"Myths And Their Transformations,"
	The Greek Story Versus the Disney Hercules Story - Everlena Oliver, Santa Ana High School
	Children love superheroes. Hercules was one of the greatest Greek superheroes. Why was he so great? The circumstances surrounding his birth forced him to make some choices during his life that made him great. He became a superhero because of the many challenges he conquered. This unit will focus on his family genealogy, circumstances that led him to the twelve labors, and his death. The material will be presented to 9th grade General education students and students with mild to moderate learning handicaps. Through the research, the students will be guided into developing critical thinking skills, artistic expression, and understanding how this subject can cross over into other subjects (world geography, history, and art class). They will be able to see how the Greek culture has influenced many of the words in our English language. I also hope to show the students how the ancient Greek writers created stories to explain how the constellations came to be named and how they created their version of how the world began. In order to teach the students, it will be very important for them to see how the history surrounding that time period often influenced the stories that the Greek writers wrote about. This will help the students to see how world events happening today often influence the type of heroes they choose. It is not surprising that superheroes often get away with doing things that are not socially accepted by society, for example, many of the Greek gods and goddesses often had relationships with married people. Zeus, the father of Hercules, had many relationships with women in the form of animals. This is also known as bestiality, which is generally not acceptable. He also fathered many children with mortal women to whom he was not married. He was married to his sister Hera. Hera was a Greek goddess driven to do many evil things to her stepson because of her deep jealousy for him. Today that would be viewed as child abuse. This is an example of how social standards have evolved throughout the centuries. Another reason why superheroes are worshipped is because they often face things that society is afraid to think about such as death. One of Hercules' adventures took him to a swamp where he had to fight a monster by the name of Hydra. The Hydra had seven heads. Every time one head was chopped off, two heads would reappear. The blood of this snake-like creature was also very poisonous. This is very important because later it is linked to the eventual death of Hercules. Belief in superheroes helps give hope to children that they can have a little hero in them. It is a way to escape from the pressures of growing up. Sometimes if children are not popular, thinking of themselves as superheroes helps them to cope with being shut out of the "in crowd." I hope to study the symbolism that is represented in the story of Hercules. In addition to this, I want to bring out the different themes such as good versus evil, strong versus weak, and virtue verses vice. Another plan is to discuss what attributes a superhero must possess. I want to answer the question of whether Hercules was a deranged and troubled mortal man or a superhero. I need to first establish my hypothesis that the original story was not intended to be taught to children. This is established by the fact that pictures of the ancient storytellers often show the audience as being adult males, and there are no children or women present. Second, the content of the stories was for mature audiences. For example, the history of the birth of Hercules stated that his father Zeus transformed himself into the likeness of Alcmene's husband Amphitryon. Acting as if he were her husband home from a war, he lay with her and conceived Hercules. When her true husband returned, he lay with her too and conceived Iphicles, the twin of Hercules. The story goes on to tell how Zeus went back to Mount Olympus and proceeded to boast about the pending birth of his son. His wife Hera, who is also his sister, overheard him and became jealous as any wife would upon hearing that her husband had been unfaithful. Hera immediately tried to delay the birth by use of witchcraft. When that attempt fails, she tried to kill him by placing two poisonous snakes in his crib. Hercules picked the snakes up, one in each hand, and strangles them. This reveals his strength even as a young child. This is not exactly the type of story one would tell to young children. The next example is when Hercules, having been driven mad by his jealous stepmother, murdered his wife, three of their children, and two of his brothers children. According to notes from The Greek Myths: 2 by Robert Graves, madness was the classical Greek excuse for child-sacrifice. This ritual would seemingly reveal that children were not valued. This indicates that the material is not ideal to pass down as a story to be told to children. After murdering his family and becoming sane once again, Hercules went into self-exile to think about what he had done and