Greek mythology | Gods, Stories, & History

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2018"><strong>2018</strong></a></td> <td class="c" id="displayYearEl" title="You are here: 04:46:13 Feb 05, 2020">2020</td> <td class="f" nowrap><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20210212002232/http://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" title="12 Feb 2021"><strong>2021</strong></a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> <div class="r" style="display:flex;flex-flow:column nowrap;align-items:flex-end;justify-content:space-between;"> <div id="wm-btns" style="text-align:right;height:23px;"><span class="xxs"> <div id="wm-save-snapshot-success"> success </div> <div id="wm-save-snapshot-fail"> fail </div><a id="wm-save-snapshot-open" href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#" title="Share via My Web Archive"> <span class="iconochive-web"></span> </a> <a 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View the web archive through the <a href="https://translate.google.com/website?sl=auto&tl=en&hl=en-GB&u=http://archive.org/web/web.php">Wayback Machine</a>. </div> </div> <div style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;width:49%;"><span class="c-logo" style="background-image:url(https://archive.org/services/img/liveweb)"></span> <div> Collection: <a style="color:#33f;" href="https://translate.google.com/website?sl=auto&tl=en&hl=en-GB&u=https://archive.org/details/liveweb" target="_new"><span class="wm-title">Live Web Proxy Crawls</span></a> </div> <div style="max-height:75px;overflow:hidden;position:relative;"> <div style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:75px;background:linear-gradient(to bottom,rgba(255,255,255,0) 0%,rgba(255,255,255,0) 90%,rgba(255,255,255,255) 100%);"></div> Content crawled via the <a href="https://translate.google.com/website?sl=auto&tl=en&hl=en-GB&u=http://archive.org/web/web.php">Wayback Machine</a> Live Proxy mostly by the Save Page Now feature on web.archive.org. <br><br> Liveweb proxy is a component of Internet Archive’s wayback machine project. 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data-provider="facebook" href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>Facebook</span></a> <a class="ui-icon-twitter center-xs middle-xs" data-provider="twitter" href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://twitter.com/britannica?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>Twitter</span></a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="grid no-gutter"> <div class="md-toc-panel"> <div class="md-toc lh-md"> <ul data-level="h1"> <li data-target="#ref1"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Introduction</a></li> <li data-target="#ref65482"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65482">Sources of myths: literary and archaeological</a> <ul data-level="h2"> <li data-target="#ref65483"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65483">The Homeric poems: the <em>Iliad</em> and the <em>Odyssey</em></a></li> </ul> <ul data-level="h2"> <li data-target="#ref65484"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65484">The works of Hesiod: <em>Theogony</em> and <em>Works and Days</em></a></li> </ul> <ul data-level="h2"> <li data-target="#ref65485"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65485">Other literary works</a></li> </ul> <ul data-level="h2"> <li data-target="#ref65486"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65486">Archaeological discoveries</a></li> </ul></li> <li data-target="#ref65487"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology/Forms-of-myth-in-Greek-culture?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Forms of myth in Greek culture</a> <ul data-level="h2"> <li data-target="#ref65488"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology/Forms-of-myth-in-Greek-culture?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65488">Religious myths</a></li> </ul> <ul data-level="h2"> <li data-target="#ref65489"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology/Forms-of-myth-in-Greek-culture?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65489">Legends</a></li> </ul> <ul data-level="h2"> <li data-target="#ref65490"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology/Forms-of-myth-in-Greek-culture?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65490">Folktales</a></li> </ul></li> <li data-target="#ref65491"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology/Types-of-myths-in-Greek-culture?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Types of myths in Greek culture</a> <ul data-level="h2"> <li data-target="#ref65492"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology/Types-of-myths-in-Greek-culture?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65492">Myths of origin</a></li> </ul> <ul data-level="h2"> <li data-target="#ref65493"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology/Types-of-myths-in-Greek-culture?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65493">Myths of the ages of the world</a></li> </ul> <ul data-level="h2"> <li data-target="#ref65494"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology/Types-of-myths-in-Greek-culture?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65494">Myths of the gods</a></li> </ul> <ul data-level="h2"> <li data-target="#ref65495"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology/Types-of-myths-in-Greek-culture?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65495">Myths of heroes</a></li> </ul> <ul data-level="h2"> <li data-target="#ref65496"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology/Types-of-myths-in-Greek-culture?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65496">Myths of seasonal renewal</a></li> </ul> <ul data-level="h2"> <li data-target="#ref65497"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology/Types-of-myths-in-Greek-culture?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65497">Myths involving animal transformations</a></li> </ul> <ul data-level="h2"> <li data-target="#ref65498"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology/Types-of-myths-in-Greek-culture?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65498">Other types</a></li> </ul></li> <li data-target="#ref65499"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology/Greek-mythological-characters-and-motifs-in-art-and-literature?