sign in sign up
<<
Home , Golden Age

IES LAS MARINAS SECCIÓN BILINGÜE

Ancient Greek

OLD GREEK STORIES by JAMES BALDWIN

1 IES LAS MARINAS SECCIÓN BILINGÜE

ZEUS AND HIS MIGHTY COMPANY

A long ago, when the world was much younger, people told many wonderful stories about wonderful things. They often talked about a Mighty Being called , or , who was king of the sky and the earth; and they said that he sat in the clouds on the top of a very high mountain where he could look down and see everything that was happening on the earth beneath. He liked to ride on the storm-clouds and throw ; and he was so very, very mighty that when he nodded, the earth quaked, the mountains trembled and smoked, the sky grew black, and the sun hid his face.

Zeus had two brothers, both of them terrible fellows, but they were not as great as him. The name of one of them was , or Neptune, and he was the king of the sea. He had a golden palace far down in the deep sea-caves where the fishes live and the red coral grows; and when he was angry the waves would rise mountain high, and the storm-winds would howl terribly, and the sea would try to break over the land; and men called him the Shaker of the Earth.

The other brother of Zeus was a sad pale-faced being, whose kingdom was under the earth, where the sun never shone and where there was darkness and sorrow all the time. His name was , or , and his country was called the Land of Shadows. Men said that when any one died, Hades would send his messenger, or Shadow Leader, to carry them down into his dark kingdom; and for that reason people thought of him as the enemy of life.

A great number of other Mighty Beings lived with Zeus in the clouds on the mountain –so many that I can name a very few only. There was (Venus), the queen of love and beauty, who was more beautiful than any woman that you or I have ever seen. There was , or Minerva, the queen of the air, who gave people wisdom and taught them how to do very many useful things. There was (Juno), the queen of earth and sky, who sat

2 IES LAS MARINAS SECCIÓN BILINGÜE

at the right hand of Zeus and gave him all kinds of advice. There was (Mars), the great warrior, who loved war and battle. There was (Mercury), the messenger, who had wings on his cap and shoes, and who flew from place to place like the summer clouds when they are driven before the wind. There was (Vulcan), a blacksmith, who had his forge in a burning mountain and made many wonderful things of iron and copper and . There were many others about whom men told strange and beautiful stories.

They lived golden mansions, high up in the clouds–so high that the eyes of men could never see them. But they could look down and see what men were doing, and often they were said to leave their wonderful homes and walk unknown across the land or over the sea.

And of all these Mighty Folk, Zeus was the mightiest.

NOW FILL IN THIS CHART : GREEK GOD/GODDESS ROMAN NAME ATTRIBUTES ZEUS JUPITER King of the sky and the earth

3 IES LAS MARINAS SECCIÓN BILINGÜE

THE

Zeus and his Mighty Folk had not always lived in the clouds on the mountain top. In long past, a wonderful family called lived there and ruled over the world. There were twelve of them–six brothers and six sisters–and they said that their father was the Sky and their mother the Earth. They had the form of men and women, but they were much larger and more beautiful.

The name of the youngest of these Titans was Kronos (or ); but he was so very old that men called him Father Time. He was the king of the Titans, and so, of course, was the king of all the earth.

Men were very happy during Saturn’s reign. It was the true Golden Age. The spring lasted all the year. The woods and fields were always full of flowers, and the music of singing birds. There were always apples and figs and oranges in the trees, which the people could pick and eat.

Nobody had to do any work in that happy time. There was no illness or sadness or old age. Men and women lived for hundreds and hundreds of years and were always handsome and young. They had no need of houses, for there were no cold days nor storms nor anything to make them afraid. Nobody was poor, for everybody had the same precious things–the sunlight, the pure air, the fresh water and the blue sky for a roof.

What a pity that this Golden Age came to an end! But it was Zeus and his brothers who caused this sad change. Men say that Zeus was the son of the old Titan king, Kronos, and that when he was only a year old he began to think he could go to war against his father. He persuaded his brothers and his sisters to join him.

