Through Greek Mythology it is possible to learn about the Ancient Greek values or what they believed every person should strive to be. Some examples of Greek values are strength, creativity, leadership, perseverance, justice, confidence, and dominance. Two of the main Ancient Greek values are physical beauty and wisdom. These values are shown through the stories of Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Athena and Daedalus.
An example of the Greeks valuing physical beauty is when the Trojan prince was forced to pick who was the most beautiful woman. His three choices were, “Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite…[and he] declared Aphrodite [as] the fairest of the goddesses” so she took his side during the Trojan War. (“Aphrodite”). The Prince chose Aphrodite due to her outstanding physical beauty in spite of the outstanding abilities of the other goddesses as well as their own beauty. He chose Aphrodite even though she was not the kindest or most faithful Goddess, unlike Athena and Hera, he was blinded by her beauty and could not see past her it. The second example of the
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In Aphrodite’s story, she won the competition as the most beautiful woman even though she went up against other goddess that were more powerful than herself. From Hephaestus’ story, it shows that physical beauty is more important than even a mother's love by Hera throwing him off Mnt. Olympus for being deformed. Athena’s myth shows that the Greeks valued wisdom due to her giving the people of Athens an olive tree, which had multiple uses rather than the salt water that Poseidon gave them. From Daedalus’ myth, we can infer that the Greeks valued wisdom because he was able to escape the labyrinth with wings he had made. Through the choices of Hera and the Trojan, prince it is clear that the Greeks valued physical beauty. Through Daedalus and Athena it is also apparent that the Greeks also placed a high value on