商务英语单证2-3Literature.doc

11-10-23 Ancient Greek Literature Greek Myths The Homeric Epics Lyrics Drama Historical Writing  Greek Myths o? As any other nation in the ancient world, the Greeks developed myths to to explain the world . o? Greek myths are traditional stories about the deeds and misdeeds of gods, goddesses and heroes. In the beliefs of the ancient Greeks o?There were many gods. o?They were not very much different from human beings. o?They lived not in some remote heaven but on the top of Mount Olympus , a peak of northern Greece. 1 11-10-23 o? In Ancient Greek mythology, there existed numerous Gods; this was because the Greeks were polytheistic in religious belief. o? The subject of Greek gods was very important to the Ancient Greeks; in fact this is what they based their lifestyles on and made their decisions with.  Greek Names vs. Roman Names Greek Name Roman Name Aphrodite Venus Goddess of Love Ares Mars God of War Artemis Diana The Virgin Goddess of the Moon, twin sister of Apollo. Athene Minerva Goddess of Wisdom Demeter Ceres Goddess of the Harvest Eris Discordia Goddess of Discord Eros Cupid Archer of Love Fates Morae The Daughters of Necessity Hera Juno The Most Beautiful Goddess Herakles Hercules Hero of Heroes Hermes Mercury Herald of the Immortals Odysseus Ulysses The Hero of the Battle for Troy Pan Faunus Protector of Goatherds and Shepherds Poseidon Neptune God of the Sea Zeus Jupiter The Olympian See Selected Reading: Athena’s Birth Ref: 2 11-10-23 The Homeric Epics /v_show/id_XOTA1MjQ1Mg==.html o?The starting-point of European imaginative Literature . o?Constituting the prototype for all subsequent Western epic poetry. o? Greek culture in the Dark Age was not very advanced, o? Poets wandered from village to village singing or reciting folk songs, ballads, and epics, long poems describing heroes and great events. o? Sometime during the 700’s B.C., much of this oral poetry was gathered together and woven into tw