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Greek Mythology: Fact or Fiction
“Most myths can be divided into two groups: explanatory myths and creation
myths. Creation myths are those that try to explain the origin of the world, the creation of
human beings and the birth of gods and goddesses. Explanatory myths are those that try
to explain natural processes or events and also some deal with illness and death. Mythical
beings fall into several groups. Many gods and goddesses resemble human beings even
though they do have supernatural powers. These divinities are called anthropomorphic,
from the Greek word meaning, in shape of a man. Another group of mythical beings
include gods and goddesses who resemble animals. These characters are called
theriomorphic, again from the Greek word meaning in the shape of an animal. The last
group of mythical beings has no specific name. These beings were neither completely
human or animal. An example is the famous sphinx of Egypt, which has a human head
and a lion's body. Many myths deal with the relationship between mortals and divinities.
Some mythical mortals have a divine father and a mortal mother and are called heroes”
(Taylor).
Each one of these divinities had a place to live. Since humans characterized these
gods as all knowing and all seeing their homes were usually higher than mortals can
reach. (Hercules). Most things in mythology were symbolized, for instance the sun was
symbolized by, Helios god of the sun, driving a flaming chariot across the sky. People,
animals, and plants represented ideas or events. Asclepius, god of healing held a staff
with a serpent coiled around it and to day that staff is the insignia for the medical
profession. Then again there are quite a few things that have opposi...
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...that they live in. Our society today is very diverse in moral, religious, and cultural
beliefs. Just because a divinity or deity is unfathomable to one group or person doesn’t
mean that everyone feels the same. Who is right depends on how open- minded the
person is and there religious affiliation.
Bibliography:
Works Cited
Grant, Micheal, and John Hazel. Who’s who in Classical Mythology.
New York: Oxford University
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. NewYork: Penguin Books
Littleton, Scott C. “Mythology,” World Book Encyclopedia Vol.13. 1993
Taylor, Damond and Zado. “Egyptian Mythology and Religion,”
Http.//www.dc. peachnet.edu /~shale/humanities/literature/world_literature/
classprojects/egypt/mythology.html. Internet 1997
“Reunions,” Hercules: the Legendary Journeys, WOFL, Universal Studios, Orlando, 10
Oct. 1998.
Most cultures have a creation myth, a story of how humans came to exist in the world. Often, they involve Gods of some capacity who exist without much question or explanation. Many myths have a common idea for the origin of the world, like Earth being born from water, a golden egg, or a great monster. The Mayan creation myth and the Babylonian creation myth are similar in that they both begin with water, and account the creation and purpose of man. They also differ, as the Mayan Popol Vuh chronicles a peaceful tale of trials to forge the Earth and sentient beings to worship the gods, while the Babylonian Enuma Elish tells of wars between gods that lead to the creation of Earth and of man as a servant to the gods.
Many authors have employed the religious beliefs of their cultures in literature. The deities contained in Homer’s Odyssey and in the Biblical book of Exodus reflect the nature of the gods in their respective societies. Upon examination of these two works, there are three major areas where the gods of the Greek epic seem to directly contrast the nature of the God of the Israelites: the way problems are solved, the prestige and status that separates the divine from the masses, and the extent of power among the immortal beings.
It was thought that they used their heads in combat or mating contests, but that was disproved fairly recently, which I will discuss later in the paper. Both Ceratopsians and Pachycephalosaurs were “bird-hipped” and both of these suborders contained a backward pubic bone. Both were Marginocephilia, or “fringed heads”, which is one of three clads under the Orinthiscia order. They were also herbivore dinosaurs that inherited their fringe at the back of the skull from earlier ancestors. 2.
A myth is a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events. Each civilization has its myths about the creation of the world and its human race. Most speak of “gods” who perform feats far beyond that of humankind. Most are legends passed down through oral tradition, and embellished along the way. The book of Genesis is one of the most significant books in the Bible and is sacred scripture for Jews, Samaritans, and Christians. The Babylonian epic, Enuma Elish, is one of the most important sources for understanding the Babylonian worldview. Hesiod’s Theogony is a poem describing the origins and genealogies of
Roman and Greek mythology are filled with multiple interpretations of how the creator, be it the gods or nature, contributed to the birth of the world. These stories draw the backgrounds of the gods and goddesses that govern much of classical mythology. Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Hesiod’s Theogony are two pieces of work that account for how our universe came to be. A comparison of Theogony with Metamorphoses reveals that Hesiod’s creation story portrays the deities as omnipresent, powerful role whose actions triggered the beginning of the universe whereas in Metamorphoses, the deities do not play a significant role; rather the humans are center of the creation. The similarities and differences are evident in the construction of the universe, ages of man, and the creation of men and women on earth.
Rosenberg, Donna. "The Creation of the Titans and the Gods." World Mythology. 3rd ed. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1999. 82-89. Print.
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
... are this middle class, respected by the Gods, but still not their equals. The gods prove this time and time and again, and with these interactions, they make the heroes what they are. Heroes are nothing more than men who strive to be as great as the gods. Sometimes they fail, but they are remembered for daring to dream of greatness.
gods, each given a personality and purpose. And was the subject of many myths and legends that would be told for many generations to come. They were to become the basis for a religion that would last for hundreds of years and would yield thousands of followers to believe in the made stories of these enchanted people or gods as they were called.
“Theogony” which means “birth of the gods,” a poem written by Hesiod meant to be sung to tell the story of how the Olympian gods and Zeus came to rule over all of the earth/ heaven and it’s inhabitants. First there was Chaos, a yawning void where Gaia (Earth), Tartaros (Hell) and a few other fundamental chief deities came from. Through parthenogenesis, Ouranos (Heaven) came from Gaia (Earth). Gaia and Ouranos had a sacred marriage, which was a sacred wedding of the heaven and earth. From this sacred marriage came the children of Gaia and Ouranos, better known as the Titans. Ouranos found his offspring to be annoying and monstrousness. He hated his children and decided to hide them away in earth and did not allow them to ever see the light of day. Gaia was not pleased with Ouranos’ actions. Hiding her children within her brought her great discomfort. Gaia tried to have all her hidden children rebel against their father but the only one brav...
Myths – as they are known to most of the world – give insight into the pasts of various countries and religions as the people saw them. They have been used to explain phenomena in nature or describe the tales of courageous and important men and women throughout history. Creation myths in particular define how the Earth itself was created, along with the universe, heavens, hell, people, and creatures that exist today. Genesis of Christian mythology, for instance, tells the story of how the single deity God spoke and formed everything from day and night to man and woman. Various African creation myths, such as with the Yoruba, explain the creation of the Earth through at least a couple gods working together and all life sprouting from a seed.
The myths which prove the contradictory behavior of the gods, acting as both benefactors and tormentors of man, can readily be explained when viewed in light of the prime directive for man, to worship the gods and not “overstep,” and the ensuing “Deus ex Mahina” which served to coerce man to fulfill his destiny as evidenced by the myths: “Pandora,” “Arachne, and “Odysseus.” Humankind and it’s range of vision over the gods beauty and power portrayed them to be benefactors but unseemingly it depicted their affliction towards humans.
Ancient Egyptians tried to understand their place in the universe. This is why their mythology is centered on nature such as the earth, sky, moon, sun, stars, and the Nile River. There are many Egyptian myths of creation, but the Heliopolitan Tradition, Hermopolitan Ogdoad, and the Memphite Theology are the most commonly used. They all have some common elements and gods. For example, many of t...
o'er the earth") and that they became known to man as the heathen idols of
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.