Ancient Greek Myths

Seeing mysterious and unexplainable characteristics of the world, wouldn’t one desire an explanation? The Greeks did exactly that, forming stories, that are known today as myths. The ancient greeks invented myths to explain the unknown. Three mysteries that were explained by myths were: natural phenomena, flowers, and one of their cities, Athens.

Whether it’s waves in the ocean or winds in the sky, nature is astonishing. The Greeks created myths to explain why natural phenomena occurs. According to the Greeks, Demeter was the Goddess responsible for the fertility of the earth. Demeter’s daughter is forced to be away from her for four months a year. Demeter refuses to take care of the earth for these four months which is why Winter exists.

Flowers, being extremely appealing to the eye, would have caused myths to originate from it.The Adonis myth tells a story of a man who attracted every woman. “Every year, the Greek girls mourned for him...Aphrodite loved him” (Hamilton 118) When he died, his drop of blood sprouted a flower. Flowers are visually beautiful. The Greeks connected the flower to an attractive man. Hyacinthus is also evidence that the Greeks aimed to explain how flowers came into existence. Hyacinthus was Apollo’s companion. Apollo accidentally killed him while hunting, and a flower appeared. “Even as he spoke, the bloodstained grass turned green again and there bloomed forth the wondrous flower...” (Hamilton 117). The colors of a flower symbolize strength and friendship. The Greeks created a story, explaining an honorable, young man as the origin of the flower. The flower myths clearly show that the Greeks used mythology to tell how things came into

It was the most well-known and respected city in ancient Greece. It’s hard to imagine that such a magnificent city was generated without the help of a higher power. This led the Greeks to install a great history to the city. According to the Greeks, “[Cecrops] was also the founder and first king of a brand new city in Greece.” (Power 15) Athena and Poseidon competed for the ownership of the city. Athena won. Seeing the glory of their city, they told stories about the history of Athens. In the story, after Poseidon lost the city to Athena, he cursed the city with a drought. “The god Poseidon, however, was not pleased by the decision of Cecrops and cursed the city of Athens to never have enough water from then on; after that, a major problem of water shortage started in Athens, which continues until this very day.” (Power 15). The Athenians must have wondered why their city, being so rich and delightful, would have such a horrific issue. Seeing it as the best explanation, they blamed it on the anger of a God. Athens was a unique city, and it demanded a myth to be tied to