Topic One (1.1): The Olympian Gods
Objectives for this topic
In this module you will be introduced to the gods of Olympus and begin to discover who they were and what they were in charge of.
Introduction
The Greek gods lived on Mount Olympus, a very high mountain in the northern part of Greece. It was so high that it was difficult to see the top, leading the ancient Greeks to imagine that the gods lived up there in the clouds. In this module you will meet the Greek gods and find out how the Romans renamed them and claimed them as their own.
Working through your coursebook
Module One introduces you to the Olympian Gods. You should read through pages 6-10 up to and including Wisdom and War: Minerva and Mars. Make sure you know the responsibilities each god has and what both their Greek and Roman names were. The gods were not particularly kind or pleasant beings. The stories that you are reading will show them to be violent and often cruel, interested only in themselves. Would you like to have these beings as your gods and goddesses?
Support activity for this topic
Look at Sources 1.1 and 1.3 on pages 12 and 14 of the coursebook. Answer the questions on these sources. What do they tell you about the way these gods behave? Are they what we would think of as gods? Can you find out what the Cyclopes’ names mean? Why might they be appropriate?
Extension activity for this topic
There are many books telling the stories of the Greek gods. One that you may like is Mythos, by Stephen Fry. In this book he tells lots of stories about the gods that show them to be kind and cruel, powerful and petty, violent and vengeful, but the Greeks still told stories about them and continued to make sacrifices, just in case.
Check your answers
I have given you the answers to these two sources to show you the kind of answers that are needed. You will not always need to write your answers down but the questions should make you look carefully at the source, whether it is written down, or is a statue or a painting.
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Review
Make sure you have read and learnt the table on page 7 that gives you the Greek and Roman names of the gods and shows you over what areas each one had power.
- What are these gods like?
- Are they like any other god you may have knowledge of?
- Why would the Greeks have gods like this, do you think?