Mythology:

Assignments from Previous Classes
 

Assignment for Tuesday, April 24:

Reading:

• Prose Edda pp. 69-87  (note -- the page numbers are hard to find because this is a conversion of a print book to text.  They are in brackets throughout e.g.  [27] often right in the middle of a line)

To turn in: Norse Myth Quiz 3

Power Point: Norse Myth

Class Preparation:

Connections with the present: 

• Ragnarok is "the end of the world as we know it."  How does Ragnarok compare to modern ideas of apocalypse, the end of the world, what the destruction is like, what the world afterward is like ...

Assignment for Thursday, April 19:

Reading:

• Prose Edda, pp. 36-68 (note -- the page numbers are hard to find because this is a conversion of a print book to text.  They are in brackets throughout e.g.  [27] often right in the middle of a line)

To turn in: Norse Myth Quiz 2

Power Point: Norse Myth

Assignment for Tuesday, April 17:

Reading:

• Prose Edda, pp. 13-35 (note -- the page numbers are hard to find because this is a conversion of a print book to text.  They are in brackets throughout e.g.  [27] often right in the middle of a line)

To turn in: Norse Myth Quiz 1

Writing Assignment due  Persephone/Inanna writing assignment

Power Point: Norse Myth

Class Preparation:

Modern connections: 

• 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 so far?  What specific traits do the modern illustrations emphasize?  Is there a pattern to where differences appear (if they do)?

Texts and Analysis

• 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 Thursday, April 12:

Reading:

• Review Gilgamesh 1-4 (note -- these are 2 separate PDF's as an easier format than the web pages)
• Gilgamesh 5-11

To turn in: Gilgamesh Quiz (this is the one I handed out in class)

Power Point: Inanna and Gilgamesh

Class Preparation:

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.

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 waht 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 the quests of the mortal hero Gilgamesh and the goddess Inanna compare to one another?  Both concern an encounter with death -- how does the relationship with death manifest for each, and what meaning does it have in their essence as goddess/hero?

Persephone/Inanna writing assignment now due Tuesday April 17th.

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 Tuesday, April 10:

Reading:

• Inanna's Descent
• Epic of Gilgamesh books 1-4

To turn in: Inanna Quiz

NO in-class quiz

Extension: Persephone/Inanna writing assignment now due Tuesday April 17th.

Power Point: Inanna and Gilgamesh

Preparation:

Be ready to discuss the Inanna Focus Questions

Assignment for Tuesday, April 3:

Reading:

• Argonauts

• Theseus (summary)

• Review Perseus

Preparation:

Connections with the Present:

• Earlier we discussed what a hero is in modern thought.  In the light of the heroes we have studied in Greek mythology, have you seen anything additionally in the modern hero stories we contemplated?

• And an aside -- if you were a hero, how would you fit into the hero pattern we have seen in Greek heroes?

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?

Power Points:

• Heracles

• Theseus

• The Argonauts

• Perseus

Terms and Names for March 29 and April 3

Assignment for Tuesday, March 27:

Writing Assignment Due:  Heroes

• (Note --remember that this is for a quiz grade and is not a major assignment.)

Reading:

• Review The Returns (ML 20)

• Heracles (M&L 22)

Preparation:

Texts and Comparisons:

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

Terms and Names for March 27

Assignment for Tuesday, March 20:

Quiz on Concepts and their applications

Reading:

• Review The Trojan War (ML 19)

• The Returns (ML 20)

Preparation:

Connections with the present: Hero ethos

• How do we, in real life or popular culture balance the sometimes conflicting areas of family responsibility and "heroic endeavor"?  What benefits and encumbrances do these things incur?

Texts and Comparisons:

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.

Power Points:

• Trojan War Power Point

• Returns Power Point

Terms and Names  (for March 20-22)

Terms and Names  (for March 22-27)

Quiz on concepts and their applications:

I will give you some of  the following terms and ask you to apply them to some of the mythic situations we have studied so far. The questions will be in the form of "which is an example ox [term]" or "which is NOT an example of [term]."

Concepts:

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

Assignment for Tuesday, March 20:

Essay Due

Reading:

• The Trojan War (ML 19)

• Begin The Returns (ML 20)

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.

