Greek Mythology

When I was a senior in High School, I took a Greek Mythology class. My sisters had taken the class from the same teacher and they really enjoyed it, so I took the class. I also enjoyed it. He had us do a few projects. The last project, we could do whatever we wanted as long as it was about Greek Mythology of course and would give examples. Mr. Petrini had been teaching for many many years and he said there was not a project idea that he had not seen before. So of course I challenged him that I would come up with something totally original and awesome. He just laughed at me. Because I have always loved photography and I had just learned to color black and white photo's with oil paints.. I had my idea! I would make a book about characters in Greek Mythology. For the pictures I teamed up with my friend Michelle (friends since pre-school) and we posed as the different characters and had black and white pictures taken. This girl was living with my family at the time that was going to Brooks photography school and she helped me out and I went to the dark room with her to develop the pictures by hand. It took so long... it was interesting to learn the whole process of developing film. After they were developed, I painted them and then put them together in a book. I presented it to the class and Mr. Petrini was blown away with a completely new project. I got an A+ and he asked if he could have a copy of my book for his collection. It was so fun. Of course I kept the book and it sits on my book shelf for me to look at now and again. Here are a few of the pictures from the book. P.S. We had fun making different outfits out of bed sheets.

Hades
He was one of the Olympian gods. He was the son of the Titans, Cronus and Rhea, and the brother of Zeus and Poseidon. He became known as Pluto, the god of wealth, because of the precious metals in the earth. It was rare for Hades to leave his realm to visit Earth or Olympus.


Poseidon
God of the sea, protection of all waters. Powerful violent, and vengeful, he carried the trident with which he caused earthquakes. The son of the Titans Cronus and Reha, and brother of Zues and Hades, Poseidon was the husband of Aphitrite, one of the Nereids, by whom he had a son, Triton.

Aphrodite
Goddess of love and beauty, was born from the foam of the sea. She was married to Hephaestus, the god of fire and smithy to the gods. All gods were charmed with her beauty and each demanded her hand in marriage.


Medea
Medea, whose name means "the cunning one", was the daughter of the king of Colchis. She was a sorceress who was something between a witch and a goddess.

Pandora
In Greek mythology, there are two versions of the story of Pandora's box. In one, the box is a jar containing all kinds of misery and evil. When Pandora opens it, all the miseries and evils escape and fly all over the earth. In the other, the box contains all kinds of blessings which were subsequently lost to humans when she opened the box.

Medusa (people used to call me this when I would have my green pet snake in my hair)
One of the Gorgons, (Gorgons are monstrous creatures covered with impenetrable scales, with hair of living snakes, hands made of brass, sharp fangs and a beard. They live in the ultimate west, near the ocean, and guard the entrance to the underworld). She was the only one who was mortal. Her gaze could turn whoever she looked upon to stone.

Echo and Narcissus (one of my favorite stories in Greek Mythology and one of my favorite pictures from this project)
Echo was in the wrong place at the wrong time, talking to Hera long enough for Zues to fool around again. Hera, who thought it was a put-up job, was so angry she deprived Echo of the power of speech except for the ability to repeat the last words of another. Echo fell in love with Narcissus who was pining away staring at his reflection. Echo, in despair at his indifference to her. faded away to nothing until only her voice remained. Narcissus was an exceptionally handsome youth. A prophecy was foretold that he would live a long life if he did not look upon his own features. He chanced to see his reflection and pined away till he died by the side of the spring. The narcissus flower supposedly grew at that spot.