Introduction to Classical Mythology
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(Exploring the worlds of German, Latin, Greek, and now mythology on the worldwide web.)
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Homepage for our textbook (THIS LINK WILL GET YOU TO THE CURRENT STARTING PAGE)
Chapter 1: Interpretations and Definitions of Classical Mythology
Chapter 2: Historical Background of Greek Mythology
Chapter 3: Creation
Chapter 4: Zeus's Rise to Power
Chapter 5: Twelve Olympians, Zeus, Hera, and Their Children
Chapter 6: The Nature of the Gods
Chapter 7: Poseidon and the Denizens of the Sea
Chapter 8: Athena
Chapter 9: Aphrodite and Eros
Chapter 10: Artemis
Chapter 11: Apollo
Chapter 12: Hermes
Chapter 13: Dionysus
Chapter 14: Demeter and Persephone
Chapter 15: Underworld
Chapter 16: Orpheus
Introductory Resources for the Hero
Chapter 17: Theban Saga
Chapter 18: Mycenean Saga
Chapter 19: Trojan War and the Iliad
Chapter 20: Returns and the Odysseus
Chapter 21: Perseus and Bellerophon
Chapter 22: Heracles
Chapter 23: Theseus
Chapter 24: Jason
Chapter 25: Tales from Ovid
Chapter 26: Roman Mythology
Review Activities

Chapter 1: INTERPRETATION AND DEFINITIONS OF CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 1 Resources (chapter summary)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 1 Commentary (brief commentary)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 1 Flashcards (27 key terms)
4.    Cool Myth FAQs (definitions, genres)
5.    Comparison of defintions
6.    Euhemerism
A.  Basic information 
B.  Lengthy attempt to apply the principles of Euhemerism  (Harris at Middlebury)
7.    Proppian morphology
A.  Solid introduction (Oxford UP refers you to this page)
B.  Another version with more explanation (Grand Valley State U)
C.  Propp applied to Odysseus (Grand Valley State U)
D.  Fairy tale generator (will write a story for you)
E.  More detailed fairy tale generator (will write a clunky story for you)
F.  Terminology focused generator (best defines Propp's originals and maps them out)
8.    Levi-Strauss's article "The Structural Study of Myth" online
9.    Match the interpreters to their approaches.
10.  Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
11.  Take Mr. A's ch. 1 practice quiz.




Chapter 2: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 2 Resources (chapter summary)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 2 Commentary
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 2 Flashcards (42 key terms)
4.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.




Chapter 3: MYTHS OF CREATION (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 3 Resources (chapter summary)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 3 Commentary
3.    Oxford UP Links to Artistic Representations (some links dead or require a second click)
4.    Oxford UP Chapter 3 Flashcards (37 key terms)
5.    Theogony online (start at ll. 116 for the creation; at www.sacred-texts.com)
6.    Oxford UP Chapter 3 Comparative Myths (Norse and Indian myths)
7.    Norse creation story (www.sacred-texts.com)
8.    Endymion, Aurora and Tithonus here (first and third stories at www.sacred-texts.com)
9.    An online account of Phaethon (at www.sacred-texts.com)
10.  Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
11.  Take Mr. A's ch. 3 practice quiz.


Chapter 4: ZEUS'S RISE TO POWER (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 4 Resources (chapter summary)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 4 Commentary
3.    Oxford UP Links to Artistic Representations (some links dead or require a second click)
4.    Oxford UP Chapter 4 Flashcards (64 key terms)
5.    Oxford UP Chapter 4 Comparative Myth (Loki the Trickster)
6.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.

This page was last updated on November 3, 2022
Chapter 5: TWELVE OLYMPIANS: ZEUS, HERA, AND THEIR CHILDREN (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 5 Resources (chapter summary)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 5 Commentary
3.    Oxford UP Links to Artistic Representations (some links dead or require a second click)
4.    Oxford Chapter 5 Flashcards (34 key terms)
5.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.



Chapter 6: THE NATURE OF THE GODS (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 6 Resources (chapter summary)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 6 Commentary
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 6 Flashcards (29 key terms)
4.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.



