Tales from the Ancient World
An overview for teachers, parents and curious kids
Our roots as a people come from many sources around the world, and it is important to understand these origins in order to understand ourselves.
One of the major sources of our culture, our language and our governmental system is Ancient Rome, and the stories in this collection are the stories the Romans themselves told to explain their own origins and culture.
It's important to realize that, while these stories are told in the form that they were heard in Rome, they actually came from Greece and its culture.
Italy was colonized by Greeks, and while the Etruscan civilization of Italy had its influence, the Romans largely identified with Greece. The poet Virgil wrote “The Aeneid” as a story explaining these roots in the form of a Homeric-style epic poem in which the original Romans were shown to be the vanquished of Troy.
The Aeneid shows the extent to which Romans identified with the heroes of Greece and, although the names of many of the characters in these stories are of Latin origin, the stories themselves, and the characters, are taken directly from Greek mythology.
Most of our stories here are taken from Ovid’s Metamorphosis and, as the title of his book suggests, emphasize outcomes in which people’s forms change and they are punished or rewarded according to their actions. As such, they offer many opportunities to talk about character development and conflict resolution, either because the stories offer examples of justice, or, sometimes, because they do not.
But beyond those teachable moments, the stories also offer your students cultural literacy. They will read stories here that seem familiar, since many writers have borrowed from Ovid and other ancient storytellers. They will also come away with a sense that vocabulary is not just a random collection of syllables, but that there are good reasons why spiders are called “arachnids” and a vain, self-centered person is accused of “narcissism.”
We hope they will also come away from this series with a sense that classics are not in the least stuffy, but are simply stories that were so interesting and so much fun that they have lasted down the centuries.
Mike Peterson
Author
Vocabulary
(Most terms will be explained in the story. Here are a few that may not be as clear from context.)
dryad -- In mythology, a deity or nymph of the woods; a nymph supposed to preside over
woods.
nemesis -- The goddess of vengeance; modern meaning is an enemy that pursues relentlessly
nereid -- A sea nymph, one of the daughters of Nereus, who were attendants upon Neptune,
and were represented as riding on sea horses, sometimes with the human form
entire, and sometimes with the tail of a fish.
nymph --A goddess of the mountains, forests, meadows, or waters.
oracle -- The deity who gives answers to inquiries; as the Delphic
oracle.
Stygian -- From Styx, a river of the Underworld over which the
shades of the dead passed, or the region of the dead; hence, hellish; infernal.
Resources
Mythology Web sites for teachers and parents
Encyclopedia Mythica
A good site not only for Roman Mythology but for Greek, Egyptian, Chinese, Arthurian and Japanese mythology as well.
Mythography
Less formal but some interesting connections, including information on how the Etruscan gods blended with the Greek (and how the names of Roman and Greek gods became entwined).
Greek and Roman Myths: Olga’s Gallery
Classical art indexed to the characters in Greek and Roman myth. A whole lot of good art, not a whole lot of clothing. Caveat magister.
Mythology Web sites for kids
Mythnet, Where Togas Are Still Hip
Easy to understand, PG-rated mythology, but accurate and with a fair degree of depth. Also has links to equally accessible information on the Romans.
Gods, Heroes and Myth
Much more than Greek and Roman mythology is covered here. There’s very little depth, but it’s a good quick reference for kids, and lots of fun stuff, too, including games that download to your computer. Contains a timeline of when various civilizations and their myths flourished and even a site with recent news articles about the ancient world.
Mythweb
This is a fun site in which spritely animation and irreverent but accurate storytelling combine to
liven up mythology.
The Classical Sources
The Ovid Collection at the University of Virginia
Lots of Ovid sources in English and Latin. Well worth wandering through, especially for scans of pages from ancient editions
The Gold Scales
An odd, eclectic and very entertaining site with a lot of interesting and useful sites. It includes a very readable modern translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses that includes an index to the stories. By the way, bear in mind that a lot of these stories involve Jupiter (in particular) forcing himself upon various mortals and minor deities. It’s PG-13 by any measure, and perhaps R, depending on sensitivities.
Bulfinch’s “Age of Fable”
No reason to look around for a lot of variety: Thomas Bulfinch wrote in modern English (1913), so there’s no need to compare editions. The Bartleby Web site offers an easy-to-navigate version of the book. Again, the stories aren’t all kids' stuff, but Bulfinch definitely keeps to the PG-13 side and smooths over some of the more graphic elements of classical stories. He also touches on other myth sources in this work, though the Greek and Roman stories are the most noted and make up the largest portion of the book.
The Homeric Hymn to Demeter
The Sacred Texts site offers a huge selection of mythology and folk tales from every imaginable culture and is well worth bookmarking for future use. This page is a 1914 translation of the alternative source on Ceres (Demeter) and Proserpina (Persephone). Our version of the story drew a great deal upon this source, since it offers a more rounded picture of the story from the mother’s perspective.
Lucius Apuleius
Although Bulfinch retells the story, this is the original and only ancient source for “Cupid and Psyche.” If you think you’ve had in-law problems, the un-expurgated version of Psyche’s relationship with Venus will make you feel much better, no matter how bad things may be at your house on holidays. Reading the original will also give you an insight into what is meant in the Author’s Notes to our version by “toning it down.” Wonderful, sensual, not for the kiddies, but it will give you significant insights to help with your teaching of this important classic story.