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Greek mythological characters and motifs in art and literature</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="grid-xs"> <div class="infinite-pagination-container container"> <h1>Greek mythology</h1> <div class="md-byline"> <div class="written-by"><span>Written By: </span> <ul> <li><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/contributor/John-Richard-Thornhill-Pollard/2342?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">John Richard Thornhill Pollard</a></li> <li><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/contributor/AWH-Adkins/3475?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">A.W.H. Adkins</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="last-updated"><a data-type="accordion-link" href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#accordion-article-history" rel="nofollow">See Article History</a> </div> </div> <div class="grid gutter-right"> <div class="grid-sm"> <section id="ref1" data-level="1"> <p><strong><span id="ref541025"></span>Greek mythology</strong>, body of stories concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Greece?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">ancient Greeks</a>. That the <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/myth?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">myths</a> contained a considerable element of fiction was recognized by the more critical Greeks, such as the philosopher <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Plato?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Plato</a> in the 5th–4th century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>. In general, however, in the popular piety of the Greeks, the <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/myths?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off" data-term="myths">myths</a> were viewed as true accounts. Greek mythology has subsequently had extensive influence on <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-arts?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">the arts</a> and <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/art/literature?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">literature</a> of Western civilization, which fell heir to much of Greek <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off" data-term="culture">culture</a>.</p> <div class="assemblies"> <figure class="md-assembly print-false" data-assembly-id="101278"> <div class="md-assembly-wrapper" data-type="image"> <div class="image-wrapper mg"> <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://cdn.britannica.com/15/12115-004-DE1A8ABB/Electra-Orestes-Clytemnestra-presence-detail-Aegisthus-vase.jpg?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="media-overlay-link" data-href="/media/1/244670/101278"><img loading="lazy" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200205044613im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/s:700x500/15/12115-004-DE1A8ABB/Electra-Orestes-Clytemnestra-presence-detail-Aegisthus-vase.jpg" alt="Electra and Orestes killing Aegisthus in the presence of their mother, Clytemnestra; detail of a Greek vase, 5th century bc." data-width="502" data-height="300"></a> </div> </div> <figcaption> <span class="md-assembly-caption">Electra and Orestes killing Aegisthus in the presence of their mother, Clytemnestra; detail of a Greek vase, 5th century <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>.</span><cite>The Mansell Collection/Art Resource, New York</cite> </figcaption> </figure> </div><span id="AM1"></span> <div id="intent-accordion" class="md-intent-accordion my-60 mx-md-40"> <div class="title"> Top Questions </div> <h3 class="accordion--question" data-value="1">Who are some of the major figures of Greek mythology?</h3> <div class="accordion--answer hidden"> <div class="accordion--answer-copy p-20 p-sm-30">  <p>Greek myth takes many forms, from religious myths of origin to folktales and legends of heroes. In terms of gods, the Greek pantheon consists of 12 deities who were said to reside at <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Olympus-mountain-Greece?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Mount Olympus</a>: <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zeus?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Zeus</a>, <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hera?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Hera</a>, <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Aphrodite-Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Aphrodite</a>, <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Apollo-Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Apollo</a>, <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ares-Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Ares</a>, <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Artemis-Greek-goddess?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Artemis</a>, <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Athena-Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Athena</a>, <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Demeter?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Demeter</a>, <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dionysus?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Dionysus</a>, <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hephaestus?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Hephaestus</a>, <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hermes-Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Hermes</a>, and <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Poseidon?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Poseidon</a>. (This list sometimes also includes <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hades-Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Hades</a> or <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hestia?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Hestia</a>). Other major figures of Greek myth include the heroes <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Odysseus?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Odysseus</a>, <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Orpheus-Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Orpheus</a>, and <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Heracles?