Video: Stealing fire

﻿Hello, I am Molly, and welcome to Stealing Fire with me today. So in this unit we are exploring stories that are told all across the world. So, cultures around the world have their own stories that they have told a hundreds or even thousands of years. And some of these stories are still told today. But I mean I wish we could explore all of these stories together but there are just too many, so we are going to have to look at a few, some of them, you may have even heard before. Please take this time to now make sure that you have nice clear space. Please pause the video so that you can clear your space. In today's session you are going to need quite a lot of space so please make sure that you can spread your arms out nice and wide, and please make sure there's nothing on the floor that you are going to stand up. So here is how today's lesson is going to look. So we're going to start off with a warm up. Then we are going to share the story of how Prometheus gave fire to man. You're going to help me act out my exciting story. We're going to have a think about how we use fire, as well how do we use fire nowadays. And then to finish off our lesson we are going to have a question time to see what you have learned from today's session. Here are your key words for today. Our first keyword is Greek mythology. This is a group of myths, originally told by the ancient Greeks. Mime, acting without words, using only gesture, expression and movement. Improvisation, to make up a piece of drama on the spot without a script. Today, we are looking at the story of how Prometheus gave fire to man. So who was Prometheus? Many years ago according to the stories told by the people of ancient Greece. They lived two brothers, but they were not like any other men, or like the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus, they were the sons of one of the Titans, who had fought against Zeus, have been sent in chains to the prison of lower worlds. The name of the elder of these brothers was Prometheus. Prometheus was always thinking of the future, and making things ready for what might happen tomorrow, or next week, or next year, or even 100 years time. So that is exactly what we are going to do for our warmup. We are going to try and be a modern day Prometheus. So we are going to pretend that we are just about to give a speech to the country about why we should be the next prime minister. Now what three things do you think that you'd change about the country? And how do you think you would make it a better place? Okay, so now remember you have to persuade the country to vote for you. All right, so three things, things that you'd would change, how would you make it a better place? Okay. Please pause the video while you give your speech to the country about why they should vote you as prime minister. I'd definitely vote for you, great ideas. So are you ready for the story. Good, because I am going to need some of your help. So as we know Prometheus was always thinking about the future, and Prometheus did not want to live amongst the clouds on Mount Olympus, he was too busy for that. While the gods were spending their time being lazy, drinking nectar and eating Ambrosia, he was planning how to make the world wiser and better than it's ever been before. So, instead of living on Olympus, Prometheus went out amongst men to live with them and help them, and he quickly noticed that they were no longer as happy as they had been during the golden days when the Titan, who had died, was king. He found them living in caves and holes in the earth, shivering with the cold, because there was no fire. They were dying of starvation, hunted by wild beasts, and they were the most miserable of all living creatures. It's always important to get everyone's side of the story, so I am now going to be a news reporter, interviewing you. You will be acting as the men and women who were not fortunate enough to live amongst Mount Olympus where all the gods lived. Okay, so your life's pretty miserable. Okay. You are the men and women who live without fire, you live in the holes, you are starving. So, I am going to be a news presenter and I'm going to ask you a couple of questions, all right? Let's see what they are. Hello and welcome to the Olympus News with me, Molly McGlynn. Today we shall be interviewing the people who live at the bottom of Mount Olympus, and they will tell us about the challenges they face on a daily basis. So first, here is my question. Can you tell me a little bit about where you live, and how does that make you feel? So you can now pause the video so that you can answer my question. I have given you a little clue. Over there. Okay, interesting. Thank you. And how do you feel about the gods up there on Mount Olympus living the life of luxury? Please pause the video, whilst you answer my question. Again, I've given you a little clue up there. Well, thank you very much for answering my questions today we will be back next week for more Mount Olympus News. Prometheus had seen the people, and how they were suffering. "If only they had fire," said Prometheus to himself, they could at least warm themselves and cook their food. And after a while they could learn to make tools and build themselves houses. Without fire they are worse off than the beasts. Prometheus went bold boldly to Zeus and begged, please give it the fire to the people so that they might have a little comfort through the long dreary months of winter. You are now going to play the role of Prometheus and beg Zeus for the fire. So think about when you try to let your family give you that extra little bit of chocolates, or just stay up for an extra hour, how do you do that, how do you use your face and your body, and your voice. Okay. Your aim is to get Zeus to