The Greeks were a part of the first
Western civilization in about 2000 BC. Greek mythology is said to have
developed completely by 700 BC. It depicted Gods in human
form and they were likely to have feelings
like humans too. In contrast to other religions which
were dictated by prophecies and special revelations, Greek mythology is more
about the lives of Gods and heroes. It does not involve a
sacred book with a code to help the Greeks lead their
lives in a certain way. According to the myth, the
Gods chose their Mount Olympus which is a region in Greece
called Thessaly for their abode. Here, they created a
society and ranked themselves according to
authority and power. They were free to roam where they wanted. While Olympus was home to
many Greek Gods, there were 12 chief Gods who were
referred to as the Olympians. Their names were Zeus, Hera,
Apollo, Hephaestus, Athena, Artemis, Ares, Hermes, Demeter,
Aphrodite, Hestia, and Poseidon. The Greeks believed that the
Gods controlled every aspect of nature and were responsible
for their well-being. While the humans and Gods shared
an amiable relationship, the Gods were known for punishing people who
displayed unacceptable behavior. The reason why Greek myths are
so popular is because they were once very intricately woven
into the lives of the people. The people learnt about their Gods
and heroes through word of mouth at home and through poets who
narrated stories during festivals. The three classic collection
of myths are Theogony by Hesiod and Iliad
and Odyssey by Homer. The stories and poems
helped in passing down the mythology from one
generation to another. However, there are other
archaeological resources which have also helped in
developing Greek mythology. The literary and archaeological
sources together prove that many of the stories and legends may
be rooted in factual events. Starting from the creation
of the world to the war of Gods and the
eventual establishment of the pantheon of Gods, Greek mythology
includes vivid descriptions of the Gods, their works, their
relationship with humans, the heroes and the
historic events. THE CREATION According to Greek mythology, in the
beginning, there was only chaos. Erebus and Night emanated from this void
and everything was empty, dark and silent. When Love was born, it brought
order into this endless chaos. Light and Gaea (Earth) originated from
Love while Ether, the heavenly light and Day, the earthly light were born
from the union of Erebus and Night. All by herself, Night created the things
that create fear and haunt mankind. They were Doom, Fate, Death,
Sleep, Dreams and Nemesis. And Gaea on her own created
Uranus, which is the sky. Uranus embraced Gaea from all
sides and became her husband. They then gave birth to three Cyclopes,
three Hecatoncheires and twelve Titans. Sadly, Uranus was a cruel father. He imprisoned the
Hecatoncheires to the darkest corner of Earth which
was Gaea’s womb. Infuriated by this act, Gaea
plotted against her husband and decided to punish him for this act
with the help of her children. She created a flint sickle and asked
her children to attack their father. All of them were too timid
and did not want to enrage their father – all except
the youngest Titan, Cronus. With the help of Cronus, Gaea set
up an ambush and they were able to castrate Uranus with the sickle and
Cronus threw the genitals in the ocean. The myths do not throw any light on Uranus’
fate after the castration but it is said that he promised that Cronus and the
Titans will be punished for their deed. Uranus’ blood that was spilled
on Earth during the attack gave birth to the Giants, the Ash
Tree Nymphs, and the Erinnyes. Aphrodite was born from the
sea foam that was produced when Uranus’ genitals
were casted into the sea. After imprisoning the
Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires in Tartarus, Cronus
ruled for many ages. He married his sister
Rhea but he was afraid that his parents’
prophesy may come true. Both Uranus and Gaea had
prophesied that Cronus’ eventual doom is written in the
hands of one of his sons. In an attempt to overcome
this prophecy, Cronus swallowed all his children
when they were born. Saddened and exasperated by
the fate of her children, Rhes plotted against
Cronus and when it was time for her sixth child to
be born, she hid herself and gave the child to the
nymphs to be raised. She then wrapped a stone in swaddling cloth
and gave it to Cronus who swallowed it. Raised by the nymphs, this
child was named Zeus. He grew up into a handsome and brave
