Greek Mythology, Stories of Life to Adventure

INDEPHEDIA.com - Explicitly, Greek mythology is contained in a collection of stories and works of ancient Greek art, such as paintings of vases and ritual objects for gods. Greek mythology explains the origin of the world and tells of the lives and adventures of various gods, goddesses, heroes, and mythological creatures.

In mythology, most Greek gods are depicted as human beings, born but never old, immune to anything, invisible, and each god has its own characteristics. Because of this, the gods also have title names for each character, which may be more than one.

These deities sometimes helped humans, and even formed love relationships with humans that produced children, who were half human demigods. These children became known as heroes.

Greek mythology was originally transmitted through oral tradition. Today, most of the information regarding Greek mythology is obtained from Greek literature. The oldest sources of Greek literature, the Iliad and Odysseian epic literature, contain a story centered on the events of the Trojan War.

Meanwhile, the two poems by Hesiodos entitled "Theogonia and Erga kai Hemerai" tell about the creation of the world, the change of divine power, the change of human ages, the origin of human suffering, and the origin of the sacrificial ritual.

In addition, Greek mythology is also found in the Homeric Hymn, epic fragments from the Epic Cycle, tragedy artwork from the fifth century, the writings of historians and poets from Ancient Greece, and codices from the Roman Empire by writers such as Plutarch. and Pausanias.

Greek mythology has profoundly influenced the culture, art, and literature of the Western world and continues to be part of the Western heritage and language. From ancient times to the present, many poets and artists have drawn inspiration from Greek mythology, and have found much contemporary relevance and meaning in themes of Greek mythology.

Modern historians study Greek mythology in order to understand the state of politics, religion, and civilization in Ancient Greece, as well as to gain an understanding of the formation of myths themselves.

Archaeological discoveries have shown important sources regarding the details of Greek mythology, in which the gods and heroes appear in many decorations on a myriad of artifacts.

The geometric designs on pottery from the eighth century BC depict scenes from the Trojan cycle other than the adventures of Heracles or Hercules.

Then, in the intermittent period, namely the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods, various sources of Greek mythology emerged, such as from Homer. These sources add to the existing evidence. (MT / IN / US)