Greek Mythology: Greek Creatures

Greek Mythology has been known to be one of the footprints left by the civilization of ancient Greece to our history and these mythology somehow shed a light to the culture, life style, religion and history of ancient Greece since the mythology were the primary basis of the origin of the ancient Greeks and they believed that these mythologies explained the origin of why things turned out to be like that.

In “Greek Mythology in Popular Culture” wikipedia.org describes the everyday items we use or see on T.V were inspired by Greek mythology. From movies to space technology, these things were named from the Greek myths. Like the T.V show/movie Hercules that was made in 1997 makes it clear that we got the idea off of Greek mythology. And also in marketing. Many corporations have used Greek mythology in their wine logos to represent the god of wine, Dionysus.

One of the most interesting qualities of Greek mythology is probably the depiction of monsters in the myths. However, these monsters are not all unique. In fact, they all fall into very distinct categories, making them almost the same. Most monsters in Greek mythology look and act in the same ways. Several monsters from these myths look the same in that they have very similar qualities such as being large, snake or human like. However, they are also very alike in that they behave in very similar ways, from guarding something or roaming freely and causing chaos. Generally, the monsters in Greek mythology follow this outline and are depicted in a way to show these qualities.

When people wonder about Ancient Greece the first thing that comes to their minds is Greek mythology; gods and goddesses that have helped shape many historical events. “In ancient Greece, stories about gods and goddesses and heroes and monsters were an important part of everyday life.” (“Greek Mythology.”) The civilization showed that numerous characters and stories helped shape Greeks. The beliefs the Greeks had with mythologies was they understood the meaning behind all the characters that are known today. However, to the Greeks, they were not just characters, these were their gods and goddesses who gave them meaning and understanding of the world around them. Worshiping the gods and goddesses helped them with their religious rituals and the temperament of the weather. A famous wine-jar that was made during this time period was “Achilles killing the Amazon Queen Penthesilea, 540-530 BCE, black-figured amphora”. (Khan Academy) The civilization that they lived in grew around their worship and achievements.

And Greek mythology is embodied in a large collection of narratives, and implicitly in Greek representational arts, such as vase-paintings and votive gifts. Greek myth attempts to explain the origins of the

The Centaurs were even guest at the wedding of Pirithous and Hippodamia. The Centaurs became intoxicated and started a brawl and were slain by Lapithae. Though this is the shortcomings of some the Centaurs not all were this way, in fact one Centaur by the name of Chiron was instructed by Diana and Apollo in medicine, hunting, prophecy and even music. While the Centaur may have had the body of a monster and was abnormally formed they were held in high regard. The Centaurs were not only held in high regard by the Greek people but also the gods. Being instructed by the gods and working hand in hand with them. At the same time the Centaurs were known for being violent savages and for commonly trying to take heroes wives. This wide range of characteristics makes it hard to classify all the Centaurs in one group.

In my research I have learned an addition of facts and stories about Greek mythology. Like how “the Pegasus and Chrysor came from the blood of Medusa’s head after Perseus cut it off” (Greek Mythology). Or how the “Amazonian group of warriors was all females” (Greek Mythology). The more that I have research about my topic the more fascinating and interesting it becomes. I hope that everyone will further their research and knowledge on this topic whether it’s reading a book, researching on the Internet, or even just watching a movie.

In Greco-Roman Culture, humans imagine the deities of mythology to be and act certain ways, due to the needs they must fill. People invented certain deities for reasons that align with what they needed from them. To examine how a deity has a certain purpose, one must first examine what they are like. Athena and Ares are examples of deities invented for very specific purposes. One must first look at Athena and Ares’ similarities and differences in relation to their characteristics, their sexuality and physical appearances, as well as their different powers and how they are worshipped, to discover why they were created.

The Sirens in the Odyssey represent more than just a maritime danger to the passing ship. They are the desires of man that he cannot have. The Sirens can also be construed as forbidden knowledge or some other taboo object. Whatever these singing women actually are, the sailors are wise to avoid them. As usual, the wily Odysseus cheats at the rules of the game by listening to their song under the restraints constructed by his crew.

Centaurs are mythical creatures born with the torso, head and arms of a man and the rest of the body of a horse. Most centaurs are known for always being drunk and violent. They usually would drink too much wine which would cause them to start conflicts with others, hurting people mostly women. But not all the centaurs were bad, Chiron was one of the wise and more civilized centaurs. He was known for his ability to treat people with his experience with medicine, he also taught others how to hunt for food using bow & arrows.

Sirens have been known as hazardous creatures that lure sailors into a death caused by a shipwreck, according to the website, Greek Mythology. She is Lorelei the Siren, and her life’s story is unfortunate. Her name means “ River of Doom”, her beauty and golden hair will get any sailors attention. More importantly is Lorelei’s life as a Siren. She hides during the day, under a bolder and comes out at night, sitting upon the rock combing her golden hair and singing her captivating song. Lorelei lures in sailors to a death that was not even expected.

1. What key roles do animals play in legends and mythology? Choose one to describe in detail. Some key roles that animals play in mythology was, when they were acting either as the tricksters, helpers,protectors, and even guardians to us humans. When an animal acts as a guardian, it either will take a shape of a big strong creature and protects what it feels needs to be guarded.

Imagine a superhero, such as Spiderman. Everyday, Spiderman has a different foe he fights against. In Greek mythology, this process works the same way. The gods and goddesses of Greek mythology had many foes, usually being monsters. The monsters in Greek mythology were known to destroy people, damage different cities, or cause all kinds of havoc. The Gorgons, Lamia, and Hydra, are few of many monsters that were menaces to society.

Greek mythology had many interesting stories. Greek mythology was created by Greeks to explain events that happen in the world. In Greek mythology there are many mythical creatures and stories about them. But Greek mythology is mostly about their gods. In Greek mythology gods are powerful beings that control everything.

Which is exactly what the sirens do, they know what these sailors want to hear, so they use that as their lure. In Argonautica, the Argonauts are saved by Orpheus who plays a more beautiful and serenading tune than the Sirens do. We see a slight shift in the appearance and the effect of the sirens in Sinbad. In this work, Sirens are shown to be apart of the water, still with a beautiful song, these creatures have tempting yellow eyes that only seem to affect males. It seems in every story, these Sirens only lure in men. Is it because only men were sailors at the time of the writing of these stories, or is it because men are more prone to falling in the grasp of sin and