youth at the island of Crete. He plotted to kill his father and avenge his
siblings and for this he consulted Metis who prepared a drink which would make him
vomit the children he had swallowed. Cronus accepted his son Zeus as
a cup-bearer when Rhea told him that he was alive and convinced
him to bring their son back. Zeus took advantage of this opportunity to
serve Cronus the potion prepared by Metis. The five children came out of their
father unharmed because they were Gods. They were appreciative
of their younger’s brother’s courage and chose
him as their leader. Angered by Zeus’ actions,
Cronus – who was yet to be defeated – sought the help of
the Titans to rule once again. All the Titans except
Prometheus, Epimetheus and Oceanus fought
along with Cronus. This battle between the Titans and the
Olympians is known as Titanomachy. Atlas led the Titans against Zeus and the
young Gods and they seemed to be in a position to overpower the Olympians, but Zeus’
wit helped the Olympians win the battle. He went to Tartarus and rescued the
imprisoned Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires. Prometheus – one of the Titans –
joined the battle taking Zeus’ side. With stronger allies, Zeus
was victorious and he exiled the all the Titans
except Atlas to Tartarus. Atlas’ punishment was that he had to
hold the universe on his shoulders. Gaea was not happy to hear about the
imprisonment of her children, and so she gave birth to Typhon who is considered to be
the deadliest monster in Greek mythology. Zeus was the only God brave
enough to face Typhon. He used his lightning bolts
and killed the monster that is known to be buried
under Mount Etna in Sicily. Since Prometheus and Epimetheus
had not joined the opposing forces during the Titanomachy,
Zeus did not imprison them. Instead, the two Titans were
given the task of creating man. Prometheus shaped man in the
form of the Gods out of mud and Athena breathed
life into the mud figure. Epimetheus gave the creatures
various qualities like looks, cunningness, strength,
nimbleness, wings and fur. In wanting to give the creatures all
the great qualities, he realized that he did not have anything
left by the time he came to man, so Prometheus decided to give man fire
which was till then limited to the Gods. Prometheus’ love for mankind
was far more than that for the Olympians who had
banished most of his family. Zeus took away fire from
man but Prometheus brought it back for them by lighting
a torch from the sun. Enraged by Prometheus’ affection for
mankind, Zeus decided to punish them. To do so he created a
beautiful mortal and the Olympians gave her
many gifts of wealth. But to punish man, Hermes gave the mortal
a deceptive heart and a lying tongue. She was the first woman
and her name was Pandora. The Gods gave her one last gift which was a
box, but she was forbidden from opening it. Zeus sent her to Epimetheus who
had chosen to live among men. Prometheus had cautioned is brother
to not accept any gifts from Zeus, but Pandora’s mesmerizing beauty
charmed Epimetheus who let her stay. Pandora’s curiosity got the better
of her and one day she finally opened the forbidden box and ended
up releasing all evils upon Earth. By the time she closed the lid, the only
thing that was left in the box was hope. Having had his revenge on mankind, Zeus
also wanted to punish Prometheus and so he had him chained to a rock on Caucasus
Mountains with unbreakable chains. There, a giant eagle tore at his
liver every day for thirty years. Zeus told Prometheus that he would
be released from the torment if he told Zeus who was the mother of
the child who would overthrow him or if an immortal died
in Prometheus’ stead and a mortal killed the eagle
and unchained him. Prometheus was released when Chiron
the centaur gave up his life for Prometheus and Heracles
killed the eagle to unchain him. This is how Gods and men were created
according to Greek mythology. The Gods were very much
like human when it came to physical structure,
looks and emotions. Each of the Gods expressed
feelings like anger, jealousy, love, joy
just like the humans. They had their own limitations
and their own weaknesses. They were not portrayed
as ideal figures, their flaws were described as
vividly as their strengths. They represented each side
of human nature and their perception of justice was
from their own point of view. Every God had their own realm, and many
of them had children with mortals too. These children often reflected
additional powers like Heracles. Zeus was the ruler of the Gods and he was
