A History of Greek Mythology

Greek Mythology, are the beliefs and ritual practices of the ancient Grecian civilization from around about 2000 BC. It was a culture full of distinct stories and legends about a variety of gods. By about the 700s BC the mythology of Greece was fully developed and included classic collections of by the poet Hesiod and the Iliad and by Homer whose works began about that time.

Greek mythology has several characteristics which were different from other mythological stories. The Greek gods were humanlike in form and exhibited human feelings. This differed from other ancient religions such as Hinduism or Judaism; Greek mythology did not have structured spiritual teachings. The practice and belief was without a written code, such as a bibles or sacred books.

In Greek mythology the weakness of humans was given emphasis compared to the powers of nature. The Greeks believed that their gods, who were immortal, had control over all parts of nature.
The mythology was instilled in with every aspect of Greek life. Each city contained temples of worship to a particular God or group of Gods. They honored the Gods in their festivals and other official gatherings, poets narrated legends which were learned by many about the Gods. Most of the myths were learned orally. Different parts of the home were dedicated to certain Gods, and people offered prayers to those Gods.

The Gods were also honored in holy places. Delphi was a holy site dedicated to Apollo. A temple built at Delphi contained an oracle and the people travelled to with questions about the future. In addition to prayers, the Greeks offered sacrifices to their Gods.

Greek myths were built upon the primitive religions of the region of Crete which appeared around 4000-3000 BC. They believed that objects had spirits, and, had special magical powers. Over time, these beliefs expanded into legends involving objects, animals, and Gods. These legends became a part of classical Greek mythology.
As the Greek civilization advanced the mythology was gradually altered with the influence of neighboring civilizations which caused a variation of Greek beliefs.


The myths were passed on from generation to generation.  With the appearance of Christianity there was a transformation of the stories into myths which though entertaining were consider fictional.  The myths are still being learned and studied which keeps the Greek mythology alive to this day.