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2014-08-07 21:32:32
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Greek Mythology Classroom


Teacher: [windowframe]



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Brief Outline:


1. Introduction
3. Creation of the Universe

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Introduction:


Welcome to the Greek Mythology classroom, where you'll be able to find information on the Greek gods, heroes and tales. But first, a note - there's no student list for this classroom, I don't see the point - you are not obliged to study, I will set no "homework" and thus there is no need for me to keep track of who reads this page - dip in and enjoy when it suits you.

One important thing to bear in mind when dealing with myth of any kind is that it is not an exact science - the answer to 2 + 2 isn't always 4. Sometimes, it's not even a number. Every writer who took it upon themselves to write about the gods and heroes put their own spin on it. Hesiod's Theogony is not a definitive guide to the divine genealogy of the Greek pantheon, but just one version of it; Homer's is another. If someone else thinks that Poseidon is the father of Pegasus, and you believe otherwise, you need to bear in mind that in all probability, neither of you are wrong. You've just read different sources.

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Creation of the Universe


Before I commence this segment, I'd like to remind you of a thing mentioned earlier, namely the diversity and multitude of the Greek myth. This class is not to teach you Greek myths as stories. It is about the analysis of Greek myth - what ideas it is expressing, what purpose it served, etc. That means that we'll look at a myth in an ancient source, and then discuss the myth and possible interpretations of it - psychoanalytical, structuralist, etc. We will approach them from a variety of angles - as classicists, anthropologists, psychologists, theologists. Because of this I will expect you to do a lot of primary reading - me simply summing up a few versions of the fall of the titans just isn't going to give you enough information to analyse the texts, so instead, I shall provide links to online translations of the sources I want you to read. If you can afford to buy copies of these, that would be far better, since the translation will almost inevitably be better, but don't worry if you can't, the online translations are good enough for our current purposes.

Hesiod's Theogony at http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Hesiod/theogony.html.

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Key Texts:


No study of Greek Mythology should be made just by reading secondary sources, If you're serious about learning you need to get out there and read what was being written about myths at the time, here are some texts that you will find useful if you care to read them:

Primary Sources:

Hesiod, Theogony
Homer, Iliad
Homer, Odyssey
Sophocles, Oedipus Rex
Sophocles, Antigone
Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes
Aeschylus, The Oresteia
Ovid*, Metamorphoses

*Ovid is, of course, a Roman author, but many of the myths he covers in the Metamorphoses are Greek in Origin. Sometimes, though we know previous accounts existed, we no longer have those earlier sources, so Ovid can be the only, or one of the only sources remaining for that myth.

Secondary Sources:
Alan Dundes, Sacred Narrative 1984 - a collection of essays by some of the most famous and revolutionary mythologists, including Bronislaw Malinowksi, C. G. Jung, and Claude Levi-Strauss. It focuses on more than Greek myth but as a general introduction to mythology - that is, how we study and interpret myth - it's very good.
Robert A. Segal, Myth: A Very Short Introduction 2004 - the 'Very Short Introduction' series are not to be sniffed at - they're written by academic experts in the field and despite it being a "very short" introduction it's packed with information summarising several different approaches to myth from a variety of perspectives, and details the ideas of the most important scholars in myth.
Roger D. Woodard (ed) The Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology A collection of articles by the some of the current most distinguished scholars in the study of myth, covering a wide variety of topics including how myth interacted with other areas of Greek life such as politics, and modern reception of Greek myth. 

Other Elftown pages with relevant information:
Pegasus

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Go or return to:
- Mythology
- Elftown Academy


Past teachers: [Aristotle]

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2003-04-01 [Aristotle]: Does everyone know you're supposed to write 'done' next to your name when you've read it? Or have nobody actually read it yet?

2003-04-02 [akhirah]: cud their be pictures too?

2003-04-08 [Aristotle]: Pictures? Ehm... I don't really have any pictures. Maybe I can find some online. Lots of famous artworks depict Greek mythology.

2003-04-09 [Alberic]: greek mythology is cool. I take ancient greek at school and we're studying the oddysee

2003-04-15 [Love Is Just A Catchphrase]: i think we should have a basic mythology class....go to my house and vote at my poll!

