Bronze Mythology Study
Guide
Unit Ten
A legend is a story that
often contains larger-than-life
characters and fantastic details.
The action in “Popocatepetl and
Ixtlaccihuatl” takes place
before the Spaniards arrived in Mexico.
The name Ixtlaccihuatl means
the White Woman.
The Emperor’s prohibition of
marriage for Ixtla is a result of his
selfishness.
The Emperor changes his mind
about Ixtla’s marriage when he
is besieged by his enemies.
Some of the warriors tell the
Emperor that Popo has been
killed in battle because
they are jealous of Popo and want to
spoil his triumphant return.
According to the legend, Ixtla
dies of
a broken heart.
The legend says that Popo
punishes his enemies with the
army of warriors watching, and
no one tries to stop him. This
description reveals
the Aztec concept of justice.
The link between the two
pyramids and the two volcanoes
in the story is a detail that is
typical of
legends.
The character that says the
magic words in “The People
Could Fly” is
Toby.
In “The People Could Fly” the
slaves flying away actually
represent
living a free life.
In “The People Could Fly” Sarah
wants to leave soon because
she and her baby are being whipped.
In “All Stories Are Anansi’s,”
Anansi takes advantage of his
victims’
foolishness.
In “All Stories Are Anansi’s,”
Anansi captures Osebo, the
leapard, using
a deep pit.
In trickster folk tales such as
“All Stories Are Anansi’s,” the
hero relies on
brains.
The high price for stories in All
Stories Are Anasasi’s”” suggests
that the Ashanti culture
honors the practice of
storytelling.
The word that best describes the
character of the crow in “The Fox
and the Crow” is
vain.
Myths make sense to us because
they explain the world in human terms.
In “Phaëthon, Son of Apollo,”
the quarrel between Phaëthon
and Epaphos results from
the two boys’ pride.
In Greek mythology, the god
Apollo was linked to
poetry, music, and the sun.
In “Phaëthon, Son of Apollo,”
when Apollo urges Phaëthon to
be wise and make some other
choice, we can predict that
the chariot ride will turn out badly.
When Pluto first sees Persephone
in “Demeter and Persephone,”
she is
gathering flowers.
When Zeus intervenes in
“Demeter and Persephone,” his
actions show that he is
concerned with the preservation of the
human race.
The impact of the pomegranate in
“Demeter and Persephone” is
Persephone tasted this food of the
underworld, so she cannot stay on Earth
all year.
In “Icarus and Daedalus,” the
relationship between the two
main characters is
they are son and
father.
In “Icarus and Daedalus,”
Daedalus associates sea gulls
with liberty because
sea gulls are independent and can fly
freely to and from the island.
From Daedalus’s reputation for
cunning in “Icarus and Daedalus,”
the reader can predict that after
he is shut up in the tower he will
probably
attempt to escape.
One lesson contained in
“Icarus and Daedalus” is that
People should steer a
middle course.
The cultural context of
“Popocatepetl and
Ixtlaccihuatl” is
Aztec.
In “The People Could Fly,”
Toby speaks words from
ancient Africa.
A folk tale is a
story that
was composed orally.
In “All Stories Are Anansi’s,” the
gourd, the calabash, the vines, the
bamboo pole, and the forest are
part of the tale’s
cultural context.
The best explanation for the
fact that many folk tales are
very short is that
short tales are more easily
memorized.
In “All Stories Are
Anansi’s,” Nyame is
the Sky God.
According to Aesop’s fable “The
Lion and the Statue,” the statue
was made by
a man.
In order to trick the crow in
Aesop’s fable “The Fox and the
Crow,” the fox appeals to the
bird’s
vanity.
The myth of Phaethon helps to
explain
the sun’s daily travel across the sky.
A story such as “Demeter and
Persephone,” which contains
supernatural characters and
explains basic features of the
natural world, is best classified
as
a myth.
The immediate cause for the
disaster that befalls Icarus is
the heat of the sun.
