Close Readings of the 12 Olympian Gods of Greek Mythology

Name: Close Reading of APHRODITE Directions: Look through the questions at the end of the reading to see what your purpose is while reading. Once you know what questions you are answering, go through and read the article. Be sure to utilize the Interacting with the Text Menu to know how to mark up your reading as you go. This will also help you use evidence to support your answers as you answer the questions. Interacting the Text Menu: Highlight or Underline key points and answers to the questions. Circle unknown words that need defining then define them in the notes section. Put a Star next to important sections in the reading. Put a? next to things that don t make sense in the reading. Use the side margin to write down any notes, such as definitions to the words you circled. Reading: APHRODITE. When we talk about ancient Greece we are talking about a number of different individual civilizations and city-states that all established themselves on the Greek mainland and the different islands that surrounded Greece. Some of these civilizations, such as the Minoans and Mycenae were in the Greek area as early as 3000 BCE. These civilizations continued to grow and interact with each other until around 30 BCE. During those almost three thousand year many different religious beliefs, customs, and stories gathered together to create a religion we call Greek mythology. Greek mythology recognized twelve main gods, or Olympian gods, who controlled different aspects of nature and were responsible for a number of lesser gods and immortals as well. Greek mythology and the religions built around it Notes/Annotations

were the ancient Greek s way to better explain the world around them; where storms came from, why the summer was hot and winter cold, how to ensure good crops, or even explain the moving stars, sun, and moon in the sky. Aphrodite was the god of love and beauty in Greek mythology. She was one of the main Olympian gods who lived on Mount Olympus. Aphrodite was the most beautiful of all the gods. She was supposedly born from the foam of the sea, and took her place on Mount Olympus as the god of beauty and love because she herself was so beautiful. Another story of Aphrodite s birth has Zeus as her father. Aphrodite was so beautiful that Zeus was worried that the gods would all begin fighting each other trying to get her attention. Because of this Zeus decided to have Aphrodite marry the Olympian god Hephaestus, who was the ugly god of fire and blacksmithing. It was believed that if Aphrodite was married to him the other gods would not get jealous and so would not begin fighting each other because of her. Despite this, Aphrodite was not a faithful wife and was famous for cheating on her husband with mortals and with other gods on multiple occasions. The symbols associated with Aphrodite are dolphins, roses, swans, doves, and mirrors. Aphrodite was often described as very vain, easily offended, and jealous of the beauty of other women. In one mythological story Aphrodite gets in an argument with two other Olympian gods, Hera and Athena. All three women believed they were the most beautiful, so they went to Zeus to decide. Zeus did not want to make a decision so he had the mortal man Paris of Troy make a decision instead. As Paris tried to make a decision Aphrodite bribed him by offering him a mortal woman for wife named Helen, the queen of Sparta. Paris accepts the bribe and names Aphrodite as the winner. The other two gods were so upset that they encouraged the Spartan king to take his armies against Paris and Troy, which began the legendary Trojan War. Romantic love has been a driving characteristic of civilizations since they began. Seeking after beauty and finding true love has been the subject of art and literature throughout the ages. The ancient Greeks had a culture that put a lot of value in art; including paintings, sculptors, architecture, literature, and theater. The power of love and beauty is a common theme in many of these pieces, and to the Greeks that meant that the influence of Aphrodite was never far away. Aphrodite represented the love and beauty that could be found within mankind, yet she also demonstrated the dark side to beauty as well. Aphrodite was vain and very jealous of the beauty of others. Aphrodite showed the Greeks the power of love, for both good and bad.

Questions: Answer each question by using evidence directly from the reading. 1) Read through your article and circle any unknown words. Use a dictionary and write the definitions to those words in your margins. 2) Read through your article a second time. This time underline or highlight at least one important point made in each paragraph. 3) What was your god the god of to the ancient Greeks? 4) What are some of the symbols associated with your god? 5) Why do you think your god would have been so important to the ancient Greeks? Why would they have worshipped your god? 6) The different gods usually helped the ancient Greeks better understand things about nature and how the world works. What things did your god help the ancient Greeks better understand about our world?

