olympus. In one
passage of the Iliad, Zeus talks to the gods from the "highest peak of many
ridged Olympus" clearly a mountain. But a little further he says that if he
willed he could hang earth and sea from a pinnacle of Olympus, clearly no
longer a mountain.
7
Even so, it is not heaven. Homer, said to be the author of the ancient
poems Iliad and Odyssey, makes Poseidon say that he rules over the sea,
Hades the dead, Zeus the heavens, but Olympus is common to all three.
Wherever it was, the entrance to it was a great gate of clouds kept by
seasons. No wind, Homer says, ever shakes the untroubled peace of
Olympus; No rain ever falls there or snow; but the cloudless firmament
stretches around it on all sides and the white glory of sunshine is diffused
upon its walls.
The twelve Olympians made up a divine family: (1) Zeus (Jupiter), the chief;
his two brothers next , (2) Poseidon (Neptune), and (3) Hades (Pluto); (4)
Hestia (Vesta), their sister; (5) Hera (Juno), Zeus's wife, and (6) Ares (Mars),
their son; Zeus's children: (7) Athena (Minerva), (8) Apollo, (9) Aphrodite
(Venus), (10) Hermes (Mercury), and (11) Artemis (Diana); Hera's son (12)
Hephaestus (Vulcan), sometimes said to be Zeus's son.
The Creation of the World and Mankind
This story is written by both Aeschylus and Hesiod.
In the beginning, there was formless confusion of Chaos brooded over the
unbroken darkness. Then out of the void appeared Erebus, the unknowable
place where death dwells, and Night (Nyx). All else was empty, silent,
endless, darkness. Then somehow Love (Eros) was born bringing a start of
order. From Love came Light and Day. Once there was Light and
Day, Gaea, the earth appeared.
Gaea alone gave birth to Uranus, the god of the heavens. Uranus became
Gaea's mate. Together they produced the three Cyclopes, the
three Hecatoncheires, and twelve Titans.
But, Uranus was a bad father and husband. He hated the Hecatoncheires.
He imprisoned them by pushing them into the hidden places of the
earth, Gaea's womb. This angered Gaea and she plotted against Uranus.
She made a flint sickle and tried to get her children to attack Uranus. All
were too afraid except, the youngest Titan, Cronus.
Gaea and Cronus set up an ambush of Uranus as he lay with Gaea at

night. Cronus grabbed his father and castrated him, with the stone sickle,
throwing the severed genitals into the ocean. The fate of Uranus is not
clear. He died, withdrew from the earth, or exiled himself to Italy. As he
departed, he promised that Cronus and the Titans would be punished.
From his spilt blood came the Giants, the Ash Tree Nymphs, and the Erinyes.
From the sea foam where his genitals fell came Aphrodite.
8
Cronus became the next ruler. He imprisoned the Cyclopes and
the Hecatoncheires in Tartarus. He married his sister Rhea, and under his rule the
Titans had many offspring. He ruled for many ages.
However, Gaea and Uranus both had prophesied that he would be overthrown
by a son. To avoid this Cronus swallowed each of his children as they were born.
Rhea was angry at the treatment of the children and plotted against Cronus.
When it came time to give birth to her sixth child, Rhea tricked Cronus. She
secretly carried the child to Crete and then wrapped a stone in swaddling
clothes. Cronus, thinking it was a baby, ate the stone.
The child was Zeus. He grew into a handsome youth on Crete. He

consulted Metis on how to defeat Cronus. She prepared a drink for Cronus
which would force him to vomit up the five other children. Rhea convinced
Cronus to accept his son and Zeus was allowed to return to Mount Olympus as
Cronus's cupbearer. This gave Zeus the opportunity to slip Cronus the specially
prepared drink. This worked as planned and the other five children were
vomited up. Being gods they were unharmed. They were thankful to Zeus and
made him their leader.
Cronus was yet to be defeated. He and the Titans,

except Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Oceanus, fought to retain their
power. Atlas became their leader in battle and it looked for some time as
though they would win and put the young gods down. However, Zeus was had
other plans. He went down to Tartarus and freed the Cyclopes and
the Hecatoncheires. Prometheus joined Zeus as well. He returned to battle with
his new allies. The Cyclopes provided Zeus with lighting bolts for weapons. The
Hecatoncheires he set in ambush armed with boulders. When the time was right,
Zeus retreated drawing the Titans into the Hecatoncheires's ambush. The
Hecatoncheires rained down hundreds of boulders with such a fury the Titans
thought the mountains were falling on them. They broke and ran giving Zeus
victory.
Zeus exiled the Titans who had fought against him into Tartarus. All except
for Atlas, who was singled out for the special punishment of holding the world on
his shoulders.
However, even after this victory Zeus was not safe. Gaea, angry that her children
had been imprisoned, gave birth to a last offspring, Typhoeus. Typhoeus was a
creature more terrible than any that had gone before. However, Zeus, having
learned to control thunder and lightning stuck Typhoeus down. Typhoeus was
buried under Mount Etna in Sicily.
Much later a final challenge to Zeus rule was made by the Giants. They went so
far as to attempt to invade Mount Olympus, piling mountain upon mountain in
an effort to reach the top. But, the gods had grown strong and with the help
of Hercules, the Giants were subdued or killed.
9
Now, the world, having been cleared of all the monsters, was ready for
mankind. Prometheus and Epimetheus were spared imprisonment in Tartarus because
they did not fight with their fellow Titans during the war with the Olympians. They were
given the task of creating man. Epimetheus was in charge of the task of giving the
creatures of the earth their various qualities, such as swiftness, cunning, strength, fur,
wings. Unfortunately, by the time he got to man Epimetheus had given all the good
qualities out and there were none left for man. So he turned to Prometheus for help.
Prometheus took over the task of creation and sought a way to make man superior. He
made man stand upright like the the gods did and gave them fire.
Prometheus loved man more than the Olympians, who had banished most of his family
to Tartarus. Because of Prometheus' love of man, Zeus created women. So when Zeus
decreed that man must present a portion of each animal they sacrificed to the gods,
Prometheus decided to trick Zeus. He created two piles, one with the bones wrapped in
juicy fat, the other with the good meat hidden in the hide. He then made Zeus pick one
pile. Zeus picked the bones. Since he had given his word, Zeus had to accept that as his
share for future sacrifices. In his anger over the trick, he took fire away from man.
However, Prometheus lit a torch from the sun and brought it back again to man. Zeus
was enraged that man again had fire. He decided to inflict a terrible punishment on
both man and Prometheus.
To punish man, Zeus had Hephaestus create a mortal of stunning beauty. The gods
gave the mortal many gifts of wealth. This creation was Pandora, the first woman. A final
gift was a jar which Pandora was forbidden to open. When she was completed, Zeus
sent her to Epimetheus.
Prometheus had warned Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus but, Pandora's
beauty was too great and he allowed her to stay. Eventually, Pandora's curiosity about
the jar she was forbidden to open became too great. She opened the jar and out flew
plagues, sorrow and mischief for mankind. However, the bottom of the jar held one
good thing - Hope. It was the only good thing in the jar and remains to this day
mankind's sole comfort in misfortune.
However, a greater punishment lay in store for Prometheus. Zeus had his servants, Force
and Violence, seize Prometheus, take him to Caucasus, and chain him to a rock with
unbreakable adamanite chains. Here he was tormented day and night Zeus gave
Prometheus two ways out of this torment. He could tell Zeus who the mother of the child
that would dethrone him was. Or meet two conditions: First, that an immortal must
volunteer to die for Prometheus. Second, that a mortal must kill the eagle and unchain
him. Eventually, Chiron the Centaur agreed to die for him and Hercules killed the eagle
and unbound him.
Prometheus name has stood through the centuries, from Greek days to our own as the
great rebel against injustice and authority of power.
10
Prometheus and Pandora
In those old, old times, there lived two brothers who were not like other men,
nor yet like those Mighty Ones who lived upon the mountain top of Olympus.
They were the sons of one of those Titans who had fought against Zeus and
been sent in chains to the strong prison of the Underworld, Tartarus. But as
the Titans were bound by chains, their children remained free to wander the
earth.
The name of the elder of these brothers was Prometheus, or Forethought; for
he was always thinking of the future and making things ready for what might
happen tomorrow, or next week, or next year, or it may be in a hundred
years to come. The younger was called Epimetheus, or Afterthought; for he
was always so busy thinking of yesterday, or last year, or a hundred years
ago, that he had no care at all for what might come to pass after a while.
Prometheus did not care to live in the clouds on the mountain top. He was
too busy for that. While the gods were spending their time in idleness,
drinking nectar and eating ambrosia, he was intent upon plans for making
the world wiser and better than it had ever been before. And so from the
clay of the earth, Prometheus shaped smaller beings that looked like himself,
and created the first men. From more clay he shaped beings that looked like
his mother and his Titan aunts, and thus he also created women. His brother
Epimetheus was in charge of creating the animals, and made them fast,
gave them fur to keep them warm, and sharp teeth to defend themselves.
But gods didn‘t need these things, and so Prometheus didn‘t give humans
these qualities.
Prometheus went out among men to live with them and help them; for his
heart was filled with sadness when he found that they were no longer happy
as they had been during the golden days when Cronos was king. Ah, how
very poor and pitiful they were! He found them living in caves and in holes of
the earth, shivering in the cold because there was no fire, dying of starvation,
hunted by wild beasts and by one another – the most miserable of all living
creatures.
―If they only had fire,‖ said Prometheus to himself, ―they could at least warm
themselves and cook their food; and after a while they could learn to make
tools and build themselves houses. Without fire, they are worse off than the
beasts.‖ Then he bravely approached Zeus and begged him to give fire to
men, so that they might have a little comfort through the long, dreary
months of winter.
11
―Not a spark will I give,‖ said Zeus. ―No, indeed! If men had fire, they might
become strong and wise like us, and after a while they would drive us out of
our kingdom. Let them shiver in the cold, and let them live like the beasts. It is
best for them to be poor and ignorant, that so we gods may thrive and be
happy.‖ Prometheus made no answer, but he had set his heart on helping
mankind, and he did not give up. He turned away and left Zeus and his
mighty company forever.
As he was walking by the shore of the sea he found a fennel stalk, and when
he had broken it off he saw that its hollow center was filled with a dry, soft
core which would burn slowly and keep on fire a long time. He took the long
stalk in his hands, and started walking. ―Mankind shall have fire in spite of the
tyrant who sits on the mountain top,‖ he said.
He reached the place of the sun in the early morning just as the glowing,
golden sphere was rising from the earth and beginning his daily journey
through the sky. He touched the end of the long stalk to the flames, and the
dry core caught on fire and burned slowly. Then he turned and hurried back
to his own land, carrying with him the precious spark hidden in the hollow
center of the plant.
He called some of the shivering men from their caves and built a fire for
them, and showed them how to warm themselves by it and how to build
other fires from the coals. Soon there was a cheerful blaze in every home in
the land, and men and women gathered around it and were warm and
happy, and thankful to Prometheus for the wonderful gift which he had
brought to them from the sun.
It was not long until they learned to cook their food and so to eat like men
instead of like beasts. They began at once to leave behind their wild and
savage habits; and instead of hiding in the dark places of the world, they
came out into the open air and the bright sunlight, and were glad because
life had been given to them.
After that, Prometheus taught them, little by little, a thousand things. He

