Mythology:

Assignments from Previous Classes
 

Assignment for Tuesday, April 23:

Norse Mythology 2

Reading:

• Prose Edda, pp. 32-70

Due:

• Norse Myth Quiz 2

Power Point:

• Norse Myth

Norse Myth Terms and Names Defined

Class Preparation:

Texts and Analysis

• Loki is one of the more enigmatic of the gods, in that he is part  giant, father of some of the monsters who bring about the world's ultimate destruction, and yet seems to be considered one of the gods, whom he both helps and harms.  Given this:

• How does Loki compare to other trickster figures (such as Hermes and Prometheus) in elements such as his creative actions, his punishment for his "tricks," his facility with lies and disguises, his role relative to the other gods?

• Loki passes between worlds (mainly, the world of giants and the wolrd of gods) and often seems to be traveling in service of a ruse or its consewuences.  Is he a liminal deity in the same way some of the Greek gods we observed (e.g. Artemis, Hermes, Dionysus, Aphrodite) are?

Assignment for Thursday, April 16:

Norse Mythology 1: Creation

Reading:

•   R. I. Page, Aesir, Vanir and some others

•   Prose Edda, pp. 13-32

Due:

• Norse Myth Quiz 1

• Persephone and Inanna Writing Assignment

Power Point:

• Norse Myth

Norse Myth Terms and Names Defined

Connections with the Present:

Google images of some of the deities that appear in the early part of the Prose Edda (Thor and Odin are good choices).  To what extent do these representations align with what you have seen of the gods in primary sources (i.e. the Prose Edda)so far?  What specific traits do the modern illustrations emphasize?  Is there a pattern to where differences appear (if they do)?

Texts and Comparisons:

• What processes lead to the creation of the world?  Compare to other creation stories we have studied or that you know.

• What is the relationship between the gods and the giants?  What differentiates them from each other?

• What does the Norse mythic world look like?  Could it be drawn or mapped?

Assignment for Tuesday, April 16:

Reading: Epic of Gilgamesh Tablets 5-11

Due:

• Gilgamesh Reading Quiz 2

• If you were not in class Tuesday you can still turn in the Inanna Reading Quiz

Scroll down for #Babylonian_and_Sumerian_Terms_and_Names:

Power Point:

• Mesopotamia Power Point

Connections with the Present

• Do we have similar stories of searching for immortality?  Do these have a similar significance to the Gilgamesh story?  If not immortality, what do our "quest" stories tend to focus on?

Texts and Comparisons:

Continue with previous topics for discussion, and ...

Go over the Gilgamesh Hero Comparison.  This is an exercise that is meant to get you thinking about the ways in which the Gilgamesh story relates to the Greek hero stories we have discussed.  There are no right answers, just questions/comparisons that sput thinking about the nature of Gilgamesh as hero and the significance of his quest and other accomplishments.

Assignment for Thursday, April 11:

Reading:

• Gilgamesh Tablets 1-4 (The syllabus says 1-6 but we will focus on 1-4 today)

Due:

• Gilgamesh Reading Quiz 1

• If you were not in class Tuesday you can still turn in the Inanna Reading Quiz

Note: Persephone and Inanna Writing Assignment due April 18th (not today!)

Scroll down for #Babylonian_and_Sumerian_Terms_and_Names:

Power Point:

• Mesopotamia Power Point

Texts and Comparisons:

Gilgamesh Focus Questions:

• What is the nature of Gilgamesh's relationship to his mother?  Is it anything like the relationship of Achilles and Thetis?

• Enkidu is a wild man who is converted to  human ways.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing, as it appears in the story?  What aspects of culture transform him, and what is the mythic rationale behind them?

• Gilgamesh, like other heroes (e.g. Achilles) is partly defined by his friendship with Enkidu.  What are the dynamics of that friendship?

• How do you interpret Gilgamesh's response to Enkidu's death?  Is it in alignment with heroic ideals in our culture or in the Greek hero myths we have encountered?

Assignment for Tuesday, April 9:

Reading:

• Inanna's Descent

Due:Inanna Reading Quiz  (Actually due next time)

Note: Persephone and Inanna Writing Assignment due next class

Scroll down for #Babylonian_and_Sumerian_Terms_and_Names:

Power Point:

• Mesopotamia Power Point

Texts and Comparisons:

Inanna Focus Questions:

Use this sheet to focus your reading and preparation for class discussion.  We will spend some time discussing these points in groups and possibly (time allowing) together as a class.

Babylonian and Sumerian Terms and Names:

NOTE: Inanna's Descent is Sumerian and Gilgamesh is Babylonian, but the pantheons are essentially the same, though some names are substantially different.  If the same god appears in both works, I will give the Sumerian name first, and the Babylonian name in parentheses.

Sumerians: The people who inhabited the Fertile Crescent whose cities flourished in the 3000's -100's BCE

Babylonians:  The people who inhabited and dominated this area following the Sumerians from the 1000's BCE until the 700's BCE

Cuneiform: the wedge-shaped writing they used, in which the texts used in this section of the course are preserved

Inanna (Ishtar): Goddess of love, sex, sometimes warfare and the communal storehouse, patron deity of unmarried women, wife of Dumuzi; one of the most significant deities in the Sumerian Pantheon though less important (and more destructive) in Babylonian mythology

Dumuzi: Her husband, a shepherd, most significant as her consort

Utu (Shamash): The sun god, brother of Inanna (Ishtar), often defender of the masculine principle (Utu saves Dumuzi, Shamash helps Gilgamesh); Shamash is particularly a god of justice

Enki: God of wisdom, close to Inanna although she stole the me from him

Enlil: Chief among the gods

Nanna (Sin): The moon god, father of Inanna (Ishtar) and Utu (Shamash)

me: the powerful tokens of rule that Inanna won for her city of Uruk, representing the blessings of the natural and civilized worlds

