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ssherie_

Active member
I really want to learn and understand about the Greek mythological stories and gods and goddesses... but I just realized that I have been missing the point somewhat. I think of this as literature. It wasn't to them. It was part of their every day lives and was their "religion".

I want to understand this mindset a little more because I think it will help me as I go through and lear about the stories, gods and goddesses, monsters, etc.

This, at the moment, feels overwhelming. Do you guys have any advice as to how I can approach it?
 
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amygdalE

Active member
I really want to learn and understand about the Greek mythological stories and gods and goddesses... but I just realized that I have been missing the point somewhat. I think of this as literature. It wasn't to them. It was part of their every day lives and was their "religion".

I want to understand this mindset a little more because I think it will help me as I go through and lear about the stories, gods and goddesses, monsters, etc.

This, at the moment, feels overwhelming. Do you guys have any advice as to how I can approach it?
The big and eternal question for everybody to begin with; WHAT IS RELIGION? An old view: ti's a man's active relationship to a supernatural power which, I add, was personified. etc. Some such powers are destructvive, harmful. Response: seeking to propitiate it; begging to be spared, etc. Other powers are beneficial, thanked, etc., .... just as one is before a magnanimous king. // All in all, the operating gods come first; religion afterwards. Like myths, religions are elaborated and thus have their own history.
 

amygdalE

Active member
The big and eternal question for everybody to begin with; WHAT IS RELIGION? An old view: ti's a man's active relationship to a supernatural power which, I add, was personified. etc. Some such powers are destructvive, harmful. Response: seeking to propitiate it; begging to be spared, etc. Other powers are beneficial, thanked, etc., .... just as one is before a magnanimous king. // All in all, the operating gods come first; religion afterwards. Like myths, religions are elaborated and thus have their own history.
One necessary addition: after the personification of superhumanly powerful things and events [hence the gods], the ancients saw them as immortal, whereas humans are mortal. Typically the ancient Greeks, had the feeling of this tragic disparity and sought immortality. Hence the rise of various mystery [mysticism] religions, including the Eleusinian [...Kora and Dionysus... BREAD and WINE] Rites, which persist in the Orthodox and Catholic religions in the form of the Eucharist/Mass.
 
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k_tsoukalas

Moderator
It's a good point that learning about Greek Mythology is more than just learning the stories or learning about the gods and goddesses as a separate entity. It really helps to understand the mindset of the Ancient Greeks and what they sought from their religious practice. One thing that it took me a long time to understand is that these weren't just stories to them, they were part of their lives and their ways of seeing the world. It's been really hard for me to understand their mindset but I've been trying.
 
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amygdalE

Active member
It's a good point that learning about Greek Mythology is more than just learning the stories or learning about the gods and goddesses as a separate entity. It really helps to understand the mindset of the Ancient Greeks and what they sought from their religious practice. One thing that it took me a long time to understand is that these weren't just stories to them, they were part of their lives and their ways of seeing the world. It's been really hard for me to understand their mindset but I've been trying.
I like the phrase, "... and their ways of seeing the world". Lately I have been
considering the phrasing of the nature of their gods according to their mindset/perspective/frame-of-mind, in comparison to other mindsets. Result: A Greek myth-maker typically looked at a relationship between a presumed god and a human person, whereas, e.g., a Hebrew looked at a God-tribe relationship. [As God is by nature all-good, adversities among humans are due to their faults. Hence the myth of the JUST God, whereas the Persians posited a good god, Ahura Mazda, and an evil god, Ariman. The Greek PERSONALISM , and hence personal responsibility, will be evident in the Orphics and in Socrates' inquiries, to say the least.
 
