Issuu

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3. Which following statement about Hera is not correct? a) Titans Oceanus and Tethys raised her. b) She was the queen of Olympus. c) She wasn’t jealous. d) Even the great Zeus feared her.

Poseidon

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3. How is Pegasus connected to Poseidon? a) Pegasus was his flying horse b) Pegasus was his child c) Pegasus was a gift he got from his brother Hades d) Poseidon gave Pegasus wings to oversee his part of the world

Hades

Poseidon was the son of Kronos and Rhea. Homer in the Iliad says that after the gods won over the Titans, there were three parts of the world and Zeus, Hades and Poseidon drew straws to decide which they would rule. Zeus drew the skies, Hades drew the underworld and Poseidon drew the seas. Poseidon was a god who often got angry and who was very moody. He ruled the sea, waters, and horses. His weapon was a trident11, with which he could make the earth move, which caused earthquakes12, and destroyed things. One of many interesting facts about him is that he and Medusa had a child. This child was one of mythological beings, the flying horse, Pegasus. TAKE A QUIZ 5: 1. Who was Poseidon? a) Ruler of the underworld b) Ruler of the sea, waters and horses c) Ruler of the Sun d) Ruler of the Moon 2. Who were Poseidon’s parents? a) Kronos and Rhea b) Zeus and Hera c) Kronos and Tethys d) Zeus and Demeter

Hades was the oldest male child of Kronos and Rhea. Homer in the Iliad says that after the gods won over the Titans, there were three parts of the world and Zeus, Hades and Poseidon drew straws to decide which they would rule. Hades drew the underworld and he became the god of the dead and king of the underworld. They also called him the god of wealth, because he owned the precious metals13 of the earth. He was married to Persephone, the daughter of Demeter. According to the Iliad, Hades’ kingdom lies between secret places of the earth, but according to the Odyssey, one must cross the ocean to get there. What was the underworld? In mythology, the Greek underworld was the other world where souls went after people died. Greeks thought that at the moment of death, the soul and the body separate. The soul looks the same as the person. Hermes led the soul near the gate of the underworld, where the soul needed to get on the boat that would take it to the other side of the river Acheron. There was a single boat run by the boat man Charon, who took the souls to the other side of the river. He would take only those who could pay him, which is why the ancient Greeks buried14 people with coins15 under their tongues. They didn’t want the soul to stay between two worlds. On the other side, the souls entered through the gate guarded by Cerberus, Hades’ dog with three heads. It let anyone enter, but no one leave. The souls then had to face three judges who decided their afterlife.

13 precious metals - vzacné kovy 14 buried - pohřbívali 15 coin(s) - mince

11 trident - trojzubec 12 earthquake(s) - zemětřesení

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7. What did Odysseus call himself when Cyclops asked his name? a) Odysseus b) Somebody c) Nobody d) Odie

Odysseus and Penelope Penelope was the daughter of Icarius, a prince of Sparta and brother of Tyndareus, and Periboea. She was the wife of the hero Odysseus in Greek mythology. Penelope was one of the most faithful53 of wives, as it was said that Penelope waited 20 years for Odysseus to return to her. Penelope met Odysseus at a time when potential men for Helen, daughter of Tyndareus, came to Sparta. Odysseus was one of them, but he soon realized that there were too many men and set his eyes upon Penelope, another beautiful princess. At the time, Tyndareus feared the possible war and ill feeling between the men, and it was Odysseus who thought of the Oath of Tyndareus54, so that the other men agreed to keep the husband of Helen safe. In return, Tyndareus made sure Odysseus would get the hand of his niece, Penelope. Odysseus took over from his father and became the king of the Cephallenians. They lived in a palace55 in Ithaca and had a son called Telemachus. The happy life of Penelope and Odysseus ended when Paris took Helen with him to Troy and Menelaus didn’t keep the Oath of Tyndareus. Odysseus had to travel to Troy with an army to bring Helen back. It was a ten-year war. Penelope ruled their kingdom in his place and she also remained faithful to Odysseus. The war ended, and news reached the houses of the Greek heroes, and they returned. Odysseus didn’t return though, and there was no news of him since he left Troy. The sea washed Odysseus up back onto Ithaca. Odysseus was back, but no one other than his wife, Penelope, believed Odysseus was alive. Many men made their way to the palace of the king to try and become Penelope’s new husband. Telemachus 53 faithful - věrná 54 Oath of Tyndareus - Tyndareově přísaze 55 palace - paláci