Ereshkigal: Inanna's sister, goddess of the underworld

Ninshubur: Inanna's "executive assistant"

Uruk: Home city of Inanna, and city over which Gilgamesh is king

Gilgamesh: king of Uruk, 2/3 mortal and 1/3 god but also subject to death

Ninsun: Gilgamesh's mother, a minor goddess who is close to Shamash and takes a direct interest in Gilgamesh's fortunes

Enkidu: the "Wild Man" created by the gods to become Gilgamesh's friend and alter ego

Humbaba: Superhuman creature the gods have set out to guard the cedar forest

Dilmun: the Sumerian/Babylonain equivalent of Eden, a land beyond time

Utnapishtim: the Sumerian Noah, who survived the Flood with Enki's help and achieved immortality

Siduri: the "barmaid at the end of the universe" and avatar of Ishtar

Assignment for Thursday, April 4:

Reading:

• Argonauts

• Theseus (chapter summary on the textbook web site; refer to book for some answers to quiz questions)

• Review Perseus

Preparation:

Texts and Comparisons:

• In retrospect, how do the heroes studied in the last part of the course function in providing a holistic experience of the relationships of humans to gods -- or do they?  Consider such issues as:

• How well does the hero fit the "hero pattern"?

• What benefits does the hero bring to society?  What harm (if any) does the hero cause?

• What factors make the hero accessible and easy to identify with, and what elements are more distant, putting him/her in another category from humans and human experiences?

• Are any of our heroes actually villains?  In what way?  Is there some heroic element that might make them less villainous than might otherwise be the case?

• Are all of these heroes equally involved with, supported by, or harrassed by the gods?  In what ways?  What do the differences (or lack of differences) in divine relationships imply about the different hero, or what constitutes a hero in Greek mythology?

NOTE:  Writing assignment 3: Heroes  is now due Tuesday, Apr. 2.

Terms and Names: Theseus and Argonauts

Assignment for Tuesday, April 2:

Reading:

• Theseus (chapter summary on the textbook web site)

• Review Hearcles

To Turn In:

• Writing assignment 3: Heroes

• Reading Quiz 22

Texts and Comparisons:

Continue thinking about the Odysseus comparison elements from before.

How does Theseus compare to Heracles as a hero?  Which of his exploits are similar to those of Heracles?  What are the fundamental ways in which he is different from Heracles?

Terms and Names: Heracles

Terms and Names: Perseus

Assignment for Tuesday, March 26:

Reading:

• Review M&L 22: Heracles

• M&L 23: Theseus (read chapter summary on the textbook web site; sonsult text for issues in the chapter quiz)

To turn in:

• Reading Quiz 23

Power Point: Theseus

Texts and Comparisons:

Heracles:

Be prepared to compare Herakles to Odysseus in class.  Consider elements such as:

• importance of familial relationships

• succes of familial relationships

• nature of his exploits (you may compare one or two specifically that either show parallels or differences between the two heroes' exploits

• role of the gods/god in causing their suffering

• role of a god or gods in their success

• adherence to moral standards

• results of any straying from moral standards

• times in which the hero is or seems to be at rock bottom, and what that consists of

• differences in how that hero is portrayed in different circumstances

Theseus:

• In what specifics does Theseus parallel Heracles as a hero? Consider some of the same issues as with Odysseus above.

Terms and Names (Returns) 

Terms and Names  (Trojan War)

Assignment for Thursday, March 20 

In Class Quiz: Concepts and their Applications

Reading:

• M&L 20: The Rerturns
• M&L 21: Perseus

To turn in:

• Reading Quiz 20

• Reading Quiz 21

Power Point:

• The Returns

Texts and Comparisons:

The Returns

Below  are two opposing perspectives on Odysseus and the Odyssey.  Pick one and be ready to support your point in class discussion.

1.  Odysseus' main accomplishment as a hero is to make it home and re-establish his identity there.  All of his adventures in the outside world are significant in the kinds of obstacles to "coming home" they present, and by how they help or hinder him in this goal.

2. Odysseus' main accomplishment as a hero is to establish his identity through his own heroic actions.  He must have a complete (and heroic) identity before he returns to a settled life, and he accomplishes this by surviving all kinds of challenges to the human condition.

Note: Paper 2 now due on Tuesday, Mar. 19th.

Concepts:

• archetype
• ate
• etiology
• expiate/expiation
• hamartia
• hubris
• kairos
• liminality (i.e. a liminal situation)
• miasma
• mystery cult
• motif
• nemesis
• personification
• timê
• trickster
• xenia
• xenos

Assignment for Tuesday, Mar. 19th.

Preparation:

Connections with the present: Hero ethos

• The Iliad is full of Greek warriors acting according to a heroic code we are not very familiar with.  Read about it in the power point, then consider:  Do we have an agreed-upon heroic code relative to war?  What does it say about:

  • loyalty to comrades/fellow soldiers

  • the potential for fame and reputation

  • individual needs vs. group needs

  • trust in leaders vs. individual action

  • role of one's country in determining behavior in war

  • other key factors

• Also -- is this code maintained in the popular media, and if so, is it realistic to the actual conditions of warfare (to the extent a non-combatant can tell)?

• BTW for anyone wanting an interesting comparison of ancient and modern war conditions and codes of behavior, try this chapter of Achilles in Vietnam.

Note: No office hours on Wednesday March 13

Assignment for Thursday, March 14

Reading:

• The Trojan War (M&L 19)

Reading Quiz: M&L Chapter 19

Power Point:

• Trojan War

Texts and Comparisons:  Approaches to the Mycenean Saga:  

We're taking the same approach as with the Theban Saga: everyone is assigned to a group below (on a different theme from the one you had in the Theban Saga).  Read the literature of the Mycenean Saga in the light of your topic -- where do your themes and dynamics occur, and how important are they to the action?  Are they straightforward or ambivalent?  What examples most reflect your theme/dynamic in the myths and literature surrounding them?