2003-05-05 [Love Is Just A Catchphrase]: i have a question for aristotle. do you know who said "Love-eros-makes his home in men's hears, for where there is hardness he departs. his greatest glory is that he cannot do wrong nor allow it; force never comes near him. for all men serve him of their own free will. Ande he whom love touches not walks in darkness."? i do know who but im just messing with you to see if you know....i think we should have a basic mythology class....go to my house and vote at my poll!

2003-05-06 [Aristotle]: Nope. No idea. I doubt it was a Greek, anyhoo. Sounds more like a Romanticist. Like Lord Byron or one of his lads.

2003-05-06 [windowframe]: :p sorry, just had to comment... I'm putting my money on Plato

2003-05-06 [Aristotle]: Doesn't sound like Plato. According to Plato, love is just an idea, remember?

2003-05-06 [windowframe]: *shrugs* I'm not a master of philsophy or anything, it's just one fo those things i know, Oo, though i believe there is a line saying, 'but not in every heart,' before the line, 'for where there is hardness he departs.', as i said, I'm no philsophy so i can't argue with you much.

2003-05-06 [Aristotle]: You mean it actually is Plato? I thought you were just guessing. I still don't think it sounds like him. I bet he was drunk at the time.

2003-05-07 [Dark Optimist]: This may be off topic but Tartarus is the place in the underworld for the very wicked. It is where Sisyphis(sp?) has to keep pushing the boulder up the hill. Some other guy(forget name) is famished but when he reaches for food it pulls away, etc. Hades was just a place for the 'average' person. The Elysian fields were for the heroes and other 'good' people. Okay, I'll be quiet now:)

2003-05-07 [windowframe]: Lol, yeah, i'm pretty damned certain it was plato, get exies to spill already. :p

2003-05-07 [Love Is Just A Catchphrase]: it IS Plato, silverfire is right, and you are right silverfire, i thought aristotle would notice the missing line.....

2003-05-07 [Aristotle]: Oh, you expect me to know every damn Greek philosopher's every damn Greek word? I never read much by Plato anyway. I don't really like him that much. He's got his head in the clouds. If you've seen Raphael's "The School of Athens," you see why I call myself Aristotle. Plato is pointing to the sky and Aristotle to the earth. Plato was a dreamer, Aristotle was a realist. A realist with some funky ideas of reality, granted, but a realist nonetheless.

2003-05-07 [Aristotle]: As for you, beastmaster, I have already been reprimanded and included a correction in the 'messages' field. Hades is the name of the entire kingdom of the dead, though, not only for the average people. The guy who was reaching for the apples and the water was called Tantalus (hence the word "tantalize"). We'll discuss him in more detail as we get to the House of Argos. Greek names can be spelt a lot of different ways, but I think that "Sisyphos" or "Sisyphus" are the more common variants.

2003-05-08 [Love Is Just A Catchphrase]: well, i look to the sky and i dream all the time so i guess im more like him........i was just seeing if you new, you didnt HAVE to know.....damn.....*Laughs at you and your comments cuz you seemed pissed off*

2003-05-08 [windowframe]: well, if [aristotle] respecteths Aristotle, and [exies] respecteths Plato... then i pldege my allegience to Raphael. :)

2003-05-08 [Love Is Just A Catchphrase]: aristotle and i are friends....im just messing with him *laughs are herself* im in a good mood today!

2003-05-08 [windowframe]: mooski! i 4got, i already pledged my allegence to PIE... mmmm pie...

2003-05-08 [Aristotle]: I respect Plato, too. I just think he had his head in the clouds. And you'll have to try harder than that if you wanna piss me off, [exies]. I'm not that easily off-pissed. Mmmm, pie...

2003-05-09 [Love Is Just A Catchphrase]: pie is nasty....i wasnt trying to piss you off, i said you seemed pissed of.....and you actually think i DONT have my head in the clouds? im a teenage girl so of course my head is in the clouds too, but ill have to admit that aristotle, was the first greek philosopher i ever heard of....*tries to count how many years it has been* phew, that was long....

