The Nature of Myth, Powell, Ch 1:

• divine myth, legend, folktale, traditional story, oral vs. written

Creation Myths, Leonard, Ch 2, Powell, Ch 4-5, pdfs

• know the following:
  • Dogon (all & humans): Amma, Jackal, Nummo, Earth
  • Norse (all & humans): Niflheim, Muspelheim, Ymer (or Ymir), Odin, Vili, Ve
  • Greek (all): Chaos, Gaea, Eros, Uranus, Cronus, Rhea, Cyclopes, sickle, Aphrodite, Erinyes, Zeus, Typhoeus, Hesiod's Theogony
  • Greek (humans): Prometheus, Epimetheus, Pandora, Deucalion, Pyrrha, Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days.
  • Iroquois: Sky woman, the sorcerer, Waterfowl, Beaver, Turtle, Sky woman's daughter
  • Mesopotamian (all): Enuma elish, Tiamut, Apsu, Marduk.
  • Hittite(all): Alalush, Anush, Kumarbi, Teshub
  • Sumerian (humans): Anu, Enlil, Shamash, Ea, the Anunnaki
  • Hebrew (all & humans): God, Adam, Eve, Serpent, Eden, Tree of Life
  • Mayan (all & humans): Sovereign Plumed Serpent (also called Heart of the Sea and associated with Maker, Modeler, Bearer, Begetter), Heart of Sky (also called Hurricane)
  • Big Bang (all): Singularity, vacuum, explosion/inflation, light (later microwaves), crystals, darkness, matter
• basic questions for the creation of mortals (not applicable to all):
  • Who is the creator of humans?
  • How or by what mechanism does creation occur?
  • What material(s) is(are) used in the creation of humans?
  • How are humans different from other animals?
  • Why are humans created (i.e. what role/purpose do they play in creation)?
  • What questions does the story answer?
  • Flood myth: why, who survived?

Myths of the "Olympian" gods: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades (Powell, Ch 6)

• Key Names & Terms: Zeus, aegis, xenia, Moerae, Graces, Ganymede, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, anthropomorphism, animals/powers associated with Zeus, Hera, & Poseidon

Myths of the Olympian gods: Apollo (Powell, Ch 7)

• Key Names & Terms:
  • birth: Leto, Hera, Zeus, Delos, Apollo
  • oracle: Telephusa, Delphi, Pytho, Pythia
  • loves: Cassandra, Sibyl at Cumae, Daphnê, Coronis
  • son: Asclepius

Possible Essay Questions

Source material for all three prompts (unless specified otherwise): Ch 2 from Leonard, Ch 4-7 from Powell, pdf for Norse.

• Prompt: We have seen that many of the myths reveals information about how their respective cultures view females--their tasks, their relationship with males, and their place in society. Discuss with regard to two or three of the following: the Iroquois myth in Leonard, Ch 2, the Greek myths relating to Apollo (Powell, Ch 7), to Zeus & Hera (Powell, Ch 6), and to Deucalion & Pyrrha (Powell, Ch 5)


• Prompt: The flood myth has been called a 'restoration of primordial chaos, and the repetition of the cosmogonic act' (Mircea Eliade, The Myth of the Eternal Return, 1954, pp. 57-59)." Examine this idea with regard to at least 2 of the following flood myths (Mayan, Hebrew, Mesopotamian, Greek). [FYI: since the overview of the Hebrew flood story is rather short, you may, if you wish, use what you already know about it or use a translation of Genesis 6-9. Here is a link for a variety of translations that you may choose from ( click here )].