Fall 2015 Introductions

[Shiloh Adlar]

If you choose to complete the Introduction portion of your first assignment (worth 10 points), also include the following information.

1. Why did you choose to take this class?
2. What are you hoping to learn during the course of the term?
3. Did you have any knowledge of Greek mythology before signing up?
4. What about myths of other cultures such as Roman, Norse or Japanese?
5. What is your opinion on the color pink?

Welcome everyone! I am Shiloh Adlar, fourth year Ravenclaw and I am your student teacher for this course. On HOL, I am a member of RQT, a Reserve Ravenclaw Prefect, and I also currently assist Flying, Care of Magical Creatures, and Kennilworthy's Kitchen. In RL, I am a freshman in college studying Biochem and Cell Biology along with Policy Studies. I had originally wanted to major or minor in Classical Studies as I loved the classes I took in high school that allowed me to learn about ancient Greece and Rome but changed my course of direction when I decided I wanted to get my Masters of Public Health. I began making comparisons between Greek myth and the Harry Potter universe a few years ago, but never dived head first into it until recently. Researching for this class really allowed me to explore the area, and I hope you will find it as intriguing as I have.

[Jellicle Moon]

My name is Jellicle Moon. I love the musical Cats. That's where my name came from. I am a fourth year Hufflepuff. I am taking this class because I love to learn about mythology. I am hoping to learn beyond the basic myths of Greek mythology. I had taken another course in Greek mythology on HOL few years ago as well as learning about it in real life. I am familiar with Roman, Norse and Egyptian Mythology. I think that the color pink is a cute color.

[Prof. Scarlet Leslie-Lewis]

-waves-

I'm Scarlet Leslie-Lewis, Slytherin professor. The classes I am taking this term are Healing Herbology, History of Hogwarts: The Castle, Introduction to Sign Language, Magical Greek Mythology, and Quidditch Chronicles. I love mythology classes. Journey of the Hero was inspired by a World Mythology class I took as an elective at university. I think this class has an interesting take on Greek mythology and mythology in general. I am looking forward looking at myths a little differently. I did take Greek Mythology 101 on HOL a few years ago. Last year, I took Norse Mythology. I have also taken Egyptian Mythology, Philippines Mythology and Folklore, and Myths and Legends from the Whole World. I don't have anything against pink, but blue will always be my favorite color! For one of my volleyball leagues this summer, my team was randomly assigned hot pink, giving me my first hot pink t-shirt. We won the championship, so it must be a lucky color!

[Prof. Arielle Lemoyne]

Hello! I'm Arielle Lemoyne, 7th year Ravenclaw! The other classes I'm taking this term are Confronting Your Boggart, Disney Studies: The Classics, Famous Magical Equines, and Marvellous Musical Theatre - Act 1. In real life, I'm just starting a masters program in Natural Resources and Environmental Science, focusing on fish in the Great Lakes! I'm still not sure what I want to do afterwards, but I'm sure I'll figure it out soon enough. My hobbies include running, writing letters, and trying to expose Ryan Granger's secret love for quidditch and vegetables.

I chose to take this class mostly because Shiloh is teaching it, but also because I want to learn about Greek Mythology! I'm hoping to learn a few different myths over the course of the term. My only real knowledge of Greek mythology (or any mythology) is from reading a poem or playing a piece in orchestra that was based on a myth, so I had to go back and study the myth it was based on. Some of them may have been from other cultures; I'm not really sure.

And here's my story about pink: When I was in second grade my cousin and I started a club called the Pink Pinecones. I don't remember what the point of it was (there probably wasn't one) but it was definitely very pro-pink.

[Cassie Walker]

Hello, my name is Cassie and I am a first year Hufflepuff. Besides this class I am also taking Art Appreciation: The Ninja Turtles, Disney Studies: The Classics, Fantastic Beasts and History of Hogwarts: The Castle.

I decided to take this class because within the last couple of years I have really gotten into Greek Mythology and I am really looking forward to seeing how this class will incorporate the magical world into Greek mythology. The only knowledge I have of Greek mythology is from my reading of the Percy Jackson series. I also know a bit about Roman mythology because of the Heroes of Olympus series.

As for the color pink, I really do think it is a pretty and happy color.

