The History Of Greek Mythology
explanatory Essay
1173 words
Philip Matyszak describes a myth as “the ancient’s view of the world (Wasson, 2014).” There are many different perspectives people see of the earth and there are many stories to be told. Many of them started out hundreds of years ago and are still being told today. Every story always has many versions to be told and we have all heard most of them. In these stories there are heroes, maidens in distress, different types of creatures we don’t normally hear about, and the gods or goddesses. In these tales the gods give off human emotions such as hate, love, and jealousy. The people of Rome and Greece were able to connect to them and see themselves in these mythological stories.
Mythology has been around for centuries and some stories come around
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In this essay, the author
- Describes a myth as "the ancient's view of the world" by philip matyszak.
- Explains that greek mythology is based on ancient oral tradition, such as iliad and odyssey, and hesiod's theogony. zeus was the ruler of the sky and the olympian gods thought of him as the father.
- Explains that hermes led souls to the river styx in the underworld, where charon ferried them to hades where kerberos stood guard to keep them in.
- Explains that the roman version of zeus is identical to the greek version. jupiter was in charge of the laws and social order and was the god of storms.
- Explains that the greeks worshipped in sanctuaries, a well-defined sacred space set apart by an enclosure wall. the central ritual act in ancient greece was animal sacrifice, especially of oxen, goats, and sheep.
- Opines that most of us have heard the tales of zeus and hades, or have learned of them in school, and have found them different than what we normally read.
To the Romans, Jupiter was in charge of the laws and social order and was known as the god of the storms. Some of the things we know today, such as the English adjective "jovial," which also takes its root from Jupiter 's alternative moniker, are still used today to describe people who are jolly, optimistic, and buoyant in temperament. As well, the name of the god was adopted as the name of the planet Jupiter, fifth planet from the sun and fittingly the largest celestial body in our solar system. Jupiter was the original namesake of the weekday that would come to be known in English as Thursday (Encyclopedia Contributors New World, 2008).We have incorporated more of the Roman mythology of Jupiter into real life than Zeus mythology. Pluto was the Roman name for Hades and to the Romans he was the god of the underworld and judge of the dead. Pluto was originally not the god of the underworld. Pluto is cognate with the Greek word "Ploutos" (wealth, cf. plutocracy), and, under the original name Plutus, was considered by the Romans as the giver of gold, silver, and other subterranean substances. Because these "gifts" were mined, Pluto became recognized as the god of the physical underworld, which in turn helped him become recognized as the god of the spiritual underworld and thus death (Crystal). This is very different than the Greek version and Jupiter, but they both had planets named after …show more content…
The Greeks worshipped in sanctuaries, a sanctuary was a well-defined sacred space set apart usually by an enclosure wall. This sacred precinct, also known as a temenos, contained the temple with a monumental cult image of the deity, an outdoor altar, statues and votive offerings to the gods, and often features of landscape such as sacred trees or springs. The central ritual act in ancient Greece was animal sacrifice, especially of oxen, goats, and sheep. Sacrifices took place within the sanctuary, usually at an altar in front of the temple, with the assembled participants consuming the entrails and meat of the victim. Liquid offerings, or libations were also commonly made (Hemingway, 2003). To encourage Zeus to get bring rain to end the droughts they would, pour wine near his shrine and hope he would send rain. The people would also try to build his temples on high mountaintops so they could feel closer to him. With Hades the people would bang their hands on the ground just to be sure that he would get their prayer. Hades would only accept sacrifices from animals that had a black color and than the blood from that sacrifice would seep down into a pit and reach
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- Ancient Greeceexplanatory essayThe ancient Greeks were very religious people. They were poligamics, and they believed that a certain god shows up in a human form. In the Greek art, especially on the vases, many scenes with gods were illustrated. For people of the ancient Grrek, many gods usually had the affair with the usual man. This is even written in some myths, and the result of that event was that many demi-gods appeared.