Name: Close Reading of APOLLO Directions: Look through the questions at the end of the reading to see what your purpose is while reading. Once you know what questions you are answering, go through and read the article. Be sure to utilize the Interacting with the Text Menu to know how to mark up your reading as you go. This will also help you use evidence to support your answers as you answer the questions. Interacting the Text Menu: Highlight or Underline key points and answers to the questions. Circle unknown words that need defining then define them in the notes section. Put a Star next to important sections in the reading. Put a? next to things that don t make sense in the reading. Use the side margin to write down any notes, such as definitions to the words you circled. Reading: APOLLO. When we talk about ancient Greece we are talking about a number of different individual civilizations and city-states that all established themselves on the Greek mainland and the different islands that surrounded Greece. Some of these civilizations, such as the Minoans and Mycenae were in the Greek area as early as 3000 BCE. These civilizations continued to grow and interact with each other until around 30 BCE. During those almost three thousand year many different religious beliefs, customs, and stories gathered together to create a religion we call Greek mythology. Greek mythology recognized twelve main gods, or Olympian gods, who controlled different aspects of nature and were responsible for a number of lesser gods and immortals as well. Greek mythology and the religions built around it were the ancient Greek s way to better explain the world around them; where storms came from, why the summer was hot and winter cold, how to ensure good crops, or even explain the moving stars, sun, and moon in Notes/Annotations

the sky. Apollo is probably one of the most important of the Olympian Greek gods because of the large number of godly responsibilities he has. Apollo is the god of music, poetry, art, oracles, archery, medicine, the sun, and knowledge. Apollo was the son of Zeus, and had a twin sister who was the Greek god Artemis. In art and literature Apollo is depicted as a young, beardless, and athletic youth. Symbols often associated with Apollo are the lyre (a small musical harp), the python, ravens, and bows and arrows. For many of the ancient Greeks, Apollo was seen as all of the gods rolled into one person, which is why he had so many things that he was the god of. Apollo represents the best example of many different past traditions and religions from other civilizations being put together into the Greek view of Apollo. An important aspect of worshipping Apollo to the ancient Greeks was through the oracle at Delphi. An oracle is a fortune teller who can receive visions of the future. Delphi was a city-state in ancient Greece. In a cave near Delphi an oracle would stay and receive visions. This oracle was under the protection and blessing of Apollos, since he was the god of oracles. Many Greeks, particularly kings and other rulers would often consult oracles before making big decisions, such as going to war. Besides the oracle at Delphi there were many other oracles scattered throughout Greece, and all of them were seen as disciples, or followers, of Apollo. Besides the oracles, Apollo had many other temples built in his honor throughout Greece. These temples were places that Apollo could be worshipped through art, music, the practicing of medicine, and by offering animal sacrifices. Being the god of medicine and healing meant that Apollo could also bring plagues and sickness. In Homer s epic Greek poem, The Iliad, Apollo sends down a plague to the Greeks when their leader, Agamemnon, insults one of Apollo s priests. At the end of The Iliad Apollo guides the arrow of the Trojan prince Paris when he shoots the Greek hero Achilles, killing him. Apollo was the god of light and the sun. It was his responsibility to bring about the sunrise each day and move the sun across the sky during the day. The sun brings light and warmth down to the earth. This warmth and this light is also connected to the arts. Poetry, music, and the other arts bring light and warmth to the souls of man. It is in this fashion that Apollo is seen as not only the god of the sun, but also the god of things that bring light to the soul, being the arts. As the god of medicine and oracles, Apollo also represents the number of mythical aspects of the world around us that the Greeks attributed to their mythical gods.

Name: Close Reading of ARES Directions: Look through the questions at the end of the reading to see what your purpose is while reading. Once you know what questions you are answering, go through and read the article. Be sure to utilize the Interacting with the Text Menu to know how to mark up your reading as you go. This will also help you use evidence to support your answers as you answer the questions. Interacting the Text Menu: Highlight or Underline key points and answers to the questions. Circle unknown words that need defining then define them in the notes section. Put a Star next to important sections in the reading. Put a? next to things that don t make sense in the reading. Use the side margin to write down any notes, such as definitions to the words you circled. Reading: ARES When we talk about ancient Greece we are talking about a number of different individual civilizations and city-states that all established themselves on the Greek mainland and the different islands that surrounded Greece. Some of these civilizations, such as the Minoans and Mycenae were in the Greek area as early as 3000 BCE. These civilizations continued to grow and interact with each other until around 30 BCE. During those almost three thousand year many different religious beliefs, customs, and stories gathered together to create a religion we call Greek mythology. Greek mythology recognized twelve main gods, or Olympian gods, who controlled different aspects of nature and were responsible for a number of lesser gods and immortals as well. Greek mythology and the religions built around it were the ancient Greek s way to better explain the world around them; Notes/Annotations