[Prof. Sky Alton]

Hi, I’m Sky! I’m a Gryffindor Third year (nearly wrote first…clearly my wits are still in summer mode) and the only other class I’m taking is Wand Making (I know, very lazy of me to only be taking two). I promise this restraint is due to the real life pressures of being a blind English Literature and Creative Writing student at a demanding university, not to my sloth*. Given that I keep very quiet on the forums and am hardly ever seen around, you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise though. I love HOL, I’m just shy, I swear!
I took the class because it looked engaging and the website was more or less accessible (I know all I have to do is ask the class teacher to sort that out and mostly they’ll oblige but I do feel like the proverbial bad penny always pestering people). I know a little about Greek mythology as I studied it at school, have read books based on it and am friends with an author who used her passion for mythology of all types to build several enthralling universes (she also has two degrees in archaeology…talk about dedication). I know some about Roman mythology (due to religiously reading ‘The Roman Mysteries’ as a child) and a little about Norse, Indian and more general folk law. Of course, mythology crops up quite a bit in my RL studies as well but this isn’t necessarily a good thing for my interest in it (after years of being forced to analyse Angela Carter’s ‘The Magic Toyshop’, I now have a pathological dislike for the myth of Leda and the Swan). As for the course: I’m hoping to learn more about the myths as Greek mythology is one of the fundamental foundations of narrative but also their context and why various people value, react to or dismiss them as cultural elements.
Fun fact about me…you could say I have a kinship with various sight-impaired mythical figures as I only have one functioning eye (barely functioning…) and can remove the other (it’s plastic). Fun or gross fact, depending on your cringe level.
And to follow this excellent trend, my pink story:
In 2011, I went on an international guide and scout camp not far away from where I live in the UK. The sub camps (there are usually five or six) are always given a theme and colour around one central theme. 2011’s was geography and I was on ‘Jungle sub-camp’ (WE’RE FROM JUNGLE, HEAR US ROAR!!!!!...Yeah, that got old pretty quick). Our colour was vibrant, shocking pink and we all had to wear it at all times, even the boys (some didn’t seem to mind overly much). I still have those T-shirts and wear them around campus a lot so I’d have to say pink is a fine colour.

*To clarify, I don't own a sloth. I was looking for an alternative word to laziness. Would like to own a sloth though....

[Angel Pevensie]

Hi, everyone! I'm Angel, a fourth-year Gryffindor. Basically, I love mythology, any chance of reading about myths from different cultures I'll definitely do it. I took Norse and Japanese myths classes here a couple of years back, and this term I'm also taking Egyptian Mythology class. The other classes that I'm also taking are Beginning Hungarian, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Advanced Care of Magical Creatures.

I'm quite familiar with Greek myths; with the gods and goddesses, the legends, the creatures, it is actually the first mythology I encountered and got me fascinated when I found a series of books about Greek myth in a book store that I used to go when I was younger. I would really like to go further in-depth with Greek myth, so any knowledge I get from this class will totally worth it.

I like the colour of pink, especially soft or pastel pink as I think it represents sweetness and innocence

[Alanna Pierce]

Hey all,
My name is Alanna Pierce, a post gratuate of the house of gryffindor. I have been away for a few years and now I am back here at hol to have some more fun.
I took this class as it seemed it would be fun and Mythology is one of my great interests. I have read a lot about mythology, mostly Norse and greek Mythology. But always liked these kind of stories. And I always find it fun to learn more about Mythology. So I hope we might learn something I did not know yet.
I am also taking Famous Witches and Wizards this year. There is always something to learn about the magical world.
My main interest are fantasy/magical stories, even read fanfic sometimes. Being a lover of good stories I am always looking for a good story.
The color pink is what the elephants look like after too much of a good thing.
I hope we all get along.
Kind regards,
Alanna Pierce

[Ivy Evanesco]

I'm Ivy, and I love ballet and film, and I speak three languages. I chose this class because when I was younger, I loved Greek mythology, but I haven't delved into it recently. During this course, I hope to learn more about mortals in myths, as my knowledge is primarily in the gods. I already have some knowledge with Greek myths, as when I was younger I loved the Percy Jackson series and that inspired me to read more about myths. The only other culture's myths I am familiar with is Egypt. I like really pale pink and orangey coral pinks best.

