Greek Mythology Research Paper

Throughout history, people have always attempted to gain an understanding of exactly what it is to be human, and where humankind has come from. Stories of how things or events came to be were invented as a means to explain and understand the world. These stories that detail the explanations of these phenomenal events, such as the creation of the world or humans, are called myths. A popular saying people often use is “It’s a myth”. This saying is usually used when a person brings up a story that is less than credible but is widely known. Usually somebody else interjects the person bringing up the story and says not to believe such hearsay, and that it is only a myth. Myths, for an academic definition, “are ancient narratives that attempt to

answer the enduring and fundamental human questions: How did the universe and world come to be?” () My own definition of myth is any story that is widely spread through a culture that can be used to shape and define the existence of how anything came to be, how the laws of nature work, or to convey proper morals.
Perhaps the most common myth that is found all throughout history is the creation myth. As intellectual creatures, human beings have always held a fascination and wonder for how they were brought about into this world. People did not arrive on this planet with clearly defined instruction manuals for how or what purpose they were assembled. A fascinating note is that one can see strikingly similar creation myths from all over the world at different times, despite there being no direct contact between many of these civilizations. These ideas of how people were created, how day and night transitioned, and what is good and evil were often all very similar, and this is because many of these are universally held popular beliefs. Before the age of the internet, before man had mastered agriculture or even fire, there was a time of darkness. This was a darkness in people’s understanding of how the world worked. Nature decided how people would live their lives, and shaped them almost entirely. Lightning, fire, famine, death, the rising and falling of the sun – all of this and so much more was left unexplained. If one could put themselves in an ancient people’s mind and imagine a time when this would not be easily explained, then surely one would be mystified by all that happened around them as well. People were unable to answer these questions of why this happened, so they turned to a greater answer. As an attempt to answer these unknowns, myths were brought into fruition and spread among the people. A belief in the supernatural, spirituality and eventually religion were all born in this manner, as way to explain the unknown.
Mythology, belief, knowledge, spirituality and religion are all very closely connected.

Mythology evolved along with people’s spirituality. Spirituality can be defined as how a person experiences and defines the supernatural world around them. Each individual person’s spirituality can be vastly different, as it comes from a place internal and exclusive to that person. Spirituality can be experienced without any written words or communication from one person to another. When taking a look at religion, it can be said that it is more of a doctrine or prescribed teaching of how to practice one’s spirituality that is widely accepted among a group of people. Religion is not inherent to humankind, it is a learned behavior that required there to first be communication and understanding between people. Fear stems from the unknown, and there are many things in life that people are not certain of. When the loss of a life in a family happens, practitioners of religion often believe in the promise of an afterlife or some other way in which the deceased person will be eternalized. Not knowing with certainty what lies beyond a person’s life can be a very treacherous idea to many people. Myths and religion are very similar and religion can be seen as an evolution of mythology. Most people do not believe in ancient myths in modern times, however, as the advent of science and knowledge has shed the light on many of man’s unanswered

questions.
In this age of information and booming technology, people have discovered many new answers that were previously unknown. Many of the myths found from ancient times, such as the Greek myth of Prometheus giving mankind fire and knowledge, are no longer believed in or have been proven untrue. However, to say that these myths do not hold any relevancy to modern times would not be correct. People always have and will have a need for gods and the supernatural, as a means to satisfy the idea that the daily grind of life is not in vein, that there is a purpose for this life. Myths provide an escape from reality; myths allow people an alternative that inspires hope, provides a dream, and offers a refuge from pain.