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Myth/
noun
1.
1.
a traditional story, esp. one concerning the early history of a people or
explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving
supernatural beings or events.
synonyms folk tale, folk
:
story, legend, tale, story, fable, saga, mythos, lore,folklore, mythology
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Myth Story Examples
The term "myth" refers to stories that are intended to provide explanations for things that people
did not understand. Most often myths explain natural phenomenon. Myths exist in nearly every
culture and country from English mythology to Mayan mythology to Baltic mythology and
Slavic.
Myths: Stories with Explanations
Myths typically focus on gods, goddesses and creatures as their characters in order to make their
explanations of nature. For example, a common myth about black cats is that they are evil.
Greek mythology is amongst the most well-known and well-remembered set of myths. The
mythology was told and retold, and also expressed through artwork. Sculptures, vases, and
various other forms of artwork were created by the people of ancient Greece in order to show
their appreciation to the gods and goddesses, or to tell the stories.
Mythological Stories
Some specific Greek mythological stories include:
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Myth of Narcissus
Myth of Prometheus
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Myth of Hercules
Myth of Pandora's Box
Myth of Zeus
Myth of Creation
Myth of Theseus
Myth of Ares
Myth of Jason and the Argonauts
Myth of Odysseus
Myth of Pan
The Wooden Horse
The Woman Runner
Pegasus
Wings
The Maze
The Face in the Pool
Daedalus and Iccarus
The Cyclops Cave
The Sirons
Eros and Psyche
Jason and the Golden Fleece
King Midas and The Minotaur
Theseus and the Minotaur
Zeus, Hera and Little Io
Hades an the River Styx
Zeus, Hades and the King of Corinth
Hermes and Apollo
Apollo's Oracle and Delphi
Apollo and Cassandra
Demeter and Persephone
Aphrodite and the Trojan War
Perseus and Medusa
The Mighty Hercules
Orpheus and Eurydice
Each of these stories was used in order to tell a story that had an underlining moral, meaning or
explanatory purpose.
Topics of Myths
Some examples of the topics that would be covered in Ancient Greek mythology are:
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The origin of the world
The origin of man
Division of the world
The reason for volcano eruptions
The cause of rain
The cause of thunder
The cause of earthquakes
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Reasons for poor weather
Reasons for poor crops
Dieties in Greek Mythology
Some examples of well-known deities in Greek mythology, and their roles in the mythology
include:
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Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty
Apollo, god of music, poetry, enlightenment, and prophecy
Ares, god of war and violence; son of Zeus and Hera
Artemis, goddess of hunting, childbirth, animals and wilderness
Athena, goddess of warfare, wisdom and skill
Demeter, goddess of agriculture, growth, and harvest
Dionysus, god of wine, ecstasy, and festivals
Hades, king of the dead and the underworld
Hephaestus, god of fire and metalwork
Hera, wife of Zeus, queen of heavens, goddess of women and childbirth
Hermes, god of travel, communication, diplomacy, son of Zeus
Hestia, sister of Zeus, goddess of home and chastity
Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes
Zeus, king of the gods and ruler of the sky, weather, law, and fate
Mythical Creatures
Some examples of mythical creatures in Ancient Greek mythology are:
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Centaurs, half-men and half-horse beings
Cerberus, a large three-headed hound outside the gates of Hades
Gorgons, sisters who had serpents as hair, the most famous of which was Medusa
Minotaur, a creature with the body of a human but the head of a bull
Sirens, bird-women who lured sailors to death by using song
Pegasus, a winged horse
Alops, a giant
Cyclops, one-eyed cannibalistic giants
Dracones, multiple-headed and venomous serpents
Cetea, sea monsters
Automatons, men or animals made of metal