Our Classical HeritageLonely as they were, by themselves, early people looked inside themselves and expressed a longing to

discover, to explain who they were, why they were, and from where they came.

-Virginia Hamilton

It’s hard to imagine what our civilization would be like without the mythology of ancient Greece and Rome. The ancient immortals are still around us in spirit.

Why Read the Myths?

There is good reason for the continued presence of these strange beings and places in our lives. They are all related to those great classical civilizations of Greece and Rome that were so important to our developments as a society. These civilizations gave us much of our astronomy, our mathematics, our philosophy, our architecture, our medicine, and our systems of government. For instance, the word democracy comes from the Greek word demokratia, meaning “rule of the people.” This was a kind of government that first flourished in the ancient Greek city-state of Athens.

What is a Myth?

Myths are stories concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events. Myths represent the deepest wishes and fears of human beings. They helped the ancient people to understand the mysterious and sometimes frightening forces of the universe—forces such as seasonal changes, fire, lightening, drought, floods, and death. Myths probably originated when people began to ask questions about the creations of the world.

Makers of Myths

Many myths originated in the area around the Mediterranean Sea. The early myth makers would not have known how to write. These old stories were passed on orally from generation to generation by the many tribes that traveled through or lived in what is now Greece. By the second century B.C., the Romans had conquered that Greeks and had adopted the Greek Myths.

Users of Mythology

Great myths are never merely silly or superstitious tales. Like all true art, the great myths give us insights into the nature of our world. The Greeks and Romans used myths for these purposes:

1. To explain the creation of the world2. To explain natural phenomena3. To give story form to ancient religious practices4. To tech moral lessons5. To explain history6. To express the deepest fears and hopes of the human race

In Greek mythology, the highest mountain in Greece, Mount Olympus, was the dwelling of the Olympian Gods. Many of them traveled down to spend time with ordinary people. To myth makers, a god or goddess was a powerful being, often identified with a force of nature. The chart below shows some of the divinities and their special powers.