New Vocabulary

Using Vocabulary: Quick Greek Tales

Ladus
Once upon a time there was a girl named Ladus who lived in an obscure village that loved watching things wheeling overhead and getting ideas to kill the god of the underworld, Fances. Ladus always sat isolated in her room dying wool. One day Fances popped out from the underworld and turned Ladus's mom into a creature with a distorted body. The people were barren with ideas and did not know what to do. When Ladus was dying wool she thought of something. She decided to build a maze down to the underground and blow up Fances. So her and the other people did, and when they blew up Fances, Ladus's mom came back.

by Jessie
picture by Katie

How the Earth Got Named

Long ago, the world wasn't called Earth. It wasn't called anything. Two gods were fighting over what to call it. The god Dinrotitus wanted to call it Dinro. The god Earthtitroh wanted to call it Earth.
They asked the people which they liked better. Half wanted Dinro. Half wanted Earth.
Dinrotitus wanted to win so much he announced that he would make his followers immortal. If everyone was immortal, many problems would arise. The evil, who wanted power, would become immortal, and the good, who would think it over, would discover the problems that would arise, and would not become immortal. Then the evil gods would give the people on the planet harsh conditions if they didn't get all the offerings they wanted. Soon the world would be destroyed if this happened. Dinrotitus then said he would make the land of people who didn't follow him barren.

picture by Maddie
Earthtitroh said he would make everyone's land fertile, build schools, librarys, temples, and many other great things if the planet was called Earth.
Dinrotitus then decided that Earthtitroh was doing too well. He said he was backing out of the contest, and invited Earthtitroh to a party saying it was to honor the planet's new name. When Earthtitroh came to the party, Dinrotitus slipped a potion into his drink. When Earthtitroh took a sip, he suddenly became mortal! The potion Dinrotitus slipped into the wine was a potion that made you immortal if you were mortal, and mortal if you were immortal.
In a flash Dinrotitus pulled out a long knife and stabbed Earthtitroh! He stood erect for a moment, but then fell over dead.
Everyone was astonished. Dinrotitus then said that the planet's name was Dinro and that he was the supreme god and that everyone should follow his rule.
Since the murder, few people stayed loyal to Earthtitroh. Dinrotitus passed a law saying that the name Earthtitroh was not to be said, ever. Dinrotitus didn't make any of his followers immortal. Those who asked to be immortal were locked in a prison for eternity.
A group of people pleaded to the mother goddess for help. After leaning what happened, she banished Dinrotitus and announced that the planet's name was Earth in honor of Earthtitroh. Dinrtitus pleaded with her to let him stay. He cried in anguish as she refused. Dinrotitus was never seen again.
The End
by Ian

The Wings

Long ago people wanted to fly just like the immortals and birds wheeling about in the air. It just happened that a clever inventor came to town and built wings for people to fly. The immortals were angry at this, and destroyed the land. All the land was barren, what was fertile was now ruined. To top it all, the gods put all the people in a large maze. Only the inventor escaped, the rest died trying to find their way out.
by Samantha
picture by Jessie

Malathis
Malathis was lost in a maze when all of a sudden an immortal monster came around a corner. It had very sharp claws and teeth that could decide his fate with one swing or a bite. Even though Malathis was obscure it would still be very sad to many if he died. The monster took a swing, Malathis ducked and went between it's legs. He escaped. He went and told the king what had happened. The king said," For your bravery I am going to let you reign over a small town about five miles away." " Thank you your majesty!" Malathis went home and told his family what had happened. They started shouting and laughing in joy of their new found wealth.

by Kyle F.

Betta's Wings

One day Betta was on a slave ship sailing to one of the little islands off the coast of Greece when she came across a giant sea monster. She knew this was going to happen because her fate was told by Athena.
picture by Roland

She simply took a slave and fed him to the beast and it went away. When she got to the tiny island she was sent through a maze, she came out alive. She scooped up a hand full of fertile soil then set it on to a fruit bearing tree, that was dead for several months. It started producing various types of fruit. She took the tree and got back on the ship. After two months of producing fruit the tree started to die and became firewood.
A bad storm came that night wrecking their ship and isolated them on a little island 90 miles off from shore. She looked up one cold morning and saw how the gulls fly above. She sent her crew to collect thick but light banana leafs and sticks and boiled salt water mixed with wax, and she started making wings. She gave a pear to each of her ship mates then she took off flying high into the sky.
Shoooowsh !! they flew high and low riding the air currents, when they heard a crack of thunder Zeus spotted the happy bunch and was not pleased to see this. He pulled back his hand and pitched a lighting bolt at them down, down they flew tumbling at their deaths SLASH!! the water sprayed up.
And that is why there is lighting still today when the bolts strike the gods are unpleased.
by Beth

The Man-Mouse in the Maze

Once there was a half-man, half-mouse isolated in a maze. The fate of the man-mouse was to be stuck in the maze forever, for he was immortal. But if he could smarten up he might find his way out of the maze. While wandering through the maze he saw a grasshopper wheeling along. He stopped the grasshopper who indignantly told him the secret of how to get out of the maze. He followed his directions and got out of the maze.
by Kellyn

The Monster

picture by Shawn
The monster lived on an isolated island far, far away. He lived in a big corn maze. The land was very fertile. Corn was his only source of food. As fate would have it all the corn distorted his stomach and he died.

by Annie
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