* People today have scientific explanations for events like thunder, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. * The ancient Greeks did not-they believed their gods caused these events to happen, and they created myths to explain the gods’ actions.
* The Greeks saw the work of the gods in events all around them. * For example, the Greeks lived in an area where volcanic eruptions were common. * To explain these eruptions, they told stories about the god Hephaestus, who lived underground. * The fire and lava that poured out of volcanoes, the Greeks said, came from the huge fires of this god’s forge. * At this forge he created weapons and armor for the other gods.
* The Greeks did not think the gods spent all their time creating disasters, though. * They also believed the gods caused daily events.
* For example, they believed the goddess of agriculture, Demeter, created the seasons. * According to Greek myth, Demeter had a daughter who was kidnapped by another god. * The desperate goddess begged the god to let her daughter go, and eventually agreed to let her return to her mother for 6 months. * During the winter, Demeter is separated from her daughter and misses her. In her grief, she doesn’t let plants grow. * When her daughter comes home, she is happy and summer comes.
* To keep the gods happy, the Greeks built great temples to them all around Greece. * In return, however, they expected the gods to give them help when they needed it. * For example, many Greeks in need of advice traveled to Delphi, a city in central Greece. Then they spoke to the Oracle, a female priest of Apollo to whom they thought the god gave answers.
The Essay on Greek Mythology Gods Greeks God
Greek Mythology, beliefs and ritual observances of the ancient Greeks, who became the first Western civilization about 2000 BC. It consists mainly of a body of diverse stories and legends about a variety of gods. Greek mythology had become fully developed by about the 700 s BC. Three classic collections of myths-Theogony by the poet Hesiod and the Iliad and the Odyssey by the poet Homer-appeared ...
* Not all Greek myths were about gods.
* Many told about the adventures of great heroes. Some of these people were real heroes, and others were not. * The Greeks loved to tell the story of heroes who had special abilities and faced terrible monsters. * The people of each city had their favorite hero, usually someone from there.
* The people of Athens, for example, told stories about the hero Theseus. * According to legend, he traveled to Crete and killed the Minotaur, a terrible monster half bull half man. * People from northern Greece told stories about Jason and how he sailed across the seas in search of a great treasure, fighting enemies the whole way.
* Perhaps the most famous of all Greek heroes was a man named Hercules. * The myths explain how Hercules fought many monsters and performed nearly impossible tasks. * For example, he fought and killed the hydra, a huge snake with 9 heads and poisonous fangs. * Every time Hercules cut off one of the monster’s heads, 2 more grew in place. * But Hercules finally figured to just cut off the whole neck. -_-
* Because the Greeks loved myths and stories, it is no surprise that they created great works of literature. * Early Greek writers produced epic poems, the Iliad, and the Odyssey by a poet named Homer. * Like most epics, both poems describe the deeds of great heroes. * The heroes in Homer’s poems fought in the Trojan War. * In this war, the Mycenaean Greeks fought the Trojans, the people of city called Troy.
* The Iliad tells the story of the last years of the Trojan War. * It focuses on the deeds of the Greeks, especially Achilles, the greatest of all Greek warriors. * It describes in great detail the battles between Troy and Greece.
* Homer’s poems were central to Greek education.
* People memorized long passages of the poems as lessons.
* Homer’s poems influenced later writers.
* They copied his writing style and used his ideas.
* Homer’s poems are considered the greatest literature.
* Other poets wrote poems that were often set to music.
* During a performance, a POET played a stringed instrument called a lyre while reading a poem. * These poets were called lyric poets after their instruments, the lyre. * Today, the words of these songs are called lyrics.
The Term Paper on Greek Mythology Hercules Eurystheus Great
The Story of Hercules With Greek Mythology a common subject in today s modern classrooms, understanding the characters and ideas behind it is important. Mythology is made up of many different concepts, including powerful gods, weak humans, great heroes, horrific monsters, and even a little magic. Each story in Greek Mythology can be tied to another, each having some of the common stated ...
* Most poets in Greece were men, but the most famous poet was a woman named Sappho, poet beautiful and emotional, poems about love and relationships with friend and family.
* Other Greeks told stories to teach people lessons.
* Aesop for example is famous for his fables.
* Fables are short stories that teach the readers lessons about life or how to live. * In most of Aesop’s fables, animals are main characters. * The animals talk and act like humans.
* Probably the most obvious way we see Greek influence is by language. * Many English words and expressions come from Greek mythology. * For example, we call a long journey and “odyssey” after Odysseus, the wandering hero of Homer’s poem. * Something big and powerful is called the Titanic, coming from Greek mythical titans.
* Places today are also named after Greek myth.
* Ex: Athens named after Athena, Atlas mtns named after giant from Greek mythology, Aegean sea come from Aegeus.
