Greek mythology is a compilation of the Ancient Greek stories that are based on their culture and practices. It's also about their gods and heroes, as well as their origins. Each of the Greek myths has a moral message through the stories that are written. It teaches us the good deeds and wrongdoing of the gods and goddesses, and how we, as a human being, should act. Thus, Greek mythology should be taught to high school students. There is something uniquely different about each of the Greek myth, each have their own message that it wants to deliver. Take the example of the Greek myth Athena and Arachne. This is the story of a young maiden that went against the goddess Athena because she thought that she was the best in the art of weaving. In the story, Athena herself was jealous of the maiden who was named Arachne because of her incredible skill. Because of her jealousy, she turns Arachne into a spider. From this story it is shown to us the poor quality of the goddess because god and goddesses should not be jealous especially of a mortal. Therefore the moral is that do not challenge someone who is better than you and also too many pride will lead to your downfall. Greek mythology has also been the origins of many objects and events of the world. An example is the Olympic games. The name Olympic was taken from Mount Olympus, believed to be the dwelling place of all the Greek gods and goddess. Another example would be Valentine?s Day. This special event is held on the fourteenth of February, Cupid is the Icon for this particular event. The Greek god of love and the son of Aphrodite symbolizes Valentine?s Day, this is because of the Greek myth where cupid fell deeply in love with a mortal. Another reason of why Greek mythology should be taught to high school students is that in high education Greek myth will be involved in the curriculum. Top university around the world involved Greek studies in their curriculum for example in Harvard, Oxford, Yale and other University. Students in high school also have the right to study Greek myth. No one has the right to restrict them from that right. The entire example I have given relates to my thesis statement that Greek mythology should be taught to high school student.
Long ago, stories of gods, goddesses, heroes, and monsters in ancient Greece were essential to everyday life. Mythology is a culture’s collective rationalization of events, history, and super natural power. Myths are told to have originated in ancient Greece during but the concepts true source is unknown. Influences mythology has on Greeks and Romans include religion, history, art, and entertainment.
Throughout its history, strong values have stood at the core of Greek culture. Ancient Greeks placed a focus on a balance of mind and body. Citizens were expected to adhere to three main Greek virtues; these being respect for the body, respect for the gods, and hospitality. At times, these virtues were not upheld, usually resulting in what they believed to be punishment from the gods. Examples of this can be seen in the epic, The Odyssey, authored by Homer. Throughout the poem, a repeated disregard for the ancient Greek values teaches readers a fundamental principle of life--consequences follow poor decisions.
The Epic of Gilgamesh and Homers Odyssey both feature strong characters with disastrous flaws meant to teach life lessons to the Mesopotamia and Greeks respectively. The Epic of Gilgamesh is told over eleven tablets and teaches lessons that include love is a motivational force, the importance of respecting the Gods, the power of friendship, and the inevitability of death. The Odyssey, an epic tale by Homer featured Odysseus and reinforced the lessons of the brain over brawn, self-control, pride, and perseverance to the Greeks.
Now that it is clear what each author held in highest regard it is possible to view the ancient world with more understanding. Homer shows that the ancient Greeks valued honor and skill in everything that a person did. The better a person did something the more excellence they would have. Sadly he also showed that the ancient Greeks were elitist. The great men were important and gained their rank through excellence, while lower men went unnoticed and treated poorly. Both authors show the importance of the gods to the ancient Greeks in everyday life. The gods were not thought of as silent far off beings; instead they were next to you and could have good and bad reactions to deeds of men. Sophocles showed the importance of family and duty. He also shared the belief that something can be more important than devotion to a nation or the laws of man.
When we look at Greek Mythology we often run into the gods of that era. Sometimes they are merely backdrops to the human element of the story but in stories such as The Odyssey the gods play a prominent if not vital role to the central themes of the story.