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- Explains that the greek civilization has made great contributions in many areas to western society. greek scientists made revolutionary discoveries in medicine, mathematics, physics and astronomy.
- Explains that the protogeometric period is a time of economic and cultural depression. the minoan and mycenean empire contributed to the creation of the greek civilization.
- Explains that the geometric period is well known by many transformations and startling innovation in greek architecture and sculpture.
- Explains that during the early archaic period, the concept of polis became very developed. locations such as cyrene on the north african cost and massilia in southern france became greek colonies.
- Explains that in the late bronze age and early iron age, the use of standardized size and weights grew out of practices.
- Explains how the greeks spread their colonies to the mediterranean and black seas in 750-550 bc. this trade exposed the domestic market to imported luxury from egypt, the levant, and asia minor.
- Explains that manufactoring was absorbed only by small numbers of workers, usually slaves or free people who were very poor.
- Explains that the ancient greek civilization was located on today’s greek land, ionian islands, asia minor, south italy, and sicily.
- Explains that even though the most powerful and important city states were ruled by tyrants, the greeks adopted a massive building program, and the attica region started to dominate in the pottery market for about the whole century.
- Explains how the classical period began with athens having the greatest political and cultural power, the parthenon being built, and philosophical schools of socrates and plato founded.
- Explains that when alexandar the graet died (323bc), the land was divided into three portions: the antigonid dynasty, the seleucids, and the ptolemies.
- Explains that the archeologist could only find rare signs of the private life of ancient greece. the evening meal followed by special occasions such as symposium.
- Explains that the greek women did not have power, political right to vote, and men controlled them. the city-woman had to raise the children and run the household.
- Explains that men in ancient greece were much busier than women. their primary occupation was politics, arts and crafts, construction, agriculture, manufactoring, and trade.
- Explains that the ancient greeks were poligamics and believed that a certain god appeared in human form. they housed their gods in temples, which were enclosed by walls.
1696 wordsRead More - Greek and Roman Mythologyexplanatory essayThe ancient Greek and ancient Roman religion was the belief in gods. They had similar beliefs, but also immeasurable differences. It was composed of many meaningful gods and goddesses that all played a part in the everyday life of the average Roman and Greek person of that time. They believed in something called polytheism.
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- Explains that roman and greek people had similar beliefs, but also immeasurable differences. it was composed of many meaningful gods and goddesses that all played a part in everyday life.
- Explains that gods, each given a personality and purpose, were the subject of many myths and legends that would be told for many generations to come.
- Explains that hestia plays no part in myths. she is known as hesia in the greek religion.
- Explains that the queen of the heavens was also the wife and sister of jupiter.
- Explains that the goddess of dawn was originally said to be the daughter of the giant.
- Describes the inventors of the bridle, trumpet, flute, pot, rake, and plow.
- Explains that she is said to have a magic girdle that makes anyone she makes.
- Explains that poseidon was asked for blessings before the beginning of the day, month, week, and year. he had two faces that faced each way to symbolize how much he knew about the present and past.
- Explains that jupiter's temple was built in the capitol, and newly elected counsels offered their first prayers to him. hera was the wife and sister of zeus and the high goddess of the greeks.
- Explains pluto, the roman god of the underworld, is shown with the horn of plenty, which is most likely why we associate the devil, or satan, as having a horn on top of his head.
- Explains that aphrodite, the greek goddess of love and beauty, was married to the smith god, hephaestus, but left him for the god of war.
- Explains that diana was very similar to the greek goddess artemis. born on delos with a twin brother named apollo, she was the goddess of hunting. she had two shrines in italy: one at aricia on the shores of lake nemi, and the other at capua.
- Explains that demeter was the god of fertility, and often referred to as the essential mother. she had a baby girl called persephone.
- Explains that the roman gods were taken from the beliefs of the greek gods. they are directly descended from their neighboring religion.
