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. The tales of these gods were woven into an immense variety of fables. The fables of the Greek gods were handed down through word of mouth, from one generation to another, long before written logs were used (History). The fables that were passed down show that the Greeks used the tales to give answers to the questions, such as where do we come from? How did we get here? Why are we here? Questions like these are human nature and the basis of all religions. Mohandas Gandhi once said “It is the permanent element in human nature which counts no cost too great in order to find full expression and which leaves the soul utterly restless until it has found itself, known its Maker and appreciated the true correspondence between the Maker and itself” (Bharathi 43). By this Gandhi means that humans as a race have a perpetual need to understand the world around them and justify their place within it, and for the Greeks this was done with mythology. The earliest literary embodiment of the Greek myths is in the poems of Homer. Here the tales appear in their simplest and most naïve form. The Gods are be... ... middle of paper ... ...ell. Approaches to Greek Myth. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990. Graves, Robert. The Greek Myths: 2. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1955. GreekMythology.com. 2000. 8 November 2013. Green, Roger Lancelyn. Tales of Greek Heroes. Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, 1958. Guerber, H. A. The Myths of Greece and Rome. London: George G. Harrap &Co. Ltd, 1907. History. http://www.history.com/topics/greek-mythology. 19 November 2013. Homer. FamousAuthors.org. 13 November 2012. Kelsey, Francis W. An Outline of Greek and Roman Mythology. Boston: Allyn And Bacon, 1889. Lloyd-Jones, Hugh. The Justice Of Zeus. Berkeley : University of California, 1971. Nilsson, Martin P. A History of Greek Religion. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1964. Roman, Luke and Monica Roman. Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology. New York: Hermitage Publishing Services, 2010.
Harris, Stephen L., and Gloria Platzner. Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. 2nd ed. Mountain View: Mayfield, 1995
Morford, Mark P.O., Robert J. Lenardon and Michael Sham. Classical Mythology 9th Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.
Burckhardt, Jacob, The Greeks and Greek Civilization, St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10010, 1998.
Guerber, H. A. Myths of Greece and Rome. New York: American Book Company. 1921. Print.
Grant, M. (1962). Myths of the Greeks and Romans (1st ed.). Cleveland: World Pub. Co.
Guerber, H. A. & Stuart, D. M. (1938). The Myths of Greece and Rome. (Rev. Ed.).
"Achilles." Gods, Heroes and Myth: Mythologies of Many lands. 10 June 2003. Internet. 23 June 2003.
"Gods and Men in Greek Religion." Gods and Men in Greek Religion. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr.
Morford, Mark P.O., and Robert J. Lenardon. Classical Mythology. '7th ed'. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
3)Dionysius, Earnest Cary, and Edward Spelman. The Roman Antiquities. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard UP, 1937. Print.
Grant, Michael, and John Hazel. "Athena." Gods and Mortals in Classical Mythology. Springfield, MA: G. & C. Merriam, 1973. Print.
Kravitz, David. Who's Who in Greek and Roman Mythology. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1975.
The Classical mythology contains tales and epics of the ancient Greek and roman literatures and myths. On the other hand, Homer’s two epic poems, the Iliad relates to the events of the Trojan War while the Odyssey details Odysseus expedition after the war. Homer’s epic poems, the Odyssey and the Iliad present a major part of ancient history as modern fictional heroic stories. In ancient Greek, heroes were humans who were depicted to possess superhuman abilities. A key example in the classical mythology is Akhilles who is later known in Homer’s Iliad as Achilles. Achilles is he greatest hero of the Iliad whereas Odysseus is the greatest hero of the Odyssey. The greatest heroes from classic mythology and the modern fictional hero’s stories are mortal, and subject to death. The Odyssey and the Iliad marks the beginning of modern fictional literature.
What is mythology? Mythology can be defined in different ways. To some, it can be understood as the entire body of a nation or society’s beliefs of their gods, god, or a scientific examination and explanation of such beliefs. This definition of mythology closely resembles the definition for religion, which is known as a system of religious beliefs and practices. Mythology does differ from
6. GREEN, Peter, A Concise History Of Ancient Greece To The Close Of The Classical Era, Thames & Hudson, London, 1991