where storms came from, why the summer was hot and winter cold, how to ensure good crops, or even explain the moving stars, sun, and moon in the sky. Ares is the Greek god of war. He is one of the twelve main Olympian gods that live on Mount Olympus. They are all led by Zeus, the king of the gods. Zeus also happens to be Ares father. Ares often represents the chaotic and violent aspects of war while his sister, the god Athena, represents the strategic and intelligent side of war. In art and literature Ares is often portrayed in military armor and with weapons. His symbols are the spear, helmet, chariot, dog, and vulture. Although Ares represented the bravery and courage it took for a soldier to become a hero on the battlefield, many Greeks feared Ares because he also represented the fact that violence in war often only escalated and would get more and more deadly as time went on. In ancient Greece most city-states operated on their own. These different city-states were often at war, or contentions with each other. As such, the influence of Ares was almost always felt by Greeks. Many Greek city-states would not have wanted Ares on their side during war, however. During the Trojan War Ares was on the losing side, which his sister Athena supported the winning side. In the book The Iliad by Homer, which describes the Trojan War, it is the strategic thinking of Athena that in the end conquers the brutal savageness of Ares and his battlefield violence. The city-state of Sparta was a heavily militaristic society. They raised their sons to be solders, and there was no greater honor then dying in battle for Sparta. Most other city-states feared Sparta because if they decided to attack, they were probably going to be successful. Sparta viewed Ares as their patron god, meaning their main god they worshipped. Sparta even made human sacrifices to Ares, that he would look favorably on them and lead them to victory in their campaigns. To the Spartans Ares was the god of battle and battle tactics, they did not look to Athena for that. Outside of Sparta, there was not a lot of worshipping of Ares in Greece. Some armies would make sacrifices to him, hoping for success during their battles, but for the most part Ares plays little role in Greek mythology. Instead Greeks feared the chaos, violence, and death that came with war. Even though wars were often common for many Greek city-states, this did not mean that they enjoyed them. Many Greeks would much rather avoid Ares and his violent influences altogether if they could. Even among the other gods on Mount Olympus Ares is seen as something of an outcast. Even his own father Zeus traditionally hated him and the chaos he brought with him.

Name: Close Reading of ARTEMIS Directions: Look through the questions at the end of the reading to see what your purpose is while reading. Once you know what questions you are answering, go through and read the article. Be sure to utilize the Interacting with the Text Menu to know how to mark up your reading as you go. This will also help you use evidence to support your answers as you answer the questions. Interacting the Text Menu: Highlight or Underline key points and answers to the questions. Circle unknown words that need defining then define them in the notes section. Put a Star next to important sections in the reading. Put a? next to things that don t make sense in the reading. Use the side margin to write down any notes, such as definitions to the words you circled. Reading: ARTEMIS. When we talk about ancient Greece we are talking about a number of different individual civilizations and city-states that all established themselves on the Greek mainland and the different islands that surrounded Greece. Some of these civilizations, such as the Minoans and Mycenae were in the Greek area as early as 3000 BCE. These civilizations continued to grow and interact with each other until around 30 BCE. During those almost three thousand year many different religious beliefs, customs, and stories gathered together to create a religion we call Greek mythology. Greek mythology recognized twelve main gods, or Olympian gods, who controlled different aspects of nature and were responsible for a number of lesser gods and immortals as well. Greek mythology and the religions built around it were the ancient Greek s way to better explain the world around them; where storms came from, why the summer was hot and winter cold, how Notes/Annotations

to ensure good crops, or even explain the moving stars, sun, and moon in the sky. Artemis is the god of the hunt, forests, the moon, and archery. She is one of the twelve main Olympian gods that live on Mount Olympus. Her father was Zeus and she had a twin brother, Apollo, who was also an Olympian god. Artemis was often depicted as a young woman in simple robes. Her symbols included bows and arrows, deer, hunting dogs, and the moon. Artemis was also known as a virgin god, meaning she would never sleep with a man. This in part led Artemis to be associated with the protection of young girls and children as well as easing mothers that are in pain during childbirth. As a child god of Zeus, Artemis always seemed to enjoy his favor. Zeus wife, Hera, was not her mother though, so Artemis often times had to deal with Hera s wrath because her and her brother Apollo were daily reminders that Zeus had cheated on her with another women. One story explains that as a child Hera had punished Artemis, so Artemis went to Zeus to be soothed. Zeus agreed to grant Artemis any wishes she wanted. Artemis wished to always be a virgin, have a bow with arrows, and to have a group of mortal girls that could accompany her on her hunts in the woods. It seems that Artemis never sought after temples or cities where she could be worshipped; instead she focused on the wild and natural beauty of the forests and the joy of the hunt. Artemis only spent time with her girls that were part of her hunting party. The only man Artemis was ever interested in was a skilled mortal bow hunter named Orion. Orion and Artemis would go hunting together. One day Artemis brother, Apollo, approached Orion while Artemis was away and challenged him to a swimming contest. Orion went into the sea and began swimming. When Artemis returned Apollo challenged her to an archery contest, point to a small object in the sea and telling her that she couldn t hit it. Artemis took her bow and arrow and hit the object perfectly, not knowing that it was Orion her brother had tricked her into shooting. When Artemis found out she was so upset that she immortalized Orion by putting him into the stars, and to this day Orion and Orion s belt is one of the most popular constellations in the sky. Artemis represented the wild and feminine aspect to nature. Her virginity showed her innocence and her desire to enjoy the fun and simple things in like, which is hunting and running around in the woods. Artemis helped children, particularly little girls, find a place within Greek society and showed that women could be strong and independent without a lot of interference from men.