also to grieve his loss. After awhile he went to Delphi to find out what he should do. This is also the first time he is addressed as Hercules. Before then he was known as Palaemon. He was advised to go to Tiryns and to serve his cousin Eurystheus for twelve years. During that time he was to perform any labor that Eurystheus had for him. As a reward he would be given immortality. The ancient Greeks were known for having great sexual appetites and a love of orgy-type parties. Some myths hint at stories of homosexual tendencies. For example, as thought by others in that time period, Hercules was thought to have performed the twelve labors to gratify his lover Eurystheus. This information was sited from The Greek Myths: 2 by Robert Graves (101). He was also said to have had homosexual relations with Hylas and Iolaus. These examples help to validate that the original story of Hercules was not meant for children. The original classical myth was not intended for young children. However, 9th graders are on the crest of becoming young adults. The H.O.T. program from UCI was very instrumental in helping to give support on how to present the material to the 9th grade class at Santa Ana High School. The information was very tastefully presented and added a better understanding of the Greek myth. As C. S. Lewis, a great writer of fact, fiction and fantasy once stated, one must study the original writings to have a decent understanding of the present writings. The knowledge of the classical Greek myth can enhance a student's understanding of the intent and meaning of the work. Some of the objectives that will be included in my lesson plans are as follows: Students will know the major events that contributed to Greek Hercules mythology Students will have a clear understanding of how Greek mythology has contributed to our American society. Students will be able to read and comprehend pertinent information about the Greek culture. Students will be able to reconstruct the labors using descriptive language. Students will be able to use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the Greek Hercules with the Disney version of Hercules. Students will practice giving oral presentations, working in groups, and conducting research. Students will be able to display creative talents in multiple ways. These are only a few of the objectives the students will learn. It is my hope that the students will want to take what will be learned and apply it to other subjects. The Twelve Labors of Hercules: Road to Immortality The next section will be a brief discussion of the twelve labors. Originally he was to perform only ten labors, but he received help with two of the labors. This broke the rules of completing the labors without additional help from anyone. Thus, two additional labors were added. Because of the amount of material covered, I will only be discussing the first two labors and the last two in depth. Labors that will be covered are in bold type. However, in the classroom all twelve will be discussed briefly. The names of the twelve labors are as follows: The Nemean Lion The Lernaean Hydra The Ceryneian Hind The Erymanthian Boar The Stables Of Augeas The Stymphalian Birds The Cretan Bull The Mares of Diomedes Hippolyte's Girdle The Cattle of Geryon The Apples of the Hesperides The Capture of Cerberus. The Nemean Lion: The Hero and/ as the Monster For the first labor, the Nemean Lion, Hercules was to kill and flay the lion. The obstacle was that the hide of the lion was impenetrable by iron, bronze, and stone. When Hercules first saw the lion, he shot several arrows at it but each one bounced off the lion. Next, he used his sword, which bent as though made of lead. Finally, he dealt the lion a heavy blow with his club. The lion entered his cave unharmed. His cave had two openings, one in the back and one in the front presumably. Hercules blocked the entrance of one opening and entered through the other one. He began to wrestle the lion and eventually strangled it. He carried the carcass on his shoulders, returned back to town, and took the carcass to Eurystheus. Eurystheus was amazed and frightened of Hercules and ordered him to bring all future prizes of his labors to the gates. Through divine inspiration, he was able to flay the lion. He used the lion's own sharp claws to strip the hide from the carcass. He later would use the hide of the lion as his armor. In classical art, Hercules is depicted with the head of the lion draped over his head as a helmet, and the paws rest on his shoulders with the tail of the lion hanging down his back. Hercules began to earn his superhero title after this conquest. It took cleverness and ingenuity to bring about the death of the lion. This was the beginning of his display of the qualities that labeled as a hero. Why was a lion chosen for his first labor? Traditionally a lion is known as the king over other animals, since he is strong and difficult to kill. Man against beast is the theme. Man has been given charge over all beasts, so naturally he would be expected to win in a game of wits. By wearing the slain animal's hide, Hercules