Why did the Greeks create and rely so heavily on myths? What significance did these myths have? Next, find an example of a modern-day myth. How is the myth you've chosen significant in a similar way to Greek myths? How is it different?
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I think that the Greeks relied so heavily on myths because they didn’t understand how everything on earth was created. We as humans hate not knowing things, so they created their own stories to explain how the earth and everything on it was created. However, they believed that the Gods did not create the earth, but that the earth created them.
An example of a modern day myth would be the unicorn! It represents magic. We don’t know if magic exists or not. Again, not knowing something led us to make up something to make it seem real. Another example of a modern myth would be the leprechaun! Remember the little green man that comes to collect the pot of god that sits under the rainbow, the masters of the four leaf clover? The leprechaun represents luck, a real emotion that we as people rely on. We have no idea how emotions were created inside of us, they’re just sort of…there. The ancient Greeks have already created gods for almost everything on earth, water, trees, and the sky….that’s one of the reasons we don’t have any things to represent the sky and the water. But the main reason is that our science is a lot better than it ever was back in the days of ancient Greece. We already know how most things on earth were created. I mean, you don’t see us going around saying so and so is the god of the compute! We already know how it was invented. However, one thing remains the same and it is the thing that makes our myths and the ancient Greek myths alike. It’s that both were created to represent things that we didn’t understand.
The greeks relied on myths so much because they believed in them and the run their lives by them. I think that they count on these myths because they are the things that sort of guide the Greeks. It tells the greeks what and what not to do and it helps them live their lives. Today I think that a modern day myth is of the Boogie Monster. It is something that most kids believe in and I also believed in it. But it relates to Myths in general because just like the greeks and how they believed in the myths. little kids also believed in a myth of the Boogie Monster. Those kids believed that something was going to come out from under their bed and they believed it because it was what they were told by friends and family. I think that the Boogie Monster and Greek Myths are similar because they are both things that people believed in and they thought that they were true I think that the Boogie Monster and Greek Myths are different because kids didn't nessacerly live their life by the Boogie monster and the Greeks did. The kids didn't think that the Boogie Monster was going to get them unless they were in the dark sleeping but the greeks thought that anything could happen any time.
I believe the Greeks created and relied on their myths to explain many of the things going on in their world that they did not understand and to create more powerful versions of themselves. Many things that the humans could not figure out how it was created or how it came into existence became gifts from the gods in Greek mythology.
Native Americans have many myths explaining everything from how the world was created to why mosquitoes buzz. One in particular is about how fire was brought to the people on Earth. One story is that a coyote fought the two fire monsters guarding the sun and lit a pile of stick on his back on fire to carry it back to his people. These myths are very similar to the Greek’s myths because they explain mysteries to people long ago. The myths are also different. Native American myths largely used personified animals and nature while in Greek myths things that were not understood were usually gifts from the gods.
There are many reasons that the Ancient Greeks relied so heavily on their myths. These reasons include trying to find an answer to a question that is known to all of us: why are we here? It is hard for many to accept the proposition that we are not here for a reason. The myths are their way of searching for an answer to this question. Another reason is to instill moral values into their posterity and better their own culture. It also builds a common vision and sense of the world that they share which binds them together as a culture. An example of a modern day myth is the boogeyman. This is similar because it is created to prevent children from sneaking out at night. This is specifically meant to teach kids a good lesson. It is different however, because it is openly accepted as a myth in the adult world, whereas if we could go back in time and ask one of the Ancient Greeks about their mythology, they would most likely deny that these were myths; similar to our religious belief of God.
Earlier in time, before the Greeks and people in general had advanced technology and tools to learn, they needed some kind of explanation for how the world around them was created. They relied on myths to explain basic questions to them like why the sun came every day and the moon at night. These myths gave comfort to the greeks because it let them think they knew more about how the world worked than they really did. Myths also let their imaginations create stories that gave morals and rules to use in their every day society. For example, to be nice and be rewarded. These myths are significant for these reason because they indirectly gave people reasons to act nicer and not steal, thinking it might be because gods were looking over them when really it just made a better society.
A modern day myth might be Santa Clause. I think that this is very similar to the myths the greeks had created. For example, back then, a sailor might have respected the ocean more by giving Poseidon offerings of food, hoping for a peaceful journey. In modern times we too offer cookies and milk to santa and act "nice" not "naughty" hoping for presents, not coal. But what is different is that our myth about Santa is much less complicated, it carries out a simple moral to be "nice" and get something like a present, in return, while the greeks myths were much more complicated and Poseidon might be mean and cruel or nice and he might give a sailor a storm even if the sailor had given food offerings. Santa is always nice...
Myths in Greek society served the dual purpose of explaining phenomenon a explainable at the time and conveying morals and values. For instance, while the tale of Narcissus (for whom the word narcissist is named ) teaches the Greeks the danger of vanity. It also reinforces the Greek’s belief that the world is governed by gods who have a role for humanity as they efface evils such as vanity. The gods also embody providence as they endow humanity with gifts such as fire and horses so that humanity may serve the will of the gods. The creation of myths to covey morals was primarily prevalent during a brief period before the Hellenistic era and the formation of the Delian league. This is because there was better political unity among the Greek city states during this time period and thus more focus on commonly held beliefs. However as time progressed the Greek city states became more distant and focused on promoting their own glory. In particular, the Greeks began seeking the remains of their dead heros in order to boost their cities’ moral. However, the Greeks confused the remains of their heros with mastodon bones as they believed that heros were all incredibly large and strong. Thus, the Greeks attempted to explain the abundance of fossil fragments in their lands by asserting that they were the bones of some ancient race of Greeks. The modern day myth that lightning never strikes the same place twice proves to be as flawed as some of the loftiest of the Greek myths as tall skyscrapers are frequently struck by lightning. However, It proves to be somewhat similar to that of Greek myths as it attempts to explain natural phenomena. But this myth also differs from Greek myths as the Greeks believed lightning was purposely controlled by Zeus and not random forces of nature..
When there is no way of explaining things, there is no way of relying on common sense. To the Greek people the only thing that makes sense is magic. Instead of making one person, animal or other living object rule over the land, splitting it up to many different Gods allows each God to have personality that people can relate to or worship in separate ways. When the creation of fire is too complicated for the mind to comprehend, they gave credit to the God that created fire.
A modern-day myth is the tooth fairy. For kids, making the trade of your tooth to money, is exciting enough to be "magic" and in that way they have created a figure who does this deed alone. If the parent is telling the child there is magical fairy who will take their tooth and give them money under their pillow, there is no logic around it. It is just "magic". This example is different to Greek mythology because the adult/parent knows the truth and makes up this story in return for a smile from their child. Things that were created before man are much harder for anyone to explain without present day science then it is to make up a story about a fairy. Fairies are creatures that do not exist and have nothing in relation to humans where as the Gods carry many human traits as well as "magical" powers.
Greeks rely on myths so much because they did not know how and why everything on earth was there and how it was formed and created. Greeks made up their own stories about leaders, kings, queens and masters. Greeks rely on these role models or figures because they did not have anyone else. these important figures where basically there guides in life. each figure would help them solve something different. there was a god for everything.
An example of modern-day magic would be the easter bunny as well as the tooth fairy or santa clause. kids believe that for each occasion each magical person will do something good for them. they believe that santa clause brings them presents and eats there milk and cookies, they believe that the tooth fairy collects there tooth when the child losses it and puts money under there pillow. and they believe that the easter bunny eats there carrots and fills there basket with an assortment of candy.
these magical figures relate to greek myths because like each different god does something good for you each holiday myth does good for you. how its different is the holiday figures did nothing but give you a surprise and it was usually younger kids who believed in them. the parents where the ones making there kids believe. the greek myths were a way of life. it wasn't something you believe in as a child its something everyone knew existed. you never got to old to grow out of that phase.
