The Gods of Small Things

Ancient Greek mythology featured a huge array of gods. Some of them—especially the “Olympians,” who lived on Mount Olympus—were in charge of big things, like Apollo (the god of the sun), Aphrodite (the goddess of love), Artemis (the goddess of the hunt), and Zeus and Hera, the king and queen of the gods. Other gods oversaw “smaller” things, like Hermes, the messenger god. But each and every one of these gods took an interest in humans and helped people like Medea, Jason, and Creon navigate forces beyond their control.

In this activity, your students will learn about some of the most recognizable figures from Greek mythology. Then, they’ll create their own “designer deities” to meet their modern-day needs.

STEP 1. REFLECT

Begin by explaining that the culture that produced the original Medea, ancient Greece, worshiped a large number of gods. Each god in the Greek pantheon had a specialty, and people often prayed to these gods for happy outcomes in situations beyond their control.

Ask students if they are already familiar with any ancient Greek gods. If so, do they know what these gods did? Can they think of any particular attributes associated with these gods? They might mention Zeus and his thunderbolts, Poseidon and his trident, or Artemis and her hunting bow. (They might also know some mythological figures that are not, strictly speaking, gods—like the three-headed dog Cerberus who guards the gates of Hades. Encourage these answers, too.)

STEP 2. RESEARCH

Invite students to use the internet or other resources to research some of the most famous Greek gods. The “Greek Mythology Crossword” will be a good place for them to start.

As they research, ask students to take note of some of the following for each god:

• The name of the deity
• What they were in charge of
• Their appearance
• Their personality traits
• Their special powers
• How people could invoke their blessings (or their wrath)
• Ritual objects (or places) associated with this god
• Their origin or background story

For younger students, you may wish to simply introduce a few Greek gods.

As students research, they will likely discover some “minor” deities, too, like Nike (the god of victory) or Morpheus (the god of dreams). Ask them to note which of these deities strike them as most intriguing or interesting.

STEP 3. MAKE IT PERSONAL

Even though we live in a modern age, we are still subject to forces beyond our control. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had super-beings such as these to help us with our daily obstacles? In this step, students will get to imagine and create their own minor deities. Distribute the “Designer Deity” reproducible. You may model completion of the form, with either a historical example (such as Athena) or a made-up example that pertains to your own life (such as Asphalta, “the god of finding a good parking space”).

Guide students through the process of creating their own gods, using the reproducible sheet as a guide. Note that these deities can help with anything!

STEP 4. SHARE OUT

Once students have finished creating their deities, invite them to share. Some ideas for doing so are included in the “diving deeper” section, below.

• Distribute art materials and invite students to draw or construct a temple or shrine to their deities, like the Parthenon in Athens (dedicated to Athena). Then create an annotated tourist map featuring the “temple sites” (i.e., the desks) of all the deities in your classroom.
• Help your students write a Greek-style play—complete with chorus and masks—featuring their designer deities. They can do this individually, in small groups, or as a class.
• Invite students to research the deities and myths of other world cultures.
• For a STEM connection to this activity, students can research the real scientific or mathematical factors that control the phenomena under their deity’s purview. For instance, if a deity is “the god of getting all the answers right on a test,” they could research the probability of randomly choosing every correct answer on a multiple-choice test.