adopts part of the animal he has killed. It is also significant to him in future labors because the hide is not penetrable. It will be used to protect him. The Hydra: A Problem with Many Heads The second labor ordered by Eurystheus was the destruction of the Lernaean Hydra. Hera supposedly reared this monster as a menace to Hercules. The Hydra had at least seven heads, and one of the heads was immortal. It was also very venomous. It was said the very breath or the smell of its tracks could cause immediate death. Hercules held his breath when fighting the Hydra. He had trouble killing it because as soon as he would crush a head with his club two more would appear. A crab biting his heels also hindered him. The crab was sent by Hera to defeat Hercules. When Hercules had slain the Hydra with the help of Iolaus, he dipped his arrows into the poisonous blood of the Hydra. The blood of the Hydra will be linked to his death later in the story. Snakes traditionally are thought to be representative of evil. It is interesting that a snake was used as one of the labors. The Hydra may have been a symbol of the fears we often have to face head-on in order to go on with life. Being a hero, Hercules is chosen to conquer the evil of Hydra. At the same time, he keeps a part of the evil within himself which later leads to his destruction. Also of interest was the fact that the Hydra was found in a swamp. The swamp (reference made to the river Amymone) supposedly had seven outlets which is why Hydra may have had seven heads, one to guard each outlet. Seven is usually thought of as a perfect number and often symbolizes the creation of the world in seven days and other Biblical references. However, the Greeks were not familiar with this concept. Also significant as mentioned before is that by Hercules keeping a part of the evil, the evil later causes his death. This makes evil appear to be circular (8). Even though the original source of the evil was destroyed (the Hydra), Hercules dipped his arrows into the blood of the Hydra which allowed the evil to continue to flourish. It did not matter if the intent was to use the arrows to protect his own life. The full circle of evil becomes apparent when Hercules is killed. Nessus was asked by Hercules to carry his wife across a river. But Nessus tried to rape Hercules' wife. When Hercules heard the cries of his wife, he took one of his poisonous arrows and shot Nessus. Seeking revenge against Hercules, Nessus took his blood-dyed robe and gave it to Hercules' wife. He tells her that the robe will help her to keep her husband's love for her. She did not know the poison that was introduced into Nessus' blood was on the blood-stained robe. She gave the robe to Lichas to take to Hercules. He threw the robe over his shoulder and began to feel excruciating pain. This version of the story was taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses. We are led to believe that in order to kill the evil, nothing must be saved from the evil source. It must be completely destroyed. If it is not destroyed, the conqueror will somehow take on the evil in his life. Some good did occur as a result of the death of Hercules. He became immortal and went on to live the life that he was predestined to live as the heir of Zeus. Comparison of the use of the poison to the use of the Lion's skin As stated above, the poison blood was to later contribute to the death of Hercules the mortal. Hercules used the lion's skin to protect his body. He gained a sense of immortality when wearing the skin. The skin of the lion added to his own strength and made his body less vulnerable to harm. He also used both the skin and the poisoned arrows to help him complete his labors. The eleventh labor: The Apples of the Hesperides: Wit and Rivalry In this labor, Hercules was to bring fruit from the golden apple-tree, which was a wedding gift presented to Hera from Mother Earth. Hera was so delighted with this gift that she planted it in her own garden and had a guard to protect the fruit from being stolen. Atlas, the giant who was said to be holding the globe upon his shoulders as a punishment, took it upon himself to tend to Hera's tree. Atlas tricked Hercules into taking his position of holding the globe on his shoulders, but later Hercules tricked him into taking up his duty again. The significance of this labor is that Hercules is now taking something special from Hera. She already hates him, and this will increase her anger toward him and make her seek revenge. This can also be seen as a payback because Hera has taken something dear from him, his first wife and their children. This labor has Hercules using his wit as well as his strength. The labor takes him on a journey to the Far West. (13) From the beginning there was a jealous rivalry on behalf of Hera toward Hercules. By taking one of her most prized possessions, Hercules again is causing Hera to feed her already jealous, revengeful nature. In The Greek Myths: 2, a vague reference is made to the Tree of Knowledge and Wisdom in the Garden of Eden. However, Hercules did not eat the fruit of Hera's tree. He did use his