I think the Greeks created and relied on myths was so that they had something to look back on in their lives. I think they had a lot of interest about how the world was created so they made up their stories about their view of how the earth was created. The significance of these myths was that it had a huge impact on the Greeks. They all believed one thing and they all followed it. By following what they believed in it helped them to move on in life knowing what happened. An example of a modern day myth is that God created the world. This connects to the Greek myths because they believed that the earth created them. Even though they are kind of opposites they still connect because they both relate to how mankind was created.
hey everyone, its Stef I think that the Greeks created and relied heavily on myths, because they were confused about everything in the world around them. They didn't know what the sun was, how the ocean or sky worked, or what happened to you when you died. Because of this lacking of knowledge, they created there own ways of looking at things, so they wouldn't worry about those things. If they didn't have myths, then they would always be worrying about things to complex for their brains to handle, and because they didn't have the modern technology that we have, they couldn't find the answers out. These myths were very important to the Greeks. They helped in ways such as keeping people from killing for power, because the myth of Cronus says that he killed his father to gain all power, only to be sliced to pieces by his own son, with his own scythe. Without these myths, people would do anything they wanted, and have no reason not to. Over all, these myths gave the Greeks reasons, reasons for not stealing, what the sun was and why it moved across the sky in the way that it does.
An example of modern day myths would be Santa Claus, because Santa Claus is like a god. For example, the god of the sky gave mankind freedom from the titan, Cronus, and we repay him by giving him offerings burnt in fire, or building him a temple. Santa Claus gives us presents, and joy. We repay him with praise, and by leaving milk and cookies for him by a tree decorated in his honer. We don't know whether they exist, but we see that both of their gifts are really, so we repay them. Stef
The greeks relyed heavily on myths because it was their way of telling how the world became. It was also important becaause it showed more strentgh in their beleivings than other country's beleif. The myths signifagance was that it showed the strenths of the gods and how strong people are. It also shows who created everything, and the gods became the master of everything that is in the world.
Camp stories were told in a way to scare telling them other people have done it or they are the first. The greek mytholigy and camp mytholigy are similar because they both are of how the first person ever or the master of this. The way they are different is that camp stories are usually scary and are told by stories. A greek myth is more of a information conversation about who is the master of this who is the first of this. So that is how they are similar and how they are the same.
The Greek's reliance on myths reflects their inability to explain ideas in the world. During the period of time where Greek myths provided these explanations, very few were aware of ideas such as how humans were created, or why each thing on earth is how it is. It is human to be frustrated when questions go unanswered: myths in general provide a response to questions that seem impossible to reply to. Stories that the Greeks created did not necesarily show ignorance towards explanations, but it did give them a chance to answer the impossible.
Each child tends to believe in the tooth fairy, a creature who will take your lost teeth, and give you money. Similar to Greek myths, this does provide an explanation: children tend to question where their teeth go after they put them under their pillow, or just after they fall out of their mouth. The tooth fairy, much like Greek myths, symbolizes tradition. Families choose the ways they explain acts of nature, and many families are different. Myths in general are the same. However, the tooth fairy is more of a fun and silly creature, whereas the Greek's approach to myths were very serious.
In the ancient times of the Greeks, they did not have science to explain normal life situations. So that led to Greeks inventing their own explanations on every day life situations. For instance they invented the god Apollo to explain how the sun rose and set, since they had not discovered the scientific explanation on how the earth rotates around the sun, which creates the effect that seems like the sun rises and sets. The Greek myths, helped the Greeks understand more about their world, and this was very significant because it helped Greeks live their lives. Without the Greek myths the Greeks would have been living in confusion, so the Greeks myths were very important to them.
An example of a modern day myth would be Big Foot. Big Foot was invented partially to keep kids scared of the forest so they wouldn’t venture in the forest and get lost or hurt. Big Foot was the explanation for disappearances of people, even though they might have been hurt or disappeared in another way. In the same way as the Greek myths the legend of Big Foot has faded, as more reasonable explanation have come into the picture. But similar to the Greek myths some people still believe in Big Foot, but the legend has been altered to fit our modern day lives.
Years ago, when Greeks relied on myths, I think it was because they did not have the types of technology to explain how the humans were created and how humans, animals, and plants ended up on earth, so they began to make up stories to explain these things. Greeks believed that gods did not create the earth itself, but earth itself created the gods. Each god they made up, had its own thing or few things that it had created.
A particularly similar modern day myth, is the myth that the earth and everything on it, was created by God. The myth was started a very long time ago, however it still is believed in by many people today. Much like the myth of the Greek gods, it was created by people to explain how the universe was created. The two myths are almost exactly the same except for how there is believed to only be one God and that God created the earth unlike how with the Greek Gods, the earth created them.
I think Myths were just explanations used for why something exists. The greeks were very curious about life and the nature of it all and i think the reason why they created myths were because they wanted to make themselves believe how something came about.
An example would be snow. When snow falls, some people say its god's dandruff. Obviously this myth isn't true. It is simply a form of precipitation. This myth is similar to the ancient greek myths in the sense that people are still using explanations to describe how something is/ came to be.
I think that Greeks created and relied on myths and their gods because it was the way they understood and viewed the world and how it works. These myths were based on how nature works whether it was about rivers or fire. Myths were their profound ideas of the world.
A modern day myth today is the Chupacabra, which is an unknown animal which resembles a bear, that attacks and sucks the blood of lifestock. In 1995 there were 8 sheep found, drained of blood and a witness later supposedly saw a chupacabra in the same town. I think that this connects to Greek Mythology because people wanted an answer to what it was that was killing these animals, so they turned to the most realistic answer. Like Greek Mythology, people in Greece and Rome did not know how the earth was created so they created their own reasons and explanations. Though they are similar stories, they are different because people claim to have seen the chupacabra, while nobody claims to witness a greek god.
The Greeks created myths to explain their many questions of the order of events in the world. They relied heavily on the myths because we as people fear the mysterious and it gave them a sense of control. They knew that the gods existed and they had some protection from these powerful forces if they offered something to them. The myths had a huge significance; they controlled culture from songs to art as well as affecting their daily life and their explanation for the weather and the reoccurring events in their lives. The gods in some sense were alive. They existed in peoples mind and are reality is based on are perception of the environment we live in. The Gods had a huge impact on the Greeks the Romans and Egyptians they even have an influence on are culture to day. For instance the Apollo Theater named after the god Apollo (god of music) and the origin of the atlas' name comes from the titan Atlas who holds the world on his back. A modern myth might be a scientific theory. I chose this because we believe in science just as well as the Greeks believed in the gods. Back when the people believed in the gods to study them would be a form of science because that explains the working of the earth. As knowledge progresses further we see are scientific theories change. I chose scientific theories because a true modern myth is something that we truly believe in and that’s hard to question.
the Greeks relied on their myths because it was the structure of their society, they looked up to their gods with respect, answers, and help. The myths helped the Greeks with their problems. A modern day myth people believe is that god is not real, but since i am catholic i believe in him, i look up to him for help, and when i am in a time in need. Not everyone believes in god. The Greeks believe that the Titans created the earth and that Zeus commanded one of the Titans to create man, but instead of that side of the story i believe that god created the earth and humans.
I think that the Greeks created myths because that is how they had found the answers to things in the world that were unexplainable. An example would be how the Greeks had made up a god for everything that had to do with nature, such as Poseidon who was the ruler of the sea. So if there was ever anything happening in the oceans like hurricanes of some sort, they would be able to say that Poseidon was causing it. They had relied so heavily on these myths because without these myths they had created, they would've lived their life not knowing the answers to their questions of life and problems in the world. Without these myths, if there were something happening in the world, they would have at least one god they had created explaining the cause of this problem. Also without these gods, they would live in fear of the unknown parts of their world, and live life through without their answers to the laws of nature. An example of a modern-day myth is how when you die, you either get sent to heaven or hell... or the place in the middle of them. Truthfully, no one has ever come back from dying and explained their experience once they had died, so still to this day we don't know if this exists. We rely on our knowledge of good and evil, and what happens once you die, but we still don't know what exactly happens once we have been erased from the surface of the earth. The Ancient Greeks had also believed that there was a place you go to after you die. They had believed that Hades, the keeper of the underworld, had every soul of the dead stored in the underworld. In both stories, there is a place that is believed to exist that keeps you're soul there for all eternity. We had both believed in a place that comes after life. The difference we have about the place of death is that in the present day we have a heaven and hell, there fore separating people according to how much good or evil they have done while they were alive. In Greek Mythology, there is only one place you go to, and that is the Under world with Hades. They had not separated people once they were done living, not like the way we had. All in all, modern-day myths and Greek myths both answer our questions about the world, and what we didn't understand about it.
I think that the Greeks created and relied on myths because they lived in a time before they had an advanced society that understood about nature and how the earth was created. Therefore, they created reasons for the earth’s creation and the creation of nature and nature’s forces, and these are known today as myths. The myths are very significant because they have been around for centuries. Part of the myths was the creation of the 12 Olympians, who were the twelve gods. Each god represented a different element of nature. But, Zeus represented two, the sky and the heavens. This all showed people how the world around them was created and how it worked.
