Introduction

This book is compiled from various resources and information found about Greece to create a multicultural book! This book contains four different genres: a Greeting Card, Poetry, Folktales , and restaurant description with a menu.

We will begin by learning a little about Greece!

The official name of Greece is the Hellenic Republic! It is located in southeast Europe, close to both Africa and Asia. In 2011, the population of Greece was around 11 million.

For our first genre, we will have a greeting card! A greeting card is a fun easy way to view information about a certain topic. In this greeting card, we will learn more information about Greece including important cities and places, major foods, events that took place and more!

Author's Note - Greeting Card

Front

Athens

Plato

Acropolis

Olympia

Greetings from Greece

Back

Athens is the capital of Greece. It is 3,400 years old and also the largest city. Plato is a well known teacher who taught in Greece thousands of years ago

The Acropolis use to be a temple for the goddess Athena. in the 1600's is was hit by a cannonball and mostly destroyed.

The Olympic Games were created in Olympia Greece. It was a huge athletic festival where people gathered from all around.

Some traditional food you might find in Greece are stuffed grape leaves, salad, and tzatziki sauce. This sauce is tangy and often put on lamb.

Greetings from Greece! Hope to see you soon!

Authors Note - Poetry

Our second genre will be poetry! We will be using poetry to depict different Myths that are important to Greek culture. These poems are called reverso poems. When read from top to bottom, each poem tells a well-known story from a world of heroes and monsters. When read in reverse, the very same words convey a whole new point of view! We will be reading about Arachne and Athena, King Midas and His Daughter, and Perseus and Medusa.

Arachne was a proud and talented weaver. Athena, goddess of wisdom and weaving, challenged her to a contest. When Arachne won, Athena was so angry that she changed the girl into a spider.

Arachne and Athena

Competition?

I'm really not fond of bragging.

but that hag is constantly overpraised.

I don't need to be a daughter of Zeus.

I am already the goddess of silk.

There can never be another of my ilk,

now and forever.

Let her keep trying to win at spinning, that creature with no fingers so nimble and cleaver.

Behold how she's fallen from her high position!

Behold! how she's fallen from her high position - so nimble and clever,

.that creature with no fingers.

Let her keep trying to win at spinning, now and forever.

There can never be another of my ilk- the goddess of silk.

I am already a daughter of Zeus.

I don't need to be over praised.

But that hag is constantly bragging.

I'm really not fond of

competition.

Because he helped out Silenus, this satyr (half man, half goat) granted Midas his wish - the power to change anything he touched to gold. Midas made the terrible mistake of touching his daughter.

King Midas and His Daughter

Golden girl,

alas, my

good father still dares to call me,

who would never offer a gentle hand.

What kind of man for years would not give a caress?

I must confess

I suffer much.

Today-

so needy

so greedy-

for one magic touch.

For one magic touch -

so greedy,

so needy - today,

I suffer much, I must confess.

What kind of man would for years not give a caress

would never offer a gentle hand?

Who still dares to call me

"good father"?

Alas, my

Girl!

Golden.

Heroic Perseus was given the task of slaying the snake-headed monster, Medusa. Anyone who gazed at her turned to stone. Perseus use his shield as a mirror so he didn't have to look directly at her face. After he beheaded her some of the drops of blood turned into Pegasus, the winged horse.

Perseus and Medusa

There is no man who wouldn't be

scared stiff.

Petrified indeed.

I must have your head,

stone-hearted monster!

I am the chosen

one to rid the world of you nasty creature.

It is my curse to be the hero. Look away.

You cannot

shield yourself from me.

Shield yourself from me?

You cannot

look away,

hero.

It is my curse to be the one to rid the world of you nasty creatures.

I am the chosen

stone hearted monster.

I must ave your head,

petrified indeed -

scared stiff.

There is no man who wouldn't be.

Author's Note - Legend

For the next genre, we will be focusing on the legends and myths of Greece. Greek mythology has a timeless tradition of storytelling that is very important to its culture. In this genre, will read the story of the Cyclopes.

The Cylcopes were giants. Each had only one enormous eye in the middle of his forehead. They lived in wild, faraway places where there were no laws. Each cyclopes lived alone, tending his sheep and goats. One was names Polyphemus, and he was the son of Poseidon, god of the sea.

Long ago, a man named Odysseus was sailing home from war. He and his crew went ashore on Polyphemus' island, where they made themselves comfortable in the giants island.

When Polyphemus returned that evening with his flock, he was furious to see the strangers in his home. He closed the entrance with a rock that only he could move and killed some of the unlucky sailors.

Odysseus didn't try to take revenge that night , but while Polyphemus slept, he stayed awake, waiting. When he heard the giant snoring loudly, he poked a red hot stick into his eye and blinded him.

In the morning, Odysseus and his remaining men sneaked out of the giants cave but Odysseus paid a high price for his cleverness.

He did not know that Polyphemus was the son of Poseidon, and now the god of the sea was angry with him, making his journey back to Ithaca almost impossible.

But although clever and crafty Odysseus had made an enemy of the powerful god, he was also beloved by the goddess Athene. She helped him return home and lived to tell the tale of his adventure in the cave of Polyphemus.