- Explains pluto was the greediest of the gods and was always looking for more ruling subjects.
- Explains that apollo was the god of music, healing, and truth. he carried the sun across the sky by his chariot of winged horses.
- Explains that diana was a minor goddess of the forest and woodland, but later known as the hunter, supporter of women, and the overlooker. vulcan was the god of fire and force.
2303 wordsRead More - Ancient Greeceexplanatory essaySome 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.
In this essay, the author
- Explains the golden age of greece, which is from 500 to 350 bc. the greeks are best known for their gods, and stories about them.
- Describes the gods of zeus, hera, apollo, poseidon, loki, and dionysus.
- Explains that the greeks made sacrifices to the gods, so that they would honor them, and help them in times of trouble.
- Explains that the greeks had lots of heroes, who were like role models for their children. hercules was the strongest man ever, and destroyed many monsters with his strength.
- Explains that the greeks are known for their creativity and knowledge in arts, such as making sculptures, music, and paintings.
- Explains that the greeks had a kitchen, eating nook, and bedroom, while the poor had stone floors and family heirlooms for decorations.
- Explains that the greeks had a lot of jobs that people could do, such as shoe making, blacksmithing, pottery, doctors, actors, teaching, soldiers, fish mongers, and architecture.
- Explains that the greeks thought that education was very important, so they sent their sons to school at age 8. they quit school when they were 14 and learned music, math, and writing.
- Explains how the greeks left their slaves for any work they didn't want to do, such as housework, building buildings, harvest crops, and row ships.
- Explains that greeks loved entertainment. they went to music performances, singing, sports events, and plays. for plays, the actors were greek men who liked acting.
- Explains greece's cities had a particular layout. the agora was the public well, temples, and other important buildings.
- Explains that greeks had many laws, such as voting, elections, and killing tyrants. war was fought by brave, courageous and strong young men.
- Explains that women had very few rights in greek society. they could not vote, compete in sports events, or act in plays. the greeks loved to be clean.
- Describes plato as a greek philosopher who figured out that all the planets revolved around the sun, and not the earth. he died in his 70's.
- Explains that the greek civilization was a lot like ours. they had the same type of government, jobs, homes, schools, and other things.
1085 wordsRead More - Greek and Roman Mythologyopinion essayGreek and Roman mythology was born because people were curious to know about the root of their existence: how they came to the world, and everything that surrounds them. It was born during the time of no scientific advancement. The unexplained world gave a reason to fear and to behave. They worshipped many Gods, creating a polytheistic society. They believed that the Gods controlled natural forces. Roman mythology is a combination of rituals, beliefs, and supernatural occurrences. The Romans adopted most Greek gods and their tales, and only changed the name.
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- Explains that greek and roman mythology was born because people were curious about the root of their existence. they worshipped many gods, creating a polytheistic society.
- Opines that the gods and goddesses from the myths represent human nature: they get jealous, angry, and sometimes mislead by greed. they possess supernatural power, the only aspect that separates them from human.
- Analyzes how the conflicts between zeus and cronus for establishing dominance and securing power symbolize men's hunger for control.
- Opines that the most interesting feature of zeus' character is that he is a womanizer. his marriages to the goddesses gave birth to other olympian gods, including hermes, apollo, athene, and artemis.
- Analyzes how zeus' multiple illegitimate affairs resulted in rivalry between his wife, hera, and other goddesses and female. semele's mortal body couldn't withstand lightning bolt and thunder raging.
- Explains that zeus is the presiding god of the universe. he sees that each deity performs their individual duties, punishes misdeeds, settles disputes, and acts towards them on all occasions.