One modern day myth is that god created all humans, the heavens and earth. This is similar to the Greek myths because it explains what people didn’t or don’t know, which is how humans came to be on earth. This particular myth is significant to the Greek myth because it talks about the same thing in a different manner. The Greeks said that the Titans created the earth and the humans, while the later myths said that god created humans. This is different from the Greek myths because in the modern day myth there is only one god and in the Greek myths there are twelve gods.
Like what Sophie said, the Greeks didn't know how things were created, so they made their own stories based on what it would seem like. It is important because it shaped the rest of their beliefs. If they didn't have this basic information then we wouldn't have much religious diversity.
I think an example of a modern-day myth is aliens. I think this is very similar to greek mythology because some believe that aliens created humans. Like the gods, we don't know whether or not they exist, or what to believe about them. They both will remain as myths because there is not enough evidence that they exist, which is also why myths can't be false. Alien myths are different from Greek myths because Aliens have little to no contact with humans, but according to the Greeks, the gods had a lot of contact with them. Myths were relied on a lot with the Greeks, and was used for whenever they couldn't explain what had happened. Myths are actually created all the time. For example, if someone found a coin and said God left it, you could say something else happened, yet you have no proof for your point. Myth! If you think about it, a lot of myths shape our beliefs today, and will in the future as well.
The Greeks created and relied on their myths because the myths were their explanation of the world. At the time they created their mythology, science was not yet so advanced. They wanted to know why the rain fell and who governed war and above all, hey wanted to understand the world in which they lived. Their desire for knowledge and answers created the Greek Myths. The Greeks, like all humans, wanted to understand.
An example of a modern day myth is the Tooth Fairy. Kids want to know who takes care of their baby teeth after they fall out. For some kids, this myth is supplied by adults who want to answer the child’s question about their teeth but, wanting to give them the chance to believe in magic while they are still young, tell them the story of the Tooth Fairy instead of the truth. The kids get to believe in the magic of the Tooth Fairy, while understanding their own logic. Their questions are answered and they are happy to believe what they are told. This is similar to the Greek Myths because the children who are wondering about their teeth want an explanation. They are satisfied with the one they get.
The 12 Greek Gods are known for their powers and personalities each (Zues for king/ruler of lighting and the skies, Poseidon as ruler of the Seas, Hades as the ruler of the Underworld). Obviously, the Greek Gods were created by Ancient Greeks. The Greeks relied heavily on these myths because (as my fellow colleagues have said), the Greeks did not understand the complications of life such as war and peace, the lightning that comes from the sky in a storm, and other things of that nature. They were confused about why events happened when they happened.
A modern day myth is the myth of Santa Clause. Children are told that a plump, jolly man dressed in a red and white suit will fit down a chimney (for does who do hbe a chimney. For those who don't, like me, I was told that my mother greets him at the door), and delivers gifts to little children as they are sleeping. Telling a child about Santa Clause is a way of telling the children why there are gifts under the Christmas tree on Christmas in a more interesting and fun way for the child, making then believe that one day, they will be allowed to ride on Santa's slay. What relates the Greek gods and Santa Clause is that the children and the ancient Greeks come up with reasons as to why things happen the way they do.
The Greeks created and relied on myths because they needed an explanation for everything they saw around them, in the natural world and in how other humans acted. The fabulous gods and goddesses were a clear explanation to natural occurrences, such as the weather, the seasons, the stars, etcetera. Myths were significant because they were guide lines for how a person should live. For example, knowing that nymphs lived in trees taught you to be kind to nature and the story of Persephone and the pomegranates teaches you not to take what isn’t yours. Myths taught the ethics of human behavior and they explained everything in the natural world. A modern day myth is that of the monster that lives under your bed. A lot of small children are afraid of the dark and that is mostly because in the dark you have no control of your surroundings and that can make you feel vulnerable. In the dark, a monster could be there, but you wouldn’t be able to see it and that gives it the upper hand. This is similar to greek myths because both were created out of fear of the unknown. In Greece, when there were earth quakes or tidal waves, the people felt vulnerable because they didn’t know where these things came from. If they knew that Poseidon was angry, then they had a reason and felt they could prevent it from happening again by blessing him next time they went aboard a ship. These myths are different because the monster under your bed is something you outgrow, but Greek myths were something that people believed all their lives.
I think that the Greeks relied on myths so that they can believe and have a better understanding of events that seem very complex or have little or no information on how the occurence happened. With myths, it brings out the imaginative side of ones mind. It brings out joy to a groups society, believing that they could have the answers to how life was created.
Some people in the world feel that the Bible is a myth, believing that it is a bunch of fictional stories. I feel that the Bible and Greek Mythology connect in many ways since they both were started by many people in small communities, which spread amongst the people of the world creating an imaginative story. They differ by their status today. The Bible is widespread through the world, and is part of the largest religion in the world; Christianity. Whereas the people who are great believers of Greek Mythology are subsiding by the day, because of the Torrah, the Bible, and the Karan overpowering the stories of the Greeks.
Greeks created myths as explanations. Explanations for corn, wine,trees, animals, and everything else that they wondered about. Myths were also ways for Greeks to be able to pass down knowledge in a more structured way. Myths came in the form of poems, hyms and chants, literature, dances, and music. The Greeks relied heavily on myths because myths were their only way of knowing why the world was the way it was. Myths were also entertaing and fascinating for Greeks, young and old.
An example of a modern-day myth (or more modern-day than any greek myths)is The legend of the Hermit Thrush, an Iroquois myth. The story is simple. Every night at dusk you can hear a pretty song from the hermit thrush, a smalll bird. In the legend, all the animals of the forest wake up and greet the sun by singing, but all of the animals' loud voivces together were not pretty sounding at all. They decided that a bird should be the one to sing the song to the sun, but none of the birds' songs were deemed worthy enough. The animals knew that the "Great Spirit" lived high in the sky and that the spirit could offer them a song that one of the birds could sing. Many of the birds tried to fly to the "Great Spirit", but they couldn't for various reasons. As a last resort, the birds asked eagle to fly up since he was the strongest. Eagle agreed and tried to fly to the spirit. Before he took off, a small brown bird jumped on eagle's back because he wanted to hear the song of the spirit. Eagle got high in th sky with the brown bird on his back, but he soon got tired and returned to earth. Before he turned back, the brown bird hopped off his back and continued the journey to the spirit. Since eagle had flown most of the way, the brown bird had enough energy to go the spirit. The brown bird made it to the spirit, found a song pretty enough to greet the sun, and memorized it. He then flew back to earth to share the new song he had learned. When he got back no one noticed him and he thought to himself: What if the other animals are jealous of my song? What if eagle is angry with me? So the brown bird waited until dusk when all the animals were too tired to chase him, to sing. So every dusk he sung the song he had learned. And the Iroqouis say that you can still here the song of the hermit thrush at dusk if you listen. This myth is significant because it explains the simple nature of animals as do many Greek myths. The only significant difference between the two is that the "Great Spirit" and the Olympians are not the same. If you get passed the "kntty gritty" of it all, both the Iroqois and the Greeks are talking about their diede(s) or their god(s).
The Greeks relied so heavily on myth because, for them, myth functioned as both science and religion. Whenever there was something the Greeks could not explain it was because the gods were angry or because the gods were happy. If a man was a great warrior, it was because a god blessed him. If that man died, it was because a god had betrayed him. If the harvest was poor, it was because the gods had wanted it to be poor. As one of the first great civilizations, the Greeks wanted there to be a reason for what happened and, when they could not find one, they invented one. This is somewhat true today. Humans want to believe that there is an afterlife because many people have hard lives. Thus, humans invented heaven. A modern day myth is the myth of Santa Claus. The Santa Claus myth has one main function. It tries to convince kids to be good, because if they are good they get presents, as opposed to coal. The main differences are that Greeks believe that gods are neither omniscient nor omnipotent, and that gods have human aspects. This means that gods can be tricked and that gods are sometimes jealous, so even if you are respectful, the gods may look down upon you. Santa Claus is fair and cannot be tricked, a simplified child’s version of the Judeo-Christian god. The Greek gods, on the other hand, sometimes act out of anger or are just random, so it is hard to influence or anticipate their acts. Also another difference is that you have some control over Santa because, if you are good, Santa has to give you presents, while one has no control over the Greek gods. Unlike most gods, the Greek gods are fickle: sometimes they care about human affairs while other times they do not. The Greeks believe in fate. This means that at least sometime the gods have nothing to do with what actually happens. Finally Santa is different because he is a childhood fantasy, while Greek myths are very serious. In Greek myths, gods hardly care about humans. They do not usually care if humans hurt each other and usually they mix into human affairs only when humans insult a god, and then it is only to hurt the offending humans. The gods do not care if humans hurt other humans, they only care if humans insult gods.
