Greek Myth to Explain Nature and Human Emotion Lessons

Greek Myth to Explain Nature

(Poseidon controls the Ocean)

Myth

A myth is a traditional story that involves the early history of a culture. They are stories that answer and explain basic questions about the world. Myths are largely rooted in a religion or belief system and a strong reflection of the culture where the myth originated. A fundamental element in every culture is a creation myth that explains how the wonders of the earth came to be. Some plots are based on something real, like a place, or a group of people that existed historically. However, a myth’s purpose is to explain a natural phenomenon, and often contains supernatural or fantastic beings, gods, and demigods.

Characteristics of Myths

* strong characterization or character traits are especially important; traits are revealed through appearance, actions, words, and what others think of them

* characters must cope with aspects of human life: jealousy, love, death, ambition

* The character interacts with gods and goddesses, lesser deities, and humans

Characteristics of Myth Cont'd

* Gods and goddesses have human emotions and extraordinary powers

* Many of the themes/lessons and symbols are still important in western culture today

Open Ended

What does the story of Arachne teach us?

Open Ended

What does the story of Orpheus explain?