Greek mythology | English homework help

In lieu of a written exam, for this second midterm assessment you will work on a creative project. The project you create should clearly demonstrate your understanding of classical myth, while the assignment in general will give you the opportunity to offer your own interpretation of a myth of your choice.

Instructions

Part I: Creative Project (showing a clear interpretation of a myth)

Choose one myth or a series of related myths and develop a creative telling or interpretation of the chosen myth(s). The form that this creative project takes should be based in your interests and talents, though it should clearly convey the stories (or aspects of the stories) of the myth(s) you are telling and offer a creative interpretation. For example, if you choose to perform a song from 
Hadestown, you should have some elements of costume, staging, filmography, etc. that highlight your take on the song or your reading of the myth. Some suggestions of creative projects are listed below (but please feel free to think beyond this list):

· create a podcast centering around a myth or figure(s) from myth

· create a short film interpreting one myth or several related myths

· create an original work of art that interprets a myth (using the medium and materials of your choice)

· 3-D print a statue, building, or object relating to classical myth (NOTE: you must include a discussion of your process of 3-D design and printing in your write-up)

· perform an existing song or dance that treats a topic from classical myth (e.g. Schubert’s “Ganymed” or a short piece from Martha Graham’s 
Cave of the Heart)

· perform a monologue or scene from a play that treats classical myth (e.g. Aeschylus’ 
Agamemnon,or Shakespeare’s 
Troilus and Cressida)

· create a 3-D space within a video game or on a website that interprets a space related to classical myth

· create a Twitter feed related to a myth with posts by characters featured in the myth (feel free to reimagine the characters in the modern day, if you so choose)

Part II: One Paragraph Write-Up (giving a description of your project and how it interprets the myth(s) you chose)

Along with your creative project, you will need to submit a one-paragraph description of your project and how, through your project, you convey your own interpretation of a classical myth or myths. Please be sure to follow the formatting guidelines below.

Formatting

It is essential that you follow the expected formatting requirements. Failure to follow these requirements will result in penalties.

Your write-up must have the following characteristics:

· Your name and the course title in the upper left hand corner

· 1 paragraph pages, double-spaced

· 12 pt. Times New Roman font

· 1” margins

· A project title, underlined or italicized

· The document should be in one of the following formats: Microsoft Word document (*.doc or *.docx), PDF file (*.pdf), RTF file (*.rtf)

Myth: Hermes and the Cattle of Apollo

Shortly after inventing the lyre, Hermes gets ravenously hungry for meat. Leaving his new invention in his cradle, he goes out in search of some cattle. He comes upon a herd belonging to the god Apollo and devises a trick to steal them. First, he invents the 
talaria—sandals fastened around the ankles that will mask his footprints. Then, he drives the cattle backwards from their enclosure so that Apollo will not be able to see where he has taken them.

As he drives the cattle, Hermes encounters an old man working in a vineyard. He asks the man to forget everything he has seen and heard so that he can get away with his theft. Hermes later kills two of the cattle to eat, hiding the rest in a cave. He hurries back to his cradle and pretends to be the picture of innocence.

The old man, however, eventually reveals to Apollo that he saw a baby with sandals driving the god’s cattle backwards. Apollo is furious and confronts Zeus and Maia about their son’s theft. Hermes himself replies with the following:

“Son of Leto, what do you mean by these harsh words, coming here in search of cattle that dwell in the fields? I haven’t seen them, I haven’t inquired, I haven’t been told. I couldn’t tell you where they are, or earn a reward for it. I don’t look like a cattle rustler, a strong man. That isn’t my business, I’m more interested in other things: what I’m interested in is sleeping, and my mother’s milk, and having wrappings round my shoulders, and warm baths. I hope no one comes to hear what this dispute was about; it would astonish the immortals, the idea of a newborn child coming through the porch with cattle that dwell in the fields. That’s nonsense you’re talking. I was born yesterday, my feet are tender, and it’s rough ground beneath. If you like, I’ll swear a big oath, by my father’s head: I promise I’m not to blame personally, and I haven’t seen anyone else stealing your cows—whatever cows they are, I’ve only heard talk of them.”

[1]

Seeing right through Hermes’ lies, the king of the gods ultimately decides to intervene to settle the dispute. He orders his young son to show Apollo where he has hidden the cattle. Hermes acts as a guide—establishing his role as a god who guides travelers—and shows Apollo his cattle, minus the two cows he had eaten. In recompense for his tricks, Hermes offers Apollo his new musical invention: the lyre. Apollo, being the god of music, is taken by this beautiful instrument and happily accepts it. He even grants Hermes the rest of the cattle he had stolen. Hermes is given a staff to drive the herd—his famous 
caduceus. It is from this story that Hermes is also associated both with thievery and with trade; he steals someone else’s property, but successfully enacts an exchange to atone for his crimes.

 


[1]
 
Homeric Hymns. Homeric Apocrypha. Lives of Homer. Edited and translated by Martin L. West. Loeb Classical Library 496. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003.

Extra facts: Apollo’s birth

The gods Artemis and Apollo were born from the union of Zeus and the goddess Leto. Leto was the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe—gods of celestial bodies (it is after their grandmother Phoebe that Apollo is often called Pheobus and Artemis is called Phoebe). When Leto gets pregnant by Zeus, she has to flee the wrath of Hera, and she wanders all over the earth searching for a place to give birth. Yet as she visits city after city and island after island, each place turns her away in fear of Hera’s wrath.

While Leto is in labor, she finally reaches the island of Delos. She begs this island to receive her, promising that her son Apollo will build a mighty temple on the island, which will bring visitors from everywhere on earth and become one of the most renowned religious sites. The island makes Leto swear to this before finally receiving her and allowing her to give birth.

Yet Leto’s troubles were not yet over. For nine days and nine nights, she was beset by the pains of labor without any child coming. Although many powerful goddesses attended her, Eileithyia the goddess of childbirth was held back by Hera and could not bring Leto’s children into the world. The goddesses on Delos who attended Leto’s birth sent Iris, Hera’s messenger, to find Eileithyia and bring her to Leto’s aid. Iris was successful, and the queen of the gods was thwarted. With Eileithyia’s help, Leto gave birth to the twin gods Artemis and Apollo.

Artemis herself is a goddess of childbirth (like both Hera and Eileithyia), and in some versions of the myth she is born first and aids in the birth of Apollo. Since their birth takes place on a mountain on Delos called Mt. Cynthus, Apollo is sometimes called Cynthian Apollo and Artemis called Cynthia.







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