- Opines that mythology explain human conditions while the characters in the myth mirror human behavior and personality. it gives us scope to understand the reasons behind our every emotion, the hurdles we face in life, and the price we end up paying for an exchange
663 wordsRead More - Greek and Roman Godsexplanatory essay“Mythology is a body of stories told to explain the world and its mysteries,” Doctor Scott A. Leonard explains in his article, “Mythology”. Before the knowledge to provide scientific reasoning towards the world’s events, people told myths about heroes, gods and goddesses to explain natural events. (Leonard, “Mythology”). In mythology, most stories are connected and explain another myth, (Stapleton 42). According to the article “Roman Gods”, the twelve greatest gods and goddess of Rome were parallel to the twelve Olympian gods in Greek Mythology. Many of the Roman gods were believed to have been involved in founding Rome (“Roman gods”).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that mythology is a body of stories told to explain the world and its mysteries.
- Explains that the greek god, zeus, was the father of all the gods and the sky.
- Explains that hera, the greek goddess of women and marriage, was the patroness of marriage and the guardian of children.
- Explains that the greek god apollo was associated with archery, healing, and poetry. the romans worshipped apollo as the god of healing and prophecy.
- Explains that poseidon was the greek god of the sea, earthquakes and horses. he controlled the mediterranean sea as he watched over fishermen.
- Explains that hades was the greek god who ruled the underworld. he was a son of cronus and rhea and the youngest brother of zeus
- Explains that ares, the greek god of war, was known for his love of wrecking havoc on the battlefield and his delight in the death of soldiers.
- Explains that athena represented the strategic planning of war rather than raw violence. she was a state goddess, concerned with fertility in all respects.
- Opines that berens, e. m., a handbook of mythology: the mys and legends of ancient greece and rome.
- Explains that felson, nancy, ph.d., "athena, poseidon." world book student.
- Explains genovese, e. n., ph.d. "juno, jupiter, mars, minerva." world book student.
- Explains harmon, daniel p., ph.d. "pluto." world book student.
- Explains littleton, c. scott, ph.d., "hades." world book.
- Explains that phillips, f. carter, ph.d., "apollo, ares and hera, zeus." world book student.
- Explains stapleton's illustrated dictionary of greek and roman mythology.
1361 wordsRead More - The Importance Of Myths In Greek Mythologyanalytical essayThe word myth is derived from the Greek word mythos which translate to a set of beliefs about something. Myths were created to help illustrate the values and beliefs of a society. One common usage of myths were to serve as a belief system. These myths were created to explain the proper relationship between gods and man. Some people need to believe in a power greater than themselves to help them understand things that are difficult to explain. Such as the creation of the world or what happens after death. Religion and myths correlate with each other, some myths serving as the foundation of that belief system. Various myths are created based off of a society 's religious belief. The relationship between deities and mankind show that mankind
In this essay, the author
- Explains that myths were created to illustrate the values and beliefs of a society. they were used to explain the proper relationship between gods and man.
- Analyzes how the book of numbers explains the consequences of sin. god promises to deliver his people out of egypt and bring them to canaan.
- Explains that the gods in greek mythology often punished those who disobeyed their orders. medusa was a beautiful girl who lived in the city states of athens.
- Analyzes how the myth of arachne shows the negative consequences of challenging a god.
- Analyzes how king saul's disobedience to god led him to unify the 12 tribes of israel and prosper the newly united nation.
- Analyzes how god destroyed the earth due to the abundance of sin in the hebrew myth, noah and the flood. god's love for mankind is unconditional, but that didn't mean that he would overlook the sins and transgressions of man.
- Explains that the story of adam and eve is one of the first myths to describe the disobedience of man.
1584 wordsRead More - Roman Religionsexplanatory essayThe ancient Romand worshiped many gods, godesses and spirits, each of whom was responsible for a different part of life. Juno was the goddess of woman; Jupiter, the king of the gods was also the god of the sky; Mercury was the god of merchants; Wulcan the god of fire; Mars the god of war; Minerva the goddess of wisdom; Venus the goddess of fertility and love. The ancient Romans adopted gods and goddesses from other cultures as well. Bacchusor or Dionysus, the Greek god of wine; Cybelle, the Turkish goddess of motherhood; and Isis from the Egyptian pantheon who was concerned with reincarnation. Emperors and empresses were sometimes worshiped after their deaths.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the ancient romans worshiped many gods, godesses and spirits, each of whom was responsible for a different part of life.