showed them how to build houses of wood and stone, and how to tame
sheep and cattle and make them useful, and how to plow and sow and
reap, and how to protect themselves from the storms of winter and the
beasts of the woods. Then he showed them how to dig in the earth for
copper and iron, and how to melt the ore, and how to hammer it into shape
and fashion from it the tools and weapons which they needed in peace and
war; and when he saw how happy the world was becoming he cried out: ―A
new Golden Age shall come, brighter and better by far than the old!‖
12
Things might have gone on very happily indeed, and the Golden Age might
really have come again, had it not been for Zeus. But one day, when he
happened to look down upon the earth, he saw the fires burning, and the
people living in houses, and the farms with animals feeding on the hills, and
the grain ripening in the fields, and this made him very angry.
―Who has done all this?‖ he asked. And someone answered,

―Prometheus!‖ ―Well, I will punish him in a way that will make him wish I had
shut him up in the prison with his parents. But as for those worthless humans,
let them keep their fire. I will make them ten times more miserable than they
were before they had it.‖
Of course, it would be easy enough to deal with Prometheus at any time,

and so Zeus was in no great hurry to do it. He made up his mind to make
mankind suffer first, and he thought of a plan for doing it in a very strange,
indirect way.
In the first place, he ordered his blacksmith Vulcan, whose forge was in the
crater of a volcano, to take a lump of clay which he gave him, and mold it
into the form of a woman. Vulcan did as he was ordered, and when he had
finished the statue, he carried it up to Zeus, who was sitting among the
clouds with all the gods around him. It was nothing but an ordinary lifeless
body, but the great blacksmith had given it a form more perfect than that of
any statue that has ever been made.
―Come now!‖ said Zeus, ―let us all give some wonderful gift to this woman;‖
and he began by giving her life. Then the others came in their turn, each with
a gift for the remarkable creature. One gave her beauty; and another a
lovely voice; and another good manners; and another kind heart; and
another skill in many arts; and, lastly, someone gave her curiosity. Then they
called her Pandora, which means the ―all-gifted‖, because she had
received gifts from them all.
Pandora was so beautiful and so talented that no one could help loving her.
When the gods had admired her for a time, they gave her to the messenger
Hermes, and he led her down the mountain side to the place where
Prometheus and his brother were living and working hard for the good of
mankind. He met Epimetheus first, and said to him: ―Epimetheus, here is a
beautiful woman whom Zeus has sent to you to be your wife.‖
Prometheus had often warned his brother to beware of any gift that Zeus
might send, for he knew that the mighty tyrant could not be trusted; but
when Epimetheus saw Pandora, how lovely and wise she was, he forgot all
warnings, and took her home to live with him and be his wife.
13
Pandora was very happy in her new home; and even Prometheus, when he
saw her, was happy with her loveliness. She had brought with her a golden
box, which Zeus had given her before she left Olympus, and which he had
told her held many precious things, but wise Athena had warned her never,
never to open it, nor look at the things inside.
―They must be jewels,‖ she said to herself; and then she thought of how they
would add to her beauty if only she could wear them. ―Why did Zeus give
them to me if I should never use them, nor even look at them?‖ she asked.
The more she thought about the golden box, the more curious she was to
see what was in it; and every day she took it down from its shelf and felt of
the lid, and tried to examine inside of it without opening it.
―Why should I care about what Athena told me?‖ she said at last. ―She is not
beautiful, and jewels would be useless to her. I think I will look at them
anyway. Athena will never know. Nobody will ever know.‖
She opened the lid a little, just to peek inside. All at once there was a
buzzing, rustling sound, and before she could shut it down again, out flew ten
thousand strange creatures with death-like faces and bony and horrible
forms that nobody in all the world had ever seen. They fluttered for a little
while about the room and then flew away to find dwelling-places wherever
there were homes. They were diseases and cares; until that time mankind
had not had any kind of sickness, nor felt any troubles of mind, nor worried
about what tomorrow might bring.
These creatures flew into every house, and, without anyone seeing them,
nestled down in the minds and souls of men and women and children, and
put an end to all their joy, and ever since that day they have been fluttering
and creeping, unseen and unheard, over all the land, bringing pain and
sadness and death into every household.
All that was left inside the box, lying in the bottom, was hope. Hope was the
only thing that remained. It‘s a shame that hope never left the box. And this
was the way in which Zeus sought to make mankind more miserable than
they had been before Prometheus had created them.
But Zeus didn‘t forget about punishing Prometheus himself. He had

Prometheus chained to a rock where an eagle would come and eat his liver,
which was thought to be where emotions lie according to the ancient
Greeks. Every day his liver would grow back, and every day the eagle would
return to eat it once more.
14
Lesson 2
Exercises
1st task
1. What did Prometheus want to give to humans although Zeus disagreed?
2. How did Prometheus give this gift to humans anyway?
3. How did Zeus punish mankind for Prometheus’ betrayal?
4. How did Zeus later punish Prometheus?
5. Who is Pandora?
6. What was the deal with the box she had?
7. What happened when she opened the box?
8. What remained at the bottom of the box?
2nd task
1. Enumerate the (12) Twelve Great Olympians and indicate their
powers and abilities. (5 points each)
2. In a short paragraph, write in your own words if what happened in the
creation of humankind? (10 points)
15
LESSON 3: Stories of love and
Adventure Greek and Roman
 Recognize microcosms in celebrated Greek and Roman love stories.