Texts and Comparisons:

• What are the casualties of the Trojan war, and what is the meaning or emotional significance of their loss?  What life lessons are implicit in these losses?Come up with a couple of examples of:

  • warriors

  • civilians

  • civilizations

  • quality of life

Power Points:

• Trojan War Power Point

• Returns Power Point

Assignment for Thursday, March 8:

Quiz on Theban Saga and Mycenean Saga (multiple choice, terms and names listed below)

Reading:

• The Trojan War (M&L 19)

• Begin The Returns (M&L 20)

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

Texts and Comparisons:

Our main discussion topic: different approaches to the Mycenean Saga.  Everyone is assigned to a group below.  Re-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. 

• 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?

• 8:00 AM: Michael, Amy P., Wilson, Anrew, Sadie

• 9:30 AM: Lauren, Bryan, Madeline, Laura, Andrew, Veronica

Theme 2: Curse and Miasma. 

• 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? 

• 8:00 AM: Jeff, BEcky, Lindsey, Rebecca, Nate, Mary

• 9:30 AM: Liz, Caitlin, Courtney, Kristie D., Ashley, Andrea

Theme 3: Hamartia (Fatal Flaw).  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?

• 8:00 AM: Cameron, Aerial, Lena, Tyler, Shelby

• 9:30 AM: Megan, Sarah, Katie, Chelsa, Clarissa, Adam

Theme 4: Family. 

• 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?

• 8:00 AM: Alex, Erin, Amelia S., Orville, Maggie, John

• 9:30 AM: Codi, Chrissie C., Rebeka, Caroline, Kiera, Matt

Power Points:

• Theban Saga Power Point   (includes hero pattern)
• Mycenean Saga Power Point

Quiz Terms and Names

Assignment for Thursday, March 2:

CANCELLED:  Quiz on Myth and Cult.  Instead we will have a multiple choice quiz on the Theban and Mycenean sagas on Thursday.  See me if your plans make it necessary for you to take the quiz Wednesday.

Reading:

• Review The Theban Saga  (ML 17)

• The Mycenean Saga (ML 18)

Preparation:

Connections with the present: family problems. 

• Compare the family closeness and hatred in the Theban Saga and the Mycenean Saga.  Where are the main points of conflict?  (Husband-wife, father-son, brother-brother, mother daughter, etc.)  Are they similar to those you would find today, especially the ones that appear in our popular media?

Texts and Comparisons:

Our main discussion topic: different approaches to the Theban Saga.  Everyone is assigned to a group below.  Re-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. 

• 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?

• 8:00 AM: Tyler, Lena, John, Rebecca M., Jeff, Amelia S.

• 9:30 AM: Codi, Courtney, Ashley, Chelsa, Clarissa, Adam

Theme 2: Curse and Miasma. 

• 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? 

• 8:00 AM: Shelby, Sadie, Wilson, Orville, Erin, Cameron

• 9:30 AM: Megan, Chreissy C., Caroline, Kiera, Andrew, Matt

Theme 3: Hamartia (Fatal Flaw).  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?

• 8:00 AM: Nate, Maggie, Amy P., Michael, Alex

• 9:30 AM: Lauren, Liz, Rebeka, Laura, Veronica, Andrea

Theme 4: Family. 

• 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?

• 8:00 AM: Mary, Aerial, Andrew, Lindsey, Becky S.

• 9:30 AM: Caitlin, Bryan, Kristie D., Madeline, Sarah, Katie

I am changing the dates on some quizzes and writing assignments.  The main change is that Writing assignment 3, Heroes, is put off until after the Essay due date.  Others are extensions.

• Tuesday, Feb. 21 (instead of Thursday, Feb. 16) Writing Assignment 2, Liminal Deities

Terms and Names

Terms and Names

 

Aeschylus	Oresteia	Agamemnon	Libation Bearers
Eumenides	Furies	Atreus	Thyestes
Pelops	Tantalus	Clytemnestra	Aegisthus
Orestes	Electra	Pylades	Claude Levi-Strauss
Structuralism	Pelops	Atreus	Kairos
Iphigenia	pathei mathos

Assignment for Thursday, March 1:

Reading:

• The Greek Sagas: Introduction (ML pp. 394-397)

• The Theban Saga  (ML 17)

Preparation:

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?