wit in order to find the tree and to outwit her guards. The Twelfth Labor: The Capture of Cerberus: Winning Immortality The twelfth and final labor, the capture of Cerberus, was the most difficult of the twelve labors. Hercules was to bring the dog Cerberus up from Tartarus, also known as the underworld. Hercules had done what no mortal could do by entering the underworld and returning to earth unhurt. This labor is significant because it deals with death, which most of society does not want to think about. This is the unknown world. Hades told Hercules that the dog would be his if he didn't use club or arrows. Cerberus is described as having three heads, each containing a serpent. His tail was barbed and was said to have a dragon there. As in the first trial, Hercules used his strength to choke Cerberus. This causes him to yield. The lion's hide was used as protection to keep Cerberus from harming him with his barbed tail. Hercules was able to go to the land of the dead and return to earth unharmed. He also took the dog back to Hades after showing it to Eurystheus. It was destiny for Hercules to gain immortality. His birth to a god named Zeus had already begun the fated legacy. The circumstances that occurred to reinforce this legacy were the completing of the twelve labors. His hero status became legendary. The entering of the underworld not once but twice and being able to return to his world made him appear to be more than a mere mortal. No mere mortal could have completed this feat. This accomplishment helped to strengthen his title of hero. "Death of Hercules" When Hercules showed affection for Iole, Deineira put the potion on a new sacrificial shirt she has woven for Hercules to guard his safe return to her. Hercules puts on the shirt and immediately his skin began to corrode. The pain was unendurable. When he tried to rip off the shirt, his flesh came away with it. After killing Lichas by throwing him into the Euboean Sea because he had delivered the shirt to him, Hercules asked his son Hyllus to take him away to die in solitude. A pyre was built, and he mounted it and gave orders to light it, but before he could die his father Zeus rescued him and took him back to Mt. Olympus. Hercules went through a purification process. That part of him (the human) was completely destroyed by the fire. He was pure and only had the characteristics of his father Zeus. He could then enter Mt Olympus. Zeus had the task of changing Hera's mind about Hercules. He was successful. Hera adopted him as her son, all was forgiven. He was given Hera's daughter Hebe for his wife. They have two children, and Hercules lives as an immortal for all eternity. Hera adopted Hercules only after she goes through a ritualistic ceremony of pretending to go through labor and delivering Hercules. Hercules pretended to be coming down the birth canal by lying between her legs. From this tale of Hercules we learn that a hero must be strong, clever, confident, and resourceful. He must never give up. As the story ends, it further proves that the subject matter is mature. Since Hera is the wife and sister of Zeus, this makes Hercules her stepson as well as her nephew. Also this would make her daughter his cousin, thus revealing incest in the family. The good news is that the content can be adapted to fit the age of the audience. We will see this in the discussion about the Disney Hercules. Comparison of the Classical Greek Hercules to the Disney Hercules The information used for the contrast and comparison of the Greek Hercules and the Disney Hercules was taken from the Internet at <<http:/has. Brown.edu/maicar/Disney/Hercules.html>>. In the Disney story Hercules was born immortal, becomes mortal, and after successfully completing the twelve labors becomes immortal once again. The audience for the Disney Hercules is young children to adults. He was the son of Zeus and Hera born in Olympus. The two snakes that attack the child Hercules are two demons in disguise sent by Hades. Pegasus, the winged horse, keeps Hercules company at all times. Zeus created him out of a cloud. In the Greek version there is no horse. Narcissus appears in heaven watching himself in a mirror. In Ovid's Greek version he is gazing on his image in the waters of the river Styx in the Underworld. Throughout the entire version we see characters and places changed. The main purpose of the Disney version is strictly to entertain. Hercules is portrayed as having a dog-like personality. His emotions are revealed, and he is shown to be idealistic and sincere. He tends to think about his actions before he acts. He has incredible strength and often appears very vulnerable. Instead of having to deal with Hera, he now has Hades to contend with. He is given Phil as a hero trainer. The Greek hero had no trainer or sidekick. Disney version, as written by Mike Lyons, also gives Hercules a love interest to go on his travels with him. She (Meg) has been dumped by a no-good boyfriend and soon begins to develop feelings for Hercules. The Disney writers have clearly taken this idea from the Alcestis story. Hades also figures out that he can get