MythBranch
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MythBranch field school · Free learning resources

Find a branch.
Follow a story.

Greek mythology is easier to read when you know who is related, which story you are in, and where an answer comes from. Start with a short route through the atlas, then follow the links into ancient texts and objects.

Published · No account needed · Suggested times, at your own pace

01 / Start here · about 20 minutes

Meet the family

Put the names in order before trying to memorize every story. Follow three generations, then test what a line on the chart actually tells you.

By the end: Explain the difference between a parent, a generation, and membership in the Twelve.

  1. Find your bearings ↗

    Open Mythic spine in the atlas. Follow Gaia and Uranus to Cronus and Rhea, then find Zeus and his siblings.

  2. Read the lines ↗

    Choose one descent line and one encounter. Explain why meeting a hero does not make a monster a relative.

  3. Compare the groups ↗

    Find Hades and Hestia. Separate the children of Cronus and Rhea from a selected list of twelve Olympians.

  4. Try the worksheet ↗

    Complete five short tasks with the chart and named passages, then check the source notes in the answer key.

02 / Curious readers · about 35 minutes

Follow a story across sources

Choose one of steps 1–3, then complete step 4. Trace the people involved in your chosen story and notice where a different poem changes the answer; save the other readings for later.

By the end: Support a short answer with a work and passage, while keeping an alternative account visible.

  1. Persephone and the seasons ↗

    Compare the time division in the Homeric hymn with Ovid's account. Which version supports the summary you already know?

  2. A guide to the Underworld ↗

    Distinguish Hades the ruler, the realm of the dead, and Tartarus. Record which text supplies each feature.

  3. Read the Trojan War in sequence ↗

    Locate the Iliad within the larger story. Find where you would read about the wooden horse and the returns home.

  4. Compare a second version ↗

    Write two source-labeled answers to one question. Explain the difference without inventing a combined ancient account.

03 / Teachers & study groups · one 30-minute session

Bring the atlas to a lesson

Use a chart, a short passage, and a visible object to practise three kinds of reading. The worksheet is designed for learners who can compare short texts; adapt the source selections to your class.

By the end: Produce a labeled family branch and distinguish observation, ancient testimony, and interpretation.

  1. Choose a readable chart ↗

    Spend 5 minutes locating the central generations. Download the chart separately if you are teaching away from a screen.

  2. Work with a partner ↗

    Spend 15 minutes on the five questions. Ask for a passage citation alongside each factual answer; use the teacher key afterwards.

  3. Identify an attribute ↗

    Spend 5 minutes comparing a divine attribute with its text or object record. Ask what the symbol can and cannot establish.

  4. Finish with an evidence check ↗

    Use the last 5 minutes to share one source, one variant, and one uncertainty. Keep interpretations separate from the cited claim.

Keep these distinctions handy

Six words for a better reading

Genealogy
A record of descent. A line should tell you which source supports the parent–child relationship.
Variant
An alternative account. Label the work that preserves it before combining it with another story.
Attribute
An identifying object or feature, such as a weapon. Read it with the scene and catalogue record.
Primary source
The ancient text or object you are examining. A modern summary can help you find it.
Reception
A later reuse or interpretation of a myth, including a painting, novel, film, or game.
Interpretation
An explanation proposed from evidence. State the reasoning so someone else can evaluate it.

These are working definitions for the activities. Read our source and editorial standards →

Connected essays

Four stories and questions to explore next