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Question for Clue Word #1: Who ferried souls across the Styx?
Question for Clue Word #2: Who ruled the Underworld?
Question for Clue Word #3: What did the swineherd lose when the earth
opened up?
Question for Clue Word #4: What did the flowers do when mother and
daughter were together again?
Question for Clue Word # 5: Which god sent Hermes down to Hades to get
Demeter’s daughter?
12 6 10 3 7 8
9 4
13 5 11
2 14 15
1 2 3 4 5 1 6 7 8 9 10 8 11 12 5 3 13 2 3 14 15
__________ 6. I was turned into an unfeeling rock after I bragged about my 14 children.
__________ 12. I was tricked into thinking that Artemis loved me.
__________ 17. I was attacked by my own hounds after I saw Artemis bathing.
__________ 18. Artemis and I were great friends because we both loved hunting.
Teacher’s Key
The Underworld Double Puzzle
1. Charon
2. Hades
3. pigs
4. bloomed
5. Zeus
Teacher’s Key
Who Could I Be?
1. C
2. I
3. E
4. P
5. B
6. L
7. G
8. I
9. D
10. K
11. H
12. O
13. I
14. B
15. F
16. G
17. A
18. M
19. J
20. B
Across
3. The only type of tree that bears fruit in the underworld
5. Number of heads that Cerberus has
7. The man whose brother hears screams on the day of the kidnapping
9. River in the underworld
10. The seasons that occur when Demeter is happy (three words)
12. The watchdog of the underworld
13. The ferryman
14. Goddess of the harvest
15. The fare for a ferry ride
17. The identity of the "rich one" or the "hospitable one"
18. Place in the underworld where heroes go (two words)
19. Judge of the dead who hands out punishments
20. God who guides souls to the underworld
Down
1. Animals who fall into the crevice during the kidnapping
2. God who refuses to let the world perish while Demeter is sad
4. The seasons that occur when Demeter is sad (three words)
6. Women who whip evil-doers in the underworld
8. The queen of the underworld
11. What is in the chariot that Demeter gives to Triptolemus
16. The spring of forgetfulness
151 Copyright 2007 American Classical League
May be reproduced for classroom use
HADES / DEMETER
Teacher’s Key
Hades / Demeter Crossword
Word Bank
Use the words from the Word Bank to complete this story.
You will have to use a few words more than once.
a word that indicates he was truly gifted. Hermes showed his gifts by crawling out of his basket
he took the entrails of the animals and a tortoise shell and invented the _______________________.
An ______________________________ had told Apollo where to find his herd so he went to the
cave and accused Hermes of theft. To settle the dispute, Apollo and Hermes went before their
father, ___________________________. As part of the settlement, Hermes had to return the herd to
Apollo, but then he got them back. The rest of the settlement involved Hermes giving his
a word that means messenger. Zeus also gave Hermes a ______________________________ hat
and sandals. Everyone seemed to love Hermes, and the only time he fell out of favor was when he
of a crime because the gods and goddesses all threw their voting
trying to find their way by means of piles of stones called ______________________________. The
other travelers that Hermes guided were the ______________________________ as they made their
The king was also called the ________________________ One and the _________________________
One. Around the underworld flowed a river called the ___________________, and in order to cross
this river, a dead soul had to pay one ________________ to ______________________________, the
ferryman. The three-headed dog, ______________________________, made sure that no souls left
the underworld. Once in the underworld, the souls drank from the spring of ____________________
to ensure that they would forget their former lives. One of the judges of the underworld was named
______________________________ to whip them. If the judge met the soul of a hero, he sent him to
Hades _____________________________ her. She did not like it in the underworld, and so when the
goddess of the harvest went to ________________________ to strike a bargain to let her return to
earth, she was very happy. Unfortunately, she had eaten some ______________________________
seeds, and having eaten the food of the dead, she was forced to return to the underworld for part of
the year. The goddess of the harvest, however, no longer punished the earth with
Teacher’s Key
Hermes / Hades / Demeter Cloze Exercise
Hermes’ mother, ___________MAIA_______________, lived in a cave on
_________MOUNT________________ ________CYLLENE_______________. Maia discovered that
her son was very _________PRECOCIOUS___________, a word that indicates he was truly gifted.
