Mythology What is a myth and how does

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Mythology

Mythology

What is a myth and how does mythology reflect our culture of time period

What is a myth and how does mythology reflect our culture of time period and community?

Daedalus and Icarus On the island of Crete there lived a Minotaur, by leaving

Daedalus and Icarus On the island of Crete there lived a Minotaur, by leaving a huge pile of fresh meat in its trees and bushes surrounding the beach would a ferocious creature that was half man and centre. Once the Minotaur was in the provide an ideal sanctuary for the time being. half bull. The people of the island of Crete labyrinth the creature was unable to They could possibly survive for months or were terrifi ed of the Minotaur; it loved nothing escape. King Minos was delighted. years without being seen. But who would want more than to feast on human fl esh. They Anyone who was sent to the labyrinth to live like that – hiding away hoping they begged their ruler, King Minos, to order that would be trapped and eventually they would not be captured? They needed to fi nd a the creature be killed, but the King decided would be found by the Minotaur who way to leave the island, but how? They could against this. Instead, he constructed a plan to would eat them alive. Now he had the not swim, the nearest land was too far away, imprison the Minotaur. To die at the hands of perfect punishment for his enemies! and they would never make it. They could not the Minotaur would be one of the most terrible Deciding he had no further use for leave by ship; all vessels were controlled by deaths imaginable, and King Minos believed Daedalus, the King threw him into the King Minos. Daedalus stared up at the sky that his enemies deserved to meet such a fate. labyrinth along with his son Icarus. and the seagulls that circled overhead. If only He enlisted the help of Daedalus, a talented The King expected that the inventor he was as free as a bird. If only he and his architect, inventor and craftsman, and asked and his son would be found by the son could just fl y away … and then he had an him to build a labyrinth – a maze of passages Minotaur and eaten. Instead, unknown idea which was both brilliant and ambitious. that would be so complex that it would be to the king, they escaped. After all, He would build a pair of wings! It would take virtually impossible for anyone (or anything) to Daedalus had built the labyrinth and some time, days, weeks even, but he would ever fi nd a way out. knew his way around! Once out of the labyrinth build a pair of wings for his son and himself – Deadulus and Icarus Daedalus did as King Minos requested and then, following the King’s instructions, he enticed the Minotaur into the labyrinth carefully made their way to the shore of the island pondered on what to do next. The

exactly the same as the wings of a seagull but impatiently as his father

exactly the same as the wings of a seagull but impatiently as his father attached the wings to resembled a small dot below him. At the same on a much larger scale. his arms, then helped his father to time he noticed a feather drift past and fl oat Scattered around the beach were seagull position his own wings. downwards towards the sea. And then another feathers. Daedalus instructed his son to collect ‘We are ready, ’ his father told … and then another. Too late Icarus realized as many as he could fi nd. He worked carefully him, ‘follow me!’ his wings were melting. He had fl own too close to build the wings, studying the exact angle Deadulus ran forwards to the Sun. With every desperate swoop of his and shape of the seagulls and examining how the ocean, sweeping his arms, more feathers fell and soon his arms the birds fl ew. At last, six weeks after they had up and down as he did so. With were almost bare. Down and down escaped from the labyrinth, the wings were a whoosh he zoomed forward, went Icarus. . . ready. rising into the air. Icarus copied ‘Father!’ he shouted before falling with a heavy ‘With these wings you will fl y like a bird, ’ his father; suddenly he found splash into the sea. His few remaining feathers Daedalus told his son, ‘but be careful. Make his feet were no longer on the fl oated on the surface of the water as he sank. sure you do not fl y too close to the Sun. If you ground…he was in the air… he Daedalus could only watch helplessly and do, the wax that holds the feathers together will was fl ying! He couldn’t believe melt. ’ Icarus nodded quickly. In truth he was barely listening. Hiding on the shore of the island of Crete had been boring. He had spent weeks doing nothing more exciting with his days than collecting feathers and catching fi sh for his father and himself to eat. And now at last they had the chance to escape. He shuffl ed it! As he looked down at the sea below, his heart fl uttered with excitement. It was as though his body was weightless. The wind whistled against his ears. He felt like a bird! Higher and higher, faster and faster he fl ew! Suddenly, Icarus realized he could hardly see his father. He had fl own so high his father his heart felt as heavy as a stone as he fl ew onwards, leaving his son behind.

 Who is the hero? Who is the villain? What is the lesson that

Who is the hero? Who is the villain? What is the lesson that can be learned from this story or what phenomenon was it trying to explain? What does the myth tell the reader about the culture?

What is a myth? The short answer… How the Greeks viewed the creation of

What is a myth? The short answer… How the Greeks viewed the creation of the world is this: Scary old gods came first; they got stomped down by their kids, who were better looking, younger gods. These gods created humans. Humans and gods fought for supremacy, and the humans won a few rounds but eventually got trounced and became more and more miserable.

What is a myth? Now… The longer answer. In the beginning, the universe was

What is a myth? Now… The longer answer. In the beginning, the universe was without form. It was nothing; there was matter, but it was unorganized, shapeless, mixed up and dark. This was called Chaos. After Chaos, more divinities, or gods, came into being. Gaia, the Earth, held up Uranus, the sky. Gaia and Uranus had a bunch of kids. First they had a bunch of monsters including the Cyclops, and then they created the Titans as the second generation. Uranus hated all the Titans and was actually quite ugly about it – but there are only a couple of Titans that you need to remember: first, Oceanus, the god of the sea, and then Cronus, the strongest and best one of all. Gaia was pretty ticked at Uranus for being a jerk, so she helped Cronus overthrow him

Can you identify any myths? Myths were part of a culture’s Oral Tradition –stories

Can you identify any myths? Myths were part of a culture’s Oral Tradition –stories passed from group to group for the purpose of entertainment and enlightenment. For a time, the Oral Tradition was necessary for the growth, development, and maintenance of a culture, as few people could read. Does traditional storytelling, capturing some aspect of culture or society and passed from person to person orally, still have a place in our society? Why or why not?

As a whole class, lets brainstorm unique aspects of modern day culture (cell phones,

As a whole class, lets brainstorm unique aspects of modern day culture (cell phones, sports team fanaticism, reality television, etc. )

Group work! • Write a myth that would explain that cultural norm to someone

Group work! • Write a myth that would explain that cultural norm to someone of another culture. • Be sure to make clear the phenomena and the relationship to the culture at large. • You should answer the same questions when analyzing your own myths as they do in Greek/Roman mythology: • Who is the hero? • Who is the villain? • What is the lesson that can be learned from this story or what phenomenon was it trying to explain? • Explore and discuss what purpose the myth or legend had or has in the particular culture from which it emanates. What does the myth tell the reader about the culture?

Presentations!

Presentations!

Exit Slip • Write A one sentence summary of their self‐created myth and how

Exit Slip • Write A one sentence summary of their self‐created myth and how it reflects modern culture.