Greek Mythology and Its Effects on Civilization Essay Example

Greek religion encompasses the collection of beliefs and rituals practiced in ancient Greece in the form of both popular public religion and cult practices. Many Greeks recognized the major gods and goddesses, such as Zeus, Poseidon, Hades and many others through philosophies such as Stoicism. The religious practices of the Greeks extended beyond mainland Greece to the islands and costs of Ionia in Asia Minor to Sicily and southern Italy, and scattered Greek colonies in the Western Mediterranean. Greek religion was tempered by Etruscan cult and belief to form much of the later Ancient Roman religion.

Greek religion had an extensive mythology. It consisted largely of stories of the gods and how they affected humans on eart. Myths often revolved around heroes and their actions. Many different species existed in Greek mythology. Chief among these were the gods and humans, though the Titans also frequently appeared in Greek myths. They predated the Olympian gods, and were hated by them. Lesser species included the half-man, half-horse centaurs and nymphs. Many greek myths revolved around the Trojan war between Greece and Troy.

Greek mythology largely survived and was added in order to form the later Roman Mythology. The Greeks and Romans were literate societies, and much mythology was written down in the form of poetry and plays, which became popular in Christian post-Renaissance Europe, where it was often used as a basis for the works of artists such as Michaelangelo and Botticelli.

Most Christians or those religions that follow the basic principles of the bible believe in the stories told therein, and are regarded as actual historical accounts of important people, events and concepts of the Christian faith. However, stories of Green and Roman mythology are typically regarded as nothing more than fantasy, fictional stories. The Ancient Greek empire was more more vast than modern-day Greece. The fact is that Greek myths contain unrealistic and