Hermes showed his gifts by crawling out of his basket and going to a pasture to steal Apollo’s
______CATTLE___________. He hid these animals in a ________GROVE_________________. He
sacrificed to the twelve Olympians, and after his sacrifice, he took the entrails of the animals and a
tortoise shell and invented the _________LYRE______________. An _______ORACLE____________
had told Apollo where to find his herd so he went to the cave and accused Hermes of theft. To
settle the dispute, Apollo and Hermes went before their father, _______ZEUS________________.
As part of the settlement, Hermes had to return the herd to Apollo, but then he got them back. The
rest of the settlement involved Hermes giving his _______LYRE___________________ to Apollo and
Apollo giving his __________MAGIC_______________ __________WAND_______________ to
Hermes. Maia and Hermes moved up to ______MOUNT____________ ______OLYMPUS_________.
Zeus gave Hermes the title of ________HERALD________________, a word that means messenger.
Zeus also gave Hermes a ______WINGED__________________ hat and sandals. Everyone seemed
to love Hermes, and the only time he fell out of favor was when he bored Hera’s servant,
________ARGUS____________, to death. Even then, he wasn’t convicted of a crime because the
gods and goddesses all threw their voting _________PEBBLES______________ at Hermes’ feet.
Today, Hermes is remembered by travelers trying to find their way by piles of stones called
__________CAIRNS___________. The other travelers that Hermes guided were the
________DEAD__________________ as they made their journey to the underworld.
Musical Mythology
Ceres
(Tune: “Frosty the Snowman”)
Musical Mythology
To be with Demeter
Using words from the story of Demeter and Persephone, fill in the blanks
and discover a famous home spelled by the vertical shaded squares.
2. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
6. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
7. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
10. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
CLUES
1. Demeter’s relationship to Persephone
2. The kind of fruit eaten by Persephone in the underworld
3. Powerful brother of Hades
4. A season on earth when Persephone is in the
underworld
5. A symbol for the goddess of the harvest
6. The man who told Demeter where her daughter had
been taken
7. Place where Hades rules
8. How Hades felt without Persephone
9. Goddess of the harvest
10. Girl kidnapped by Hades
11. How people felt when there was no food
12. The god of the underworld.
Teacher’s Key
Home Sweet Home
1. _M_ _O_ _T_ _H_ _E_ _R_
2. _P_ _O_ _M_ _E_ _G_ _R_ _A_ _N_ _A_ _T_ _E_
6. _T_ _R_ _I_ _P_ _T_ _O_ _L_ _E_ _M_ _U_ _S_
7. _U_ _N_ _D_ _E_ _R_ _W_ _O_ _R_ _L_ _D_
10. _P_ _E_ _R_ _S_ _E_ _P_ _H_ _O_ _N_ _E_
Imagine that someone left Cerberus at your door and that you
are expected to take him in and care for him. Write a story below. Be
sure to use lots of action words. Describe the reaction of your family
and friends when they see you with him. Does he obey you, or do you
have to wear special armor when you feed him?
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Joette McDonald
Vermilion, OH
161 Copyright 2007 American Classical League
May be reproduced for classroom use
HADES / DEMETER
Constellations
Long ago when the ancient Greeks tended their flocks on the hills, they looked at the sky and saw
pictures among the stars. Perhaps the stars seemed brighter and nearer then, for there was no pollution in
the air from automobiles or factories and there were no electric lights to make the night less dark. They
looked at the patterns the stars made and imagined lines connecting the stars, rather like a dot-to-dot
picture. They gave names to these sky pictures, and there were stories about each one. On a clear night,
you can see some of these constellations yourself, and imagine, as they did long ago, that there are
pictures in the sky.
This lyre looks like a small harp with two strings. In the constellation is one very bright star called
Vega which is bluish white. It is the third brightest star in the northern sky.
