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Musical Mythology
Hephaestus
Hephaestus Activity
Whenever a god or goddess wanted something made of metal,
Hephaestus created the most extraordinarily wonderful things. He made
a shield and other armor for Achilles at the request of Thetis, robots of
gold in the form of young women who could move and speak, a necklace
for Harmonia, and the invincible sword of Peleus.
“Helios has as his lot toil day after day and there is never any rest either for him or his horses,
when rosy-fingered dawn leaving the stream of Ocean makes her way up into the sky.
But a beautiful hollow cup, winged and of precious gold, fashioned by the hands of Hephaestus,
bears him, sleeping deeply, from the land of the Hesperides to the country of the Ethiopians,
where he makes his swift chariot and horses stand, until the rising dawn comes.”
Vocabulary
In a dictionary, find the meaning of each vocabulary word as it is used in the excerpt above.
lot _________________________________________________________________
bears _________________________________________________________________
fashioned _________________________________________________________________
toil _________________________________________________________________
Questions
1. What are the Hesperides? ____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Which other characters from literature were physically not beautiful but produced beauty?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Bernice Jefferis
Cleveland Heights, OH
60 Copyright 2007 American Classical League
May be reproduced for classroom use
HEPHAESTUS
Teacher’s Key
Hephaestus Activity
Vocabulary
Questions
1. The Hesperides are daughters of Atlas and Hesperis. They live in a garden far to the west (where the
sun sets), and they guard the golden apple tree of Hera. Hesperis, in Latin, means “western.” This
garden was thought to be near the Atlas Mountains in northern Africa at the western extreme of the
Mediterranean Sea.
2. The ancient country of Ethiopia mentioned in mythology was located in northern Africa in a “dimly
defined region” near the Red Sea at the eastern extreme of the Mediterranean Sea. This is where
the Greeks believed that the sun rose.
3. Ugly Duckling
Cyrano de Bergerac
Rumplestiltskin
Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Beast in Beauty and the Beast
Design a robot
Assigning this as a homework task will produce a wide variety of robots. Having a whole class
design one provides for endless discussion about what, how, and why certain features should be
included or excluded.
Make jewelry
Again this could be assigned as homework, or found-materials could be provided
such as paperclips, buttons, and aluminum foil. Old or broken pieces of costume
jewelry could be recycled.
Research occupations
A “smith” works in metals. Find out what sort of work these people do.
cooper
potter
tanner
farrier
herder
scrivener
drover
wainwright
Bernice Jefferis
Cleveland Heights, OH
Where Is Lemnos?
The locations mentioned in mythology can usually be found on a map.
This is a map of Greece. Locate the following places on the map and label each.
Questions
1. How could you account for so many small islands in this part of the Mediterranean Sea?
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Look in an atlas to find the latitude of this part of the world. _____________________________
3. Compare the Mediterranean climate to the climate where you live. ________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Bernice Jefferis
Cleveland Heights, OH
Teacher’s Key
More Hephaestus Activities: Research Occupations
cooper a person who makes barrels or casks
potter a person who makes earthenware pots or dishes
tanner a person whose work is changing hide into leather by soaking it in tannin (tannic acid)
farrier a person who shoes horses
herder a person who tends a herd of animals
scrivener a scribe or clerk
drover a person who herds animals to market
wainwright a person who builds or repairs wagons
Teacher’s Key
Where Is Lemnos?
3. Mediterranean climates are characterized by wet winters and dry summers. San Francisco, California,
in the United States is approximately the same latitude as the Mediterranean Sea in Europe.
HEPHAESTUS
65 Copyright 2007 American Classical League
May be reproduced for classroom use