BACKGROUND :
This text, which you are assigned to read over the summer is an enjoyable overview of
GREEK MYTHOLOGY. Greek mythology is a body of stories which belong to the ancient Greeks and tell the tales of their gods, heroes and the nature of the world they lived in.
As American high school students you study Greek mythology because of the great impact it has had on the literature , art, and culture of the world we live in now.
Do you know why the great ship TITANIC was named Titanic?
Do you know where NIKE shoes get their name?
Do you know where J.K Rowling got the idea for the three-headed dog in the Harry
Potter books?
Do you know why a brand of razors sold to women is called VENUS?
All of these answers and many, many more can be found in the stories of Greek
Mythology.! A basic knowledge of the myths will help you in English , History, Latin and many other subject areas. A person who is educated in the Greek myths has a whole new world of knowledge and understanding opened up to her!!
UNDERSTANDING HOW THE BOOK WORKS:
D’aulaires’ Greek Myths is divided into 4 major sections.
The first section ( pgs 9-15) gives an overview of what the Greeks believed about how the world came to be and tells the story of the Titans, a race of giants who the Greeks believed first inhabited the earth.
The second section ( pgs 16-69) tells the stories of the descendants of the Titans who become the major gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. These are the most important characters to recognize and remember.
The third section ( pgs 70-105) tells the stories of some of the other gods and goddesses as well as of some other interesting creatures like Satyrs and Centaurs.
The last section of the book ( pgs 106-189) tells the stories of some of the human characters of Greek Mythology as well as of some of the great Greek heroes.

HOW TO READ THE BOOK
It is best to read the book in order, taking one story at a time until you have completed a section. As you read you will discover that there are many, many characters to meet and keeping track of them may get confusing. To help yourself stay organized, START A
NOTEBOOK.
For each new story you read:
1) Write a VERY short summary of what happened in the story. You do not need to retell the tale , but just summarize the basic plot events.
2) List the one or two characters you felt were most important to the story and write a few notes about who they were, how they were described.
3) Look at the illustrations connected with the story and make sure you understand what they depict.
4) Ask yourself if you think there is anything to be learned from the story. If so, write it down.
OTHER IMPORTANT WAYS TO BE PREPARED FOR FRESHMAN ENGLISH
CLASS:
Required assignments below are due on the first day of school.
1.
Have the above notebook prepared to turn in to your English teacher.
2.
For each god or goddess in section number two know the following : a.
What is he/she the god or goddess of? b.
What are the basic qualities of his/her personality? c.
What are the symbols he/she is known by?
You should organize this information on a chart of some kind or do it in a list form. It should also be done in your notebook.
3.
From the other sections of the book make sure you are familiar with Prometheus,
Pandora, Helios and Phaeton, The Muses, Orpheus and Hercules.
Be sure to have a few notes about these characters as well.
Enjoy your exploration of the world of Greek Myths!! See you in the fall!!!