Throughout history Greek Mythology has been a steadily prominent topic that is discussed in our daily life. An analysis of Greek myths will be done in order to tell us about Greek religion and culture. It is clear that Greek myths help shape and define the way that Greek religion, along with culture, are looked at today.
There are different aspects that can be examined in order to explain the reasoning to how Greek myths shape religion and culture. The following aspects will be further looked at to help explain the reasoning: Greek religion in a psychological viewpoint, rituals, myths, ancestry, and lastly Greek plays.
Greek religion can be viewed with a psychological approach. There is the idea of Greek religion and Hebraic religion clashing …show more content…
These rituals have been around for long periods of time,” Greek rituals appear well suited to an Eliadean interpretation. Most of them had one or more aetiological myths associated with them, explaining how the ritual had come to be instituted in ancient times and giving the ‘reason’ for its performance.” All myths have to come with a background story or else they would be harder to understand. Radek Chlup states, “In myth things typically go wrong, and the task of ritual is to correct them, repeating the archetypal mistake in a non-literal way that makes it possible to relate to the mythical while leaving it safely detached behind the boundaries of the civilized world.” Rituals are performed with the intent of betterment or to fix a certain problem. It was common that “a significant number of Greek aitia do not tell of glamorous deeds of ancient heroes, but rather of an offence committed in primordial times, angering the gods and causing a plague or some other disaster. In their despair, people consult the oracle to find out how to end the crisis.” Thus giving the tip to never upset the gods. Chlup explains the oracle as something that “has gone wrong and suggests a religious remedy: to placate the powers offended, men have to institute a ritual that repeats the original transgression but in doing so corrects the mistake and makes everything end well.” With that being said, …show more content…
Steadman Lyle states, “from our ancestors we inherit both our genes and our traditions.” Myths within ancestry is also important, “myths are a crucial part of this supplemental information and guidance system, because myths ‘shape the most fundamental or ultimate value’” As mentioned previously, myths are passed down from generation to generation: “We argue that myths and other traditional stories can be seen as part of the human descendant-leaving strategy, because they allow even very distant descendants to experience, vicariously and safely, the consequences of the characters’ actions.” One story that has been passed down is the story of Oedipus Rex. Lyle explains that “the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, are sets of ancestral instructions prescribing proper kinship behavior for both parents and kings by emphasizing the dire consequences of improper kingship behavior.” The story of Oedipus is also told to emphasize “consequences of a person’s behavior can influence the lives of descendants and others through endless generations.” Oedipus Rex also helps with the understanding of parental guidance. Lyle also points out that “myths, like history, use past events, whether actual or alleged, to anticipate future consequences… the extent to which the behavior is encouraged in traditional myths will lead to descendant-leaving success in the future
There are different aspects that can be examined in order to explain the reasoning to how Greek myths shape religion and culture. The following aspects will be further looked at to help explain the reasoning: Greek religion in a psychological viewpoint, rituals, myths, ancestry, and lastly Greek plays.
Greek religion can be viewed with a psychological approach. There is the idea of Greek religion and Hebraic religion clashing …show more content…
These rituals have been around for long periods of time,” Greek rituals appear well suited to an Eliadean interpretation. Most of them had one or more aetiological myths associated with them, explaining how the ritual had come to be instituted in ancient times and giving the ‘reason’ for its performance.” All myths have to come with a background story or else they would be harder to understand. Radek Chlup states, “In myth things typically go wrong, and the task of ritual is to correct them, repeating the archetypal mistake in a non-literal way that makes it possible to relate to the mythical while leaving it safely detached behind the boundaries of the civilized world.” Rituals are performed with the intent of betterment or to fix a certain problem. It was common that “a significant number of Greek aitia do not tell of glamorous deeds of ancient heroes, but rather of an offence committed in primordial times, angering the gods and causing a plague or some other disaster. In their despair, people consult the oracle to find out how to end the crisis.” Thus giving the tip to never upset the gods. Chlup explains the oracle as something that “has gone wrong and suggests a religious remedy: to placate the powers offended, men have to institute a ritual that repeats the original transgression but in doing so corrects the mistake and makes everything end well.” With that being said, …show more content…
Steadman Lyle states, “from our ancestors we inherit both our genes and our traditions.” Myths within ancestry is also important, “myths are a crucial part of this supplemental information and guidance system, because myths ‘shape the most fundamental or ultimate value’” As mentioned previously, myths are passed down from generation to generation: “We argue that myths and other traditional stories can be seen as part of the human descendant-leaving strategy, because they allow even very distant descendants to experience, vicariously and safely, the consequences of the characters’ actions.” One story that has been passed down is the story of Oedipus Rex. Lyle explains that “the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, are sets of ancestral instructions prescribing proper kinship behavior for both parents and kings by emphasizing the dire consequences of improper kingship behavior.” The story of Oedipus is also told to emphasize “consequences of a person’s behavior can influence the lives of descendants and others through endless generations.” Oedipus Rex also helps with the understanding of parental guidance. Lyle also points out that “myths, like history, use past events, whether actual or alleged, to anticipate future consequences… the extent to which the behavior is encouraged in traditional myths will lead to descendant-leaving success in the future