What is a myth?
A myth is an imaginary tale dealing with the elements of nature or supernatural creatures involving a sacred and symbolic aspect which as centuries went by enriched themselves. At the very outset they were transmitted orally when later, literary authors often wrote them down as myths. There are often different versions of the same narrative that vary according to the place and the time often influenced by the personality of the narrator.
To the Greeks, these stories answered fundamental questions like the world’s origin, humanity as a whole and Gods procreated by monsters with the forces of nature. In the course of their history, these people reproduced other myths concerning the origin of their cities that established the core of Greek culture and was known by all; everyone relied on these stories as they reinforced them against the obscure and mysterious universe.
The Religion of the Ancient Greeks
The religion that the Ancient Greeks followed was neither an organized nor a hierarchical cult like the Christian Church with a belief well defined nor a holy book like the Bible. The priests were just administrators who were in charge of the religious rites and watched that the ceremonies were commemorated according to the tradition. Many a time these people enlarged the number of their divinities and their conception matured as years went by. Traditional ceremonies and feasts were modified according to time and place, but the main gods and myths, the temples and sacrifices remained an established institution to all.
The gods were omnipresent, knew everything, appeared by signs and enjoyed various functions: they were very powerful, and were in charge of natural phenomena and governed human activities. The Greeks were united and bound with their gods who especially protected their cities and the places where they lived. For a distinct, identical God a person honored the divinity with the same representation and role and these deities interceded in the life of the individual and that of their city. People communicated with them through religious rites and prayers and they heard their answers through dreams and oracles.
With the development of philosophy and a breakthrough in science many educated people began to doubt more and more about the veracity of these divinities. Some derided the mythological tales that they found incredible and not very logical but yet supernatural power played a vital role that fostered fear of spells, curses and ghosts.