omnipotent and he ruled all the realms. THE ERA OF GODS AND MORTALS Then the Gods lived on
their own, the myths were mainly about the fight
for being the ruler. The stories revolved around the
creation and birth of Gods and their role in the wars that
took place during this period. But when humans were created, Greek mythology
began to include stories about how the Gods roamed freely among the people and
the interactions of the Gods and humans. Ovid’s Metamorphoses has
many of these stories about how the two worlds
mingled with each other. These mythical stories
were primarily divided into two themes –
love and punishment. Myths themed on love had stories about
Gods falling in love with a mortal woman or seducing or raping a mortal
woman which led to the birth of a hero. These stories generally pointed towards
the fact that relationships of this kind should not be formed since
they may not lead to a happy ending. While most of the Gods in such
stories were males, there are a few instances where Goddesses also harbored
feelings of love for a mortal man. Then there were the tales of punishment
where the Gods punished other Gods or mortalsfor deeds that were regarded as
inappropriate or for any form of misbehavior. Prometheus’ punishment for stealing
fire from the Gods was one such tale. The Gods strongly believed
in punishment and tales of punishment are abundantly
found in Greek mythology. The Gods lived in Mount Olympus but they
interacted with humans in different forms and ways through which judgment was
passed on the actions of the humans. While there were 12
chief Gods, there were many others who belonged
to a certain realm. Zeus was the leader of the Gods. He was considered to be the
spiritual father of Gods and humans with his might reaching
out to all the realms. He was the God of thunder
and sky and his symbols are the thunderbolt,
eagle, oak and the bull. He was known for his violence. He often terrorized men and was
very keen about punishments. According to a story in Greek
mythology, he got so enraged with human behavior and the way they
performed sacrifices on one another that he decided to take
the help of his brother Poseidon and wipe out the
entire human population. A flood ended human life
on Earth and only two humans were left to
repopulate the world. They were Deucalion and Pyrrha. Hera was Zeus’ wife and
the queen of heaven. Since she was partner to the
leader of Gods, Hera is often considered as the
guardian of marriage as well. Hera is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea
too which makes Zeus her brother as well. She is known to have harbored
feelings of jealousy against Zeus’ other consorts
and his children from them. It is said that even Zeus
was afraid of her tantrums. She often tormented the children
Zeus had from his mortal consorts. The most noted story about Hera’s jealousy
involves Heracles who was born to Alcmene. Hephaestus is the Greek God
of file and metalworkers. He created all the weapons for Gods and
served as a blacksmith for the Gods. Many manufacturing and industrial
centers in Greece worship Hephaestus. He had his own workshop
in Olympus where he had 20 bellows that worked
according to his commands. All weaponry and metalwork that is
known to have great powers and was used by the Gods was said to have
originated in Hephaestus’ workshop. His most popular creation was Pandora
– the first woman in Greek mythology. Athena is the Goddess of wisdom and war. She is said to have had a calm temperament
and was known to fight for just reasons. Zeus’ union with Metis – Goddess of crafty
thought and wisdom – gave birth to Athena. But her birth was not an ordinary one. Since it was prophesied that Zeus will be
overpowered by one of his own children, he realized that his union with Metis may
give birth to a child of great power. So he swallowed Metis but by that time,
she had already conceived Athena. He ended up with a bad headache
and legend has it that Athena sprung out of his head fully
grown and dressed in armor. She never took a consort and
is known for sexual modesty. Often called Athena Parthenos
which stands for Virgin Athena, she is the virgin patroness
of her namesake city, Athens. Apollo is the God of light and
he is often recognized as the God of music, truth, prophecy,
healing, poetry and plague. He is considered to be one
of those Greek Gods who has some very complex and intriguing
stories built around him. He is the son of Zeus and Leto and
he has a twin sister, Artemis. Mythology states that Artemis
was born before Apollo and is known to have even assisted