Theme 1: Fate. Jamar, Bri, Sophia, Mark,Molly, Maddison McKenzie

• What is the role of fate in the Mycenean Saga? 

• What happens when humans set out to outwit fate? 

• Are the gods behind fate or is it something independent of divine control? 

• How central is fate to the events that unfold in this saga? 

• If something is fated, does that provide a moral excuse for the person who was fated to perform terrible deeds?

Theme 2: Curse and Miasma.  Justine, Victoria, Trey, Lyla, Grace, Cyrus

• How central are the concepts of curses (as in, a curse placed on an individual or family by someone who has been wronged) on the events of the Mycenean saga? 

• What about the less serious but still potent factor of individual malevolence toward someone else? 

• Where is the motif of miasma (pollution) a motivator or theme in the story? 

• How do those affected by miasma "get" it? 

• What can be done to "treat" it if anything? 

• Is there any moral implication about who suffers this pollution, or can anyone regardless of thier moral worth become polluted? 

Theme 3: Hamartia (Fatal Flaw). Chandler, Pat, Lisa, April, Barbara, Jamie

One principle of Greek drama is that the chief character has a fatal flaw (hamartia, literally "missing the mark") that causes his or her downfall and all of the complications and sufferings of his/her situation. 

• Do the main characters of the Mycenean saga have fatal flaws? 
• If so, what are they? 
• Do any of them share the same flaws? 
• Is there a moral element in them that makes them flawed, or is the flaw simply what makes things happen badly without a sense of moral judgment attached?

Theme 4: Family. Mat, Casey, Katie, Ryan D., Eamon, Alyssa, Lindsay

• How do family members relate to one another in the Mycenean Saga? 
• Choose a few examples of relationships between family members and explore the nature of that relationship and what it means about the nature of human, family, and civic life. 
• How important to the Mycenean saga is the motif of family relationships, and in what ways is it important?

Terms and Names (Mycenean Saga)

Assignment for Tuesday, March 12

Reading:

• The Mycenean Saga (M&L 18)

Reading Quiz: M&L Chapter 18

Power Point:

• Mycenean Saga

Preparation:

Connections with the present: hero stories and their patterns. 

• For discussion at the beginning of class: Continue with your musings on heroes from heroes from the modern era (in real life or in fiction) and be ready to discuss how well they fit into the "hero pattern" outlined in ML (beginning of the heroes section of the book) and the Power Point linked below.  Where is the hero pattern helpful in understanding their lives or accomplishments, and where is it not?  We'll look into several heroes at the start of class; others are possible but Harry Potter, Superman, and Batman are the most commonly chosen so start there.

Texts and Comparisons:

Our main discussion topic: different approaches to the Theban Saga.  Everyone is assigned to a group below.  Read the literature of the Theban Saga in the light of your topic -- where do your themes and dynamics occur, and how important are they to the action?  Are they straightforward or ambivalent?  What examples most reflect your theme/dynamic in the myths and literature surrounding them?

Theme 1: Fate.Casey, Justine, Ryan, Trey, Pat, Barbara, Grace

• What is the role of fate in the Theban Saga? 

• What happens when humans set out to outwit fate? 

• Are the gods behind fate or is it something independent of divine control? 

• How central is fate to the events that unfold in this saga? 

• If something is fated, does that provide a moral excuse for the person who was fated to perform terrible deeds?

Theme 2: Curse and Miasma.Bri, Sophia, Alyssa, Ryan, April, Jamie

• How central are the concepts of curses (as in, a curse placed on an individual or family by someone who has been wronged) on the events of the Theban saga? 

• What about the less serious but still potent factor of individual malevolence toward someone else? 

• Where is the motif of miasma (pollution) a motivator or theme in the story? 

• How do those affected by miasma "get" it? 

• What can be done to "treat" it if anything? 

• Is there any moral implication about who suffers this pollution, or can anyone regardless of thier moral worth become polluted? 

Theme 3: Hamartia (Fatal Flaw).  Matt, Victoria, Molly, Eamon, Maddison, Cyrus, Lindsay

One principle of Greek drama is that the chief character has a fatal flaw (hamartia, literally "missing the mark") that causes his or her downfall and all of the complications and sufferings of his/her situation. 

• Do the main characters of the Theban saga have fatal flaws? 
• If so, what are they? 
• Do any of them share the same flaws? 
• Is there a moral element in them that makes them flawed, or is the flaw simply what makes things happen badly without a sense of moral judgment attached?

Theme 4: Family.  Chandler, Jamar, Mark, Lisa, Lyla, MacKenzie

• How do family members relate to one another in the Theban Saga? 
• Choose a few examples of relationships between family members and explore the nature of that relationship and what it means about the nature of human, family, and civic life. 
• How important to the Theban saga is the motif of family relationships, and in what ways is it important?

Terms and Names: Theban Saga

Assignment for Thursday, Feb. 28, 

Reading:

• Introduction to M&L part 2 and M&L Chapter 17: The Theban Saga
• Bring books to class for the discussion

To Turn In:

• M&L Chapter Quiz 17

Power Point:

• Theban Saga Power Point   (includes hero pattern)

Connections with the present: hero stories and their patterns. 

• Choose some heroes from the modern era (in real life or in fiction) and be ready to discuss how well they fit into the "hero pattern" outlined in ML (beginning of the heroes section of the book) and the Power Point linked below.  Where is the hero pattern helpful in understanding their lives or accomplishments, and where is it not?

