Over the past several weeks, we discussed the basic principles of classical mythology and defined terms to analyze what these stories meant to the Ancient Greeks. We used the following terms:
Aetiology – the reasoning or rationalizing of answering a question, e.g., Why do we have seasons? Ancient Greek answer: the story of the rape of Persephone
True Myth vs Legend vs Folktale or Fable – primordial or prehistoric setting with divine characters vs historical time with mortal characters vs “Long, long ago” with human and personified characters
Animism vs Anthropomorphism – Forces of Nature considered to be divine (Ouranos) vs divine human characters who control the Forces of Nature (Zeus)
Using the Beren’s Myths and Legends PDF, select a Greek god or goddess and compose a 3-4 page essay that presents the following:
Introduces the god or goddess to the reader via a brief explanation of their origin. If the origin is not known, discuss what affinities the god or goddess possessed.
Explains to the reader what the god or goddess represented/meant to the Ancient Greeks. Was he/she considered to be very important, or was he/she casually mentioned in stories from time to time? What does this tell you about their place in the Greek culture.
Discuss one story, very briefly, and identify any of the aforementioned terms that would give the reader insight into why the Ancient Greek considered this story important enough to remember and to recite on a regular basis.
Offer additional information you consider important to the reader to understand about your god or goddess of choice.
Academic Advice
Each section or paragraph should contain approximately 300-400 words to communicate effectively its topic (three paragraphs in total to discuss each of the poets you selected from the three categories). The word count is a guideline only. Please use as many words as necessary to prove your point as effectively and efficiently as possible.
The inclusion of research (academic sources) is required to support your thoughts and opinions. For an assignment of this length, four to six academic sources are reasonable.
Prepare a final draft in the MLA format (REQUIRED) with a formal Works Cited page to document referenced passages in the readings as well as the inclusion of outside research.