with her brother’s birth. It is said that his first
heroic act was of killing the chthonic dragon, Python, when
he was just four days old. He also plays a role in the
Trojan War where he shot arrows that were infected with plague
into the Greek encampment. He had male and female lovers and he is
known to have fathered many children. During the Renaissance, Apollo was chosen
as a common theme by many artists. Artemis is the Goddess of wildlife. She was Apollo’s elder twin, and most of
the artists depicted her as a huntress. She chose her hunting companion
Orion as her partner. Orion was eventually killed in an
accident by either Artemis or Gaea. Ancient Spartans used to
prepare a sacrifice for her before they started
any military campaign. Sometimes, she is also
portrayed as a moon Goddess. Paintings and sculptures
depicting Artemis usually show a very soothing and
serene look on her. Ares is the God of war. Son of Zeus and Hera, Ares
represents the violent aspect of war which includes
physical vehemence. While he is known for physical valor, there
is the part of Ares which is considered to be a dangerous force, because of his
insatiable need for war and violence. He is one of the Gods whose reputation
remained ambivalent among the Greeks. In the Trojan War, he was on the losing
side while his sister Athena who represents wisdom, was worshipped for military strategy
and was known to be on the winning side. Ares’ mention in Greek mythology
usually involves humiliation. Aphrodite is the Goddess of
love, beauty and sexuality. While Hesiod’s account of her birth in
Theogony claims that she was born from the foam that was formed when Cronus’
genitals were thrown into the sea, Homer’s Iliad sees Aphrodite
as Zeus and Dione’s daughter. Zeus married her to
Hephaestus who was deformed. She had many lovers, both Gods and mortals. In most of the paintings and
sculptures Aphrodite is depicted nude. Mythology has no account of
her childhood, and it is considered that she was born
as a very desirable adult. Her marriage does not
stop her from having a number of affairs with
other men and Gods. She often sought for the
company of Ares but she is known to have been
with others like Adonis. She plays an important role throughout the
Trojan War, and is also known to have caused the War by offering the
mortal, Paris, Helen of Troy is he judges her
as the fairest one. Hestia is the virgin Goddess of hearth. She is linked with architecture, home
and domesticity among the Greeks. Mythology established her as the
first daughter of Cronus and Rhea. While she was born first, Hestia was
the last one to be regurgitated by Cronus and so she is considered to be
the eldest and the youngest daughter. Hestia chose a life of
perpetual virginity after rejecting marriage proposals
from Apollo and Poseidon. Zeus assigned her the job of feeding and
maintaining the firs of Olympia’s hearth with the help of the fatty portions of animal
sacrifices that were made to the Gods. This is why she was always
honored when food was cooked or when any animal
offerings were made. Hermes is the messenger
of Gods and is usually associated with Science
and invention. He is the son of Zeus and Pleiad Maia. Most of the myths show him as a quick and
cunning God who often outwits other Gods. He also plays the role of an intercessor
between the mortals and the divine and he is known to be a
conductor of souls into afterlife. Mythical stories generally depict him
as one of the benefactors of humans. He supported the Greeks in the Trojan War. In the Odyssey, he helps
Odysseus by telling him about what would
happen to his companions. He helped his great-great-grandson,
protect himself against the powers of Circe
by chewing a magical herb. This ensured that he did not turn into
an animal like the rest of his friends. Poseidon is the God of the Sea. He was born to Cronus and Rhea and while
some stories say that he was saved by his brother Zeus who had his father
regurgitate his siblings including Poseidon, another mythological story
states that just like Zeus, Rhea was able to save Poseidon
by deception as well. She concealed Poseidon
among a flock of lambs and pretended that she
had given birth to colt. She presented the colt to
Cronus who devoured it. His consort, Amphitrite, is a nymph and is
also believed to be an ancient sea-goddess. Poseidon had many lovers of both sexes. He is fathered many children
from mortals and Goddesses. Some of his children also
grew up to become heroes. Most of the Greek artists depict
him as a bearded mid-aged God riding a chariot which is pulled
