Exploring Ancient Greek Myths: Origins, Creatures & Heroes - Essay Sample

Introduction

Ancient Greek mythology refers to a collection of myths that were informed originally by the Greeks of ancient times in history. These mythical stories give explanations on the origin of things and the nature of the world, the significance and origin of rituals and the cultural practices of the Greeks, various mythical creatures as well as the lives of deities and Greek heroes. They also explain about the activities of these heroes and deities and the Greek people in general. The study of ancient Greek mythology helps in developing an understanding of the civilization of ancient Greece as well as its political, social, and religious realms. It also helps one to know how the myths were developed into existence. This paper seeks to explain how these myths were communicated through generations and how women were regarded during ancient times as put forward in mythical stories. It explains their role in ancient Greek society.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Communication

Communication or movement of Greek mythology from one generation to another was by word of mouth. This method used oral poetry, which was a tradition that was used largely by singers and song creators of the Mycenean and Minoan forms of civilizations. The practice of oral poetry was started in the 18th century BC. Since then, it became part of the Greek oral tradition that was used in telling stories about Greek heroes, for example, about the heroes of the Trojan War (Evans and Anne n.d.).

Some of the epic poems propagated through oral poetry are those of Homer - 'Iliad' and 'Odyssey'. Others are the 'Works and Days' as well as 'Theogony' which tell about the genesis of the world, how ancient rulers transitioned power and leadership, the ages of humans, the origin of sacrificial culture, and that of human suffering. The oral poems are believed to have been created during the time that Hesiod, a poet (Evans and Anne n.d.).

Preservation of the poems of Homer is through hymns. The messages contained here can be traced to other sources also. These include the lyric and epic poems and the works done by comic artists of the ancient period. Several scholars have established written works about ancient Greek mythology. This field of scholarly work has contributed to Greek mythology being the most studied across the world.

Aside from oral narration as a culture of passing down the myths from one generation to another, the ancient literature of Greece utilizes picture representations to depict their heroes and the gods they believed in (Evans and Anne n.d.). This is achieved through art culture. The mythological happens which are most important are represented through ancient paintings shown on vases, for example, 'Dido of Carthage' that depicts the Trojan war, as well as decorated gifts and many other artefacts that existed in history, for example, through pottery.

Throughout the ages, it has been observed that the myths are being developed into better versions, replacing those that existed before. The Homeric scenes, as well as those of other myths, provide evidence that supports the existing literature. This literature tells about the rituals and cults of ancient Greece.

The Role of Women

Over time, the influence of Greek mythology on culture and other social spheres of the lives of people of Greece can be noticed. It has also influenced the world at large due to globalization. The role of women and their positions in society has changed over time across the world. In this paper, the role of women in ancient Greece is examined, noting the dominance of men who largely controlled (Cartwright n.d.). The proof for this observation is found within the ancient Greek mythology of women.

During ancient times in Greece, women were entitled to a few rights compared to men. For instance, they were not allowed to get involved in the electoral process or even own property, even if it meant that they would inherit it. This meant that they spent their time staying at home and playing their main role of childbearing and raising them. They were required to obey their husbands and honour them. This was a requirement by the common law referred collectively as nomos.

Available literature shows the disparities that exist in how women were treated in different states of ancient Greece. For example, the women from Sparta were treated with more respect and in a better way as opposed to those from other states. These women were allowed to own property like land and also take part in physical training as men. They were also allowed to drink wine and attend parties (Cartwright n.d.).

However, there is little information that is documented regarding women who had professional jobs like being shop attendants or a commercial sex worker. Some women rose in exceptional ways to surpass men and break the limits that bound them to prejudice. Due to this, they gained a record of the legacy that as political leaders, philosophers, physicians, and poets. An example of a woman who earned this legacy is Gorgo, who was a political leader in the state of Sparta.

According to the existing Greek mythology on religion, the limited rights of women is a contradiction. This is because there are female characters who are cast in the religious aspects. For example, the character Athena is regarded as the caretaker of Athens in the mythology that exists. She is also viewed as the goddess of wisdom. She is a powerful figure blessed with intelligence, courage, and great honour. Also, most Greek cultures believed in the goddess of fertility in agriculture. An example of such a goddess is Demeter (Cartwright n.d.).

