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Mythology in the Painted Hall 3 in the Painted Hall 4 Before the workshop 4 and masks workshop outline 5 Curriculum links 6

Map of the site with key locations 7 How to get to us 7 Coach information 8 Pre-visits and site opening times 8 Accessibility 8 Cancelling your visit 8

Meeting point 9 Behaviour 9 Running late 9 Facilities – lunch space, toilets, our shop 9

Risk assessment and supervision 10 In an emergency and first aid 10 Equipment and insurance 10

Selection of ideas for activities and worksheets 11

MYTHS AND MASKS TEACHERS' PACK PAGE 3

Artist Sir James Thornhill’s designs include numerous mythological figures throughout the Painted Hall. The most concentrated area is on the ceiling in the lower hall. This oval area shows The Triumph of Peace and Liberty over Tyranny. The painting shows the Protestant monarchs William III and Mary II liberating Europe from the tyranny of the Catholic King of France, Louis XIV. William tramples on the French King, receives the branch from Peace and hands the red cap of liberty to Europe. The English monarchs are enthroned in heaven, surrounded by the Virtues. Above them, drives the of the Sun. This provides the light source for the painting and draws attention to William and Mary under the canopy. At the bottom of the oval are and expelling the vices from heaven. the is also pictured here. James Thornhill painted the different seasons and the signs of the Zodiac around the oval. The seasons are also personified by Greek figures, for example, represents autumn. Outside the oval area, in the four corners of the lower hall, four gods and goddesses represent the elements of fire, air, earth and water. is associated with fire, with air, with the earth and Poseidon with water. , goddess of the moon, also appears next to the Spanish galleon on the east end of the lower hall. Poseidon, the god of the sea, appears several times throughout the Painted Hall. This is not surprising since the Painted Hall was designed for old and injured sailors, and they would identify most with this particular god. In the upper hall he appears twice, once meeting William of Orange at Torbay on the south wall, and secondly on the ceiling. Hera with her peacock also appears on the ceiling next to Zeus in his flowing gold cloak, with Heracles above. On the west wall , messenger to the gods, points to an inscription referring to the new royal dynasty painted below: the Hanoverians.

MYTHS AND MASKS TEACHERS' PACK PAGE 4

Artist Sir James Thornhill was following the continued interest in the classical world which began in Renaissance Europe. Greek society, including its art and culture, was seen by educated people in the 14th and 15th centuries as the pinnacle of enlightened learning and knowledge, so a display of artworks in the Greek or Roman style were a way of reinforcing your own (or your patron’s) knowledge and sophistication, and were designed to impress. In addition, the Greek stories were familiar to many. Because the characters involved always appear in artworks with their particular symbols, they were easily recognisable even to

those who were unable to read and write.

Before the workshop, you may wish to discuss the following areas with your class: • Who were the ancient and where did they live? • What did they invent? (, drama, words we still use today.) • Which gods did the ancient Greeks worship and why?

The following characters will be highlighted in the Painted Hall. It may be useful to introduce them to your class before your visit. • Zeus – . • Hera – queen of the gods, goddess of marriage and childbirth. • Apollo – god of light, music, healing and prophecy. • Poseidon – god of the sea. • Athena – goddess of wisdom, arts and crafts and warfare. • Medusa – gorgon. • Heracles/Hercules – superhuman . • Hermes – messenger to the gods.

MYTHS AND MASKS TEACHERS' PACK PAGE 5

In this lively storytelling session led by a member of the ORNC learning team, children will investigate the gods, goddesses, and heroes that appear in the Painted Hall. This session links directly to both the study of Ancient Greeks in history and Myths and Legends in Literacy. A drama extension activity is available for this Workshop. Please contact the learning team for more information.

The aim of this session is to engage pupils with the Greek characters and stories depicted in the Painted Hall and to use this as inspiration to create a mask.

The first part of the workshop is a storytelling and role play

session that explores the myths behind some of the Greek characters depicted in the Painted Hall. Pupils will then each make a mask of a Greek character they have learnt about during the session.

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Our workshop content can be found within the following curriculum links but does not necessarily cover the full scope of the content to which the link statement refers.

English: Lower Key Stage 2: Reading - comprehension

Pupils should be taught to develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by:

 Increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including fairy stories, myths and legends, and retelling some of these orally.  Preparing poems and play scripts to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone, volume and action.

