Greek Mythology enjoyed an enormous role in the introduction of Ancient Greece. Not only did it surround the basic constructions of their buildings, it also bounded the structure of the everyday lives. The way they might pray, just how they might complete everyday duties, and the way they resided all centered throughout the gods and goddesses of Greek Mythology.
"People prayed to these gods for the same reasons we pray today: for health and safety, for wealth, for a good harvest, for safeness at sea. Typically they prayed as neighborhoods, and through offerings and sacrifice they searched for to please the inscrutable deities who they thought managed their lives" (National Geographic's). The Greeks looked to Hades (God of the Underworld) whenever it came up to death. The places where Hades ruled (The Unseen) was described as "moldering horror where heroes and typical people went after they passed away" (National Geographic's). The Greeks started making afterlife kind of like a personal quest rather than a joyless destiny. They wished to complete whatever it was that was retaining them there in order that they could proceed. Somewhat it be to a worse or a greater place. That they had mystery cults that would provide guidance to the path each individual person had a need to follow after their fatality. With the idea the Greeks had, multiple cults emerged claiming to help cleansing the spirit and lead them on the right path. "So when Christianity swept the early world, it carried with it, along with direction from a single deity, remnants of the old beliefs: the cleansing away of individual corruption through mystic rites, different fates awaiting the initiated and uninitiated, and the reverence for sacred texts" (National Geographic's). Thinking that loss of life could be good or harmful to the Greeks, they searched for the ancestors' favour with honors and offerings. Along with the help of their ancestors, they also thought that initiation in to the right cult also performed a component in their ultimate destination for afterlife.
Greek Mythology doesn't have an actual Bible, like Christianity, instead their religious beliefs is an "oral tradition that started in the Bronze time and their plots and themes unfolded gradually in the written books of the archaic and traditional times" (Background). The Greeks worshipped multiple different gods each with different personalities and domains. There were twelve principal deities in the Greek pantheon. Both most important, and best known, are Zeus (god of the sky and dad of most other gods) and Hades (god of the underworld). The relationship between humans and deities was predicated on the concept of exchange: gods and goddesses were expected to give gifts. Votive offerings, which were excavated from sanctuaries by the hundreds, were a physical manifestation of thanks on the part of specific worshippers (metmuseum). They worshipped in sanctuaries located within the countryside or the city. "A sanctuary was a well-defined sacred space set apart usually by an enclosure wall structure. This sacred precinct, also known as a temenos, included the temple with a monumental cult image of the deity, a patio altar, statues and votive offerings to the gods, and often features of panorama such as sacred trees or springs. Many temples benefited from other natural area, which helped expressing the character of the divinities" (metmuseum). The ritual act that many Greeks preformed was pet sacrifice. They mainly sacrificed oxen, goats, and sheep. They would sacrifice the pets at alters before the temples. That they had groups of individuals that would consume the remains of the pets after the sacrifices. "Religious celebrations, literally feast days, filled the year. The four most well-known festivals, each with its own procession, athletic competitions (14. 130. 12), and sacrifices, were performed every four years at Olympia, Delphi, Nemea, and Isthmia. " (metmuseum).
Not only have religion play an enormous role in Greek Mythology, so does the structures with their society. As mentioned above, they had temples establish for the gods and goddesses for sacrifice purposes. Greek Architecture has influenced many towns and states even today. "One very evident area of impact is structures: Just go through the downtown of almost any major city in the U. S. , or lots of the great locations of Europe. Ancient Greek impact is lurking within the facades of structures as mixed as the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C. , the Prado Museum in Madrid, and Downing College or university, Cambridge University or college, in Cambridge, Britain. When we think of ancient Greek architecture, we are usually referring to temple architecture (or other general public buildings, rather than personal). Ancient Greek temples included proportional design, columns, friezes, and pediments, usually adorned with sculpture in alleviation. These elements give ancient greek language architecture its distinctive persona" (owlation). The Greeks provided their properties all kind of similar design. That they had kind of your "godly" turn to them. Usually to appeal to the gods and goddesses that they will be praising. They used their structures usually for religious purposes. They had sacrifices, praises, conferences, and everything else being placed in their properties. The buildings were created to perfection, in an effort to provide "comfort" and "solitude" to the gods. Individuals only wanted to please them, because they believed the gods and goddesses saw everything and judged everything. They didn't want to disappoint them. To the people, the buildings were the gods homes'. They do no bad, no incorrect, or even go against the gods in the structures. Much like how Christian's are in chapel. The church is God's home and we give him the upmost value within. The Greeks do the same thing. That's the reason their buildings were built the way they were.