Chapter 7: POSEIDON AND THE DENIZENS OF/FROM THE SEA (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 7 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 7 Commentary (
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 7 Flashcards (37 key terms)
4.    Find the story of Acis and Galatea here (fourth story at www.sacred-texts.com)
5.    Find the story of Glaucus and Scylla here (scroll down past Prosperpine)
6.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
7.    Take Mr. A's ch. 7 practice quiz.  



Chapter 8: ATHENA (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 8 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 8 Commentary (includes a comparison to Norse mythology)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 8 Flashcards (29 key terms)
4.    Arachne here (www.sacred-texts.com)
5.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
6.    Take Mr. A's ch. 8 practice quiz.



Chapter 9: APHRODITE and EROS (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 9 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 9 Commentary (useful on sexual orientation and the fairy tale)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 9 Flashcards (27 key terms)
4.    Pygmalion and Venus and Adonis here (Pygmalion first, Venus and Adonis third)
5.    Cupid and Psyche (www.sacred-texts.com; see also Propp links in ch. 1)
      Apuleius's Cupid and Psyche in English: Book 5 (books.eserver.org)
      Compare a sample of the Latin text and five English translations here
6.    Texts of Sappho's poetry online in English and Greek (www.sacred-texts.com)
7.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.





Chapter 10: ARTEMIS (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 10 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 10 Commentary (misogyny and misandry)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 10 Flashcards (19 key terms)
4.    Callisto and Actaeon here (second and third readings at www.sacred-texts.com)
5.    Endymion and Orion here (www.sacred-texts.com)
6.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
7.    Practice the complicated myth of Hippolytus here.
8.    Complete a crossword puzzle about the Hippolytus myth.





Chapter 11: APOLLO (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 11 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 11 Commentary (the role of rape in mythology)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 11 Flashcards (42 key terms)
4.    Apollo and the Python and Apollo and Daphne here (www.sacred-texts.com)
5.    Midas: encounters with Apollo and Dionysus summarized here (www.sacred-texts.com)
6.    Aristaeus and Marsyas here (second and sixth sections at www.sacred-texts.com)
7.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.





Chapter 12: HERMES (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 12 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 12 Commentary (functions of Hermes and Hermes as "mediatior")
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 12 Flashcards (14 key terms)

4.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.




Chapter 13: DIONYSUS (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 13 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 13 Commentary (Dionysus & Apollo, a modern Bacchae, Narcissus)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 13 Flashcards (31 key terms)
4.    Bacchus, Pentheus, and Ariadne here (www.sacred-texts.com)
5.    Midas: encounters with Apollo and Dionysus summarized here (www.sacred-texts.com)
6.    Echo and Narcissus is the second story here (www.sacred-texts.com)
7.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.



Chapter 14: DEMETER (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 14 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 14 Commentary (Eleusinian mysteries and the matriarchy)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 14 Flashcards (17 key terms)

4.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.




Chapter 15: UNDERWORLD (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 15 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 15 Commentary (parallels to other traditions, Vergil and Dante)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 15 Flashcards (39 key terms)
4.    General information on the underworld here (Greek mythology link of Carlos Parada)
5.    Journeys of Odysseus, Aeneas, and Heracles with map (Parada site)
6.    Aeneas in the undeworld (www.sacred-texts.com)
7.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.





Chapter 16: ORPHEUS (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 16 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 16 Commentary (Orpheus as artist through the ages)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 16 Flashcards (31 key terms)
4.    Orpheus and Eurydice (www.sacred-texts.com)
5.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.