2003-05-12 [Aristotle]: Well, I've spent a lot of time trying to get my head out of the clouds, so I'll be damned if I get it in there again. By the way, I'm back in Sweden now, and I have my books here, so I'll be uploading the next lesson as soon as I'm off with this jetlag thing. Right now I can't write diddley doo doo, since my hands aren't even in the same time zone as my brain.

2003-05-12 [Love Is Just A Catchphrase]: lol......how come you arent ever on here when i am?

2003-05-13 [Aristotle]: When I was in the US, I was usually on when I'd finished classes, i.e. after lunch. Now I'm in Sweden, and there's a 7-hour time difference. Go figure.

2003-05-13 [Love Is Just A Catchphrase]: true, true......i hope we will still talk.......*smiles*

2003-07-03 [Adali]: I'm sorry to drag Sisyphus out again, but Tartarus is not where he's suffering. He's just in Hades' kingdom with the rest of them. Unless, of course, you really want to bring up Dante, but since I'm pretty sure he's Italian, and his whole inferno was a political commentary, I'd say we can safely ignore him. Tartarus is where the various and sundry gods/titans/other dudes are/were imprisoned. It's where Uranus tossed the Cycolpes and the Hundred-Armed guys after they were born because they were ugly. Nice dad

2003-07-04 [Aristotle]: Hmmm. [Sheona] claimed the opposite, if I remember correctly, and she's been reading a lot about it, too. then again, maybe she was referring to Dante's version, since she's an avid Latin student. And I'm terribly sorry that the next lesson is taking so long. I have half of it written. It'll be up soon. Promise.

2003-08-12 [Ajax Wolfblade]: Where are the Titans in all this? Shouldn't they have been there already?

2003-08-14 [Ajax Wolfblade]: My bad. The Titans are twelve of the offspring of Uranus and Gaia, including Cronos and some others, though the version of the myth on this page wouldn't agree with that. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that it is Uranus who is Gaia's husband and is detesticlized (sorry I couldn't resist that word)

2004-04-03 [BlacK_HearT]: Where/how do I sign up to be a student??

2004-04-04 [Aristotle]: Hmm, yeah, I recognize that... To be honest, there has probably been too long since I really read these things. And there's no point in becoming a student, because I never update. If someone would like to take over, I'd be happy to let it go. I don't have the energy to do all this.

2004-04-16 [BlacK_HearT]: i could give you some things. i love greek mythology, and i already know quite a bit about itttttttt, i just came here to see if anyone had learned a different version than me.

2004-04-17 [Aristotle]: Sure, just edit away. Put up a new lesson if you want to. I just can't make myself do it.

2004-04-17 [BlacK_HearT]: ok, i will touch up a bit, and then just add to your lesson. do you want me to just add some stuff that i think is cool, or do you have a specific order of things??

2004-04-19 [Aristotle]: I was thinking of writing a summary of the gods and goddesses of Olympus next, but any info is good. See how long you can do it before tiring of it :)

2004-04-19 [BlacK_HearT]: lol, i'll have to run to the library first and make sure my info is alright. it may take a few days. i mostly know about the Olympian gods. hey, do you think it would be good tojust put up a simple family tree?? I know it could get quite large, but I could just do a family tree, and give some short descriptions on the gods/goddesses. that would take care of your summary. what do you think?

2004-04-20 [Aristotle]: I tried to make a family tree of the Gods once. The thing is, there's so much incest among the gods, it turned out more like a family thornbush, and was almost incomprehensible. I guess it depends on how detailed you want to be, though...

2004-04-20 [BlacK_HearT]: just a simple one, with the main gods, and then an explaination or summary of each of them

2004-04-20 [Aristotle]: Just don't try to get the gods' sons and parents all in there. that makes a mess. For example, Zeus had important children with both Hera, Maia and Semele. That's pretty difficult to get in a family tree.

2004-04-21 [BlacK_HearT]: lol, yeah. i'll do it as soon as i get time. maybe one of us will get it up there soon!! too many english papers to work on, just got assigned yesterday

2004-04-21 [Aristotle]: Yeah, that's the problem. Never enough time. But I got a little bit more enthusiastic now, since I've gotten a badge for being the Mythology Proffessor. I've never had a badge before *sniff*

2004-04-21 [BlacK_HearT]: lol, i just joined elftown, so i havent' had time really to do anythign. i'm just in a ton of wiki's

2004-04-22 [Aristotle]: That gets incredibly tedious after a while, believe me.