 Formulate personal concepts and perceptions of love.
 Illustrate the relationship of love to the discovery and
The Love Story of Pyramus and Thisbe

―Pyramus was the most handsome of young men and Thisbe was the fairest
beauty of the East.‖ ~Ovid in Metamorphoses Pyramus and Thisbe lived in
Babylonia and from the time they were young, were neighbors. They played
together daily as children and fell in love as they grew older. Although
neighbors, their families were hostile to one another so the love between
Pyramus and Thisbe remained a secret. They had a special meeting place at
a wall between their houses. This particular wall bore a scar. A large crack
marred its smooth surface as a result of an earthquake long ago. Pyramus
and Thisbe communicated through this crack when it was risky to see one
another. One particularly magnificent day, they arrived at their usual
meeting place. The beauty of the day made them lament their situation all
the more. They cried as they watched two hummingbirds fly over the wall
together. Suddenly they came to the decision that they would not be
stopped from being together any longer. They decided to meet that night
outside the city gates under a mulberry tree filled white fruit. This particular
tree grew near a stream next to the local cemetery. Thisbe, hidden by a veil,
arrived at the appointed spot first and waited patiently for Pyramus to come.
All of a sudden, a lioness fresh from a kill, her jaws covered in blood, slunk out
of the brush to satisfy her thirst at the stream. Thisbe, frightened by this
disturbance, ran to a nearby cave. In her haste, she dropped her veil and
the lioness grabbed it and shredded it with her bloody jaws. Meanwhile,
Pyramus had arrived at the meeting place. As he approached the tree he
could not help but notice the large paw prints of the lioness. His heart beat
faster.
16
As he approached the stream, his fears were confirmed upon seeing Thisbe‘s
veil torn and bloodstained. Unable to find Thisbe and fearing that she was
dead, Pyramus was unable to contain his sorrow. He drew his sword and
plunged it deeply into his side. As he removed the sword from his side, blood
sprayed the white fruit on the tree, turning it a dark purple color. Meanwhile,
Thisbe, recovered from her fright, came back to the meeting place by the
stream. There she saw Pyramus‘ body lying in a crumpled heap on the
ground. Racked with uncontrollable agony, she took his sword and threw her
body onto it. With her dying breath, she pleaded with the gods that their
bodies be buried in a single tomb and that the tree in the special meeting
place would always bear fruit in the color of a dark and mournful color in
memory of their unrequited love. To this day, the berries of the mulberry tree
always turn dark purple in color when they are ripe. Story Location Clue: The
story of Pyramus and Thisbe is remembered in the mosaic displays of Paphos.
This city is located west of the Troodos Mountains on the coast of Cyprus.
ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE

The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is one of the most famous and beloved
Greek myths. A myth about love and passion, and also about the
weaknesses of the human spirit.
Orpheus was the son of Apollo and Calliope, the Muse. Apollo gave his son a
lyre and taught him how to play; Orpheus did to such perfection that even
Apollo was surprised. It is said that nothing could resist to his music and
melody, neither friends nor enemies or beasts. Even trees and rocks were
entranced with his music.
Orpheus fell in love with Eurydice a woman of unique beauty; they got
married and lived happily for many years. Hymen was called to bless the
marriage and he predicted that their perfection was not meant to last for
years.
At some time, soon after his omen, Eurydice was wandering in the forest with
the Nymphs, when Aristaeus, a shepherd saw her and was beguiled by her
beauty. He started chasing her and making advances on her. Eurydice got
scared and tried to escape, but she was bitten by a snake and died.
Orpheus sang his grief with his lyre and managed to move everything living
or not on the world; both humans and Gods were deeply touched by his
sorrow and grief.
17
Orpheus to the Hades
Apollo then advised his son to descend to the Hades and see his wife. Any
other mortal would have died, but Orpheus protected by the Gods, went to
the Hades and arrived at the infamous Stygian realm, passing by ghosts and
souls of people unknown. He also managed to charm Cerberus, the known
monster with the three heads. Orpheus presented himself in front of the God
of the Underworld Hades (Pluto) and his wife Persephone.
Orpheus started playing for them and even the cold heart of Hades started
melting, due to the melodies coming from Orpheus lyre. Hades told Orpheus
that he could take Eurydice with him but under one condition; Eurydice
would follow him while walking out to the light from the caves of the
Underworld, but he should not look at her before coming out to the light
because he would lose her forever. If Orpheus was patient enough he would
have Eurydice as a normal woman again on his side.
Orpheus and Eurydice Ascending To Life
Orpheus was delighted; he thanked the Gods and left to ascend to the
world. He was trying to hear Eurydice‘s steps, but he could not hear anything
and he started believing that the Gods had fooled him. Of course Eurydice
was behind him, but as a shadow, waiting to come to light to become a full
woman again. Only a few feet away from the exit, Orpheus lost his faith and
turned to see; he was Eurydice behind him, but her shadow was whisked
back among the dead. Eurydice was gone forever.
Orpheus tried to return to the Underworld but a man cannot enter the Hades
twice, not alive anyway. Here, there are two different versions of the same
myth. According to the first version, Orpheus started playing a mourning song
with his lyre, calling for death so that he can be united with Eurydice forever.
Beasts tore him apart, or maybe the Maenads, in a frenzy mood. According
to another version, Zeus decided to strike him with a lightning because
Orpheus would reveal the secrets of the Underworld to the humans.
In any case, Orpheus died but the Muses decided to save his head and
keep it among the living people to sing for ever, enchanting everyone with
the lovely melodies and tones.
18
Ceyx and Alcyone
Alcyone was the daughter of Aeolus, the god of wind she came to marry the
king of Trachis, Ceyx. His entire kingdom looked up to him and Alcyone. Even
the gods and goddesses saw them for their true beauty and strong love for
one another. The couples would joke around calling their love as great as
Zeus and Hera's. Zeus did not like how they felt, as though they could
compare themselves to great gods! He waited for his chance to strike.
Ceyx observed some signs but didn‘t pursue them. Later on he found his
brother had died. Ceyx was still in mourning over his brother's death, so he
decided to confront the oracle of Apollo in Ionia. Alcyone had a bad feeling
having her husband travel by sea. She pushed him to let her go along but he
would not put his wife in danger.
Zues new this would be his time to get back at the couple. He started
a hurricane around Ceyx and his ship. He and his ship both went down into
the cold dark blue sea. As Ceyx went down he prayed to the gods that his
body would be washed up on shore for is beloved wife to come upon and
have him a proper funeral.
Alcyone waited for a very long time to see her husband again. She prayed
to the gods asking for him to come home without a scratch. Hera knew what
Zues had done and felt pity for her. So Hera sent her messenger Iris, goddess
of the rainbow, to go talk to the god of sleep and comfort, Hypnos. He was
to inform Alcyone of what had happened to her husband gently as he
could.
The news of Ceyx had put Alcyone in a very bad state of mind. She ran to
the seashore tearing off her garments. As she sat near the water she saw a
man lying in the sand. As she got closer she notice the man was Ceyx! After
his funeral, Alcyone felt as though she could not live without Ceyx. Alcyone
threw herself into the sea to drown. If she could not live with him then she
would be forever be with him in the land of the dead.
The gods on Olympus were saddened by the tragic fate of Alcyone and
Ceyx, as well as their wonderful love for one other. In order to make up for his
rash action that was responsible for this tragedy, Zeus transformed the
couple into the Halcyon birds.
19
The Story of Pygmalion and Galatea
The Story of Pygmalion and Galatea ―If you gods can give all things, may I
have as my wife, I pray… one like the ivory maiden.‖ ~Pygmalion Pygmalion,
the mythical king of Cyprus, had many problems when dating women. He
always seemed to accept dates from the wrong women. Some were rude,
others were selfish; he was revolted by the faults nature had placed in these
women. It left him feeling very depressed. He eventually came to despise the
female gender so much that he decided he would never marry any maiden.
For comfort and solace, he turned to the arts, finding his talent in sculpture.
Using exquisite skills, he carved a statute out of ivory that was so resplendent
and delicate no maiden could compare with its beauty. This statute was the
perfect resemblance of a living maiden. Pygmalion fell in love with his
creation and often laid his had upon the ivory statute as if to reassure himself
it was not living. He named the ivory maiden Galatea and adorned her
lovely figure with women‘s robes and placed rings on her fingers and jewels
about her neck. At the festival of Aphrodite, which was celebrated with
great relish throughout all of Cyprus, lonely Pygmalion lamented his situation.
When the time came for him to play his part in the processional, Pygmalion
stood by the altar and humbly prayed: ―If you gods can give all things, may I
have as my wife, I pray…‖ he did not dare say ―the ivory maiden‖ but
instead said: ―one like the ivory maiden.‖ Aphrodite, who also attended the
festival, heard his plea and she also knew of the thought he had wanted to
utter. Showing her favor, she caused the altar‘s flame to flare up three times,
shooting a long flame of fire into the still air. After the day‘s festivities,
Pygmalion returned home and kissed Galatea as was his custom. At the
warmth of her kiss, he started as if stung by a hornet. The arms that were ivory
now felt soft to his touch and when he softly pressed her neck the veins
throbbed with life. Humbly raising her eyes, the maiden saw Pygmalion and
the light of day simultaneously. Aphrodite blessed the happiness and union
of this couple with a child. Pygmalion and Galatea named the child Paphos,
for which the city is known until this day. Story Location Clue: Pygmalion and
Galatea lived out their days in the city of Paphos located west of the Troodos
Mountain Range along the western coast of Cyprus. This city is also north and
west of Aphrodite‘s Rock.
20
Daphne
Lord Apollo is a wonderful archer, as is his sister the Lady Artemis. The people of
Greece know this, so it is no surprise that Apollo is rightfully proud of his
talent. Unfortunately for him, he chose to talk about his aim and his talent with
the wrong person one day. Lord Apollo was in a very good mood one day
when he spotted a young boy with a bow and arrow. He discussed shooting
with him for a brief period of time, mentioning his skill in passing. Little did he
know that this young boy was none other than Cupid, the God of Love, son of
Aphrodite. Cupid was not impressed with Apollo, believing that he was the
ultimate shot. After all, his arrows could lead to love or hatred depending on
how he was feeling at the time. For Apollo‘s decision to talk to Cupid, the boy
shot him with a golden arrow of love. At the time this meant nothing to Apollo,
so he brushed it off and left.
Shortly after Apollo left the company of Cupid, he found himself seeing a
beautiful water nymph by the name of Daphne. She was a sight to behold and
Apollo found himself falling madly in love with her. Despite all of his efforts,
however, she would not talk to him or spend time with him. Unbeknownst to
Apollo, Cupid went further than shooting him with a golden arrow. When Apollo
fell in love with Daphne, as Cupid knew the arrow would lead him to, the young
nymph was struck with an arrow of lead. This made her unable to love Apollo,
as well as making her despise staying in the same vicinity as him.
This cruel act made for a very upset couple; Apollo desperately wanted for
Daphne to return his affections, while Daphne wanted nothing more than for
Lord Apollo to leave her alone and never return. One day when Apollo was
seeking her out to speak with her, as he wanted to discover what it was that
made her despise him, he found Daphne away from her river. Lord Apollo
sought her attention, running after her when she began to flee. As she ran, she
noticed that the God was catching up to her. Lord Apollo‘s love for her, and
worry about her, was causing him to run even faster. To his shock, Daphne
began to transform into a tree. When he finally managed to catch up to her,
she had become a hamadryad, or a dryad who was tied to their tree. If her
tree were to be destroyed, she would die. In her haste to flee from him, Daphne
had managed to leave her river and become a tree. Apollo was devastated
that the thought of his love would cause Daphne to do this. Many different
bards have retold this story, yet they have not mentioned that the actions of
Cupid led to Lord Apollo being heartbroken. To this day he uses the laurel, the
tree that she turned into, as one of his symbols.
21
In fact, the laurel is named after her, as laurel in Greek is Daphne. This let
him keep the memory of his first love alive, even though she herself refused to
spend the rest of time with him. By making the laurel a symbol of his power,
he made sure that he kept a part of her with him forever.
Lesson 3
Exercises
1st task
Summarize the plot of “Cupid and Psyche”. Afterwards, answer this question:
Does the love of “Cupid and Psyche” exist in today’s generation? Explain your
answer. (30 points)
2nd task
Answer the following questions: (15 points each)
1. Which stories of love and adventure in Greek and Roman is