To folks, the gods and goddesses manipulated everything. Inevitably you were delivered to the underworld after fatality, not hell or heaven, however the underworld. It was the place where you remained until you "finished your unfinished business". Folks began looking at it as an individual quest for them. Almost like, who will stay here the longest? And who'll be going to Heaven? Who will be going to hell? The Greeks engaged their everyday life to the gods and goddesses. They would not do anything that did not in a few shape or form entail them. They does sacrifices to please them, they lived by their codes, they built buildings which were fit on their behalf. Greece was bounded by Greek Mythology. Their gods were much different than the God that Christians praise. They each got their own way of life, their own "power", their own thing that they ruled. There are a total of twelve of these. One was Zeus, the god of the sky and the daddy of most gods. Then there exists Hades, the god of the underworld. Poseidon, god of the ocean. Hera, Zeus's wife and sister, queen of all gods. Athena, patron goddess of Athens. Apollo, god of music and prophecy. Artemis, Apollo's twin sister, patroness of hunting. Hermes, messenger god. Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. Dionysos, god of wine and movie theater. Ares, god of warfare. Hephaistos, god of metalworking. The folks all presumed that Support Olympus, which was the highest pile in Greece, was where the gods and goddesses all resided. Their buildings viewed to the pile, extra tall enough to be observed. People worshipped that mountain along with all the deities that they presumed resided it. "Essentially, the Greeks worshipped numerous gods, making their religious beliefs polytheistic. They presumed that training the chance to choose between a wide array of gods to worship offered them a great sense of liberty that they treasured. In the end, the Greeks were known because of their intellectual distinction of which their means of worship played an enormous part. Each city-state, or polis, thus had an affiliated god who safeguarded and guided its residents" (Histoty). The Greeks thought in every twelve gods, because not just one god or goddess was identical or was "god" of a similar thing. Allowing the Greeks to believe in multiple differing people for multiple different reasons.
Greeks thought in a wide variety of gods so that they could have a wide range of individuals to praise. Providing them with the sense of independence that they adored. They were not contained to one god, and they did not have to check out the words of one religious figure. They could follow what of multiple spiritual figures, and if they did not imagine or agree with one there have been eleven more to carefully turn to. Greeks were a very "freedom caring" population. They felt that folks should have a choice in what and whom they have confidence in. Thus, starting Greek Mythology so they could have multiple visitors to research to.
Sources Used
http://www. ancient. eu/Greek_Architecture/
https://owlcation. com/humanities/The-Influence-of-Ancient-Greek-Architecture
http://www. metmuseum. org/toah/hd/grlg/hd_grlg. htm
http://www. history. com/topics/ancient-history/greek-mythology
http://www. nationalgeographic. com/magazine/2016/07/greek-gods-ancient-greece-afterlife/
Books:
hhttp://www. greekmythology. com/Books/1000_mythological_characters_briefly_describedttp://www. greekmythology. com/Books/an_introduction_to_mythology/2
http://www. greekmythology. com/Books/hero_tales
http://www. greekmythology. com/Books/myths_and_legends_of_ancient_greece_and_rome
http://www. greekmythology. com/Books/myths_of_greece_and_rome_narrated_with_special_reference_to_literature_and_art
http://www. greekmythology. com/Books/the_odyssey
