... a story told from another perspective :)
You may have seen my previous publication of my Cerberus and Orthrus story on Stepping into CI. There are three stories there written for my Latin 2 classes. I've also written about scientific takes on monsters in previous years (also for Latin 2 classes). 

This year, I am teaching Latin 1 and for the units on family and body parts, I decided to revisit these stories! Below my author's note, you'll see stories for Cerberus, Orthrus, Medusa, and Pliny's octopus. Enjoy :)

Lastly, a few quick ideas/suggestions. 

As I said above, I am going to put more resources together and publish this more fully, but for now... In my classes, we were considering the question of what makes a hero and who decides those standards. As the title of my website suggests, I tend to side with the underdog and the "monster". 

Hercules is often considered the "hero" in the tales of his labours, but how did Hydra, Orthrus, and Cerberus feel about his attacks? Orthrus was tending to his herd, Hydra was living in her river, and Cerberus guarding his home and family. Medusa is killed by the "hero" Perseus, but she is only a "monster" because of the curse of a goddess she'd sworn to commit her life to on account of a brutal assault by a god who stalked her. Who is the hero? How do we decide?

Trigger warning: The story of Medusa contains reference to rape, coercion, and lack of consent. Please approach this gently with students and only if appropriate. This story is not meant to be used without discussion and consideration. 

Grammar note: The story of Medusa uses the word petere in two contexts. The first in regards to Neptune's treatment of Medusa and uses the meaning "attack". The second in regards to Medusa's requests of Minerva after the assault and uses the meaning "beg". Both uses hopefully help the reader feel the sense of urgency, panic, and raw emotion and experience. 

This story was written after viewing a variety of gladiatorial graffiti from Pompeii and Herculaneum during the 2021 NEH Roman Daily Life Seminar. After viewing graffiti that featured the characters and images below, I was inspired to write this original story. 

This story is told about three children: Lucius, Marcus, and their younger sister Lucia. Marcus has just become old enough to attend the gladiatorial fights with his brother and father and wants advice on who to root for. Lucia is still very young, but knows who she likes. :) 

This story is available for free in PDF format using the button below. As always, please give appropriate credit and when sharing, provide a link to this post. 

Graffiti Referenced:

• The left handed gladiator
• Marcus Attilius