updated 9-03-03
Chapter 4
Myths of Creation
pages 75-97, 128-133
25 points possible
This is a long reading assignment. Don't worry about
memorizing the names or battles. Instead, simply read through the stories
for pleasure and adventure. Don't worry if you find more than one
version of the same story. Don't forget to look at the pictures.
*****
1. (5) How does your dictionary define the word
"primordial"
2. (15) Once you've read the stories, you'll notice 3 major patterns
called "themes."
a. Order begins to emerge from confusion.
How
do the children of Gaea (the mother earth) illustrate this theme? Notice
also that Themis, the only primordial deity who joins Zeus in the battle against
the Titans,
represents "Law," a concept which puts limits on human behaviors, thus
making civilization possible.
b. The gods and goddesses begin to seem more familiar in
their names, their shapes, and their qualities. How does comparing and
contrasting Chaos and Zeus illustrate this theme?
c. All beings in the cosmos are driven by a primal urge
to create new creatures and populate the earth.
What primordial
deity represents this primal urge? What is the nature of this urge?
3. (5) Some important minor patterns, called "motifs" also emerge:
a) the rivalry between fathers and
sons
b) the goddesses' gradual loss of
power to the gods
c) the need to control fearsome
creatures
d) the need to control
destructive natural forces
e) the use of brains vs brawn in
overcoming adversaries
Choose one incident and explain how it illustrates one
of these motifs.
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