to Hercules by using Meg. She is his Achilles' heel. Disney uses beautiful colors and backgrounds. While the original image we see of Hercules is usually sculptured in stone or painted on a vase, the Disney character is a cartoon figure with a boyish face and curly brown hair surrounded by a headband. He has a straight nose like in the original sculptures. He also has pursed lips and wide blue eyes. His labors are changed and mixed up with other Greek stories such as Perseus. He is seen fighting the Cyclops and blinding his single eye, which is a story taken from The Odyssey. Once the Greek version has been taught, the Disney version can be shown as entertainment to point out how movies are often adjusted to promote high interest in seeing the movie. Disney also has a cartoon on Saturday mornings for a young audience that is a continuation of the movie version. There is also a weekly drama version that uses actors to tell other Hercules' stories. Neither show has educational value. Children are introduced to the hero and often encouraged to buy promotional items such as action figures. Conclusion: The Mystic of a Hero vs. an Ordinary Man In conclusion to my introduction, I believe that I have proven that the original Greek Hercules Myth was originally designed for adult males. However, with assistance from programs such as the H.O.T. program from UCI, it has been proven that the classical Greek version can be modified and taught to all grade levels. The Disney Hercules is strictly used for entertainment and does not resemble the original content of the Greek version. In fact, it might confuse students by mixing up the characters and the story line. For the rest of the introduction I will discuss the theory I will be using to teach the textbook Greek Hercules Myth. Was Hercules a deranged and troubled mortal man or a hero? I have to conclude that Hercules was indeed a mortal man who through a series of labors emerges into an immortal hero. As stated by Ovid, Hercules undergoes metamorphoses or change. He searches to change the chaos in his life to bring some order to his life. Man is on a continual journey to satisfy this need. Hercules, as portrayed in the original classical version, is indeed a true hero. As to whether or not 9th graders can benefit from the classical Greek version, I have also concluded through my research and by having the opportunity to see the classical version taught by the H.O.T. program that it can be taught and successfully. The students learn more and are able to discern the truth versus the inconsistencies of the myth. A good example is the Disney version discussed about previously. Students can also compare the labors of Hercules with the challenges of life that they might be experiencing or may experience as a part of life. People are constantly being faced with many fears, obstacles, and decisions all of their lives. Hercules shows us how he conquers his misfortunes by using the power he gained from animals and monsters. Throughout his life Hercules confronted many evils, much as we do in our every day lives. We have to be careful not to let evil become a part of us. Hercules has survived through the ages as a hero because he was able to accomplish his battles in life and emerge as an immortal being. Over time the storytellers probably did not know the difference between the truth and the myth. Bloom's Taxonomy: Teaching Strategies for Comprehension Since the main goal of any reading should be the comprehension of the student, I decided to use "The Taxonomy of Comprehension" based on the work of Bloom (1957), found in The Second Edition Creating Reading Instruction for all Children by Thomas G. Gunning. The five tasks are: Knowledge: Recognizing and recalling vocabulary and details on a literal level. Comprehension: Being able to put answers in one's own words or in a nonverbal form. Includes seeing relationships among ideas; inferring consequences, effects, main ideas, summarizing, and generalizing; and making predictions based on information together in a new way. Application analysis: Applying theories or ideas to a new circumstance or event. Synthesis: Putting information together in a new way. Evaluation: Using a set of standards to make a judgment about a piece of writing, work of art, plan, etc. By using the above strategies for comprehension, it is my hope that the students will be assisted in developing writing skills to use toward writing their own myths. Hopefully, they will be stimulated into doing research on their own by use of a computer or the library. This will help to bring technology into the lessons. Above all, the material must stimulate excitement in the students. When students are bored, they tend to be unable to learn. I also want to take on the role of a facilitator who guides them to search out their own answers. Most of all, they must become involved in the learning process. Before getting into the lesson plans, I would like to take this time to express how grateful I am for the opportunity to participate in the Yale&endash;New Haven/UCI&endash;Santa Ana Teachers Institute. I give my special thanks