They will have little trouble identifying people who sought great wealth only to suffer a fall from grace in today’s world. English/Language Arts: For older students, it may be interesting to have them reflect on modern examples of King Midas’s weakness.
Students of all ages will recognize the thematic concepts of greed, lack of forethought, and penance found in King Midas’s story. Elementary classes: This myth is perfect for younger students because it avoids a lot of the more adult themes that are often present in Greek myths.Classroom applications for this great Greek myth: Depending on the retelling, Dionysus either takes pity on King Midas and removes the golden touch or poor Midas starves to death. After turning most of his palace, his food and wine, and (in some versions of the myth) his beloved daughter to gold, Midas realizes his gift is actually a curse. Without thinking, Midas wishes that everything he touches be turned to gold. One day, he meets the god Dionysus, who takes a liking to Midas and decides to grant him one wish. Especially when you consider that King Gordias, who quite possibly did exist historically, had a fairly famous son in the world of Greek myth. Sharing it builds students’ background knowledge and shows how complex and intertwined legend and history can become. The metaphor of the “Gordian knot,” an unsolvable puzzle or one that can only be solved by thinking “outside the box,” is common in literature. English/Language Arts: This story has many potential ELA links.If Alexander the Great really exists, does that mean the Gordian knot does too? What about King Gordias and his prophetess queen? What a great launch activity or conversation topic for a class studying the history of ancient Greece or Western civilization. And he did, in fact, go on to conquer and rule much of Asia. The puzzle of the Gordian knot was eventually solved, so the story goes, by a real-life person, Alexander the Great. History/Social Studies: This Greek myth is perfect for a middle- or high school-level discussion about the places in history where legend and truth get a bit cloudy.The man who unties/undoes the Gordian knot is destined to rule over all of Asia. The knot is so complex that it inspired a legend. He does, only to discover that the king has just died and an oracle has told the people that their new king will be arriving soon … by oxcart! After being crowned, Gordias ties up his cart in the town square in honor of Zeus. Born a peasant, he receives a sign from Zeus telling him to ride into town on his oxcart. King Gordias wins his throne in a most unusual manner.
Here are 10 great Greek myths that your students should know and a few ways to integrate them into your lessons. From building background knowledge of where modern terms and phrases originated to important life lessons humans have been grappling with for centuries, there is a Greek myth for all of it.
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