say, yes. Okay. So you will need to use a persuasive speech. So, I have put a script on the screen that you are welcome to use, or you can improvise and create your own, right. So please pause the video now, whilst you try and persuade Zeus, to give the fire to the people. What do you think Zeus will say? "I will not," said Zeus. "Not one spark will I share with them for if the men have fire they might become strong and wise like us. And after a while, they will drive us out of our kingdom. Besides, fire is a dangerous tool, and they are too poor and not to be trusted with it. It is better than we on Mount Olympus rule the world without threat, so we can all be happy". Prometheus didn't answer but he had his heart set on helping mankind, and he did not give up. As he was walking by the seaside, he found a tall stalk of fennel, and he broke it off. And he saw that its hollow centre was filled with a dry, soft substance which would burn slowly and stay alight for a long time. He carried the stork with him, as he made the journey to the top of Mount Olympus. "Mankind shall have fire despite what Zeus has decided," he said to himself. And with that thought he snuck quietly into Zeus's domain and stole a spark from Zeus's own lightning bolt. Zeus was sleeping so he has to be very, very careful. Prometheus touched the end of the long reads to the spark, and the dry substance within it caught fire and slowly burnt. Prometheus hurried back to his own land, carrying with him the very precious spark hidden in the hollow centre of the plant hoping that it didn't go out. You are now going to mime Prometheus's journey from when we had to sneak in being very very quiet, not to wake Zeus, to lighting the fennel, and then being careful, 'cause it's hot, very very hot, and then carrying it very carefully to the bottom of Mount Olympus, okay. So first of all creeping in, not to wake Zeus, stealing the spark, got to be careful it's quite hot okay, and then taking the lit plant, down to the bottom of Mount Olympus okay. So please pause the video so that you can make your journey. When he reached the people, he called some of the shivering people from their caves, and he built a fire for them and showed them how to warm themselves by it, and use it to cook their food, men and women gathered around the fire and warm and happy, and thankful to Prometheus for this wonderful gift that he had brought to them. The men and women needed Prometheus's help to show them how to build a fire, how to cook their food. So this is what you are going to re-enact using your voices as well, so I would like you to perform the moments that Prometheus brings the fire to them, and how he tells them what they'll need to do to make a fire. So you'll need to collect bits like wood, and things to help the fire burn. You will also need to teach the people how to cook their food on the fire, with nice clear instructions because they've never done it before. So first of all you're going to bring this moment to life and use your voice. So we're going to first of all, tell them how to make a fire, how they're going to keep the fire burning, then you're going to tell them how they're going to cook their food, nice clear instructions, like I said 'cause they've never done it before. So please pause the video, whilst you help the people of Olympus. One chilly winter's evening, Zeus gazed down from his Mount Olympus and noticed fires burning cheerfully around the men and women in every village across the land. It did not take him long to realise that Prometheus had disobeyed him, and had given fire to the men. So, what do you think the men and women were using the fire for. I would like you to create three still images, this means like a freeze frame where you would imagine that there is action. So what the men and women are using the fire for, and then you pause it, and it freezes. So I would like you to create three still images of how the men and women are using the fire that they have been given by Prometheus. So, three frozen images so you might want to hold them for five seconds. So your first frozen picture, hold it for five seconds, then change into your second frozen picture hold it for five seconds, and then moving into your third frozen picture, holding it for five seconds. Please pause the video, whilst you create your three still images. Zeus was a very angry and ordered that Prometheus was to be chained at the side of a mountain to suffer there for all eternity. And that Prometheus state, thinking of the future, happy in the knowledge that he had given fire to men. Until one day he was rescued by Hercules, the mortal son of Zeus, but that is a story for another day. What a wonderful story you have just helped me tell. Thank you, I love that story. We use fire quite a lot, don't we? Can you think of how many different ways that you use fire today in our modern day life. Pause the video, whilst you have a think. So, I have a question for you now, what did Prometheus use to transport the fire. So option one, a cabbage. Option two, a carrot, or option three, fennel. Okay. Have a little think, a cabbage, carrot, or some fennel. That is correct. It was fennel, fantastic. Fennel is like a bit like celery, it looks a bit like celery like we saw in our picture about them. Brilliant now obviously you can now share your work with Oak National. So if you'd like to please ask your parent or carer to share your work on Twitter, tagging @OakNational and #LearnwithOak.

Lesson summary: Stealing fire

In this lesson we will consider the often-found myth of a hero stealing fire from the gods. We will work in various roles, to share the contrasting perspectives of the hero, an eye-witness and the gods themselves.

Drama

Stealing fire

Video

Lesson summary: Stealing fire

Browse Oak's lessons: