HUMANITIES

Are you a hero?

Who is called
hero?
Who can be a
hero?
 Lesson 1: Myths and Origins of the Humanities

What is an archetype?
- An archetype is a universal symbolic pattern.
- It is a model that, through mythology, becomes part
of our subconscious and an addition to the way we
organize our thinking about ourselves, human beings
in general and the nature of the universe.
 Lesson 1: Myths and Origins of the Humanities

What is monomyth?
- A fundamental myth of all cultures. The hero’s
journey is the basic pattern found in many
narratives from around the world. James Joyes
used this term to describe the phenomena of this
universal pattern.
How can you describe
the term “Mother”?
 Women of Power
1. Boudica (also written as Boadicea) was a
Celtic queen who led a revolt against Roman rule
in ancient Britain in A.D. 60 or 61. ... Like other
ancient Celtic women, Boudica had trained as a
warrior, including fighting techniques and the use
of weapons.
 Women of Power
2. According to Josephus (Ant. 8:165–173),
the queen of Sheba was the queen of Egypt and
Ethiopia, and brought to Israel the first specimens
of the balsam, which grew in the Holy Land in
the historian's time.
 Women of Power
3. Athena was the goddess of war, strategy, and
wisdom. Identified in the Roman mythology as
the goddess Minerva. Also known as
Pallas Athena, she wore a breastplate made out
of goatskin called the Aegis, which was given to
her by her father, Zeus. ...
 Women of Power
4. In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga (Russian: Ба́ба-Яга́,
romanized: Baba Yaga) is a supernatural being (or a
trio of sisters of the same name) who appears as a
deformed or ferocious-looking old woman. ... Baba
Yaga may help or hinder those that encounter her or
seek her out.
 Women of Power
5. Isis was the daughter of the earth god Geb and the
sky goddess Nut and the sister of the deities Osiris,
Seth, and Nephthys. She was also wife to
Osiris, god of the underworld, and bore him a son,
Horus. ... Her cult subsequently spread throughout the
Roman Empire, and Isis was worshipped from England
to Afghanistan.
 The “Paradise” Archetype
1. Shambhala is a mythical Buddhist kingdom
that is said to exist somewhere between the
Himalaya Mountains and the Gobi Desert. In
Shambhala, all of the citizens have achieved
enlightenment, so it is the embodiment
of Tibetan Buddhist perfection.
 The “Paradise” Archetype

2. Avalon. Some say that it was located in

northwestern France, on an island called Ile
Aval. And finally, the poet Robert Graves, in
his book The Golden Fleece, proposes
that Avalon is on the Spanish island of
Mallorca.
 The “Paradise” Archetype
3. Kriti (Satya) Yuga. The Satya Yuga , in Hinduism,
is the first of the four Yugas, the "Yuga (Age or Era) of
Truth", when humanity is governed by gods, and every
manifestation or work is close to the purest ideal and
humanity will allow intrinsic goodness to rule
supreme. It is sometimes referred to as the "
Golden Age". 
 The “Paradise” Archetype
4. Eden. The Garden of Eden also called the Terrestrial
Paradise, or simply Paradise, is the biblical "Garden of God"
described in the Book of Genesis and the Book of Ezekiel. 
Genesis 13:10 refers to the "garden of God", and the "trees of
the garden" are mentioned in Ezekiel 31:9. The 
Book of Zechariah and the Book of Psalms also refer to trees
and water, without explicitly mentioning Eden.
 The “Paradise” Archetype
5. Shangri(a)-la. Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel 
Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton. Hilton describes Shangri-La as a
mystical, harmonious valley, gently guided from a lamasery, enclosed in the
western end of the Kunlun Mountains. Shangri-La has become synonymous with
any earthly paradise, particularly a mythical Himalayan utopia – a permanently
happy land, isolated from the world. In the novel, the people who live at Shangri-
La are almost immortal, living hundreds of years beyond the normal lifespan and
only very slowly aging in appearance. The name also evokes the imagery of the 
exoticism of the Orient.
  
 The “hero” Archetype
1. Quetzalcoatl is the Nahuatl name for the
Feathered-Serpent deity of ancient Mesoamerican
culture. In Mesoamerican myth Quetzalcoatl is
also a mythical culture hero from whom almost
all Mesoamerican peoples claim descent.
 The “hero” Archetype
2. Hercules is a Roman hero and god. He was the
Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero 
Heracles, who was the son of Zeus (Roman
equivalent Jupiter) and the mortal Alcmene. In 
classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his
strength and for his numerous far-ranging
adventures.
 The “hero” Archetype
3. The Buddha. was a philosopher, mendicant,
meditator, spiritual teacher, and religious leader
who lived in Ancient India. He is revered as the
founder of the world religion of Buddhism. He
taught for around 45 years and built a large
following, both monastic and lay. 
 The “hero” Archetype
Thor is the god of thunder and lightning in 
Norse mythology, associated with strength, storms,
hallowing and fertility. He is the son of Odin and Jörð, the
personification of the Earth, and is physically the strongest
of the Æsir. Thor is described as being fierce eyed, with red
hair and a full beard, and he is quick to anger and has an
enormous appetite.
 The “hero” Archetype

King Arthur was a legendary British

leader who, according to medieval
histories and romances, led the defense of
Britain against Saxon invaders in the late
5th and early 6th centuries.
 The “hero” Archetype
Jesus also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ,
was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He
is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest
religion. Most Christians believe he is
the incarnation of God the Son and the
awaited Messiah (the Christ) prophesied in the Old
Testament.
 What is Humanities?
Humanities comes from the Latin
word humanus, which means
human, cultured, and refined.
Why do we need to study humanities?
The study of the humanities can also be used to
realize differing interpretations of life and history.
Studying facts of the past helps to understand
literature of the past. Art reflects the cultures of the
past, and shows how we achieved what we have
today.
Why do we need to study humanities?
The humanities are not just part of the college's curriculum. The study
of the humanities teaches one how to study and look at how the past
developed and how it has impacted today's world. The humanities
allows people of different cultures to communicate and understand
their sometimes common pasts but present differences. The humanities
shows how different disciplines affect and complement one another.
Finally, the study of the humanities shows that this study is ongoing
and continual, constantly evolving and shaping.
Why do we need to study humanities?
The humanities are not just part of the college's curriculum. The study
of the humanities teaches one how to study and look at how the past
developed and how it has impacted today's world. The humanities
allows people of different cultures to communicate and understand
their sometimes common pasts but present differences. The humanities
shows how different disciplines affect and complement one another.
Finally, the study of the humanities shows that this study is ongoing
and continual, constantly evolving and shaping.
 Lesson 2: Literature
What is literature?
 An art; from a latin word ‘litera’ meaning letter.
 Body of written works of a particular time, country especially
those valued for excellence of form and expression.
 Creative and universal means of communication
 Deals with the ideas, thoughts and emotions of man and said to
be the story of man
 Divisions of Literature
1. Fiction
 Is a form of any narrative or informative work that deals with
information/events that are imaginary.
2. Non-fiction
 Form of any narrative, account or other communicative
work based on facts.
 Comes out of something, straightforward, natural
 Divisions of Literature
1. Fiction
 Is a form of any narrative or informative work that deals with
information/events that are imaginary.
2. Non-fiction
 Form of any narrative, account or other communicative
work based on facts.
 Comes out of something, straightforward, natural
 Classes of Literature
1. Escape
 written for entertainment and its object is pleasure.
2. Interpretative
- written to broaden and sharpen our awareness of life
and its object is pleasure and understanding.
 GENERAL TYPES OF LITERATURE
Prose consists of those written within the
common flow of conversation in sentences and
paragraphs, while poetry refers to those
expressions in verse, with measure and rhyme,
line and stanza and has a more melodious tone.