Chapter 24: JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, MEDEA (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 24 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 24 Commentary (development of the saga)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 24 Flashcards (32 key terms)
4.    The Golden Fleece and Medea (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
5.    The Argonauts (Kingsley at www.sacred-texts.com)
6.    The Argonautica (Greek and English at www.sacred-texts.com)
7.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
THE HERO: Introductory Resources (back to top)
1.    Vladimir Propp
A.  Solid introduction (Oxford UP refers you to this page)
B.  Another version with more explanation (Grand Valley State U)
C.  Fairy tale generator (at Brown University)
2.    Lord Raglan
A.  Basic introduction (courtesy of Missy Reimer)
B.  More detailed explanation and examples (Professor Sienkewicz at Monmouth)
3.    Joseph Campbell
A.  The Hero with a Thousand Faces (reliable Wikipedia)
Chapter 17: THE THEBAN SAGA (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 17 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 17 Commentary (Propp and main figures)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 17 Flashcards (36 key terms)
4.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
Chapter 18: THE MYCENEAN SAGA (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 18 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 18 Commentary (artistic manifestations through the ages)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 18 Flashcards (32 key terms)
4.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
Chapter 19: TROJAN SAGA AND ILIAD (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 19 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 19 Commentary (components and versions of the Trojan saga)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 19 Flashcards (63 key terms)
4.    Samuel Butler's translation of the Iliad (MIT)
5.    The Trojan War (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
6.    The Fall of Troy (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
7.    Summary of the Trojan War (Ruth Plumly Thompson at Hungry Tiger Press)
8.    Meleager and Atalanta (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
9.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
Chapter 20: RETURNS AND ODYSSEY (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 20 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 20 Commentary (characters and their survival)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 20 Flashcards (48 key terms)
4.    Samuel Butler's translation of the Odyssey (MIT)
5.    The Adventures of Ulysses (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
6.    Ulysses with the Phaeacians and the Suitors (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
7.    Complete this account of Odysseus's wanderings from Odyssey 23.
8.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
Chapter 21: PERSEUS (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 21 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 21 Commentary (folklore and survival)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 21 Flashcards (38 key terms)
4.    Perseus (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
5.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
Chapter 22: HERACLES (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 22 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 22 Commentary (origins and survival of Heracles)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 22 Flashcards (40 key terms)
4.    Hercules (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
5.    Complete the Homeric Hymn to Heracles 15.
6.    Identify the order of the Twelve Labors (with the labors listed).
NOTE: Use your browser's back button, not the arrows in the exercise.
7.    Put the Twelve Labors in order (drag and drop).
8.    Test the identity of the Twelve Labors (by filling in the labors),
9.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
10.  Complete a Twelve Labors crossword puzzle.
Chapter 23: THESEUS (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 23 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 23 Commentary (the character and historicity of Theseus)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 23 Flashcards (44 key terms; Achelous doesn't belong)
4.    Theseus and Daedalus (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
5.    Test the labors of Theseus.
6.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
Chapter 25: TALES FROM OVID (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 25 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 25 Commentary (focus on key stories)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 25 Flashcards (22 key terms)
4.    Pomona and Vertumnus (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
5.    Ceyx and Alcyone (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
6.    Baucis and Philemon (second Bulfinch story at www.sacred-texts.com)
7.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
8,    The Complete Metamorphoses online (a great resource to study and explore)
Chapter 26: ROMAN MYTHOLOGY (back to top)
1.    Oxford UP Chapter 26 Resources (chapter summary and links)
2.    Oxford UP Chapter 26 Commentary (sources, comparisons with/contrasts to Greek)
3.    Oxford UP Chapter 26 Flashcards (105 key terms!)
4.    Theodore C. Williams's translation of the Aeneid
5.    Adventures of Aeneas (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
6.    Aeneas in the Underworld (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
7.    Aeneas in Italy, Part One (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
8.    Aeneas in Italy, Part Two (Bulfinch at www.sacred-texts.com)
9.    Take the Oxford UP Online Quiz.
Review Activities (back to top)
1.    Mythology matching one: Olympian gods.
2.    Mythology matching two: gods and functions.
3.    Try Mr. A's divine picture flashcards.
4.    Now practice the iconography of the gods.
5.    Practice more divine iconography.
6.    Practice even more iconography.
7.    Practice mythology with Mrs. Kessler.
8.    Take a myth quiz.
9.    Go beyond the basics with a Mythquest.
10.   Identify the couples.
11.   Identify more couples.
12.   Identify random mythological figures.
13.   Take a final exam review quiz.
Note to My Students and Visitors: I am in the process of updating links. Please pardon any dead links, particularly to the textbook website. Chapters 1-6 are up to date.