Unit 1 Mythology Flashcards by Case (Cass)

What are myths in mythology?

Stories by which ancient Greeks attempted to account for things like, which they experienced, and passed down orally

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What are 3 things myths are made up of?

They told supernatural beings, who looked human, but were stronger than humans
-early myths were simple and developed from Greeks and their experiences
-attempted to explain natural phenomenon

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What are the 4 forms of myths in mythology?

Myths, legends, epics and dramas

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What are legends?

-deals with supernatural beings found in myths
-contains a fraction of actual history passed down orally
-central character: hero-a mortal man who preforms wonderful deeds

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what are Epics?

Long narratives with a noble hero, who performs great deeds of Valor
-designed to arouse in its readers or listeners to give inspiration
-written by 1 person

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What are dramas?

-Linked as a classical drama
-the first dramatization of mythology
-focused on the authors attempt to find understanding of human situations
-wrote and was the product of 1 author

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What is a summary of forms?

-the evolution of the forms of mythology illustrate man’s “rational thinking”.
-the focus shifted from supernatural beings to an analysis and explanation of human nature
-shifts from many authors to 1 author

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True or False: Myths are always based on historical facts.

False

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Fill in the blank: Myths in Greek is _____.

Mythos

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Ancient Greeks:

-made up some of the most fascinating tales
-attempted to explain the origins of man, earth and the gods
-the gods/goddesses had to be treated well

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What purpose do myths serve in today’s society?

Myths now refers to a particular kind of story, one intended to explain how people used to think

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How do myths differ from legends?

-Myths are traditional stories that try to explain natural phenomenas or cultural beliefs
-Legends are stories mostly based on historical events or figures.

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Why did people in the past tell myths?

-to help explain what they couldn’t understand
-to account for natural phenomenon
-to teach mortal value
-to re-tell the glory of heroes
-to explain human nature

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Why do we study myths in school?

Broadens our understanding of ancient cultures
Visible impact on that development of English Literature, as well as the arts
Learn about values/morals
entertainment value

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Our relation to mythology:

Forms the basis of modern advertising
Integrated with popular music
Provides clearly defined characters
(Heroes/villians)
helps children understand their own confusion about things they don’t understand

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What is the umbrella definition of architypes?

Architects are typical characters, actions, or situations that represent a universal pattern of human nature

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What is the function of archetypes?

-The function of archetypes can give literacy works a universal acceptance and also, by using common archetypes, writers attempt to impact realism into their work.

(When readers can Identify and relate with the characters and situations, it makes it more universally accepted)

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Type of archetypes:

-Character
-Situational
-Symbolic

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What are the different types of character archetypes? (12)

(12)
The innocent youth
The hero (Warrior/ tragic)
Friendly Beast
loyal retainers
the mother figure
the Earth mother
The villain
the devil figure
The trickster
the damsel in distress
the temptress
the star-crossed lovers

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What is the innocent youth?

And inexperienced/naive character who will experience a coming of age

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What is the hero?

The character who must fulfill a necessary task to restore harmony / justice to a community

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What are the 2 types of heroes?

Warrior: Faces physical challenges and enemies
Tragic: A tragic hero who flaw brings about his downfall

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What is the friendly Beast?

An animal companion who assists the hero and reflects that nature is on their side

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What is the group of companions/loyal retainers?

Individuals who help the hero

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What is the mother figure

May guide and direct or create suffering

What is the Earth mother

A symbolic of futilement, London's, and fertility

What is the villain

The character who opposes the hero

What is the devil figure

The evil incarnation

Trickster:

A character who tricks others or is full of slide jokes and malicious pranks

What is the Damsel in distress

Is a vulnerable woman who must be rescued by the hero

What is the temptress

Is characterized by sensual Beauty and can bring about the heroes downfall

What are the starcross lovers

2 characters engaged in a love affair faited to end tragically

What is a situational architype

Universal situations people can recognize and relate to

What are the types of situational architypes? (8)

(8) The quest the task the journey the initiation the ritual the battle between good and evil the fall death and rebirth

What is the quest

The hero must go on a journey to accomplish something in order to revive the wasteland

What is the task

The nearly superhuman feats the hero must perform to accomplish his quest

What is the journey

The main character takes a journey (physical or emotional) to understand his or her personality and the nature of the world

What is the ritual

The actual ceremonies that indicates experiences that will mark his passage into another state

What is the battle between good and evil

The clash of forces of good fighting evil

What is the fall

The main character falls from grace and consequences of his own actions

What is death and rebirth

Is the cycle of nature and the cycle of life

What are symbols archetypes

An object, place, color, or numbers that symbolize a universal feeling or idea

What are the different types of symbolic architypes? (8)

(8) Light vs darkness Supernatural intervention Fire and ice Underworld Heaven versus wilderness Heaven verse hell the crossroads Fog

What does Light versus darkness represent

Light suggests hope and renewal or intellectual illumination While darkness implies the despair and Ignorance

What is supernatural Intervention

Spiritual Beings intervene for or against the hero

Fire and ice

Fire represents knowledge, light, life, and rebirth Ice represents ignorance, darkness and death

What does the Underworld represent

A place of death or an encounter with the dark side or the self

Havan verse wilderness

Places of safety contrast sharply against a dangerous wilderness

Heaven versus hell

Skies house of gods while the bulls of the Earth contain diabolic forces

What is the crossroads

A place or time of decision when a realization is made and change results

What does fog symbolize

It's symbolizes uncertainty

What does the color red represent

Blood, sacrifice, passion, disorder

What does the color blue represent

Highly positive, security, tranquillity, spiritual purity

What does the color green represent

Hope, growth, envy

What does the color black represent

Darkness, chaos, mystery, the unknown, death, evil

What does the color white represent

Positively: Light, purity, innocence Negatively: emptiness, shallowness

What does the color yellow represent

Enlightenment, wisdom

What does the number 3 represent

The holy Trinity, light, spiritual awareness

What does the number 4 represent

The life cycle, 4 elements, mankind (4 limbs)

What does the number 6 Represent

The devil, evil

What does the number 7 represent

Divinity (3) + mankind (4) = relationship between man and God 7 deadly sins, 7 days of the week, 7 gifts of the holy spirit

What is an origin myth

Attempts to explain how the world came into being

What is the definiton of the heroic pattern?

It is the pattern a hero story follows

What is the pattern of a heroic pattern

The birth: there is a fate, favored by a God or Gods, destined to do amazing feats Destiny: destined to be great, begins naïve, bestowed with a gift or gifts Quest: hero ventures forth in search of something valuable/important Journey home: has to do another challenge Romantic element: in love with female figure and is almost always royalty Reward: rewarded by the people, gets the gift of immortality in memory

Who is gaea?

The mother of all gods Zeus, Uranus and mother of the earth