QUIMESTER WORK 1: Myths and legends: Pandora and Thor

1.- DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOPIC 1.1.- Read the following reading excerpt: Myths and legends: Pandora and Thor

Human beings have told each other stories for as long as we`ve had language to tell them with. There are many different types of stories or “narratives” such as short stories, biographies, poems and plays, just to name a few. Among the oldest types of stories are myths and legends. Myths and legends are traditional stories that are passed down from generation to generation, usually orally and often changing slightly as they are re told. A myth is a fictional story about supernatural beings and events and it is often used to explain the world around us. A legend is a story based on historical facts, but which hasn`t been proved. Legends are usually about kings, queens and heroes. So, the Mayan story about the creation of the world is a myth and the story of Robin Hood is a legend.

Myths have such popular appeal because the characters portray both humanity`s strengths and weaknesses, and the plot usually deals with big themes like the eternal fight between good and evil. For example: According to Greek mythology, Zeus the god of the sky, lightning, thunder and justice, told two Titans, the brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus, to go down to Earth and create humans and animals. Prometheus created man in the image of the gods, and Epimetheus created the animals. Epimetheus gave each animal he created a gift. But by the time Prometheus finished created humans, there weren`t any gifts left. So, he decided to steal fire from the gods and gave it to the humans. When Zeus found out, he was angry and he decided to punish both Prometheus and Epimetheus. He chained Prometheus to a mountain and tormented him. But Epimetheus` punishment was worse. First, he created the human woman, Pandora, and made her curious and beautiful. Epimetheus fell in love with her and they got married. As a wedding present, Zeus gave the couple a box but told them not to open it. One day, curiosity got the better of Pandora and she opened the box, realizing evil, pain, and disease into the world. To make matters worse, the only thing that did not escape from the box was hope. It remained trapped inside and could not provide any remedy for mankind`s pain.

We also have another example of a myth. According to the Norse mythology, the gods were created when the land of fire and the land of ice collided. Odin, the god of knowledge, battle and death, was married to Frig, a goddess who could see into the future. They had a son called Thor who became the god of thunder and strength and protector of humanity. He had a powerful hammer that he used against his enemies. One day, Thor discovered that his hammer was missing. He asked his friend Loki, a half-god who could change form, to look for the hammer. Loki turned into a falcon, flew to the land of giants and discovered that Thor`s hammer had been taken by Thrym, the king of the giants. Thrym said he would only return it if Feyja, the beautiful goddess of love, married him. As soon as Thrym put the hammer down on the table, Thor took of his disguise, grabbed it and took his revenge. Resource: Now You Student Book Unit 3: Myths and Legends; Page 28 ex 2; Pages 32 & 33