Introduction

The ancient Greeks, before they developed the sciences, tried to explain the various natural phenomena around them as the action of imaginary beings. For example, they believed that lightening was one of the weapons god Zeus used to punish evil men, whereas today we know that it is caused by electricity in the clouds. These explanations, which children today still give for things they do not understand, are called ‘myths’.
Thus the ancient Greeks personified all natural phenomena and objects, and created a host of myths about god and devils, demigods and heroes, monsters and nymphs, witches and muses. Further, as time went on they tried to give meaning to the important moments in life, and important historical events, by weaving myths around them. Examples are the myths of Jason and the Argonauts, the Labours of Hercules and the achievements of Theseus, the Trojan War and the Wanderings of Odysseus.
All these myths together made up the great and wonderful Greek Mythology, drawn from the imagination of simple men and the inspiration of poets. Generation after generation grew up with these gripping myths, altering them sometimes, according to their needs, and passing them on either by word of mouth or the writings of wise men.
Of course other people have their mythologies too, and perhaps some are larger than the Greek mythology. But none of them can be compared with the Greek mythology in terms of images and form, in plot or in the depth of the lessons it teaches us. These myths are drawn from life and nature, adorned with rich fantasy, and expressed (originally) in the rich Greek language, which is why Greek mythology is taught today to children in many countries.