Upper Key Stage 2: Reading - comprehension

Pupils should be taught to maintain positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read by:

 Increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions.  Preparing poems and plays to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation, tone and volume so that the meaning is clear to an audience. History: Upper Key Stage 2: A local history study:

Pupils should be taught about:

 A study of an aspect of history of a site dating from a period beyond 1066 that is significant in the locality

Upper Key Stage 2: A study of an aspect or theme in British History that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066

Pupils should be taught about:

 The legacy of Greek or Roman culture (art, architecture or literature) on later periods in British history Art: Key Stage 2:

Pupils should be taught:

 To improve their mastery of art & design techniques, including drawing, painting and with a range of materials. MYTHS AND MASKS TEACHERS' PACK PAGE 7

By Docklands Light Railway: From Bank, Tower Gateway, Stratford, Beckton, Woolwich and Lewisham to Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich. By London Underground: Take the Jubilee Line to Canary Wharf or Heron Quays and change to the Docklands Light Railway. By Rail: From Cannon Street and London Bridge to Greenwich. By River: Greenwich is just four miles downstream from Tower Bridge. Regular riverboat services are now available from Westminster, Embankment and Tower Piers to Greenwich. Thames Clipper run an express service with a boat every 20 minutes. By Car: From the M25 via the A2 or M11/A12 Blackwall Tunnel. Car parking Park Row and Cutty Sark Gardens.

By Bus: Buses 129, 180, 177, 188, 286 and199 pass near the Old Royal Naval College.

MYTHS AND MASKS TEACHERS' PACK PAGE 8

Coaches are not permitted to drop off or park on site. Please use either the public car park along Park Row at the east end of the site, or the bus stop along King William Walk at the west end of the site, to drop off and pick up. Please note that King William Walk is a very busy stretch of pavement.

See below for Greenwich coach parking. Contact Greenwich Tourist Information on 0870 608 2000 for more information.

Greenwich (Stockwell Street, Greenwich, SE10 9JN) 5 bays. Free, max stay 20 mins (no return within 1 hour) Operational, 0900 - 1700 Mon-Sat, 0900 - 1800 Sun.

Greenwich (Norman Road, Greenwich, SE10 9QB) 3 bays. Free. Check local signs for operational hours and details.

Greenwich Park (Charlton Way, Blackheath, SE3) Free, max stay 4 hours. Check local signs for operational hours.

Greenwich (Park Row/ Romney Road, Greenwich, SE10 9NL) 1 bay. Paid. Check local signs for operational hours and details.

If you would like to arrange a pre-visit with a member of the learning team please contact us on 020 8269 4725 or email [email protected]

If you would like to carry out a pre-visit independently, the Visitor Centre, and Chapel are open daily from 10am to 5pm.

If you of your class have any accessibility needs or requirements please inform the learning team so any necessary preparations can be made for you where possible. You may also wish to view the Plan Your Visit section of our website.

If you need to cancel or rearrange your visit please contact the learning team on 020 8269 4725 as soon as possible. Please note that if you are cancelling a costumed interpreter session (A day in the life of a Greenwich Pensioner, Tudor Study Day) less than one month in advance, a cancellation fee of £150 will be incurred.

MYTHS AND MASKS TEACHERS' PACK PAGE 9

On the day please bring your class/es to the meeting point detailed in your confirmation letter. This will be in the Visitor Centre. You may find it helpful to print a copy of the site map in the Planning Your Visit section of this pack.

Adults accompanying students are responsible for the behaviour of the group at all times, particularly in Discover Greenwich or when undertaking a self-led trail of the site. Please brief the students before their visit on how they are expected to behave. Please emphasise that we share this site with many other members of the public.

Our Clore learning Centre opened in March 2010 with generous support from the Clore Duffield Foundation. It is a light, airy and flexible learning space and is fully accessible by lift.

You can book a lunch space with us, or if the weather is nice you may wish to sit out in the beautiful grounds of the Old Royal Naval College.

There are public toilets located in the undercroft beneath the the Chapel and in the Visitor Centre. You may wish to bring both male and female members of staff or adult helpers to accompany pupils to the toilet.

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We carry out risk assessments on all our activities. Our risk assessments show that our activities present a very low risk to participants. If you would like help with your risk assessment and planning your visit please contact us. We are happy to arrange pre-visits to the site.

