2. Pegasus was used to help kill the fearsome monster called the Chimaera, which had the body and head of a fire-breathing _______, a goat's head in the middle of its back, and a snake for a tail.

3. Jason was the hero who set out to retrieve the Golden Fleece from whom?

4. How was Achilles killed by Paris?

5. Baucis and Philemon were an old couple who showed good hospitality towards ________________ when they visited them disguised as mortals.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why were the Greek gods worshiped? How does this reason compare to the reasons one might worship a god today?

2. Describe the appearance and behavior of the Greek gods. What does this reflect, regarding the attitude towards mankind?

3. Describe Greek heroes. What was the most common flaw? Is this a common flaw in humanity? Why or why not?

4. Who won the Trojan War? How did they win? What do their successful tactics say about them?

5. Overall, what were the initial roles of the Greek and Roman gods? How might this have been beneficial for mankind?

6. How did Medea help Jason? Why did she help him? Should she have helped him? Why or why not?

7. What led to the Trojan War? Was this war necessary? Why or why not?

8. What lesson can be learned about the power of the gods from these stories? Is this lesson still relevant today? Why or why not?

9. How did Hercules purify himself? Do you see this as being necessary? Why or why not?

10. How were Homeric heroes different from earlier Greek heroes? What does this say about the Greeks at the time?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

According to the Greeks, in the beginning their was only chaos.

Part 1) Describe the main stories of creation and the birth of man, according to Greek mythology. How do these stories compare to each other? What might be the reasons for differences between these stories?

Part 2) How do these stories compare to the creation stories found in world religions today? What might be the reason for any similarities? Are you surprised by these similarities? Why or why not?

Part 3) What are your beliefs regarding the creation of the universe and the birth of man? From where do your beliefs come? How has your culture influenced your beliefs regarding creation? How important is one's culture to one's beliefs? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

There are two families discussed in this book who suffer greatly.

Part 1) Who are these two families? How did they become so unlucky? Were they deserving of this bad luck? Why or why not? Could this luck have been avoided? If so, how? If not, why not? Could anyone in these families have stopped the passing along of bad luck? If so, how? If not, why not?

Part 2) What do these stories say about those who act poorly and offend the gods? What do these stories also say about the gods themselves? In our own culture, do we believe that bad luck can be passed down through a family? Why or why not?

Part 3) Do you believe in luck? Why or why not? How did you come to have this belief? How does this belief influence your daily decisions and actions? Might your belief regarding luck ever change? If so, how? If not, why not?

Essay Topic 3

Tragedy was often a part of Greek mythology.

Part 1) Describe four myths that one would consider tragic. What led to tragedy in each of these myths? How does the tragedy found in each myth compare to the tragedy found in the others?

Part 2) What is the purpose of this tragedy? What does it reveal about the Greeks? What lessons can still be learned from this tragedy today? Do tragedies such as this exist in contemporary literature? Why or why not?

Part 3) Do you believe that tragic tales are necessary for a culture? Why or why not? Is there a focus on tragedy in American literature? Why or why not? What does this say about Americans and their view of tragedy and loss?

(see the answer keys)

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