by horses who can ride on the sea. He, along with his
wife, led a society of smaller Gods like the
Nereids and the Tritons. Demeter is the Goddess of agriculture. She is associated with
the fertility of Earth. The most popular story related
to Demeter is about her virgin daughter, Persephone’s abduction
by Hades, the God of underworld. Demeter was so grief-struck by
the abduction that Earth began to lose its fertility and all
the fruits and flowers dried. Seasons did not change any longer
and all plants stopped growing. Concerned by the situation created
by the abduction, Zeus decided to send his messenger Hermes to
the underworld to bring him back. The story from here as different
versions, but all of them involve Persephone eating the seeds of Pomegranate
while she was in the underworld. This meant that she would have to spend a
few months every year in the underworld. This time of the year was marked by the
unfruitful season in the Greek calendar. Hades is the God of underworld. He rules the underworld which
is a place for the souls of the people who have died, along
with his wife Persephone. His abduction of Persephone is a
popular story in Greek mythology. Dionysus is the God of wine and pleasure. He was one of the most popular
Gods worshipped by the Greeks. There were a lot of festivals that
were dedicated to Dionysus, and in some regions he was even considered
to be as important as Zeus. Most of the artistic depictions
of Dionysus show him accompanied with other smaller Gods like
satyrs, centaurs and nymphs. These Gods played an important
role in Greek mythology. They interacted frequently with the
mortals and most of their stories are based on the way Gods and
humans communicated and mingled. With their powers and might, Gods were able
to help, save and bring relief to many humans but when they were enraged, they would
use their powers to punish them as well. Every God had their own cult and region
where they were praised and worshipped. THE HEROIC AGE The Heroic Age began with the
coming of the Greeks to Thessaly and it ended with the return
of the Greeks from Troy. During this period, a number
of heroes with supernatural powers lived and roamed
the regions of Greece. While there is no fixed list for
the heroes, there were some very interesting events that took place
during the time because of the heroes. The courageous acts of Heracles is
said to be the beginning of the Heroic Age during which period, three great
events took place in Greek mythology. These were the expedition of the Argonauts,
the Theban Cycle and the Trojan War. The early Greek heroes
were those who were not divine but they could trace
their roots to the Gods. These early heroes were later
descendants to other heroes as well. One of the earliest Greek heroes
was the Phoenician prince Cadmus. He was Poseidon’s grandson
and Agenor’s son. Cadmus founded Thebes. The Theban Cycle is a
collection of four lost epics which are in connection
with the city of Thebes. Perseus is another Greek hero
of early Greek mythology. He was the son of Zeus and the
most popular mythical story about his heroic adventures include the
one where he beheads Medusa. The stories also talk of his bravery when
he saved Andromeda from the sea monster. Perseus was the founder of Mycenae. Heracles was his great grandson. Heracles was the greatest of
the heroes in Greek mythology. He is also known as Hercules. He displayed extraordinary strength
and courage and when strength was not the answer, he knew how
to use his wit to succeed. He was considered to be a
benefactor of Earth because he had saved mortals from a number of
monsters and archaic forces. Heracles was portrayed as a
passionate and emotional mortal who loved to play
games when he had the time. He was a very loving person who
was loved a lot by children too. His heroic deeds include the twelve
labors and many other adventures. It is said that he was
accepted into the Olympian Pantheon during
the Classical times. The Argonauts were the heroes who
sailed along with Jason to bring the Golden Fleece which was considered to
be a symbol of authority and kingship. They sailed in a ship called the
Argo and thus the name Argonauts. The Golden Fleece was in the kingdom
of Colchis on the Black Sea. Once Jason returned with
the Golden Fleece he would be able to rule the kingdom
of Iolcos in Thessaly. The Argonauts faced many hurdles
in accomplishing their mission. The heroes sailed on bravely and were
finally able to obtain the Fleece. It is said that there may be some truth
