Edwin Gasperi Professor M. Dermody History 101 16 November 2017 Ancient Mythology If there is one subject that is still being widely taught today with significant cultural and historical importance, it has to be the study of ancient Greek mythology. It isn’t just a subject in history, but even then some people might be wondering why the world is still talking about ancient Greek mythology when they are just stories and tales that were written thousands of years ago. However, the vast amount of ancient Greek-themed movies and literature today is astonishing and shows that at least some of the world is still fascinated with the Greeks and their mythology, but still we can see that most can not understand why some people love it to …show more content…
But plenty of these stories answered many philosophical questions the Greeks had. For example, Mythology was able to give people the answer to questions such as: Where do we come from? Where do we go after we die? Why do certain natural events happen? It helped the Greeks understand and adapt to a way of life and a reason to live. But our ideology has changed a lot since then, new religions such as judaism, christianity, and plenty more. It started off with a wide variety of Gods and olympians, but after a while people started to make up their own poems and myths about new people and gods. After the myths were made eventually new religions would pop-up from different places and the New Gods would be introduced to different people. Eventually this created monotheism which is the belief in just a single God hence Christianity, Judaism but it's not that Mythology has died off. More that Greek mythology is slowly dying down but not being forgotten. These religions that are new have myths as well, for example the story about Jesus Christ in the Bible and many of the other exploits from it. Myths grant meanings that teaches people who they are and where they belong on Earth, but above all, it gives somebody a reason for life and takes away the isolation and meaningless of it …show more content…
Well one reason why we study Greek mythology is because of what it contributed to the classical and modern literature by giving us terms like “Bios” which stands for life and “Deka” which means ten. It is almost impossible to completely understand the basics of things like art, literature, and Performing Arts without being introduced to at least some mythology. Greek myths are also not so different from our more modern books, for example the book “Huckleberry Finn” and “The Great Gatsby,” we all read these books in school at one point in our life but we also learned from the stories the important messages portrayed, which of course comes back to ancient Greek mythology. You see just like with these other stories we constantly learn from mythology about many things. It's like us studying another culture and it helps us understand what it was like to be around in those times and places. These Myths show people a glimpse of what it was like and how they thought back then and how different, or similar, it is to use now. The fact that Greek myths are still relevant today is impressive and the fact that it will most likely still continue being relevant hundreds of years from now really helps to punctuate how important Greek mythology is. The study of mythology is difficult but never boring. The most interesting part is that to some extent is that everything above still connects to American society today. Our myths
From before the dawn of civilization as we know it, humanity has formed myths and legends to explain the natural world around them. Whether it is of Zeus and Hera or Izanami-no-Mikoto and Izanagi-no-mikoto, every civilization and culture upon this world has its own mythos. However, the age of myth is waning as it is overshadowed in this modern era by fundamental religion and empirical science. The word myth has come to connote blatant falsehood; however, it was not always so. Our myths have reflected both the society and values of the culture they are from. We have also reflected our inner psyche, conscious and unconscious, unto the fabric of our myths. This reflection allows us to understand ourselves and other cultures better. Throughout the eons of humanity’s existence, the myths explain natural phenomena and the cultural legends of the epic hero have reflected the foundations and the inner turmoil of the human psyche.
Roman mythology applies to the religious system, and origins of ancient Rome. These attributes are found through the art and literature that the Romans provide. Although, the Romans have supernatural elements they still proceeded to treat their traditional stories historically. The Romans focused on how a person contributes to the Roman community, and merely concentrate on politics and morality. Catholicism is one of the most common known religions. Catholicism focuses on the traditions, and values of the Christian churches. The two main things that differentiate Roman mythology, and modern day catholicism is their: beliefs and religion.
Myths relate to events, conditions, and deeds of gods or superhuman beings that are outside ordinary human life and yet basics to it” ("Myth," 2012). Mythology is said to have two particular meanings, “the corpus of myths, and the study of the myths, of a particular area: Amerindian mythology, Egyptian mythology, and so on as well as the study of myth itself” ("Mythology," 1993). In contrast, while the term myth can be used in a variety of academic settings, its main purpose is to analyze different cultures and their ways of thinking. Within the academic setting, a myth is known as a fact and over time has been changed through the many different views within a society as an effort to answer the questions of human existence. The word myth in an academic context is used as “ancient narratives that attempt to answer the enduring and fundamental human questions: How did the universe and the world come to be? How did we come to be here? Who are we? What are our proper, necessary, or inescapable roles as we relate to one another and to the world at large? What should our values be? How should we behave? How should we not behave? What are the consequences of behaving and not behaving in such ways” (Leonard, 2004 p.1)? My definition of a myth is a collection of false ideas put together to create
Greece is a country well known by its great interests and diverse cultures. It is located between the East and the West in the continent of Europe, which is known as a great location in the continent. “It covers about 130, 647 square kilometers of land and 1,310 square kilometers of water, making it the 97th largest nation in the world with a total area of 131,957 square kilometers. Greece became an independent state in 1829, after gaining its sovereignty from Turkey. The population of Greece is 10,767,827 (2012) and the nation has a density of 82 people per square kilometer. The currency of Greece is the Euro (EUR). As well, the people of Greece are referred to as Greek. Greece shares land borders with four countries; Macedonia, Albania,
Travel back to the time of gods wielding thunder bolts and the power to move the Sun across the sky. Gladiator’s fought for blood in monumental arenas and men ran faster than thought possible. Where a crown of olive branches was worth more than a wagon-load of gold. A time when men combined their strength to lift tons of stone more than 50 feet in the air to construct immense temples and monuments that would last thousands of years to come. This is Ancient Greece during its Golden Age.
