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    Old Greek Stories by James Baldwin Greek Stories by James Baldwin    

Chapter 1: Jupiter and His Mighty Company

Performer: LibriVox - Hugh Gillis


A long time ago, when the world was much younger than it is now, people told and believed a great many wonderful stories about wonderful things which neither you nor I have ever seen. They often talked about a certain Mighty Being called Jupiter, or Zeus, who was king of the sky and the earth; and they said that he sat most of the time amid the clouds on the top of a very high mountain where he could look down and see everything that was going on in the earth beneath. He liked to ride on the storm clouds and hurl burning thunderbolts right and left among the trees and rocks; 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.

Jupiter had two brothers, both of them terrible fellows, but not nearly so great as himself. The name of one of them was Neptune, or Poseidon, and he was the king of the sea. He had a glittering, golden palace far down in the deep sea-caves where the fishes live and the red coral grows; and whenever he was angry the waves would rise mountain high, and the storm-winds would howl fearfully, and the sea would try to break over the land; and men called him the Shaker of the Earth.
'Ceres Begging for Jupiter's Thunderbolt' by Antoine Callet

The other brother of Jupiter was a sad pale-faced being, whose kingdom was underneath the earth, where the sun never shone and where there was darkness and weeping and sorrow all the time. His name was Pluto, or Aidoneus, and his country was called the Lower World, or the Land of Shadows, or Hades. Men said that whenever anyone died, Pluto would send his messenger, or Shadow Leader, to carry that one down into his cheerless kingdom; and for that reason they never spoke well of him, but thought of him only as the enemy of life.

A great number of other Mighty Beings lived with Jupiter amid the clouds on the mountaintop,-so many that I can name a very few only. There was Venus, the queen of love and beauty, who was fairer by far than any woman that you or I have ever seen. There was Athena, 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 at the right hand of Jupiter and gave him all kinds of advice. There was Mars, the great warrior, whose delight was in the din of battle. There was Mercury, the swift 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 skillful blacksmith, who had his forge in a burning mountain and wrought many wonderful things of iron and copper and gold. And besides these, there were many others about whom you will learn by and by, and about whom men told strange and beautiful stories.

They lived in glittering, golden mansions, high up among the clouds-so high indeed that the eyes of men could never see them. But they could look down and see what men were doing, and oftentimes they were said to leave their lofty homes and wander unknown across the land or over the sea.

And of all these Mighty Folk, Jupiter was by far the mightiest.

    Old Greek Stories by James Baldwin Greek Stories by James Baldwin    

Chapter 1: Jupiter and His Mighty Company

Performer: LibriVox - Hugh Gillis

Directions

Study the chapter for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read and/or listen to the chapter.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Answer the review questions.

Synopsis

The first chapter overviews some important mythological Greek/Roman gods, including Zeus/Jupiter, king of the heavens, Poseidon/Neptune, king of the seas, Hades/Pluto, king of the underworld, Aphrodite/Venus, queen of love and beauty, Minerva/Athena, goddess of wisdom, Hera/Juno, queen of Earth and sky, Ares/Mars, the great warrior, Hermes/Mercury, the flying messenger, and Hephaestus/Vulcan, the blacksmith.

Vocabulary

Zeus/Jupiter: Supreme ruler of all Greek gods and husband to Hera/Juno who rides on the storm clouds and hurls burning thunderbolts.
Hades/Pluto: King of the underworld where the dead spend their afterlife.
Poseidon/Neptune: King of the sea who can make enormous waves.'
Aphrodite/Venus The queen of love and beauty.
Athena/Minerva: The goddess of wisdom, especially strategic warfare, the arts, and especially crafts, in particular, weaving.
Hera/Juno: The queen of the gods who sits at the side of Jupiter.
Ares/Mars: The great warrior.
Hermes/Mercury: The swift and flying messenger who had wings on his cap and shoes.
Hephaestus/Vulcan: The blacksmith who had a forge in a burning mountain and wrought many wonderful things of iron and copper and gold.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Book Information

  • Recite the name of the author, the title of the book, and the title of the chapter.

Activity 2: Narrate the Story

  • Narrate the events aloud in your own words.

Activity 3: Study the Story Picture(s)

  • Study the story picture(s) and verbally describe the relation to the story.

Activity 4: Map the Story

  • Find Greece on the map of the world.

Activity 5: Playact Zeus/Jupiter

  • Pretend you are Zeus/Jupiter.
  • Ride on the swirling storm clouds. Watch out - It's windy up there!
  • Throw thunderbolts down to Earth.

Activity 6: Listen to Zeus/Jupiter's Composition

  • Gustav Holst's suite, 'The Planets,' contains seven movements that capture the spirit of the seven planets in our solar system, their associated mythological gods, and their astrological signs.
  • Listen to 'Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity' by Gustav Holst.
  • Reflect on how this particular musical piece reflects the nature of Zeus/Jupiter the god.

Activity 7: Complete Written Narration   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 183 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'

Activity 8: Complete Copywork and Dictation   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete pages 183-184 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'

Activity 9: Match the Greek and Roman Names   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 184 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'

Activity 10: Color the Mythological Character and the Celestial Body   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 185 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'

Activity 11: Answer Written Review Questions   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 186 of 'Fourth Grade Prose: Written Narration, Dictation, and Review Questions.'

Review

Question 1

What is the Greek name for Jupiter?
1 / 9

Answer 1

Zeus is the Greek name for Jupiter.
1 / 9

Question 2

What is the Roman name for Zeus?
2 / 9

Answer 2

Jupiter is the Roman name for Zeus.
2 / 9

Question 3

What does Zeus/Jupiter throw as a weapon?
3 / 9

Answer 3

Zeus/Jupiter throws thunderbolts.
3 / 9

Question 4

Who rules by Zeus/Jupiter's side?
4 / 9

Answer 4

Hera/Juno rules by Zeus/Jupiter's side.
4 / 9

Question 5

Which god presides over the seas?
5 / 9

Answer 5

Poseidon/Neptune presides over the oceans.
5 / 9

Question 6

Which god rules over the souls of the deceased in the underworld?
6 / 9

Answer 6

Hades/Pluto rules over the souls of the deceased in the underworld.
6 / 9

Question 7

What do the wings on Hermes/Mercury's helmet and shoes signify?
7 / 9

Answer 7

The wings signify Hermes/Mercury's ability to fly.
7 / 9

Question 8

Which god is very good at fighting?
8 / 9

Answer 8

Mars is good at fighting.
8 / 9

Question 9

What pattern do you notice in the names of the Roman gods (e.g. Mercury, Mars, Venus)
9 / 9

Answer 9

Many of the Roman gods share names with planets.
9 / 9

  1. What is the Greek name for Jupiter? Zeus is the Greek name for Jupiter.
  2. What is the Roman name for Zeus? Jupiter is the Roman name for Zeus.
  3. What does Zeus/Jupiter throw as a weapon? Zeus/Jupiter throws thunderbolts.
  4. Who rules by Zeus/Jupiter's side? Hera/Juno rules by Zeus/Jupiter's side.
  5. Which god presides over the seas? Poseidon/Neptune presides over the oceans.
  6. Which god rules over the souls of the deceased in the underworld? Hades/Pluto rules over the souls of the deceased in the underworld.
  7. What do the wings on Hermes/Mercury's helmet and shoes signify? The wings signify Hermes/Mercury's ability to fly.
  8. Which god is very good at fighting? Mars is good at fighting.
  9. What pattern do you notice in the names of the Roman gods (e.g. Mercury, Mars, Venus) Many of the Roman gods share names with planets.

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