2004-04-23 [BlacK_HearT]: lol, i'm startin to relize that. *sighs* i'm tired...

2004-04-27 [BlacK_HearT]: hey, i sorry, but my mom is sayin i can't help. she's very strict with religeon, so i can't. sorry. grrrr*stares evily at mother*

2004-04-28 [Aristotle]: She doesn't want you to write about mythology because of religion? Wow, that is strict..

2004-04-28 [BlacK_HearT]: tell me about it. it sucks

2004-04-30 [papertrail89]: Hey! well, i talked to [Aristotle] and i am going to take over. I am not going to do anything drastic, and i will try to keep it going like before. i will update as soon as possible!

2004-04-30 [Aristotle]: Yup, 'sright. I've been way too lazy and unenthusiastic about this, and people really should know Greek Myth. So someone else should do this job.

2004-05-19 [ElizabethSwann]: I want to join this class, how do i do that? lol

2004-05-20 [sir toaster monkey]: how can i join the class?

2004-05-21 [Aristotle]: I don't think the class is updated anymore, to be honest. Someone wanted to do it, but I haven't seen her in a while. And I'm too lazy... Maybe I'll do it in the summer. If you want to join, just write your name, but nobody's stopping you from reading through it without joining, so there's really no point.

2004-05-26 [Amica]: So if we want to add another myth to the lesson, we can?

2004-05-26 [papertrail89]: sorry, my internet has been down for a while, there is a new update coming tomorrow.

2004-06-19 [serendipity flicious]: what are all the "done"s for, next to peoples names?

2004-07-20 [haskeerdc]: I WANT TO BECOME A STUDENT

2004-07-25 [papertrail89]: [haskeerdc], if you want to be a student, add your name to the list

2004-12-05 [Sylwyn]: how does one join classes?

2005-02-12 [Dancersweet]: i would love to join this class!

2005-02-12 [BlacK_HearT]: there are never any new lessons....

2005-02-12 [Aristotle]: I did outsource the class due to never having time (and being a bit lazy) but that seems to have stopped as well. I'll try to get a moveon again. Promise.

2005-02-13 [Aristotle]: There. New class. Oh, and does anyone really think that the student list is worth having here? I mean, what does it really do? Anyone is free to read the lessons and if I add a new one before everyone is done, then the rest can just look at the old classes. Any objections to me removing it?

2005-02-13 [BadCat]: It's probably not necessary, but it 1) encourages new students, when they see how popular and fashionable it must be to have so many sign-ups (grin), and 2) it helps with a sense of community. Mmm.

2005-02-13 [Aristotle]: Haha! BadCat made a grammatical mistake! You wrote 'it' two times! There shouldn't be any 'it' after the 2). Hurrah! BadCat is human. Eh. Though you're right about the communion thingy. And the popularity thingy. I'll let it stay.

2005-02-14 [BadCat]: Damnation! So I did... oh dear, my reputation is in tatters.

2005-02-25 [Leo_205]: your class seems good! i'll start watch

2005-02-25 [Aristotle]: Excellent. Now all I have to do is keep writing...

2005-04-22 [Aristotle]: Next lesson is on the way. I'm halfway through it. Now all I need is some spare time...

2005-05-18 [Aristotle]: Added a bit to the last class, about the river Styx.

2005-06-25 [Rynnde]: I'd like to be part of this class as well

2005-06-25 [Aristotle]: Just sign up. No permission needed. I'll see when I have the time for another lesson.

2005-06-30 [Rynnde]: maybe a stupid question, but how do I sign up then?? =S

2005-07-07 [Aristotle]: Click on 'Edit this page', find the list of students and add your name at the bottom of the list.

2005-07-09 [Rynnde]: Ok, thanx.

2006-07-25 [Ace118]: can i join please

2008-01-31 [Imperator]: Question: What is "The Seven Against Thebes" about? And is the author unknown?

2008-02-01 [windowframe]: No, it's not unknown, I jsut got distracted at that point. <.< It's by Aeschylus.

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