Why do you think it is important for students to learn about ancient Greek mythology...?

Question

why do you think these studies are in existence at most universities? Isn't it just memorizing different aspects of an ancient fairy tale? I think the stories are very neat- is there more to it than that which I don't see? Thanks in advance for your input.

Answer 1

There are many reasons. If you hope to study Renaissance lit or art, you will have to have a working knowledge of the ancient Greek myths to understand the references e.g. "like as Apollo..."

Also, the Greeks, like other cultures, sought to understand their world by creating myths. The Greek gods, however, looked human and were closely related to the human world as opposed to being animal headed like Egyptian gods.

What the Greeks did was to personify life, death, art, war, etc into the person of their gods. For example, Athena, patroness of Athens and Goddess of Wisdom is born full grown, fully armored from the head of Zeus. Sounds strange until you think about the attributes of Wisdom -- you are either wise or foolish. Thus by the time you get wisdom it's already fully grown and wisdom itself it an armor of sorts and it resides in the intellect or the head.

Aphrodite is not just the goddess of love. She's really the goddess of generation - the life giving principle. She is, after all, born of the sea foam and the sea gives life.

Then there is her husband, Hephastus. He's a cripple. That's because he does not create in the natural world. He makes armor which is an artistic creation, but art is not "natural" but man-made and therefore one step down from natural creation. But the 2 of them are "married" because they are both principles of creation.

And how about Apollo vs Dionysius. Apollo is the god of light and the intellect, but Dionysius is really the god of the subconscious, the god of "unrule". And the Greeks honored both of them -- the totality of the human being.

Anyway, that's what I get out of it. There's always a message if you look for it. And I think it reflects the way they saw life.

Answer 2

At university, study is usually focussed on classical literature, rather than mythology, per se.

But a knowlege of myth is also useful if you want to study Literature or Art History in general, since these are often littered with mythological allusions. Naturally, its also a must, for subjects such as Ancient History, Archaeology, and Ancient Greek.Language.

Reasons to study? The same reason why we study any culture! But ancient Greece is regarded as the origin of western culture so it holds a special place in our history.

The stories of myth have inspired an entire culture for centuries, and even long after the end of the classical age, artists and writers have been inspired by the stories and imagery through the centuries -- from Michelangelo to Goya, from Shakespeare to J.K Rowling.

Answer 3

Because understanding the Mythology and Folklore, as well as the Religions, that influenced our culture is essential to Literacy. As someone else noted, you couldn't understand Shakespeare without an understanding of Mythology. There are many allusions to Greek and Roman mythology in art, literature, and music. Also, these stories are more than just stories. To the ancients, they were Sacred stories told as part of their religion. They teach universal truths, and give insight into the workings of the Universe, and the inner workings of the Human mind. Also, by understanding a foreign or ancient culture, you may gain insight into your own.

Answer 4

Because mythology is part of our culture. The more background you lose, the harder it is to put ancient works into context. Think about it. Do you think you would GET Shakespeare without an understanding of mythology? Or someone with an understanding explaining it?

Besides, the stories are cool if you like fantasy. Most mythology is a study of human frailty and understanding and people haven't changed much.

Answer 5

Mythology in general is the earliest inspiration for the artist, again in general.
The Greek mythology lies in the base of the classical and contemporary art.
You simply cannot understand the basic literature, performing and fine arts without knowing the Greek mythology.
I mean it is everywhere. I find it even in some rock bands lyrics, and in some movies.Even if they don't exploit the story, they borrow motives.
You can find words and phrases deriving from the Greek mythology everywhere. For example, how many times have you heard "nemesis"?

Answer 6

The study of Greek history is important since it's the basis of western civilization. Mythology is an extremely important part of that culture. The stories have so much in them, they detail how to live and think..and give examples of heroism and suffering and wisdom. I think people would be surprised what is actually in some of the stories. They can be quite racy.

Answer 7

i think it is important to study greek mythology because ican expand your vocabulary also enhance ur reading,writing,listening and interpretating skills. also you understand more about shakespeare and literature. you have a better focus on the world and start to think about things that probably hav'nt crossed ur mind such as creation,death afterlife etc. have u ever thout how u came into existance. this is not just mythical stories. there must be an ounce of truth in some of them (even tho they might sound a bit far-fetched)

Answer 8

Mythology of any country is important. It tells us who they were and where we came from. It gives us a lot of historical references as well. This is the belief system for the Greeks and how they worked as a nation. It was important to them as a country and how they governed. It is also used in some of to days literature.

Answer 9

i believe it is important to study Greek mythology since both classic and modern literature pieces use them as symbols.

like:
she is as beautiful as Aphrodite
even though we didn't study Greek mythology, we will still know that she's really beautiful. but if we stopped learning Greek mythology, that line of knowledge will soon come to an end. and when that happens, we will never know what that means.

and what i think is essential in reading books or any literature pieces is that we get to learn from their mistakes, i personally think that our lives our too short to learn life's greatest lessons.

Answer 10

I understand your point. The issue is to compare "then" and "now" and realize how real people used to explain the world using the means available to them, their perceptions of the truth, the Holy, their versions of human actions. You see, when studying the past, we must ALWAYS keep in mind that we refer to real people who did not think of themselves as ancient at their times. This kind of "historical imagination" is a precious tool for anyone who wants to deeply grasp what humans are made of!