Greek Mythology Essay

Out of all the mythologies of the world, Greek mythology has had the most influence on our society. The Greeks started their civilization and even though it only lasted 1,300 years, yet their influenced went beyond. Many people don’t realize that their influence is everywhere around us and there influenced has helped us with our language, films, and Companies.
Very few people speak ancient Greek on a regular basis, but Greek mythology has shaped English. Many of the words and sayings we use today have an origin in Greek mythology. An “Achilles’ Heel”, for example, is a person's vulnerability or fatal flaw. This phrase comes from a myth about the warrior Achilles, who was made invulnerable as a baby by being dipped into the River Styx and leaving out his heels. Another word that comes from Greek mythology is Tantalus. Tantalus abused this privilege by stealing the beverage to share with his friends and for this wrongdoing he was condemned to the Underworld, where he stood in fresh water that subsided whenever he tried to eat under a tree filled with ripe fruit always just beyond reach. Thus giving us the word “tantalize” which means to torment someone. Today you may hear a woman being called harpy meaning that she is an unpleasant woman. A harpy was a winged monster with a woman's torso and a bird's feet. On the other hand, a handsome man is an "Adonis”, which comes from a myth about a mortal man that was so beautiful that Aphrodite fell in love with him. Furthermore, you call computer viruses "Trojans," referring to the Greek-built Trojan horse that was used by the Greeks to invade Troy and end the Trojan War. The drug morphine takes its name from the Greek God of Sleep, Morpheus. Morphine was named after him because of it's dre...

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...is strength and power in the epic poem “The Iliad”, who fought in the Trojan War. Ironically their slogan is “Stronger than Dirt!” which makes sense. Lastly is Pandora, Pandora was the first mortal women created by Zeus; her name meant “all gifted”. Today you can go to the popular Pandora boutique where you can get jewelry. Companies were very smart when naming their brands. Many companies use Greek names, gods, and heroes to be their trademark.
As you can see, everyday life is influenced by the Greek myths. From our modern day language to the companies we buy from, all are enveloped in Greek mythology. Ancient Greece may not have been as great of a civilization, but without these myths many things of today wouldn't be the same. The Greek myths both big and small have always had and probably will always have a great influence on many aspects of our modern society.