I agree with many people that have said that the Greeks relied on myths to explain everyday things that happen. For example Zeus is supposed to be the god of the sky, which explains why there is thunder and lightning, since he controls everything that happened in the sky. There is also the legend of Poseidon, the god of the sea, which explains why there are waves in the sea, since he controls what happens in the sea. There are many more but I just want to give an example.
A good modern myth is the myth of U.F.Os because what might really be a Frisbee or peoples’ imaginations acting up, they think is a U.F.O (Unidentified Flying Object). Though a U.F.O can be just a Frisbee, it can also be a real flying machine with beings from other planets inside, just as the Greek gods could be real.
So I believe that there are no Greek gods (though I believe in god), and that there are no life forms living on other planets, but respect other peoples’ beliefs if they do.
There are many confusing events that happen in the world and I think that the Greeks used myths not only to explain why things happen, but to comfort themselves.
In modern times many people believe in heaven. I cant tell you for sure that heaven isn’t real, but it is very unlikely. I think that the reason that many people want to believe in heaven is the feel safer about dying. The thought of dying can sacre someone easily so why not come up with an something that makes you think that you will live forever in a joyful and happy place?
Just like Greek mythology, heaven is just another method of explaining something that is to complex for us to understand and helping us to feel better about it. Take Poisidon for example. His trident is said to cause earthquakes. That simple explanation is used to explain a whole earthquake, which really happens when to plates shift, but Greeks might never have been able to comprehend that idea. Although modern day myths seem to be more happy than greek myths. These days we only question things that scare us, than come up with a simple answer to it, like the tooth fairy. Little kids might be scared that their teeth are falling out, but then their parents give them money to make them feel better, whereas greek myths seem to be more scary like medusa who is an evil monster who turns men to stone.
Myths to Greeks were like Food to animals. it was the driving force of their work, the starter of argument and an entertainment that required all to play along.
The Gods were used to explain a number of things such as unanswered questions and things beyond the control of humans.
A myth that I found was the urban legend of the boggy man. it was told to children to scare them by explaining who it was the made the bumps at night when really it was just the dog. This story is similar to the Greek myth because they both seek to explain. But the boggy man was made to scare where the Greek myths were believe.
The Greeks really had nothing to rely on but myths and magic to understand how the world was created. They didn't have technology or anything so they had to believe/ make up what they thought happened. It shows how the Greeks can be imaginative and creative with their thoughts and beliefs. They thought that Zeus was the god of the sky, who controlled thunder and lightning. They needed something to beliebe in. Everyone wanted to know what really happened before they were alive and were confused about it as well; they needed to find an explanation to everything.
A modern-day myth would be the tooth fairy. Parents try to make their children beliebe that there is one and since the kids are small and young, they go along with it. Kids want to know where their teeth go and how money gets under their pillow through the night. So that makes it similar to Greek myths. Kids needed an explanation for how their teeth is gone in the morning when they left it under their pillow the night before. Greeks wanted to know how the earth was created and how things happened. A thing that is different is that Greeks were very serious about their myths. They BELIEVED in them, they didn't contradict them. They thought that their myths were precise. When people think about the tooth fairy, they think of a little fairy flapping their wings, carrying money in their back pocket. They think the tooth fairy is a joke while Greek myths were very important and meaningful.
The Greeks relied so heavily on myths was because they needed an explanation for the strange things happening around them. They were indeed human, and humans have a instinctual need for knowledge and to advance civilization. Greeks didn't like being in the dark about the weather and things relating to science, so they made up reasons for them. They made up Hades so they will believe they have a place to go after they die, Poseidon to make up for the odd sea related disasters they dont have the knowledge to explain yet, etc. The Greeks also need to set morals for themselves, a kind of goal they want to fufill. If they are bad to the Gods, insult them in any way that means they will be struck down or turned into a spider like one unfortunet soul that said she was a better weaver then Athena. A modern day myth is (unfortunetly) Santa Claus. This is a way for parents to get their kids to be good. If your bad then you will get coal in your stocking! of course there s never any coal, jus as a bolt of lightning didn't shoot from the sky and strike you dead if you said, 'I'm prettier then Aphordite!' Myths usually have some sort of moral to the story and teaches you a lesson of some sort. Santa Claus teaches you to be nice or bad things will come if you aren't.
The Greeks created the gods to explain things they could not. Where did we go after death? They responded with a god named Hades. Why do the sun and the moon move? They responded with Apollo and Artemis. These myths are there because, truthfully, they were scared. They did not know a lot of things that led to a want for reason. Mankind has always been drawn to reason. We are afraid of the unknown. To them the gods were the reason of the seasons, life, and everything else.
Now a modern myth is the truth of the Bible. Not to insult anyone's religions, but, we can relate to the Greeks today. The bible tells the words of God, or are supposed to. The words are credited to humans, but, were inspired by Gods. Now, compare the writers of the many combined stories of the bible to the creators of the Greek gods. The same process created a deity or a group of deities. This is one myth that can directly relate to the Greek gods. The difference is that Christians and the Jewish people believe in one god as the Greeks believe in several, and have given the Gods personalities and beings. God however, has no being (or one that can be looked upon) and is presumably like man due to his shaping of man in his image. These are the differences.
Also to add on to myths. Myths are created when two different ideas conflict without proof for either one over years until a myth is created asking if it is true. For example: The chicken came before the egg would be a myth as well as the egg came before the chicken.
Like everyone said, the Greeks relied on myths for all the things that they could not explain. However, to think out of the box, i believe they were also used as power for the kings and emperors of that time. they would say things like, they speak to God, so they would have a firm grip over all people, as they heard all the terrible stories of the wrath of gods when they do not obey too much that they will think they will suffer the same if they don't follow this man who speaks to god.
An example of modern-day myth is that god created only man (though i don't believe in it). There is not direct and firm evidence of extraterrestrial life, but there are too much conspiracies and theories that make it so believable. However, if aliens were true, the people who believed in this myth would think that the myth lied to them, and think that many of other myths and limitations have no effect as well, causing the creator of the myth to lose a lot of power.
I think the Greeks created Myths for a lot of reasons, only because they are used in many things. However I think the greeks created myths to perhaps have something to talk about. Yes that does seem general, but by "talk about" how about stories to tell, questions to answer and emotions to be expressed. People could say "You're as beautiful as Ahprodite" or "As mad Hades".The Greeks believed in more than one god. They believed in twelve. They believed that the Gods had created the universe. Created life. They tell these stories to fill in what they don't know.
An example of modern day myths would be the Tooth Fairy. A little fairy who comes at night, reaches under your pillow, takes your tooth, and in the morning you receive money. Fairies are small winged mystical creatures with wands. They are for the small children of the world to enjoy and wake up the next morning and say "The Tooth Fairy came!" Our myths today are mostly for little kids. However for the Greeks their myths were for everyone to believe.
I think the reason the Greeks relied so heavily on myth was because it helped explain things that were not totally understood at that time. Such as why lightning struck or the reasons why people die. New and strange discoveries were often seen as gifts, send down or created, by the gods because if that was not were they came from then nobody would have explanation. If the people believed in the gods everything could be explained simply. An example of a modern day myth would be the sand man. The sand man is the man who makes you go to sleep every night. He puts sand on your eyelids, which in turn make you fall asleep, willing or not willing. This myth is an explanation of something that people may not understand or may have trouble figuring out. This myth is very popular with young children because little children have trouble understanding science or the way the brain works so the sand man is a more mystical or magical explanation that works for young children.
The Greeks relied heavily on myths to give themselves explanations for natural occurrences. The myths served to inspire and instill fear in the people. The gods were created and modeled as high beings who bestowed the people with their grace. But they also had the exaggerated primitive nature of humans which created a beautiful, yet frightfully powerful beings. The stories teach the forth-coming generations lessons on various subject matters based on evolving Greek morals.
A modern day myth would be fairies. They are mythological creatures known to be kind as well as cruel tricksters. They are represented in human forms and are beautiful creatures. Fairies are more broad in definition than the Greek gods, though.
