Greek myths enlighten modern life
TX. Greek Mythology 2
Greek mythology is something that has had a huge impact on today’s culture. The mythology-inspired book series “Percy Jackson” by Rick Riordan, for instance, has been read by millions and is loved all around the world.
The lessons taught in Greek myths are both interesting and valuable. They will keep you entertained while also helping you understand things and see things in a new light that you couldn’t have seen otherwise.
Take, for instance, the story of Prometheus. Prometheus is the brother of Epimetheus, who repeatedly warned Prometheus not to give fire to mortals. However, Prometheus saw humans struggling to live and having a hard time with their daily tasks without a means of cooking food and doing other menial tasks. Therefore, Prometheus decided it would be best to show the mortals how to create fire despite warnings from both his brother and Zeus.
Zeus discovered the sin shortly thereafter, and punished the immortal god by chaining him to a mountain and sending an eagle to eat his liver every day.
Prometheus was a god, and therefore could not die, so he suffered immeasurable pain for 30,000 years.
Tales of Orpheus
Unfortunately, Zeus is a Greek god with very low morals and standards. He cheats on his wife with a woman named Io. Ultimately, his wife Hera discovers this and is very enraged by their scandal.
Hera decides the best punishment for the puny mortal Io would be to turn her into a disgusting animal. She turns the girl into a cow and leaves her to die. However, Io is later returned to her human form and gets to live a normal life once again. Yet her life is never the same, and she endures many trials.
• Story continues below video
In another horrific fable, Orpheus marries Eurydice, who shortly thereafter passes away. Orpheus misses his wife greatly and goes to the underworld to retrieve his lady.
Hades allows Orpheus to take his spouse back to Earth on one condition: He must not look back at his wife until after he has left the deathly place. He agrees and believes that his wife is following closely behind.
Almost.
Orpheus decides to take one tiny peek back at Eurydice, and when he does, she is dragged back down to the depths of the underworld, never to return and see the light of day again.
In yet another unfaithful act, Zeus cheats on his wife again. He seduces a woman named Leto and, unfortunately, Hera’s wrath — like with Io — falls down upon her. Leto was cursed to never be able to give birth to the twins that she had conceived. She was in agony for a long time, and the babies continued to grow inside her. She was in pain everywhere she went and continually sought solace.
Finally, Leto found tranquility when she was able to give birth on a safe-haven island called Crete. The god and goddess twins Artemis and Apollo were born, and they also play a large part in many of the Greek myths.
Perfect woman
A mortal named Pygmalion was a sculptor. He spent all his days creating beautiful statues that the gods admired. In this romantic tale, Pygmalion creates a gorgeous statue of the perfect woman, and he falls madly in love with his own creation. He begs and pleads for her to become real, because she already looks the part.
Aphrodite takes pity on Pygmalion and brings the beautiful girl to life. Pygmalion falls in love all over again, and the statue affectionately named ”Galatea” adores him as well. They end up living a happy life together.
Finally, there is the myth of Callisto, a constellation that supposedly explains all things that cannot be figured out through the mythology. Callisto is a constellation that you can still find on a clear night, when the sky is brilliant. She is the center of the universe and highly worshiped by all.
Greek mythology is something that should still be studied today. It is a huge part of world history and makes up a large part of the things that we talk about in the average class at school.
This mythology is unchangeable and ancient yet is still applicable today. It is a beautiful artwork and a history that cannot be forgotten.