somehow related in your life? In what aspects? Explain your
answer.
2. If you were to change the ending of the story “Pyramus and
Thisbe” how would you like it to be? Write your own ending.
22
LESSON 4: Stories of Adventure
Greek and Roman
 Express identified themes in complete sentences.

 Defend a statement from a story based on established moral
concepts and personal experiences.
 Recognize political concepts in Roman and Greek legends.
Oedipus Rex Summary

Oedipus Rex is a Greek tragedy that tells the story of King Oedipus of
Thebes, who is fated to kill his father and marry his mother.
 Thebes is struck by a plague that will only be lifted if the man who killed the
former king is exiled. The prophet Teiresias claims the murderer is Oedipus.
 An oracle told Queen Jocasta that her son would kill her husband, so she
left her infant child—Oedipus—to die. Oedipus survived and unknowingly
killed his father before marrying Jocasta and becoming king.
 When they realize the truth, Jocasta hangs herself, and Oedipus blinds
himself and goes into exile.
Check this link for the complete story of Oedipus Rex.

https://www.fusd1.org/cms/lib/AZ01001113/Centricity/Domain/1385/Full%20text%20Oe
dipus.pdf
23
Aeneid summary epic by Virgil
Aeneid, Latin epic poem written from about 30 to 19 BCE by the Roman poet Virgil.
Composed in hexameters, about 60 lines of which were left unfinished at his death,
the Aeneid incorporates the various legends of Aeneas and makes him the founder of
Roman greatness. The work is organized into 12 books that relate the story of the
legendary founding of Lavinium (parent town of Alba Longa and of Rome). The town is
founded by Aeneas, who was informed as he left the burning ruins of Troy that it was his
fate to found a new city with a glorious destiny in the West.
In Book I Aeneas, journeying to his fated destination, encounters foul

weather and is forced to land his fleet on the Libyan coast. There he is
welcomed by the widowed Dido, queen of Carthage. Books II and III
contain Aeneas‘s account (told to Dido) of events both natural and
supernatural that have led him to her shore. In Book IV Dido confesses her
love for Aeneas, who (though he regrets his fate) is then forced by the gods
to set sail again. She prepares to kill herself. The Trojans, in Book V, journey
to Sicily, where they engage in a series of competitions
to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Aeneas‘s
father, Anchises. They then set sail again. Book VI is the account of
Aeneas‘s journey to the underworld and Elysium, where he meets the
ghosts of Dido and Anchises, among others. In this book the destiny of
Rome is revealed. Books VII through XII relate the fate of the Trojans as they
reach the Tiber River and are received by Latinus, the king of the region.
Other Latins (encouraged by the gods) resent the arrival of the Trojans and
the projected marriage alliance between Aeneas and Lavinia, Latinus‘s
daughter; notable among the resentful are Latinus‘s wife and Turnus,
leader of a local tribe known as the Rutuli and heretofore Lavinia‘s
favoured suitor. War breaks out, but the Trojans, with the help of
the Etruscans, prevail, and Turnus is killed. As fated, Aeneas marries Lavinia
and founds Lavinium.
Homer was Virgil‘s model. The story of Aeneas‘s journey, recounted in the
first six books, is patterned after the Odyssey, with many imitative passages
and even direct translations, while the description of the war in the last six
books abounds with incidents modeled after those in the Iliad.
24
More basically, however, Virgil made use of another model, Rome‘s own
national legend about the war fought under Romulus against the Sabines.
This legend preserves, in a historical disguise, an original Indo-
European myth about a conflict between the gods of sovereignty and war
and the gods of fecundity, ending with the unification of the two divine
races. In Virgil‘s development of this theme, Aeneas and the Etruscans can
be seen as representing the gods of sovereignty and war, and the Latins as
representing the gods of fecundity.
Check these links for the complete story of Aeneid.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/228/228-h/228-h.htm
http://classics.mit.edu/Virgil/aeneid.html
Iliad summary
Homer's Iliad describes the final year of the Trojan War, a legendary conflict between an
alliance of Greek cities and the city of Troy in Anatolia. It was probably written sometime in
the 8th century BCE after a long oral tradition, but the Greeks themselves imagined
the war to have occurred sometime in the 13th century BCE during the Bronze Age. The
Greeks thought Homer was from Chios or Ionia and credited him with both
the Iliad and Odyssey, the two masterpieces of Greek literature. They also thought him the
greatest ever writer and referred to him simply as 'the poet.'
The Iliad is universally acclaimed as a truly great story. There is war and gore, honour and
betrayal, pain and pathos, love and hatred, a good few villains and even more heroes, all
set in the good old days of a glorious but not forgotten past. Above all, the Iliad presents
the tragic yet thrilling reality of humanity's mortality, and as the events unfold, we are ever
reminded that our lives are shaped and buffeted by the winds of Fate from which even the
central character Achilles, magnificent warrior that he is, cannot escape.
Book 1 – Achilles is Seriously Miffed
The Greeks' greatest warrior is Achilles, Mr. Invincible, but he is now sitting
out the war in a big sulk because Agamemnon, 'lord of men,' has stolen his
prize, the girl Briseis. His anger and pride will have all sorts of repercussions
and almost bring total defeat for the Greek army. Only a tragedy will
convince Achilles to fight, sweep the plains of Troy clear of the enemy, and
finally meet his own tragic fate. The gods look on with occasional interest
and sometimes with direct intervention, but they are immune from the
horrors that unfold, and they know it. Both gods and men must ultimately
bend to the will of Zeus, the 'Cloud-Gatherer' and king of the gods.
25
Book 2 – Catalogue of Ships
Agamemnon rashly tries to storm Troy without Achilles, thus making himself even
more unpopular with his men. There is a catalogue of ships which lists all the
cities taking part in the war. It is long and impressive.
Book 3 – The Revenge of Menelaus
'Godlike' Paris challenges Menelaus, 'master of the war-cry,' to a one-on-one