Questions: Answer each question by using evidence directly from the reading. Please answer questions on a separate sheet of paper. 1) Read through your article and circle any unknown words. Use a dictionary and write the definitions to those words in your margins. 2) Read through your article a second time. This time underline or highlight at least one important point made in each paragraph. 3) What was your god the god of to the ancient Greeks? 4) What are some of the symbols associated with your god? 5) Why do you think your god would have been so important to the ancient Greeks? Why would they have worshipped your god? 6) The different gods usually helped the ancient Greeks better understand things about nature and how the world works. What things did your god help the ancient Greeks better understand about our world?

Name: Close Reading of ATHENA Directions: Look through the questions at the end of the reading to see what your purpose is while reading. Once you know what questions you are answering, go through and read the article. Be sure to utilize the Interacting with the Text Menu to know how to mark up your reading as you go. This will also help you use evidence to support your answers as you answer the questions. Interacting the Text Menu: Highlight or Underline key points and answers to the questions. Circle unknown words that need defining then define them in the notes section. Put a Star next to important sections in the reading. Put a? next to things that don t make sense in the reading. Use the side margin to write down any notes, such as definitions to the words you circled. Reading: ATHENA. When we talk about ancient Greece we are talking about a number of different individual civilizations and city-states that all established themselves on the Greek mainland and the different islands that surrounded Greece. Some of these civilizations, such as the Minoans and Mycenae were in the Greek area as early as 3000 BCE. These civilizations continued to grow and interact with each other until around 30 BCE. During those almost three thousand year many different religious beliefs, customs, and stories gathered together to create a religion we call Greek mythology. Greek mythology recognized twelve main gods, or Olympian gods, who controlled different aspects of nature and were responsible for a number of lesser gods and immortals as well. Greek mythology and the religions built around it were the ancient Greek s way to better explain the world around them; where storms came from, why the summer was hot and winter cold, how to ensure good crops, or even explain the moving stars, sun, and moon in Notes/Annotations

the sky. Athena is the god of wisdom and military strategy. She is one of the twelve main Olympian gods of Greek mythology that live on Mount Olympus. She is supposed to be the favorite daughter of Zeus. Athena was born from Zeus when he one day had a terrible headache. As a result Ares splits Zeus head open with an axe. Out of Zeus head came a fully grown Athena, dressed in her battle armor. So it seems that the god of wisdom and intelligence was born directly through pure thought by Zeus. In art and literature Athena is almost always depicted wearing a battle helmet or wearing some other armor. Athena s main symbols are owls, olive trees, snakes, armor, helmets, and spears. In Greek mythology Athena is portrayed as the clever companion of heroes, assisting them on their heroic journeys. Athena plays a major role in beginning the legendary Trojan War that is described in the epic poem The Iliad by Homer. Athena is offended by Paris of Troy when he affirms that Aphrodite is more beautiful than both herself and Hera, the queen of the gods. As a result, Athena and Hera stirred the Greeks up to anger and caused them to come against Troy in war. Once the Trojan War was over the journey home by Odysseus was described in Homer s The Odyssey. Odysseus met many challenges and trials on his way home due to the fact that Poseidon was angered with Odysseus and did all he could to prevent him from getting home. Athena favors Odysseus because he was a brave and intelligent hero. She helped him along his journey, and when Odysseus got home, Athena had a clever plan to reunite Odysseus with his wife. He had been gone for ten years and many men had moved into his home wanting to marry his wife because they thought Odysseus was dead. Athena disguised Odysseus appearance so he could walk among the men, find his son, and work together with his son and his servants to get the men out of his home and finally reunite himself with his wife. Ancient Greek civilizations had a number of great thinkers; philosophers like Plato and Socrates, mathematicians like Pathageros, great writers like Homer, and even early medical thinkers like Hippocrates. Greece was a place where intelligence was a sought after thing. Greece established some of the first colleges and made many important contributions to man s early understanding of science. Because of this Athena is viewed as an important god because her very nature represents what ancient Greece was supposed to be all about. The city-state of Athens, one of the cultural centers of ancient Greece was even named after Athena and had her as their main god they worshipped. The Greeks saw themselves superior to their ancient neighbors because of their intelligence and their level of thinking when

