Mythology Essay, Research Paper
People of the ancient world needed something to believe in, a deity or an idea. The reason for mythology is not known for sure, but it is thought to be a kind of religion and an answer to how something in nature came into existence. This would be ideas like; man, animals, flowers or trees, the sun, the moon, the stars, earthquakes, etc. The idea of religion is thought of from myths, because most of the myths have to do with gods or goddesses and religious ideas. The theories of the sources of mythology today are to give people an answer to visible phenomenon, to give base to a religious cult, and to organize society around a basic belief. If people do not have a reason why something happens they begin to wonder why. The myths give these people answers to questions like; why the sun rises, or what causes an earthquake? Most of the myths that were written try to explain a something that happens naturally. In one of the stories it explains about thunder and lightning. It is said that it is caused from Zeus the god of the sky. Myths are basically an early science. They are a person?s way of trying to explain what was seen happening around them, but that brings about the question of whether or not they were used as a religious purpose. The stories that were written had many different gods or goddesses in them. People believed in the gods and worshiped them. This sounds like the people of ancient times used this as not only an explanation of something but also as a religion. The definition of religion is a belief in or reverence for supernatural powers or powers regarded as creator or governor of the universe. According to that definition, myths are a religion. The gods in the story are the considered the creators of the universe, therefore the people believe in them. The people might have also used the myths to form their society. If a person believes that a god or goddess is watching them, they will naturally act in a way that will not anger the gods. The writers could tell the people that if they were to act up that the gods would punish them. This would frighten the people and teach society not to act up. These reasons are not the only reasons why myths were originally written. These might even be completely off in regards to why they were written. No one will ever know the reason behind myths; every person has their own opinion on them. So the true meaning behind myths would be what ever is believed by a certain person!