fight to settle the war there and then. Helen bites her fingernails from the walls
of Troy as Paris, wearing slightly flashy and inappropriate armour, is soundly
beaten, but 'quick-glancing' Aphrodite steps in and whisks off the prince in a
cloud. The war does not end this day.
Book 4 – Zeus Decides Troy's Fate
The gods argue about the progress of the war, but Athena and Hera insist that
Troy must be destroyed. Zeus consents, but in return, he will destroy cities of his
own choosing and at his own leisure - Mycenae will be one of them.
Meanwhile, the two armies clash and the plains run with rivers of blood.
Book 5 – Apollo Repels Diomedes
The fighting continues, and the mighty Greek Diomedes kills all before him. The
hero even attacks Aphrodite and Ares, but he finds himself no match for Apollo,
the 'far-shooter,' in a scene which reminds of the unbridgeable gulf between
gods and men.
Book 6 – Humanity in War
The fighting on the plains continues and Diomedes meets Glaucus, but instead
of fighting, these two champions have a chat and realise they are of mutual
descent. They exchange some gifts of armour and part as friends, a little oasis of
humanity in the pitiless desert of war. Meanwhile, inside Troy, we meet Hector's
wife Andromache to remind us that the Trojans are not dissimilar to the Greeks
and their women are equally worried for the future.
Book 7 – Hector vs. Ajax
Hector, 'tamer of horses,' son of king Priam and greatest Trojan warrior,
challenges any Greek to combat. Agamemnon persuades Menelaus not to
accept, and instead, Ajax, having drawn lots for the honour, marches out to
meet the prince. The pair clash but without a decisive blow, and Ajax proves
the master. Darkness then calls a halt to the fight and they part, once again
loaded down with gifts. The next day a truce is called so that the dead can be
gathered and cremated.
26
Book 8 – Hector Drives the Greeks Back to their Camp
Slightly fed up that the war has not ended by now, Zeus absolutely forbids the gods to
intervene this day. Hector is magnificent and leads his army in a rousing charge which
pens the Greeks back behind their fortified camp by the shore. Hector camps his army
outside the city, such is his confidence in total victory the next day.
Book 9 – Achilles Refuses Agamemnon's Appeal
Things look so bad that Agamemnon considers throwing in the towel and sailing
home, but he is persuaded to try and tempt Achilles to rejoin the fight by offering him a
mass of treasure. Odysseus (wily king of Ithaca and especially smooth talker) leads
Phoenix and Ajax who all tell Achilles to think of the men, their suffering, and the glory
he can win. Achilles refuses and now loses the moral high ground. His pride will cost
many lives.
Book 10 - Reconnaissance
A sort of intermission where both sides hold a meeting and decide to send spies into
the enemy camp to check out their positions and weaknesses.
Book 11 – The Battle Ebbs & Flows
The Greeks come out of their camp fighting as never before and drive the Trojans back
to Troy, but then the tide swings and the Greeks are forced to retreat with many
wounded, including Agamemnon and Odysseus.
Book 12 – The Greek Camp is Breached
The Trojans, with Hector and Sarpedon leading the way, break down the walls
and smash the gate of the Greek camp. The Greeks panic and flee for their
ships.
Book 13 – Poseidon Intervenes
The Greeks receive the help of Poseidon, the 'Earth-Shaker,' and they drive
back the Trojans, wounding many and killing even more, including Ascalaphus,
the son of Ares no less.
Book 14 – Hera Seduces Zeus
To keep the momentum with the Greeks, Hera, with the help of Aphrodite,
distracts and seduces Zeus on Mt. Ida. Hector, meanwhile, is injured by a rock
thrown by the now less-than-friendly Ajax.
27
Book 15 – Hector's Finest Hour
Zeus awakens to see the Trojans in peril and forbids any more intervention from
Poseidon. Apollo joins the fighting, and with his help, the Trojans once more
drive the Greeks back into their camp. Hector, enjoying his best day of the war,
leads his men to the ships and calls for fire to set them all ablaze.
Book 16 – Death of Patroclus
A key book. Patroclus, best friend of Achilles, remembers the advice of Nestor
and begs the great warrior to join the fighting and, if not, then allow him to lead
the fearsome Myrmidons wearing Achilles' armour. Achilles consents and the
fate of his friend and his own is now sealed. The Myrmidons manage to put out
the fire amongst the ships, and Patroclus even kills Sarpedon but then rashly
charges the Trojans back to Troy. Apollo intervenes and strikes the hero's armour
from his body, and he is killed by the spear of Hector. Now Achilles will
be really angry. Troy's fate is also sealed this day.
Book 17 – The Body of Patroclus
The two sides fight for the body of Patroclus, but the Trojans win and strip his
body. Hector dons the armour of Achilles, but the Greeks renew their efforts and
finally manage to take the naked corpse back to their camp for proper burial.
Book 18 – The Armour of Achilles
Achilles is told of the death of his friend and is predictably livid. He swears
revenge on Hector. To fight, though, he needs armour, and this is promised him
by his mother Thetis who enlists the master craftsman god Hephaistos. There
follows a lengthy description of Achilles' new shield which is decorated with a
myriad of fantastic scenes.
Book 19 – Achilles' Death is Foretold
Agamemnon and Achilles are reconciled and everyone has a big feast before
the big battle of the 'morrow. Achilles knows now that he will die, and it will be
at the hands of Paris and Apollo, but revenge drives him on undeterred.
Book 20 – The Gods Take Sides
Zeus calls for the gods to take their places in the coming battle. Ares, Artemis,
Aphrodite, and Apollo will aid the Trojans while the Greeks have Hera,
Poseidon, Hermes, and Athena. Battle commences on the plains. Achilles
sweeps all before him, but Hector is saved from a confrontation by Apollo who
whisks him away in a cloud.
28
Book 21 – Achilles & Xanthos
Achilles is still chopping away at the Trojans and bags himself 12 captives to
slaughter later at the funeral of Patroclus. He drives so many of the enemy into
the river Xanthos that the river god rises in indignation and chases Achilles back
to the Greek camp. The gods begin fighting each other in a painless and
inconsequential parody of the more brutal battle on the plain. Meanwhile, the
Trojans are driven back, and all flee into their city, all except one: Hector, who
makes a stands at the Skaian Gates.
Book 22 – Achilles vs. Hector
Hector, blaming himself for his own stupidity and camping out on the plains
instead of safely inside the city walls, prepares to meet his fate. Priam bites his
fingernails from the walls of Troy as he sees Achilles approach in his gleaming
armour. The sight of the great warrior speeding towards him causes Hector to
flee, and the pair indulge in a chase around the city three times. Zeus then
weighs the golden scales of Fate and Hector's side sinks. 'Swift-footed' Achilles
catches his man and sends him to Hades with a single spear strike to the throat.
Now Troy really is in trouble. Shockingly, Achilles ties the body of Hector to
his chariot and drags him ignominiously back to camp.
Book 23 – Funeral Games for Patroclus
Having got his revenge, Achilles now sets about honouring Patroclus with some
funeral games which include chariot races and prizes for all the winners. It is a
break for everyone before the emotional drama of the final book.
Book 24 – Priam's Appeal
The gods are angry at Achilles' disrespect for the body of Hector. Thetis is sent to
appeal to him. At the same time, Priam is helped by Hermes to magically
appear in the Greek camp on his own mission of mercy. Achilles bows to Priam's
moving speech and releases the body of Hector for proper burial. Here
the Iliad ends.
What Happens Next
The demise of Hector is Homer's metaphor for the fall of Troy itself as the Iliad's
story ends here, if not the actual war. We still have to come battles with
Amazons and the death of Achilles, felled by an arrow to his heel from Paris'
bow. Paris is shot by Philoctetes, and Ajax goes mad and slaughters a load of
sheep before committing suicide after not getting the armour of Achilles. Then,
after the Trojan Horse ruse to gain entry into the city, Troy finally falls and is
ruthlessly sacked.
29
Check these links for the complete story of Iliad.
http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/iliad.html
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2199/2199-h/2199-h.htm
Odyssey summary
Ten years after the Fall of Troy, and twenty years after the Greek
hero Odysseus first set out from his home in Ithaca to fight with the other Greeks
against the Trojans, Odysseus’ son Telemachus and his wife Penelope are beset
with over a hundred suitors who are trying to persuade Penelope that her
husband is dead and that she should marry one of them.
Encouraged by the goddess Athena (always Odysseus‘

