Greek myths and religion and their impact on the European culture
Greek myths and religion
Ancient Greeks had a striking and outstanding religion. They believed in multiple anthropomorphic deities. The 12 main Olympian gods and goddesses include; Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Ares, Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Hermes, and Dionysus. Some deities had control over nature while others had power over abstract concepts such as emotions. Aphrodite controlled love, Zeus the sky, Poseidon the sea and the earthquakes, and Helios controlled the sun.
The Greeks also shared common myths such as how the Olympian gods came into existence. According to the Hesiod’s Theogony, there was one ancient god known as Chaos, he gave birth to Gaia, Tartarus, and Eros, and they later gave birth to the Titans who gave birth to the Olympians. Also, Greeks believed in the spirit world or the underworld, where spirits of the dead were found. Hades brother to Zeus ruled the underworld.
Tartarus is where the wicked were harshly judged and punished while Elysium is where the virtuous receive pleasure. They believed that several Greeks such as Achilles, Alcmene, Ganymede, Amphiaraus, Ino, Melicertes, Menelaus and Peleus who battled in the Trojan and Theban wars. Were physically immortalized and they still exist in heaven, Elysium, the islands of the blessed, beneath the ground or the ocean.
The Greeks dreaded committing hubris such as rape and extreme arrogance. The gods were against such actions. They valued athletics and intellect and were always against acts that would be injurious to others.
The impact of Greek myths and religion on the European culture
Some aspects of the European culture originated from Greek myths and religion. Although Europeans do not believe in the existence of multiple deities, Christianity which is the main religion in Europe, borrowed a few concepts from Greek religion. Christians believe in life after death and the existence of the spirit world just like Greeks. They also believe in pleasure for the righteous and harsh punishment for evil people.
Greeks and Romans were not illiterate, they documented some of their mythology in the form of epic poetry such as Odyssey and Argonautica and plays such as Bacchae and Euripides. These mythologies continued to exist even in modern Europe. Artists such as Rubens and Botticelli used them. Old texts such as Homeric hymns are also used up to date in Europe. They are known as later productions. Some historic painting, architecture, and art in Europe were also borrowed from the Greeks.
References.
Nilsson, M.P. and Fielden, F.J., 1949. A history of Greek religion (p. 53). Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Bremmer, J.N., 2014. Interpretations of Greek Mythology (Routledge Revivals). Routledge.
Clark, S. and Clark, S., 2007. Vanities of the Eye: Vision in early modern European culture. Oxford University Press.
Rose, H.J., 2004. A handbook of Greek mythology. Routledge.