However, other mythical types of literature regard women as troublemakers because they show characters like being jealous as well as being against the heroes. In contradiction, the poem of Homer - 'Odyssey' presents women as being loyal and obedient to their husbands even at the times when they were not at home. Below are illustrations of how different categories of women were treated or perceived.

Girls

Children of female gender were often abandoned at birth than the boys were. This can be attributed to the ancient Greek society being a male dominant one that practised an agrarian culture. Boys were, therefore, more productive than girls were in this way of life. The school curriculum that was used covered areas such as basic math solving, writing, and reading. They then later studied taught the children about poetry and music, for example, Homer and lyre. Cocurricular activities were a major part of the curriculum, especially athletics. The education of girls was not so different from what the boys learned, but it emphasized majorly on music, ceremonies and religious celebrations, and also physical practice (Cartwright n.d.).

The disparity between the education and girls and boys was that the girls were taught to mainly prepare them for life at home to take care of their families, childbearing and rearing, as well as to help in conducting ceremonies. The education system was designed in a way that could not support them to develop intellectual skills. When they became of age, they were subjected to pederasty as were boys. Pederasty was a stage where they experienced sexual relationships with adults for reasons of acquiring sexual knowledge. The adults acted as mentors to train the young girls and boys the adult experience.

Perceptions of Young Women

During the marriage, the young women were expected to have their virginity. Their father's selected husbands for them and organized the marriages. Dowry was paid to the fathers by the young men who wished to marry them. If the young woman that was marrying did not have a father, a guardian would come into the picture. This would usually be an uncle who was a brother to her father or another close male relative (Cartwright n.d.).

The young women did not have the power to choose who they were getting married to. They were married off at a very young age starting from 13 or 14 years of age. This was usually done without their consent. As a result, the relationship of love rarely developed between the two. Men were free to find satisfaction for love and desire outside their marriages, but women were only to remain loyal to their husbands. There were no provisions that would favour women if they stayed single or unmarried; hence, they were all expected to get married.

Perceptions of Married Women

Once women were married, their main role was to take care of or be guardians of their families at home. The various roles they played included bearing and rearing children as well as managing the everyday requirements of their households. They spent most of their time staying indoors, and their activities included weaving as well as wool work. Some women from able families would get assistance from slaves paid for by their husbands. Married women were not allowed to make any social connections or contact with unmarried men. However, they were granted freedoms, like practising religion and making friendships. They would visit their friends at home and also engage in public religious occasions (Cartwright n.d.).

It is unclear whether the women were allowed to attend performances held in theatres. This was only allowed in states that considerably gave them such rights, like Sparta. The undisputed fact is that women did not get involved in the electoral process; neither were they allowed to attend public assemblies nor hold any public office. It was forbidden to mention a woman's name in public whether for good reasons or whatsoever.

Somewhat, women who were married enjoyed staying under the law, i.e., under authority from their husbands, as they would get assistance in decision making concerning serious matters. Due to the lack of intellectual capabilities, the married women would not make such decisions on their own. In practical life, the married couple would share their lives in equal portions. This means that the married women were not seen as completely useless at the family level, but rather enjoyed having to share their mind with their husbands.

As mentioned earlier, women in ancient greek society were expected to be loyal and obedient to their husbands irrespective of their presence. Men were not expected to show the same to their wives. Instead, they were free to seek sexual satisfaction outside of their marriages, for example, from the services offered by prostitutes or through the love affairs they had unmarried women. Women were subjected to a banishment through the withdrawal of some rights entitled to them when they failed to keep their loyalty and family honour (Cartwright n.d.). Such resentment was regarded as threats to the dominance of male legitimacy; hence the serious penalties took against them. Sadly, the husbands would end the lives of their wives if they had sexual relationships outside marriage. They committed murder without fearing arrest or prosecution due to the protections they had under the law.

The women were not allowed to inherit any property from their fathers if they had brother siblings. In the case they did not have a brother, the inheritance would go to their husbands or guardians. If she was not yet married at the time of the demise of the father, she was obliged to marry the closest male relative. This relative would then inherit the property from the father. However, the woman would inherit from the father when she had no brother or any male relative. The personal property that women would own included the gifts they received from friends or family members. This included clothing and jewellery. They were, however, not allowed to state wills; hence their husbands would inherit the properties once they died (Cartwright n.d.).

A marriage made an important part of life in ancient Greek society. Despite this, the marriage could be ended given reasons that can not be avoided. Then the dowry paid to the father or guardian by...