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Greek Mythology
A myth is a story people use to explain and understand their world. For example, the ancient Greeks
used myths to describe the beginning of gods and humans, explain the natural world, explore the bond
between humans and their sacred beliefs, understand human behavior, and celebrate heroic acts.
The time-honored stories that make up Greek mythology include Creation, Sacred, Nature, Trickster,
and Heroic myths, such as:
Greek myths were originally part of an oral tradition or history told by one generation to another. Later,
the ancient Greeks celebrated their myths in sculpture, architecture, music, pottery, and epic poetry.
For example, two famous ancient Greek epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, are examples of mythic
poetry.
A closer look at two myths—a Nature myth and a Trickster myth—shows how the ancient Greeks
explained the natural world and the role their gods and goddesses played in their daily lives.
Nature Myth: Persephone. Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, the sister of Zeus and goddess of
the harvest. One day Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, god of the Underworld. In her anger and
sadness, Demeter caused a great winter to fall on the Earth and no fruit, grain, or grass grew. Because
the people and their animals were starving, Zeus granted Demeter her wish that Hades return
Persephone to the Earth’s surface—just as long as Persephone had not eaten anything in the
Underworld. But Hades gave Persephone a few red pomegranate seeds before her return and she ate
them. In a compromise, Zeus allowed Persephone to return to her mother but required that she spend
four months each year in the Underworld. Persephone’s return each year means the end of winter,
which represents Demeter’s grief over the loss of her daughter and the beginning of spring.
Trickster Myth: Eris. Eris was the sister of Ares, the Greek god of war, and the goddess of strife and
discord. Because Eris caused trouble wherever she went, she was not invited to a wedding attended by
the other gods and goddesses. For spite, Eris threw a golden apple inscribed “For the most beautiful
one” into the wedding party. Three of the goddesses—Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite—quarreled over
who was the most beautiful and deserving of the golden apple. The goddesses appointed Paris, a prince
of Troy, to decide. He gave the apple to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who promised him the most
beautiful woman in the world, Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, thus launching the Trojan
War.
Throughout modern history, artists, poets, playwrights, novelists, and filmmakers including George
Lucas (Star Wars films), J. R. R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), and Eugene O’Neill (the play
Mourning Becomes Electra) have been inspired by stories from Greek mythology.
References