Visitor+and+Teacher+Guide

=Visitor and Teaching Guide =

This guide is an overview of the kind of experiences possible in the sim but its meant to be quite open and organic and as with any guide, just that - a starting point for visitors or teachers to enjoy and and adapt as appropriate for its literary and educational potential.


 * Background**

At the heart of myth and legend is the art of the oral tradition - storytelling. Stories passed on from generation to generation, told, remixed, retold, and reinterpreted to reflect the modern mores of society and culture.

The Greek myth of Persephone and Demeter tells the story of Persephone’s kidnapping to the Underworld, and her partaking of the food of the Underworld - Pomegranate seeds - which result in her permanent isolation to the Underworld for half of the year. During these months, when Persephone is sitting on the throne of the Underworld next to her husband Hades, her mother Demeter mourns and no longer gives fertility to the earth. This became an ancient Greek explanation for the seasons.

But the myth of Persephone has deep and universal psychological and philosophical symbolism. From the green maiden of spring, to the mistress of the dark, Persephone becomes the Queen of the Dead.

//Most of us can identify with the maiden Persephone. We all have a mother. We all have experienced innocence and dependency, and eventually we will all experience archetypal betrayal, held emotionally hostage by family, lover, illness, or community expectations. (source)//

The Underworld is our own stress, depression, inner angst, our darkest fears, and our unknown, shadow self. Making these inner fears transparent and working through them, we take a poetic journey through our soul, and rise from it as an enlightened person. By bringing this myth to Second Life, we can study the very nature of narrative as a vehicle for exploring self. Participants will be able to tell and role-play fictional stories which have at their heart universal truths of trust, truth, betrayal, and finding one’s self. By weaving together principles and theories of narrative, drama, digital culture and gaming, the space will offer a rich and cross disciplinary educational experience.

True to Greek Myth form, this Second Life literary experience involves a complicated quest - a quest that takes you on a journey through both a literary world, and (if you dare) into your own soul.

For links to Greek Mythology to support your understanding of the characters and symbols, explore some of these. At the bottom of the user experience description included here is a link to detailed brief including text sources, and answers to where clues are for solving the quest, but don't read it if you want to fully enjoy the experience - its more for teachers to know how to best guide students if they get lost!


 * Entrance Point**

At the entrance you will find three sequential vignettes which provide the launching point of the experience. This is the "pre-text" of the role-playing. Using a blend of the original myth and Ovid's retelling in Metamorphoses, you are provided with an orientation and the complication for the experience: Demeter has cursed the land, and the small Greek village of Eleusis (pronounced El-ev-sis) is suffering badly as a result.

//**User participation:**//


 * 1) click the pomegranates to read the text; pose inside each vignette and take a photo - upload it to our flickr stream.


 * The Village**

From the vignettes, walking into the village you immediately notice the devastating effects of the curse.

//**User participation:**//


 * 1) explore the village
 * 2) go in role as one of the villagers
 * 3) add a notecard to your villager's diary, explaining how Demeter's curse has affected you
 * 4) meet the other villagers in the graveyard to mourn the loss of another soul; tell a story at the funeral about your friend. Write an epitaph for yor friend.
 * 5) go to the temple and make an offering to Demeter, praying for her to retract the curse; an offering will result in an instruction from Demeter to go and find Persephone: this is your quest
 * 6) search the village for clues to help in the quest
 * 7) Tell the legends passed on to you by your grandparents about the terrible journey to the Underworld. Upload an image or make a scene to encapsulate one aspect of your story. Add an item in your house to reflect your inspiration for this story.


 * Paying the boatman, Charon**

One path will take you down to Charon, the boatman who will ferry you to the Underworld.

//**User participation:**//


 * 1) pay Charon 1 Linden to take the boat ride to the Underworld


 * Lulling Cerberus to Sleep**

Charon will ferry you to the Underworld, but once there, you will be faced with Cerberus, the three-headed hound of Hades who guards the entrance.

//**User participation:**//


 * 1) The only way to get past Cerberus is to lull him to sleep with music from your lyre. Oops, did you forget to pick that up? Go back and find it!


 * Entering the Underworld**

Once you have lulled Cerberus to sleep, you will be able to enter the Underworld, and search for Persephone.

//**User participation:**//


 * 1) Collect the clues from the three judges, find your way through the maze of paths. Take time to explore the gallery of adversity, and take some photos of your journey to add to flickr.


 * Post Secret**

One path will require you to contribute. Please do so freely, knowing that your contribution will be anonymous.

//**User participation:**//


 * 1) Along the way, you will come across a path asking you to reflect on the adversities you face which hinder you from living your life to its fullest. Read what other people have contributed. Speak your own secret.


 * An audience with Hades and Persephone**

//**User participation:**//


 * 1) Did you collect the clues throughout the Underworld? If not, go back and find them! You will know when you have them all.
 * 2) You should explore the personal chambers of Hades and Persephone to find their diaries and read more about their stories.
 * 3) Teachers could work closely with imagined dialogue here between Persephone and Hades.
 * 4) There is much about life in the Underworld for any drama work, and students could make stories, images, or machinima set in the Underworld as one of the other characters that come to the Underworld, see here for a list of chatacters and events.
 * 5) Students could (in role) add to comments on Hades and Persephone's blogs.


 * Resolution**

Once you have revealed that you have completed your quest successfully, you will know, and will be transported out of the Underworld and into the fields of Eleusis.

//**User participation:**//


 * 1) Tell stories about your journey; pose in the final vignette and take photos; dance, live, be happy (or will you....?)
 * 2) Record a 5 minute audio retelling (in role) of your journey to the Underworld and send it to us to be included in the sim.
 * 3) Please remember to tag anything you do online with the tag "persephone", or send Angela the link so that we can build up a great resource for everybody to enjoy.

A detailed brief of the space is included here, but don't read it if you want to enjoy the quest, it's a cheat sheet for educators :)