Posted: April 21st, 2016

Do you agree that myths are essential to our education because ancient cultures have traditionally used myths/stories to describe or explain mysteries that occurred around them??

1)Please respond to the following statements and questions with a minimum of 150 words (three paragraphs).

The English word “myth” is derived from the Greek word “mythos” meaning a word or story, according to our The World of Myth textbook editor David Adams Leeming. Myth is also a form of history, philosophy, religion or science or an abstract reality and is the direct ancestor of what we think of today as literature. Leeming adds in the Introduction (pgs. 3-8) “One of the assumptions of this book is that Greco-Roman myths (and those of other cultures) are essential to our education”.

Class: 1) Do you agree that myths are essential to our education because ancient cultures have traditionally used myths/stories to describe or explain mysteries that occurred around them i.e. change of seasons, the sun moving across the sky, thunder, lightning, etc.?

2) Why do you think ancient myths about the Greek Gods and Goddesses have sustained interest over centuries?

After reviewing these personal factors, do you consider yourself to be open minded to other cultures? Why? Why not?

2)During Week One, we are discussing the words “knowledge” and “myth” along with other terms. Let’s begin with “self-knowledge” by reviewing an Ancient Cultural Board Game named Chutes and Ladders.

Chutes and Ladders, a popular children’s game, has been traced back to an Hindu game called Leelan, a game of self-knowledge, as well as an Indian game called Daspada. Leelan was created with the intention of teaching moral values by Hindu scholars. Daspada came about in the second century with a similar purpose, but using ladders to represent virtues and snakes to represent vices (the title ‘Snakes and Ladders’ in the U.K.). Vices were taken seriously. For instance, included among them in Daspada were Vulgarity, Drunkenness, Murder and Lust. The game is easier than it used to be. As modern society has become more focused on accentuating the positives for children. The number of ladders, which you use to progress in the game, has increased. While the number of chutes/snakes, which send you back several spaces, has gone down.

Class: Please respond in 100 words to the following: What board games did you play as a child? Research the background of this game. Was it played in ancient cultures? Were you surprised to learn the history of the game? What self knowledge and strategies were needed to compete in this game? Did ancient Greeks play board games? Which ones?