Greek Gods and Myths

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Events in creation can be mysterious and even scary, especially if you do not understand what is happening and why.

Imagine seeing lightning and hearing thunder for the first time and not knowing what it is or from where it is coming. The only things you know for sure are that the sky gets bright with a flash, and you hear a loud, angry rumble.

You wouldn't feel safe until you knew what was happening and why.

Long ago, people had a hard time finding the information to explain things. There were no smartphones or Internet. These people had to try to explain what they didn't understand just by observing and telling stories.

Many ancient cultures explained things in creation with stories. In ancient Greece, they believed there were many gods and goddesses who lived on a tall mountain and caused all of the things happening on Earth. For example, they believed that earthquakes were created when Poseidon crashed his trident (sort of like a pitchfork) into the ground.

These stories are called myths.

Myths have been told for thousands of years. Now there are sciences and technologies to help us explore the Earth and explain events in creation. However, we still refer to these myths to help us understand the people of ancient Greece and their culture.

There is a myth to explain why there are echoes. It also warns against being narcissistic, which means thinking you are better then everyone else. Watch Narcissus and Echo:

• Do you understand why people used this myth to explain echoes?
• What about the idea about being narcissitic, or thinking only about yourself and that you are more important than anyone else?

Move on the the Got It? section to learn more about how Greek myths were used to explain the natural world!