Joette McDonald
Vermilion, OH
Teacher’s Key
Constellations
Demeter Activities
1. If at all possible, find a pomegranate to share with your class. One
pomegranate will provide a taste for about 30 students. Be aware
that the fruit is usually juicy and that the red color stains so paper
towels or napkins are a must. As these fruits are seasonal, keep
your eyes open for a time to buy them. It is possible to let the
children taste the fruit before or after the story has been used in your
class. They won’t forget, and they will always associate the fruit and
the story.
2. Make a listing of different kinds of grain that can be stored and used for pasta or bread. Tell your
students that the word “corn” in the ancient world meant “wheat.” The grain that we call corn was
known as “maize” and still is in many parts of the world. Introduce Demeter’s Roman name, Ceres,
and let the children discover its connection with the word “cereal.”
3. Research Triptolemus. Some sources have him as a swineherd who witnessed the capture of
Persephone and told Demeter what had happened to her daughter, thereby earning her undying
gratitude. Others say that Triptolemus was a prince of Eleusis, a place Demeter visited while she
was searching for Persephone. Demeter’s visit to Eleusis is a whole story in itself.
4. Have a student research the planet, Pluto, and explain why this planet was named for the god of the
underworld.
5. Devise writing activities about spring and winter or the other seasons. Haiku poetry works well for this,
or acrostics using Demeter’s and Persephone’s names.
6. Write a class diamante poem starting with Pluto as the first word and ending with Ceres as the last.
Example:
Joy
bright, happy
laughing, bubbling, playing
sunshiny, springlike, cold, wintry
blowing, snowing, shivering
dark, lonely
Sorrow
Joette McDonald
Vermilion, OH
164 Copyright 2007 American Classical League
May be reproduced for classroom use
HADES / DEMETER
REVIEW #3
This exercise covers material in d’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths, pp. 42-62
The answer-blanks with a slash require both Greek and Roman names for the god or goddess.
1. Whom does Zeus send into the Underworld to retrieve Persephone? _________________
20. Who are the two giant sons of Poseidon that Gaea hoped would overthrow Zeus?
REVIEW #3 (continued)
22. Who kills Otus? _________________________________
32. Who is jealous of the attention that Artemis gives to Orion? ______________________
38. Who tells Demeter about disappearing pigs and a screaming girl?
______________________________________
________________________/_________________________
REVIEW #3 (continued)
45. Who kills Niobe’s seven daughters? ____________________________
________________________/_______________________
52. The water in the spring of __________________________ helps people forget life on earth.
53. Into what is Ares put during the fight between Otus, Ephialtes, and the Olympians?
____________________________________
55. Who wins the oracle at Delphi after a fight with the dragon Python? ________________
56. Who decrees that Hades must let Persephone visit her mother? ____________________
57. What does Apollo give Hermes in exchange for the lyre? __________________________
and _________________________________
58. What gift does Demeter give to mankind through Triptolemus? ___________________
Teacher’s Key
REVIEW #3
1. Hermes 48. Cerberus
2. Actaeon 49. Hades
3. Apollo 50. two
4. Cyclops boy 51. Demeter / Ceres
5. Parnassus 52. Lethe
6. pebbles 53. bronze jar
7. Demeter 54. Elysian Fields
8. sibyl 55. Apollo
9. hinds (deer, stags) 56. Zeus
10. Erinyes 57. cows and a magic wand
11. water 58. how to plant, sow, reap and store grain
12. Apollo / Apollo 59. hunting
13. deer 60. Hermes / Mercury
14. Hermes
15. fourteen
16. lyre
17. constellation
18. winged sandals
19. crying rock
20. Otus and Ephialtes
21. judge
22. Ephialtes (his brother)
23. pomegranate
24. Poseidon
25. seasons
26. Otus (his brother)
27. coin
28. the sun
29. Hades / Pluto
30. Apollo’s
31. Persephone
32. Apollo
33. Demeter
34. Apollo
35. scorpion
36. Mother Earth
37. Maia
38. swineherd’s brother, Triptolemus
39. Styx
40. Artemis / Diana
41. winged hat
42. his own dogs
43. Chios
44. Hermes
45. Artemis
46. Charon
47. Artemis and Hera