Mistakes In Greek Mythology

The Ancient Greeks believed in many gods and heroes during their time. Each one had a sole purpose in a mortal’s lifetime. Greek mythology had a huge impact on religion in Ancient Greece. The Greeks performed rituals in order to honor their gods. Mythology affected the Ancient Greeks in many ways. The origins of mythology, the influences of mythology through a human’s lifetime and lessons taught in the ancient myths will be examined.

Nobody is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, but if people do not learn from those mistakes, the consequences are grave. Homer’s The Odyssey tells the story of the Greek hero Odysseus and his journey home after the Trojan War. Odysseus is hindered from getting home to Ithaca due to his interactions with Poseidon,

Greek mythology is one of the coolest things anyone could think of. The ideas of gods and goddesses coming down to earth to interact with the human race, is quite an amazing thing. In many cultures, gods are very important. The ancient greek culture is an example where mythology is very important to the people, the gods are everywhere in daily life. Yet with the made up mythology, they needed a place to begin with and the greeks are no exception, but the story of the gods beginning is very interesting.

Numerous mythologies we have read throughout this semester have had an underlying message. Those who are loyal to their beliefs, their spouses, and the gods are rewarded, but those who prove to be unfaithful are dealt with harshly. From the multitude of examples in mythology, I have chosen four to discuss: Cupid & Psyche, Odysseus & Penelope, Medea & Jason, and Antigone & Creon. Each of these characters and their stories exemplify either rewards or punishments for their actions from the gods and fates. First, we must discuss how to define loyalty in a way the Greek and Romans would agree with. Loyalty wasn’t just wives obeying husbands, or servants obeying masters, but also the people obeying the rules of the gods. Obedience is a key part of the ancient concept of loyalty, as you cannot be truly loyal to a person or to the gods without respecting their wishes and being obeying them.

The relationship between gods and mortals in mythology has long been a complicated topic. The gods can be generous and supportive, and also devastating and destructive to any group of humans. Mortals must respect the powers above them that cannot be controlled. The gods rule over destiny, nature, and justice, and need to be recognized and worshipped for the powerful beings as they are. Regardless of one's actions, intentions, and thoughts, the gods in Greek myth have ultimate power and the final decision of justice over nature, mortals, and even each other.

In conclusion the ancient greek myths and fables still inspire and teach lessons to people today by showing us some consequences the fables and myths had. Some bad consequences were like in “The Miser” and “The Hen and The Golden Eggs” when they lost their chance to have something good but did not because they did not make the right choice. Some good choices that happened is in Perseus because in that story he was thinking and used his resources wisely and in the end he had accomplished his mission. So to wrap it up the lesson is to appreciate and cherish things

In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is a noble hero even if he does make some mistakes. Like all humans, Odysseus makes mistakes constantly. There is not one person in the whole entire world that does not make any errors. However, even though people make blunders, many do not want to learn or grow on them. They let their slips stop them and they do not overcome them. Conversely, Odysseus perseveres through his struggles and does not have his mistakes stop him from achieving his goals. He learns and overcomes his missteps, which makes him successful. During his times of struggle, Odysseus becomes a noble hero by being brave, using his wisdom, and caring for his followers.

Quote #1 - “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” ̶ George Santayana

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk...;”(Zuckerberg, Mark). If you take a risk you may succeed or you may fail and become wiser by learning from mistakes. Odysseus goes on a journey and finds out that independence is key to success. Homer and Oliver use characterization to convey that we undertake journeys to find what we’ve lost; In doing so we learn that the risks we take give us experience and teach us how to become independent and to protect others in a selfless way.

In the Epic Poem The Odyssey the reader is taken through the epic journey of Odysseus and his men. The epic hero Odysseus explored the wild sea with the help of gods and goddesses. Although an epic hero with bravery and wisdom, Odysseus did show himself as a average man with common mistakes.

In The Odyssey it shows how a man is coming back in a twenty year trip back to his home Ithaca. As the story goes on Odysseus shows off the many traits when thrown into different situations. When shown they both represent the traits of an epic hero or a ordinary man who can make mistakes. The Odyssey shows a man who is an epic hero who is wise in his decisions and a man who make mistakes while on his trip back to Ithaca.

Zeus made to help Hades get his girl Prersephone (Demeter's daughter) Boy named Narcissus had been completley gorgeous and everyone wanted him but he had no want for them. One day he goes and looks at the rivver, sees his reflection and questions how anyone can campare to his own beauty ie. he was in love with himself. He then decided to die. The Nymphs could never find his body only a flower that they named after him.

"A myth is a collective term denoting a symbolic narrative in religion, as distinguished from symbolic behavior (cult, ritual) and symbolic places or objects (temples, icons)". (The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Vol. 24)Mythology is a collection of myths meant to explain the universe. Mythological stories were told in many different cultures and civilizations. The existence of myths is known in every society. Many different myths were conceived to explain occurrences that happened in nature.

“The truest characters of ignorance are pride and arrogance. This quote by Samuel Butler is truer than gold in the two greek myths Phaethon and Daedalus and Icarus. The protagonists of both stories boastful,arrogant and prideful natures lead them to their agonizing deaths and downfall. The two myths would be lifeless and stale without the use of of literary elements like conflict,imagery,and and characterization. Conflict shapes the story,Imagery foreshadows and provides color,and characterization develops the characters personalities and behaviors. These elements are how the authors were able to teach the lesson in the theme. The two stories’ main characters, Phaethon and Daedalus and Icarus share the same moral theme of a prideful disregard from those elder and wiser can quickly lead to disastrous consequences,existing thanks to these literary elements.

The sources I will utilize in this investigation will range from primary sources such as Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and Euclid’s six books entitled Euclid’s elements to secondary sources from scholars and experts who have studied Greek Mythology/philosophy. I will also supplement my research with preliminary research from the internet, which will answer questions that my print sources cease to answer. While some of my research manifests from the ideals of Greek philosophy, other aspects of my