What is Greek oral tradition and myth? Greek oral tradition and myth are in relation to the Odyssey and play an important role in Greek culture. Centuries ago, before writing ever existed, stories were passed down from generation to generation orally. Epic poems in Greece were not originally written, but they were spoken and even sung. (Martini) The stories that survived through time after finally being written down by someone somehow are now myths that tell stories of mythical creatures or Greek Gods. The Odyssey began as part of the ancient Greek oral tradition and was told by oral poets over a long period of time because of its length. Having no written language, it was through oral storytelling traditions that the Greeks preserved the
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Whenever any Greek would wonder about the world that is surrounding him and ask questions like: What happens when someone dies? Where do they go? What made the earth they way it is now? How were we created? The answers to all these questions would be the gods. Questions that no one could answer suddenly made sense when gods and goddesses were involved. These stories that we call myths were very popular and widely spread throughout Greece and other countries as they made sense to the Greeks that everything was controlled by the gods above them. Nowadays, the word "myth" is understood as a story that the Greeks used to tell to provide an explanation to the wonders of the world relating them to god and supernatural powers;however, back then it was who they were taught to follow without any inquiries. From birth little Greek children listened to stories about Zeus ,the king of all the gods, and all his sons and daughters and the power that they all held. Of all the Greek myths that were ever told, sung, or acted out, the ones composed by Homer like The Iliad and The Odyssey were the most known around the world. Ancient Greeks loved stories and found it very entertaining, which is why in The Dark Ages some people became storytellers, or as they called them bards. Their most common types of stories that were usually told by the bards were: fables, legends, and
Whenever any Greek would wonder about the world that is surrounding him and ask questions like: What happens when someone dies? Where do they go? What made the earth they way it is now? How were we created? The answers to all these questions would be the gods. Questions that no one could answer suddenly made sense when gods and goddesses were involved. These stories that we call myths were very popular and widely spread throughout Greece and other countries as they made sense to the Greeks that everything was controlled by the gods above them. Nowadays, the word "myth" is understood as a story that the Greeks used to tell to provide an explanation to the wonders of the world relating them to god and supernatural powers;however, back then it was who they were taught to follow without any inquiries. From birth little Greek children listened to stories about Zeus ,the king of all the gods, and all his sons and daughters and the power that they all held. Of all the Greek myths that were ever told, sung, or acted out, the ones composed by Homer like The Iliad and The Odyssey were the most known around the world. Ancient Greeks loved stories and found it very entertaining, which is why in The Dark Ages some people became storytellers, or as they called them bards. Their most common types of stories that were usually told by the bards were: fables, legends, and