Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient
Greeks, and a genre of
Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and
activities of deities, heroes, and mythological creatures, and the origins
and significance of the ancient Greeks' own cult and ritual practices.
Modern scholars study the myths to shed light on the religious and
political institutions of ancient Greece, and to better understand the
nature of myth-making itself.
The Greek myths were initially propagated in an oral-poetic tradition most
likely by Minoan and Mycenaean singers starting in the 18th century BC;
eventually the myths of the heroes of the Trojans War and its aftermath
became part of the oral tradition of Homer's epic poems, the Iliad and the
Odyssey. Two poems by Homer's near contemporary Hesiod, the Theogony and
the Works and Days, contain accounts of the genesis of the world, the
succession of divine rulers, the succession of human ages, the origin of
human woes, and the origin of sacrificial practices. Myths are also
preserved in the Homeric Hymns, in fragments of epic poems of the Epic
Cycle, in lyric poems, in the works of the tragedians and comedians of the
fifth century BC, in writings of scholars and poets of the Hellenistic
Age, and in texts from the time of the Roman Empire by writers such as
Plutarch and Pausania.
Aside from this narrative deposit in ancient Greek literature, pictorial
representations of gods, heroes, and mythic episodes featured prominently
in ancient vase paintings and the decoration of votive gifts and many
other artifacts. Geometric designs on pottery of the eighth century BC
depict scenes from the Trojan cycle as well as the adventures of Heracles.
In the succeeding Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods, Homeric and
various other mythological scenes appear, supplementing the existing
literary evidence.