The Odyssey

The Odyssey is an epic poem about the great hero Odysseus who goes to fight the Trojan War.  After the war, he angers Poiseiden, the god of the sea, and in return, Poiseiden refuses to allow him to return home.  The gods and goddesses play a major role in Greek life as well as the poem.  Therefore, the Olympians are worthy of notice.

Each student will conduct research on Greek life as well as a god or goddess assigned to him or her.  You will find the answers to the questions and collect information.  Once you have finished the research, you will complete a poster outlining the information.  The poster must exhibit facts about the god or goddess and contain a picture of this creature.  Each student will present their project on the assigned due date.

Step 1:

Background - Click on the following link to answer the questions.

http://messagenet.com/myths/essays/origins.html

1. Greek Myths like Homer’s Odyssey revolve around the religious beliefs of an ancient people who lived in Greece and Asia Minor and who shared a common belief in a group of deities that came to be known as ____________________________.
2. The stories of the Olympians survived because they had the largest number of followers and, most importantly, The Olympians did not forbid or punish the pursuit of _______________________.
3. These ancient Greeks believed ________________, __________________, and _________________________________ are the blessings of The Immortals and are a vital part of the Greek tradition.
4. The Olympians are descended from the primal, self created gods, beginning with ______________.
5. The Olympians are ruled by ________________. He is the strongest and, as you will see, without him, the other Olympians would still be held captive inside their devious father, Kronos.
6. According to the Greeks, the various rivers, mountains and forces of nature are the ‘bodies’ of the Immortals and proper ________________ must always be shown if you (they) wish to have peace at home and safe passage when you (they) travel.
7. The oldest myths can be traced to three main sources: ______________, __________________, and ____________________________________, circa 800 b.c.e. That means that by the time they were written down, these works had survived ____________ years of additions, subtractions and mutations to finally become the versions we now call ‘authentic’.
8. The Greek Myths are our window into the distant past, a view of a world that existed not only in the mind of the Greek poets but in the hearts of the humble and long suffering natives of ancient Greece.
9. Read the “Where to begin” section of the page and record the name of the island that is sacred to Aphrodite ________________________.

Step 2:

Use the website  below to answer the following questions.

www.theoi.com

Click on the individual god or goddess that you were assigned, in order to research the following information needed to complete this assignment:

• Appearance
• Symbol
• Family Facts
• Interesting Facts; for example: role, personality, and powers
• famous myths associated with your specific God or Goddess.

Step 3:

Take this quiz: http://thewalters.org/exhibitions/heroes/quiz/

1. What god/goddess do you most resemble?
2. What was accurate/inaccurate about the description of the god/goddess and your personality?

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Step 4:

Create a poster containing a picture of your god or goddess and the information discovered in step 2.

Poster Requirements:

Picture of god or goddess

Information discovered in step 2

Writing Legible

Neat

Colorful

Name and Section in Bottom Left Corner

Rubric for Poster

 Poster = 50 Points

Questions  = 50 Points