Mythology Resources
We are going to begin a unit on Greek and Roman Mythology. Before we start consider the question of what is a myth? Why do people and cultures tell stories? How do the gods a culture worship tell us what that culture values and thinks is important? Finally, where do we see these ancient myths and gods in our world today? Ever heard of a brand called Nike? Hermes? Atlas? To start, let's watch this brief overview.Myths are a way of understanding the world. This lesson has been about Greek mythology, but every culture has myths. Myths define social customs and beliefs, explain natural and psychological phenomena, and provide a way for people to discuss things that cause anxiety. Mythology is all around us.
Click here to watch an overview of Greek Gods in Brain Pop
Tasks:
Create a Greek Trading Card
Learning About Greek Myth Project
What is Mythology? Powerpoint
Famous Greek Myths Class Presentation
Here's another brief video overview
Web references:
- Greek Mythology
- Some Great Greek Myths
- Mythweb
- MythMan
- Mythography
- Mensa for Kids Greek Mythology Resources
- Encyclopedia Mythica
Here are just a few examples of places we find myths today.
- Days of the week Wednesday (Woden or Odin – Norse god); Thursday (Thor – Norse god); Friday (Freya Norse goddess); Saturday (Saturn – Roman god who ruled before Jove)
- Shoes Nike
- Cars-Toyota Avalon and Cressida, Cadillac El Dorado, Honda Odyssey, Mercury
- Tires Midas
- Astronomy Constellations like Orion, the Argo, all of the planets and the Pleiades. The Milky Way itself was supposedly the road over which the stars traveled to Jupiter’s palace.
- NASA The first part of U.S. space program was Project Mercury, named after the messenger of the gods because the project’s purpose was to send a message to the Soviets that America was in the space race. The Gemini Project was next; Gemini is Latin for “twins,” and the project was called this because the capsule held two astronauts. Apollo astronauts rode on Saturn rockets.
(Taken from http://www.mensaforkids.org/MFK2/assets/File/Teach/LessonPlans/Lesson_GreekMythology.pdf)