Mythology+Field+Trip

Mythology Virtual Field Trip

The Big Questions: What meanings did myths about gods, goddesses, and heroes have for the ancient Greeks? What meanings do the Greek myths have for us today?

Tour Stop 1: Greek Mythology – What’s it All About? Introduction to Mythology http://www.artsmia.org/world-myths/whatismyth.html Things to look for – What is the definition of a myth? What is the difference between a myth and a legend?

Origins of Greek Mythology [] Things to look for – Who were the Olympians and who believed in them? When were the myths started? What do Homer, Hesiod and The Homeric Hymns have in common?

Greek Mythology Overviews http://techcenter.davidson.k12.nc.us/spring5/goddess2/history.htm http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/GREECE/myth.html http://www.mrdowling.com/701-mythology.html Things to look for - What purpose did the myths serve for the ancient Greek people? What were the oracles and in what ways were they used by the Greeks?

Clash of the Titans Game http://www.agame.com/game/clash-of-the-olympians.html Things to do - Choose to be Heracles, Achilles, or Perseus. Make sure to read the instructions before you play.

The Immortals http://messagenetcommresearch.com/myths/bios/index.html Things to do – Read about three or four of the Immortals. Select any TWO and write a short summary of who the diety was and what powers he or she had

Greek vs Roman Gods http://www.mythweb.com/gods/index.html Things to do – Pick six gods or goddess and list their Greek and Roman names

The Lifestyle and Beliefs of the Ancient Greeks http://techcenter.davidson.k12.nc.us/spring5/goddess2/Influences.htm Things to do - List a total of six facts, beliefs or customs of people of ancient Greece. How might these facts, beliefs or customs influence the mythology of those people?

Heroic Myths Cartoons http://www.mythweb.com/heroes/heroes.html Things to look for - Read several of the cartoon stories. Note how the adventures are organized by topic heading Note the well-explained actions described in the adventures. This will help you prepare for the site souvenir

Site Souvenir – Sports News Report Now you get to be a sports writer! From all of the reading you have done at this stop, select a Greek god, goddess, or mythological hero and write a blow-by-blow news report of one of their battles or adventures. Remember the 5 W’s and an H of news reporting.

Tour Stop 2: Influences of Greek Mythology

Mythology’s Influences on Language:

Etymology of Mythology http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/origin_months.h tml http://www.yashanet.com/library/secular-months.html Look up months to see which ones have myth origins. See if your birthday month has a mythological origin.

Encyclopedia Mythica http://www.pantheon.org

Word Origins http://www.geocities.com/hestia624/wordorigins.html Things to do – Words we use today have their roots in mythology. Find the meanings of the following: Arachnid Echo Herculean Narcissist Siren song Achilles heel Adonis Atlas Midas touch Pan (panic) Titans (Titanic) volcano hypnotic Tantalus (tantalize) Trojan horse

Mythology in Ancient Art http://www.holycross.edu/departments/classics/jhamilton/mythology/frameimage.html Things to do – Look at several of the art pieces that depict mythological beings, selected from the links along the left side of the page. Find one art piece you like and download the picture in your folder. Insert the picture into a Word document and tell what you know about the image such as: Who is depicted? Give a two to three sentence explanation of the diety. What is the art piece made of? What is its size? Where is the piece being displayed?

Mythology in Art http://www.loggia.com/myth/content.html http://www.geocities.com/hestia624/paintings.html http://humanitiesweb.org/perl/human.cgi?s=g&p=g&a=d&ID=24 http://www.temple.edu/classics/troyimages.html http://www.artcyclopedia.com/feature-2000-05.html Things to do – Name four artists who have been inspired to use mythology characters in their art. Also name the works of art.

Mythology’s Influence on the Heavens Myths About the Sky: Greek Gods, Goddesses, and Creatures as Constellations http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mythology/stars.html http://www.dibonsmith.com/constel.htm http://www.emufarm.org/~cmbell/myth/myth.html Planets - http://www.geocities.com/hestia624/planets.html Things to do – List six constellations that have their roots in Greek mythology. Select one constellation and explain the myth behind it. Also draw a picture of the constellation.