All school groups visiting the site must be supervised at all times, including lunchtimes. The minimum ratios must be maintained at all times. For Key Stage 1 visits a minimum ratio of 1 adult per 6 students must be maintained. For Key Stage 2 visits a minimum ratio of 1 adult per 8 students must be maintained. For Key Stage 3 and 4 visits a minimum ration of 1 adult per 10 students must be maintained.

In an emergency please follow the instructions given to you by the member of the learning team leading the workshop. If you are doing a self-led exploration of the site, please follow any instructions given to you by members of the Old Royal Naval College staff.

Some members of the Old Royal Naval College staff are trained in first aid, however we cannot always guarantee a first aider will be available. Please refer to your school policy regarding a school first aider accompanying your visit.

All equipment provided by the Old Royal Naval College has been risk assessed and presents a very low risk of accident.

The Old Royal Naval College has public liability insurance. If you need further details please contact us.

MYTHS AND MASKS TEACHERS' PACK PAGE 11

Turn the myths into front page news! Children report on a as if the stories were happening today and appearing in a newspaper (pages 3 – 4).

Write a short biography or fact file on one of the Greek characters. Pupils can use the internet and books for research (page 5).

Children research different words and sayings which derive from Ancient Greek.

Draw an individual or class family tree of the Greek gods and Goddesses.

Children take the hot seat and become a Greek god, goddess, hero or . The rest of the class think of questions to ask them.

Perform a Greek play with the masks you have made. Choose a well known Greek myth and get pupils to write the script and direct it. You could even perform a modern version of the myths (pages 6 – 9).

The whole class contribute to a large drawing/painting of the Painted Hall ceiling. They could copy James Thornhill’s version, or think of their own characters. Alternatively pupils could design their own individual Painted Hall ceiling (pages 10 – 12).

Greek characters who’s who and a myths and masks Painted Hall quiz to reinforce the characters introduced on the day (pages 13 – 15).

www.ornc.org – For more information on the Old Royal Naval College. www.mythweb.com – Useful link for animated images and teachers’ tips. www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks – Various resources, look at Schools page. http://humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=g&p=g&a=d&ID=1 – Information on mythology in art.

The Old Royal Naval College is not responsible for the content of these websites.

Date

Picture to accompany the main story

Name of author Picture caption

Write the main body of the story here Continue story here

In other news … Headline 1.…………page xx Headline 2………….page xx Headline 3…….……page xx (choose headlines appropriate to the topic)

Name

Male or female

Job title

Special powers

Special symbols

Parents

Husband or wife

Brothers or sisters

Children

Physical appearance

Picture

Characters: Medusa Medusa’s sisters (x2) King Danae (Perseus’ mother) (x2) Hermes (messenger of the gods) Athena Narrator(s)

 Perseus and his mother Danae end up on the island of Seriphos.

 The King of Seriphos, King Polydectes, falls in love with Danae, but Perseus stands in the way of the king marrying his mother.

 So the king sends Perseus on an impossible mission: to bring him the head of the monster Medusa.

 Firstly Perseus visits the blind and toothless sisters of Medusa. They share one eye and one tooth between them which they pass around.

 Perseus steals their eye, forcing them to tell him where the nymphs are.

 Perseus then he visits the nymphs who give him some winged sandals, a bag to put Medusa’s head in and a .

 Hermes, messenger of the Gods, gives him a sword to cut Medusa’s head off.

 Athena gives him a shiny shield which will act as a mirror.

 When Perseus arrives at Medusa’s cave he finds lots of stone statues.

 Perseus cuts off Medusa’s head by looking at her reflection in his shield.

 On the way home he saves a beautiful girl called from a and then returns to his mother on the island of Seriphos.

 He uses Medusa’s head to turn King Polydectes into stone.

Characters:

Heracles Hera (Heracles’ first wife) King of Tiryns Nemean lion Narrator(s) Hydra of (many-headed, -like creature)

 Heracles is the son of Zeus and Alcmene.

 Hera hates Heracles and tries to make his life as difficult as possible. When he was a baby she put in his cradle.

 But Heracles was very strong and strangles the snakes to death.

 Hera then makes Heracles go mad so that he kills his wife and children.

 To make up for this, the King of Tiryns commands him to complete 12 tasks or ‘labours’.

 These were some of his labours:

1. To kill the Nemean lion :

 Heracles tries to kill the lion with his club.  Then he tries to pierce its skin with arrows.  Eventually he strangles the lion to death with his own hands.  Heracles skins the lion with its own teeth and wears the lion’s skin for protection.