[Anna Lupin]

Hey Guys,
I'm Anna Lupin, gryffindor first year student. Currently I'm taking two classes, this one and Potions for beginners. I love reading books, philosophy and drawing. I'm really interested in greek mythology, that's why I'm taking this class. I already have some knowledge in greek mythology and hope this class will help me deepen that knowlegde. I know a little about Roman, Egyptian and Japanese mythology - I'm studying Japanese language by the way, I love Naruto and Haruki Murakami. I think pink is nice (but I like pastel color pink)

[Alessandra Grace]

Hi!
I'm Alessandra Grace, a fourth year Gryffindor, and this year I'm taking, along with Magical Greek Mithology:
-A visit to Diagon Alley
-Potions for beginners
-Care of magical creatures
-History of Hogwarts: the Castle

I'm taking this class because I love everything about Ancient Greece (in RL I'm almost 22 and study ancient literature at university = Ancient Greek ). I've taken a similar class some years ago, but it was quite different. Plus, I like mythology, and that's why I took Norse Myth last year
My knowledge of greek myths is quite big, then, but I know it's a huge subject, so I hope to learn even more (especially something about the titans or the giants)! I also like Roman myths (I study Latin, too) and Norse

I like pink, even if it isn't my favorite color (which are orange and blue )

[Hope Stark]

Howdy! My name is Hope Stark, 1st year Slytherin. I am taking this class, Famous Magical Equines, Poisons, Queens of England, and Quidditch Chronicles. Outside of Hogwarts, I am a teacher.

1. Why did you choose to take this class? - Shiloh.
2. What are you hoping to learn during the course of the term? - Something awesome
3. Did you have any knowledge of Greek mythology before signing up? - Yes. I was very interested in it years ago, so I spent a lot of time researching it.
4. What about myths of other cultures such as Roman, Norse or Japanese? - Roman yes. Not much of any others.
5. What is your opinion on the color pink? - The best color there ever was, is, or will be!

[Paris Volturi]

My name is Paris Volturi. I am a first year Slytherin. Other classes I'm taking are Duelling 101, Potions for Beginners, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration.
I chose this class because even though I've studied Greek Mythology before, I would like to extend my knowledge. I am hoping to learn more about the Greek Gods, and there background stories. I did have knowledge before signing up, I had to study Greek Mythology for school. I know a little bit about Roman mythology, but not anything else from any other culture. My opinion on the color pink, is that is is a great color, (my personal favourite) and everyone should love it as much as I do. xx

[Prof. Sirius Fudge]

Hello classmates! I am Sirius Fudge, a fifth year badger. My other classes are Confronting your Boggart, History of Hogwarts: The Castle, Palmistry, and Queens of England. And yeah, the OWLs this year. I took this class because it might be good to get more mythology classes, since I finished Egyptian mythology last year. I am open to any new information. I already read the first lesson and it is well written. My knowledge on Greek mythology is on the gods, the different adventures of demigod heroes such as Percy, Hercules,etc. I relatively know more about the Greek mythology compared to the Roman, Norse and Japanese ones. Color pink is

[Rosemarie Halliwell]

Hi! I'm Rosemarie Halliwell, a 5th year Slytherin Prefect and Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team! Everyone knows me as Bagel though. I'm taking 5 classes + OWLs this year. (Because I hate myself? The world may never know.) The classes I'm taking (other than this one and OWLs) are: Confronting Your Boggart, Marvellous Musical Theatre - Act 3, Muggle Studies: Fandom, and Quidditch Chronicles.
I chose this class because I have always really enjoyed Greek mythology. Because I already like Greek mythology so much, I'm happy with anything new that I learn from the class! I did already have a pretty extensive knowledge of Greek mythology before signing up for the class, but not a lot of knowledge of myths from other cultures.
The color pink is amazing, second only to the color blue. =)

[Prof. Astrid Black]

Hello everyone! I'm Astrid Black, a fifth year Ravenclaw. I'm currently taking five classes and my OWLs. There's this class, Disney Studies, Advanced Divination, Potions, and Muggle Studies. Aside from that there's not much more I can say about myself. I'm very diverse in personality and have interests all over the place. I love Doctor Who, Firefly, learning languages and traveling all over the world. I love to write and am currently writing my own book right now. I live in to the beat of music ranging from Japanese rock to Disney and all genres in between. My favorite color is blue though I think that is obvious. There's so much to a person that it's hard to condense into a small paragraph.

