Greek Mythology

These adoring fans can go on to become writers of this superhero mythology just as great ancient writers became writers for the stories of the gods. Superhero comics find their roots in Greek mythology in the nature of their stories as well as they concern betrayal, the problems of superior beings that are responsible for the wellbeing of the populace, half powered beings, and affairs. Many years prior what is presently recognized mythology and old stories was genuine religion around the indigenous societies of those convictions. Around those, Greek Mythology is the most well-known and referenced. Greek Gods were not dreams of flawlessness.

Greek mythology is a body of myths and teachings that belong to the ancient Greeks concerning Titans, gods, and heroes. According to Alan Dundes, a myth is a sacred narrative explaining how the world and humankind assumed their present form (Dundes 1). Though now it may be referred to as mythology, to the ancient Greeks it was an aspect of their religion. Like many other pre-Christian societies, the ancient Greeks deemed things that were important in their lives, such as fire, water, air, and lightning to be gods which govern the world. The gods of the ancient Greeks had a complicated genealogy with many generations of gods and goddesses.

In the Greek Mythology there is no single text that introduces all of the myth’s characters and stories because the myths were part of an oral tradition that unfolded gradually in the written literature of the archaic and classical periods. Homer’s epic poems Iliad and Odyssey are the oldest known Greek literary sources. They focus on the Trojan War and its aftermath. Throughout the poem, Homer represents the gods intervening in human affairs and by this changing the destiny of human life. Because of the intervention, the gods start the war between Trojans and Achaeans and the reason of the war leads them to take sides.

The Dual Role of Gods in The Iliad With even a cursory exposure to ancient Greek texts, it is obvious that the gods and goddesses are very important in traditional Greek culture. As literary figures in mythos and specific poetry and drama, the gods dabble in the life of man, predict his fate, and routinely thwart any attempt for him to entirely forge his own future. But for those of us who are not extensively schooled in antiquities, it is hard to pinpoint exactly what the gods are to the ancient Greeks, and what they are to us as readers of literature who live outside the culture. Were the gods accepted as parable figures, meant to instruct? Were they used to explain acts of nature?

One cannot separate the mythology of the Greeks and Romans from their history and culture unless a boundary line is drawn between their two very different values. Greek mythology is older, and depends heavily on portraying individual human flaws and weaknesses, like hubris, through gods clashing with epic heroes. Instead of worshipping the gods, the Greeks sought to learn from the values set forth in stories by the gods or epic hero. The core Greek values taught in these stories are hospitality, intelligence, and virtue. Roman mythology, however, is mostly recycled ancestral tribe mythologies and the Greek divines’ hierarchal structure (roles of gods).

Along with politics, religion is something that everyone associates as a pillar of ancient Greek culture. The gods played an enormous role in the everyday lives of the Greeks. Although the fantastical gods of ancient Greece do not exist, the impact the gods had on the greeks was real. One of the best ways to see how the Greeks understood the role of the gods is to read stories or plays from Greek culture. Reading this popular culture of the Greeks makes it clear that the role of the gods was not always the same for everyone.

Athena The god Athena, back in time when Greece was making its mark in history as one of the great civilization of the Ancient World, there was a great deal of emphasis on the Gods and Goddesses. To the Greeks the world was governed by the Gods and they were the reason many things happened in the world, mostly things that where unexplainable. The goddess Athena was one of the many gods or goddesses that played a large role in Greek mythology. Even though Athena was the patron saint of Athens she supported other Greeks outside of Athens, such as, Achilles, Orestes, and especially Odysseus. Athena is know to be the goddess of war, guardian of cities, patroness of arts and crafts, and promoter of wisdom (Classical).

In Greek Mythology, perhaps one of the most rudimental yet one of the most important elements are the Greek Gods and Goddesses. The ancient Greeks created the stories about the lives and journeys of the Greek Gods, known as myths, simply as an endeavor to elucidate nature and all phenomena which were difficult to explain using modern science and logic. These myths about the Gods were spread around the world by explorers and storytellers, and later merged with Greek religion. To this day, numerous myths survived through many writings and through much art. Each of these myths is very unique, and moreover, tells us much about the Greek Gods.

"Heliopolis, located in the main pyramid are with the other god villages,"(Cavendish 67) was where the Zeus equivalent prominently dwelled and although he "was a ruler he had no power significa... ... middle of paper ... ...se the Greeks had more structure, rank, and class distinctions their mythology was looked upon as the best and related to most often. Greek and Egyptian mythology shared many things, including the use of gods, creators and stories, the Greeks however put more structure into these areas and developed these and others. The Greek's culture affected their culture and others because they had such a strong basis for their mythology and life. Many cultures stole what the Greeks had because it was so strong. Even in current life, Greek mythology is still a factor.

The Greeks also invented their mythology, which included gods and goddesses. Through myths, Greeks tried to understand the mysteries of nature and the power of human passion. God lived forever and Greeks attributed human qualities to them. The Olympic Games were originated in Greece around 776 b.c.e. They were dedicated to the god Zeus, the Greeks even suspended the wars between city-states so the athletes of the Olympics could compete.