42 comments:
I think that the Greeks relied so heavily on myths because they didn’t understand how everything on earth was created. We as humans hate not knowing things, so they created their own stories to explain how the earth and everything on it was created. However, they believed that the Gods did not create the earth, but that the earth created them.
An example of a modern day myth would be the unicorn! It represents magic. We don’t know if magic exists or not. Again, not knowing something led us to make up something to make it seem real. Another example of a modern myth would be the leprechaun! Remember the little green man that comes to collect the pot of god that sits under the rainbow, the masters of the four leaf clover? The leprechaun represents luck, a real emotion that we as people rely on. We have no idea how emotions were created inside of us, they’re just sort of…there. The ancient Greeks have already created gods for almost everything on earth, water, trees, and the sky….that’s one of the reasons we don’t have any things to represent the sky and the water. But the main reason is that our science is a lot better than it ever was back in the days of ancient Greece. We already know how most things on earth were created. I mean, you don’t see us going around saying so and so is the god of the compute! We already know how it was invented. However, one thing remains the same and it is the thing that makes our myths and the ancient Greek myths alike. It’s that both were created to represent things that we didn’t understand.
The greeks relied on myths so much because they believed in them and the run their lives by them. I think that they count on these myths because they are the things that sort of guide the Greeks. It tells the greeks what and what not to do and it helps them live their lives.
Today I think that a modern day myth is of the Boogie Monster. It is something that most kids believe in and I also believed in it. But it relates to Myths in general because just like the greeks and how they believed in the myths. little kids also believed in a myth of the Boogie Monster. Those kids believed that something was going to come out from under their bed and they believed it because it was what they were told by friends and family.
I think that the Boogie Monster and Greek Myths are similar because they are both things that people believed in and they thought that they were true
I think that the Boogie Monster and Greek Myths are different because kids didn't nessacerly live their life by the Boogie monster and the Greeks did. The kids didn't think that the Boogie Monster was going to get them unless they were in the dark sleeping but the greeks thought that anything could happen any time.
I believe the Greeks created and relied on their myths to explain many of the things going on in their world that they did not understand and to create more powerful versions of themselves. Many things that the humans could not figure out how it was created or how it came into existence became gifts from the gods in Greek mythology.
Native Americans have many myths explaining everything from how the world was created to why mosquitoes buzz. One in particular is about how fire was brought to the people on Earth. One story is that a coyote fought the two fire monsters guarding the sun and lit a pile of stick on his back on fire to carry it back to his people. These myths are very similar to the Greek’s myths because they explain mysteries to people long ago. The myths are also different. Native American myths largely used personified animals and nature while in Greek myths things that were not understood were usually gifts from the gods.
There are many reasons that the Ancient Greeks relied so heavily on their myths. These reasons include trying to find an answer to a question that is known to all of us: why are we here? It is hard for many to accept the proposition that we are not here for a reason. The myths are their way of searching for an answer to this question. Another reason is to instill moral values into their posterity and better their own culture. It also builds a common vision and sense of the world that they share which binds them together as a culture.
An example of a modern day myth is the boogeyman. This is similar because it is created to prevent children from sneaking out at night. This is specifically meant to teach kids a good lesson. It is different however, because it is openly accepted as a myth in the adult world, whereas if we could go back in time and ask one of the Ancient Greeks about their mythology, they would most likely deny that these were myths; similar to our religious belief of God.
Earlier in time, before the Greeks and people in general had advanced technology and tools to learn, they needed some kind of explanation for how the world around them was created. They relied on myths to explain basic questions to them like why the sun came every day and the moon at night. These myths gave comfort to the greeks because it let them think they knew more about how the world worked than they really did. Myths also let their imaginations create stories that gave morals and rules to use in their every day society. For example, to be nice and be rewarded. These myths are significant for these reason because they indirectly gave people reasons to act nicer and not steal, thinking it might be because gods were looking over them when really it just made a better society.
A modern day myth might be Santa Clause. I think that this is very similar to the myths the greeks had created. For example, back then, a sailor might have respected the ocean more by giving Poseidon offerings of food, hoping for a peaceful journey. In modern times we too offer cookies and milk to santa and act "nice" not "naughty" hoping for presents, not coal. But what is different is that our myth about Santa is much less complicated, it carries out a simple moral to be "nice" and get something like a present, in return, while the greeks myths were much more complicated and Poseidon might be mean and cruel or nice and he might give a sailor a storm even if the sailor had given food offerings. Santa is always nice...
Myths in Greek society served the dual purpose of explaining phenomenon a explainable at the time and conveying morals and values. For instance, while the tale of Narcissus (for whom the word narcissist is named ) teaches the Greeks the danger of vanity. It also reinforces the Greek’s belief that the world is governed by gods who have a role for humanity as they efface evils such as vanity. The gods also embody providence as they endow humanity with gifts such as fire and horses so that humanity may serve the will of the gods. The creation of myths to covey morals was primarily prevalent during a brief period before the Hellenistic era and the formation of the Delian league. This is because there was better political unity among the Greek city states during this time period and thus more focus on commonly held beliefs. However as time progressed the Greek city states became more distant and focused on promoting their own glory. In particular, the Greeks began seeking the remains of their dead heros in order to boost their cities’ moral. However, the Greeks confused the remains of their heros with mastodon bones as they believed that heros were all incredibly large and strong. Thus, the Greeks attempted to explain the abundance of fossil fragments in their lands by asserting that they were the bones of some ancient race of Greeks. The modern day myth that lightning never strikes the same place twice proves to be as flawed as some of the loftiest of the Greek myths as tall skyscrapers are frequently struck by lightning. However, It proves to be somewhat similar to that of Greek myths as it attempts to explain natural phenomena. But this myth also differs from Greek myths as the Greeks believed lightning was purposely controlled by Zeus and not random forces of nature..
When there is no way of explaining things, there is no way of relying on common sense. To the Greek people the only thing that makes sense is magic. Instead of making one person, animal or other living object rule over the land, splitting it up to many different Gods allows each God to have personality that people can relate to or worship in separate ways. When the creation of fire is too complicated for the mind to comprehend, they gave credit to the God that created fire.
A modern-day myth is the tooth fairy. For kids, making the trade of your tooth to money, is exciting enough to be "magic" and in that way they have created a figure who does this deed alone. If the parent is telling the child there is magical fairy who will take their tooth and give them money under their pillow, there is no logic around it. It is just "magic".
This example is different to Greek mythology because the adult/parent knows the truth and makes up this story in return for a smile from their child. Things that were created before man are much harder for anyone to explain without present day science then it is to make up a story about a fairy.
Fairies are creatures that do not exist and have nothing in relation to humans where as the Gods carry many human traits as well as "magical" powers.
Greeks rely on myths so much because they did not know how and why everything on earth was there and how it was formed and created. Greeks made up their own stories about leaders, kings, queens and masters. Greeks rely on these role models or figures because they did not have anyone else. these important figures where basically there guides in life. each figure would help them solve something different. there was a god for everything.
An example of modern-day magic would be the easter bunny as well as the tooth fairy or santa clause. kids believe that for each occasion each magical person will do something good for them. they believe that santa clause brings them presents and eats there milk and cookies, they believe that the tooth fairy collects there tooth when the child losses it and puts money under there pillow. and they believe that the easter bunny eats there carrots and fills there basket with an assortment of candy.
these magical figures relate to greek myths because like each different god does something good for you each holiday myth does good for you. how its different is the holiday figures did nothing but give you a surprise and it was usually younger kids who believed in them. the parents where the ones making there kids believe. the greek myths were a way of life. it wasn't something you believe in as a child its something everyone knew existed. you never got to old to grow out of that phase.
I think the Greeks created and relied on myths was so that they had something to look back on in their lives. I think they had a lot of interest about how the world was created so they made up their stories about their view of how the earth was created. The significance of these myths was that it had a huge impact on the Greeks. They all believed one thing and they all followed it. By following what they believed in it helped them to move on in life knowing what happened.
