The Greek myths section of Grecia.cc is written so a student can read it, with checked information that is useful to adults too. Every page ends with a For the classroom box of questions and tasks. Here you will find paths organised by age.
How the section is organised
- Introduction to mythology
- The origin of the world and the Titans
- The twelve Olympian gods, one page per god
- Minor deities and Prometheus and Pandora
- Heroes: Heracles, Perseus, Theseus, Jason, Bellerophon
- The Trojan cycle: Trojan War, Achilles, Odysseus, Homer
- Thebes, Orpheus, the underworld
- Tools: monsters, metamorphoses, constellations, places, words, glossary
Primary school path (ages 7-11)
- How the world began: compare the Greek story with other creation stories.
- Zeus, Athena and Poseidon: the contest for Athens.
- The twelve labours of Heracles: one labour per child, to draw.
- The Minotaur and Daedalus and Icarus.
- Metamorphoses: stories that explain flowers and animals.
- Constellations: stargazing with parents.
Activities: a six-panel comic strip; an "identity card" for a god or monster; a labyrinth drawn with Ariadne's thread.
Middle school path (ages 11-14)
- What is a myth? and Homer.
- The Trojan War and Achilles: wrath, friendship, grief.
- Odysseus: the voyage, a map of the stages, Polyphemus and the Sirens.
- Perseus, Theseus, Jason: comparing heroes.
- The underworld, linked to Dante.
- Words from myths, for vocabulary.
Activities: a "trial" of Achilles or Paris; a map of Odysseus's voyage; an imaginary interview with Penelope; an essay on "my modern hero".
Secondary school path (ages 14-18)
- The Homeric question and oral poetry.
- Oedipus and Antigone: tragedy, fate, law and conscience.
- Prometheus: the myth of technology, from Aeschylus to Frankenstein.
- Orpheus: myth and music, from Monteverdi to today.
- Atlantis: myth, philosophy and archaeology in Plato.
- Greek religion and the sanctuaries.
Activities: a debate between Antigone and Creon; analysis of an artwork inspired by a myth; research on a myth in pop culture (films, video games, comics).
Cross-curricular links
| Subject | Ideas |
|---|---|
| History | Minoan and Mycenaean civilisations, Troy and Schliemann, Athens and the sanctuaries |
| Geography | The islands, the Aegean, the places of the Odyssey on a map |
| Art | Greek vases, the Parthenon, Bernini, Botticelli, Canova |
| Science | Constellations, Santorini's volcano, scientific names (arachnids, tantalum) |
| Music | Orpheus, the lyre, opera |
| Language and literature | Etymologies, idioms, Dante, Keats, Cavafy |
| Citizenship | Antigone and the law, hospitality, arrogance punished |
Test questions
- Who are Zeus's parents and how does he survive?
- Which god protects Athens and what gift does she offer the city?
- Name three labours of Heracles.
- How does Perseus kill Medusa without looking at her?
- What must Theseus do to get out of the labyrinth?
- What causes the Trojan War in the myth?
- Why does Odysseus take ten years to get home?
- What is the Sphinx's riddle and Oedipus's answer?
- On what condition can Orpheus bring Eurydice back to earth?
- What does "opening Pandora's box" mean?
Sources and citation
The main ancient sources are Hesiod's Theogony, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, the Homeric Hymns, the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, the Library attributed to Apollodorus and the Metamorphoses of the Latin poet Ovid. A myth often has several versions: our pages give the best known and note important variants.
To cite a page in a project: page title, Grecia.cc, page address, date accessed.
See also the myth glossary.