Assignment for Tuesday, Feb. 26

Midterm

Midterm Review Materials & Essay Questions

Regarding Papers: Revisions may be made for the first paper until Thursday, March 14.  Turn in both the first paper and the revision.  The revised grade replaces the first grade.  (Note that this is also the due date for Paper 2, so manage your time well ...) 

Assignment for Thursday, Feb. 21

Reading:

• M&L Chapter 16: Orpheus and Mystery Religions

To Turn In:

• M&L Chapter Quiz 16

Power Point:

• Orpheus

Film Clips

Intro to the film clips

• Orpheu Negro 1: Opening; preparations for Carnival
• Orpheu Negro 2: Orpheus and his Apolline song in the Dionysiac environment
• Orpheu Negro 3: Orpheus in two different aspects of the underworld after Euridice dies
• Jean Cocteau's Orphee: Into the Underworld

Class Preparation:

Connections with the present AND Texts and Comparisons:

We will continue with the discussions from last time. To help organize your thoughts and focus on issues, here's a chart to use in conjunction with the questions/areas for comparison posed below.

For the topics for comparison, go to the assignments from previous classes.

We will also look at the differences between mystery religions and other forms, in our world and in the Greek world.

Intro to The film clips

Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus) was made in 1958 and won the golden palm at the Cannes film festival.  Set in Brazil, it rewrites the Orpheus story in the form of the relationship between Orfeu and Eurydice, a young woman who has come to town to escape a stalker.  The action is set in the (Dionysiac) atmosphere of Carnival  (Mardi Gras), while Orfeu represents the Apolline principle of order -- at least partly.  In the course of the movie, the two fall quickly in love, only for Eurydice to lose her life as the stalker hunts her through the streets during the festivities.  Orfeu, in a distressed state, then tries to find her in two different symbolic "underworlds."  At the end of the movie, he is killed by his ex-fiancee, Mira, and a band of women whose love he had rejected.  (But a little note of hope is at the end).

Jean Cocteau's Orphee shows Orpheus in the style of a slightly pre-beat generation poet, who has lost his inspiration and is in the course of abanoning his wife (Eurydice) becuase he has fallen in love with death,  This scene shows him entering a surreal underworld, though he doesn't seem that interested in getting her out of it ...

Both of these movies are presented in their entirety in Youtube clips, so if you're interested, watch more. 

 

Terms and Names

Orpheus

Afterlife

Demeter and Eleusis:

Dionysus

Assignment for Tuesday, Feb 19

:Reading:

• M&L Chapter 15: Views of the afterlife

Writing Assignment Due: Writing Assignment 2: Liminal Deities

To Turn In:

• M&L Chapter Quiz 15

Power Point:

• Views of the afterlife

Class Preparation:

Connections with the present AND Texts and Comparisons:

There are a number of different view of the afterlife expressed by different elements of the Greek world, represented by the traditional Homeric view, the view held by initiated of the Eleusinian mysteries, the ideas about reincarnation held by the Pythgoreans and put forth by Plato, and the ideas of atomists such as Demosthenes (see power point).  Considering this diversity, consider one or more of these Greek afterlife views in tandem with a similar view of the afterlife from a modern perspective with which you are familiar.  Consider such elements as:

• Are there multiple afterlives, or is it a universal? 

• Who goes there (or to what part of it)? 

• Is there a moral component in what happens to the soul after death? 

• Does what happens to the physical body make a difference in what happens in the afterlife?

• Is the afterlife a permanent home for the dead or are there other potentials for the soul?

• Is the soul an enhanced version of the living person?  A diminished version?

• Is there a single soul, or are there more or fewer remnants of the living person? 

• Do the dead have special powers that the living do not?

• Is it possible to communicate with the dead? 

• Are there ghosts and if so, how and why? 

• What happens to animals? 

We'll discuss in groups initially, then come together for further discussion and application to the mainstream mythologizing of the received tradition.

Demeter and Eleusis:

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter works in a number of ways.  Choose two of the perspectives below and conclude what the text says/implies about it:

• Etiological: explaining the natural world
• Ritual: explains how/why a ritual is performed
• Social: explains/models the potentials for relationships between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives
• Metaphysical: gives a metaphor for spiritual processes in the world and in human life or death (think Eleusinian Mysteries)

Liminal Deities Writing Assignment

We have so far encountered for gods/goddesses (Aphrodite, Artemis, Hermes, and Dionysus) who could be considered "liminal" deities in that they preside over human transitions into alien places or states of mind.  Choose two of these gods and discuss their liminal aspects, and how these aspects appear in the narrative myths about them.  How are they similar / different in their relationships with humans?  Support your arguments with specific references to primary sources, citing the source parenthetically; use at least one quote in making your point.

You might want to consider some (but probably not all) of the following points of comparison:

• tendency to violence – in general or toward humans
• tendency to cause non-violent trouble for humans, of serious or non-serious sorts
• approachability by humans, directly or through worship
• helpfulness to humans in tasks related to their provinces
• tendency to provide transcendence to humans
• tendency to provide humans with a deeper understanding of their own liminal territory
• tendency to help humans through their own liminal territory
• tendency to cause accidental or intentional death
• tendency to better the lives of those who show them respect

Assignment for Tuesday, Feb 19

:Reading:

• M&L Chapter 15: Views of the afterlife

Writing Assignment Due: Writing Assignment 2: Liminal Deities

To Turn In:

• M&L Chapter Quiz 15

Power Point:

• Views of the afterlife

Class Preparation:

Connections with the present AND Texts and Comparisons:

There are a number of different view of the afterlife expressed by different elements of the Greek world, represented by the traditional Homeric view, the view held by initiated of the Eleusinian mysteries, the ideas about reincarnation held by the Pythgoreans and put forth by Plato, and the ideas of atomists such as Demosthenes (see power point).  Considering this diversity, consider one or more of these Greek afterlife views in tandem with a similar view of the afterlife from a modern perspective with which you are familiar.  Consider such elements as:

• Are there multiple afterlives, or is it a universal? 

