Greek Mythology: Culture, Religion And Society

Greek Mythology is a group of stories relevant to the culture, religion, and society of the Greeks. The purpose was an attempt to explain the origins of life, the reasons and causes for the human condition, as well as the cultural norms and practices of the society they lived in. Greek Mythology formed the foundation of religious beliefs and practices of ancient Greece and contain strong factual and historical roots. From these traditions, we discover that the Greeks believed in the collection of immortals living on Mount Olympus in Greece. Furthermore, Greek myths reveal morals, philosophies, and warnings. The study of myths assists in gaining an understanding of the religious and political institutions of Ancient Greece and its civilization. Keywords: Greek, mythology, culture, religion, life, society, historical, civilization

Not having empirical evidence, nor the advantages and advances of Science, and hard pressed to explain not only the origins of life, but also the reasons and causes behind the cultural norms and practices of society, ancient Greeks began the customs now called Greek Mythology. Greek Mythology deals with the early traditions and myths, pertaining to the religion of the ancient Greeks. These traditions are an account of, not only the origin of their gods, but also their theories involving the beginning of all things (Guerber, 1929). “As they looked about them for some clue to serve as guide, they could not help but observe and admire the wonders of nature…They soon came to the conclusion that a hand mighty enough to call all these wonders into life, could also have created the beautiful earth whereon they dwelt. These thoughts gave rise to others; suppositions became certainties; and soon the myth or fable evolved, to be handed down from generation to generation” (Guerber, 1929, preface p.