Exploring the Relevance of Ancient Epics in Modern Times
Discover the significance of ancient tales and epics in understanding cultures through myths and legends, like those found in Greek mythology. Uncover why myths serve as precursors to science and how they shape epic narratives such as The Odyssey. Explore the enduring appeal of epic literature, including elements like larger-than-life heroes, divine intervention, and intricate storytelling devices. Delve into other notable epics like Beowulf and The Lord of the Rings, and appreciate the blend of seriousness and humor in epic storytelling. Witness the emotional depth and timeless themes portrayed in epics, reflecting on human experiences across time.
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Presentation Transcript
Mythology and the Epic Why read ancient tales and what they have to do with today
Myths are a precursor to Science Essentially, people were looking for an explanation for natural phenomena in the world. Myths are a part some early religions. We are studying Greek gods and myths to have a better understanding of the people in the epic poem The Odyssey. Why do you think it is a good idea to know something about a group of people and their culture in a story before you read it?
Why are people still reading The Odyssey? Epic plot elements o a larger than life hero o deeds of great valor o the gods' interference in human affairs Epic literary devices o opening with an invocation to the muse o beginning the story in medias res ("in the middle of things") o providing long lists of people, genealogies, and places significant to mythological history o using epithets, or repeated nicknames, for various characters, major and minor.
What other Epics do you know? Beowulf Beowulf The Lord of the Rings (prose) The Lord of the Rings (prose)
We laughed The epic isn t all doom and gloom. We get some comic relief along the way. Take this passage, when Circe turns Odysseus's men into pigs When she had given them this and they had drunk it down, next thing she struck them with her wand and drove them into her pig pens, and they took on the look of pigs, with the heads and voices and bristles of pigs, but the minds within them stayed as they had been before. So crying they went in, and before them Circe threw down acorns for them to eat, and ilex and cornel buds, such food as pigs who sleep on the ground always feed on. (12.237-43).
We cried Homer writes with all the gravity that you'd pretty much expect when reading about epic heroes and their long dangerous journeys. Odysseus is away from home for about 20 years. His wife is pretty sad So I wish that they who have their homes on Olympos would make me vanish, or sweet-haired Artemis strike me, so that I could meet the Odysseus I long for, even under the hateful earth, and not have to please the mind of an inferior husband. Yet the evil is endurable, when one cries through the days, with heart constantly troubled, yet still is taken by sleep in the nights; for sleep is oblivion of all things, both good and evil, when it has shrouded the eyelids. But now the god has sent the evil dreams thronging upon me. For on this very night there was one who lay by me, like him as he was when he went with the army, so that my own heart was happy. I thought it was no dream, but a waking vision. (20.79-90)
Its super old, and its poetry, and it will probably be boring, right?
Nope. It s not that difficult It s not that difficult For the first-time reader, probably the hardest thing about Homer s Odyssey is its language, and we're not even reading it in Ancient Greek. We re not reading the whole thing. We re going to read it together, too! It s a little steamy It s a little steamy Hate the game, not the player. Odysseus is a serious ladies man: o Seven whole years with Calypso? It's distinctly possible that Odysseus spent more years with her than he did with his wife Penelope to begin with. o Don't forget Circe, who wanted Odysseus so badly that she reversed all her magic to get him. o And then there's the super- suggestive reunion with lovely Penelope.
Show what you know What is one thing you already knew? What is one new thing your learned? Are you interested in doing a mythology research project and reading this poem? Why or why not?
