Mythology As Summer Reading Study Guide

Mythology as Summer Reading Study Guide

Name______Period and Semester ______

Part One: The Gods, the Creation, and the Earliest Heroes

I.  The Gods

1.  Complete this chart of the Twelve Great Olympians:

GREEK NAME / ROMAN NAME / GOD/DESS OF: / ASSOCIATED WITH: / HOW RELATED TO ZEUS:
HERA / JUNO / MARRIAGE, QUEEN OF GODS / COW, PEACOCK, ARGOS / WIFE

2. Which of the Twelve Olympians do you find most interesting? Why? Which had you heard of before you read this chapter? What stories about them have you heard? ______

3. Write a sentence identifying each of the following:

·  Titans - ______

·  Cronus - ______

·  Eros - ______

·  Muses - ______

·  Ocean - ______

·  Triton and Proteus - ______

·  Naiads- ______

·  Tartarus and Erebus - ______

·  Cerberus- ______

·  Furies - ______

·  Pan and Satyrs- ______

·  Gorgons - ______

II.  The Two Great Gods of Earth

1.  Identify Demeter.

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2.  Tell the story of Demeter and Persephone in your own words. How does it explain the changing of the seasons?

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3.  What are the Eleusinian Mysteries?

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4.  Who is Dionysus?

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5.  What happens to his mother, Semele, and what does this suggest about the nature of the power of the Greek gods?

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6.  Who are the Maenads, and what terrible thing happens to Pentheus because of them? What seems to be the lesson of this story?

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7.  Some Greeks had trouble accepting Dionysus as a god. Why do you think this might be so?

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III.  How the World and Mankind Were Created

1.  Who is Prometheus? Why does Zeus punish him, and how is he punished?

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2.  Tell the story of Pandora in your own words.

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IV.  The Earliest Heroes

1.  Write a sentence identifying each of the following:

·  Io - ______

·  Europa - ______

·  Polyphemus - ______

·  Narcissus - ______

·  Echo - ______

·  Hyacinthus - ______

·  Adonis - ______

V.  Cupid and Psyche

1.  Explain how Psyche comes to marry Cupid, how she loses him, and how she eventually gets him back. Do you think that Cupid treats Psyche fairly in the course of the story? Explain.

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2.  What do you think might be the lessons of the story?

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VI.  Eight Brief Tales of Lovers

1. For each of the following, sum up the story in one or two sentences.

·  Pyramus and Thisbe______

·  Orpheus and Eurydice ______

·  Pygmalion and Galatea ______

·  Baucis and Philemon ______

·  Daphne ______

3.  Which of the stories in this chapter is your favorite? Why? ______

VII.  The Quest of the Golden Fleece

1.  Why does Medea decide to get revenge on Jason, and what does she do? ______

2.  Do you feel any pity for Medea? For Jason? Why might the story of such a great hero end so tragically? ______

VIII.  Four Great Adventures

1.  Who is Phaethon, and what happens to him? What might be the lessons of this story? ______

2.  How is Bellerophon able to tame Pegasus? Name some of the things he is able to do with his wonderful horse. ______

3.  What happens to Bellerophon at the end of the story? What might be the lessons here? ______

4.  Who is Daedalus, and who is Icarus? What happens to Icarus? ______

5.  What lessons can you see in Icarus’ story? ______

IX.  The Great Heroes Before the Trojan War

1.  Identify each of the following:

·  Perseus - ______

·  Medusa - ______

·  Theseus - ______

·  The Minotaur - ______

·  The Labyrinth - ______

·  Hercules - ______

·  The Twelve Labors - ______

·  Atalanta - ______

2.  Which of the heroes in this chapter do you find most appealing? Explain why. ______

X.  Summary Questions

1.  What is your impression of the ancient Greeks who composed these stories? What generalizations might you make about their culture? ______

2.  Of all the stories you read, which is your favorite? Why? ______

3.  Add here any questions you have that you want to remember to ask before the test. ______

Pledge: On my honor, I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment.

Signature: ______