Mythology

Link to online website

Anticipation QuestionsFirst (individually answer the

questions)Second (with a partner, answer the

questions)Circle A if you agree or

D if you disagree with the statement

• God created the Earth, heavens, and man• All myths are lies. • Only the ancient Greeks wrote myths. • One Greek man, Sophocles, is responsible for

writing all the Greek myths. • Myths were told as a way of explaining things to

a people. • Greek mythology has shaped American culture

and the world. • Greek gods and heroes were strong, beautiful

and intelligent, but also quarrelsome, unforgiving, jealous and spiteful.

• I believe in myths. (They are….)

• I believe in the after-life.

• I believe in reincarnation.

• Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

What is mythology?

• The word "myth" comes from the Greek word mythos, which means a spoken or written story

• Many events in a myth are not realistic or based on fact, since the message communicated by the story is more important than telling about an actual event

• uses the supernatural to interpret natural events and to explain the nature of the universe and humanity

• Oral tradition until Homer (700 B.C.)

• all groups of people have myths

• often myths are associated with religion

• become the basis of a society.

What is the purpose of mythology?

• The purpose of a myth is to explain human experience

• myths to explain many aspects of life: how they came into existence as a people; the reasons for good and evil; the seasons; the weather; and the movements of the sun, moon, and stars

• They are truth, but not in the literal sense(must view them allegorically)