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Heracles</a>; the <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Titan-Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Titans</a>; and the nine <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Muse-Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Muses</a>.</p><span id="AM1"></span><span id="MOD1"></span> </div> <div class="connections"> <a class="p-20 p-sm-30" href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-religion?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB"> <div class="text-underscore text-blue"> Greek religion </div>Learn more about ancient Greek religion, which is different from, but closely related to, Greek mythology.</a> </div> </div> <h3 class="accordion--question" data-value="2">What are some major works in Greek mythology?</h3> <div class="accordion--answer hidden"> <div class="accordion--answer-copy p-20 p-sm-30">  <p>Some of the most important and well-known works of Greek mythology are the epic poems of <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Homer-Greek-poet?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Homer</a>: the <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Iliad-epic-poem-by-Homer?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB"><em>Iliad</em></a> and the <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Odyssey-epic-by-Homer?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB"><em>Odyssey</em></a>. In these, many of the characteristics of the Olympian gods and notable heroes are outlined. The fullest and most important source of myths about the origin of the gods is the <em>Theogony</em> of <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hesiod?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Hesiod</a>, which also includes folktales and etiological myths. Hesiod also contributed <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Works-and-Days?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB"><em>Works and Days</em></a>, an epic poem about the agricultural arts which includes elements of myth.</p><span id="AM1"></span><span id="MOD1"></span> <div class="continue-reading"> Read more below: <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65482">Sources of myths: literary and archaeological</a> </div> </div> <div class="connections"> <a class="p-20 p-sm-30" href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Homer-Greek-poet?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB"> <div class="text-underscore text-blue"> Homer </div>Read more about Homer.</a> </div> </div> <h3 class="accordion--question" data-value="3">When did Greek mythology start?</h3> <div class="accordion--answer hidden"> <div class="accordion--answer-copy p-20 p-sm-30">  <p>It is difficult to know when Greek mythology started, as it is believed to have stemmed from centuries of oral tradition. It is likely that Greek myths evolved from stories told in the <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Minoan-civilization?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB">Minoan civilization</a> of Crete, which flourished from about 3000 to 1100 BCE.</p><span id="AM1"></span><span id="MOD1"></span> <div class="continue-reading"> Read more below: <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#ref65482">Sources of myths: literary and archaeological</a> </div> </div> <div class="connections"> <a class="p-20 p-sm-30" href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Minoan-civilization?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB"> <div class="text-underscore text-blue"> Minoan civilization </div>Read more about the Minoan civilization.</a> </div> </div> </div><span id="MOD1"></span> <p>Although people of all countries, eras, and stages of civilization have developed myths that explain the existence and workings of natural phenomena, recount the deeds of gods or heroes, or seek to justify social or political institutions, the myths of the Greeks have remained unrivaled in the Western world as sources of imaginative and appealing ideas. Poets and artists from ancient times to the present have derived inspiration from Greek mythology and have discovered contemporary significance and relevance in Classical mythological themes.</p> <div class="assemblies"> <figure class="md-assembly print-false" data-assembly-id="68017"> <div class="md-assembly-wrapper" data-type="image"> <div class="image-wrapper mg"> <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://cdn.britannica.com/94/37894-004-354BB433/Orestes-purification-detail-Furies-Apollo-Apulian-figure.jpg?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="media-overlay-link" data-href="/media/1/244670/68017"><img loading="lazy" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200205044613im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/s:700x500/94/37894-004-354BB433/Orestes-purification-detail-Furies-Apollo-Apulian-figure.jpg" alt="Orestes" data-width="553" data-height="400"></a> </div> </div> <figcaption> <strong class="md-assembly-title">Orestes</strong><span class="md-assembly-caption">Orestes being purified by Apollo after his acquittal by the court of the Areopagus, detail of a 5th-century-<span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> Greek vase; in the Louvre</span><cite>Alinari/Art Resource, New York</cite> </figcaption> </figure> </div><span id="AM2"></span><span id="MOD2"></span> </section> <section id="ref65482" data-level="1"> <h2 class="h1">Sources of myths: literary and archaeological</h2> <section id="ref65483" data-level="2"> <h2 class="h2">The <span id="ref659543"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/art/Homeric-epics?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Homeric poems</a>: the <em><span id="ref533601"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Iliad-epic-poem-by-Homer?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Iliad</a></em> and the <em><span id="ref533602"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Odyssey-epic-by-Homer?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Odyssey</a></em></h2> <p>The 5th-century-<span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> Greek historian <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herodotus-Greek-historian?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink autoxref">Herodotus</a> remarked that <span id="ref658948"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Homer-Greek-poet?