Greek Mythology Characters, Themes, and Stories - Essay Example

Greek Mythology Introduction Greek mythology characters, themes, stories, and lessons have shaped literature and art for many years. The initial Greek myths were oral tradition segment that started in the Bronze Age. Their plots together with the themes unfolded steadily in the printed literature of the classical and archaic periods. In Greek mythology, there is no solitary text that is original like the Hindu Vedas or Christian Bible that establishes all of the myths’ characters, as well as stories (Choi & Kim, 2007). Religion According to Jennings & Lowery, (2014) the Greeks worshiped and believed in several different gods. The gods often symbolized diverse nature forms. Their religion had no formal structure except the various festivals conducted in honoring the gods. There was no code of conduct or holy book to live by. The Olympians were the most powerful Greek gods. The Greeks assumed that the Olympians stayed on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece (Bazopoulou-Kyrkanidou, 2001). Moreover, the Greeks believed that the gods had vast powers and that they were capable of controlling all forms of nature. It is interesting that the Greeks themselves allotted all this power to their gods; yet, they respected and feared them totally. The gods were worshiped in temples built for them, and there was usually an individual, mostly a priestess that could converse with the god and construe his will. For instance, even though Apollo was a mythological god in Pythia in Delphi sanctuary, the Greeks were frightened by his prophecies and oracles; they were also very thankful that their God was conversing with them to assist them (Jennings & Lowery, 2014). Major goddesses and gods of Greek Mythology as per (Jennings & Lowery, 2014) included; Zeus – Gods’ King Hera – Gods’ Queen Aphrodite - goddess of beauty and love Apollo - god of truth, light, healing, music, archery, poetry Ares - god of war Athena - goddess of war, wisdom, patriotism as well as good citizenship Artemis - goddess of moon, hunt, children Demeter - goddess of agriculture, grain, fertility Dionysus - god of vegetation, wine, and theater Hades - god of the underworld Hephaestus - god of fire and forge Hermes – gods messenger, god of travelers, motion, commerce, sheep, and thieves Hestia – home and health goddess Poseidon - god of the earthquakes, sea, and horses Creation In the creation myth, the first unit that ruled the earth was known as Chaos (Choi & Kim, 2007). Gaia, the goddess meaning land or earth was a goddess as well as earth itself, and his child Uranus means heaven or sky was both a god and a heaven. Prior to the existence of sea, land, people or gods, only Chaos existed. Chaos was a space of neither disorder nor order. During the reign of Chaos, there was no organization the earth neither was there moon. There were no rivers or mountains nor any similar features on universe, and it was a period of enormous emptiness. Finally, Chaos divided itself into the sky, the earth, and the sea. When the splitting up was complete, all things were peaceful as well as perfect. So far, only men existed in the human population. Women did not exist, although there were goddesses. Introducing women to the humanity was Zeus’s plan for vengeance. Zeus went to the forge of Hephaestus and asked him to form a female human being. The god of forge and fire called Hephaestus created Pandora at the command from Zeus. To obtain the gods’ ends, Pandora was gifted with many gifts, such as charm and great beauty. The gods a well give her a gift that will eventually liberate all the evils in the universe e.g. a complex box or a jar. In spite of her good aims, the first female causes a lot of pain and grief for mankind (Choi & Kim, 2007). Heroes and Monsters Greek mythology not only tells the gods and goddesses stories, but also of human heroes like; Heracles, the explorer who conducted 12 impractical tasks for King Eurystheus (and was afterward worshipped as a god due to his achievement); the first woman, whose inquisitiveness brought wickedness to mankind called Pandora; Pygmalion, the king who loved an ivory statue among others. Most of these creatures have become nearly as recognized as the goddesses, gods, and heroes who share their stories. Music was important to the pattern as well as texture of Greek life because it was a significant feature of marriage, religious festivals, banquet gatherings, and funeral rites. Orpheus was the most artistic music player of the prehistoric times. He was a son of god Apollo from whom he inherited the music talent and Muse Calliope, his mother. Orpheus had a divinely exceptional voice that could appeal every person who heard it. The myth claims that no mortal or god could defy his music, and even the trees and rocks would move themselves to be close to him. Even though the Greeks were familiar with several kinds of instruments, three in of these were favored for performance and composition: the kithara, the lyre, and the aulos (Bazopoulou-Kyrkanidou, 2001). Most Greek men taught to play an instrument proficiently, as well as to sing, in addition, to performing choral dances. Singing of a hymn or instrumental music regularly went along with daily activities as well as formal acts of worship. Shepherds piped to their herds; infantry and oarsmen kept time to the music, and women made music at home (Graves, Riordan & MacDonald, 2012). The singing art to an individual’s stringed adjunct was exceedingly developed. Greek philosophers identified a link amid music and mathematics, predicting music as a model of pleasant order reflecting the human soul and the cosmos. The knowledge of ancient Greek music originates from real pieces of musical scores, remains of musical instruments and the literary references. Even though accessible musical scores are uncommon, partial, and of a quite late date, plentiful literary references shed light on the music practice, its communal roles, as well as its alleged aesthetic qualities. Similarly, inscriptions give information concerning the economics as well as institutional organization of skilled musicians, prizes awarded together with fees paid for recording services (Graves, Riordan & MacDonald, 2012). The archeological record proves the monuments built in honor of gifted musicians and to superb roofed show halls. In the fifth century B.C in Athens, the Odeion of Perikles was constructed on the Athenian acropolis south slope as a physical testimony to the significance of music in culture of Athenian. Ancient Greek art emphasized the significance as well as achievement of human beings. Although much of Greek art was intended to honor the gods, those same gods were formed in the human image. Sculptures in Ancient Greek were normally made of either wood or stone. Most of these sculptures were of the self-supporting and naked, in a man form even if the sculpture was of a god because the Greeks saw the splendor in the nude human body. The ancient Greeks as well painted, but extremely little of their work remains. The pictures on the pottery usually depicted tragic and heroic stories of humans and gods (Bazopoulou-Kyrkanidou, 2001). Conclusion The ancient Greeks narrated stories concerning their gods. These stories are known as mythology or myths. Tales concerning the ancient Greek gods are still told in current days. The kind of power and personality of a god was consistent from one story to another. The supernatural world of the ancient Greek gods was full of bickering as well as wars and fights and compromise and fun, fear love and punishment. Most of the myths were founded on the fact that gods could be rewarded or punished for their actions just like men. Works cited Bazopoulou-Kyrkanidou, E. (2001). Chimeric creatures in Greek mythology and reflections in science. American Journal of Medical Genetics. doi:10.1002/1096-8628(20010415)100:13.0.CO;2-U Choi, Y., & Kim, H. (2007). A directed network of Greek and Roman mythology. Physica A-statistical Mechanics and Its Applications. doi:10.1016/j.physa.2007.04.035 Graves, R., Riordan, R., & MacDonald, R. (2012). The Greek myths. Jennings, K., & Lowery, M. (2014). Greek mythology. New York: LITTLE SIMON. Read More