I happen to be a major lover of ancient mythologies. I know this class isn't about regular Greek mythology but Greek mythology is my favorite and holds a deep place in my heart. I wanted to learn more about the magical side of it. The moment I saw this class I signed up, no hesitation at all. I'm not really sure what I'm hoping to learn from this class but I have now doubt it'll be something interesting!

As I said, Greek Mythology is my favorite ancient mythology so I do know quite a bit before I signed up. I love the drama of it and how interconnected it really is. I've taken Norse and Japanese mythology classes on HOL so I know a bit about them and Roman mythology is another of my loves. That and Egyptian mythology. Those three form my top three favorites.

Pink? It's alright. Not my favorite color but not my least favorite either. It reminds me of flowers and sunsets/sunrises and Aphrodite. It's a warm color and people with blonde or brown hair look quite nice in pink colors.

[Matilde Rayne]

Hi! I'm Mattie, a 5th year Ravenclaw prefect. In addition to this class, I'm also taking Confronting Your Boggart, The Battle of Hogwarts, Famous Witches and Wizards, and Poetry Writing, along with my OWLs! In RL, I'm finishing my bachelor's in chemistry (with minors in mathematics and biology), and I'm hoping to continue with chemistry in grad school later. Three of my favorite things are science, superheroes, and Quidditch.

I decided to take this class, mostly because I love Shiloh and wanted to give her more assignments to grade << but also because Greek mythology is really interesting! I'm not super well informed about Greek mythology. My experience is mostly from the few times it came up in high school and from one Greek and Roman humanities class I took as a college elective. I did take Japanese Mythology on HOL a few years back (and didn't finish, oops, but reading about it was great?), and Roman mythology definitely came up in that elective course somewhat, but that aside, I'm looking forward to learning just about anything about mythology. :)

I actually greatly dislike the color pink, but I've started to like it a little bit more because of Shiloh. <3

[Iris Ixchel]

Hi everyone, I'm Iris Ixchel and I'm a 5th year Ravenclaw! Other than this class I'm also taking Disney: The Classics, Introduction to Sign, Kennilworthy's Kitchen, The Tales of Beedle the Bard and I also have OWLS.
Really, I'm looking for a brush up on my Greek mythology from this class. It's been over 20 years since I did this in school and it was always a topic that interested me. I'm also a big fan of Roman, Norse, Chinese and Celtic mythology but, again, it's been many years since I studied them.
As for the colour pink, that's a solid no. I'm not a fan of it, I don't wear it (because it looks awful on me) and I don't really grow pink flowers in my garden. I'm much more an orange kind of a gal.

[Kaiwa Alexandra]

Hello, I'm Kaiwa Alexandra and people usually call me Kai. I'm a Fifth year Ravenclaw, a prefect and a proud K person
I take this class because I love Shiloh and I want to know more about Greek Mythology. I knew about Greek Mythology because I took Prof. Rorey's class about Percy Jackson, then I started reading it and LOVED it!
Other mythologies sound interesting but since I still don't know much about Greek and I want to know more about this first, before I start learning other mythologies.
I'm okay with colour pink, I have stuffs with pink colour. But I don't think pink fits my personality.
Pink is a very girly and feminine colour while I'm... not that girly XD

[Aili Raja]

Hi, I'm Aili Raja a seventh year Ravenclaw. In real life I'm a mother of three and a knitter. I'm not technically a part of this class yet as I only registered for it recently and have not been confirmed yet. But I'm hoping I' have been confirmed for the classes The Hobbit, From Tolkien to Jackson and The Tales of Beedle the Bard and I'm still waiting to be confirmed to A Visit to Diagon Alley. I want to take this class because I like myths and I hope to learn more about Greek myths. I have some knowledge about Greek Gods - well I have heard their names (and read Percy Jackson) but I don't know many myths about them. I know a bit more about Norse myths and Egyptian myths because I have taken classes about them at HOL I know a bit about Roman mythology, the names of the Gods and some myths but I don't know anything about Japanese mythology. I love to knit lace with light pink yarn, the result is absolutely beautiful.