in this myth because geological studies prove that the mountainous area of
Svanetiwas a place that was rich in gold, and the villagers used to
use sheepskin to capture placer gold from the
streams in the mountains. Then there was the Greek hero Oedipus
who kills his father and marries his mother with no knowledge of
the fact they was his parents. The plays on Oedipus were
written by Sophocles. The stories related to
Oedipus show how fate takes its turn and how Oedipus
handles the truth. The Heroic Age also includes the
heroes from the Theban Cycle. It includes Oedipus’
story and how he solves the Sphinx’ riddle
to get the throne. The popular story was Seven Against Thebes
in which Oedipus’ two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, fight against each other
and of Polynices’ unsuccessful attempt to capture the city of Thebes
with six other commanders. The Heroic Age came to an
end with the Trojan War. The War saw many heroes fight for
the Greeks and against them. A lot of heroes were lost
during the War as well. Achilles’ choice of
fighting in the war so that he can be remembered
forever even if he lives a short life instead of
choosing a long life of obscurity is a famous
story in Greek mythology. Mortality is what made
the heroes so popular. Unlike Gods, they could not live forever,
but they chose to live their lives to bring peace to mankind and to make sure
that the mortals lived a peaceful life. THE AGE OF PHILOSOPHY AND RATIONALISM In early periods, Greek mythology was
accepted in the daily lives of the people. This was during the Ancient times when myths
were a way to describe natural phenomena, cultural differences and
enmities and friendships that had been established
for generations. But gradually, these myths began
to lose their true essence when philosophy, history and
rationalism gained grounds. During the late 5th century,
many Greek historians and philosophers began to openly
criticize the mythical stories. Xenophanes was one of the
philosophers who began to publicly suggest that the
mythical stories were lies. He said that the Gods described by Hesiod
and Homer have many faults and they are generally attributed with characteristics
that would be otherwise shameful for mortals. Plato was another philosopher who referred
to the myths as old wives’ chatter. He also explained that the way in
which Gods are described doing wrong things like committing adultery,
stealing and deceiving is immoral. While these philosophers were not
able to completely wipe myths from amongst the Greeks, they
had an impact upon many people. The more orthodox Greeks did not
find this to be favourable and they tried to keep the mythical stories
alive in as many ways as possible. They told the stories in local
cults and they used the stories as the main subject for paintings,
poetries and sculptures. Euripedes was a tragedian
during the 5th century BC who also mocked the old
traditions and the myths. He often used his plays to create a note
of doubt in the various mythical stories. He criticized the way Gods had
been described in early Greek stories and legends and usually
objected to the myths. The Greek mythographer, Euhemerus,
during the Hellenistic period looked for historical evidence to prove that the
myths were based on true stories. Many other mythographers and
philosophers were a part of this period when people tried to make more
sense of the mythological stories. While religion was an important aspect among
Greeks, the philosophers were inclined towards proving that the myths set a bad
example for the people about their Gods. Superstitions were seen as a medium to
create fear among people, and philosophers believed that religion helps people come
closer to God and not to fear them. Lucretius was one of the people who
tried to increase understanding of the fact that superstitions
did not have a very firm basis. He tried to remove superstitions
from among the people. Livy chose not to pass judgment based
on the mythological traditions and he explained that these stories and legends
did not take root from actual occurrences. Gradually, the Romans began to use Greek
mythological stories as a basis for their own myths because the Romans did not
have a lot of mythology of their own. This is why many Roman Gods had
characteristics of Greek Gods and you will be able to find a similarity
in Roman and Greek mythology. Where the Greeks saw Zeus
as the leader of the Gods, the Roman counterpart
of Zeus was Jupiter. Many other Greek Gods have
similar Roman counterparts. When the Romans imbibed