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Homer</a> and <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hesiod?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Hesiod</a> gave to the Olympian gods their familiar characteristics. Few today would accept this literally. In the first book of the <em>Iliad</em>, the son of <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zeus?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Zeus</a> and <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Leto?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Leto</a> (<a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Apollo-Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Apollo</a>, line 9) is as instantly identifiable to the Greek reader by his patronymic as are the sons of <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Atreus?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Atreus</a> (<a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Agamemnon-Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Agamemnon</a> and <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Menelaus-Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Menelaus</a>, line 16). In both cases, the audience is expected to have knowledge of the myths that preceded their literary rendering. Little is known to suggest that the Greeks treated Homer, or any other source of Greek myths, as mere entertainment, whereas there are prominent Greeks from <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pindar?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Pindar</a> to the later <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/technology/stoa?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Stoa</a> for whom myths, and those from Homer in particular, are so serious as to warrant bowdlerization or allegorization.</p> <div class="assemblies"> <figure class="md-assembly print-false" data-assembly-id="217896"> <div class="md-assembly-wrapper" data-type="image"> <div class="image-wrapper mg"> <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://cdn.britannica.com/11/171311-050-7DB1F471/copy-Homer-bust-Italy-Baiae.jpg?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="media-overlay-link" data-href="/media/1/244670/217896"><img loading="lazy" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200205044613im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/s:700x500/11/171311-050-7DB1F471/copy-Homer-bust-Italy-Baiae.jpg" alt="Homer" data-width="635" data-height="800"></a> </div> </div> <figcaption> <strong class="md-assembly-title">Homer</strong><span class="md-assembly-caption">Homer, copy of a lost bust from the 2nd century from Baiae, Italy.</span><cite>© Former Townley Collection</cite> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="ora-tv-container"> <span id="ora_26ad9d6c-6bd4-4759-9fc8-d9bf7b1f53eb"></span> </div><span id="AM3"></span><span id="MOD3"></span> </section> <section id="ref65484" data-level="2"> <h2 class="h2">The works of <span id="ref658945"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hesiod?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Hesiod</a>: <em><span id="ref533603"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Theogony-by-Hesiod?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Theogony</a></em> and <em><span id="ref533604"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Works-and-Days?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Works and Days</a></em></h2> <p>The fullest and most important source of myths about the origin of the gods is the <em>Theogony</em> of Hesiod (<em>c.</em> 700 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>). The elaborate genealogies mentioned above are accompanied by folktales and etiological myths. The <em>Works and Days</em> shares some of these in the <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/context?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off" data-term="context">context</a> of a farmer’s calendar and an extensive harangue on the subject of <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justice?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off" data-term="justice">justice</a> addressed to Hesiod’s possibly fictitious brother Perses. The orthodox view treats the two poems as quite different in theme and treats the <em>Works and Days</em> as a theodicy (a natural theology). It is possible, however, to treat the two poems as a diptych, each part dependent on the other. The <em>Theogony</em> declares the identities and alliances of the gods, while the <em>Works and Days</em> gives advice on the best way to succeed in a dangerous world, and Hesiod urges that the most reliable—though by no means certain—way is to be just.</p> <div class="assemblies"> <figure class="md-assembly print-false" data-assembly-id="11581"> <div class="md-assembly-wrapper" data-type="image"> <div class="image-wrapper mg"> <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://cdn.britannica.com/61/11061-050-BAD582DB/detail-Hesiod-mosaic-Monnus-Trier-Ger-Rheinisches.jpg?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="media-overlay-link" data-href="/media/1/244670/11581"><img loading="lazy" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200205044613im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/s:700x500/61/11061-050-BAD582DB/detail-Hesiod-mosaic-Monnus-Trier-Ger-Rheinisches.jpg" alt="Hesiod, detail of a mosaic by Monnus, 3rd century; in the Rhenish State Museum, Trier, Ger." data-width="1171" data-height="1209"></a> </div> </div> <figcaption> <span class="md-assembly-caption">Hesiod, detail of a mosaic by Monnus, 3rd century; in the Rhenish State Museum, Trier, Ger.</span><cite>Courtesy of the Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Trier, Ger.</cite> </figcaption> </figure> </div><span id="AM4"></span> <div class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"> <div class="inline-subscription mb-30 mx-sm-50 text-center"> Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://subscription.britannica.com/subscribe?partnerCode=BP_House_USD_A&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="cta">Subscribe today</a> </div> </div><span id="MOD4"></span> </section> <section id="ref65485" data-level="2"> <h2 class="h2">Other literary works</h2> <p>Fragmentary post-Homeric epics of varying date and authorship filled the gaps in the accounts of the <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/event/Trojan-War?