Site Souvenir – Greek Mythology Today Poster Create a poster that highlights the evidences we have of Greek mythology today. Include examples from language, art, and science. Also consider advertising logos you may have seen that use mythology characters.

Tour Stop 3: Myths from Around the World

Myths from Around the World: http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/myths.htm http://www.artsmia.org/world-myths/ http://www.indianmythology.com/ http://www.chinavista.com/experience/story/story.html http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~cherryne/mythology.html http://www.afro.com/children/myths/myths.html

Creation Myths: http://www.magictails.com/creationlinks.html http://www.crab.rutgers.edu/~goertzel/creationmyths.htm http://www.dreamscape.com/morgana/ariel.htm http://members.aol.com/egyptart/crea.html http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/kojiki.html Things to do – Name six cultures, other than Greek, that also have myths. Read about these myths from the website listed above. Now choose any FOUR countries. List the cultures and list one or two creatures or gods who are featured in the myths. What lessons can be learned from these tales? How do the myths reflect the cultural beliefs of each originating country? Compare and contrast to other myths read. Similarities? Differences?

Site Souvenir – World Myth Postcards Now you know a bit about mythology in cultures other than Greece. Choose three cultures and create a series of postcards from mythological characters from each culture to the others. Design both the front, picture side, of the postcards with authentic images or decorative elements from the culture, as wells as the back, letter side. The letters should include both descriptive information about the character as wells as describe what he or she has been doing lately. “Wish you were here…”!

Tour Stop 4 – Myth Fun

Encyclopedia of Monsters and Mythical Creatures http://webhome.idirect.com/~donlong/monsters/monsters.htm http://techcenter.davidson.k12.nc.us/spring5/goddess2/Creatures.htm http://www.pagerealm.com/windseeker/glosentry.html Things to do - Read the descriptions of several monsters or creatures. Get out a sheet of paper and draw a picture of one of them based on the description. Create your own monster or creature and create a Wanted Poster for the monster. Include a picture and a short description of its powers and what its “crime” is.

Final Assessment Task: “How-To” Newsletter

We have been learning about mythology on this field trip, and reading about the sometimes wild and crazy adventures of the Gods and Goddesses of Greek mythology. Now it’s your turn to get in on the fun. You will be creating a newsletter aimed toward the “aspiring God or Goddess”. This will be “how-to” information for the not-quite-ready-forprime- time young deity. You may choose to use Greek mythology or myths from any other culture you have learned about.

Here are the sections that the newsletter needs to contain: This Month’s “God Who’s Hot” – a spotlight feature on a famous God or Goddess. Explain his or her powers and describe some “recent” adventure. You might even include “Who’s Hot” and “Who’s Not” columns. Monster Madness – advice section on how to deal with a pesky monster or nauseating creature. Describe a known monster and give suggestions for combating it. Mortal Fascination – dealing with the eccentricities of human beings. Describe a daily human event and suggest how the aspiring God or Goddess should interact with the mortals. Classified Section – job listings and items for sale. Editor’s Credentials – a brief summary of your qualifications as a God/Goddess Extraordinaire. Here you will tell who you are, what powers you have, and what natural phenomenon you created. (Note: you are a new God/Goddess here, one of your own creation.) Things to keep in mind: 1. You will need a catchy title for the newsletter 2. Your articles need to demonstrate your understanding of the customs, social systems, and values of the culture 3. The God/Goddess you become, as the editor, needs to fit in with the culture of the mythology 4. You will need to organize your articles with headlines 5. You should use strong word choice to give your articles “voice” 6. You need to include one graphic per section 7. You need to proofread and revise before your final copy

These sites might also be helpful as you prepare your newsletter: Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology http://www.cultures.com/greek_resources/greek_encyclopedia/greek_encyclo pedia_home_to.html Mythology-Themed Clipart – http://www.geocities.com/hestia624/clipart.html http://dir.coolclips.com/Fantasy/Greek_Mythology/ http://www.clipart.com/Main/tour/search_results?i=12&p=PD- 0031925&q=mythology&a=c&Search=Go http://dimkin.df.ru/clipart/clipart_show.html?cat=100000018&start=0