The ancient Greeks lived in a polytheistic civilization, that is, they believed in several gods. In ancient Greece, the most prominent god was Zeus. Considered the most important among the gods, he represented justice, reason and authority. In addition to the Greeks being polytheistic, their gods were anthropomorphic, that is, they assumed human form and acted like men, they fought among themselves, and, like humans, they felt hate, love, got married and had sons.
In connection with marriage, several gods have joined mortal human beings. From these unions emerged heroes, considered demigods. About their gods and heroes, the Greeks told many myths, which gave rise to Greek mythology.
Greek mythology originated from a set of fanciful and imaginative accounts in which the Greeks sought to explain, for example, the origin of life, life after death, among other matters.
The Greek gods were honored through games and sporting competitions. From this fact, the Olympic Games emerged, which were held on Mount Olympus (home of Zeus).
In the symbolic universe of Greek mythology, there were several myths, then we will see the myth originating from the island of Crete (Greece). According to historical accounts, documents or traces left by the Greeks on the island of Crete existed an insurmountable labyrinth: no man who entered the labyrinth could find the exit.
Besides, being lost inside the labyrinth became dangerous due to the presence of the mythological figure of the Minotaur, who lived there. The Minotaur, in the mythological representation, had the human body and the head of a bull. This mythology emerged after Crete's defeat to Athens: the Minotaur was inside the labyrinth to receive offerings that Athens paid to Crete every year.
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Whenever the Greeks had serious problems, they consulted the gods through the oracles, which interpreted to humans what the gods wanted.
The main gods worshiped by the ancient Greeks were: Zeus (main god, ruled over other gods and men), Hera (wife of Zeus), Hades (lord of the hells), Ares (god of war), Artemis (goddess of hunting), Athena (goddess of reason and intelligence), Aphrodite (goddess of love and beauty), Apollo (god of light, arts and of divination), Dionysus (god of wine and pleasure), Hephaestus (god of fire), Demeter (god of earth), Hermes (god of commerce and communication) and Poseidon (god of the seas).
Over time, in Greek cities such as Athens, scholars emerged who founded Philosophy (the main ones were Socrates, Plato and Aristotle). They began to doubt the original explanations of mythology and made use of the methodical use of reason, elaborating other explanations about natural phenomena, about life and man. From then on, mythology began to explain, together with Philosophy, the origin of life and the problems of existence.
Leandro Carvalho
Master in History