• Who goes there (or to what part of it)? 

• Is there a moral component in what happens to the soul after death? 

• Does what happens to the physical body make a difference in what happens in the afterlife?

• Is the afterlife a permanent home for the dead or are there other potentials for the soul?

• Is the soul an enhanced version of the living person?  A diminished version?

• Is there a single soul, or are there more or fewer remnants of the living person? 

• Do the dead have special powers that the living do not?

• Is it possible to communicate with the dead? 

• Are there ghosts and if so, how and why? 

• What happens to animals? 

We'll discuss in groups initially, then come together for further discussion and application to the mainstream mythologizing of the received tradition.

Demeter and Eleusis:

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter works in a number of ways.  Choose two of the perspectives below and conclude what the text says/implies about it:

• Etiological: explaining the natural world
• Ritual: explains how/why a ritual is performed
• Social: explains/models the potentials for relationships between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives
• Metaphysical: gives a metaphor for spiritual processes in the world and in human life or death (think Eleusinian Mysteries)

Assignment for Thursday, Feb. 14:

Reading:

• Review M&L 13;
• M&L 14 (Demeter and Eleusis)

Due at the beginning of class:

• Reading Quiz 14

Due next week (Tuesday Feb. 19):

• Writing Assignment 2: Liminal Deities

Sources and Comparisons

Class Preparation:

(1) Our study of Dionysus will focus on The Bacchae by Euripides.  Each person will be assigned either Pentheus or Dionysus (see below).  (Of course, if you are into it you can do the other character as well.)  We will discuss in groups dedicated to each character.  For your character, your goal is to be ready to talk about the following issues:

• What are your character's good points?
• What are his weaknesses?
• How would you describe his "personality" (as depicted by Euripides)?
• Does your character behave in ways that violate the ideas of "know yourself" and "nothing in excess," and if so, what are they?
• Does this behavior (if there is any) constitute wrongfulness or stupidity or arrogance or good sense or courage (etc.) or any other particular virtue or failing? 
• What right does your character have to do the things he does in the play?
• What is your character's interpretation of wisdom?
• What life lessons or insights into human existence, the nature of the gods, etc., does your character reveal?

Assignments:

Dionysus: Casey, Justine, Jamar, Ryan Dolan, Sophia, Victoria, Molly, Alyssa, April, Maddi, Lyla, Cyrus,

Pentheus: Matt, Chandler, Bri, Trey, Mark, Pat, Lisa, Eamon, Ryan Potter, Barbara, Grace, Jamie, Lindsay, McKenzie

Demeter and Eleusis:

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter works in a number of ways.  Choose two of the perspectives below and conclude what the text says/implies about it:

• Etiological: explaining the natural world
• Ritual: explains how/why a ritual is performed
• Social: explains/models the potentials for relationships between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives
• Metaphysical: gives a metaphor for spiritual processes in the world and in human life or death (think Eleusinian Mysteries)

Assignment for Tuesday, Feb. 12:

PAPER 1 DUE

Quiz on terms and names linked below.  Matching; ten descriptions, 15 possible names/ideas to match.

Reading:

• Review M&L Chapter 12 (Hermes)
• Chapter 13 (Dionysus)

To turn in: Reading Quiz 13

Power Points:

• Hermes
• Dionysus and/or Images of Dionysus

Class Preparation: 

Connections with the Present:

• Dionysus is a god of wine and madness, including self-loss that can have dire consequences.  What are our own views of intoxication (from whatever substance) and its results?  Do we have positive models of intoxication?  How do we frame the negative results (in terms of moral issues, personal situations, imapact on society, etc.)?

Sources and Comparisons

• Artemis and Hermes are both liminal deities (Artemis of the wild, Hermes of the road/travel).  But they are different in other ways.  How do their differences and similarities align with their provinces -- or do they?
• How does Dionysus' mercy/mercilessness compare to Artemis and Apollo's?

Class Plan:

• Intro to Hermes
• Group discussion: Liminal deities
• Intro to Dionysus
• Intro to Dionysus (Iconography and Drama)

Scroll down for terms and names by chapter

Hermes

Apollo:

Assignment for Thursday, Feb. 7:

Reading:

• M&L chapter 11 (Apollo)
•  M&L Chapter 12 (Hermes)

To Turn In:

• M&L Quiz Chapter 11
• M&L Quiz Chapter 12

Power Point:

• Apollo
• Hermes

Primary Sources and Comparisons: Artemis and Apollo

Review the Homeric Hymn to Artemis and consider what aspects of personality and powers come out -- what is the essence of Artemis as seen here?

Using the list of areas of comparison listed below, choose 5-8 areas in which to compare Artemis and Apollo, bringing out key similarities and differences.  Refer to myths/iconography where possible to illustrate your observations.

• gender
• love life
• parentage and birth
• life-oriented powers
• death-oriented powers
• relationship to nature
• relationship to culture
• use of bow
• celestial associations
• personality
• relationships with humans (positive)
• relationship with humans (negative)
• temperament
• appearance
• companions
• closeness with other deities
• important rituals
• types of offerings and when/why given
• association with medicine
• etc. ...

NOTE: You should be able to refer to a specific myth or myths (or at least places in the text) to elucidate your comments.

Connections with the Present:

• Apollo and Artemis tend to be merciless to those who oppose them.  Are all the gods this way?  What makes these stories particularly central to the myths of the twins?  What are our views of divine mercy and divine punishment?  What different ideas of deity do you see in these or any other stories you know about divine wrath or favor?