Then a long and terrible war happened. But Zeus had many mighty helpers. A company of one-eyed monsters called Cyclopes made thunderbolts in the fire of

4 IES LAS MARINAS SECCIÓN BILINGÜE

burning mountains. Three other monsters, each with a hundred hands, threw rocks and trees against the Titans; and Zeus himself threw his sharp lightning so that the woods were set on fire and the water in the rivers boiled with the heat.

Of course, old Kronos and his brothers and sisters could not win against these enemies. At the end of ten years they surrendered. They were bound in chains and thrown into a prison in the Lower Worlds; and the Cyclopes and the hundred-handed monsters kept guard over them forever.

Then men began to grow unhappy. They wanted to be rich and have all the good things in the world and some wanted to be kings and rule over the other people. At last, everybody hated everybody and nobody was friends.

So, in all the world, instead of , there was war; instead of plenty, there was starvation; instead of innocence, there was crime; and instead of happiness, there was misery.

That was the way in which the Golden Age came to an end.

------

WRITE SENTENCES ABOUT THE STORY

A. IN THE GOLDEN AGE:

1. It was always Spring. 2. 3. 4. 5.

B. AFTER THE GOLDEN AGE:

1. Everybody was unhappy. 2. 3. 4. 5.

5 IES LAS MARINAS SECCIÓN BILINGÜE

PROMETHEUS

In those old, old times, there were two brothers who were the sons of one of the Titans who had fought Zeus.

The name of one of these brothers was (which means Forethought ). Prometheus was always thinking of the future and making things ready for what might happen tomorrow, or next week, or next year, or in a hundred years’ time. The other was called (which means Afterthought ). Epimetheus was always so busy thinking of yesterday, or last year, or a hundred years ago, that he never worried about what might happen in the future.

Prometheus did not want to live in the clouds on the mountain. He saw that the people were not happy, as they had been in the Golden Age when Kronos was king of the world. He found them living in caves , cold because there was no fire. were the most miserable of all living creatures.

"If they had fire," said Prometheus to himself, "they could warm themselves and cook their food; and they could learn to make tools and build houses."

Prometheus went to Zeus and asked him to give fire to the people, so that so they could have a little comfort in the long, cold months of winter.

"No!" said Zeus. "If the people had fire they will become strong and wise like me, and they will take my kingdom. It is best for humans to be poor and ignorant." Prometheus didn't answer, but in his heart he wanted to help humans.

When he was walking by the seashore he found a reed . He saw that its centre was filled with a dry, soft substance which could burn slowly and stay alight for a long time. He carried the reed to the place where the sun lived in the east. "Humans will have fire. I don’t care about that tyrant Zeus," he said.

6 IES LAS MARINAS SECCIÓN BILINGÜE

He reached the home of the morning sun when the golden globe was rising and beginning his daily journey through the sky. Prometheus touched the end of the reed to the flames , and the dry substance inside began to burn slowly. When he reached home, he called the people from their caves and showed them the fire. Soon there was a cheerful fire in every home, and men and women were warm and happy.

After that, Prometheus taught them, little by little, a thousand things. He showed them how to build houses of wood and stone, and how to keep sheep and cows and how to plough and grow good food. Then he showed them how to dig in the earth for copper and iron , how to make tools and weapons from it. Prometheus thought: "We shall have a new Golden Age, better and brighter than the old one!"

______

How the Friend of Men Was Punished

Zeus was angry and he decided to punish Prometheus for stealing fire from the sun. He sent the blacksmith Vulcan to bind him with iron chains to the rocks on a high mountain so that he could not move hand or foot. Zeus sent terrible eagles to tear his body with their cruel claws.

The great friend of men, who gave them fire, never begged for mercy or say that he was sorry to the tyrant Zeus.

After many generations Prometheus was rescued by the hero (Hercules).

7 IES LAS MARINAS SECCIÓN BILINGÜE

NOW DRAW A CARTOON OF THE STORY OF PROMETHEUS

8 IES LAS MARINAS SECCIÓN BILINGÜE

9 IES LAS MARINAS SECCIÓN BILINGÜE

10