An example of a modern day myth is that God created the world. This connects to the Greek myths because they believed that the earth created them. Even though they are kind of opposites they still connect because they both relate to how mankind was created.
hey everyone, its Stef
I think that the Greeks created and relied heavily on myths, because they were confused about everything in the world around them. They didn't know what the sun was, how the ocean or sky worked, or what happened to you when you died. Because of this lacking of knowledge, they created there own ways of looking at things, so they wouldn't worry about those things. If they didn't have myths, then they would always be worrying about things to complex for their brains to handle, and because they didn't have the modern technology that we have, they couldn't find the answers out. These myths were very important to the Greeks. They helped in ways such as keeping people from killing for power, because the myth of Cronus says that he killed his father to gain all power, only to be sliced to pieces by his own son, with his own scythe. Without these myths, people would do anything they wanted, and have no reason not to. Over all, these myths gave the Greeks reasons, reasons for not stealing, what the sun was and why it moved across the sky in the way that it does.
An example of modern day myths would be Santa Claus, because Santa Claus is like a god. For example, the god of the sky gave mankind freedom from the titan, Cronus, and we repay him by giving him offerings burnt in fire, or building him a temple. Santa Claus gives us presents, and joy. We repay him with praise, and by leaving milk and cookies for him by a tree decorated in his honer. We don't know whether they exist, but we see that both of their gifts are really, so we repay them.
Stef
The greeks relyed heavily on myths because it was their way of telling how the world became. It was also important becaause it showed more strentgh in their beleivings than other country's beleif. The myths signifagance was that it showed the strenths of the gods and how strong people are. It also shows who created everything, and the gods became the master of everything that is in the world.
Camp stories were told in a way to scare telling them other people have done it or they are the first. The greek mytholigy and camp mytholigy are similar because they both are of how the first person ever or the master of this. The way they are different is that camp stories are usually scary and are told by stories. A greek myth is more of a information conversation about who is the master of this who is the first of this. So that is how they are similar and how they are the same.
The Greek's reliance on myths reflects their inability to explain ideas in the world. During the period of time where Greek myths provided these explanations, very few were aware of ideas such as how humans were created, or why each thing on earth is how it is. It is human to be frustrated when questions go unanswered: myths in general provide a response to questions that seem impossible to reply to. Stories that the Greeks created did not necesarily show ignorance towards explanations, but it did give them a chance to answer the impossible.
Each child tends to believe in the tooth fairy, a creature who will take your lost teeth, and give you money. Similar to Greek myths, this does provide an explanation: children tend to question where their teeth go after they put them under their pillow, or just after they fall out of their mouth. The tooth fairy, much like Greek myths, symbolizes tradition. Families choose the ways they explain acts of nature, and many families are different. Myths in general are the same. However, the tooth fairy is more of a fun and silly creature, whereas the Greek's approach to myths were very serious.
In the ancient times of the Greeks, they did not have science to explain normal life situations. So that led to Greeks inventing their own explanations on every day life situations. For instance they invented the god Apollo to explain how the sun rose and set, since they had not discovered the scientific explanation on how the earth rotates around the sun, which creates the effect that seems like the sun rises and sets. The Greek myths, helped the Greeks understand more about their world, and this was very significant because it helped Greeks live their lives. Without the Greek myths the Greeks would have been living in confusion, so the Greeks myths were very important to them.
An example of a modern day myth would be Big Foot. Big Foot was invented partially to keep kids scared of the forest so they wouldn’t venture in the forest and get lost or hurt. Big Foot was the explanation for disappearances of people, even though they might have been hurt or disappeared in another way. In the same way as the Greek myths the legend of Big Foot has faded, as more reasonable explanation have come into the picture. But similar to the Greek myths some people still believe in Big Foot, but the legend has been altered to fit our modern day lives.
Years ago, when Greeks relied on myths, I think it was because they did not have the types of technology to explain how the humans were created and how humans, animals, and plants ended up on earth, so they began to make up stories to explain these things. Greeks believed that gods did not create the earth itself, but earth itself created the gods. Each god they made up, had its own thing or few things that it had created.
A particularly similar modern day myth, is the myth that the earth and everything on it, was created by God. The myth was started a very long time ago, however it still is believed in by many people today. Much like the myth of the Greek gods, it was created by people to explain how the universe was created. The two myths are almost exactly the same except for how there is believed to only be one God and that God created the earth unlike how with the Greek Gods, the earth created them.
I think Myths were just explanations used for why something exists. The greeks were very curious about life and the nature of it all and i think the reason why they created myths were because they wanted to make themselves believe how something came about.
An example would be snow. When snow falls, some people say its god's dandruff. Obviously this myth isn't true. It is simply a form of precipitation. This myth is similar to the ancient greek myths in the sense that people are still using explanations to describe how something is/ came to be.
I think that Greeks created and relied on myths and their gods because it was the way they understood and viewed the world and how it works. These myths were based on how nature works whether it was about rivers or fire. Myths were their profound ideas of the world.
A modern day myth today is the Chupacabra, which is an unknown animal which resembles a bear, that attacks and sucks the blood of lifestock. In 1995 there were 8 sheep found, drained of blood and a witness later supposedly saw a chupacabra in the same town. I think that this connects to Greek Mythology because people wanted an answer to what it was that was killing these animals, so they turned to the most realistic answer. Like Greek Mythology, people in Greece and Rome did not know how the earth was created so they created their own reasons and explanations. Though they are similar stories, they are different because people claim to have seen the chupacabra, while nobody claims to witness a greek god.
The Greeks created myths to explain their many questions of the order of events in the world. They relied heavily on the myths because we as people fear the mysterious and it gave them a sense of control. They knew that the gods existed and they had some protection from these powerful forces if they offered something to them. The myths had a huge significance; they controlled culture from songs to art as well as affecting their daily life and their explanation for the weather and the reoccurring events in their lives. The gods in some sense were alive. They existed in peoples mind and are reality is based on are perception of the environment we live in. The Gods had a huge impact on the Greeks the Romans and Egyptians they even have an influence on are culture to day. For instance the Apollo Theater named after the god Apollo (god of music) and the origin of the atlas' name comes from the titan Atlas who holds the world on his back.
A modern myth might be a scientific theory. I chose this because we believe in science just as well as the Greeks believed in the gods. Back when the people believed in the gods to study them would be a form of science because that explains the working of the earth. As knowledge progresses further we see are scientific theories change. I chose scientific theories because a true modern myth is something that we truly believe in and that’s hard to question.
the Greeks relied on their myths because it was the structure of their society, they looked up to their gods with respect, answers, and help. The myths helped the Greeks with their problems. A modern day myth people believe is that god is not real, but since i am catholic i believe in him, i look up to him for help, and when i am in a time in need. Not everyone believes in god. The Greeks believe that the Titans created the earth and that Zeus commanded one of the Titans to create man, but instead of that side of the story i believe that god created the earth and humans.
I think that the Greeks created myths because that is how they had found the answers to things in the world that were unexplainable. An example would be how the Greeks had made up a god for everything that had to do with nature, such as Poseidon who was the ruler of the sea. So if there was ever anything happening in the oceans like hurricanes of some sort, they would be able to say that Poseidon was causing it. They had relied so heavily on these myths because without these myths they had created, they would've lived their life not knowing the answers to their questions of life and problems in the world. Without these myths, if there were something happening in the world, they would have at least one god they had created explaining the cause of this problem. Also without these gods, they would live in fear of the unknown parts of their world, and live life through without their answers to the laws of nature. An example of a modern-day myth is how when you die, you either get sent to heaven or hell... or the place in the middle of them. Truthfully, no one has ever come back from dying and explained their experience once they had died, so still to this day we don't know if this exists. We rely on our knowledge of good and evil, and what happens once you die, but we still don't know what exactly happens once we have been erased from the surface of the earth. The Ancient Greeks had also believed that there was a place you go to after you die. They had believed that Hades, the keeper of the underworld, had every soul of the dead stored in the underworld. In both stories, there is a place that is believed to exist that keeps you're soul there for all eternity. We had both believed in a place that comes after life. The difference we have about the place of death is that in the present day we have a heaven and hell, there fore separating people according to how much good or evil they have done while they were alive. In Greek Mythology, there is only one place you go to, and that is the Under world with Hades. They had not separated people once they were done living, not like the way we had. All in all, modern-day myths and Greek myths both answer our questions about the world, and what we didn't understand about it.
I think that the Greeks created and relied on myths because they lived in a time before they had an advanced society that understood about nature and how the earth was created. Therefore, they created reasons for the earth’s creation and the creation of nature and nature’s forces, and these are known today as myths. The myths are very significant because they have been around for centuries. Part of the myths was the creation of the 12 Olympians, who were the twelve gods. Each god represented a different element of nature. But, Zeus represented two, the sky and the heavens. This all showed people how the world around them was created and how it worked.
