Mythology
General Notes
Definitions
Story: An account of
incidents or events.
There are five kinds of stories.
Story Types
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Myth
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Story of historical events that explains a belief or
natural phenomenon (like why the seasons change)
Urban Legend
Story based on rumors and widely believed to be true
 Also called urban myth
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Fairy Tale
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A children’s story involving make believe things
(wizards, goblins, flying carpets, etc.)
Story Types
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Science Fiction
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A story involving science gone wrong or use of
science in a way not yet known to man.
Folklore
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Similar to urban legends but only known in a certain
area.
Stories
Categorize the
following stories
Stories
Demeter and her
Daughter
Stories
Federal law allows only the
Texas state flag to be
flown at the same height
as the U.S. national flag.
Stories
Hercules and the 12
impossible tasks
Stories
Alligators in the sewers
Stories
The Tortoise and
the Hare
Stories
Prometheus and fire
Stories
The state of Michigan
threatened local
beavers with a $10,000
per day fine for failing
to remove their dam.
Stories
Star Wars
Stories
Aladdin
Stories
Superman
Mythology
Influence in Modern Times
Greek / Roman Mythology
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Perhaps the most influential of all mythologies.
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Aegis – Zeus’ protective shield; now a famous insurance
group (The Aegis Group).
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Ajax - Greek warrior in the Trojan War, who "cleaned up" in
battle; now a popular household cleanser.
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Amazon - Race of huge warrior women; now a huge on-line
bookstore.
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Apollo - God of music; Apollo Theater is a famous music
hall in New York city.
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Atlas - Doomed to support the heavens on his shoulders;
now moving company (Atlas Van Lines)
Greek / Roman Mythology
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Nike - Winged goddess of Victory, who can run and fly at
great speeds; now a famous company that sells...well...if you
haven't heard of the company Nike, welcome to our planet.
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Pegasus - Winged horse The winged horse symbol is used by
dozens of companies.
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Phoenix - A mythical bird ; now a car company that
produced the Phoenix Thunderbird car.
Norse Mythology
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Norse Mythology has influenced the days of the week:
Day (Old Norse)
Meaning
Traditional Day
Mánadagr
Moon’s Day
Monday
Týsdagr
Tyr’s Day
Tuesday
Óðinsdagr
Odin’s Day
Wednesday
Þórsdagr
Thor’s Day
Thursday
Frjádagr
Freyja’s Day
Friday
Laugardagr
Washing Day
Saturday
Sunnudagr
Sun’s Day
Sunday
Norse Mythology
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Norse Mythology has influenced modern day culture:
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In Marvel Comics, Thor is one of the longest running
superheroes of the company.
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In the computer game Halo, the protagonists' armor is
nicknamed the Mjolnir (Thor’s Hammer).
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J.R.R. Tolkein (Lord of the Rings) and Douglas Adams
(Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) both reference Norse
muythology in their books.
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The TV series Stargate SG-1 regularly features the Asgard race.
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A ship in the film The Matrix Reloaded is called the Mjolnir.
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Much of the modern jewelry women wear today is fashioned
from Nordic patterns.
Egyptian Myths
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Kingship was a key element of Egyptian
mythology, the king's was a link between
humanity and the gods.
The concept of family was also a key element.
Having a family in Egyptian mythology meant
the main character was always going to have
problems.
Egyptian gods had specific birth dates – they
didn’t happen in the long past.
Egyptian Myths
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Introduces females in positions of leadership; now
many countries have female leadership.
Mummies come from Egypt; now are famous movie
monsters.
Images of multiple Egyptian gods appear on popular
TV shows such as Dr. Who, Digimon, StarGate and
others.
The sphinxes in Egyptian mythology were the first to
ask riddles; they later appeared in Greek stories.
Egyptian ancient civilization has a distinctive culture
familiar to most of the western world today, and still
captures the imagination more readily than any other
cultures of its time.
