Difference Between Greek Mythology And Mythology

There is a difference between religion and mythology. Religion is a set of practices based on the belief of non-human beings monitoring actions and myths are stories that matter within a specific community or communities. There are two kinds of religion, evolutionary and revealed. The Greeks had an evolutionary religion where the totality of things were feared by a social group and had no specific origin. Myth can be divided into three categories, the first being divine, which explains the stories about the gods and the creation of the universe and how the universe is supposed to work. The second is legends, these are stories that pertain to heroes and the human past. The last form of myth is folktales, which are stories that are fictional, …show more content…
Another example is when the gods told Erectheus that the city would fall unless he sacrificed one of his daughters (Waterfield 2011). Also, Poseidon commanded the sea to flood farm land and sent a beast to devastate the remaining land because Laomedon failed to repay him for building the walls of Troy. Laomedon consulted an oracle and was told he had to sacrifice Hesione, his daughter. The common theme in these examples is the fact that each one of these men have to sacrifice their daughter to the god to receive retribution for the land and their people. Many myths mention someone sacrificing a family member because if the person is willing to sacrifice their own blood, the power of the gods is strong. The final example from Waterfield’s book is the fate of Polyxena. The ghost of Achilles demanded to Neoptolemus, the senior Greek officer, that Polyxena be sacrificed to him in order to have a safe travel and departure. Neoptolemus slaughtered Polyxena on her father’s tomb. Achilles was only half god according to Greek Mythology; however, he was highly regarded amongst men and gods as a powerful warrior and hero. This is why this sacrifice was made in his