the Greek mythology, they tried to keep the
religious essence of it. Antiquarian, Varro also explained
that religion was important for the people but it should not create fear
among them through superstitions. According to him, while the
superstitious will fear God, the religious will find
venerate them as parents. MODERN INTERPRETATIONS The modern understanding of Greek
mythology is very different. It is no longer rooted in
superstitions or fears. Today it is more of a study
of the myths and the use of mythological
characters in modern arts. The Christian interpretation of myth as a lie
makes all these mythological stories, no more than just a classic tale of Gods and
heroes with no evidence or truth in them. During the eighteenth century, German
scholars tried to revive Greek mythology and they established the foundations
for mythological research in Germany. Sigmund Freud explained that myths
were an expression of repressed ideas. Carl Jung added to the
Freudian myth interpretation with his theory of the
unconscious mind. Mythological Gods and
creatures are also studied to find resemblance in another
mythologies and stories. Many Greek Gods and Goddesses are similar
to those in other Indo-European cultures. While the mythological stories were reduced
to lies with the adoption of Christianity, these myths still had an impact
among the artists who picked themes related to the Greek myths for
their artistic representations. Popular artists like Leonardo da Vinci,
Michelangelo, and Raphael were known to pick Christian as well as Pagan subjects
for their paintings and sculptures. Renaissance poets like
Petrarch, Boccaccio and Dante were also influenced
by Greek mythology. Many Northern European
countries used Greek mythology as a source of inspiration
for literature. In these countries, Greek myths did not
have a huge impact on visual arts. Chaucer, John Milton, Shakespeare
and Robert Bridges are some of the authors whose works
showed influence of Greek myths. The myths spread across Europe
after the Enlightenment period. These myths were a great
source of inspiration for many artists,
authors and poets. Recent novelists like James Joyce and Andre
Gide are also inspired by Greek mythology. Greek myths are now seen as
important for the understanding of English and American
literature by many authors. Greek mythology tells
stories and legends about Gods and heroes right
from the beginning. Hesiod and Homer were two luminaries
of the period whose works we are able to use to know and
interpret Greek mythologies. They gave birth to a lot
of superstitions and they also helped the people
understand natural occurrences. Right from the creation when
there was nothing but chaos, to the time when the heroes
saved mankind from evil forces, the mythical stories include
interesting accounts of Gods and people and their
interaction with each other. The philosophers tried to interject a
note of doubt among the people, trying to question their unperturbed faith in Gods
that seemed to be too vile and fearful. The age of rationalism tried to
question the credulity of the myths and enforced a sense of
rationalism among the people. Needless to say, this had an
impact but the stories and legends continued to be passed on from
one generation to another. While people stopped trying
to trace their roots to the Gods and Olympians, they
did pass on these stories. Even till today, Greek
mythology is considered to be one of the most
interesting mythologies. It has numerous Gods
and heroes and all of them have a number of
stories related to them. These Gods and heroes are not only remembered
for their acts in the stories, but with modern paintings and sculptures that
interestingly capture the beauty of these myths. A lot of mythographers today look for
evidence or truth behind these myths. While some may be deemed as
completely insubstantial, there are many that may
have some truth in it. For example the story of the Argonauts has
an explanation which matches reality. There is a possibility that the Argonauts
may have existed, although their acts and stories may have been
quantified to portray them as heroes. Gods and mortals at one
time shared a friendly relationship according
to Greek mythology. The immortal Gods took
residence in Olympia which was on Earth and they roamed
freely among the people. They were seen to have traits that
were similar to humans as well and their faults were magnified
just as much as their good deeds. This proved that mortals were
the same as the Gods and many of them were even considered
to be more heroic than them.
