Functions and Characteristics of Greek Mythology

【Abstract】Greek mythology has had an extensive influence on the culture，arts，and literature of Western civilization and remains part of Western heritage and language. Poets and artists from ancient times to the present have derived inspiration from Greek mythology and have discovered contemporary significance and relevance in the themes. This essay is going to analyze the functions and characteristics of Greek mythology.

【Key words】Greek mythology； functions； characteristics

1. Introduction

Stories in the Greek mythology include the origins of the world and the gods，the genealogy of gods，the affairs of gods and their creations. Similar to human beings，they show love and hatred，manifest goodness and evil，play tricks，and they are related with each other in blood ties.

2. Functions of Mythology in ancient Greek society

Mythology served many functions in the Greek world. It is expedient to look at the many roles that mythology serves in every culture and society and see if the Greek myths fit this mold instead of looking at each individual myth and trying to deduce its importance to society.

2.1 Education

Take for example the Bull of Minos. He claimed that the gods would answer any prayer he sent to them. To this end he asked Poseidon to send a bull to be sacrificed，but the bull that was sent was so beautiful that Minos kept it and offered another instead. As a punishment for Minos deceit，Poseidon caused his wife to fall in love with the bull and later to bear the Minotaur，a half-man half-bull monster. The lesson learned here is keep you word when your promise the gods something because their revenge is extreme.

2.2 Explanation

The second function of mythology is to explain the unexplainable，or to serve as an attempt by the ancient Greeks to make sense out of the world around them. An example of this is Core，his story is an example of the ancient and pre-scientific mind trying to understand why the world works the way it does，in this case thenature of the seasons.

2.3 Legitimation

The third function of myth is to legitimize a claim to land or right to rule or give importance to a city； these are sometimes called founding myths. An example is Cadmus and the founding of Thebes. This myth tells how and why Thebes was founded，supporting certain claims to the land by both a specific goddess and group of people.

2.4 Entertainment

These myths were meant to be spoken and were crafted to be aesthetically pleasing. While most myths serve one or more of the above functions，they were all meant to be enjoyed. Some of the most popular myths were those pertaining to the Heroes，both those in Homers Iliad and those about heroes such as Heracles，Perseus，Theseus，and Jason.

3. The characteristics of Greek Mythology

3.1 Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is the perception of a divine being or beings in human form，or the recognition of human qualities in these beings. More specifically，the Greek deities resembled human beings not only in appearance and personality； they exhibited many human behavior； they fell in love，married，had children，fought battles，wielded weapons and rode horses and chariots； they feasted on special foods，and sometimes required sacrifices of food，beverage，and sacred objects to be made by human beings，represented specific human concepts，such as love，war，fertility，beauty，or the seasons and human qualities such as beauty，wisdom，and power and sometimes human weaknesses such as greed，hatred，jealousy，and uncontrollable anger.

3.2 Optimism and Enterprising Spirit

Through the creation of Gods，the Greek people express their ideals，and show their pioneering spirit. For example，in the story of “Cadmus and the establishment of the city of Thebes”，it tells that the Phoenician Prince—Cadmus，he made great efforts to defeat the dragon，and finally established his own citywith the help of Athena.

3.3 Profound Philosophical Meaning

In the Greek story，Sisyphus displeased Gods，so he had to push a huge stone to an extremely high hill in the Lower World. However，whenever he had just reached the top of the hill，the stones always rolled down. He had to restart，day after day，year after year，and never rested. I think the story is similar to the Chinese story of “The foolish man who moved the mountain”，both of them convey a profound philosophical meaning.

4. Conclusion

Featured in anthropomorphism，optimism and philosophical meaning，the Greek mythology serves functions as education，explanation，legitimation and entertainment.

It is the treasure of the literature palace which reflects the ancient Greek peoples great imagination and intelligence.

References：

[1]Gustav Schwab（1959）.Greek Mythology and Legends.The Peoples Literature Publishing House.

作者簡介：任潔（1995.5-），女，漢族，四川人，大學本科在讀，現學習單位：西華師范大學外國語學院，研究方向：英語語言文學。