it came to things like philosophy and even strategic military thinking. As a result, Athena became a vital god to the ancient Greeks as they looked to her to help drive their own intellectual abilities. Questions: Answer each question by using evidence directly from the reading. Please answer questions on a separate sheet of paper. 1) Read through your article and circle any unknown words. Use a dictionary and write the definitions to those words in your margins. 2) Read through your article a second time. This time underline or highlight at least one important point made in each paragraph. 3) What was your god the god of to the ancient Greeks? 4) What are some of the symbols associated with your god? 5) Why do you think your god would have been so important to the ancient Greeks? Why would they have worshipped your god? 6) The different gods usually helped the ancient Greeks better understand things about nature and how the world works. What things did your god help the ancient Greeks better understand about our world?

Name: Close Reading of DEMETER Directions: Look through the questions at the end of the reading to see what your purpose is while reading. Once you know what questions you are answering, go through and read the article. Be sure to utilize the Interacting with the Text Menu to know how to mark up your reading as you go. This will also help you use evidence to support your answers as you answer the questions. Interacting the Text Menu: Highlight or Underline key points and answers to the questions. Circle unknown words that need defining then define them in the notes section. Put a Star next to important sections in the reading. Put a? next to things that don t make sense in the reading. Use the side margin to write down any notes, such as definitions to the words you circled. Reading: DEMETER. When we talk about ancient Greece we are talking about a number of different individual civilizations and city-states that all established themselves on the Greek mainland and the different islands that surrounded Greece. Some of these civilizations, such as the Minoans and Mycenae were in the Greek area as early as 3000 BCE. These civilizations continued to grow and interact with each other until around 30 BCE. During those almost three thousand year many different religious beliefs, customs, and stories gathered together to create a religion we call Greek mythology. Greek mythology recognized twelve main gods, or Olympian gods, who controlled different aspects of nature and were responsible for a number of lesser gods and immortals as well. Greek mythology and the religions built around it were the ancient Greek s way to better explain the world around them; where storms came from, why the summer was hot and winter cold, how to ensure good crops, or even explain the moving stars, sun, and moon in Notes/Annotations

the sky. Demeter is the god of agriculture, law, and the harvest. She is one of the main twelve Olympian gods of Greek mythology that lives on Mount Olympus. Demeter is the sister of Zeus, the king of the gods. When Demeter and her other siblings were born, their father Cronus ate them because he was afraid that one of his children would rise up against him. When Zeus was born he was able to avoid getting eaten. When he grew up he fought Cronus, and made him throw up all the children he had eaten, including Demeter. Shortly after that Zeus became king of the gods and he gave Demeter the responsibility of agriculture and the harvest. The main symbols of Demeter are cornucopias, wheat, torches, and bread. Greece is a rocky and mountainous country. There is not a lot of land available to grow wheat and grains. Only a little land was good enough to grown food, so it was vital that they had good and reliable harvests from those crops to feed the people. Demeter was an important god to the Greeks because they relied on her to bring them good and healthy crops. Demeter was also seen as the god of law because agriculture has traditionally been one of the first indicators of organized civilizations establishing. Having farming means people are gathering together in city-states, which means the need for laws and rules. The Greeks saw a connection between farming and the need for laws, which is why Demeter was over both. Demeter worship took place by farmers as well as other Greek citizens because everyone relied on good harvests to feed themselves. Annual harvest festivals took place during the year to celebrate when the wheat and grains were ready to be gathered. These festivals would always include sacrifices and praises to Demeter. Demeter had a daughter named Persephone, who was abducted by Hades, the god of the underworld. The seasons stopped changing while Demeter looked for her daughter. Zeus sent Hermes, the messenger god of Mount Olympus to Hades to have him release Persephone. Hades agreed, but he tricked Persephone into eating a pomegranate seed as she left. This meant that Persephone would have to leave her home with Demeter and return to live with Hades for one third of each year. Persephone goes down to live in the underworld during the winter months each year, when nothing grows for farmers and spring does not return until Persephone s time in the underworld ends and she is able to come back home. This myth helps Greeks explain the changing seasons and why there are warm and cold seasons during the year. The god Demeter reminded Greek people how connected to the land they were. A successful harvest was vital to their survival so they

would have food to eat. Agriculture brought with it the ability for citystates to establish and grow. Agriculture meant food and survival. Without it, there would be no cities, no governments, and no civilization. Because of this the ancient Greeks recognized the importance of Demeter in their lives. Questions: Answer each question by using evidence directly from the reading. Please answer questions on a separate sheet of paper. 1) Read through your article and circle any unknown words. Use a dictionary and write the definitions to those words in your margins. 2) Read through your article a second time. This time underline or highlight at least one important point made in each paragraph. 3) What was your god the god of to the ancient Greeks? 4) What are some of the symbols associated with your god? 5) Why do you think your god would have been so important to the ancient Greeks? Why would they have worshipped your god? 6) The different gods usually helped the ancient Greeks better understand things about nature and how the world works. What things did your god help the ancient Greeks better understand about our world?