One modern day myth is that god created all humans, the heavens and earth. This is similar to the Greek myths because it explains what people didn’t or don’t know, which is how humans came to be on earth. This particular myth is significant to the Greek myth because it talks about the same thing in a different manner. The Greeks said that the Titans created the earth and the humans, while the later myths said that god created humans. This is different from the Greek myths because in the modern day myth there is only one god and in the Greek myths there are twelve gods.
Like what Sophie said, the Greeks didn't know how things were created, so they made their own stories based on what it would seem like. It is important because it shaped the rest of their beliefs. If they didn't have this basic information then we wouldn't have much religious diversity.
I think an example of a modern-day myth is aliens. I think this is very similar to greek mythology because some believe that aliens created humans. Like the gods, we don't know whether or not they exist, or what to believe about them. They both will remain as myths because there is not enough evidence that they exist, which is also why myths can't be false. Alien myths are different from Greek myths because Aliens have little to no contact with humans, but according to the Greeks, the gods had a lot of contact with them. Myths were relied on a lot with the Greeks, and was used for whenever they couldn't explain what had happened. Myths are actually created all the time. For example, if someone found a coin and said God left it, you could say something else happened, yet you have no proof for your point. Myth! If you think about it, a lot of myths shape our beliefs today, and will in the future as well.
Cara
Hi, it's Kai W
The Greeks created and relied on their myths because the myths were their explanation of the world. At the time they created their mythology, science was not yet so advanced. They wanted to know why the rain fell and who governed war and above all, hey wanted to understand the world in which they lived. Their desire for knowledge and answers created the Greek Myths. The Greeks, like all humans, wanted to understand.
An example of a modern day myth is the Tooth Fairy. Kids want to know who takes care of their baby teeth after they fall out. For some kids, this myth is supplied by adults who want to answer the child’s question about their teeth but, wanting to give them the chance to believe in magic while they are still young, tell them the story of the Tooth Fairy instead of the truth. The kids get to believe in the magic of the Tooth Fairy, while understanding their own logic. Their questions are answered and they are happy to believe what they are told. This is similar to the Greek Myths because the children who are wondering about their teeth want an explanation. They are satisfied with the one they get.
The 12 Greek Gods are known for their powers and personalities each (Zues for king/ruler of lighting and the skies, Poseidon as ruler of the Seas, Hades as the ruler of the Underworld). Obviously, the Greek Gods were created by Ancient Greeks. The Greeks relied heavily on these myths because (as my fellow colleagues have said), the Greeks did not understand the complications of life such as war and peace, the lightning that comes from the sky in a storm, and other things of that nature. They were confused about why events happened when they happened.
A modern day myth is the myth of Santa Clause. Children are told that a plump, jolly man dressed in a red and white suit will fit down a chimney (for does who do hbe a chimney. For those who don't, like me, I was told that my mother greets him at the door), and delivers gifts to little children as they are sleeping. Telling a child about Santa Clause is a way of telling the children why there are gifts under the Christmas tree on Christmas in a more interesting and fun way for the child, making then believe that one day, they will be allowed to ride on Santa's slay. What relates the Greek gods and Santa Clause is that the children and the ancient Greeks come up with reasons as to why things happen the way they do.
The Greeks created and relied on myths because they needed an explanation for everything they saw around them, in the natural world and in how other humans acted. The fabulous gods and goddesses were a clear explanation to natural occurrences, such as the weather, the seasons, the stars, etcetera. Myths were significant because they were guide lines for how a person should live. For example, knowing that nymphs lived in trees taught you to be kind to nature and the story of Persephone and the pomegranates teaches you not to take what isn’t yours. Myths taught the ethics of human behavior and they explained everything in the natural world.
A modern day myth is that of the monster that lives under your bed. A lot of small children are afraid of the dark and that is mostly because in the dark you have no control of your surroundings and that can make you feel vulnerable. In the dark, a monster could be there, but you wouldn’t be able to see it and that gives it the upper hand. This is similar to greek myths because both were created out of fear of the unknown. In Greece, when there were earth quakes or tidal waves, the people felt vulnerable because they didn’t know where these things came from. If they knew that Poseidon was angry, then they had a reason and felt they could prevent it from happening again by blessing him next time they went aboard a ship. These myths are different because the monster under your bed is something you outgrow, but Greek myths were something that people believed all their lives.
I think that the Greeks relied on myths so that they can believe and have a better understanding of events that seem very complex or have little or no information on how the occurence happened. With myths, it brings out the imaginative side of ones mind. It brings out joy to a groups society, believing that they could have the answers to how life was created.
Some people in the world feel that the Bible is a myth, believing that it is a bunch of fictional stories. I feel that the Bible and Greek Mythology connect in many ways since they both were started by many people in small communities, which spread amongst the people of the world creating an imaginative story. They differ by their status today. The Bible is widespread through the world, and is part of the largest religion in the world; Christianity. Whereas the people who are great believers of Greek Mythology are subsiding by the day, because of the Torrah, the Bible, and the Karan overpowering the stories of the Greeks.
Koran*
Greeks created myths as explanations. Explanations for corn, wine,trees, animals, and everything else that they wondered about. Myths were also ways for Greeks to be able to pass down knowledge in a more structured way. Myths came in the form of poems, hyms and chants, literature, dances, and music. The Greeks relied heavily on myths because myths were their only way of knowing why the world was the way it was. Myths were also entertaing and fascinating for Greeks, young and old.
An example of a modern-day myth (or more modern-day than any greek myths)is The legend of the Hermit Thrush, an Iroquois myth. The story is simple. Every night at dusk you can hear a pretty song from the hermit thrush, a smalll bird. In the legend, all the animals of the forest wake up and greet the sun by singing, but all of the animals' loud voivces together were not pretty sounding at all. They decided that a bird should be the one to sing the song to the sun, but none of the birds' songs were deemed worthy enough. The animals knew that the "Great Spirit" lived high in the sky and that the spirit could offer them a song that one of the birds could sing. Many of the birds tried to fly to the "Great Spirit", but they couldn't for various reasons. As a last resort, the birds asked eagle to fly up since he was the strongest. Eagle agreed and tried to fly to the spirit. Before he took off, a small brown bird jumped on eagle's back because he wanted to hear the song of the spirit. Eagle got high in th sky with the brown bird on his back, but he soon got tired and returned to earth. Before he turned back, the brown bird hopped off his back and continued the journey to the spirit. Since eagle had flown most of the way, the brown bird had enough energy to go the spirit. The brown bird made it to the spirit, found a song pretty enough to greet the sun, and memorized it. He then flew back to earth to share the new song he had learned. When he got back no one noticed him and he thought to himself: What if the other animals are jealous of my song? What if eagle is angry with me? So the brown bird waited until dusk when all the animals were too tired to chase him, to sing. So every dusk he sung the song he had learned. And the Iroqouis say that you can still here the song of the hermit thrush at dusk if you listen. This myth is significant because it explains the simple nature of animals as do many Greek myths. The only significant difference between the two is that the "Great Spirit" and the Olympians are not the same. If you get passed the "kntty gritty" of it all, both the Iroqois and the Greeks are talking about their diede(s) or their god(s).
-Kai Marcel
The Greeks relied so heavily on myth because, for them, myth functioned as both science and religion. Whenever there was something the Greeks could not explain it was because the gods were angry or because the gods were happy. If a man was a great warrior, it was because a god blessed him. If that man died, it was because a god had betrayed him. If the harvest was poor, it was because the gods had wanted it to be poor. As one of the first great civilizations, the Greeks wanted there to be a reason for what happened and, when they could not find one, they invented one. This is somewhat true today. Humans want to believe that there is an afterlife because many people have hard lives. Thus, humans invented heaven.
A modern day myth is the myth of Santa Claus. The Santa Claus myth has one main function. It tries to convince kids to be good, because if they are good they get presents, as opposed to coal.
The main differences are that Greeks believe that gods are neither omniscient nor omnipotent, and that gods have human aspects. This means that gods can be tricked and that gods are sometimes jealous, so even if you are respectful, the gods may look down upon you. Santa Claus is fair and cannot be tricked, a simplified child’s version of the Judeo-Christian god. The Greek gods, on the other hand, sometimes act out of anger or are just random, so it is hard to influence or anticipate their acts. Also another difference is that you have some control over Santa because, if you are good, Santa has to give you presents, while one has no control over the Greek gods. Unlike most gods, the Greek gods are fickle: sometimes they care about human affairs while other times they do not. The Greeks believe in fate. This means that at least sometime the gods have nothing to do with what actually happens. Finally Santa is different because he is a childhood fantasy, while Greek myths are very serious. In Greek myths, gods hardly care about humans. They do not usually care if humans hurt each other and usually they mix into human affairs only when humans insult a god, and then it is only to hurt the offending humans. The gods do not care if humans hurt other humans, they only care if humans insult gods.
