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Annabell Jelitto

McKenna

Writing 2010

6 March 2017

What is the History of Greek Mythology?

Greek mythology is a collection of stories brought to life by the Greeks long ago.

It contains a very wide spread variety of gods, goddesses, myths, and legends. It has also

been a muse to create many modern day books, movies, and even some video games. To

preserve this mythology, things such as vases with pictures that portray stories of the

gods were created, and literature was written. This mythology created by the Greeks

attempts to explain the wonders of the world they lived in, which is the world we live in

now.

The origin of Greek mythology is believed to be traced back to the Mycenaean

age, (which was around 1400 to 1100 B.C.). While there are many theories as to where

this mythology stems from, it all seems to trace back here. As stated by Martin Nilsson in

the book, The Mycenaean Origin of Greek Mythology, he explains that during the

Mycenaean age, amongst the turmoil, the Greeks were separated into different groups,

causing the stories and myths to get reshaped in the eyes of whoever carried the tale, not

only changing the locations of the tribes, but mixing up the traditions as well. (Nilsson 4).

He continues to add, The historical aspect of Greek mythology and especially the

mythical chronology are products of the systematizing myths by the poets of cyclical

epics and still more the product of rationalization and historification by the

logographers. (Nilsson 4.) This shows where the stories and myths can be traced back to,
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and why they may differ slightly from each other due to the separation of the Greeks

during the Mycenaean age.

The stories that were shared amongst the Greek people included that of legends of

gods and goddesses. In Greek mythology, there are said to be twelve olympian gods, all

related to one another, that rule the entire universe. They were born from the Greek

Titaness, Rhea, and the Greek Titan, Kronos. The birth of one of their sons, Zeus, was

kept secret from Kronos because he ate all of his offspring to prevent one of them over

ruling him. (Cook 1). When the time came, Zeus defeated Kronos along with his siblings

and became the supreme god. The sections of the universe were divided and given to the

gods, the underworld went to Hades, the sea to Poseidon, and the heavens and earth to

Zeus. (Cook 1). This is where the olympian gods obtained their rulership and became

the rulers of the universe.

There are, of course, other gods included in Greek mythology other than the

twelve olympians. Such as Perseus, son of Zeus and Greek goddess Danae. Legend has it

that Perseus grandfather was told by an oracle that his grandson would kill him so he

locked Perseus and his mother into a chest and threw it into the sea. When they got out of

the chest, Perseus was eventually told to kill Medusa, who was a Gorgon, which means a

scary or repulsive woman. With the help from the gods who admired him, he successfully

slayed Medusa. (infoplease). Every god or goddess has his or her own back story of how

they came to be and their adventures along the way.

The goddesses are usually overlooked when it comes to Greek mythology, even

though they play very prominent roles in many of the tales that are told. For example, in

the book, The Power of the Primeval Goddess, Mary Lefkowitz states that, in fact, the
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divinity who first emerges from the primeval void is not an omnipotent male deity, but

the goddess Earth. (Lefkowitz 1). Although they are usually portrayed as just mothers

and virgins, all other gods would not exist without them. It may seem like they were seen

as such but, the Greeks themselves understood the story, it seemed more natural to

imagine a female conceiving and giving birth to something than a male. (Lefkowitz 1).

They recognized that without these goddesses, the gods would not have been able to live

out their own adventures and create their own stories.

So how was Greek mythology preserved throughout the separation of the Greek

tribes and the years to follow? Many artifacts, such as painted vases, have been found and

show the architecture of that of the times of the Greek gods. The style of the art on the

vases show the time period that they were created including representations of the

Greeks cultural beliefs. Mark Cartwrights article on Greek vases explained that the

vases were painted with brushes and feathers. We know this because of the paint brush

strokes left behind on the vases. (Cartwright). The shapes of the vases stayed relatively

constant over the years that they were created. He goes on to explain that this is because,

Greek potters were producing wares for practical use- holding wine, water, oil, perfumes

- and once the optimum practical shape had evolved, it was copied and maintained.

(Cartwright). These vases are primary sources that are used to look into the past of the

Greek culture.

Another source that keeps Greek mythology alive today is literature. Primarily

from an author named Homer, who composed works such as the Odyssey, that recites

Odysseus long journey back home after the Trojan War. Homer also composed the poem

Iliad, which basically tells the tale of the events that occurred during the final weeks of
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the Trojan War. Both of these works are especially important in Greek literature, being

that they are the oldest pieces of literature concerning the Greek culture. These pieces of

literature are called epics. Although we do not know for sure if Homer was just one

person or several, we do know whoever wrote these epics played a huge role in

preserving Greek culture throughout the centuries that followed.

Although Greek mythology is still somewhat of a mystery than anything else, it is

everything but boring to learn about. From gods, to goddesses, the lores and myths, the

adventures, and the preservation of a fallen Mycenaean tribe, the history behind this

culture is intriguing. The depiction of art onto vases is amazingly shown on artifacts that

we now have the privilege to look upon. Goddesses are respected just as much as gods in

the Greek culture and that is something anyone can respect because this is not reflected in

all mythologies, or cultures for that matter. The literature written by Homer found along

with other artifacts helps scholars, or anyone interested in learning about Greek

mythology, take a better look into the art that was created and comes along with the

culture. He tells stories of the Trojan War and what was believed to happen in the war,

which would be impossible to say without his writings.

Works Cited

Nilsson, Martin Persson. The Mycenaean Origin of Greek Mythology. U of California Press.

1972. Print.

Cook, Arthur Bernard. Zeus: A Study in Ancient Religion. Vol 3. Cambridge University Press.

1914. Print.
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Perseus. infoplease.com. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 28 Feb 2017. Web.

Lefkowitz, Mary. The Power of the Primeval Goddesses. The Phi Beta Kappa Society. 1989.

Print.

Mark Cartwright. Greek Pottery, Ancient History Encyclopedia. 12 Jan 2013.

http://www.ancient.eu /Greek_Pottery/