- Explains that emperors showed their devotion to their favored deities by building temples to them. roman citizens left offerings such as food, milk, wine, money, jewels or statues at temple alters.
- Explains that the romans were generally accepting of other people's religions but persecuted the christians because, among other things, they displeased the gods by refusing to patricipate in such animal sacrifices and unjust ceremonies.
- Explains that the romans built large temples for these many gods, often in places that people believed were special to them. the acropolis in greece is one of these places.
- Explains that ancient greeks believed in many gods and goddesses, but they were wiser, cunning, and powerful. the olympians controlled nature and people's fate.
- Narrates how worshipers of the time might have visited the temple to thank the god for a favor.
- Explains that the inside of the temple wasn't a gathering place for worship like churches and sacred buildings of today. worship services were held outside on an alter.
- Explains that the parthenon was a gift to athena for the greeks’ victory in the persian wars. athletes from all over came to compete at olympia.
- Explains that the romans and greeks believed that a ritual must be performed before they could hope for the expected outcome of their prayers.
- Explains that every household had its own protective gods. they acted as priests and made offerings of food, wine, oil, or cakes on the alter of the household shrine.
- Explains that the state had a sacred hearth. the temple of jupiter in central rome was important for state and business functions.
- Explains that rome's history and development is closely related to their religion. what began as a village of primitive huts beside the tiber river grew to be incredibly large and astonishing.
- Explains that the greeks did not worship their gods with the aid of temples and statues, but believed that objects and events had some kind of supernatural force.
- Explains that the greek gods were given human like personalities after the romans shared their human looking, human-like gods with them.
- Explains that the romans were concerned about the death and well-being of those who had died. the dead brought bad luck to those living they had left behind.
- Explains that fire was believed to be powerful against the bad influences brought by death, which is why bodies were burned and torches were carried at funerals.
- Cites bowker, john, bowd, jeffery, daly, kathleen n. greek and roman mythology a to z.
- Cites liston, michael, and monaghan, patricia. "roman vs greek deities."
1140 wordsRead More - Mythsexplanatory essayMythology is defined two ways: a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition (Oxford Dictionary) and as the study of myths (Oxford Dictionary). Myths are stories that are based on tradition and have significance to a culture. They are sacred tales that explain the world and a person’s experience. Some myths may have factual origins, while others may have fictional origins that explain religion or natural phenomenons. Many philosophers and scientists all over the world have tried to answer the questions that truly can’t be answered: what is the universe and how did it all begin, who am I, where did I come from, and why am I here? Myths and mythology try to provide people with heroic figures such as gods and goddesses—representing a person, place, or thing in a past, present, or future event—to help explain natural phenomenon’s and control civilization giving people a grasp on some type of reality.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that mythology is a collection of stories that are based on tradition, and have significance to the culture. some myths may have factual origins, while others may be fictional.
- Explains that greek, roman, babylonian, and sumerian myths use similar goddesses of fruitfulness to explain when food and fruits grow and die during seasonal changes.
- Explains that deities are gods and goddesses in mythology. deities have many different forms that have developed over time to represent a culture.
- Explains that the ancient greek gods represented a natural phenomenon or feeling, such as chaos, gaea, eros, hades, ares, etc.
- Explains that greek mythology controlled the greek culture because many believed that if they didn't worship the gods, they would be punished severely.