I agree with many people that have said that the Greeks relied on myths to explain everyday things that happen. For example Zeus is supposed to be the god of the sky, which explains why there is thunder and lightning, since he controls everything that happened in the sky. There is also the legend of Poseidon, the god of the sea, which explains why there are waves in the sea, since he controls what happens in the sea. There are many more but I just want to give an example.
A good modern myth is the myth of U.F.Os because what might really be a Frisbee or peoples’ imaginations acting up, they think is a U.F.O (Unidentified Flying Object). Though a U.F.O can be just a Frisbee, it can also be a real flying machine with beings from other planets inside, just as the Greek gods could be real.
So I believe that there are no Greek gods (though I believe in god), and that there are no life forms living on other planets, but respect other peoples’ beliefs if they do.
There are many confusing events that happen in the world and I think that the Greeks used myths not only to explain why things happen, but to comfort themselves.
In modern times many people believe in heaven. I cant tell you for sure that heaven isn’t real, but it is very unlikely. I think that the reason that many people want to believe in heaven is the feel safer about dying. The thought of dying can sacre someone easily so why not come up with an something that makes you think that you will live forever in a joyful and happy place?
Just like Greek mythology, heaven is just another method of explaining something that is to complex for us to understand and helping us to feel better about it. Take Poisidon for example. His trident is said to cause earthquakes. That simple explanation is used to explain a whole earthquake, which really happens when to plates shift, but Greeks might never have been able to comprehend that idea. Although modern day myths seem to be more happy than greek myths. These days we only question things that scare us, than come up with a simple answer to it, like the tooth fairy. Little kids might be scared that their teeth are falling out, but then their parents give them money to make them feel better, whereas greek myths seem to be more scary like medusa who is an evil monster who turns men to stone.
Myths to Greeks were like Food to animals. it was the driving force of their work, the starter of argument and an entertainment that required all to play along.
The Gods were used to explain a number of things such as unanswered questions and things beyond the control of humans.
A myth that I found was the urban legend of the boggy man. it was told to children to scare them by explaining who it was the made the bumps at night when really it was just the dog. This story is similar to the Greek myth because they both seek to explain. But the boggy man was made to scare where the Greek myths were believe.
The Greeks really had nothing to rely on but myths and magic to understand how the world was created. They didn't have technology or anything so they had to believe/ make up what they thought happened. It shows how the Greeks can be imaginative and creative with their thoughts and beliefs. They thought that Zeus was the god of the sky, who controlled thunder and lightning. They needed something to beliebe in. Everyone wanted to know what really happened before they were alive and were confused about it as well; they needed to find an explanation to everything.
A modern-day myth would be the tooth fairy. Parents try to make their children beliebe that there is one and since the kids are small and young, they go along with it. Kids want to know where their teeth go and how money gets under their pillow through the night. So that makes it similar to Greek myths. Kids needed an explanation for how their teeth is gone in the morning when they left it under their pillow the night before. Greeks wanted to know how the earth was created and how things happened. A thing that is different is that Greeks were very serious about their myths. They BELIEVED in them, they didn't contradict them. They thought that their myths were precise. When people think about the tooth fairy, they think of a little fairy flapping their wings, carrying money in their back pocket. They think the tooth fairy is a joke while Greek myths were very important and meaningful.
-Brianna B♥
The Greeks relied so heavily on myths was because they needed an explanation for the strange things happening around them. They were indeed human, and humans have a instinctual need for knowledge and to advance civilization. Greeks didn't like being in the dark about the weather and things relating to science, so they made up reasons for them. They made up Hades so they will believe they have a place to go after they die, Poseidon to make up for the odd sea related disasters they dont have the knowledge to explain yet, etc. The Greeks also need to set morals for themselves, a kind of goal they want to fufill. If they are bad to the Gods, insult them in any way that means they will be struck down or turned into a spider like one unfortunet soul that said she was a better weaver then Athena.
A modern day myth is (unfortunetly) Santa Claus. This is a way for parents to get their kids to be good. If your bad then you will get coal in your stocking! of course there s never any coal, jus as a bolt of lightning didn't shoot from the sky and strike you dead if you said, 'I'm prettier then Aphordite!' Myths usually have some sort of moral to the story and teaches you a lesson of some sort. Santa Claus teaches you to be nice or bad things will come if you aren't.
The Greeks created the gods to explain things they could not. Where did we go after death? They responded with a god named Hades. Why do the sun and the moon move? They responded with Apollo and Artemis. These myths are there because, truthfully, they were scared. They did not know a lot of things that led to a want for reason. Mankind has always been drawn to reason. We are afraid of the unknown. To them the gods were the reason of the seasons, life, and everything else.
Now a modern myth is the truth of the Bible. Not to insult anyone's religions, but, we can relate to the Greeks today. The bible tells the words of God, or are supposed to. The words are credited to humans, but, were inspired by Gods. Now, compare the writers of the many combined stories of the bible to the creators of the Greek gods. The same process created a deity or a group of deities. This is one myth that can directly relate to the Greek gods. The difference is that Christians and the Jewish people believe in one god as the Greeks believe in several, and have given the Gods personalities and beings. God however, has no being (or one that can be looked upon) and is presumably like man due to his shaping of man in his image. These are the differences.
Also to add on to myths. Myths are created when two different ideas conflict without proof for either one over years until a myth is created asking if it is true. For example: The chicken came before the egg would be a myth as well as the egg came before the chicken.
Like everyone said, the Greeks relied on myths for all the things that they could not explain. However, to think out of the box, i believe they were also used as power for the kings and emperors of that time. they would say things like, they speak to God, so they would have a firm grip over all people, as they heard all the terrible stories of the wrath of gods when they do not obey too much that they will think they will suffer the same if they don't follow this man who speaks to god.
An example of modern-day myth is that god created only man (though i don't believe in it). There is not direct and firm evidence of extraterrestrial life, but there are too much conspiracies and theories that make it so believable. However, if aliens were true, the people who believed in this myth would think that the myth lied to them, and think that many of other myths and limitations have no effect as well, causing the creator of the myth to lose a lot of power.
I think the Greeks created Myths for a lot of reasons, only because they are used in many things. However I think the greeks created myths to perhaps have something to talk about. Yes that does seem general, but by "talk about" how about stories to tell, questions to answer and emotions to be expressed. People could say "You're as beautiful as Ahprodite" or "As mad Hades".The Greeks believed in more than one god. They believed in twelve. They believed that the Gods had created the universe. Created life. They tell these stories to fill in what they don't know.
An example of modern day myths would be the Tooth Fairy. A little fairy who comes at night, reaches under your pillow, takes your tooth, and in the morning you receive money. Fairies are small winged mystical creatures with wands. They are for the small children of the world to enjoy and wake up the next morning and say "The Tooth Fairy came!" Our myths today are mostly for little kids. However for the Greeks their myths were for everyone to believe.
I think the reason the Greeks relied so heavily on myth was because it helped explain things that were not totally understood at that time. Such as why lightning struck or the reasons why people die. New and strange discoveries were often seen as gifts, send down or created, by the gods because if that was not were they came from then nobody would have explanation. If the people believed in the gods everything could be explained simply.
An example of a modern day myth would be the sand man. The sand man is the man who makes you go to sleep every night. He puts sand on your eyelids, which in turn make you fall asleep, willing or not willing. This myth is an explanation of something that people may not understand or may have trouble figuring out. This myth is very popular with young children because little children have trouble understanding science or the way the brain works so the sand man is a more mystical or magical explanation that works for young children.
The Greeks relied heavily on myths to give themselves explanations for natural occurrences. The myths served to inspire and instill fear in the people. The gods were created and modeled as high beings who bestowed the people with their grace. But they also had the exaggerated primitive nature of humans which created a beautiful, yet frightfully powerful beings. The stories teach the forth-coming generations lessons on various subject matters based on evolving Greek morals.
A modern day myth would be fairies. They are mythological creatures known to be kind as well as cruel tricksters. They are represented in human forms and are beautiful creatures. Fairies are more broad in definition than the Greek gods, though.
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