to our Institute Leader Dr. Julia Lupton. She inspired me to continue to the end when I became overwhelmed with other obligations. It was a great learning experience, and I will endeavor to bring this learned knowledge back to my students and peers at Santa Ana High School. LESSON PLANS The lesson plans were broken into five with a time line of two weeks. Each assignment was given points for total available points of 100. The objectives for the entire unit are as follows: Students will know the major events that contributed to Greek Hercules mythology. Students will know how Greek mythology has contributed to our American society. Students will be able to read and comprehend pertinent information about the Greek culture. Students will be able to identify specific areas on an ancient Greek map where Hercules traveled for his labors. Students will learn to reconstruct the labors using descriptive language. Students will learn how to give an oral presentation and to present important information to their peers. Students will learn how to participate equally in group activities. Lesson 1 Objectives: Students will be introduced to Greek mythology. Students will be introduced to heroes and be able to discuss what they believe a hero is. This will lead into the study of Hercules. Student Purpose: Students will be able to discuss attributes of a superhero and decide whether Hercules is a superhero. They will be able to compare and contrast Hercules with superheroes such as Superman. Students will also become aware of what myths are and be able to contrast and compare a myth and a fairytale. Materials: Handouts on a Greek myth such as Jason and the Argonauts, handouts on individual gods and goddesses of Greek myths, pens or pencils, and writing paper. Evaluation of Student work: After reading and discussing the handouts, students will write a short essay using their own words to describe what made Jason a superhero, or why he is not considered a superhero. This essay will be given a maximum of 10 points. Lesson 2 Objective: To introduce students to the Disney Hercules. To have students identify the differences in the Disney setting and characters with the Greek Hercules time period. Students will be able to make a drawing of what they believe the Greek Hercules looked like. Materials: Hercules video by Walt Disney, handouts on the Greek Hercules--the early childhood, colored pencils, and construction paper. Purpose: To have students practice creativity and to stimulate their imagination by creating the image they perceive in their mind of Hercules the Superhero. Evaluation: The project will be worth 5 points. It will determine if students have an understanding of the material that has been presented and discover how they express their thoughts in the form of art. Lesson 3 Objective: To have students study the twelve labors and be able to discuss the symbolism used, how the labors build on each other, what new skills are needed with each labor, and why the labors were chosen. Purpose: Students will use their critical thinking skills and display what they have comprehended about the labors. They will have to develop their own creative skills to complete the assignment to be given. Materials: Copy of the twelve labors, construction paper, colored pencils, and a pencil or pen. Evaluation: Students will be expected to choose a method of showing the twelve labors in a creative way. Examples given will be a clock with the twelve labors, or a calendar showing the twelve labors. They will have to choose one item that will represent each individual labor. One example would be a drawing of the Nemean Lion after it has been killed. The final part of the assignment will be to create their own labors and write them up in short one-page essays. They should also have drawings with their essays. Lesson 4 Objective: Students will be able to identify vocabulary that is new to them. They will be able, in some cases, to trace English words that come from the Greek word seen in the readings in this unit. This will be on going throughout the unit. Main objective is to create a word-wall that will grow as the year continues. Purpose: To develop vocabulary and to start practicing lifelong skills of learning new vocabulary on a daily basis. Materials: Dictionary, paper, and a pencil or pen. Evaluation: Students will choose five new words independently and break up in to groups of four. They will be expected to share the words with each other, in some cases they might choose the same words. At the end of the group sessions, each group will have a representative to share the words with the other groups. This assignment will be worth 10 points. It will also be evaluated on group participation. Lesson 5 Objectives: To have students display their comprehension of the unit on Hercules. To show evidence of new knowledge learned by writing a myth. Presenting a three-minute oral presentation and creating a poster, book, and shadow box showing something about their myth. Purpose: Students will reinforce what they have learned. They will have to use creativity in order to make up a myth about the