ABOVE: A young man named Hylas learns the hard way never to trust a nymph (and especially not a pool full of them).
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Out of all the mythologies of the world, Greek mythology has had the most influence on Western culture. Literally thousands
of artists and writers have used Greek mythology as their muse--bringing
the ancient stories to life through sculpture, painting, poetry, and
song. Myth-inspired phrases such as Achilles Heel
and Oedipus Complex and stand-alone words like labyrinth
and mentor
proliferate our language. Media other than high art use mythological
references too. Businesses and advertising firms use mythology as a selling tool. Arethusa Plumbing references Arethusa (a nymph
transformed into a spring), a diamond necklace is titled a Pandora
for its irresistibility, and towering billboards bear the name Olympus.
All these examples show how culturally ingrained Greek mythology has
become. Together with the Bible and Shakespeare, Greek mythology rounds out the Big Three of Allusions. Any serious student of literature must have a healthy background in these three areas in order to spot the numerous references authors make to them.
Click the link above to see a colorful gallery filled with
information about Greece's legendary deities. (To purchase full-color posters of the Greek gods and goddesses, printed on sturdy 11 X 14" cardstock, visit the store.)
In this two-part myth, Eros, the young god of love, falls in love himself. The object of his affection is a beautiful mortal princess Psyche. The only obstacle in their relationship is Eros's jealous mother, the goddess Aphrodite. Watch as the two lovers journey from the heights of Olympus to the depths of Hades to find happiness. Listen to a different version of the story performed by Chatterbox Audio Theater.
For more information on Reader's Theater and its benefits in the
secondary classroom, make sure to visit the Reader's Theater section of
this website. To purchase Zak Hamby's collections of mythological plays visit the store or see the Amazon link at the bottom of the page.
Design a doll based on a female character from Greek mythology. Students must create three features (things Barbie can do) and three accessories (cheap, plastic things that come with the doll) that relate to the character. There are also sections for advertising another doll related to this one and designing a vehicle for the doll to use. This is a very fun activity, and the students often get very creative. It really allows the students to show their humor. Also included in the PDF is an example of "Athena Barbie."
This extensive webquest features information about the way in which
the ancient Greeks livedand thought. Learn about the most
famous Greeks and how society today would not be possible if the Greeks
had not come first.
Using only the provided game sheet and a few dice, involve the
entire class in the Trojan War with this interactive game. Click the
link above for more informationon how the game is played.
Featuring original artwork by the creator of this site, Zachary
Hamby, engage your students in a Where's
Waldo?-style pictorial search of the Trojan War.
In this interactive hero quest based on the
Choose-Your-Own-Adventure craze of the past decades, you control the
hero Theseus making many decisions that could either make or break his
quest.
As it was mentioned before, Greek mythology claims the most
influence on modern art, Literature, and language. This assignment
teaches students the concept of Allusion, allows them to identify
several mythological allusions, and then asks them to create their own
allusion by developing a product that could be tied into Greek
mythology. The second file is a document containing 28 Greek
myth-inspired poems for your students to use in conjunction with the
allusion packet. Please do not redistribute these poems. They are for
educational purposes only.
Follow this link to download a variety of mythological coloring sheets
featuring artwork by Zachary Hamby. (For color prints of the same
drawings, printed on sturdy 11 X 14" card-stock poster paper visit the store.)
