Intro to Mythology PDF

Intro to MYTHOLOGY ENG I H Ms. Murphy WHAT IS MYTHOLOGY? - Study of myths & teachings of ancient Greece in relation to Greek gods & heroes and their world, origins, and religion/religious practices - “Myth” comes from Greek mythos = story - Belongs to the folklore genre - Folkl...

Intro to MYTHOLOGY ENG I H Ms. Murphy WHAT IS MYTHOLOGY? - Study of myths & teachings of ancient Greece in relation to Greek gods & heroes and their world, origins, and religion/religious practices - “Myth” comes from Greek mythos = story - Belongs to the folklore genre - Folklore = traditional stories passed on within a community over generations by word of mouth - Collection of ancient myths used by different cultures explain and find the truth of what they couldn't understand - Characters: gods/goddesses and heroes/heroines on adventures & accomplishing great deeds ROLE OF MYTHS - Poet & scholar Robert Graves (1955): “Myth has two main functions. The first is to answer the sort of awkward questions that children ask, such as: ‘Who made the world? How will it end? Who was the first man? Where do souls go after death?’...The second function of myth is to justify an existing social system and account for traditional rites and customs. - Main dual purpose of myths 1. Answer questions about human origins and purpose 2. Justify reasons for behavior, social interaction, rites, customs, and traditions - Myths likewise teach lessons and explain natural phenomena READING MYTHOLOGY - Not meant to be taken literally - Examine for deeper/symbolic meaning - When reading a myth, imagine what it meant for its original audience while also considering what it means for us now - Multiple interpretations - Read for theme, not just plot or character WHY DO MYTHS STILL MATTER? - While some myths are entirely fiction, some are based on true historical events - They explain to modern man what life was like in ancient times (worries, fears, events) - Myths identify who we are and where we come from - Provide basis of many religions - Mythical allusions - Achilles’ heel - Pandora’s box GREEK HOMERIAN EPICS The Iliad and The Odyssey - Masterpieces from 700s BCE - Narrative epic poems about heroes’ adventures - Part of oral tradition → originally sung or said by a bard - Believed to have been written by blind Homer - Father of western literature - Possibly lived b/w 1108-850 BC - identity under debate - High drama, intense emotions, address important events - Trojan War - Odysseus’ heroism - Interference of the gods THE ILIAD - Conflict between kingdoms of Troy and Greece, 1200 BCE - Sparked by the kidnapping of Helen, beautiful wife of Menelaus (king Sparta, city-state in Greece) by Trojan Prince Paris - War lasted 10 years - Restore Menelaus’ honor - Bring Helen back to Greece THE ODYSSEY - Events following the Trojan War - Story of Odysseus, hero and king of Ithica, as he returns home after fighting in the Trojan War - What happens on his adventures and in Ithica, where his wife awaits his return - Encounters various monsters & sirens trying to prevent him from returning to his home & wife - Establishes Odysseus as an epic hero - Displays courage, enormous strength, guile WHAT IS AN EPIC? - Long narrative poem that recounts the deeds of a larger-than-life universal hero - Reveals powerful universal qualities such as heroism & bravery - Tells stories involving great horror, triumph, tragedy, or a combination of the three - Many settings/nations - Dignified, solemn writing style - Intends to inspire audiences & instill ideal moral values - Always begins by poet invoking Muse - Opens in medias res, includes series of flashbacks 6 ELEMENTS OF THE EPIC 1. Plot centers around hero of unbelievable stature - Completes what everyone else only attempts - Often either partially divine or at least protected by a god 2. Involves deeds of superhuman strength & valor 3. Vast settings - Action spans geographical and cosmological space (across land & sea, into the underworld, through space/time) 6 ELEMENTS OF THE EPIC 4. Involves supernatural or otherworldly forces - Gods, demons, angels, space/time travel, cheating death, etc 5. Sustained elevation of style - Overly formal, highly stylized 6. Poet remains objective and omniscient - Narrator sees all, knows all, & presents all perspectives ARCHETYPES & CULTURE Every myth has components that are unique to their particular time and culture. What we look for when we study world myths is for the elements that connect all of humanity. ARCHETYPES UNIVERSAL SYMBOLIC PATTERNS The concept of the “archetype” was first introduced by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, who believed that people tend to categorize people based on their personalities and behaviors. Therefore, archetypes represent typical behaviors that are based on a model of a particular behavior. They have become recurrent in literature and in mythology. CHARACTER ARCHETYPES - Epic hero – central figure - Mortal but actions require