The Ancient
Greeks believed in a series of myths which explained nature, set up a moral
code for the people, and were just folk lore of the people. In this paper,
the beginnings of myths, the Greek gods themselves, and several myths concerning
morals, nature, and old lore of the Ancients will be discussed. Because the
myths and details about the gods were passed along by word of mouth, some myths
or gods might be interchanged or different.
The Greek myths started
as folk lore until it began to explain nature and storytellers integrated a
moral code into the myths. Many myths started out as fairy tales. As new
and more efficient farming methods became available to the Greek people they
were faced with more time in which to do other things. A people who have waste
develop a culture all their own. Because Greece was divided into different
city- states, many of the myths are different. The culture of storytelling
began to involve explanations of nature such as the creation of the horse,
spider, and such changes as winter and fire along with the creation of man
himself. Slowly, as with any longstanding government, the morals and laws
of society leaked into Greek myths in the form of, "The slain shall be avenged
by Nemesis (a force which causes people to get revenge)," or just, "Kindness
and humbleness are rewarded by the gods." Some myths were even created to
support other myths. The myths started with storytelling and developed into
a
complex system of morals and explanations.
The Greek myths were almost
fruitless without the intervention of the gods. The gods controlled nature
and fought their own battles on the earth, which sometimes caused problems.
The first god was the most powerful one until he had children. The first
god is called Oranos or in some myths Uranus. He was the first ruler among
the gods. Uranus was the heavens and Gaea was the earth and thus they were
married. The couple gave birth to many different and odd children but Uranus
was cruel to them. Then, Chronos was born as the youngest titan. Chronos
dethroned his father and soon after married his sister, Rhea. He didn't want
his children to dethrone him so he ate them. However, Zeus overthrew Chronos
and established the first real empire of the gods. Zeus settled disputes between
the other gods and made sure the humans weren't treated in...
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...horselike animals.
The gods control the seasons as we know them today in this Greek myth. Hades
was on the surface of the earth on business when Eros shot him with an arrow.
Hades fell in love with Persephone and stole her away into the Underworld.
Demeter, Persephone's mother, searched for her daughter and when she could
not find her, froze the earth. Zeus didn't want the earth to wither and die
so he sent Hermes to fix the situation. Since Persephone ate part of a pomegranate,
she would stay with Hades part of the year and live on the world the rest of
the year. All the time she would be gone, Demeter would weep and snow would
fall. Fall is caused by her anticipation of her daughter leaving. This myth
demonstrates the power of the gods, the power of love, and how fall and winter
happen.
The Greek gods and myths were a vital part to the ancient Greeks.
The myths do explain nature and set up an orderly manner in which people should
act. The myths, however, use gods to explain nature in order to substitute
for pure logic. All the myths have meanings or explanations in which all the
ancient questions are answered. The Greek myths were vital to Grecian society.
...nishing desecration of the flag dilutes the very freedom that makes this emblem so revered, and worth revering."
The Greeks believed that the earth was formed before any of the gods appeared. The gods, as the Greeks knew them, all originated with Father Heaven, and Mother Earth. Father Heaven was known as Uranus, and Mother Earth, as Gaea. Uranus and Gaea raised many children. Amoung them were the Cyclopes, the Titans, and the Hecatoncheires, or the
Gods and goddesses in mythology are used in allusions and often referred to in our daily lives, but do we truly understand them? We may not understand how or why they look the way they do, how they behave, what they are capable of accomplishing, or how they interacted with humans. These super-beings of extremely high status were the heart and soul of prayers and explanations of natural phenomena. They had a variety of natures and were represented in a variety of ways, by different religions.
Throughout the years many people have asked the same question, ‘What is Genomics and is it really ethical?’ Genomics has been seen as unethical and it is largely frowned upon in many societies today but scientists believe otherwise. Genomics has recently become a major breakthrough for scientists and they are working on many ways to show the world that it is in no way unethical and could benefit us and generations to come. Genomics is the study of a genome which is the complete set of DNA in organisms. In this field, specialists go through thorough efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of an organism and map out its genetics. With this information scientist are able to study the genes that are involved in diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart diseases and possibly find a way to alter them so that those types of serious diseases may be avoidable for future generations. Fred Sanger was the first man to originate Genomics when he sequenced the genomes of a virus and of a mitochondrion, him and his group established different genomic techniques of sequencing between 1970 and 1980. From 1970 till know Genomics has grown into The Genomic Science Programme which falls under The Human Genome Project and both are led by the National Human Genome Research Institute in America and in April 2003 this project was successfully completed with a high-quality version of the full human genome available for public view.
