Greek mythology are myths and legends
belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes,
the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of
their own cult and ritual
practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece and are part of
religion in modern Greece
and around the world as Hellenismos. Modern
scholars refer to, and study, the myths in an attempt to throw light on the
religious and political institutions of Ancient Greece, its civilization, and
to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself.
Greek mythology is embodied, explicitly, in a large collection of
narratives, and implicitly in Greek representational arts, such as vase-paintings and votive gifts.
Greek myth attempts to explain the origins of the world, and details the lives
and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines,
and mythological creatures.
These accounts initially were disseminated in an oral-poetic
tradition; today the Greek myths are known primarily from Greek
literature.
The oldest known Greek literary sources, Homer's epic poems
Iliad
and Odyssey,
focus on events surrounding the Trojan War.
Two poems by Homer's
near contemporary Hesiod,
the Theogony
and the Works and Days, contain accounts of the
genesis of the world, the succession of divine rulers, the succession of human
ages, the origin of human woes, and the origin of sacrificial practices. Myths
also are preserved in the Homeric Hymns, in fragments of epic poems
of the Epic Cycle,
in lyric poems,
in the works of the tragedians of the fifth century BC, in writings of scholars
and poets of the Hellenistic Age and in texts from the time
of the Roman Empire
by writers such as Plutarch and Pausanias.
Archaeological findings provide a principal source of detail about
Greek mythology, with gods and heroes featured prominently in the decoration of
many artifacts. Geometric designs on pottery of the eighth century BC depict
scenes from the Trojan cycle as well as the adventures of Heracles.
In the succeeding Archaic, Classical,
and Hellenistic periods, Homeric and various other
mythological scenes appear, supplementing the existing literary evidence.
Greek mythology has had an extensive influence on the culture, arts, and
literature of Western civilization and remains part of
Western heritage and language. Poets and artists from ancient times to the
present have derived inspiration from Greek mythology and have discovered
contemporary significance and relevance in the themes.
Credit : wikipedia
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