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Trojan War</a> recorded in the <em>Iliad</em> and <em>Odyssey</em>; the so-called <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/art/Homeric-Hymns?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Homeric Hymns</a> (shorter surviving poems) are the source of several important religious myths. Many of the <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/art/lyric?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink autoxref">lyric</a> poets preserved various myths, but the odes of <span id="ref533605"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pindar?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Pindar</a> of <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/place/Thebes-Greece?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink autoxref">Thebes</a> (flourished 6th–5th century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>) are particularly rich in <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/myth?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink autoxref">myth</a> and <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/art/legend-literature?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink autoxref">legend</a>. The works of the three tragedians—<span id="ref533606"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aeschylus-Greek-dramatist?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Aeschylus</a>, <span id="ref533607"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sophocles?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Sophocles</a>, and <span id="ref533608"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Euripides?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Euripides</a>, all of the 5th century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>—are remarkable for the variety of the traditions they preserve.</p> <div class="assemblies"> <figure class="md-assembly print-false" data-assembly-id="4085"> <div class="md-assembly-wrapper" data-type="image"> <div class="image-wrapper mg"> <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://cdn.britannica.com/54/13654-004-206BD2F9/Achilles-Penthesilea-cup-interior-Trojan-War-Attic-c-460-bce.jpg?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="media-overlay-link" data-href="/media/1/244670/4085"><img loading="lazy" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200205044613im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/s:700x500/54/13654-004-206BD2F9/Achilles-Penthesilea-cup-interior-Trojan-War-Attic-c-460-bce.jpg" alt="Trojan War" data-width="302" data-height="300"></a> </div> </div> <figcaption> <strong class="md-assembly-title">Trojan War</strong><span class="md-assembly-caption">Achilles killing Penthesilea during the Trojan War, interior of an Attic cup, <em>c.</em> 460 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>; in the Museum of Antiquities, Munich.</span><cite>The Mansell Collection/Art Resource, New York</cite> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div style="width:300px; height:250px" class="inline-ad" id="div-gpt-ad-0d900f3c-4fe9-4631-b866-50eda8037d52" data-info="{"tagName":"DESKTOP","divId":"0d900f3c-4fe9-4631-b866-50eda8037d52","pos":"MID2","desktopSize":{"width":300,"height":250}}" data-targeting="{"ARTICLE":"244670","CAT":"history society,religion","TEMPLATE":"1"}"> <script>googletag.cmd.push( function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-0d900f3c-4fe9-4631-b866-50eda8037d52'); } );</script> </div><span id="AM5"></span><span id="MOD5"></span> <p>In Hellenistic times (323–30 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>) <span id="ref533609"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Callimachus-Greek-poet-and-scholar?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Callimachus</a>, a 3rd-century-<span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> poet and scholar in Alexandria, recorded many obscure myths; his contemporary, the mythographer <span id="ref533610"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Euhemerus-Greek-mythographer?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Euhemerus</a>, suggested that the gods were originally human, a view known as <span id="ref533611"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Euhemerism?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Euhemerism</a>. <span id="ref533612"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Apollonius-of-Rhodes?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Apollonius of Rhodes</a>, another scholar of the 3rd century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>, preserved the fullest account of the <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Argonaut-Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Argonauts</a> in search of the Golden Fleece.</p><span id="AM6"></span><span id="MOD6"></span> <p>In the period of the <span id="ref533613"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/art/Latin-literature?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Roman Empire</a>, the <em>Geography</em> of <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Strabo?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Strabo</a> (1st century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>), the <em>Library</em> of the pseudo-Apollodorus (attributed to a 2nd-century-<span class="text-smallcaps">ce</span> scholar), the antiquarian writings of the Greek biographer <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Plutarch?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Plutarch</a>, and the works of <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pausanias-Greek-geographer?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Pausanias</a>, a 2nd-century-<span class="text-smallcaps">ce</span> historian, as well as the <em>Latin Genealogies</em> of Hyginus, a 2nd-century-<span class="text-smallcaps">ce</span> mythographer, have provided valuable sources in Latin of later Greek mythology.</p><span id="AM7"></span><span id="MOD7"></span> </section> <section id="ref65486" data-level="2"> <h2 class="h2">Archaeological discoveries</h2> <p>The discovery of the <span id="ref533614"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mycenaean-civilization?