Greek Mythology Research Paper

Characteristics of Greek myths

The Greek civilization is considered the cradle of western civilization. The deepest expression of Greek ideology, however, lay in the Greek myths which are relevant and compelling to the present day.
The Greek myths are basically of two sorts. Some are used to explain everyday event like why seasons come and go or how plants bear their fruits. A second much larger group may be called the "historical" myths. Both fiction and history grew out of the two types of myths. Herodotus, in his historical recount of the great Persian War, adopted numerous themes and stories found in myths. The value and truth of the myths do not rest in the accuracy of fixed interpretations, but in their providing all free men and
women with the implements and examples by which they may deepen their understanding of what it means to be a human being.
Greek mythology has several distinguishing characteristics.
The Greeks viewed their gods as similar in nature to themselves, differing only in power and longevity. It¡¯s therefore no surprising to see many unpleasant ¡°human¡± characteristics---jealousy, selfishness, cruelty and cunning in Greek gods. These are most obviously presented in the famous story which is claimed to be the cause of Trojan War. Overpowered by her beauty and intriguing offer, Paris, prince of Troy, handed the fateful apple to Aphrodite---Goddess of love. She set up the contest only to punish Tyndareus because she felt that she was not fully respected. Sixth-century Greek philosopher Xenophanes described Greek view of gods:
¡°Mortals think that the gods are begotten, and wear clothes like their own, and have a voice and a form. If oxen or horses or lions had hands and could draw with them and make works of art as men do, horses would draw the shapes of gods like horses, oxen like oxen; each kind would represent their bodies just like their own forms. ¡±
This sort of secularism is uniquely Greek. Gods were no saviors to Greeks for they believed in the full expression of human personality. Compared with coinstantaneous Indian myths, Greek myths were never created to develop philosophical thinking or to indicate moral choices. They relate closely to all aspect of human
life.
The theme of Greek myths is heroic. Heroes are usually born of a divine parent and a mortal one and are helped by gods or goddesses to fulfill a quest which seems impossible for a mortal. The tradition of tragedy in western literature has its roots in Greek myths: a hero who possesses a flaw that would ultimately bring about his doom. The experience of Oedipus represents the essence of tragedy. Western civilization, which inherited the Greek myths through Rome, has developed its art, philosophy, science, technology, and many other wonderful things, based upon the images sketched in the myths, and on the spirit permeating them.

There is perhaps no better way to reflect the religious thought and unique qualities of Greeks than myths.
Greek religion was polytheistic, and the culture within which it was practiced was pluralistic: ¡°there was no single orthodoxy.¡± Even the same god or goddess might be portrayed differently depending on the context in which the story was told. One important factor which contributed to the various versions of myths is polis---Greek city states. People of different polis had their own cultural heritage as well as perception of the world. As Greeks owed much to the heritage of Mesopotamian and Anatolian cultures, their mythology borrowed heavily from what had gone before. Linguist discovered that the name ¡°Zeus¡± can be traced back to gods worshipped by speakers of Proto-Indo-European, the common ancestor of the Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit
languages.
Another factor is that myths were transmitted by the flexible instrument and primeval art of story-telling. The Iliad and Odyssey, epic poems attributed to Homer (c. 8th century BC), were depended on a lengthy previous tradition of orally composed poetry. As the myths passed from oral tradition into literature, the religious system in the community in which the myths are told naturally lacks what we know as doctrine and sacred scriptures.

Greek myths developed in the light of different social circumstance and grew to be the intellectual background of modern western civilization. As they continued to be told throughout centuries, they invite understanding in different layers and permit the subjective reorganization of the material.