• What is the modern definition of hero?  How does it compare to the Greek version of what and who a hero is?

Texts and Comparisons:

• Also: Where is there excessive love in the Theban Saga?  Where is there excessive hate?

Terms and Names

Midterm

MIDTERM INFORMATION  This is everything.

I am changing the dates on some quizzes and writing assignments.  The main change is that Writing assignment 3, Heroes, is put off until after the Essay due date.  Others are extensions.

• Tuesday, Feb. 21 (instead of Thursday, Feb. 16) Writing Assignment 2, Liminal Deities

• Tuesday, March 6 (instead of Feb. 23): Quiz 3, Cult and Myth.

• Tuesday, March 27 (instead of  March 8): Writing Assignment 3, Heroes

Assignment for Thursday, February 23:

8:00 Session:

Reading:

• Review Chapter 14 (Demeter and Eleusis)
• Chapter 15 (Afterlife)
• Chapter 16 (Orpheus)

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.

Class Plan:

•  iconography of the afterlife
• Discussion  of ancient/modern afterlives
• Orpheus and the afterlife in myth and cult

Power Points:

• Demeter and Persephone
• Afterlife
• Orpheus

9:30 Session:

Reading:

• Review Chapter 15 (Afterlife)
• Chapter 16 (Orpeus)

Topics:

• Class discussion of small group afterlife conversations
• Orpheus as focus of a romance, Orpheus as focus of a religion
• Mystery religions

Power Points:

• Orpheus

Other resources:

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

Terms and Names:

Artemis:

Apollo:

Hermes:

Dionysus:

Demeter and Eleusis:

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.

Liminal Deities writing assignment now due Tuesday, Feb. 21.  Linked here

Assignment for Tuesday, February 14:

8:00 Session:

Reading:

• Review Chapter 13 (Dionysus) a
• Chapter 14 (Demeter and Eleusis)
• Begin Chapter 15 (Afterlife)

Class Preparation:

Connections with the present:

What are our perspectives on mother-daughter relationships?  Especially around the time of marriage?  Are they typically conflicted, harmonious, a combination; do mothers/daughters understand each other's lives and share perspectives?  Do mothers protect daughters, or influence significant life choices in early adulthood?  Consider relationships you are aware of and also mother/daughter relationships as presented in populart media.

Texts and Connections:

Go over the Iconography of Dionysus Power point and be ready to comment about what aspects of the god the images show

Main topic of class discussion: Pentheus meets a terrible fate in the Bacchae.  For discussion groups, choose either Pentheus or Dionysus and make the case that his actions were more just or more justified than the other's.  Consider:

• What are your character's good points?
• What are his weaknesses?
• 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 any other particular failing?  Is it a good quality?  Or is there a better way to understand it?
• What right does your character have to do the things he does in the play?
• What is your character's interpretation of wisdom?
• What is your character's fate, and do you regard it as fair?
• What life lessons or insights into human existence, the nature of the gods, etc., does you character reveal?

Also: Consider the significance of these elements of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and what they tell about Greek cultural expectations:

• Zeus agrees to a marriage between Hades and Persephone -- without telling Persephone and Demeter.  What is Persephone's experience of her kidnapping by Hades?  Does this relate to experiences, fears or other aspects of young women before marriage?
• Demeter's response shows a range of emotions.  How does this range reflect her position of power/lack of it as a mother?
• Demeter takes a job as a nurse to a young human boy.  What does this role (nurse, goddess in disguise) show about Demeter's range of powers specifically, and divine/human relationships generally?  What does it say about the roles open to women in Greek society?
• How does Demeter finally get Persephone back?  What does this say about Demeter's power as a goddess and/or mother?
• What is the relationship between Hades and Persephone?  Do you see any positive elements to Persephone's new role as queen of the underworld?

Class Plan:

• Drama and Theater; some iconography of Dionysus
• Pentheus/Dionysus discussion  (groups, then class)
• Mother/daughter relationships
• Some elements of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter based on questions above (group discussion)

Power Points:

• Hermes
• Dionysus
• Iconography of Dionysus
• Demeter and Persephone

Scroll down for terms and names by chapter

9:30 Session:

Reading:

• Review Chapter 14 (Demeter and Eleusis)
• Chapter 15 (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.