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Mycenaean civilization</a> by <span id="ref533615"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Heinrich-Schliemann?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Heinrich Schliemann</a>, a 19th-century German amateur archaeologist, and the discovery of the <span id="ref533616"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Minoan-civilization?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Minoan civilization</a> in <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/place/Crete?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink autoxref">Crete</a> (from which the Mycenaean ultimately derived) by <span id="ref533617"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arthur-Evans?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Sir Arthur Evans</a>, a 20th-century English archaeologist, are essential to the 21st-century understanding of the development of <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/myth?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off" data-term="myth">myth</a> and <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/ritual?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink autoxref">ritual</a> in the Greek world. Such discoveries <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illuminated?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off" data-term="illuminated">illuminated</a> aspects of Minoan culture from about 2200 to 1450 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> and Mycenaean culture from about 1600 to 1200 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>; those eras were followed by a Dark Age that lasted until about 800 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>. Unfortunately, the evidence about myth and ritual at Mycenaean and Minoan sites is entirely monumental, because the <span id="ref533618"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Linear-A?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Linear B</a> script (an ancient form of <span id="ref533619"></span><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/art/Greek-pottery?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Greek</a> found in both Crete and Greece) was mainly used to record inventories.</p><span id="AM8"></span><span id="MOD8"></span> <p>Geometric designs on pottery of the 8th century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> depict scenes from the Trojan cycle, as well as the adventures of <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Heracles?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-crosslink">Heracles</a>. The extreme formality of the style, however, renders much of the identification difficult, and there is no inscriptional evidence accompanying the designs to assist scholars in identification and interpretation. In the succeeding <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Archaic?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off" data-term="Archaic">Archaic</a> (<em>c.</em> 750–<em>c.</em> 500 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>), Classical (<em>c.</em> 480–323 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>), and Hellenistic periods, Homeric and various other mythological scenes appear to supplement the existing literary evidence.</p> <div class="assemblies"> <figure class="md-assembly print-false" data-assembly-id="101284"> <div class="md-assembly-wrapper" data-type="image"> <div class="image-wrapper mg"> <a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://cdn.britannica.com/26/59026-050-983C5FA8/Heracles-detail-volute-krater-Amazons-Euphronius-Archaeological-c-500-bce.jpg?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" class="media-overlay-link" data-href="/media/1/244670/101284"><img loading="lazy" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200205044613im_/https://cdn.britannica.com/s:700x500/26/59026-050-983C5FA8/Heracles-detail-volute-krater-Amazons-Euphronius-Archaeological-c-500-bce.jpg" alt="Heracles fighting with the Amazons, detail from a volute krater attributed to Euphronius, c. 500 bce; in the Archaeological Museum, Arezzo, Italy." data-width="1443" data-height="883"></a> </div> </div> <figcaption> <span class="md-assembly-caption">Heracles fighting with the Amazons, detail from a volute krater attributed to Euphronius, <em>c.</em> 500 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>; in the Archaeological Museum, Arezzo, Italy.</span><cite>Alinari/Art Resource, New York</cite> </figcaption> </figure> </div><span id="AM9"></span><span id="MOD9"></span> </section> </section> <div style="min-width: 300px; min-height: 250px" 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</div> <div class="grid-sm-da-300"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-additional-info-modal p-10"> <div class="header p-15"> <div class="font-18 lh-lg"> Greek mythology </div> <div class="text-uppercase font-12"> Additional Information </div> </div> <div class="body px-15 pb-25"> <div class="blue-border mt-25"> <div class="md-info-accordion"> <h2 class="md-accordion-item-title no-ad sticky-events" id="accordion-more-about" data-additional-content-id="11"><a href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB#" data-url="/web/20200205044613/https://www.britannica.com/ajax/topic/244670/additional-content/11">More About</a></h2> <div class="md-accordion-item-content content accordion-additional-content"> </div> <h2 class="md-accordion-item-title no-ad sticky-events" id="accordion-additional-reading" data-additional-content-id="4"><a 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LearningMedia - Homer and the Gods - The Greeks</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Mythology/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Ancient History Encyclopedia - Greek Mythology</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://greekarchaeology.osu.edu/arch-edu/mythology?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Ohio State Archaeological Excavations in Greece - Greek Mythology</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://web-archive-org.translate.goog/web/20200205044613/https://www.ancient-origins.net/human-origins-folklore/greek-mythology-and-human-origins-0064?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Ancient Origins - Greek mythology and human origins</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-title"> Britannica Websites </div> 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