Name: Close Reading of DIONYSUS Directions: Look through the questions at the end of the reading to see what your purpose is while reading. Once you know what questions you are answering, go through and read the article. Be sure to utilize the Interacting with the Text Menu to know how to mark up your reading as you go. This will also help you use evidence to support your answers as you answer the questions. Interacting the Text Menu: Highlight or Underline key points and answers to the questions. Circle unknown words that need defining then define them in the notes section. Put a Star next to important sections in the reading. Put a? next to things that don t make sense in the reading. Use the side margin to write down any notes, such as definitions to the words you circled. Reading: DIONYSUS. When we talk about ancient Greece we are talking about a number of different individual civilizations and city-states that all established themselves on the Greek mainland and the different islands that surrounded Greece. Some of these civilizations, such as the Minoans and Mycenae were in the Greek area as early as 3000 BCE. These civilizations continued to grow and interact with each other until around 30 BCE. During those almost three thousand year many different religious beliefs, customs, and stories gathered together to create a religion we call Greek mythology. Greek mythology recognized twelve main gods, or Olympian gods, who controlled different aspects of nature and were responsible for a number of lesser gods and immortals as well. Greek mythology and the religions built around it were the ancient Greek s way to better explain the world around them; where storms came from, why the summer was hot and winter cold, how to ensure good crops, or even explain the moving stars, sun, and moon in the sky. Notes/Annotations

Dionysus was the god of wine, partying and madness, fertility, and the theater. He was one of the twelve main Olympian gods in Greek mythology that lived on Mount Olympus. Dionysus was a son of Zeus, and was the youngest of the Olympian gods. Dionysus was depicted in art as a full grown man with a beard, a fair looking young man, or a young boy. Besides wine and partying, Dionysus is often associated with nature as well and the worship of Dionysus usually took the form of nature worship. The main symbols associated with Dionysus are the grapevine, leopard skin, panthers, and cheetahs. Zeus, the king of the gods was the father of Dionysus, but his mother was a mortal women. Zeus wife was Hera, the queen of the gods. Hera was always very jealous god and would often try to curse the women that Zeus would sleep with and the children he would have with those women. Because of that, when Dionysus was born Zeus gave the baby to Hermes, the messenger god of Mount Olympus, and had him take the baby to be raised in the forest by forest spirits so Hera wouldn t find him and try to curse him. As Dionysus grew he learned how to grow grapes and turn them into wine. As a god Dionysus wandered around much of Greece and Asia, spreading his knowledge of growing grapes and his love of the madness that is often associated with excessive drunkenness. In one story Dionysus appreciated a favor that King Midas did for him, and promised to grant King Midas any wish he wanted. King Midas wished to have anything he touched turn to gold. Midas was so excited about his new power that he had a large feast in his castle. During the feast though, he accidently touched his daughter, turning her into gold. Heartbroken, Midas begged Dionysus to remove the gift. Dionysus agreed, and had Midas wash in a nearby river, and his golden touch was washed away. The harvesting of grapes to manufacture wine was culturally significant to the ancient Greeks. During a time in history when fresh water could not be stored or kept clean for long periods of time, fermented beverages such as wine became the main beverage of choice for most people because it was actually safer to drink than water. Wine could loosen people up, bringing out in people the desire to dance, sing, and to socialize. Because of all of this Dionysus is known as a liberating god. Followers of Dionysus were expected to worshipping him by forgetting the rules and throw parties that allow people to do whatever they want to. Dionysus represented to the ancient Greeks the nature of what can happen to people when they get drunk and that desire within most people to cut loose and forget the rules and social conventions every once in a while.

Questions: Answer each question by using evidence directly from the reading. Please answer questions on a separate sheet of paper. 1) Read through your article and circle any unknown words. Use a dictionary and write the definitions to those words in your margins. 2) Read through your article a second time. This time underline or highlight at least one important point made in each paragraph. 3) What was your god the god of to the ancient Greeks? 4) What are some of the symbols associated with your god? 5) Why do you think your god would have been so important to the ancient Greeks? Why would they have worshipped your god? 6) The different gods usually helped the ancient Greeks better understand things about nature and how the world works. What things did your god help the ancient Greeks better understand about our world?

