Influence Of Mythology In Ancient Greek

How do you think the Greek myths influenced or controlled the ancient Greek people 's behaviors? Edith Hamilton 's Mythology is a collection of short stories about the Greek, Roman, and Norse myths. Mythology especially tells us about how the myths in ancient Greece influenced the behavior of its people. The Greek Gods and Goddesses were very nice to some mortals, but cruel others. The myths were meant to teach a lesson, and to make the Greeks learn off other 's past mistakes. The Greek myths controlled the behavior of the ancient Greeks because, the power of the Gods intimidated and scared the people into acting certain ways, and this is shown through three examples of Greek myths. First, the Greek myths controlled behavior by intimidation, …show more content…
Otus and Ephialtes were giants, and each had a plan to capture a Goddess. Otus decided that he wanted to kidnap Hera, and Ephialtes decided that he was in love with the Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis. Ephialtes turn was first, and they went searching for Artemis, and they found her at the seashore. They went after her, and chased her across the sea. She led them to the island of Naxos, where she disappeared, and reappeared as a cow. The giants forgot about the Goddess and chased the cow. They both got into position and threw their javelins at the creature. The cow disappeared, and the javelins found its target in each of the giants. Otus and Ephialtes fell to the ground, each killed by the other. This myth told the ancient Greeks, that messing with the Gods, was not a good idea. The myth demonstrates the idea that you can not always get what you want, and if you try to get what you want, it does not always end well. This myth was meant to make the the Greeks live in fear of the Gods, and that vengeance would always fall upon them in a situation like this. Otus and Ephialtes were very stubborn, and it led to their …show more content…
It shows a couple of people being good, and getting rewarded for it, and a bunch of people being out of place, and getting killed for it by Gods. The myth starts out with Zeus and Hermes going to the Phrygian country, to see if the people there were hospitable. The two Gods put on the disguise of poor beggars, and went through the land going to each home, looking for food and shelter. After hundreds of tries, none of the homes would take them in, until they came along the smallest, and poorest hut. They knocked at the door, and immediately they were welcomed into the home. The strangers Baucis and Philemon, were very spirited, and they fed the guests to all the food and drinks that they had. Philemon gave them wine many times, and he realized that when he poured it, the same amount was still in the mixing bowl. He and his wife finally discovered that they offered hospitality to Gods. Zeus and Hermes then punished the rest of the countryside by flooding it and killing them all for not offering up hospitality. They rewarded only Baucis and Philemon, and gave them a huge marble, and gold temple as a home, and gave them anything they asked for. Baucis and Philemon decided that they wanted to be the priests of the temple, and that they wanted to die together. After a long time guarding the temple, they died together, and both turned into interlocking trees. They grew into one trunk of an