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amygdalE

Active member
I am still coping with the concept of MINDSET or mentality. Though going hand in hand, THEISM and RELIGION must be distinguished.//
Why so many gods and other supernaturals? Because of the great variety of EVENTS that affect us -- storms, forest fires, floodings...... They are like human deeds, by Mighty persons. The process of personification allows for the invention of myths/fables as well as human intercessions, shrines, etc. // A change of [Greek] mentality around the 6th cent. BC.: events are AUTONOMOUS. Thus the rise of philosophies rather than theistic myths. {John of Ephesus, the Evangelist, was the last Greek mythographer -- on the footsteps of philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus!}
 
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Favorite Greek Mythological Story?

I love reading about Greek Mythology. Even though this isn't a part what Greece is today, I feel that knowing these stories is a way to honor the Ancient Greeks.

I have a few favorites - what are your favorites?

  • The tragic story of Medusa
  • The 12 Labors of Hercules
  • Anything related to the Minotaur
  • The Golden Fleece

Hera Seems More Complex Than We Realize

One goddess in Greek Mythology that has always intrigued me is Hera. I mean, it always seemed to me like Zeus put her through A LOT.

Every now and then we bump into Hera lashing out. She did that with Hercules. But I also realized that there's more to the story. After he became a full God, it seems like they had a good relationship.

So perhaps there is more to Hera than meets the eye? What do you guys think?

Is Persephone the Greek goddess of spring?

I have been thinking abut the seasons and I bumped into Persephone. I find her story fascinating. Is she considered the goddess of springtime? I know that when she is with Hades that is when winter is, when she comes out from Hades to be with her mother, that is when the spring is. I had assumed it was Demeter's grief/joy that dictated the seasons, so I was a little surprised to read that Persephone was the goddess of spring, but perhaps that is true from the perspective that she represents spring?

With the change of seasons, I wonder which of the gods or goddesses represented this time of year. Do you guys know of any others that represent spring?

Thesmorphia - Ancient Greek Thanksgiving Festival

I have heard this festival described as an "Ancient Greek Thanksgiving" so I thought I would look it up. Very interesting! I don't see the "Thanksgiving" connection (not the way we in the US think of it) but I thought it was interesting because it goes to show you that gratitude-related festivals are an ancient concept. And it is a harvest festival, just like our US Thanksgiving is...

Some information I have gathered:

The Thesmorphia festival was celebrated on the 11th of Pyanepsion, which corresponds to late October or early November in the modern Gregorian calendar. The festival was a three-day affair, and it was observed mainly by women. During the festival, women were not allowed to sleep with their husbands, and purification rituals were performed at the temples of Demeter and Persephone. On the first day, the first fruits of the harvest were offered to Demeter, and a feast was held in her honor. On the second day, a procession was held, and women walked around the fields carrying torches, symbolizing the power of Demeter. The third day was a joyous celebration, and the remnants of the feast were donated to the poor.

The Thesmorphia festival was significant for many reasons. Firstly, it celebrated the end of the harvesting season, and it was a time to give thanks for a good crop. The festival was also a time for women to come together, and it was an opportunity for them to assert their power and influence in the society. Women played a significant role in the festival, and they were responsible for the preparation of the feast and various other aspects of the festival.

The festival was also significant in terms of its religious and mythological significance. Demeter was the goddess of agriculture, and Persephone was her young daughter, who was kidnapped by Hades, the god of the underworld. The story of Persephone reflects the cycle of life, death, and resurrection. The festival of Thesmorphia was an opportunity to honor these two goddesses and their mythology, which highlighted the importance of the harvest and the cycle of life.

Another reason why the Thesmorphia festival was significant was that it was a time for the community to come together and celebrate. The feast was an opportunity to share food, drink, and stories and build camaraderie amongst members of the community. During the festival, people forgot their differences and came together to celebrate the bounty of the harvest.

Important Places of Greek Mythology?

I was just thinking about the Greek mythos and legends and how in some of them, location appears to be important.

For example, Mount Olympus is a real mountain in Greece. The Archeron River, one of the five rivers of Hades, really exists. The story of the Minotaur has a backdrop of the Knossos Palace (I think). There was the Oracle of Delphi in the stories, and Delphi really exists.

Can you think of anything else? I find this stuff interesting.
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