Over the past several decades, numerous studies including observational and experimental, have examined and shown that physical activity significantly decreases morbidity and mortality. Moderate to vigorous physical activity helps in improving the cardiorespiratory fitness of a person which in turn helps in decreasing the risk of chronic health conditions including, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type-2 diabetes, and cancer. Also numerous studies have shown that, physical activity or cardiorespiratory fitness reduces morbidity and mortality independent of body weight. India, which is known as the capital of diabetes includes a large cohort of people with diabetes, having a normal BMI. Low physical activity or cardiorespiratory fitness could be the major reason for the cause diabetes in this cohort. Physical activity prevent weight gain or help in controlling weight by increasing the energy expenditure.
The genetic technology revolution has proved to be both a blessing and a blight. The Human Genome Project is aimed at mapping and sequencing the entire human genome. DNA chips are loaded with information about human genes. The chip reveals specific information about the individuals’ health and genetic makeup (Richmond & Germov 2009).The technology has been described as a milestone by many in that it facilitates research, screening, and treatment of genetic conditions. However, there have been fears that the technology permits a reduction in privacy when the information is disclosed. Many argue that genetic information can also be used unfairly to discriminate against or stigmatize individuals (Willis 2009).
of man. They also had a very extensive hierarchy of Gods. Its origin begins with the
Some of the gods were Zeus, who was the ruler of all the gods, Hera was his wife, and Hermes was his messenger. Artemis was the goddess of the moon, and Apollo was the god of the sun. Poseidon was the god of the sea, Loki, the god of mischief, and, Dionysus, the god of wine.
...by at one of his parties, "my eyes fell on Gatsby, standing alone on the marble steps and looking from one group to another... but no one swooned backward on Gatsby, and no French bob touched Gatsby's shoulder, and no singing quartets were formed with Gatsby's head for one link". Even in the bosom of a thousand laughing people, Gatsby is still separate from them; he is still alone. Despite his social climb (new money) he still doesn’t fit in. Loneliness and isolation are clearly bound together in the pages of “The Great Gatsby” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” through Fitzgerald's and Chobsky’s characters. Fitzgerald makes a stunning statement, not only on the time in which he lived, but also on society as a whole. He makes it apparent that money does not bring happiness, but rather leaves a breach of loneliness that can only be filled with true heartfelt love.
As we approach the 21st century, we as a society are increasingly bombarded with technical advances. One such area of advancement is the research involved with the Human Genome Mapping Project (HGMP). HGMP is a multi-billion dollar world wide research collaboration interested in sequencing the entire human genome. Started on October 1, 1990, with a group of over 350 labs, and expected to finish within the next 5 to 7 years, the Human Genome Mapping Project has given rise to many important advancements and many discoveries about the genetic make-up of humans (Bylinsky, 1994). With these advances come many ethical questions and concerns. The ability to screen an individual for specific disease will, in the future, play a major role in each of our lives. Genetic screening is defined in Genethics, by Suzuki and Knudson (1990), as "the examination of the genetic constitution of an individual - whether a fetus, a young child or a mature adult - in search of clues to the likelihood that this person will develop or transmit a heritable defect or disease."
The Greeks were polytheistic, which means they believe in many gods/goddesses. The Ancient Greeks believed that a family of gods lived in a cloud palace above Mount Olympus which is the highest mountain in Greece. These gods were thought to have special powers, and each had control over a different aspect of life. Zeus became leader because he helped his siblings get out of cronus and so they made him their leader. A few examples are; Zeus the king of the gods, Poseidon the king of the oceans and water, and Athena which is the goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts, and literature. Zeus created some of these constellations many years ago.
Mythology is defined as a collection of interrelated stories of a given culture. Myths are intended to explain and describe the mysteries of nature and give understanding about the world that surrounds us. Each culture has their own mythology that reflects their values and beliefs. Myths were also generated to tell the story of the first people to inhabit the earth. The Egyptian mythology elevated these people to the level of Gods and Goddesses by giving them supernatural and special powers. These myths of creation were passed from one generation to the next, either orally or by hieroglyphs painted in sacred temples, pyramids, and sanctuaries.
with a punishment in Hell. Greek mythology has played a major role in the development of the
Hebrews 13:20, He is called "the God of peace." The peace that came from God and the
Throughout studying many myths, I came up with many new observations. Many questions came into my mind about these myths. Greek mythology takes us back to a time when people had a connection with nature and when nature played a major role in people’s lives. The religious beliefs of the people who wrote the myths are found in the background of these myths; however, they are not to be read like religious texts. The myths try to offer explanations of “how”, which makes us think deeply about the purpose of these myths and the questions they draw to our minds. According to the myths we studied in class, the world created the gods, not the other way around. The gods were always created in the image of man, which shows how much men were important in their society. Furthermore, many of these Greek myths show us the difference between the views of the Greek then and our view towards many aspects of the society, including nature. Monsters appear in Greek myths and have different representations and roles. Greek mythology reflects a view of the Greeks towards the world and how certain aspects of their lives are similar and different to modern society.