Name: Close Reading of HEPHAESTUS Directions: Look through the questions at the end of the reading to see what your purpose is while reading. Once you know what questions you are answering, go through and read the article. Be sure to utilize the Interacting with the Text Menu to know how to mark up your reading as you go. This will also help you use evidence to support your answers as you answer the questions. Interacting the Text Menu: Highlight or Underline key points and answers to the questions. Circle unknown words that need defining then define them in the notes section. Put a Star next to important sections in the reading. Put a? next to things that don t make sense in the reading. Use the side margin to write down any notes, such as definitions to the words you circled. Reading: HEPHAESTUS. When we talk about ancient Greece we are talking about a number of different individual civilizations and city-states that all established themselves on the Greek mainland and the different islands that surrounded Greece. Some of these civilizations, such as the Minoans and Mycenae were in the Greek area as early as 3000 BCE. These civilizations continued to grow and interact with each other until around 30 BCE. During those almost three thousand year many different religious beliefs, customs, and stories gathered together to create a religion we call Greek mythology. Greek mythology recognized twelve main gods, or Olympian gods, who controlled different aspects of nature and were responsible for a number of lesser gods and immortals as well. Greek mythology and the religions built around it were the ancient Greek s way to better explain the world around them; where storms came from, why the summer was hot and winter cold, how to ensure good crops, or even explain the moving stars, sun, and moon in the sky. Hephaestus was the god of fire, metalworking, stone working, and Notes/Annotations

sculpting. Hephaestus is one of the twelve main Olympian gods in Greek mythology that lives on Mount Olympus. Hephaestus is the child of Zeus and Hera, the king and queen of the Greek gods. As the god of fire and metalworking, Hephaestus was the one who would make all of the armor and weapons for the gods. He worked as a blacksmith for the gods and created weapons and armor of amazing quality that was unmatched by anything made by mortals. In Greek myths, anytime there is magical or significant armor and weapons mentioned, such as Hermes flying sandals or Heracles armor, it was usually made by Hephaestus. The symbols most associated with Hephaestus were the hammer and anvil. When Hephaestus was born he had a deformed foot. Because of this his mother, Hera, tossed him out of Mount Olympus. He fell for an entire day before crashing down to earth. This event caused Hephaestus to be called the lame god due to the fact that he walked with a limp ever since then. While all the other gods are typically described as beautiful and majestic, Hephaestus has always been described as ugly and rough looking, with a bushy beard and a limp in his walk. Hephaestus was raised on earth before eventually returning to live on Mount Olympus. To get revenge on his mother Hera he built her a golden throne that would trap her in it whenever she sat down. Only Hephaestus himself could release her from the chair, which he was tricked into doing by the god of wine, Dionysus. The skills of working with your hands and creating things in embodied in the god Hephaestus. These skills were seen by the ancient Greeks as very manly skills, so Hephaestus was seen as a manly god who represented what a real man should be able to do. Hephaestus was also married to the Olympian god Aphrodite, who was the god of beauty and was supposed to be the most beautiful women in existence. Aphrodite was often unfaithful to Hephaestus and would cheat on him while he was busy working at his blacksmith forge. Hephaestus would build traps to catch Aphrodite, such as beds that would trap Aphrodite and her lovers so all the gods could see and make fun of her. While Hephaestus was not usually depicted as a jealous husband, he did seem to enjoy embarrassing his wife and the men she would sleep with. The ancient Greeks were very good at working with metals to create weapons, armors, and tools. They would mine some metals and trade with neighboring areas for other metals that they could work with. Ancient Greek sculptors were also extremely skilled in the carving of marble and stone into sculptors as well as magnificent buildings and architecture. Amongst all of this art and skilled labor the Greeks would have looked towards Hephaestus as the god to influence

and guide them in the manipulating of stone and metal into beautiful pieces of art, useful tools, or magnificent buildings Questions: Answer each question by using evidence directly from the reading. Please answer questions on a separate sheet of paper. 1) Read through your article and circle any unknown words. Use a dictionary and write the definitions to those words in your margins. 2) Read through your article a second time. This time underline or highlight at least one important point made in each paragraph. 3) What was your god the god of to the ancient Greeks? 4) What are some of the symbols associated with your god? 5) Why do you think your god would have been so important to the ancient Greeks? Why would they have worshipped your god? 6) The different gods usually helped the ancient Greeks better understand things about nature and how the world works. What things did your god help the ancient Greeks better understand about our world?

