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None Provided54 Greek Mythology: Fact or Fiction “Most myths can be divided into two groups: explanatory myths and creation myths. Creation myths are those that try to explain the origin of the world, the creation of human beings and the birth of gods and goddesses. Explanatory myths are those that try to explain natural processes or events and also some deal with illness and death. Mythical beings fall into several groups. Many gods and goddesses resemble human beings even though they do have supernatural powers. These divinities are called anthropomorphic, from the Greek word meaning, in shape of a man. Another group of mythical beings include gods and goddesses who resemble animals. These characters are called theriomorphic, again from the Greek word meaning in the shape of an animal. The last group of mythical beings has no specific name. These beings were neither completely human or animal. An example is the famous sphinx of Egypt, which has a human head and a lion's body. Many myths deal with the relationship between mortals and divinities. Some mythical mortals have a divine father and a mortal mother and are called heroes” Each one of these divinities had a place to live. Since humans characterized these gods as all knowing and all seeing their homes were usually higher than mortals can reach. (Hercules). Most things in mythology were symbolized, for instance the sun was symbolized by, Helios god of the sun, driving a flaming chariot across the sky. People, animals, and plants represented ideas or events. Asclepius, god of healing held a staff with a serpent coiled around it and to day that staff is the insignia for the medical profession. Then again there are quite a few things that have opposite meanings like Gilgamesh looking for a herb that made anyone who ate it immortal and Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit and loosing their immortal qualities. One of the first theorists Friedrich Max Muller was a German born British language scholar of the 1800’s. Muller suggested that all gods and mythical heroes were representation of nature, especially the sun. Muller also believed hat all major gods represented the sun at one it’s many phases. Today’s scholars don not take Muller’s main theories seriously. But Muller and his followers did seriously influence later theories about the origin of myths (Littleton986). Next was Sir Edward Burnett Tylor, who was an English anthropologist of the 1800’s that believed that myths began through peoples efforts account for unexplainable occurrences in dreams. According to Tylor, the first idea about the supernatural was the belief that the soul was able to wander freely and have many adventures. Soon thereafter people believed everything in nature had a soul, and this belief helped them to explain natural occurrences like volcanic eruptions. It was Tylor that states that Animism, the idea that everything in nature has a soul, was the first step in the development of the human thought, and the basis of myths (Littleton 986) “Bronislaw Malinowski was a polish born British anthropologist of the early 1900’s. He disagreed with a Tylor that myths began as prescientific attempts to explain dreams and natural occurrences. According to Malinoski all people recognize that a frontier exists between what people can and cannot explain logically. Malinowski believes people create myths when they reach the frontier. he said that people created myths to relieve tension brought on by lack of knowledge” (Littleton 987-88). “Claude Levi- Strauss, a modern French anthropologist, is the best-known supporter of the structuralism. Structuralism is the use of myths as a language to express unconscious deep held ideas about themselves and the world around them. Levi-Strauss believes a myth’s purpose is to explain and unexplainable situation. Scholars have argued that Levi-Strauss’s theories were subjective and others claim that his structural figures were too far removed from actual mythology to state anything meaningful about them” According to A dictionary of creation myths in the beginning there was Chaos, the gaping void, out of which sprang forth the earth, Gaia, Tartarus, Erebus (Darkness), and Nyx (night). Some believe that Eros (Cupid), also came from chaos even thought he is considered to be Aphrodite’s son. Earth was the first creature born from chaos, se was also the first to have children: Uranus (Sky), Pontus (Sea), and the mountains. “Gaia and Uranus Mated Creating a race of titans and titanesses who were: Cronus, Rhea, Themis, Hyperion, Oceanus, Coeus, Tethys, Iapetus, Cruis, Phobe, Theia, and Mnemosye. Uranus was jealous of their children, and tried to push them back into the body of Gaia when it was time for them to be born. Gaia gave the first born, Cronus, a sickle and instructed him to cut of all of his father’s reproductive organs. After Cronus did this furies, giants, and nymphs were born from the drops of blood that hit the ground. It is often said that Aphrodite, the goddess of love was born from the genitals as they floated away in the sea foam. Cronus became the new king and freed his brothers and sisters from inside there mother” (Littleton978). “Cronus married his sister Rhea and together they had six children: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, And Zeus. Cronus and Rhea were two of the most important titans because there children were Gods. Cronus was afraid is children would overthrow him so he swallowed each one as it was born. Rhea tricked him into swallowing a stone instead of her last child Zeus. When he was old enough, talked his wife Metis ,a mortal, into creating a potion that make Cronus throw up his brother and sister. not to long after that there was war between the gods and the titans. When the gods won Zeus imprisoned the titans inside Gaia. Gaia the mated with her brother Tartarus and there offspring was the monster Typhon. The only reason Gaia did this was because Zeus imprisoned the titans within her. Gaia had foreseen the on coming war and told Eurymedon, Alcyoneus, and Porphyriontoto lead the giants in a rebellion against Zeus, the war was know as the Giantomachy. Gaia tried to help the titans by bringing forth a flower that would make them immortal, but Zeus made everything dark and removed the plant. After the war the titans were trapped in the abyss”(Grant and Hazel 141-42). Now if you were to compare the beginning according to the Greek and the beginning according to the Christians you would see in both versions are relatively similar. The Greeks personified the earth, chaos, and just about all natural occurrences or gave control of human emotion and elements to immortal beings called Gods. The Christians however say there is one God who gave shape to the earth, separated light from dark, brought fourth land from under the water, made all that grows , and all the lives and breathes. After man and woman were created there was a disturbance in heaven and Lucifer and his followers were banished to Hell. It wasn’t until Eve tasted the forbidden fruit after being enticed but the serpent in the Garden of Eden that man and women lost there innocence. But in mythology it seemed as if mortals were So, who was right about the way the beginning of the world started? Mythology means different things to different people when read and interpreted; and so does the bible. In our society today someone might say these creation stories were made up to comfort people that didn’t have the answers to questions like why there were things such as lightning and thunder. But others might believe it is as real as the car they drive or house that they live in. Our society today is very diverse in moral, religious, and cultural beliefs. Just because a divinity or deity is unfathomable to one group or person doesn’t mean that everyone feels the same. Who is right depends on how open- minded the person is and there religious affiliation. Bibliography: Works Cited Grant, Micheal, and John Hazel. Who’s who in Classical Mythology. New York: Oxford University Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. NewYork: Penguin Books Littleton, Scott C. “Mythology,” World Book Encyclopedia Vol.13. 1993 Taylor, Damond and Zado. “Egyptian Mythology and Religion,” Http.//www.dc. peachnet.edu /~shale/humanities/literature/world_literature/ classprojects/egypt/mythology.html. Internet 1997 “Reunions,” Hercules: the Legendary Journeys, WOFL, Universal Studios, Orlando, 10 Oct. 1998.

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