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Similarities between greek and roman gods
Evolution of greek mythology over time
Similarities between greek and roman gods
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Greek mythology has been around for hundreds of years, and it has influenced much of our culture with it’s outrageous stories and fables. With epics like “The Odyssey” teaching morals to ancient Greece, or myths like Hades and Persephone “explaining” how seasons were created , “the group of stories known as classical myths were first written down by the ancient Greeks,” each having their own plot and storyline, but all leading to one another in a combined piece (Bingham, 6). The stories of Greek Mythology have influenced the arts and literature of the world, displayed the morals that the Greeks believed in, and changed how they thought about science and natural events. Greek mythology began with the civilization and society of the Ancient Greeks, and “the greek society emerged from the Mycenaean civilization, which flourished from 1600 to 1200 B.C.” (Green, 4). It was, as is modern day Greece, located on the Balkan peninsula, and consisted of multiple city-states, or independent kingdoms. It was ruled as a monarchy, which provided Greece with a King and/or Queen. With the decline of Greece in 1200 B.C., “they lost the art of writing”, and spread from Greece to the Mediterranean Sea. In 338 B.C., “King Philip of Macedon became ruler of the Greeks” , with Alexander The Great, his offspring, then became the ruler of Greece, with his death leading to the take-over by Rome (Bingham, 7). During these periods, many stories and legends of the believed Greek Gods were passed orally, and then became written epics or fables such as Homer's The Odyssey. To start, the arts, such as sculptures and paintings, became widely influenced by many of the myths and stories of Greek Mythology. At the National Archaeological Museum of Italy, “‘The Farne... ... middle of paper ... ...u, Evangelia. "Apollo, Daphne and the Laurel Tree." Greek-Gods.info. Evangelia Hatzitsinidou, 04 Dec 2013. Web. 11 Dec 2013. . Hilton, Edith. "Mythology: Themes, Motifs, & Symbols." Sparknotes. Sparknotes, 26 Nov 2013. Web. 4 Dec 2013. . Lupo, Alberto. Rockefeller Center Statue of Atlas. 2008. Array. Panororamio, New York, NY. Web. 19 Dec 2013. . Osborne, Kevin, and Dana Burgess. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Classical Mythology. New York, NY: Penguin Group (USA) Inc, 2004. Web. . Stylianou, Nicos. "Greek Mythology Paintings." igreekmythology. Nicos Stylianou. Web. 10 Dec 2013. .
Harris, Stephen L., and Gloria Platzner. Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. 2nd ed. Mountain View: Mayfield, 1995
Mythology is critical to Greek people’s everyday life, just like how religion is in our modern day age. Everyday events, such as a thunderstorm, can be linked to a god or goddess. For example, when an earthquake would happen, it would be Poseidon crashing his tritan on the ground. People’s lives revolved around the whole ideology and it served as a way to explain the unexplained and to help them in times of need. All of the stories of these great gods and goddesses were passed down generation through generation, each time becoming more extreme and distorted.
Morford, Mark P.O., and Robert J. Lenardon. Classical Mythology. '7th ed'. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
...r. "Ancient Greece." Gardner's art through the ages the western perspective. 13th ed., Backpack ed. Boston, Mass.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. 101, 123,129. Print.
Grant, Michael, and John Hazel. "Athena." Gods and Mortals in Classical Mythology. Springfield, MA: G. & C. Merriam, 1973. Print.
From before the dawn of civilization as we know it, humanity has formed myths and legends to explain the natural world around them. Whether it is of Zeus and Hera or Izanami-no-Mikoto and Izanagi-no-mikoto, every civilization and culture upon this world has its own mythos. However, the age of myth is waning as it is overshadowed in this modern era by fundamental religion and empirical science. The word myth has come to connote blatant falsehood; however, it was not always so. Our myths have reflected both the society and values of the culture they are from. We have also reflected our inner psyche, conscious and unconscious, unto the fabric of our myths. This reflection allows us to understand ourselves and other cultures better. Throughout the eons of humanity’s existence, the myths explain natural phenomena and the cultural legends of the epic hero have reflected the foundations and the inner turmoil of the human psyche.
Rosenburg, Donna. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. Third Edition. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1999. Text.
Gloucester, England: Dodo, 2009. Print. The. Hamilton, Edith, and Steele Savage. Mythology. Boston:
The tales of Greek heroes and the gods are older than all of us. Most of these tales are thought to be myths, but every interpretation of Greek mythology and the stories that it contains correlates with something in the real world today. The story of the creation of the world, and the stories of the heroes Hercules, Perseus and Theseus, are only but a few of the compelling stories Greek mythology has to offer.
Thury, Eva and Margaret K. Devinney. “Theory: Man and His Symbols.” Introduction to Mythology: Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. 519-537. Print.
Rosenberg, Donna. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. 5th ed. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Pub. Group, 1994. Print.
5. Buxton, R. G. A. The complete world of Greek mythology. London: Thames & Hudson, 2004.
Hunt, J.M. "Greek Mythology Zeus Lovers." SDSU College of Education: Home Page. Web. 19 June 2011.
Therefore, Apollo chased Daphne into the woods, trying persistently to gain her love. Daphne was so scared that she called on her father’s help. Daphne’s father turned her into a laurel tree, so she could avoid Apollo’s affection. Apollo then broke off a branch of the laurel tree to have a symbol to remind him of his lost lover. It was said that “Thereafter, the laurel tree became sacred to the cult of Apollo, and a laurel wreath became a mark of honor to be given to poets, victors, and winners in athletic contests” ( “Apollo”).
Morford Mark, Lenardon Robert, and Sham Michael. Classical Mythology, International Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2011. Print. 830 pages.