Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks. Modern scholars study the myths to shed light on the religious and political institutions of ancient Greece. The myths of the heroes of the Trojan War and its aftermath became part of the oral tradition of Homer’s epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey.
About Greek mythology in brief
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. Modern scholars study the myths to shed light on the religious and political institutions of ancient Greece, and to better understand the nature of myth-making itself. The Greek myths were initially propagated in an oral-poetic tradition most likely by Minoan and Mycenaean singers starting in the 18th century BC. Eventually the myths of the heroes of the Trojan War and its aftermath became part of the oral tradition of Homer’s epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Myths are also preserved in the Homeric Hymns, in fragments of epic poems of the Epic Cycle, in lyric poems, 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. Greek mythology has had an extensive influence on the culture, arts, and literature of Western civilization. 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. Mythical narration plays an important role in nearly every genre of Greek literature. The only general mythographical handbook to survive from Greek antiquity was the Library of Pseudo-Apollodorus, which attempts to reconcile the contradictory tales of the poets and provides a grand summary of traditional Greek mythology. In fact, literary and archaeological sources integrate, sometimes mutually supportive and sometimes in conflict; but the existence of this corpus of data is a strong indication that many elements of Greek mythology have strong factual and historical roots.
The oldest are choral hymns from the earlier part ofthe so-called Lyric age. 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, andHellenistic periods, Homeric and various other mythological scenes appear, supplementing the existing literary evidence. Aside from this narrative deposit in ancient Greek literature, pictorial representations of gods, heroes, and mythic episodes featured prominently in ancient vase paintings and the decoration of votive gifts and many other artifacts. The Trojan War was central to classical Athenian drama. The tragic playwrights Awresus, Sophlesocus, and Euripides took most of their plots from their myths. The great tragic stories of the age of Bacchylides and Bacchus took on their classic form in these classic tragedies. Lyrical poets often took less narrative and more allusive treatment of their subjects from their subjects, but their treatment became more narrative and allusive. The most allusive mythological poets, including Pindarides and Simon Bion, relate individual mythological incidents such as Theocritus and Bion. The mythological tales of Theos were central to Greek drama and relate individual incidents of individuals.
You want to know more about Greek mythology?
This page is based on the article Greek mythology published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 08, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
