Did the Greeks really believe their own mythology or was it all just stories they made up cuz they were bored?

Answer 1

It was a way the smarter more powerful people explained things in the world to control the masses.

Answer 2

Oh, they absolutely did, and according to the most recent statistics, over 1 million peoploe in Greece still do. As their exposure to outside influences grew those beliefs waned, although certain "cultural heroes" (Hercules, Achilles and the like) were acknowledged almost without cessation from the Calssical period into the modern day. As with ALL religions there are period of increased worsihp, and periods where that worship falls off. But, according to the reports of contemporaries the Ancient Greeks were intensely devoted to their gods and depending on the time period and area would determin which deities would be given highest honors. Even though Zeus was the ruler of the gods, there were areas (like Athens, who held Athena and their patron deity) where other deities were given more attention except at those yearly ovservences that were specific to Zeus, even as zeus took a backseat at those festivals that were specific to some other deity.

Of course, when it comes to religious belief, from a psychological stand point at any rate, the tales, legends and myths are there to explain natural forces and events that they could not understand by anthropomorphizing them, thus giving the people not only an entity that they could recognize, but could possibly communicate with and gain help, knowlege and other benefit from. This is also why so many of the deities (all over the world, not just in Greece) have so many personality traits in common with humans (lust, greed, ambition, compassion, love etc.) They were, for all intents and purposes not so different from humans at all, which was a great source of comfort to those peoples, both then and now.

Answer 3

Greeks did believe mythology once. Actually, there are still people who believe in the twelve Greek Gods and they are not christians or anything else like the rest of Greeks. Nobody in Greece was boring; they had a lot to do. I hope that helps. Byeeee :)

Answer 4

I'm sure some took it quite literally while others thought of it as a useful metaphor to explain natural phenomenon as well as spiritual matters. I have heard that some Greeks saw the Pantheon of Gods to be expressive of the various aspect of the one creator.

On the other hand I'm sure their were atheists just like there are today. The ancient Greeks were pretty much people just like you and I but just set in a different time whose paradigm simply took on another form.

Answer 5

every physique who thinks memories of Greek and Roman mythology are "completely parallel" to the old testomony for sure is familiar with no longer something regarding the Bible and/or mythology. Are there similarities between some Bible memories and a few components of historical mythology? confident. Jesus and Horus is composed of strategies. yet historical Greek and Roman? not often. And completely parallel? on no account.

Answer 6

In earler Ancient Greece, before what we know of as Ancient Greece today, they believed in minor gods and such, and worshipped them with trinkets and statuettes.

Eventually, as in most cultures, they begin to personalize the events in their environment, until their mythology of the Greek gods that we're all familiar with came about.

Eventually, for most of Greece, people began to believe moreso in minor gods than anything, and around the time of Plato, a movement towards atheism came about. Of course, parts of Greece would still believe in certain ways, but the gods became more metaphorical than anything.

Answer 7

I suggest that you read some Homer: The Odyssey especially, also Herodotus and even Virgil' s Anead. The answer will come automatically.
Yes they really believed just as all religious people believe thier own "mythology".

Answer 8

The Greeks were surely like everyone else concerning religion, i.e. priests invented some gods and stories about them to make other people do as they wanted. "Pay the priest" is always involved. Such philosophers as Plato and Aristotle didn't believe in the traditional gods, just as the wisest men now don't believe in God, Allah, Brahma. etc.

Answer 9

do you believe in god, or are you just bored?? At least the greeks used some imagination..

Answer 10

I think they believed it. Greeks had a thing with explaining things, especially natural phenomenon and emotions.