Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is a “myth”? What do you know about the myths of Ancient Greece?

Teaching Suggestion: Students are likely to have reasonably accurate definitions of the term “myth” from their own prior knowledge. You might challenge more advanced students to think about some of the political and cultural assumptions embedded in the term. Although students may already know some of the main gods and goddesses in these stories and be familiar with some of the stories themselves, they are unlikely to have a solid grasp of the overall nature of Greek myth. The resources below can add to and refine their understanding of Greek myth as a unified body of work.

• This entry from LiteraryTerms.net offers a clear definition of “myth” as a literary term and gives a brief overview of Greek myth as an example.
• This factsheet from Manitoba’s Education and Early Childhood Learning Department offers a succinct overview of the characteristics of Ancient Greek myth.

2. What do you know about Ancient Greek culture? What do you know about Ancient Greek religious beliefs?

Teaching Suggestion: Students’ knowledge of Ancient Greek culture and religion may vary widely, depending on their backgrounds. You can offer them the resources below to make sure that everyone is armed with basic background knowledge that will increase their understanding of the significance of the stories in Evslin’s collection.

• This 4-minute video from National Geographic gives an overview of Ancient Greek culture. [Content Warning: Art included in this video contains partial nudity and may not be appropriate for all teaching environments.]
• This 5-minute video from TED-Ed offers insight into the daily lives of ancient Athenians.
• This 3-minute video from National Geographic offers an overview of Ancient Greek religion.
• This 5-minute video from TED-Ed shares what the life of a Delphic oracle was like.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the book.

Do you have a favorite Greek myth? If not, what is a myth from another culture that you particularly enjoy? What about this myth do you find especially appealing?

Teaching Suggestion: Some students will have a favorite Greek myth, but others may need prompting about other mythic traditions. You can remind them that they might have encountered stories from Norse, Celtic, Egyptian, African, Hindu, Japanese, Native American, or many other traditions in things they have read, viewed, or played. This question is particularly well-suited to class discussion, as hearing that stories others have encountered and enjoyed will help students appreciate the continuing influence of many traditional stories. If you do have students discuss aloud, you may want to establish guidelines for the respectful discussion of cultural stories, as dismissive attitudes toward these stories can negatively impact students who cherish them as part of their identity.