Greek mythology involves tales of the Greek gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines. The word mythology is of Greek origin. The Mythology originated from the ancient Greek poets, priests and aristocrats. The myths of Greece are derived from ancient Greek religion.
Ancient Greek mythology can be traced back to three main sources: Homer, Hesiod and The Homeric Hymns from around 800 B.C. There are many variations of the myths, as they have been changed over time, and added to and subtracted from depending on the writers. They give some information on the Greek way of life and its relation to cult practices. The Greek Myths are our window into the distant Greek past; they give us a view of a world that existed, an inkling of not only the lives and minds of the ruling class but of the humble and long suffering natives of ancient Greece.
Greek Mythology and Gods
About 1200 B.C., the residents of Greece and Asia Minor shared a common belief in a group of deities or gods and goddesses known as the Olympians. The Olympians descended from the primal, self-created gods, beginning with Kaos (or Chaos). The Olympians are Immortals. Greek mythology lists many legends about the birth of the Olympians, whom neither age or become sick or injured. They are invincible and have unique personality traits and appearances. Though ruled by Zeus, each Olympian god/goddess has his/her own distinct family tree and area of expertise.
Ancient mythology mentions twelve Olympian gods and goddesses. The Epics mention that these deities had taught the Greeks a number of useful skills, methods of worshipping the gods and some miracles. They rewarded virtue and punished vice, and fathered/mothered children by mortals/humans. These half-human, half divine children are known as ‘the heroes’. The Olympians had a large following because they encouraged the pursuit of knowledge and creative activities.
Greek Mythology Heroes
On account of their divine origin, the heroes or heroines of Greek mythology are believed to have ruled over the mortals for a comparatively long period. Some of the heroes mentioned in greek mythology would be Hercules, Perseus and Prometheus.
Also known for their heroic deeds are the Argonauts. The Greek mythologies are interspersed with stories of royal crimes as well– they tell tales of heroes who committed heinous crimes under the strong spell of fate or destiny. The end of the Heroic Age is marked by the Trojan Wars.
Information on Greek mythology
The primary source of information being the poetry of the Archaic and Classical eras, like the Homeric Odyssey, Iliad and Hymns. The dramatic works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes, the Hesiodic Theogony and the choral hymns of Pindar and Bacchylides also enrich the sources of Greek mythological information. These literary works were composed primarily for performance at cultic festivals or aristocratic banquets. Apart from the literary works, the works of historians, like Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus, and geographers, like Pausanias and Strabo each made significant contributions to the mythology of Greece.
The work of mythographers, the poetry of the Hellenistic and Roman ages, the Hellenistic poets Apollonius of Rhodes and Callimachus also contain important informations on Greek mythology. Even the Roman poets Hyginus, Ovid, Statius, Valerius Flaccus and Virgil. The Late Antique Greek poets Nonnus and Quintus Smyrnaeus. Plus the novelists like Apuleius, Petronius, Lollianus and Heliodorus are known to have added to the vast store of Greek mythological information.
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