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A Bird’s Eye View of the Greek Life Greek mythology
involves tales of the Greek gods and goddesses, heroes and
heroines. The word mythology is of Greek origin. The Mythology
originated from the ancient Greek poets, priests and
aristocrats. The myths of Greece are derived from ancient Greek
religion.
Ancient Greek mythology can be traced back to three main
sources: Homer, Hesiod and The Homeric Hymns from around 800
B.C. There are many variations of the myths, as they have been
changed over time, and added to and subtracted from depending on
the writers. They give some information on the Greek way of life
and its relation to cult practices. The Greek Myths are our
window into the distant Greek past; they give us a view of a
world that existed, an inkling of not only the lives and minds
of the ruling class but of the humble and long suffering natives
of ancient Greece.
Greek Mythology and Gods
About 1200 B.C., the residents of Greece and Asia Minor shared a
common belief in a group of deities or gods and goddesses known
as the Olympians. The Olympians descended from the primal,
self-created gods, beginning with Kaos (or Chaos). The Olympians
are Immortals. Greek mythology lists many legends about the
birth of the Olympians, whom neither age or become sick or
injured. They are invincible and have unique personality traits
and appearances. Though ruled by Zeus, each Olympian god/goddess
has his/her own distinct family tree and area of expertise.
Ancient mythology mentions twelve Olympian gods and goddesses.
The Epics mention that these deities had taught the Greeks a
number of useful skills, methods of worshipping the gods and
some miracles. They rewarded virtue and punished vice, and
fathered/mothered children by mortals/humans. These half-human,
half divine children are known as ‘the heroes’. The Olympians
had a large following because they encouraged the pursuit of
knowledge and creative activities.
Greek Mythology Heroes
On account of their divine origin, the heroes or heroines of
Greek mythology are believed to have ruled over the mortals for
a comparatively long period. Some of the heroes mentioned in
greek mythology would be Hercules, Perseus and Prometheus.
Also known for their heroic deeds are the Argonauts. The Greek
mythologies are interspersed with stories of royal crimes as
well– they tell tales of heroes who committed heinous crimes
under the strong spell of fate or destiny. The end of the Heroic
Age is marked by the Trojan Wars.
Information on Greek mythology
The primary source of information being the poetry of the
Archaic and Classical eras, like the Homeric Odyssey, Iliad and
Hymns. The dramatic works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and
Aristophanes, the Hesiodic Theogony and the choral hymns of
Pindar and Bacchylides also enrich the sources of Greek
mythological information. These literary works were composed
primarily for performance at cultic festivals or aristocratic
banquets. Apart from the literary works, the works of
historians, like Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus, and
geographers, like Pausanias and Strabo each made significant
contributions to the mythology of Greece.
The work of mythographers, the poetry of the Hellenistic and
Roman ages, the Hellenistic poets Apollonius of Rhodes and
Callimachus also contain important informations on Greek
mythology. Even the Roman poets Hyginus, Ovid, Statius, Valerius
Flaccus and Virgil. The Late Antique Greek poets Nonnus and
Quintus Smyrnaeus. Plus the novelists like Apuleius, Petronius,
Lollianus and Heliodorus are known to have added to the vast
store of Greek mythological information.
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