In Defense of Mythology
The ancient Greeks are known for little else than their Mythology. That these stories are still told or even known about 2000-3000 years later is a testament to their narrative power, human drama and epic scale. Care must also be taken to give credit to the Romans as well, since they wholesale adopted these myths and refashioned them with Roman gods and people and then spread them from Northern Africa all the way to the island today known as Great Britain. Whether the Greeks believed in their myths is a continuing question and the answer varies from age to age. But at least a few of the myths had explanatory power that we reference even today. Most Greek epics begin with an ode to the Muses: Goddesses associated with memory or inspiration, but in the Greek world, specifically associated with Truth. The poet would open with a prayer that the Muses would inspire the poet to remember and speak Truth. Today we speak of a "muse" as a source for inspi...