Artemis:

Quiz terms and names:

Assignment for Tuesday, Feb. 5:

Reading:

• M&L chapter 10 (Artemis)
• Review M&L Chapter 9 (Aphrodite and Eros)

In-class quiz cancelled

To Turn In:

• M&L Quiz Chapter 10 (Artemis)

Power Points:

• Aphrodite (Review)
• Artemis

Due next class (Thursday Feb. 7): Paper 1: Source and Citation exercise (10% of course grade)

Connections to the present:

• What are our modern views of nature and human relationships with it?  What views of nature do you see exemplified in the figure of Artemis?

Primary Sources and Comparisons:

• Compare the relationships of Aphrodite with Adonis, and with Anchises as portrayed in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite.  Consider elements such as:

  • Is she fully in charge of the situation?

  • Is she motivated by love or by a purely physical attraction?

  • How are Aphrodite's feelings for her lover described?

  • How does the affair end?

  • What feelings about the affair and/or lover does she express, either through her words or her actions?

  • What is the result of this love affair?

  • Is there an etiological element?

• How does the character and nature of Artemis appear in the sources?  Is it consistent across time and genre?

  • The Homeric Hymns to Artemis

  • Ovid's stories of Actaeon and Callisto

  • Selections from Euripides' Hippolytus

Assignment for Thursday, Jan 31:

Reading:

• M&L Chapter 9 (Aphrodite and Eros)

Sea-powers: Look over this Nature of Sea Deities comparison that we'll look at in groups as a break from Aphrodite 

To Turn In: Chapter 9 quiz

Power Point:

• Aphrodite

Due at the beginning of class: Writing assignment 1: Arachne  Note: This counts the same as a quiz grade but is an important lead-in to the Source and Citation Exercise).

Due next week (Thursday Feb. 7): Paper 1: Source and Citation exercise (10% of course grade)

Connections to the present:

In Greek myth, Eros and Aphrodite can represent many different aspects of love.  Do we have a similarly complex view of love?  Are there kinds of relationships that are "love" in the Greek view but not in ours, or vice-versa?

Primary Sources and Comparisons:

• Compare the relationships of Aphrodite with Adonis, and with Anchises as portrayed in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite.  Consider elements such as:

  • Is she fully in charge of the situation?

  • Is she motivated by love or by a purely physical attraction?

  • How are Aphrodite's feelings for her lover described?

  • How does the affair end?

  • What feelings about the affair and/or lover does she express, either through her words or her actions?

  • What is the result of this love affair?

  • Is there an etiological element?

• In what ways is "Cupid and Psyche" like a fairy tale?  Does it have deeper meaning taht arises from the presence of Eros, who is such a complex god (as witness the speakers in Plato's Symposium)?

Terms and Names

Assignment for Tuesday, Jan. 29:

Reading:

• M&L chapter 7 (Poseidon and Sea Deities)
• M&L Chapter 8 (Athena)

QUIZ on Iconography (description)  (rubric)

To Turn In:

• Chapter 7 quiz
• Chapter 8 quiz

Power Point:

• Poseidon and Sea Deities
• Iconography of Athena

Discussion Questions:

Connections to the present:

• The Greeks had many different gods of the ocean, and these deities reflect the different moods of the ocean (among other things).  How do we characterize the ocean?  What images come to mind of its powers and varying moods?  In what situations do these feelings/perceptions occur?  Consider also the potential metaphors for human existence in the different and/or changing aspects of the ocean.

• Why are there so many monsters in this chapter?

Primary Sources and Comparisons:

• How do the aspects of Athena (wisdom, warfare, and weaving) combine to make a coherent group?

• From the Iconography of Athena power point:

  • how would you describe Athena; what are her attributes?

  • what sorts of scenes does she appear in in vase paintings?

• In this chapter, we have several primary sources.  What does each say about Athena?

  • Homeric Hymn to Athena (x 2) 

  • Hesiod, Theogony

  • Parthenon & its sculpture

  • Ovid

Terms and Names (ML 7 & 8)

Iconography quiz: I will give you three identified pictures of deities and/or events we have studied through chapter 4.  You choose 2 to write about.  In each, you should use the image as a starting point for the discussion: in other words, observe how the image elucidates or reflects the nature of the deity/event, and use it as a starting point for points you want to make about the significance of that character/event.  All images are available on the power points posted through chapter 6, and/or in the textbook. 

Rubric: NOTE: You do not have to identify the image, only discuss it.

• A: Able to identify the significance of major elements of the iconography and relate them to the overall nature of the deity/scene, and/or to thematic elements in the deity/scene's meaning and/or cultural significance
• B: Same as A, but without as complete a statement of the significance of the deity/scene
• C: Able to identify the major elements of the iconography, but sketchy on their significance
• D-F: Not able to recognize key elements of the iconography, substantial errors or misinterpretations.

Example:  (This is based on a figure we have not yet studied, so the ideas here would be more apparent if we had been there yet ...  And it is only one example; there are lots of other directions the author could have gone for an equally effective discussion.)