Class Plan:

•  iconography of the afterlife
• Discussion  of ancient/modern afterlives

Power Points:

• Demeter and Persephone
• Afterlife

Assignment for Tuesday, February 14:

8:00 session:

Reading:

• review M&L Chapter 12 (Hermes)
• Chapter 13 (Dionysus) and begin chapter 14 (Demeter and Eleusis)

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

Main topic of class discussion: Pentheus meets a terrible fate in the Bacchae.  For discussion groups, choose either Pentheus or Dionysus and make the case that his actions were more just or more justified than the other's.  Consider:

• What are your character's good points?
• What are his weaknesses?
• 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 any other particular failing?  Is it a good quality?  Or is there a better way to understand it?
• What right does your character have to do the things he does in the play?
• What is your character's interpretation of wisdom?
• What is your character's fate, and do you regard it as fair?
• What life lessons or insights into human existence, the nature of the gods, etc., does you character reveal?

Class Plan:

• Intro to Hermes
• Group discussion: Connections with present: intoxication
• Intro to Dionysus (Iconography and Drama)
• Group discussion: Pentheus or Dionysus?

Power Points:

• Hermes
• Dionysus
• Demeter and Persephone

Scroll down for terms and names by chapter

9:30 Session:

Reading:

• Review Chapter 13 (Dionysus) a
• Chapter 14 (Demeter and Eleusis)

Class Preparation:

Connections with the present:

What are our perspectives on mother-daughter relationships?  Especially around the time of marriage?  Are they typically conflicted, harmonious, a combination; do mothers/daughters understand each other's lives and share perspectives?  Do mothers protect daughters, or influence significant life choices in early adulthood?  Consider relationships you are aware of and also mother/daughter relationships as presented in populart media.

Texts and Connections:

Main topic of class discussion: Pentheus meets a terrible fate in the Bacchae.  For discussion groups, choose either Pentheus or Dionysus and make the case that his actions were more just or more justified than the other's.  Consider:

• What are your character's good points?
• What are his weaknesses?
• 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 any other particular failing?  Is it a good quality?  Or is there a better way to understand it?
• What right does your character have to do the things he does in the play?
• What is your character's interpretation of wisdom?
• What is your character's fate, and do you regard it as fair?
• What life lessons or insights into human existence, the nature of the gods, etc., does you character reveal?

Also: Consider the significance of these elements of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and what they tell about Greek cultural expectations:

• Zeus agrees to a marriage between Hades and Persephone -- without telling Persephone and Demeter.  What is Persephone's experience of her kidnapping by Hades?  Does this relate to experiences, fears or other aspects of young women before marriage?
• Demeter's response shows a range of emotions.  How does this range reflect her position of power/lack of it as a mother?
• Demeter takes a job as a nurse to a young human boy.  What does this role (nurse, goddess in disguise) show about Demeter's range of powers specifically, and divine/human relationships generally?  What does it say about the roles open to women in Greek society?
• How does Demeter finally get Persephone back?  What does this say about Demeter's power as a goddess and/or mother?
• What is the relationship between Hades and Persephone?  Do you see any positive elements to Persephone's new role as queen of the underworld?

Class Plan:

• Drama and Theater
• Pentheus/Dionysus discussion  (groups, then class)
• Mother/daughter relationships
• Some elements of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter based on questions above (group discussion)

Power Points:

• Hermes
• Dionysus
• Demeter and Persephone

Assignment for Tuesday, February 14:

Reading:

• review M&L Chapter 10 (Artemis)
• M&L Chapter 12 (Hermes) and Chapter 13 (Dionysus)

To turn in: M&L Quiz 13

Source and Citation Exercise Due

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?
• Pentheus meets a terrible fate in the Bacchae.  For discussion groups, choose either Pentheus or Dionysus and make the case that his actions were more just or more justified than the other's. 
• How does Dionysus' mercy/mercilessness compare to Artemis and Apollo's?

