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Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths, a novel by Bernard Evslin, retells short stories of the most famous gods and monsters of Greek Mythology. Evslin creates a simplistic way for the reader to understand more about these myths, through short story telling. Each god and monster is given their own chapter, and are explained thoroughly, but simplistically to help the reader understand these stories better. Evslin’s method of storytelling was effective and the way each story connected made it an easy and enjoyable read. I found it helpful that each piece was told through a maximum of about six pages.
Humans wrote myths long ago, yet have a lot of relatable truths and morals. For example, in the myth of “Prometheus,” his kindness of giving gifts to humans out of his pity for not being able to survive yet ends him up in severe punishment. Similarly, in The Lightning Thief, Thalia’s bravery and compassion end up with her having to be sacrificed. In both texts, Prometheus and Thalia show how good deeds may end in misfortune. 1
The Hero’s Journey in Into the Woods The world is an objective place. Yet, each person’s individual world is extremely subjective. Mythology gives life meaning; the way in which it affects each person depends on their views of the world.
Art is term that people use when they do believe it is a piece of art or something special.
The mortal descendants of Zeus and the other gods became the heroes we still hear about today. The book provides moral lessons for children in the story of King Midas who was granted a wish where everything he touched turned to gold, even his daughter. Heracles holds great strength, but that that strength comes at a price of killing people he
After studying Joseph Campbell we learned that myths from around the world are very similar in regards to themes, motifs, symbols, and more. Now we were given the task to find a myth and perform it with a group. After finding a myth each group closely read it using the read like a reader skills and filled out a chart with information including methods of creation, characteristics of the creator, humankind’s relationship with God and nature, symbols, motifs, cultural truths, universal themes, and style. Filling out this chart allowed for us to grasp a deeper understanding of our selected myth. Some of the myths were confusing and hard to understand, but if we think beyond the literal meaning of the text then we can deeply understand the content.
The most important way to think about myths is that they are symbolic stories that attempt to answer difficult human questions about the universe. For instance, where did we and the world come from? And what is the meaning of life?. “We all want to know where we came from, but because our earliest beginnings are lost in the mists of prehistory, we have created myths about our forefathers that are not historical but help to explain current attitudes about our environment, neighbors and customs” (6). Myth functions as a guidance that explains everything that we come into contact with in the universe.
Millenia after their creation, classical mythology continues to intrigue and inspire; Greek and Roman (and even Norse) figures and stories directly appear in the contemporary works of Rick Riordan, Jennifer Estep, Neil Gaiman, and Shelly Laurenston. Additionally, references and allusions to classical mythology frequently are and have been used in unrelated works for emphasis. The enduring strength and power of these myths is due not only to their divine and heroic feats, but also to the connection the audience can form with characters who don’t have happy endings, but suffer as much and often more than ordinary mortals. Thomas Foster, author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, devotes an entire chapter of his book to the employment
Mythology is the collection of myths that denotes commonly cultural and religious beliefs of ancient human beings. The elements of it were usually the involvement of god, goddess and heroes. In addition, it was based on a man’s desire, beliefs and ideas. It also told the natural occurrence and its main purpose was to teach people moral lessons. One of the example of Greek mythology is the divine hero of ancient Greece his name was Heracles, but people knew him as Hercules.
Then while looking in the psychology aspect one can use the stories that are told in the myths (“Mythology”). In psychology they use mythological stories to give people hope. Most of all the stories within mythology has some some great tragedy, but hearing those struggles could help people to carry on just because those great heroes had the strength to carry on, and like the struggling person the heroes are human. The allusions one sees everyday can be used later in life due to the fact that the higher the education the more it is obvious mythology takes place in the studies
The classic trickster archetypes represent the traits of deceitfulness, craftiness, and stealthiness. Tricksters will repeatedly annoy the gods to make a name for themselves, or they will commit an act of great proportions, gaining infamy in their respective realms. Others, however, commit an act of trickery that results in punishment, such as the deceitful serpent in Genesis. However, Hermes, from Greek Mythology, used a mischievous act at a young age to gain notoriety and influence later in his life. Rather, Loki, depicted in Norse Mythology, committed malicious acts from his position of power.
By educating them about a variety of ancient cultures, we then allow the students to connect their lives with traditions and morals of the past civilizations, helping them grow as a person and learn about what they themselves think is right. By reading the ancient literature, students enrich their own literacy by adding diverse words and phrases. The creativity and often seemingly insane concepts featured in these myths encourage students to put their own spin on literature, which often leads to a passion for writing or reading. “Thor then challenged anyone in the castle to a drinking contest, something at which he had no little skill.” (McCoy).
Greek mythology can be viewed as a mirror to the ancient Greek civilization. Ancient Greek myths and legends often reflected how the Greeks saw themselves. Myths were used by Greeks to make justifications of every existing aspect of earth as well as their own society. In myths, Greek gods & heroes often represented key aspects of the human civilization. From Greek mythology, we can learn about the favorable characteristics of humans, such as their behavior and valuable skills that were approved of by the ancient Greek society.
In those five hours, I was not in my New Jersey bedroom but rather invested in a fictitious land where gods and monsters were real. The book guilty of keeping me locked up was Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan; a novel that introduced me to the world of Greek mythology. Ever since I was a child, mythology and fantasy always peaked my interest because of the dramatic tales that were believed to be explanations of how the world works. The image of grand gods and goddesses clothed in pure white and gold,
Zeus and Odin have many similarities, however their differences set them apart from each other. For every difference between Greek and Norse mythology, there is as many similarities. Zeus and Odin are, or if not the most powerful gods. Each had a different way of gaining their power and becoming leaders. Both share similar traits and power among other gods in their realms.