Classical mythology, also known asGreco-Roman mythology orGreek and Roman mythology, is the collective body and study ofmyths from theancient Greeks andancient Romans. Mythology, along withphilosophy andpolitical thought, is one of the major survivals ofclassical antiquity throughout later, including modern,Western culture.[1] The Greek wordmythos refers to the spoken word or speech, but it also denotes a tale, story or narrative.[2]
As late as theRoman conquest of Greece during the last two centuriesBefore the Common Era and for centuries afterwards, the Romans, who already had gods of their own, adopted many mythic narratives directly from the Greeks while preserving their own Roman (Latin) names for the gods. As a result, the actions of many Roman and Greek deities became equivalent in storytelling and literature in modern Western culture. For example, the Roman sky godJupiter or Jove became equated with his Greek counterpartZeus; the Roman fertility goddessVenus with the Greek goddessAphrodite; and the Roman sea godNeptune with the Greek godPoseidon.
Latin remained the dominant language inEurope during theMiddle Ages andRenaissance, largely due to the widespread influence of theRoman Empire. During this period, mythological names almost always appeared in their Latin form. However, in the 19th century, there was a shift towards the use of either the Greek or Roman names.[3] For example, "Zeus" and "Jupiter" both became widely used in that century as the name of the supreme god of the classicalpantheon.
The stories and characters found in Greco-Roman mythology are not considered real in terms of the same way that historical or scientific facts are real. They are not factual accounts of events that occurred. Instead, Greco-Roman mythology is a collection of ancient stories, legends, and beliefs that were created by the people of ancient Greece and Rome to explain aspects of the world around them, express cultural values, and provide a framework for understanding their existence. These myths often involve gods, heroes, goddesses, afterwar appearances, and other supernatural beings, and they were an integral part of the religious and cultural practices of the time. While these myths are not considered historically accurate, they hold cultural and literary significance.[4]
Greek myths were narratives related toancient Greek religion, often concerned with the actions ofgods and other supernatural beings and ofheroes who transcend human bounds. Major sources for Greek myths include theHomeric epics, that is, theIliad and theOdyssey, and thetragedies ofAeschylus,Sophocles, andEuripides. Known versions are mostly preserved in sophisticated literary works shaped by the artistry of individuals and by the conventions ofgenre, or invase painting and other forms of visual art. In these forms, mythological narratives often serve purposes that are not primarily religious, such as entertainment and even comedy (The Frogs), or the exploration of social issues (Antigone).
Roman myths are traditional stories pertaining toancient Rome'slegendary origins,religious institutions, andmoral models, with a focus on human actors and only occasional intervention from deities but a pervasive sense of divinely ordered destiny. Roman myths have a dynamic relation toRoman historiography, as in the early books ofLivy'sAb urbe condita.[5] The most famous Roman myth may be the birth ofRomulus and Remus and the founding of the city, in whichfratricide can be taken as expressing the long history of political division in theRoman Republic.[6]
As late as theHellenistic period of Greek influence and primarily through theRoman conquest of Greece,[7] the Romans identifiedtheir own gods with those of the Greeks, keeping their own Roman names but adopting the Greek stories told about them (seeinterpretatio graeca) and importing other myths for which they had no counterpart. For instance, while theGreek godAres and theItalic godMars are bothwar deities, the role of each in his society and its religious practices differed often strikingly; but in literature andRoman art, the Romans reinterpreted stories about Ares under the name of Mars. The literary collection of Greco-Roman myths with the greatest influence on later Western culture was theMetamorphoses of theAugustan poetOvid.
Syncretized versions form the classical tradition ofmythography, and by the time of the influentialRenaissance mythographerNatalis Comes (16th century), few if any distinctions were made between Greek and Roman myths. The myths as they appear in popular culture of the 20th and 21st centuries often have only atangential relation to the stories as told in ancient Greek and Latin literature.
The people living in the Renaissance era, who primarily studied the Christian teachings, Classical mythology found a way to be told from the freshly found ancient sources that authors and directors used for plays and stories for the retelling of these myths.[8]
Professor John Th. Honti stated that "many myths of Graeco-Roman antiquity" show "a nucleus" that appear in "some later common European folk-tale".[9]
Mythology was not the only borrowing that the Romans made from Greek culture. Rome took over and adapted many categories of Greek culture:philosophy,rhetoric,history, epic,tragedy and their forms ofart. In these areas, and more, Rome took over and developed the Greek originals for their own needs. Somescholars argue that the reason for this "borrowing" is largely, among many other things, thechronology of the two cultures. ProfessorElizabeth Vandiver says Greece was the first culture in the Mediterranean, then Rome second.[10]
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