736 wordsRead More - Greek And Greek Mythology: The Creation Of The Godsanalytical essayMythology: used in numerous religions to rationalize the unexplainable. The creation of the universe remains unknown to this day. Greek and Norse mythology concluded their own philosophy of how the earth came into existence. The creation of gods allows people to identify with their religion through shared characteristics. Brave tales of heroes represent the best qualities of man-kind: courage, wisdom, and devotion. Mythology allows people to feel a sense of belonging while also describing the creation, origin of gods and goddesses, and the heroic deeds of mankind.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that greek and norse mythology concluded their philosophy of how the earth came into existence. the creation of gods allows people to identify with their religion through shared characteristics.
- Explains that stories surrounding the creation of the universe vary between religions. some cultures believe it began from the desecration of a mythical creature, while others existed prior to their deities' birth.
- Explains that greek mythology states that the universe created the gods. chaos, erebus, eros, gaea, nyx, tartarus, uranus and cyclopes were created.
- Explains that the twelve gods reside on mount olympus, the highest mountain in greece. they live in a bubble of carefree and self-indulgent attitudes.
- Explains norse mythology's belief that the universe exists because of the gods.
- Explains that in polytheism, deities stand in the center of each religion, similar to the way a person would turn to drugs or alcohol to escape the harshness of reality.
- Explains that greek gods live luxuriously on mount olympus and control every aspect of human life. fear of losing a fight doesn't discourage them, but with great power comes great drawbacks.
- Explains that greek gods entertain little physical connections with mankind, thus weakening the bond with its followers. zeus, the god of the sky, sparsely traveled down the mountain.
- Analyzes how asgard lacks qualities people associate with heaven. darkness covers the vast land; fear consumes its residents. joy and peace had no place in the norse heaven
- Analyzes how greek mythology romanticizes the idea that good will never be defeated, while norse entails few of those qualities. death and destruction follow heroes and gods into every battle.
- Analyzes how norse mythology portrays life full of despair, desolation, and sacrifice. heroism shines a light through dark parts like headlights blinding through thick fog.
- Explains that germanic people idolize heroes, whereas norse heroes know they cannot escape their fate through heroic deeds. they believe the heroes die undefeated because they fail to let death falter their courage.
- Analyzes how greek mythology indulges in the adventures of heroes. greek heroes oppose the idea of using fear as a motivation to continue fighting. hercules, the son of zeus, portrays strength, courage, and lack of fear.
- Explains that greek and norse mythology lack shared qualities, but provide an outlet for worshippers to express themselves.
- Explains mythology's ability to explain natural phenomena, such as the creation of the universe, the desecration of a mythical creature, and heroes.
1391 wordsRead More - Major Greek Gods and Goddessesexplanatory essay"Hades (Pluto), God of the Underworld/ Hades and Persephone." Greek-Gods.Info- Greek Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece. Web. 06 Mar. 2011
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the greek gods resembled human beings in their form and emotions, and suffered from the same dilemmas humans throughout time have faced. the olympian gods live atop mt.
- Explains that zeus is the leader of all the olympian gods, born by rhea and cronus.
- Describes zeus as the supreme god and ruler of olympus. he was the sixth child born to cronus and rhea behind poseidon, hades, hestia, dementer, and hera.
- Explains that poseidon is the ancient greek god who resembles the power of the untamed, the brutal, and the wild.
- Explains that hera, the wife of zeus, is a representation of the female gender.
- Explains that hades is the god of the dead and ruler of underworld. he is jealous of his brothers zeus and poseidon because they became lords of better places.
- Explains that all the greek gods had human weaknesses, including zeus, poseidon, and hera.
- Cites "mt. olympus." sacred sites: places of peace and power. thanasi's greek restaurant.
- Describes zeus the greek god's history, mythology, art, war, culture, society, and architecture.
- Explains ashworth, leon. gods and goddesses of ancient greece. north mankato, mn.
- Explains that ibid gibson, michael, and giovanni caselli, gods, men & monsters from the greek myths.
- Describes the greek gods and goddesses of ancient greece. ashworth, leon, gibson, michael, and giovanni caselli.
1150 wordsRead More