Greek Mythology was extremely influential to the Greeks. They believed that if they prayed and worshiped the gods, their lives would be better and when they died, the gods would take care of them. There were different roles played in Greek Mythology. The major roles played were from the civilians, and the priests or higher status worshipers. Although they both believed in Greek religion and mythology, they both had very different lives.
In Greek mythology, there was a lot of fictional creatures created. This was a way that the Greeks could express their thoughts. There were good creatures to express the good in life, and there were bad creatures to represent the evil that is also in life. Through their mythology, they wanted to get across the point that good things should be rewarded, while bad things shall be punished. They did this through their fictional creatures.
Unlike most of Europe, Greece had its own religion and mythology, and it became an important part of the Greek’s everyday lives. While most of Europe followed some sort of Christianity, Greek was completely different. They followed their own religion and created their own mythology. These are some reasons that Greek Mythology is so influential to the Greeks.
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There are many important aspects of Greek Mythology. One of those aspects is temples, and they were and still are very sacred places for the Greeks. To prove to the gods and goddesses that they were significant and of great value, the Greeks had built temples and places of worship for them. They were built in every town, to make sure that everyone would pray or get to practice their religion.
Temples were cared for by the priests, and was not just some ordinary place to pray. It was a very sacred place to mostly all Greeks because it was a place of worship, and the gods and goddesses looked upon them while praying. Though people worshiped at the temple, religious ceremonies did not actually occur inside the temple, but instead outside. There were also many rites and rituals performed at the temples and they became very important and sacred places to the Greeks. One of the most common rites or rituals was sacrifice and the pouring of libations.
This was an accompaniment of prayers and was performed in honor of the gods. Most of the animals sacrificed were usually pigs, sheep, goats or cows and always the same sex as the god which was being honored. The meat was then either burnt completely or cooked, with part offered to the god and the rest eaten by some or all of the worshippers or taken away to be eaten later.
The actual killing of the animal was carried out by a butcher or cook , known as megeiras to the Ancient Greeks. This ceremony happened while a young girl would sprinkle seeds on the animal’s head. Historians believe that this was a symbol of life and regeneration at the moment of the animal’s death. Priests are a very important part of Greek religion & mythology. Priest played an important role in temples, personal religion, and so much more.
Priests were also highly respected, trusted and significant because they were believed to be able to communicate with gods. A priest’s main job is to look after the temple and keep it in good shape. They also needed to look after the people who visited the temples. Priests were usually the ones to start the ceremonies and make sure everything was in place. If one were to become a priest or yearned to become a priest, there were only two ways to make that possible. One was if your mother and father were a priest. The other way was if a dying priest granted you a priest as his or her dying wish.
Religion made a very big impact on most Ancient Greeks if not all Greek’s everyday lives in many ways. One of the most common reasons was that it gave people something to believe in and something to look forward to. Like, if someone was dying and had prayed or practiced/believed this certain religion or mythology, it gave them consolation that they would be well taken care of in their afterlife. It provided them with both comfort and peace.
Another main reason that people practiced this religion was because if they didn’t, the gods would punish them and make their lives miserable, as well as their afterlife. A reason that is often not thought of as much is that if you do not practice this religion or believe in this mythology, you are looked upon as an outcast in your society, and it would make your life much harder. These are some reasons why the Ancient Greeks practiced this religion and believed in this mythology.
In Ancient Greek religion & mythology, there are many different gods and goddesses. The reason that the Ancient Greeks believed in many gods and goddesses was because they thought that the more gods and goddesses they prayed to, the better their lives would be. They believed that if they practiced this polytheistic religion, they would be rewarded throughout life and even in their afterlife.
The major gods in Ancient Greek mythology were:
- Zeus: The god of the sky, lightning, and thunder and is the king of all gods. He is considered to be one of the most powerful as well. He was the one that made sure that the rest of the gods and goddesses weren’t fighting all the time. He is known for his thunderbolt, of which he could throw at anyone to harm them or even kill them.
- Poseidon: The god of the sea, storms, earthquakes, and horses. He can throw waves and start storms whenever he is not pleased with something. He is considered to be another of the most powerful gods.
- Hades: The god of the underworld, and sometimes referred to as the god of the dead. Where he lived was usually called, ‘The home of the dead’. He is another one of the most powerful gods and is sometimes known as being the evil god.