almost supernatural powers - Must risk everything, including personal safety, to go on journey/quest/battle - Will encounter supernatural forces, demons, monsters - Is of national, international, or historical importance - Leader whose actions will determine the fate of his people - Reflects ideals of a nation/group of people/society (honor, courage, loyalty, leadership, etc) CHARACTER ARCHETYPES - The Mentor - Guide and teacher - Provides valuable information, instruction, or weapons to the hero - Encourages the hero to start on journey - Often dies or leaves the hero, requiring hero to complete the journey independently (Obi-Wan in Star Wars) CHARACTER ARCHETYPES - The Shadow - Often the chief antagonist the hero must defeat or tame before they can complete journey - Called “the Shadow” because they are a darker reflection of the hero - Tend to share many of the same traits and characteristics of the hero, but twisted/wrong somehow (The Joker in Batman, Mr. Smith in The Matrix) - The Absent Parent - Many heroes are orphaned (Ben Parker in Spiderman) - Sometimes hero is reunited with a parent at some point in the journey CHARACTER ARCHETYPES - The Monster/Dragon - Often one of the antagonists the hero faces on their journey - Represents evil or a wilderness the hero civilizes - Hercules and the Hydra, Odysseus and the Cyclops, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf - The Companion - Animal or magical creature who assists the hero on the journey - Provides friendship and support as needed and lets the hero show their true selves - Sometimes included for humorous effect - Timon and Pumbaa in The Lion King, Sam in The Lord of the Rings  CHARACTER ARCHETYPES - The Temptress/Temper - Tries to prevent the hero from completing their journey by temping them with money, fame, sex, or other appeals - Might also be the Shadow, tempting the hero for evil reasons (Darth Vader in Star Wars) - Is sometimes unaware that their actions might be harming the hero - The Damsel in Distress - Often (but not always) a woman who needs to be rescued by the hero - Often found fairy tales (Sleeping Beauty) or in action/horror movies (Barbra, Marion Crane) CHARACTER ARCHETYPES - The Trickster - Usually the protagonist of their own story but is occasionally a supporting character in a hero’s journey - Intentionally breaks the rules of the gods, society, and nature - Clever, sometimes a thief, & always on the lookout for a new or easier way to do things - Boundary-breakers whose actions sometimes lead to good things happening and sometimes to disaster (Bart Simpson, Bugs Bunny, Loki) 12 OLYMPIANS - Most important gods and goddesses - Lived in Mount Olympus - Gods and goddesses mingled and intervened with humans, possessed humanlike characteristics, & felt human emotions Zeus Apollo Poseidon Ares Hera Hephaestus Demeter Hermes Aphrodite Dionysus Athena Artemis Key concepts in The Odyssey ENG I H Ms. M  Nostos - Homecoming - 10 years fighting in Trojan War, 10 years returning home - Not an especially exceptional soldier, but his cleverness results in the Greeks’ destruction of Troy - Troy = real, Trojan horse = not - Overarching goal: return home to Ithaca, Penelope, and Telemachus/Telemakhos - Soldiers returning home → compare to Odysseus’ 10 years away  Xenia - Hospitality - Extremely important - Not just being polite but a central dogma - Done right: Phaeacians host Odysseus - Done wrong: suitors take over Penelope’s home - Where do we see in today’s cultures?  Hubris - Excessive pride - How could excessive hubris cause problems in Greek society? (think: gods) - Comes with consequences - “No man,” Book IX - Has excessive pride ever gotten you into trouble? - Definitions…  Double standard of women - Rule or principle unfairly applied in different ways to different people or groups - Penelope’s faithfulness v. Odysseus’ affairs - How are women punished/rewarded v. men? - Book XXII - General representation of women - Exceptions: Athena, at times Penelope (weaving trick) - Is there still a double standard today? - Siblings  Cycle of violence - Blood begets blood - All kinds of violence - When does it end? - What about today?  Fate - Development of events beyond a person’s control - Inevitable outcome - Timelines - How much control/influence do the gods have? - Where the will of the gods meets the abilities of the characters - True or not true?  Homeric epithet - Repeated term or phrase that describe the nature of gods, mortals, or objects - Ex: grey-eyed goddess Athena - What’s the point in an epic? - What would your epithet be?  Epic similes and metaphors …Voices came down to me in anguish, calling my name for the last time. - Extended comparisons in epic poetry A man surfcasting on appoint of rock for bass or mackerel, whipping his long rod to drop the sinker and the bait far out, will hook a fish and rip it from the surface to dangle wriggling through the air: so these were borne aloft in spasms toward the cliff. The hero’s journey