Mythology:
Final Exam Information

Final Exam: Instructions

Tuesday April 30th, 11:30-2:30

The final will consist of two parts: An essay (60%) and multiple choice questions (40%).  The multiple choice questions will contain some visual elements, which will all be taken from power points available from our Assignments from Previous Classes page, and they will draw on material emphasized in class and iconography that should be familiar by now.  Because of the visuals aspect, it is important to be in class on time for the exam.

The essay questions are below.  As with the midterm, I will give you a choice between two of them on the exam, and you will write one essay.  As before, you can spend as much or as little time as you like preparing the essay, but no books or notes are allowed while you write the exam.  By the way I don't expect the exam to last 3 hours; you an take as much of the time as you want but this exam will be only a little longer than the midterm.

Terms, Names and Ideas

The multiple choice section will focus on Terms, Names and Ideas from the second part of the course, but there will be some comparative questions that draw on earlier material.  Here is an edited list, which includes most of the TNI from the second half of the course, but substantially fewer from the earlier half:

Norse Myth:

Gilgamesh and Inanna:

Theseus and Athens (ML 23); Jason and Medea (ML 24)

Heracles (ML 22); Amazons

Perseus (ML 21):

Odysseus and Returns (ML 20):

Trojan War (ML 19):

Mycenaean Saga (ML 18):

Theban Saga (ML 17):

Orpheus (ML 16):

Afterlife (ML 15):

Demeter and Eleusis (ML 14):

Dionysus (ML 13):

Hermes (ML 12):

Apollo (ML 11):

Artemis (ML 10):

Aphrodite and Eros (ML 9):

Athena (ML 8):

Poseidon (ML 7):

Olympian Gods (ML 5 & 6):

Zeus and Creation (ML 3 and 4):

Myth and History (ML 1 & 2):

Rubric

The advice on writing and arguing points on the Important Information page should also be helpful.

Final Essay Questions

1. Love Goddesses   Aphrodite, Ishtar and Freiya are all “love goddesses” in the sense that their provinces and sometimes behaviors encompass and demonstrate the powers of love, sex and fertility.  Compare and contrast these deities, considering such issues as: In what ways does the goddess’s behavior reflect her function as love goddess?  What is her status relative to the other gods of her pantheon?  In what ways does her status reflect the importance of love in her world?  What are her other provinces (if any) and how do they integrate with her function as a love goddess?  What cultural elements provide the underpinnings for each goddess’s role?  You may conclude with an overview of the position of these goddesses in their own cultures.

2. Pantheon vs. Family   While the Norse gods are usually portrayed as related to one another in some ways, they do not form a patriarchal family as do the gods of Mount Olympus.  How are the differing concepts of family and family power structure reflected in the myths of the Greek and Norse gods, or in the ways in which they control their provinces?  Choose 2-3 gods from each culture to focus your answer (they do not have to be “parallel” or have the same function or provinces in their respective cultures).  How important is family in defining this figure’s role in his/her culture?  How is the family structure reflected in this character’s display of power or command of his/her provinces?  Are family relationships particularly important to the nature of this character?  You may consider other issues that seem relevant, and you should conclude with an overview in which you explain how the comparisons are or are not resolved.

3. Superhuman Monsters   In Greek myth there are gorgons, harpies, sirens, snake-like monsters such as Ladon or Argus or Ceto, and miscellaneous half-human creatures such as centaurs and satyrs.  In Norse myth, there are frost-giants, Irmungand, Fenrir, and a few other key figures that often oppose the gods.  In Mesopotamian myth, there are creatures such as Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven.  Compare the “monster-worlds” of Greek , Norse, and Mesopotamian myth (you may focus on two of the three if you like), considering such elements as: What role do the monsters play in the myths that are preserved from each culture?  Are they central or peripheral to the world order maintained by the gods?  Do they initiate heroic stories, and in what ways?  Who fights them?  How dangerous are these monsters to the stability of the world?  And whatever other questions the contrasts or similarieites in these figures suggest.

4. Gods of the Afterlife    Greek, Mesopotamian and Norse mythology all have deities who preside over an underworld afterlife, while Greek and Norse myth offer other possibile fates of the soul and other deities responsible for overseeing realms of the dead.  Compare and contrast the roles of several of these afterlife deities.  Are they frightening, grim, approachable, content, happy, miserable?  In what manner do they rule the humans who ultimately come to them?  What do these myths about death offer the people who believe in them?

5. Prophecies    In many of the Greek hero stories, as well as in the epic of Gilgamesh, prophecy (from an oracle/prophet, or through dream interpretation) plays a central role.  In addition, in Norse myth, the end of the world is described in the words of the Voluspa (female shaman/prophet).  Focusing on 1-3 Greek heroes, Gilgamesh, and any Norse figure or situation you think appropriate, and discuss the cross-cultural roles of prophecy.  Consider such elements as: what prophecy shows about thow the world works, how humans tend to respond to prophecy, its relationship with fate, the role of the prophet and/or interpreter of dreams, its connection with central moral ideas, and/or any other element you feel is important.  Be sure to show  key similarities and differences, and to the extent possible, indicate the relative importance and meaning of prophecy into the world view as expressed in the mythology of different cultures.

6. Love and Hate  Love and hate are (obviously) powerful emotions, and when they are acted out in myth, they resonate with the extremes of human emotional experience.  Choose 2-3 myths from one or more of the cultures we have studied in which love (sexual, parental, familial, friendship, etc.) plays a central role, and 2-3 myths in which hate plays a central role.  What do the events and outcomes of these relationships reveal about the qualities of human life; the ways in which it can be happy and fulfilling or miserable and sad; the likely outcomes of different emotional situations and attitudes, and what sorts of wisdom ordinary people might take away from these cultural stories?