Essays on Greek Mythology

Quoting folklorist Alan Dundes, mythology refers to “a story that serves to define the fundamental worldview of a culture by explaining aspects of the natural world and delineating the psychological and social practices and ideals of a society”. As new myths continue to form over...

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter, composed in the late seventh or early eighth century is one of the most well-known Homeric Hymns. “The hymn falls into three easily differentiated sections: the abduction of Persephone and its revelation to Demeter; the sojourn of the goddess of...

Zeus was the ruler of all Gods and humans. He lived with the other gods at the top of Mount Olympus. Sometimes, Olympus was thought of as an actual mountain in Greece, but more often as a beautiful place in the heavens. Zeus was the...

The Rig Veda and Greek Mythology have helped to provide a narrative behind the creation of the world. These texts developed the various deities and customs that would play a role in the development of mankind and society. In The Rig Veda, “the earliest of...

Some characters seem to have existed forever. Through time, they go through minimal variations but represent the paradigm of the collective imagination. One of these is legendary figure of Ulysses, originally known as Odysseus, which remains one of the most fascinating and controversial of all...

The name Troy alludes both to a spot in legend and a genuine archeological site. In legend, Troy is a city that was blockaded for a long time and in the end vanquished by Hellenes. Troy likewise alludes to a genuine antiquated city situated on...

The theme of burial is an important one in both the Homeric epics and later Trojan War narratives, such as Sophocles’ Ajax and Euripides’ The Trojan Women. It can be utilised in different contexts and different ways to present political and problematic ideas. Sophocles and...

The dark dog-like figure is known as a werewolf, and has lived in the mythical shadows terrorizing people for centuries. But we still have not figured out the origins of this mythical creature and how the legend of the werewolf has spread throughout the world....

Greek and Roman mythology is very interesting and has a great influence on modern society. Many people are fascinated with classics like the tale of Hercules, or the life of Zeus and his countless relationships. The further one gets into it the more they get...

Women are housewives; men are the breadwinners. Even though these ideas are not relevant today, they existed during the time of the play “Antigone.” In ancient Greece, women were seen as property. Men were seen as the head of the house. The roles of men...