protector), Telemachus sets out to look for his father, visiting some of Odysseus‘
erstwhile companions such as Nestor, Menelaus and Helen, who have long
since arrived home. They receive him sumptuously and recount the ending of
the Trojan War, including the story of the wooden
horse. Menelaus tells Telemachus that he has heard that Odysseus is being held
captive by the nymph Calypso.
The scene then changes to Calypso’s island, where Odysseus has spent seven
years in captivity. Calypso is finally persuaded to release him by Hermes and
Zeus, but Odysseus‘ makeshift boat is wrecked by his nemesis Poseidon, and he
swims ashore onto an island. He is found by the young Nausicaa and her
handmaidens and is made welcome by King Alcinous and Queen Arete of the
Phaeacians, and begins to tell the amazing story of his return from Troy.
Odysseus tells how he and his twelve ships were driven off course by storms,
and how they visited the lethargic Lotus-Eaters with their memory-erasing food,
before being captured by the giant one-eyed cyclops Polyphemus (Poseidon‘s
son), only escaping after he blinded the giant with a wooden stake. Despite the
help of Aeolus, King of the Winds, Odysseus and his crew were blown off course
again just as home was almost in sight. They narrowly escaped from the
cannibal Laestrygones, only to encounter the witch-goddess Circe soon
after. Circe turned half of his men into swine, but Odysseus had been pre-
warned by Hermes and made resistant to Circe‘s magic.
After a year of feasting and drinking on Circe‘s island, the Greeks again set off,
reaching the western edge of the world. Odysseus made a sacrifice to the
dead and summoned the spirit of the old prophet Tiresias to advise him, as well
as the spirits of several other famous men and women and that of his own
mother, who had died of grief at his long absence and who gave him
disturbing news of the situation in his own household.
30
Advised once more by Circe on the remaining stages of their journey, they
skirted the land of the Sirens, passed between the many-headed monster Scylla
and the whirlpool Charybdis, and, blithely ignoring the warnings
of Tiresias and Circe, hunted down the sacred cattle of the sun god Helios. For
this sacrilege, they were punished by a shipwreck in which all
but Odysseus himself drowned. He was washed ashore on Calypso‘s island,
where she compelled him to remain as her lover.
By this point, Homer has brought us up to date, and the remainder of the story is
told straightforwardly in chronological order.
Having listened with rapt attention to his story, the Phaeacians agree to
help Odysseus get home, and they finally deliver him one night to a hidden
harbour on his home island of Ithaca. Disguised as a wandering beggar and
telling a fictitious tale of himself, Odysseus learns from a local swineherd how
things stand in his household. Through Athena’s machinations, he meets up with
his own son, Telemachus, just returning from Sparta, and they agree together
that the insolent and increasingly impatient suitors must be killed. With more
help from Athena, an archery competition is arranged by Penelope for the
suitors, which the disguised Odysseus easily wins, and he then promptly
slaughters all the other suitors.
Only now does Odysseus reveal and prove his true identity to his wife and to his
old father, Laertes. Despite the fact that Odysseus has effectively killed two
generations of the men of Ithaca (the shipwrecked sailors and the executed
suitors), Athena intervenes one last time and finally Ithaca is at peace once
more.
Check these links for the complete story of ―The odyssey‖

https://www.ancient.eu/Odyssey/
https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/files/The_Odyssey.pdf
https://www.planetebook.com/free-ebooks/the-odyssey.pdf
https://www.boyle.kyschools.us/UserFiles/88/The%20Odyssey.pdf
31
Lesson 4
Exercises
1st task
Search for the summary of the following stories of Adventure (Greek and
Roman). Afterwards, create a short reflection of the story. (40 points
each)
1. The Quest of the Golden Fleece

2. Hercules
2nd task
1. Is Oedipus guilty or innocent?

2. What is the main theme in Oedipus Rex?
3. Why is the Aeneid a classic?
4. Why does Juno hate Aeneas?
5. What is Aeneas greatest virtue?
6. Why is the Iliad important?
32
LESSON 5: The British Isles
 Discuss the literary developments of England through its myths and legends
 Review the British history through its early literature.
Beowulf
“Beowulf” is a heroic epic poem written by an unknown author in Old English, some time
between the 8th and the 10th Century CE. It is one of the most important works
of Anglo-Saxon literature, and has been the subject of much scholarly study, theory,
speculation and discourse. It tells the story of the hero Beowulf, and his battles against
the monster Grendel (and Grendel’s mother), and against an unnamed dragon.
Beowulf Summary
The poem begins with a history of the Danish kings, starting with Shild (whose
funeral is described in the Prologue) and leading up to the reign of the current
king Hrothgar, Shild‘s great-grandson. Hrothgar is well loved by his people and
successful in war. He builds a lavish hall, called Herot (or Heorot), to house his
vast army, and when the hall is finished the Danish soldiers gather under its roof
to celebrate.
However, provoked by the singing and carousing of Hrothgar‘s

followers, Grendel, a monster in human shape who lives at the bottom of a
nearby swamp, appears at the hall late one night and kills thirty of the warriors
in their sleep. For the next twelve years the fear of Grendel‗s potential fury casts
a shadow over the lives of the Danes. Hrothgar and his advisers can think of
nothing to appease the monster‘s anger.
33
Beowulf, prince of the Geats, hears about Hrothgar‘s troubles, and gathers
fourteen of his bravest warriors, and sets sail from his home in southern Sweden.
The Geats are greeted by the members of Hrothgar‘s court, and Beowulf boasts
to the king of his previous successes as a warrior, particularly his success in
fighting sea monsters. Hrothgar welcomes the arrival of the Geats, hoping
that Beowulf will live up to his reputation. During the banquet that
follows Beowulf‗s arrival, Unferth, a Danish soldier, voices his doubts
about Beowulf‗s past accomplishments, and Beowulf, in turn, accuses Unferth of
killing his brothers. Before retiring for the night, Hrothgar promises Beowulf great
treasures if he meets with success against the monster.
That night, Grendel appears at Herot, and Beowulf, true to his word, wrestles the
monster bare-handed. He tears off the monster‘s arm at the shoulder,
but Grendel escapes, only to die soon afterward at the bottom of the snake-
infested swamp where he and his mother live. The Danish warriors, who had fled
the hall in fear, return singing songs in praise of Beowulf‗s triumph and
performing heroic stories in Beowulf‗s honour. Hrothgar rewards Beowulf with a
great store of treasures and, after another banquet, the warriors of both the
Geats and the Danes retire for the night.
Unknown to the warriors, however, Grendel‗s mother is plotting revenge for her
son‘s death. She arrives at the hall when all the warriors are sleeping and carries
off Esher, Hrothgar‘s chief adviser. Beowulf, rising to the occasion, offers to dive
to the bottom of the lake, find the monster‘s dwelling place, and destroy her.
He and his men follow the monster‘s tracks to the cliff overlooking the lake
where Grendel‗s mother lives, where they see Esher‘s bloody head floating on
the surface of the lake. Beowulf prepares for battle and asks Hrothgar to look
after his warriors and to send his treasures to his uncle, King Higlac, if he does not
return safely.
During the ensuing battle, Grendel‗s mother carries Beowulf down to her
underwater home, but Beowulf finally kills the monster with a magical sword
that he finds on the wall of her home. He also finds Grendel‗s dead body, cuts
off the head, and returns to dry land. The Geat and Danish warriors, waiting
expectantly, celebrate as Beowulf has now purged Denmark of the race of evil
monsters.
They return to Hrothgar‘s court, where the Danish king is duly thankful, but
warns Beowulf against the dangers of pride and the fleeting nature of fame
and power. The Danes and Geats prepare a great feast in celebration of the
death of the monsters and the next morning the Geats hurry to their boat,
anxious to begin the trip home. Beowulf bids farewell to Hrothgar and tells the
old king that if the Danes ever again need help he will gladly come to their
assistance. Hrothgar presents Beowulf with more treasures and they embrace,
emotionally, like father and son.
34
Beowulf and the Geats sail home and, after recounting the story of his battles
with Grendel and Grendel‗s mother, Beowulf tells the Geat king Higlac about
the feud between Denmark and their enemies, the Hathobards. He describes
the proposed peace settlement, in which Hrothgar will give his daughter Freaw
to Ingeld, king of the Hathobards, but predicts that the peace will not last long.
Higlac rewards Beowulf for his bravery with parcels of land, swords and houses.
In the second part of the poem, set many years later, Higlac is dead,
and Beowulf has been king of the Geats for some fifty years. One day, a thief
steals a jewelled cup from a sleeping dragon, and the dragon avenges his loss
by flying through the night burning down houses, including Beowulf‗s own hall
and throne. Beowulf goes to the cave where the dragon lives, vowing to
destroy it single-handed. He is an old man now, however, and his strength is not
as great as it was when he fought against Grendel. During the
battle, Beowulf breaks his sword against the dragon‘s side and the dragon,
enraged, engulfs Beowulf in flames, wounding him in the neck.
All of Beowulf‗s followers flee except Wiglaf, who rushes through the flames to
assist the aging warrior. Wiglaf stabs the dragon with his sword, and Beowulf, in a
final act of courage, cuts the dragon in half with his knife.
However, the damage is done, and Beowulf realizes that he is dying, and that
he has fought his last battle. He asks Wiglaf to take him to the dragon‘s
storehouse of treasures, jewels and gold, which brings him some comfort and
make him feel that the effort has perhaps been worthwhile. He instructs Wiglaf
to build a tomb to be known as ―Beowulf‗s tower‖ on the edge of the sea there.
After Beowulf dies, Wiglaf admonishes the troops who deserted their leader
while he was fighting against the dragon, telling them that they have been
untrue to the standards of bravery, courage and loyalty that Beowulf has
taught. Wiglaf sends a messenger to a nearby encampment of Geat soldiers
with instructions to report the outcome of the battle. The messenger predicts
that the enemies of the Geats will feel free to attack them now that their great
king is dead.
Wiglaf supervises the building of Beowulf‘s funeral pyre. In keeping