Greek mythology is sewn together with many godlike deities, one of the strongest being Zeus. “Through a vast set of myths and legends (the clearest illustration is Hesiod 's Theogony) the gods and goddesses were carefully related
Achilles’ heel, Pandora’s box and the helm of Hades; these are just some of the terms that people often hear in their daily intercourse and interactions which are used to describe a certain thing or situation. For example, most people use the term Achilles’ heel to refer to someone’s weakness. On the other hand, Pandora’s Box refers to a possibility of danger through which was the result of one’s action or choice. These terms were derived from the Greek mythology, a collection of stories which originated in ancient Greece. Moreover, “a myth is classically defined as a story that has significance to a culture (or species), a story that addresses fundamental and difficult questions that human beings ask” (Abraham, 2009). Like the modern day scientific method, creation begins with a simple observation and questions. And from questions, the Greek mythology was born. It all began from man’s curiosity about his entire being, his purpose, identity, nature and other empirical things that he had observed. Through the Greek’s creative minds, they created divinities which would be held responsible for the occurrence of different phenomenon (such as earthquake, night and day, shift of season and etc.) Though, no historian can pinpoint or estimate the exact era when Greek mythology was created. Ancient Greeks are not only the bearer of these stories; they were also the bearer of a school of thought called the Classical Heritage. This discipline has a firm focus on the quality of knowledge which highlights the accurate and factual depiction and description of thoughts. The ancient Greeks used these stories as a reason and implicitly, they just use these stories and metaphors such as nymphs and naiads to personify the frightening creatures on th...
Greek myths Io, Arachne, and Daedalus and Icarus. Although these stories are unrelated, they have similar aspects. They all use the transformations between people and animals and have a common theme of jealousy. A psychoanalysis of these myths shows deeper connections behind the stories.
Mythology is the study of a compiled group of stories that describe the culture’s practices and past experiences. Mythology is a valuable aspect of every culture. It communicates the culture’s truthful everyday experiences or fabricated details of past events, roles, and traditions such as family, sexuality, art, religion, philosophy, laws and marriage. A culture’s collective group of stories help communicate loyalty, ethical and rational teachings, and social models. Ancient Greece and Egypt are two cultures that we’ve studied in this course so far that I will discuss the Creation Myth associated with each culture.
A mythology is an important feature of many cultures. A myth is a sacred narrative that explains how the world and humankind assumed their present form. In a broad sense, it can refer to any traditional story. A myth’s function is to provide a model for behavior and to provide a religious experience. By reenacting myths societies bring themselves closer to the divine.
“Without a knowledge of mythology much of the elegant literature of our own language cannot be understood and appreciated,” Thomas Bulfinch once proclaimed. Greek Mythology is often misunderstood as the main religion of Greece, but in all actuality Greek Mythology is simply a genre. A genre with the same equivalence to any other genre but this genre did something that no other could’ve accomplished. This genre has inspired religions, poets and artist all over the world and continues to influence somebody’s life every day. So why was Greek Mythology created, what is Greek Mythology, how does it compare to other mythologies, how does it exemplify the human race, and why has it affected so many people?
The tales of Greek heroes and the gods are older than all of us. Most of these tales are thought to be myths, but every interpretation of Greek mythology and the stories that it contains correlates with something in the real world today. The story of the creation of the world, and the stories of the heroes Hercules, Perseus and Theseus, are only but a few of the compelling stories Greek mythology has to offer.
Mythology is an essential part of all cultures. Through myth, ancient cultures attempted to explain the world and make sense of their daily lives. Myth helps us to live in the minds and time period of people who lived many centuries ago with no technology, no running water, and a basic education. Greek myth is possibly the most commonly recognized myth simply because it is likely the most developed and best recorded. Modern Greek myth originated around 1000 B.C. in the writings of the famous Greek poet Homer in the Odyssey and the Illiad. Although early Greek myths are often vague and contain many primitive elements regarding their understanding of death, sacrifice, and fate, later myths show Greek culture developed and changed over time.
In conclusion, myths reflect show us the Greeks view on the world, religion, and nature. Their understanding of the world is both similar and different compared to modern society. Myths also reflect the importance of gods in the Greek society and how each god represented something different. In addition, we can see the role of monsters in myths, what they represent and how were they important. Myths also show us the role of women in society and whether they were as important as men or not.
ii. Music also played a role in Roman curriculum, although it was not as highly esteemed as in the Greek schools.