Myth and legends Part 2
- 1. MYTHS AND LEGENDS Literature into English Context
- 2. Mythical Creatures Centaur Cerberus Cyclops Gorgon-Medusa Pegasus Scylla Sirens
- 3. Why are we learning about this? So we can understand who is who, what is what.. Get to Know about Mythic Creatures So we can Understand the people’s idiosincrasy at the time Participati on on the Stories So we can Understand and explain any moment of history Reason for Learning about this Have a lecture of mythology. Learning About this
- 4. Centaur Centaurs, also known as Ixionidae, are mythical creatures in Greek mythology with the torso and head of a human being and the body of a horse. They are known as the children of Nephele (a cloud created in Hera’s image) and Ixion, a king of Lapiths, the most ancient tribe of Thessaly. Some accounts, however, suggest that centaurs were born from the unity of Magnesian mares and Centaurus (a single centaur considered to be the father of all centaurs).
- 5. Cerberus Cerberus, also known as Kerberos, is the giant hound with three heads guarding the gates of the underworld in Greek mythology. The hound of Hades, which is the child of two monsters, Typhon and Echidna, is depicted as a monster with three heads, a serpent as its tail and a body from which snakes come out.
- 6. Cyclopes The Cyclopes were one-eyed primordial giants in Greek mythology known as the sons of Uranus and Gaia while Homer suggested in his works that they were actually the sons of Poseidon. The Cyclopes were lawless creatures that lived freely and did not fear the gods. They were also known to be the workers of the divine blacksmith Hephaestus. The most significant one among the Cyclopes was Polyphemus featured in Homer’s work Odyssey. On his way back home, Odysseus arrived at the island of Cyclops (Sicily) where Polyphemus, the man-eating giant lived.
- 7. Gorgon-(Aka: Medusa) Medusa is another addition from Greek mythology. Medusa was one of three Gorgon sisters born from ancient marine gods Phorcys and Ceto, the offspring of Oceanus and Gaia. While her sisters Stheno and Euryale were immortals Medusa was a mortal being. Medusa was a creature in the form of a human female with snakes for her hair. She had the ability to turn into stone anyone that looked in her eyes. Originally, Medusa was a priestess of Athena with golden hair. She made a vow of celibacy for life but, being seduced by Poseidon, she broke her vow and married him.
- 8. Pegasus Simultaneously with his brother Chrysaor, Pegasus was given birth when Perseus killed his mother. Some accounts suggest that these two creatures were born from the blood coming out of Medusa’s neck while others suggest that they were born from the Earth when Medusa’s blood fell onto it.
- 9. Scylla Scylla was a monster in Greek mythology that lived between two rocks near Italy and Sicily. The creature was described by Homer as a monster with twelve feet and six long necks. It had six heads with three rows of sharp teeth. While some myths suggest Crataeis was Scylla’s mother, Hecate was also linked to be the mother in some other myths. There is no obvious mention of its father but Apollodorus suggested either Tyrrhenus or Phorcys was the father of Scylla.
- 10. Sirens Sirens, also known as the Seirenes, were legendary sea- nymphs who lured sailors passing nearby to death with their beautiful voices and enchanting songs. There are different opinions regarding the number of the Sirens but the most common belief suggested that there were three of them. The Sirens were the handmaidens and companions of Persephone before she was abducted to the underworld by Hades. That is when Demeter gave the Sirens wings to help in the search for Persephone.
- 11. Sphinx Sphinx is a legendary creature mentioned in Greek and Egyptian myths. According to the legend, the Greek sphinx had a lion’s body, a woman’s head and an eagle’s chest and wings (and the tail of a serpent in some versions of the accounts). Egyptian sphinx, on the other hand, was shown as a male. As for another difference between these two legendary beasts, Greek sphinx was a merciless and treacherous creature while her Egyptian counterpart was a benevolent figure in Egyptian mythology. Both creatures were considered as guardians of important places like temples and were featured at entrances to such places. While the sphinxes as a species were depicted in many ancient artworks, the most significant one in Greek mythology was the one that laid waste to the city of Thebes in Greece sent by the gods as a punishment for a crime people committed.
- 12. Let’s Watch some examples of this Mythology. Story #1: Fearnot - The guy who couldn’t feel Fear!