The Greeks were not shy about treating sexually explicit subjects. The Greek myths were not composed as stories for children. The lessons below will help students to understand this important distinction. Rather, myths are traditional narratives often of gods, goddess, and heroes, great deeds and supernatural powers, that are passed down through various textual and visual sources and convey commonly held beliefs in a particular society about natural phenomena, historical events, and proper behavior.
Odysseus defied that which others would not (as is also shown by his desire to hear the Sirens' song) and pulled off great feats with panache and self-confidence.Īlthough myths convey exciting stories about gods and heroes, they are not equivalent to "stories" either in the modern sense of a deliberate fiction or the traditional sense of a folk tale or tall story. What they admired about Odysseus, in this instance, was his capacity for quick thinking. This does not mean the Greeks admired thievery and bragging, however. For example, in his encounter with the Cyclops, Odysseus helps himself to the giant's food without permission, attacks while the Cyclops is in a wine-induced stupor, and brags about blinding the one-eyed creature. Greek heroes are not always what modern readers might think of as "good role models." Their actions may strike us as morally dubious. Heroes were an important part of Greek mythology, but the characteristics Greeks admired in a hero are not necessarily identical to those we admire today. In the lessons below, students will learn about Greek conceptions of the hero, the function of myths as explanatory accounts, the presence of mythological terms in contemporary culture, and the ways in which mythology has inspired later artists and poets. The lessons in this unit provide you with an opportunity to use online resources to further enliven your students' encounter with Greek mythology, to deepen their understanding of what myths meant to the ancient Greeks, and to help them appreciate the meanings that Greek myths have for us today.
Your students might be surprised to find they're wearing shoes with the name of a Greek goddess (Nike), rooting for (or against) a team named after Greek gods (Tennessee Titans), and even listening to rock groups with mythological names (Styx). But Greek mythology offers so much more: inspiration for many works of art (both written and visual), insight into the human condition, a glimpse at an ancient people trying to make sense of phenomena they could not explain, and the source for many names and terms we use today. all surefire favorites in the classroom and the stuff of Greek mythology.
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