Eric Jiang, Period 7, 10/11/23

Eric Jiang Pd 7 10/11/2023

Modern Mythology

Research paper

Greek Mythology

Greek mythology is made up of many different types of stories containing many gods and
legendary monsters or creatures.It has captured the hearts of many and continues to do so
today. These myths have been handed down for many centuries and generations and have had
an effect on literature and art. Here we will look at many key figures and the origins of Greek
mythology.

Greek mythology can be traced back to ancient Greek like its name suggests going as far back
as 3000 BCE which is more than 5 thousand years ago. These myths were stories that tried to
explain things that they could not understand such as origins of mankind or natural phenomena.
They were also a form of entertainment as stories to be enjoyed. It was believed that they
passed on these stories orally but poets wrote them down. Some of the famous poets like
Homer or Hesiod were said to be the many sources which created Greek mythology in written
form. Some of Homer's famous stories are the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Iliad talks about the
Trojan war and the Odyssey talks about Odysseus' journey home from the Trojan war. They
were both written in the form of an epic poem. Some of Hesiod’s famous works are the
Theogony and Works and Days. The Theogony is mostly about the origins of the gods such as
how they were created and the people or creatures before them which to this day is one of the
most important primary sources. In the wake of these literary works many authors contributed to
Greek mythology through things like fragmentary post-Homeric epics. Many of these works were
aimed to fill in the gaps of Homer's shorter poems which add to the diversity and richness of the
myths.

When one mentions Greek mythology most people think of Zeus. Zeus was not the first but rose
to power with many other gods.. The world started with The gap(Chaos), Earth(Gaea),
Tartarus(the abyss), and Love(Eros). Gaea and her husband Uranus who was the Heaven or
sky was separated to allow offspring which the separation was by cutting off the genitals of
Uranus by his son Cronus which was a titan. Later Gaea and Uranus came together to save
Zeus from Cronus due to his cannibalistic sire. In which Zeus later fought Cronus and won
which led to the era of gods. Zeus is well known as the king of the gods and the ruler of Olympus
and was known as the god of the sky which was part of the big three. Poseidon is well known to
be the god of the sea and was mostly depicted with a trident that could cause the sea to shake
and is also part of the big three. The last of the big three is Hades who is the king of the
underworld. He rules over and controls the souls of the dead. Some other important figures are
Hera who is the wife of Zeus and is the god of marriage and family and often depicted as
jealousy over Zeus' other lovers and offspring. Some others is Athena who is the goddess of
wisdom and warfare, Ares who is god of war and courage, Apollo god of music and healing,
Demeter goddess of agriculture and harvest, Artemis goddess of animals and hunting,
Aphrodite goddess of love and beauty, Hephaestus god of blacksmith and craftsmanship,
Hermes god of travel and trade and Hestia goddess of hearth and home. These are the main gods and goddesses of Olympus. Dionysus is considered an outsider due to his birth from a
mortal mother.

Greek mythology has had a heavy influence on literature and art in western civilization.Greek
mythology with its vast numbers of interesting and entertaining stories and characters, has left a
mark on literature, music, and shows. Many people have been influenced by Greek mythology.
For example Italian poets like Dante and Petrarch were highly influenced by Greek mythology
and so were writers like Geoffrey Chaucer. Another person was William Shakespeare who drew
a lot of inspiration from Greek mythology and put it in his place which has become
masterpieces. Another example is Jean Racine and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who played a
big role in reviving Greek drama and bringing new audiences. Another example is American
playwright Eugene O'Neill was also inspired from Greek mythological themes, creating many
dramas which he also received a Nobel peace prize for literature. Greek mythology has been
used as an inspiration for many and many more to come in our literature and music. They can
discover lessons and themes to be told. Many of the stories are just stories being retold but in a
more modern way for many more people to relate.

Citations:
“Greek Mythology - Greek Mythological Characters and Motifs in Art and Literature.”
Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology/Greek-
mythological-characters-and-motifs-in-art-and-literature.