Athena A: Athena is portrayed with a helmet, shield and spear, which demonstrate her role as the goddess of warfare (reasonable war as opposed to the brutality of Ares).  Although she is armed for warfare, she is wearing women's clothes.  This shows that although she is the goddess of a masculine activity, she is not masculine herself, which fits in with the idea that as the favored daughter of Zeus, she supports her father in his concerns and represents the benevolence women can bring to the city.  (This is why she is called Athena Polias.)  She is wearing the aegis, which only she and Zeus can wear, and it symbolizes her protective nature.  She also has the gorgon's head on her shield, which is a protective element in that it can frighten bad influences away.  Athena is striding forward, a gesture which shows power and even aggression (Zeus is also shown this way).  This image shows Athena as the protective, rational goddess who can be counted on to help humans in war as well as in other aspects of life. B: Athena is portrayed with a helmet, shield and spear, which demonstrate her role as the goddess of warfare (reasonable war as opposed to the brutality of Ares).  Although she is armed for warfare, she is wearing women's clothes.  This shows that, although she is the goddess of a masculine activity, she is not masculine herself.  She is wearing the aegis, which only she and Zeus can wear, and it symbolizes her protective nature.  Athena is striding forward, a gesture which indicates her power. This image shows Athena as the protective, rational goddess who is a help to humans in war as well as in other aspects of life.  [Same overall ideas, but less fully expanded into the significance of the iconography] C: Athena can be indentified by her helmet, spear and shield, and also because she wears a full-length dress even though she is armed.  She is wearing the aegis which symbolizes protection and her closeness with Zeus.  She is striding forward aggressively which shows her as the goddess of war.  Athena is also the goddess of intelligence and crafts and is especially close to her father, Zeus.  [Aware of key elements of iconograpy;  gets the "protective" idea in; notices that she is striding forward but does not interpret it, presents sound information about Athena but not necessarily in the context of iconography]

Assignment for Thursday, Jan. 24:

Reading:

• M&L chapter 6 (The Nature of the Gods)
• Review M&L Chaper 5 (The Olympians) (concentrate on Hephaestus and Ares)

To Turn In:

• Chapter 6 quiz

Power Point:

• The Olympians (an overview, with visuals, of the Olympians Chapter)

Discussion Questions:

Gods and humans: (this will be a central focus in class discussion)

• In what ways are gods similar to humans?  In what ways are they different?  What makes them deserve or otherwise gain the worship and respect they are given?  Are our monotheistic views of god at all similar to the attitudes of the ancient Greeks? (Class discussion)

Primary Sources and Comparisons:

1. Croesus and Solon: what are the ways that ideas of hubris, ate, nemesis, and miasma show up in the story?  What do we learn about human nature and limitations from the Croesus story?

Connections with the present:

1. Some of the Olympian characters fit stereotypes (or are the archetypes?) visible in our own society: Hera as the nagging wife, Ares as the brash, violent, not-too-smart-and-subtle guy, Hephaestus as the good-natured guy who gets taken advantage of.  Where do these stereotypes come from in our society?  Are they realistic?  Do they reflect our social values?  (Done in class discussion)

Terms and names: (ML 6)

Assignment for Tuesday, Jan. 22:

Quiz on terms and names linked here (or scroll to Quiz Terms and Names).  10 multiple choice questions.

Reading:

• Zeus’s Rise to Power (M&L 4)
• Olympian Gods (M&L 5)

To turn in:

• Chapter 4 quiz
• Chapter 5 quiz

Power Point

• Zeus (an overview, with visuals, of the Zeus's Rise chapter)
• Iconography of Zeus  (images of Zeus to interpret for cultural views)
• The Olympians (an overview, with visuals, of the Olympians Chapter)

Connections with the present:

1. Zeus is clearly a patriarchal father figure who is powerful over his family.  What images of such figures do we have today?  Is it a desirable thing today?  Was it 100 years ago?  (Done in groups)

2. Some of the Olympian characters fit stereotypes (or are the archetypes?) visible in our own society: Hera as the nagging wife, Ares as the brash, violent, not-too-smart-and-subtle guy, Hephaestus as the good-natured guy who gets taken advantage of.  Where do these stereotypes come from in our society?  Are they realistic?  Do they reflect our social values?  (Done in class discussion)

Primary Sources and Comparisons:

(NOTE: Review the questions on violence from the last class and bring it forward into the Prometheus/Pandora discussion)

1. Why does Zeus have such a contradictory nature -- appearing both as the god of justice and order and the repist/seducer of many mortal women?  How might a Greek resolve this contradictory nature?

2. How would you describe the tone of Hesiod's Four or Five Ages?  What commentary on human history does it give?  What about the response of the reader/hearer to this account.

3. Ovid (a Roman writing in the BC/AC transition) has a very different take on thigs.  What is the difference between his commentary and Hesiod's (substance, tone, effect ...)

4. Prometheus is a classic "trickster" figure, in that he deceives those in power, causes harm to himself and others, yet also causes creativity and change in the universe.  Take one of the following positions, and be able to support it with specifics. 

   1. The results of Prometheus' tricks are generally bad, in that they result in a damaged relationship between humans and gods and a harder existence for humans.

   2. The results of Prometheus' tricks are generally good, in that they brought humans maturity and technology, despite the suffering they caused.

5. Aeschylus and Hesiod: The Prometheus story is told at length by Hesiod, and referred to in part by Aeschylus in Prometheus bound.  Would Aeschylus and Hesiod have different takes on questions 3 above?

6. Ares and Hephaestus: They may be stereotypes, but they are also gods.  So how do their characters mesh with their powers and provinces?

Terms and names:

Quiz Terms and Names

Quiz concepts and ideas:

NOTE: These are not questions I will ask you on the quiz -- the quiz will be 10 multiple choice questions.  But they will help you get the perspective on the terms/names that will be most helpful in the m/c questions.

How are things created in Hesiod's creations myths?  What is the role of violence -- how is power transferred from one generation to the next?  What forced remain powerful in the "modern" world?  What role do the Titans play in the modern world (i.e. the Greeks who wrote the mythic narratives)?  What role do binary oppositions (as in structuralism) play in creation myth?  What figures in creation reflect archetypes still prevalent today?

Assignment for Thursday, Jan. 17:

Reading:

• Myths of Creation (M&L3)

To turn in:

• Chapter 3 quiz

Power Point: Creation

Connections with the present:

What other stories of creation are you familiar with? (Biblical, big bang and other scientific theories, any other cultural story you have encountered in reading or study)?  Choose one or two to contemplate.  What are the processes that lead to creation?  Who is the creator?  Is this story/these stories meaningful to you in understanding the world?