The Greeks were very strong in their polytheistic beliefs. Polytheism is when someone believes in more than one god. In the Greeks case, there were an unbelievable amount but there were 12 main Olympian Gods. There are also plenty of minor gods that are still important in their lives. The Greek gods impacted the lives of the Greeks through their religion and beliefs. Many people don’t know the story behind the gods and how they came into “existence”. That is what you will learn from this report.
Their stories are what make Greek mythology one of the most interesting topics out there.
...ure. This transition between myth and philosophy is very important because it allows for other great minds to learn from it and apply it to their own philosophical views. If this transition had not happened then we might still be basing our philosophy on supernatural and fictional explanations. It greatly increased our philosophical mindset years ahead. It also leads in to the Axial Age of Greece and served as the introduction period to kick off the real westernization of Greece. It also leads to Greece becoming a super center of learning and knowledge.
...se value to the Odyssey as a voice from an antique time aimed at future generations. During the Roman Empire, both the Odyssey and its companion, the Iliad, were considered as foundational texts in education. Small wonder; history, poetry, parable, hymn-such a literary work is its own small cosmos. It deserves to be approached and interacted with as a living entity that still matters in Western civilization. That is possible only if we view such works in the context of the societies that produced them. Religion was a huge component of such a society. Although we now possess technological marvels that might give a Greek deity apoplexy from shame, the ancient Greeks are still Us. Men and women will always feel the need to see the world through fresher eyes than their own.
...eir lives. Not only did the Greek gods and goddesses hold a major impact on the lives of the Greek people, but so did the spreading of the religion through architecture, poets and writings. Greek philosophers also comprised many ideologies that helped shape Greek thinking and the way people throughout ancient Greece would treat each other and their situations in life. All these religious beliefs and ideologies helped form the culture of the Greek people and explain things that wouldn't be able to be explained. The religion brought people together and helped spread tradition throughout the world. In ancient Greece, religion and ideologies were everything. They shaped culture, tradition, lifestyles, behavior, and decisions that people made in their daily lives. The religions helped for Greece to become unified and prosper throught their age of civilization.
Mythology is an essential part of all cultures. Through myth, ancient cultures attempted to explain the world and make sense of their daily lives. Myth helps us to live in the minds and time period of people who lived many centuries ago with no technology, no running water, and a basic education. Greek myth is possibly the most commonly recognized myth simply because it is likely the most developed and best recorded. Modern Greek myth originated around 1000 B.C. in the writings of the famous Greek poet Homer in the Odyssey and the Illiad. Although early Greek myths are often vague and contain many primitive elements regarding their understanding of death, sacrifice, and fate, later myths show Greek culture developed and changed over time.
I believe Ancient Greek Mythology is far more engaging for students. Of course, it’s my opinion,but after reading this you’ll agree with me. I believe Ancient Greek stories is better for three reasons : it gives more detail and background, you can learn a lesson or two.Plus ,it has more action and sometimes a twist.Most likely (hopefully) these three reasons will change your perspective of Ancient Greek being less interesting than modern day.
The Maori are a group of New Zealanders, rich and deep in culture with many fascinating stories to share. Myths are a large part of this group’s lifestyle, given that they are shared every time they gather. Many myths explain the reason why humans are here, why the rain falls and mist rise, why the waves are at constant attacks with the land. Another culture that contains many legends to tell is the Greeks, whose stories are quite similar to the Maori’s. Although the Greek and Maori society have developed on opposite faces of the planet, their mythology follows along the same wavelengths such as their creation story, which both contain something bursting into the unknown world, a main hero, and each god and goddess having their own role in
Another reason of why Greek mythology should be taught to high school students is that in high education Greek myth will be involved in the curriculum. Top university around the world involved Greek studies in their curriculum for example in Harvard, Oxford, Yale and other University. Students in high school also have the right to study Greek myth. No one has the right to restrict them from that right.
In conclusion, myths reflect show us the Greeks view on the world, religion, and nature. Their understanding of the world is both similar and different compared to modern society. Myths also reflect the importance of gods in the Greek society and how each god represented something different. In addition, we can see the role of monsters in myths, what they represent and how were they important. Myths also show us the role of women in society and whether they were as important as men or not.