origination of something. The myth might be about how heat, earthquakes, river, animals, cities, or anything came to be what it is known as today. Another purpose is to use descriptive language to tell about their myth. Materials: Writing paper, shoebox, pen or pencil, colored pencils, poster paper, construction paper, copy of writing format to be used, and a glue stick. Evaluation: Students will be able to earn fifty points. They will be graded on an oral presentation, finished product of art, originality of myth, and organizational skills. They may choose partners for the visual display. Annotated Teacher Bibliography Arnsberger, H. Thomas and Caroline. Gods and Heroes: A quick guide to the occupations, associations and experiences of the Greek and Roman Gods and Heroes. Troy, New York: The Whitston Publishing Co., 1977. The Greek gods are listed under title or hero sub-titles, good for a fast reference of jobs of the heroes. Bergen, Evans. Dictionary of Mythology. Lincoln, Nebraska: Centennial Press, 1970. A very good resource for looking up classical Greek Mythology stories. Barthell Jr., Edward E. Gods and Goddesses of ancient Greece. Coral Gables Florida: University of Miami Press 1971. Great resource for the history of mythological gods. Has an excellent story about Hercules. Boswell, Fred and Jeanetta. What Men or Gods are These? A Genealogical Approach to Classical Mythology. New Jersey and London: The Scarecrow Press Inc., 1980. Good family tree of the Greek Gods including Hercules. Cotterell, Arthur. A Dictionary of World Mythology. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1980. ---. The Encyclopedia of Mythology. Anness Publishing 1996. Good colored maps and pictures. Cwendish, Richard, ed. Mythology an Illustrated Encyclopedia. London: Orbis Publishing Limited. Contains great pictures of the Greeks, a good family tree, and good sources of Greek poetry mythologies. Encyclopedia of Classical Mythology. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1965. Easy reading and good maps at back of the book. Euripides. Alcestis. Trans. by Ralph Gladstone. Ed. David Grene. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1952. Has a play about the children of Hercules. Graves, Robert. The Greek Myths: 2. Hamondsworth, England: Penguin Books 1969. An excellent resource for the birth of Hercules and explains the twelve labors in detail, also has history of the ten year Trojan War. Grimal, Pierre. Larousse World Mythology. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1963. Has great stories from other countries and Greek mythology. Students and teachers can compare different cultural myths. ---. The Dictionary of Classical Mythology. New York: Basi Blackwell, Inc. 1951. Contains good maps and a short history of Hercules. Gunning, Thomas G. Creating Reading Instruction for All Children. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1996. Hesiod and Theogony. Hesiod and Theognis. Trans. Dorothea Wender. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 1973. Story in poetry form describes the Greek version of the formation of the earth and the heavens. Talks about Zeus, Hermes, Hercules, and other gods and goddesses of Greek Mythology. Very interesting. Monaghan. The Book of Goddesses and Heroines. New York: E. P. Dictton, 1981. Good resource for the study of individual goddesses. Easy reading. Ovid. Metamorphosis. Trans. Rolfe Humphries. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1955. An excellent ancient Greek story of creation of the earth. It also traces origins of the Greek gods and goddesses. Stapleton, Michael. The Illustrated Dictionary of Greek and Roman Mythology. New York: Peter Bedrick books, Inc., 1986. Great colored maps and pictures that compare the Greek with the Roman. Zimmerman, J. E. Dictionary of Classical Mythology. New York: Harper and Row, 1964. Contains good useful information on Hercules. Annotated Student Bibliography Adams. Herakles. 1999. <htttp://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/herlabor.html>. d'Aulaires, Edgar P. and Ingri. Book of Greek Myths. New York: Dell, 1962. Has many illustrations that are based on classical originals. Easlin, Bernard. The Hydra. New York: Chelsea House, 1989. Excellent resource for learning more about the Hydra. Gibson, Michel. Gods, Men, and Monsters from Greek Myths. New York: Schocken Books, 1982. This is one of the books used to teach Greek Mythology to the 9th graders at Santa Ana High School. It has stories on the gods and goddesses. A good general source. It has good illustrations and a good chapter on Hercules. Grant, Michel. Roman Myth. Scildner, 1971. Can compare the Greek myth with the Roman counter part. Available at the SAHS Library. Lyons, Mike. Hit or Myth: Disney's Hercules. 1999. <http://family.go.com/Features/family_1997_06/lipn/lipn67film/>. Mc Caughrian, Geraldine. Greek Mythology. Mc Elderry, K. 1993. Easy reading also available at SAHS Library. Parada, Carlos. Disney's Hercules and Original Hercules Compared. 1999. <http:/hsa.brown.edu/maicar/DisneyHercules.html>. World Book of Encyclopedia, Ref. 031, 1999, Volume 9.