Primary sources and comparisons:

1. Hesiod’s creation has a particular progression of who is born from whom and the forces that originate and cause creation.  What are the key elements in this progression?  Consider: Chaos, Eros, Gaia, Uranus, the different mates of Gaia and their children, the children of Night (Nyx).  Note: you do not have to know and keep straight who all of these are (except the ones in terms and names) – the key thing is to note the concepts that are related through creation.

2. Violence and creation: There is obviously a lot of violence in Greek creation stories.  Some of the reasons scholars and others have proposed are listed below.  Do any of these seem more likely to you than others?  Pick one (or more) to support, using examples from the Greek creation stories.

1. Violence is part of life, so myth reflects that part of life. 

2. Creation involves the violence of destroying or overtaking the old, so naturally creation stories contain violence. 

3. Change is often violent, and the early universe is full of changes.

4. Real families have many conflicts and violent impulses, so naturally the divine families of myth have conflicts and violent impulses.

5. Psychologically speaking, every son knows that he will have to symbolically destroy his father to reach his own power and maturity, and myth reflects this psychological truth. 

6. Since violence (in the form of warfare) was an eeryday possibility for the ancient Greeks, their universe was simply more violent than ours

Terms and Names

Assignment for Tuesday, Jan. 15:

Reading:

• M&L Online Summary of Chapter 1, Through Myth and Psychology: Archetypes
• M&L Online Summary of Chapter 2
• M&L Chapter 2 (read after you have read the summary)
• Begin M&L Chapter 3, through The Sacred Marriage ...

To Turn In:

• Chapter 1 quiz
• Chapter 2 quiz

Power Points:

• Introduction to Greek Culture
• Historical Background and Approaches to Myth

Discussion Questions:

Connections with the present:

1. How much can you tell about people from the material remains they leave?  (Religious beliefs, social structure, attitudes about gender, attitudes toward central ideas like use of military force, pleasure and enjoyment in daily life, duty and responsibility, hard work, balance in life activities, sexual behavior ... consider what various architecture and abandoned (but durable) possessions might say about our own society.

2. What are the key elements of the landscape of Greece (from power points or other sources).  To what extent might landscape play a role in religious belief -- or not?  Is landscape a factor in any religious system you are familiar with?

3. (Probably for next time)  What other stories of creation are you familiar with? (Biblical, big bang and other scientific theories, any other cultural story you have encountered in reading or study)?  Choose one or two to contemplate.  What are the processes that lead to creation?  Who is the creator?  Is this story/these stories meaningful to you in understanding the world?

Primary Sources and Comparisons:

1. What elements of the landscape and material remains of Troy, Crete, and Mycenae/other mainland sites, give about the cultures that inhabited them?  Be specfic -- note several archeological remains that (potentially) show you something about the culture and your conclusions/suggestions about them.

2. Hesiod’s creation has a particular progression of who is born from whom and the forces that originate and cause creation.  What are the key elements in this progression?  Consider: Chaos, Eros, Gaia, Uranus, the different mates of Gaia and their children, the children of Night (Nyx).  Note: you do not have to know and keep straight who all of these are (except the ones in terms and names) – the key thing is to note the concepts that are related through creation.

3. How does creation happen in Hesiod (and how does it compare to the creation stories you are familiar with)?

4. We live in a monotheistic society (Whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim) and obviously the Greeks were polytheistic.  Does this make an inherent difference in how our different cultures see creation?

Terms and names:

 

R Feb. 7	Apollo (M&L 11); Hermes (M&L 12)	Reading Quiz 11 & Reading Quiz 12 due at beginning of class
T Feb. 12	Dionysus	Paper 1 due  EXTENSION till today In-class quiz: Terms and Names Reading Quiz 13 due at beginning of class
R Feb. 14	Demeter and Eleusis	Reading Quiz 14 due at beginning of class
T Feb 19	The Afterlife	Writing Assignment 2: Liminal Deities Reading Quiz 15 due at beginning of class
R Feb. 21	Orpheus	Reading Quiz 16 due at the beginning of class
T Feb. 26	MIDTERM	Midterm essay choice and review guide
R Feb. 28	Heroes; Theban Saga	Reading Quiz 17 due at beginning of class
Mar. 3-5	Spring Break
T  Mar. 12	Mycenaean Saga	Reading Quiz 18 due at beginning of class
R Mar. 14	The Trojan Saga (ML 19)
T Mar 19	Trojan Saga continued; the Returns	Paper 2 due Reading Quiz 19 due at beginning of class
R Mar. 21	The Returns continued; Perseus	Reading Quiz 20 due at beginning of class Reading Quiz 21 due at beginning of class In Class Quiz: Concepts and their Applications
T Mar. 26	Heracles	Reading Quiz 22 due at the beginning of class (Writing assignment 3 postponed until Apr. 2)
R Mar 28	State Holiday
T Apr. 2	Heracles cont.; Theseus	Writing assignment 3: Heroes due at beginning of class In-class quiz cancelled Reading quiz 23 due at beginning of class
R Apr. 4	The Argonauts
T Apr. 9	Middle Eastern Mythology 1: Inanna's Descent;	Inanna Quiz in class
R Apr. 11	Middle Eastern Mythology 2: Epic of Gilgamesh tablets 1-4	Gilgamesh 1 quiz due at beginning of class
T Apr. 16	Middle Eastern Mythology 3: Epic of Gilgamesh Tablets 5-11	Gilgamesh 2 quiz due at beginning of class

T Apr. 23	Norse Myth 2:  Odin and Thor: Prose Edda pp. 32-70	Norse Myth Q 2 due at beginning of class
R Apr. 25	Norse Myth 3: The End of the World: Prose Edda 71-87	Norse Myth Q 3 due at beginning of class