with Beowulf‗s instructions, the dragon‘s treasure is buried alongside his ashes in
the tomb, and the poem ends as it began, with the funeral of a great warrior.
35
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table
Summary
After Uther Pendragon's death,Arthur and Merlin the magician forms a stone
and in it a sword. After many years, the young Arthur, secretly the son of Uther
Pendragon, pulls the sword out of the stone and becomes king. Together with
Merlin, he constructs a round table, at which only the best knights of England
may sit. More and more knights come to join the brotherhood of the Round
Table, and each has his own adventures.
Eventually, the holy knight Galahad, the son of sir Lancelot, comes to Arthur's
court. With his coming, all the knights ride throughout Europe in search of
the Holy Grail of Jesus Christ. Only five knights see the Grail; sir Lancelot,
sir Percival, Sir Bors de Gaunnes, sir Galahad and sir Gawain.
After the Grail is found, the last battle of the Knights of the Round Table is
fought. In this battle many knights die and with them King Arthur, sir Gawain,
who is Arthur's nephew and Mordred, the wicked son of king Arthur and his half-
sister Morgana le Fay. King Arthur is taken away to Avalon, a secret island after
he is terribly wounded by Mordred while he was making the final stab with his
sword to kill Mordred.
Check this link to see the complete story of King Arthur and His Knights of the
Round Table.
http://brasilpnl.com.br/ec/book01/level_02/King_Arthur.pdf
36
Lesson 5
Exercises
1st task
1. Why does Beowulf want to fight Grendel?

2. What warning does Hrothgar give Beowulf?
3. Why does Unferth question Beowulf’s ability?
4. Why does Beowulf want to see the treasure?
2nd task
Illustrate the elements of plot of the story King Arthur and His
Knights of the Round Table. (30 points)
37
LESSON 6: Greek and Roman
Gods and Goddesses
 Identify the Gods and Goddesses in Greek and Roman and their
attributes.
 Know the differences between Roman and Greek Gods and
Goddesses.
 Determine the Greek gods and heroes and their roman equivalents.
If there is a Greek god, there will be a Roman counterpart.

While Roman gods and Greek gods share the same powers
and responsibilities, they have many differences.
Greek Gods Predated Roman Gods
The first major difference between Roman gods and Greek gods is the time
period. Greek mythology predates Roman mythology over 1,000 years. For
example, Homer‘s The Iliad was written 700 years before Roman civilization
came into formation.
Physical Appearance of Greek Gods vs. Roman Gods
Another major difference between Greek gods and Roman gods is in the
physical appearance of the deities.
Greek gods had heavy emphasis placed on their physical appearance, both
beauty, and unsightliness. The description of their physical appearance would
come from the myth itself. Greek mythology would describe the gods and
goddesses as having strong characteristics. These characteristics would have a
direct impact on the physical appearance they were given.
Roman gods were not described in such a way. Roman gods had less emphasis
38
Roman gods were not described in such a way. Roman gods had less emphasis
put on their characteristics; therefore, their physical appearances were less
strong if there was a physical depiction of them at all.
Greek God Names vs. Roman God Names
Another major difference between Roman gods vs. Greek gods is in the name
of the gods and goddesses.
Roman gods and goddesses were named after objects and did not possess a
gender, whereas Greek gods were decided by human characteristics and
traits. As Greek gods predated Roman gods, Roman mythology would take the
Greek deity and assign a Roman object that would fit the description of the
Greek god.
Most of the Greek Gods and Goddesses were adopted by the ancient
Romans, although in most cases there was a change of name. In the
table below is a list of the GREEK GODS and HEROES and
their ROMAN equivalents:
Principal Greek and Roman Gods
(Adapted from Laurie Schneider Adams, Art Across Time, 2nd ed., p. 142)
Greek Roman
Relationship Role Attribute
god Counterpart
husband and King and father of Thunderbolt,
Zeus Jupiter
brother of Hera gods, sky. eagle.
Queen and mother
veil, cuckoo,
wife and sister of of gods; women,
Hera pomerganate, Juno
Zeus marriage,
peacock
maternity.
daughter of Zeus, Owl, Armor,
but not of Hera. war (strategy), shield, gorgoneio
Athena Sprung from the wisdom, weaving, n (head of Minerva
head of Zeus fully- protector of Athens Medusa on
formed. breast plate)
39
son of Hera and war, strife, blind
Ares Armor Mars
Zeus courage
Homer: daughter
of Zeus and
Dione (a Titan);
Hesiod: she
Aphrodite sprung from the love, beauty Cupid, Eros (her son) Venus
sea foam that
formed around
the severed
genitals of
Uranus.
son of Zeus and
Leto (daughter of solar light, reason,
Apollo the Titans Coeüs prophecy, lyre, bow, quiver Phoebus
and Pheobe); medicine, music
brother of Artemis
later identified
Helios Sun Pheobus
with Apollo
daugher of Zeus
lunar light,
Artemis and Leto; sister of bow, arrows, dogs Diana
hunting, childbirth
Apollo.
later identified
Selene Moon Crescent moon Diana
with Artemis.
Male messenger
Winged sandals,
son of Zeus and of the gods;
winged
Maia (eldest trickster and thief;
Hermes cap, caduceus (win Mercury
daughter of Titan good luck, wealth,
ged staff entwined
Atlas) travel, dreams,
with serpents)
eloquence.
brother of Zeus
Ruler of the Cerberos (triple-
Hades and husband of Pluto
underworld headed dog)
Persephone
40
son of Zeus and Semele Wine, theater,
Thyrsos (staff),
Dionysos (daugher of Cadmus, grapes, Bacchus
wine cup
king of Thebes) panther skin
Fire, the art of
the Hammer, tongs,
Hephaistos son of Hera Vulcan
blacksmith, lamed foot
crafts.
Hearth,
Hestia sister of Zeus domestic fire, hearth Vesta
the family
Agriculture, Ears of wheat,
Demeter sister of Zeus Ceres
grain torch
Poseidon brother of Zeus Sea Trident, horse Neptune
son of Zeus and a mortal
woman, the only hero
Lion skin, club,
Herakles admitted by the gods to Strength Hercules
bow and quiver
Mount Olympos and
granted immortality.
Bow and arrow, Amor/
Eros son of Aphrodite Love
wings Cupid
daughter of Zeus and the Scepter,
Persephone Victoria
Demeter, wife of Hades underworld pomegranate
41
Lesson 6
Exercises
1st task
Among all the Gods and Goddesses above, choose at least 10 that you like
and search an image of them. Afterwards, create a short explanation why
you like them and if ever you feel like you wanted to be like them. Your
explanation must be after each Gods and Goddesses. (100 points)
2nd task
Answer the questions below: (10 points each)

1. If you were to be a God or Goddess, who will it be and why?
2. Who is the God or Goddess that you never wanted to be like?
3. Who is the most beautiful Greek Goddess for you and why?
4. What are the other differences of Greek and Roman Gods and
Goddesses that are not mentioned above?
42
References
https://press.rebus.community/mythologyunbound/chapter/three-types-
of-myth/
https://www.thoughtco.com/defining-terms-myth-folklore-legend-735039
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-fable-folktale-myth-legend-
differences-and-examples.html#:~:text=Lesson%20Summary,-
For%20centuries%20across&text=Fables%20feature%20animals%20given%
20human,to%20why%20there%20are%20seasons.
https://www.academia.edu/29530709/Mythology_and_Folklore_syllabus?
auto=download&ssrv=nrad
https://www.academia.edu/29530709/Mythology_and_Folklore_syllabus
https://www.edgenuity.com/Syllabi/wa/is-electives/Edgenuity-Syllabus-
Mythology.pdf
https://www.fusd1.org/cms/lib/AZ01001113/Centricity/Domain/1385/Full%
20text%20Oedipus.pdf
https://www.theoi.com/articles/roman-gods-vs-greek-gods-know-the-
difference/#:~:text=Roman%20gods%20and%20goddesses%20were,desc
ription%20of%20the%20Greek%20god.
http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/ARTH209/gods_greek_rom
an.html
43
Note to the student
This module is a semi-detailed guide of the content to be learned in the
subject. The use of other resources such as books and credible online sources
are encouraged. Sources are indicated within this module for your reference.
There are sets of questions and tasks to be completed at the end of each
lesson and unit. The quality of your answers and outputs will have a bearing
on your grades for this subject. May you use this resource to the best of your
advantage.
You should write your answers at the blank pages at the end part of the
modules. If you will need more papers, you can use your own short bond
paper (DO NOT USE YELLOW PAPER) and attached it to the end part. Also,
don‘t forget to indicate the lesson and task numbers.
Should you have any questions, please message me on this

Facebook account: Bacan Ilyn
Please do introduce yourself properly upon contacting me.
Please be updated with our page for more announcements. Thank you.
44
Table of contents
Lesson Topics Pages
1 Introduction to Mythology and Folklore 2-5

Three types of mythology
2 Stories of creation Greek and Roman

The Titans and the Twelve Great
Olympians
The Creation of the World and 7-14
Mankind
Prometheus and Pandora
3 Stories of love and Adventure Greek and
Roman
The Love Story of Pyramus and Thisbe
Orpheus and Eurydice 16-22
Ceyx and Alcyone
The Story of Pygmalion and Galatea
Daphne
4 Stories of Adventure Greek and Roman
Oedipus Rex
23-31
Aeneid
Iliad
Odyssey
5 The British Isles
Beowulf
King Arthur and His Knights of the
Round Table 33-36
6 Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses 38-41
45
46
47
Pihihbjh
What is Aeneas greatest virtue?

