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ELA 4: Hades and Persephone 128 Views


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Description:

Myths like this one can teach us lessons about the natural world. So what does this one mean? Don't...eat...pomegranate? That can't be right. Better watch it again.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:06

[Dino and Coop singing]

00:13

So what do we really know about mythology? [Girl reading a book about mythology]

00:16

Well, we know that it's probably full of myths, because, well, it’s right there in the word.

00:20

But what’s a myth?

00:22

Well, it's sort of like a story. [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

00:23

Except a story can be about anything you could ever imagine, like a cotton candy breathing

00:28

dragon…mmm…terrifying and delicious. [Guy looks excited]

00:31

Myths, on the other hand, specifically try and teach us about nature, history, the origins [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

00:36

of Earth, and the beings that live on it.

00:38

Which unfortunately means, there's no myth about a cotton candy breathing dragon.

00:41

Bummer.

00:42

So let's check out an example.

00:44

Take Hades, the God of the Underworld in Greek Mythology. [Pictures of Hades covered in flames]

00:47

Now Hades, as you can probably imagine given that he's…y'know…the

00:50

God of the Underworld, wasn't exactly the most pleasant guy to be around. [Hades talking about hate in a pit of fire]

00:54

So when he took a wife – and we mean that literally, he literally kidnapped her – she

00:59

wasn't all too happy about the arrangement.

01:01

We're guessing she made Hades sleep on the couch. [Hades lying on the couch looking unhappy]

01:03

Anyway, his wife was Persephone, a daughter of Zeus. [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

01:06

And if you thought Hades being the God of the Underworld was fancy, guess what?

01:10

Zeus is the King of the Gods. [Zeus stood in a cloud]

01:12

Seriously, check his business card. [Zeus holding up his business card]

01:14

…Okay, just kidding, Zeus didn't have business cards, but he was a big deal. [Stop sign appears]

01:18

So back to our myth.

01:19

Persephone was so torn up about the whole “being forced to marry the god of the underworld” [Persephone crying]

01:23

thing, she refused to eat.

01:25

Well…almost. [Persephone walks away from Hades at a restaurant]

01:26

She ate a single pomegranate seed.

01:29

We like to eat ice cream when we're sad, but hey, whatever works. [Girl sat on couch next to a big pile of empty ice cream containers]

01:32

But then, Hermes, Persephone's brother, came to rescue her.

01:35

So they left together, and all was merry and bright! [Hermes carries Persephone away]

01:38

Well…almost.

01:39

Since she ate that one seed, Persephone was forced to return to the underworld every year

01:44

for six months.

01:45

Lousy deal, huh? [Persephone going back to Hades]

01:46

And so, whenever Persephone returns to the underworld, the season changes to winter…

01:50

….and when Persephone is away from the evil Hades and his miserable abode, the season

01:54

changes to summer.

01:55

So that’s the myth!

01:57

But what does it explain about the world?

01:59

Well, what parts of this myth remind us of the world we know today? [Girl sat on a couch with ice cream around her mouth]

02:02

Probably the part about winter and summer, right?

02:04

So this myth explains….drum roll please…why there are different seasons! [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

02:08

When Persephone is forced to go to the underworld for six months, it’s all dark and sad, so

02:12

the whole Earth gets all dark and sad.

02:14

But when she returns and escapes from that misery, winter ends and the world is full

02:18

of warmth and light again.

02:20

Okay, so this isn’t exactly the most scientific explanation for why we have seasons, [Unscientific stamp]

02:24

but that's okay.

02:25

Each mythology has its own unique and interesting explanations for how the world works, and

02:30

there's something to learn from all of them.

02:32

And next time, Persephone?

02:33

Stick to ice cream. [Persephone looking happy as she eats ice cream]

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