- Apollo: The god of archery, music, dance, truth, prophecy, healing diseases, the sun, light, poetry, and more. He is also Zeus’s son and his known for his beautiful music that he creates on his lyre.
- Hermes: The god of trade, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves, and travel. He is considered one of the cleverest and most mischievous of the Olympian gods. He also served as the god’s herald and messenger.
- Ares: The god of war. He is Zeus’s son and is considered very dangerous and strong.
- Hephaestus: The god of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, forges and the art of sculpture. He was the son of Zeus and Hera and was outcasted because he had a deformation.
- Dionysus: The god of wine, grape cultivation, fertility, ritual madness, theater, and religious ecstasy. He is known by many today because of his auditorium that stands today. It was the first auditorium ever created. The name of the auditorium/theatre was known as Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus, located at the Acropolis.
- Athena: The goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, strategic warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, arts, crafts, and skill. She is very well known for the Parthenon built for her in the Acropolis in Athens. It is the most famous temple in all of Greece.
- Hera: The goddess of marriage and birth. She is the queen of all gods, despite being known as the goddess of marriage and birth, she is very well known for her jealousy and vengefulness towards the many lovers and offspring of her husband Zeus.
- Aphrodite: The goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She is also very well known for her myrtles, roses, doves, sparrows, and swans.
- Demeter: The goddess of the harvest and presides over grains and the fertility of the earth. Though she was most often referred to as the goddess of the harvest, she was also the goddess of sacred law and the cycle of life and death.
- Artemis: The goddess of childbirth and midwifery along with Eileithyia. She is the goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, the moon along with Selene and virginity. She is also known for being Apollo’s twin sister.
- Hestia: The virgin goddess of the hearth, the right ordering of domesticity, the family, the home, and the state.
These gods were thought to live and stay on Mount Olympus. The spread of Greek mythology caused people to make temples for each one of these gods, along with others, and there was one temple that was built on top of Mount Olympus. These gods impacted the Ancient Greeks’ lives in many ways.
There are many other aspects of Greek religion and mythology that are often overlooked and not known to many. One aspect is mysteries & oracles. Along with more formal and public religious ceremonies and practices, there are separate “activities” per se that can be done in smaller groups. There are also many rites that are only known by the person (most likely a priest) that initiates the ritual or performs it. In these smaller individual groups, the people within them had participated in things like this because they believed that they would get “spiritual benefits”, resulting in a better afterlife.
There are many great oracles, for example, the Oracle of Zeus at Dodona. These places were considered and believed to be particularly good to receive signs and messages from the gods. However, most thought that communication with the gods, even when at a ‘great oracle’, could only be achieved by a priest. Many oracles were crowded with priests because of this, and also in search of having a better afterlife and future ahead.
Another aspect of Greek religion & mythology that is very important, but not very well known is the practice and carrying out of personal religion. Although evidence and records show that most religious practices were done in a big, formal, religious ceremony, Ancient Greek religion was a very special kind of religion, one that could be practiced anywhere at any time. Individuals practiced their religion alone, and in a very personal way as well. The hearth in a private room was also considered sacred, like a temple, so they could practice their religion almost wherever and whenever they wanted.
The hearth was sacred and important because of Hestia, the goddess of the hearth. They would usually pray to her while praying at the hearth. Individuals were also allowed to visit a temple any time they’d like. People mostly always left offerings, whether it was incense, flowers, and food, and with a hopeful prayer or gratitude for a past deed. People also looked for signs from the gods in their everyday lives, to see what the future may have in store for them. This was a very important part of Greek religion and mythology and an aspect not thought of much.
Ancient Greece, located in what is now South-Eastern Europe has a very interesting and rich history. It is known for many things, including the birthplace of democracy and its very unique religion and culture. The Ancient Greeks believed in many different gods and goddesses, and many other mythical creatures and animals. Their religion was primarily based on the thoughts that they had and was just expressed in different ways, and that’s basically what their religion is. Like always, there are good and bad aspects to their religion and how it spread.
The Greeks believed and practiced this religion and mythology because it was thought to make their lives and afterlives better. Though Ancient Greek religion & mythology is not alive today, there is so much more left to learn and discover about it. If we can discover more about their religion & mythology, there is a very good chance that it could lead to a lot more information on the people and their lifestyles.
