World of Mythology
What is mythology?
Mythology is the collection of stories a people believes about their history and ancestors, typically according to religious practices. The Iliad is one of a series of epics called the Epic Cycle. These stories tell a vast amount of stories about the war of the Titans, the Trojan War, the events following the war, and more. These myths explain to its people why they live as they do and as a means to explain the world. The Iliad is an epic: a long poem written in epic meter that tells the stories of a nation's legendary figures and history. The words of the epic are told by its people according to their oral tradition. The lines between mythology and history are often blurred, but the people function under the assumption of mythology being factual history.
Who told these stories?
The epics were told by bards. Bards were traveling singers and songwriters who were said to speak for the gods. Before performing a song, he would call upon the Muses, the patron goddesses of the arts, to tell the story through him. He was hired by wealthy patrons to recite favorite books of the Homeric Epics entirely from memory.
Fun fact: Studies of memory and oral tradition show that these bards were likely illiterate.
How does mythology work?
Mythology combines the worlds of the divine and the physical. Gods and mortals walk together and can interact directly, whether for good or bad reasons. The omnipresent concept of Fate rules over everyone, both mortal and immortal, and there is nothing they can do to fight it. Children of gods and mortals frequently cover the scene and perform extraordinary deeds or gain extraordinary punishments. These stories ofteninstructed a people how to act and how not to act. They warned against hubris -- excessive pride concerning the gods -- and encouraged heroic acts -- brave deeds that supported one's city and people.
Vocabulary List:
Epic: a long poem written in epic meter that tells the stories of a nation's legendary figures and history.
Hero: mortals of a remote past, male or female, who are endowed with superhuman powers because they are descended from the immortal gods themselves.
Bards: traveling singers who performed songs of mythology by memory on commission.
CRITICAL THINKING:
What events might have influenced the imagination of mythology?