Greek Mythology Essay -- essays research papers

Greek MythologyMythology was an integral part of the lives of completely ancient peoples. The myths ofAncient Greece be the most familiar to us, for they are deeply entrenched inthe disposition of Western civilization.The myths were accounts of the lives of the deities whom the Greeks worshipped.The Greeks had many deities, including 12 principal ones, who lived on Mt.Olympus. The myths are all things to all people a rollicking good yarn,expressions of deep mental insights, words of spine-tingling poeticbeauty and food for the imagination. They serve a ever-living universal need, andhave inspired great literature, art and music, providing archetypes throughwhich we buns learn much about the deeper motives of human behavior.No-one has the definitive answer as to why or how the myths came into being, nutmany are allegorical accounts of historical facts.The Olympian family were a desperate lot despite being related. The neighboring timeyou have a bowl of corn flakes give conv ey to Demeter the goddess of vegetation.The English word "cereal" for products of corn or edible particle derives from thegoddess Roman draw, Ceres. In Greek the word for such products is demetriaka.Demeter was worshipped as the goddess of earth and fertility.Zeus was the king and leader of the 12. His symbolisation was the thunder and in manyof his statues he appears holding one.Poseidon, god of the sea and earthquakes, was most at home in the depths of theAegean where he lived in a howling(a) golden palace. When he became angry (whichwas often) he would use his trident to create big waves and floods. Everintent upon expanding his domain, he challenged Dionysos for Naxos, Hera forArgos and Athena for Athens.Ares, god of war, was a terrible piece of work fiery tempered, bloodthirsty,brutal and violent. In contrast Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, symbol ofsecurity, happiness and hospitality, was as pure as driven snow. She spurneddisputes and wars and swore to be a virgin forever.Hera was not a principal deity her pedigree was a subservient one she was Zeuscupbearer.Athena, the powerful goddess of wisdom and patron of Athens, is say to havebeen born (complete with helmet, armor and spear) from Zeus head, withHephaestus acting as midwife. Unlike Ares, she derived no pleasure from fighting,but preferred settling disputes peacefully using her wisdom... ...ed to Greece where he organized drunkenrevelries and married Ariadne, daughter of King Minos.In accession to the gods the Ancient Greeks revered many beings who had probablyonce been mortal, such as King Minos, Theseus and Erichthonious. Intermediariesbetween gods and humans, such as the satyrs, also appear in the myths. Thesatyrs lived in woods and had goat horns and tails they worshipped the godDionysos, so, appropriately, they fagged much of their time drinking and dancing.Nymphs lived in secluded valleys and grottoes and occupied themselves withspinning, weaving, bathing, interpret an d dancing. Pan found them irresistible.The Muses, of which there were nine, were nymphs of the mountain springs theywere believed to inspire poets, artists and musicians.Finally, mention should be made of the three crones Tisiphone, Aledo and Megara sometimes called the Furies whose job it was to deal with grievances frommortals, and punish wrongdoers. They had dogs heads, snakes hair, unhealthyeyes, coal black bodies and bats wings and carried brass-studded scourges. Itwas considered unlucky to call them by name they had to be called Eumenides the kindly onesBill Gates