Mythology vs Natural World: How mythology helped to explain aspects of the natural world to the ancient Greeks

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.

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece. Modern scholars refer to, and study, the myths, in an attempt to throw light on the religious and political institutions of Ancient Greece, its civilization, and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself.

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.

The ancient Greeks were a highly superstitious and spiritual people. As the Greeks had no written book or scripture of their faith, it can be assumed that the ancient peoples lived their lives based on the stories told within their mythology. Mythology was used for various reasons, the three major ones being as a cosmogony, as etiological stories to explain otherwise unexplainable phenomena, and as a means to deter mortals from

Greek Mythology is a collection of myths and teachings that originated from the ancient Greeks. Tales of Greek Mythology are usually related to gods or heroes, the nature of the world, and the significance and origin of the Greek culture and ritual practices. Greek Mythology was part of the polytheistic religion in ancient Greece. Many scholars study the myths in an attempt to understand the religious and political institutions of Ancient Greece and its civilization. The scholars also wanted to gain knowledge of the nature of myth-making itself. The earliest Greek myths were part of an oral tradition that began in the Bronze Age. Greek mythology is made up of several different gods and goddesses. Greek myths attempt to explain the origins

Greek mythology, as in past ways humans detailed lives, was used as a way to explain the environment in which everything around us happened and lived. The natural wonders they witnessed and the passing of time through the days, months, and seasons. Myths were also in a way connected to religion and explained where they came from and what are the lives of the gods. Also stated where humanity had come from and what it they should expect after death. It gave almost a rule on the best way to be in a happy life.(History Staff) Myths were used to tell historical events so that people could maintain contact with their ancestors, the wars they fought, and the places they explored. (Cartwright)

Many people think that Greek Mythology is only studied for fun, entertainment, or adventure, however it serves a much wider purpose than just that. Stories can envelope the reader into a fantasy world of higher powers and mythical creatures. They can also, if you look at the right myths, teach valuable lessons that even people in the 21st century can relate to. The lessons in these Greek Myths give only two examples of why people find stories from our past interesting and why they remain so popular.

Mythology was very huge in Ancient Greece. There are so many different folktales and myths

For hundreds and hundreds of years people have been fascinated with all the aspects of the ancient Greek culture and mythology. Because of this avid interest in ancient Greek mythology, people have developed several different theories to explain these ancient myths. These theories range from trying to view myths in a rational way and interpreting them to explain natural occurrences to viewing myths using metaphors and psychology. While no one theory is correct or wrong for that matter, some theories fit certain myths better than others do. The ancient Greeks used many myths to try to explain what they could

The story Demeter gives a hint about how the ancient Greeks viewed the world. It shows how important agriculture was to the ancient Greeks. Demeter, along with Dionysus, were both loved by the humans. Both of these two were Gods of agriculture. As shown by page 51 in the second paragraph, the text proves, “Demeter, in Latin Ceres, the Goddess of the corn, a daughter of Cronus and Rhea; and Dionysus, also called Bacchus, the God of Wine.” In fact, these two were so adored there was a special harvest festival to celebrate them. “The great festival,” as described by the second paragraph on page 52, “in September, came only every five years, but it lasted for nine days. They were most sacred days, when much of the ordinary business of life

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.

myths were sacred in the Greek culture and it helped people figure out how everything was

The history of Greek mythology is an extravagant chronicle of tales of heroism, tragedy, and tradition. The Greeks had an extreme talent with fine arts, and these abilities are strongly reflected in their

In Greek Mythology, perhaps one of the most rudimental yet one of the most important elements are the Greek Gods and Goddesses. The ancient Greeks created the stories about the lives and journeys of the Greek Gods, known as myths, simply as an endeavor to elucidate nature and all phenomena which were difficult to explain using modern science and logic. These myths about the Gods were spread around the world by explorers and storytellers, and later merged with Greek religion. To this day, numerous myths survived through many writings and through much art. Each of these myths is very unique, and moreover, tells us much about the Greek Gods. The Greek myths in particular convey to us that Greek Gods and Goddesses looked and acted like humans,

Throughout the course of time, different civilizations across the world hold one thing in common by which a society or culture can be based upon or help influence the structure. The one common thing that has help a civilization grow throughout the period of time would be the formation of a religion. Religion is a center point for many societies throughout history. As the center for the different civilizations, it helped form their different traditions and customs. The same could be said about the people of ancient Greece, where religion or mythology played an important role in their lives as it was the pedestal of their culture and how they base their lives upon. The formation of a religion across the large number of regions of Greece, help the different locations mold themselves by the customs that were created from the adaptation. During what was known as Ancient Greece, the people would hear tales of the twelve Olympians and how their actions influence the world around them. Within this period of time for the people of Greece was that of growth, as they sought to bring new ideas into light as they exited from a dark period within their own history.