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Phaethon and the Sun Chariot: a book club kit
Where it comes from. Greek storytellers told of Phaethon long ago, and the Roman poet Ovid wrote his wild ride down about 2,000 years ago.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). Phaethon is the son of Helios, the Sun god. To prove it, his father promises him any gift, and Phaethon asks to drive the Sun's chariot for one day. The fiery horses run wild, the earth begins to burn, and Zeus stops the chariot with a thunderbolt. Phaethon falls into a river, and his grieving sisters become poplar trees.
The lesson, in one line. A gift you are not ready for can do great harm, so listen to good advice.
Reading plan, by the story's parts. Meeting 1: Part One, “Prove It” and Part Two, “The Palace of the Sun” and Part Three, “The Promise”, pages 1–8 (about 5 minutes aloud); Meeting 2: Part Four, “The Runaway Horses” and Part Five, “The World on Fire” and Part Six, “The Poplar Trees”, pages 9–15 (about 5 minutes aloud). Each stop's own questions, which never give away what comes next: Phaethon and the Sun Chariot by chapter.
Questions to talk about
- What is the moral of Phaethon?
The story's answer: A gift you are not ready for can do great harm, so listen to good advice. Phaethon's father begged him to choose a different gift, but Phaethon would not listen. - Who was Phaethon's father?
The story's answer: His father was the Sun god, called Helios in the oldest Greek stories. Later poets, including some Roman ones, said he was Apollo. - Why did Zeus strike Phaethon with a thunderbolt?
The story's answer: The horses of the Sun ran wild, and the chariot flew so low that it set the earth on fire. Zeus threw a thunderbolt to stop the chariot before the whole world burned. - Who told the myth of Phaethon?
The story's answer: It is an ancient Greek myth. The Roman poet Ovid wrote the most famous version in his long poem Metamorphoses, finished around the year 8. - What does this myth explain, or try to explain?
Listen for: Many myths explain how something came to be: a season, an animal, a name. - Was the main character right or wrong? Was the ending fair?
Listen for: Myths are often hard on people; let the group disagree.
Did you know?
- The Roman poet Ovid told this Greek myth in Book 2 of his Metamorphoses about 2,000 years ago.
- Helios, Phaethon's father, was the Greek god who drove the Sun across the sky. Later poets gave the job to Apollo.
- In the myth, Phaethon's sisters turn into poplar trees and their tears become amber.
Activity: Make a new myth
Each reader explains something they see every day (why cats purr, why puddles dry up) with a short made-up myth of their own, told round the circle in three sentences.
More to talk about
- Is the myth of Phaethon a true story? No, it is a myth: a story the ancient Greeks and Romans told to explain things in the world. In Ovid's telling, the scorching ride is why some lands are desert, and the tears of Phaethon's sisters become amber. Nobody thinks a boy really drove the Sun's chariot.
More facts for the leader
- Phaethon's father warns him to take the middle path, not too high and not too low.
Words to teach before you start
- chariot: horse cart
- reins: steering straps
- throne: royal chair
- galloped: ran fast
- amber: golden tree gum
Questions leaders ask
How long does a Phaethon and the Sun Chariot book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 10 minutes in all, so plan one meeting of 30 to 45 minutes, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is Phaethon and the Sun Chariot for?
It is written at Peabody level 9, a grade 4 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- Echo and Narcissus (level 9)
- Atalanta and the Golden Apples (level 10)
- Baucis and Philemon (level 10)
- How Thor Got His Hammer (level 10)
- King Midas and the Golden Touch (level 10)
- Pandora's Box (level 10)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.