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looked for his father and the men wanted to kill him when he returned. Penelope tried not to make any decision, but she knew she would have to make one someday. Athena directed Odysseus to return to his palace as a tramp. Nobody knew it was him after 20 years. Not even his own wife. Penelope decided to make the men compete56. The men had to use Odysseus’s own bow and get the arrow though the heads of twelve axes57. None of the men was able to do that. When the men said it was impossible, Odysseus got his turn. The arrow went through the twelve heads. Odysseus and Penelope had other two sons, Ptoliporthes and Acusilaus, and years later they died of old age. TAKE A QUIZ 22: 1. Who was Penelope? a) The daughter of Tyndareus b) The cousin of Periboea c) The cousin of Odysseus d) The daughter of Icarius 2. Who was Penelope to Odysseus? a) Sister b) Mother c) Wife d) Daughter 3. Penelope was one of the most faithful wives. How long did she wait for her husband to return to her? a) 3 years b) 12 years c) 20 years d) 30 years

56 compete - soutěžit 57 axes - seker

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3. Which following statement is not correct? a) A goat Amalthea raised Zeus on Mount Olympus. b) As Zeus grew older, Amalthea also became his friend he could play with. c) When Zeus broke off one of Amalthea’s horns in the game, he knew it was time to go fight his father. d) Zeus gave the horn to the sea nymphs and Amalthea because they always provided for him and told them this horn was now a magic horn that would always provide all the food and drink they need.

Aquarius125 In astrology, Aquarius is the 11th sign in the Zodiac and represents those born between January 21st and February 19th. Who was he? The ancient Greeks joined this constellation with Ganymede, the cup bearer126 to the gods. According to myth, Ganymede was the most beautiful young man of Troy. One day he took his father’s sheep out on Mount Ida where the king of the gods saw him. Zeus found him very charming and decided that he didn’t want to share him with anyone. So, Zeus brought Ganymede to Mount Olympus, where he worked as cup bearer to the gods. Zeus offered Ganymede’s father the best horses in the land because he took his son away. The father had to live with it. Ganymede wasn’t happy in his new life. He mustn’t do it, but he decided to pour 127 out all of the wine, ambrosia and water of the gods. The legend says that the water all fell to earth and caused heavy rains which flooded the world. At first Zeus wanted to punish Ganymede, but then he realized he was not kind to the boy, so he made him immortal as the Aquarius constellation.

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TAKE A QUIZ 39: 1. Who was Ganymede? a) The cup bearer to the gods b) The personal assistant to the gods c) Zeus’s son d) The ugliest boy in Troy 2. What did Zeus offer Ganymede’s father for taking his son away? a) Gold b) The best horses in the land c) A crown d) A herd of sheep 3. Which following statement is not correct? a) Ganymede was the most beautiful young man of Troy. b) One day he took his father’s sheep out on Mount Ida where the king of the gods saw him. c) Zeus found him very charming and decided that he didn’t want to share him with anyone. d) Zeus brought Ganymede to Mount Othrys, where he worked as cup bearer to the gods. 4. What did Ganymede do because he wasn’t happy in his new life? a) He jumped off the mountain and killed himself. b) He begged Zeus to send him back to his father. c) He decided to pour out all of the wine, ambrosia and water of the gods. d) He decided to drink all of the wine, ambrosia and pour out the water of the gods. 5. What happened when Ganymede poured out water? a) The water all fell to earth and caused heavy rains which flooded the world. b) The water all fell to earth and created Ganymede Lake. c) The water all fell to earth and turned into an eternal spring. d) The water appeared back in the container.

125 Aquarius - znamení vodnář 126 cup bearer - osoba servírující víno 127 pour out - vylít