2. To kill the Hydra of Lerna, a snake-like creature with 9 heads:

 Every time Heracles cuts one of the Hydra’s heads off, two more heads grow back in its place.  Heracles kills the Hydra by cutting the heads off and getting his nephew Iolaus to help him burn the heads of the hydra.  The last head was immortal so Heracles buries it under a rock.

Characters:

Heracles King Augeias Queen Pasiphae of Cows Fire breathing bull from Crete Narrator(s) Deianeira (Heracles’ second wife)

3. His fifth task was to clean the filthy stables of King Augeias:

 The King kept many cows here and had not cleaned the stables for years!

 Heracles builds a dam and diverts two rivers into the stables which carried the animal dung out to sea.

4. His seventh task was to capture the fire-breathing .

 Queen Pasiphae of Crete had been bewitched by a vengeful god who made her fall in love with a bull.

 Her husband the king wanted to be rid of the bull, which was rampaging all over Crete.

 So Hercules was assigned the task of defeating the bull.

 Although the beast belched flames, the hero overpowered and captured the bull.

 Heracles completed all 12 tasks, but died when his second wife mistakenly gave him a poisoned cloak.

 He was struck by lightning and taken up to heaven as a God, where he was forgiven by the gods, including Hera.

Characters:

Zeus Hera (beautiful maiden) Io (cow) (river god and Io’s father) Peacock Hermes (messenger of the Gods) Narrator(s) Argus (guardian with 100 eyes)

 The river god, Inachus, searches for his daughter Io who has gone missing.

 Zeus has found Io and falls in love with her. He disguises himself as a cloud to goes to visit her.

 Hera becomes suspicious at seeing clouds in the middle of the day, so she goes to investigate.

 Zeus hurriedly transforms Io into a cow to disguise her from Hera.

 However, Hera is suspicious of the cow, guessing that it is probably a beautiful maiden in disguise.

 She demands to keep the cow for herself and asks her faithful friend, the one hundred eyed Argus, to guard Io from Zeus.

 Zeus is very frustrated that he cannot visit Io anymore. So he sends Hermes, messenger to the gods, to go and kill Argus.

 Hermes plays the panpipes to send Argus to sleep. He then kills him with a sword.

 While Zeus is very happy, Hera is very upset. To remember her faithful friend she puts the one hundred eyes of her Argus onto the tail feathers of the peacock who draws her chariot.

 Eventually Hera agrees to turn Io back into a girl, as long as Zeus agrees never to look at her again.

Would you paint…

 Greek gods and goddesses?

 Animals?

 Ships and sailors?

 Monsters?

 You and your friends?

Write down and draw some of the things you would paint on the ceiling of the Painted Hall and why.

Dionysus Apollo

King William and Queen Mary

Athena Medusa

Heracles / Hercules

Draw a line between the ancient Greek characters and their descriptions.

Poseidon – God of the sea Heracles – Superhuman hero

Medusa – Gorgon with a head of snakes Apollo – God of light and music

Athena – Goddess of wisdom and war Hera – Queen of the gods

What can you remember about the myths in the Painted Hall? Choose a, b or c to answer the questions.

1. Who was the Painted Hall painted by? a) James Thornhill b) Michelangelo c) Monet

2. Who is the God of the Sea? a) Heracles b) Poseidon c) Dionysus

3. What is his symbol, the object that looks like a fork? a) Tricorn b) Tricycle c)

4. Who rides in a golden chariot above King William and Queen Mary? a) Poseidon b) Apollo c) Zeus

5. What are Athena and Heracles doing at the bottom of the ceiling? a) Having a party b) Playing sport a) Chasing the evil characters out of heaven

6. What weapon does Heracles carry? a) A club b) A gun c) A

What can you remember about the myths in the Painted Hall? Choose a, b or c to answer the questions.

1. Who was the Painted Hall painted by? a) James Thornhill b) Michelangelo c) Monet

2. Who is the God of the Sea? a) Heracles b) Poseidon c) Dionysus

3. What is his symbol, the object that looks like a fork? a) Tricorn b) Tricycle c) Trident

4. Who rides in a golden chariot above King William and Queen Mary? a) Poseidon b) Apollo c) Zeus

5. What are Athena and Heracles doing at the bottom of the ceiling? a) Having a party b) Playing sport c) Chasing the evil characters out of heaven

6. What weapon does Heracles carry? a) A club b) A gun c) A spear