Name: Close Reading of HERA Directions: Look through the questions at the end of the reading to see what your purpose is while reading. Once you know what questions you are answering, go through and read the article. Be sure to utilize the Interacting with the Text Menu to know how to mark up your reading as you go. This will also help you use evidence to support your answers as you answer the questions. Interacting the Text Menu: Highlight or Underline key points and answers to the questions. Circle unknown words that need defining then define them in the notes section. Put a Star next to important sections in the reading. Put a? next to things that don t make sense in the reading. Use the side margin to write down any notes, such as definitions to the words you circled. Reading: HERA. When we talk about ancient Greece we are talking about a number of different individual civilizations and city-states that all established themselves on the Greek mainland and the different islands that surrounded Greece. Some of these civilizations, such as the Minoans and Mycenae were in the Greek area as early as 3000 BCE. These civilizations continued to grow and interact with each other until around 30 BCE. During those almost three thousand year many different religious beliefs, customs, and stories gathered together to create a religion we call Greek mythology. Greek mythology recognized twelve main gods, or Olympian gods, who controlled different aspects of nature and were responsible for a number of lesser gods and immortals as well. Greek mythology and the religions built around it were the ancient Greek s way to better explain the world around them; where storms came from, why the summer was hot and winter cold, how to ensure good crops, or even explain the moving stars, sun, and moon in the sky. Hera is the wife of Zeus, and as such is considered the Queen of Notes/Annotations

the Greek gods since Zeus is the King of the gods. Hera is the god of marriage, women, and childbirth. Hera is one of the original Greek gods, being the sister of Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hestia, and Zeus (also her husband). Hera, along with her siblings, were all eaten by their father Cronus when they were born because Cronus feared that one of his children would rise up and overpower him someday. Zeus, the last born child avoided getting eaten, and when he grew up he was able fight off Cronus, and get him to release Hera and her siblings, who were all trapped inside Cronus stomach. Shortly after Zeus became the King of the gods, and took Hera as his queen. The symbols of Hera were the pomegranate fruit, the peacock, the cow, and the lily flower. Hera is depicted in art and literature as a beautiful god who has a very majestic look, though is often very solemn. She is sometimes described as having a crown on her head. Hera s husband, Zeus, is famously known for seeking after and sleeping with other women, having many children with these women. Hera is traditionally a very jealous god and is known to take her vengeance out on either the women Zeus sleeps with or on their children. A lot of Hera s anger and jealousy came from the fact that she was the god of marriage and hated to see affairs happen outside of marriage. Even the great Greek hero Heracles (Known to the Romans and Hercules), who was a child that Zeus had with a mortal women, was hated by Hera. When Heracles was a baby Hera sent two snakes into his crib to kill him, but the baby instead killed the snakes because he had the strength of the gods. The stories of Heracles and his adventures often include Hera trying to prevent his success or punish him in some way. Some of the first temples to the gods built in ancient Greece are believed to be temples built to Hera around 800 BCE. This has led some historians to believe that some of the earliest Greek city-states may have been Matriarchal societies. This means that women, instead of men would have been the leaders of the people. This would explain why Hera was such an important god to these early people. In many city-states in ancient Greece, governments strived to establish strong societies that would grow, prosper, and be able to protect themselves against other city-states that might try to attack them. Part of that included establishing strong cultural values, such as marriage and family. Many Greeks lived in societies where men were expected to have multiple sexual partners, both men and women. Within this kind of culture Hera was a much needed god because she embodied the idea that men needed to honor their wives and families. The god Hera also demonstrates the power of women to be an anchor in their home and in their responsibilities to keep their families together.

Name: Close Reading of HERMES 2014 The Teaching Thompsons Directions: Look through the questions at the end of the reading to see what your purpose is while reading. Once you know what questions you are answering, go through and read the article. Be sure to utilize the Interacting with the Text Menu to know how to mark up your reading as you go. This will also help you use evidence to support your answers as you answer the questions. Interacting the Text Menu: Highlight or Underline key points and answers to the questions. Circle unknown words that need defining then define them in the notes section. Put a Star next to important sections in the reading. Put a? next to things that don t make sense in the reading. Use the side margin to write down any notes, such as definitions to the words you circled. Reading: HERMES. When we talk about ancient Greece we are talking about a number of different individual civilizations and city-states that all established themselves on the Greek mainland and the different islands that surrounded Greece. Some of these civilizations, such as the Minoans and Mycenae were in the Greek area as early as 3000 BCE. These civilizations continued to grow and interact with each other until around 30 BCE. During those almost three thousand year many different religious beliefs, customs, and stories gathered together to create a religion we call Greek mythology. Greek mythology recognized twelve main gods, or Olympian gods, who controlled different aspects of nature and were responsible for a number of lesser gods and immortals as well. Greek mythology and the religions built around it were the ancient Greek s way to better explain the world around them; where storms came from, why the summer was hot and winter cold, how to ensure good crops, or even explain the moving stars, sun, and moon in the sky. Hermes is the messenger of the gods. He is also himself the god of trade, thieves, and sports. Hermes is one of the twelve main Notes/Annotations