Class Plan:

• Intro to Hermes
• Group discussion: Liminal deities
• Intro to Dionysus
• Group discussion: Pentheus or Dionysus?

Power Points:

• Artemis
• Apollo (images)
• Hermes

Terms and Names:

Assignment for Thursday, February 9:

Reading:

• review M&L Chapter 10 (Artemis)
• M&L Chapter 11 (Apollo) and Chapter 12 (Hermes)

To Turn In: M&L online quiz chapter 11-12 (NOTE: for these you may now either write the letter and answer on a sheet of paper, or print out the first page of the quiz rather than the whole thing (to save printing costs).

Class Plan:

Class Preparation: 

Primary Sources and Comparisons: Artemis and Apollo

Using the list of areas of comparison listed below, choose 5-8 areas in which to compare Artemis and Apollo, bringing out key similarites 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 punsihment?  What different ideas of deity do you see in tehse or any other stories you know about divine wrath or favor?

Class Plan:

• Artemis: Cult
• Iconography of Apollo
• Class discussion: Artemis/Apollo comparison (make notes so you'll have something specific)
• Group discussion: Mercy, mercilessness, and the gods

Power Points:

• Artemis
• Apollo (text & images)  Apollo (images)
• Hermes

Power Points:

• Aphrodite

Assignment for Tuesday, February 7:

Reading:

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

To Turn In: M&L online quiz chapter 10 (NOTE: for these you may now either write the letter and answer on a sheet of paper, or print out the first page of the quiz rather than the whole thing (to save printing costs).

Class Plan:

• Go over Arachne assignment; source and citation assignment introduced
• Aphrodite and eros -- lecture & discussion
• Artemis and Liminality; if time, Artemis and variations in myths

Preparation:

Connections to the present:

• Thursday we talked about the aspects of the ocean -- think in similar terms about aspects of the wild.  What are our 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:

• 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

Power Points:

• Aphrodite

• Artemis

Assignment for Thursday, February 2:

Reading:

• M&L Chapter 9 (Aphrodite and Eros); review M&L 7-8 (Gods of the Sea, Athena)
• Note: We will only cover M&L 9 through the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, and cover Eros next session.

To Turn In: M&L online quiz chapter 9 (NOTE: for these you may now either write the letter and answer on a sheet of paper, or print out the first page of the quiz rather than the whole thing (to save printing costs).

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

Discussion Questions:

Iconography of Athena:

• Observe the interactions of Athena and heroes in the last part of the Iconography of Athena power point & be ready to comment.

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:

• 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?

Power Points:

• Poseidon

• Athena

• Iconography of Athena

• Aphrodite

Future Assignments

• Source and Citation Exercise: The due date is now extended to Tuesday, Feb. 14th.

Terms and Names:

Arachne Writing Assignment:

Topic: Write a one-page paper on Ovid's account of Minerva (Athena) and Arachne, including the following elements:

• its etiological element
• its commentary on human behavior, right and wrong
• its perspective on the relationship between gods and mortals

Method:

• After considering the issues above, write a thesis statement that expresses in a nutshell your take on the Arachne story as told by Ovid.  The rest of the page will be supporting it.
• Use specific references to Ovid's text to describe the details of the story that support your ideas. 
• Include at least one brief quote, being sure to specify how it supports your point.
• Write a concluding sentence or sentences that summarizes and completes your thesis statement.

Assignment for Tuesday, January 26:

Reading:

• M&L Chapter 7-8 (Gods of the Sea, Athena)

To Turn In: M&L online quiz chapter 7-8 (NOTE: for these you may now either write the letter and answer on a sheet of paper, or print out the first page of the quiz rather than the whole thing (to save printing costs).

Quiz: Iconography (description)

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

Iconography quiz: I will give you three identified pictures of deities and/or events we have studied through chapter 6.  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.  This is much like the first quiz, with the addition of an image as the starting point.Assignment for Thursday, January 26:

Reading:

• M&L Chapter 6

To Turn In: M&L online quiz chapter 6

Preparation: Learn the terms and names for this class period (below) and be ready to apply them to the Croesus and Prometheus myths.

Discussion Questions:

Gods and humans:

• 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. 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.

2. 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?

3. 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?