When the titans ruled the world,
life for both the gods and human
beings was ______________________
Simple and happy
After Zeus became ruler of the
humans and the gods, what made
life for human beings
painful?_______
Harsh winters
Why were the gods comfortable
on Mount Olympus? ______________
They wore clothes and had fire
Why did Prometheus choose to
remain on Mount Olympus?
________________________
To guide Zeus and control his anger
According to “The Origin of the
Seasons,” the people who would
be most likely to worship
Demeter were
______________________
farmers
Persephone’s duty or role was
that of a_________________________
Spring maiden
The only person who knew
immediately what had happened
to Persephone was _______________
Apollo
During the seven months each
year that Persephone must return
to her husband, the weather is
__________
Cold and bleak
Arachne’s skill brings with it
something dangerous-________________________
Too-great pride
Minerva disguises herself as an
old woman and calls of Arachne
to __________________________
Overhear Arachne’s boasting
In striking Arachne over the head,
Minerva is _________________
Punishing her insolence
Why does Arachne hang herself?
__________________________________
Because of her injured pride
In “The Reward of Baucis and
Philemon,” Jupiter and Mercury
journey to the land of Phrygia.
What is the purpose of their
journey? ________________________
We are not told
The pair disguise themselves in
order to better ___________________
Hide their divinity
The Phrygians refuse the two
hospitality because they are
_________________________
Unfriendly and indifferent
In deciding to punish the village,
the gods view its inhabitants’
lack of hospitality as ____________
A major crime
In his life, Hercules was opposed
by ____________________
His father’s wife
Why did Hercules undertake the
twelve labors? ______________
As a slave, he did what he was told
Hercules served as a slave for
one year to Queen Omphale?
__________________________
As a punishment by his father
What is Hercules said to be doing
now? ____________________________
He is enjoying peace and rest
Short Answer
What natural phenomenon does
Popocatepetl’s torch attempt to explain?
In “The People Could Fly,” the reader
learns that after Toby flies off, the
Overseer tells the story. The Master
says it was a trick of the light and the
Driver keeps his mouth shut. Why does
the Driver do that?
In “All Stories are Anansi’f,” what is the
meaning of this statement?

Anasi, the spider, yearned to be the owner
of all the stories in the world…”
In “The Fox and the Crow,” why does
the Fox want to hear the Crow’s voice?
How does the myth of Phaethon explain
the origin of the Sahara desert in North
America.
What conflict does Zeus face in
“Demeter and Persephone”? How does
he resolve the conflict?
Identify two clues in “Icarus and
Daedalus” that help the reader predict
what will happen to Icarus.
What explanation is given in “Phaethon,
Son of Apollo” for the movement of the
sun?
In “Icarus and Daedalus,” what does the
myth convey to readers?
Important Names in Greek Mythology
Aphrodite-- Greek goddess of love and beauty
Apollo-- Greek and Roman god of the sun
Arachne-- An arrogant young woman who
boasted of her skill in weaving to
Minerva
Athena-- Greek goddess of wisdom, arts, crafts,
and war
Atlas-- Titan whom Zeus punished by making
Him hold up the sky on his shoulders
Bacchus-- Greek god of wine, fertility, and
drama
Cronus-- The Titan who ruled the universe until
he was overthrown by Zeus, his son.
Daedalus-- An Athenian inventor and architect who
built the Labyrinth for King Minos of
Crete
Demeter-- Greek goddess of agriculture and
fertility.
Eros-- Greek god of love, Aphrodite’s son.
Fates-- Three goddesses who controlled human
destiny and life
Hades-- Greek god of the underworld
Hera-- Zeus’ wife and queen of the gods
Hercules--A Greek hero, the son of Zeus and
Alcheme
Hermes-- Messenger of the gods
Icarus--
The son of Daedalus
Persephone-- Greek goddess of spring and the
underworld. Demeter’s daughter
Phaethon-- Helios’ son. He was killed when he
tried to drive the chariot of the Sun.
Poseidon-- Greek god of the sea
Prometheus-- The Titan who gave fire to mortals
against the wishes of Zeus
Titans-- A family of gods who ruled the
universe before the Olympians
Zeus-- Greek god of the sky and the weather,
and king Of the gods of Olympus.