Loyalty and honor are the virtues which drive almost
everything Aeneas does. Aeneas was courageous, honorable, just, and loyal to his
comrades, but he was often called “pious Aeneas” because of his most
exemplified virtue: piety, loyalty and reverence to the gods. May 13, 2016
Is Oedipus guilty or innocent?

Answer and Explanation: Oedipus is neither guilty nor innocent. Although he killed his
father and married his mother, he was destined to do this. This is his fate.
What is the main theme in Oedipus Rex?
Guilt and Shame. The play begins with a declaration from the oracle at Delphi: Thebes
is suffering because the person guilty of the murder of King Laius has not been brought
to justice. Oedipus sets himself the task of discovering the guilty party—so guilt, in the
legal sense, is central to Oedipus Rex.
Why is the Aeneid a classic?

The Aeneid by the Roman poet Virgil is an epic poem in 12 books that tells the story of
the foundation of Rome from the ashes of Troy. ... The Aeneid is therefore
48
a classic foundation narrative. As with other ancient epics, our hero has to remain
resolute in the face of significant divine hostility. Oct 23, 2017
Why does Juno hate Aeneas?

Juno harbors anger toward Aeneas because Carthage is her favorite city, and a
prophecy holds that the race descended from the Trojans will someday destroy
Carthage. Juno holds a permanent grudge against Troy because another Trojan, Paris,
judged Juno's rival Venus fairest in a divine beauty contest.
Why is the Iliad important?

Homers epic poem, The Iliad, provides a unique insight into both Greek history and the
formation of a Greek identity. The setting of the poem, the Trojan War, captured the
imaginations of the Greek people and became the basis for a new history of a common
people brought together by the war.
) Why does Beowulf want to fight Grendel?
Beowulf wants to fight Grendel in order to win treasure and, more importantly, fame
(which he calls a warrior’s “best bulwark” [l.1389]). Under the ancient Northern
European warrior code, a warrior should seek out the most challenging opponents he
can find, in order to enhance his own reputation. Hrothgar suggests that Beowulf may
have chosen to fight Grendel in order to discharge a debt to him, when he tells the story
of paying a large sum of money on Beowulf’s father’s behalf. However, Hrothgar may
simply be trying to save face: it is embarrassing for him to depend on Beowulf’s help.
2) What warning does Hrothgar give Beowulf?
In lines 1700-84, Hrothgar warns Beowulf about the dangers of kingship. He tells
Beowulf that he should “not give way to pride” (l.1760), which makes great leaders
complacent when they should be watchful for new dangers. On the other hand,
Hrothgar goes on to suggest that death and defeat are inevitable, pride or no pride:
“death will arrive, / dear warrior, to sweep you away” (ll.1767-8).
3) Why does Unferth question Beowulf’s ability?
Unferth is “sick with envy” (l.502) of Beowulf’s reputation and courage. From a dramatic
point of view, Unferth’s challenge gives Beowulf a chance to demonstrate his skill at
49
boasting. Boasting was considered a legitimate way for a warrior to enhance his
reputation, and as Beowulf tells the story of his swimming race we learn that the hero is
as good at boasting as he is at fighting.
) Why does Beowulf want to see the treasure?
As he lies dying, Beowulf demands to see the treasure he has won from the dragon. He
may hope that the wealth he has captured will guarantee his lasting fame. He certainly
hopes that this wealth will compensate his people for their loss of their king. However,
the poem makes it clear that this hope is ill-founded. The treasure is “tarnished and
corroding” (ll.2761-2), and much of it is re-buried with Beowulf.
50
51
52
53
https://press.rebus.community/mythologyunbound/chapter/three-types-of-myth/
https://www.thoughtco.com/defining-terms-myth-folklore-legend-735039
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-fable-folktale-myth-legend-differences-and-
examples.html#:~:text=Lesson%20Summary,-
54
For%20centuries%20across&text=Fables%20feature%20animals%20given%20human,to%20why
%20there%20are%20seasons.
https://www.academia.edu/29530709/Mythology_and_Folklore_syllabus?auto=download&ssrv
=nrad
https://www.academia.edu/29530709/Mythology_and_Folklore_syllabus
https://www.edgenuity.com/Syllabi/wa/is-electives/Edgenuity-Syllabus-Mythology.pdf
https://www.fusd1.org/cms/lib/AZ01001113/Centricity/Domain/1385/Full%20text%20Oedipus.
pdf
https://www.theoi.com/articles/roman-gods-vs-greek-gods-know-the-
difference/#:~:text=Roman%20gods%20and%20goddesses%20were,description%20of%20the%
20Greek%20god.
http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/ARTH209/gods_greek_roman.html
55

English 8 Modul1

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

English 8 Modul1

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mythology & Folklore:

Since the beginning of time, people have gathered

• Identify characteristics of myths, folklore, folktales, and fairy tales.

• Describe the different types of myths.

• Identify the purposes of myths.

A myth is a traditional story that may answer life's overarching questions,

Folklore and Folktale

A legend is a story that's purported to be historical in nature but that is

Aetiological myths (sometimes spelled etiological) explain the reason why

An etymological aetiological myth explains the origin of a word.

A religious aetiological myth explains the origin of a religious ritual. For

Answer the following questions. (10 points each)

• Compare or contrast various myths of creation

The Titans and the Twelve Great Olympians

The Creation of the World and Mankind

This story is written by both Aeschylus and Hesiod.

Gaea and Cronus set up an ambush of Uranus as he lay with Gaea at

The child was Zeus. He grew into a handsome youth on Crete. He

Cronus was yet to be defeated. He and the Titans,

After that, Prometheus taught them, little by little, a thousand things. He

―Who has done all this?‖ he asked. And someone answered,

Of course, it would be easy enough to deal with Prometheus at any time,

But Zeus didn‘t forget about punishing Prometheus himself. He had

 Recognize microcosms in celebrated Greek and Roman love stories.

The Love Story of Pyramus and Thisbe

ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE

Orpheus and Eurydice Ascending To Life

Answer the following questions: (15 points each)

1. Which stories of love and adventure in Greek and Roman is

 Express identified themes in complete sentences.

Oedipus Rex Summary

Check this link for the complete story of Oedipus Rex.

In Book I Aeneas, journeying to his fated destination, encounters foul

Check these links for the complete story of Aeneid.

Book 1 – Achilles is Seriously Miffed

Book 3 – The Revenge of Menelaus

'Godlike' Paris challenges Menelaus, 'master of the war-cry,' to a one-on-one

Book 4 – Zeus Decides Troy's Fate

Book 5 – Apollo Repels Diomedes

Book 6 – Humanity in War

Book 7 – Hector vs. Ajax

Book 9 – Achilles Refuses Agamemnon's Appeal

Book 11 – The Battle Ebbs & Flows

Book 12 – The Greek Camp is Breached

Book 13 – Poseidon Intervenes

Book 14 – Hera Seduces Zeus

Book 16 – Death of Patroclus

Book 17 – The Body of Patroclus

Book 18 – The Armour of Achilles

Book 19 – Achilles' Death is Foretold

Book 20 – The Gods Take Sides

Book 22 – Achilles vs. Hector

Book 23 – Funeral Games for Patroclus

Book 24 – Priam's Appeal

What Happens Next

Encouraged by the goddess Athena (always Odysseus‘

Check these links for the complete story of ―The odyssey‖

1. The Quest of the Golden Fleece

Answer the following questions. (5 points each)

1. Is Oedipus guilty or innocent?

However, provoked by the singing and carousing of Hrothgar‘s

Wiglaf supervises the building of Beowulf‘s funeral pyre. In keeping

Answer the following questions. (10 points each)