Assignment for Tuesday, January 24:

Reading:

• complete M&L chapter 4  (Zeus's Rise to Power)
• M&L Chaper 5 (The Olympians) (concentrate on Hephaestus and Ares)

To Turn In: M&L online quiz chapter 4-5

IN-Clas Quiz #1: Topic: I will give you a list of 10 names and terms having to do with creation, from the terms and names studied through Jan 19th.  You will write a paragraph that incorporates at least 5 of them.  While I will not include the methodologies in the terms/names (e.g. rationalism, structuralism, archetype, etiology, etc.) it would be a good idea to think about incorporating one of these perspectives in your response.   See the rubric.  Quiz terms and names

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)
• Iconography of Ares and Hephaestus (images of Ares and Hephaestus to interpret for cultural views)

Discussion Questions:

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: Focus on questions 4-5 for class 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 Rubric:

• A: a coherent paragraph showing detailed knowledge of the terms/names chosen and interrelating them effectively into a unified comment
• B: strong knowledge of terms chosen, and some interrelating of the concepts
• C: Awareness of the meaning and significance of the names and terms
• D-F unfamiliarity with names & terms

Assignment for Thursday, January 19:

Reading:

• M&L Online Summary of Chapter 1: Myths as Social Charters: Claude Levi-Strauss
• M&L Online Summary of Chapter 3
• M&L Chapter 3
• Begin M&L chapter 4 -- Beginning through the Titanomachy; then at the end of the chapter, "Succession myths and other motifs"

To Turn In: M&L online quiz chapter 3

Power Point: Creation

NOTE: Be familiar with the terms and names for Tuesday's class, and bring any questions you have.

Discussion Questions:

Connections with the present:

1. 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?

2. Is father-son conflict a key element in religious myths from our cultures (or others you are familiar with)?  What about the defeat of ancient rivals?  Of subhuman (or monstrously powerful) challenges to our position at the top of the world hierarchy?

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

3. Using a structuralist approach, identify some of the binary oppositions in Hesiod's account of creation.
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?

5. Gaia plays a central role in creation -- as well as in the stories of Uranus' downfall and the Gigantomachy.  What is her role in the establishment of a functioning world?  Does she support it, enable it, oppse it, work against it, or what?  Is there an underlying masculine and feminine conflict here?

Terms and names:

Reading:

• M&L Online Summary of Chapter 1, Through Myth and Psychology: Archetypes
• M&L M&L Online Summary of Chapter 2
• M&L Chapter 2
• Begin M&L Chapter 3, through The Sacred Marriage ...

To Turn In: M&L online quiz chapter 2  (more info about these quizzes)

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 archetecture 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:

Assignments for the Mycenean Saga:

Myth and cult quiz:

For this quiz, I will put 6 excerpts from descriptions of cult practices here (only 2 are up now).  Your task: to find a point of connection between the cult practice and the mythology & narratives about the deity, and explain it/them.  I'll put up an example this weekend or Monday.

Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 3. 4 :
"Proceeding on the direct road to Lekhaion [the port of Korinthos] we see a bronze image of a seated Hermes. By him stands a ram, for Hermes is the god who is thought most to care for and to increase flocks, as Homer puts it in the Iliad:--`Son was he of Phorbas, the dearest of Trojans to Hermes, rich in flocks, for the god vouchsafed him wealth in abundance.' The story told at the mysteries of the Mother [Demeter] about Hermes and the ram I know but do not relate."

Pausanias, Description of Greece 6. 26. 1 - 2 :
"Between the market-place and the Menios [in the city of Elis] is an old theater and a shrine of Dionysos. The image is the work of Praxiteles. Of the gods the Eleans worship Dionysos with the greatest reverence, and they assert that the god attends their festival, the Thyia. The place where they hold the festival they name the Thyia is about eight stades from the city. Three pots are brought into the building by the priests and set down empty in the presence of the citizens and of any strangers who may chance to be in the country. The doors of the building are sealed by the priests themselves and by any others who may be so inclined. On the morrow they are allowed to examine the seals, and on going into the building they find the pots filled with wine. I did not myself arrive at the time of the festival, but the most respected Elean citizens, and with them strangers also, swore that what I have said is the truth."