Our Ancient Greek workshops are packed full of myths and legends; my personal favourite is the Greek creation myth which children respond to with all its gory details. Myths in general tend to intertwine and heroes skip from their own myths into each other’s where they collaborate, fight or sometimes play games. It sometimes seems to help to imagine modern comic book heroes where the characters are interchangeable but recognisable.
We recognise that one of the activities that children are encouraged to undertake as part of their learning is writing their own myths. Our sessions help this process by introducing the children to a variety of myths in a variety of formats from drama to storytelling. In my experience children like myths, monsters, gorgons and horrors. But a good hero is someone who everyone can get behind.
Strength Meets Brains: The Trials of Heracles
A good example of this is Heracles who moves through Greek myth, meeting gods, heroes and monsters in his trials and journeys. He is an interesting character because for one so strong he uses his brains as well to get himself out of a tight spot. When tricked into exchanging places with the titan Atlas who holds up the world, he requests a cushion to help. Atlas agrees, gets a cushion to place on Heracles shoulder but as he takes the weight of the world Heracles nips out forcing Atlas to retake his heavy burden.
On another occasion he is challenged to bring the fearsome guardian of the underworld, a three headed dog called Cerberus, to the King Eurystheus. Cerberus might sound scary but in fact there is a joke there because Cerberus means spotted. Hades might have called his monstrous dog, Spot. Now this is debated but I like it. The question is how do you get the dog to the King to achieve the labours that would make you a god? You could always ask.
The Power Couple and the Silver Chair
Hades and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persephone are a interesting power couple of the Greek pantheon and subject of many myths. First there is the abduction myth whereby Hades kidnaps his bride and her living in the underworld for six months of the year gives us autumn and winter. Second Theseus and Pirithous attempt to kidnap Persephone from Hades who puts up with their boorish behaviour until their motives are clear, then Theseus is imprisoned on a silver chair that he escapes leaving his buttocks behind. The Silver Chair maybe an inspiration for CS Lewis Narnia book of the same name, as I have written previously history and mythology is a great resource for the writer.
Which leads us to Heracles who approaches the problem of how to present the King Eurystheus with Cerberus. As I said previously Heracles uses one of the many backdoors into the underworld, presents himself and his case to Hades and Persephone who agree to let him take Cerberus as long as he is returned and unharmed. Thus, Heracles proves himself to have mighty strength, brains and manners in his trials to become a god. He is the only mortal to achieve this feat, and his myths are both entertaining and engaging. The underdog who becomes a god.