Native American Myths
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The Native American stories do not share a single,
unified body of mythology. The many different tribal
groups each developed their own stories about the
creation of the world, the place of humans in the
universe, and the lives and deeds of deities and heroes.
But, they all share some similar characteristics.
Native American Myths
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Most NA myths are based in truth and could only
be told during special ceremonies.
Most NA stories are deeply based in Nature and
are rich with the symbolism of seasons, weather,
plants, animals, earth, water, sky and fire.
Ghosts and spirits (and therefore horror) were
introduced to our culture from NA myths; now
they are the subject of multiple movies.
NA myths are the first to introduce
anthropomorphism, giving human qualities to animals
(Rabbit, Coyote, Spider, Raven and Fox).
Native American Myths
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NA myth telling gives u the basic format for
business meetings today.
NA myths are the first ones to contain a heroine
(female hero).
Na myths show reverence and respect for
animals. Many of the tenets from these myths
are followed by PETA today.
NA myths also concern themselves with passing
information from one generation to the next.
Creation Stories
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Every mythos and culture has their own ideas
about how the world started.
All of the above are no exception.
What creation myths do you know?
Creation Myth Characteristics
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They are considered sacred accounts and can be
found in nearly all known religious traditions.
They are stories with a plot and characters who are
either deities or animals, who often speak and
transform easily.
They are often set in a dim and nonspecific past.
They address questions deeply meaningful to the
society that shares them.
They develop orally and have multiple versions[
They are the most common form of myth, found
throughout human culture.
Mythology in Modern
Film
First Things First
Clark County District Policy
Section XIII
Regulation 6150
Regardless of the age of students participating in the program,
the Department of Education upholds Regulation 6150 section
XIII, wherein it states:
“Electronic media in any format that are rated ‘X’, ‘R’ or ‘PG-13’
shall not be shown to students at any grade level within the school
district under any circumstances, even with written permission from
parents/legal guardian.
Identifying the Elements of Myth
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There are 6 basic types of mythology that show up in
today’s movies and TV shows.
The Succession Myth
Older and Younger Generations
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This is one of mankind's oldest myths, found in the
literature of the Greeks and Babylonians and other
ancient peoples.
The typical Succession Myth covers three generations-grandfather, father, and son.
It chronicles the passage of power from generation to
generation.
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How did Zeus become king?
How did Oedipus become king?
The Rite of Passage Myth
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This myth demonstrates we moderns have nothing on the
ancients when it comes to action and violence.
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The “hero” grows miraculously fast, or attains enormous
strength at an early age
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When he is older, the “hero” performs the Great Exploit (he
kills the monster, etc.), which confirms him as a mature “hero”.
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Hercules and the Impossible Tasks.
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Perseus and the Medusa.
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Oedipus and the Sphinx
The Journey Myth
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The “hero” often goes on a journey.
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This is popular with Americans for we are also a
mobile people.
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Odysseus travels for 10 years to get home.
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Huckleberry Finn travels down the river.
The Goddess Across the Water Myth
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The hero will always encounter a female goddess who
offers him power, love or pleasure.
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The relationship is doomed from the start – the hero
always returns to his mortal love or pleasures.
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Circe
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The Sirens
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Calypso
The Two Helpers Myth
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.
The Hero also meets two Helpers, one female,
the other male.
The Substitute Myth
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On his return, the Hero loses someone near and
dear to him
The Substitute Who Dies in place of the Hero.
The Substitute may be the Hero's best friend, his
mother, or even his dog.
This is a popular comic book and TV myth.
Widening our Search
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Mythic themes in movies have to do with the
universal life --birth, maturation, survival,
sickness, death, and those moments when
human beings confront the unstoppable forces
of the universe.
The myths interweave, like the events in our
lives do.
The Worksheet
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As you watch the movie, try to pick out the
mythical events in it. Remember, the worksheet
is for a grade too!