Greek Myth

Greek Myth

The mountain ranges along the coast produce a cool and rainy climate during the winter season and hot and dry conditions throughout the summer. The moisture from the Aegean Sea on the right and Ionian Sea on the left of this country nourish a wide array of plants and an even more diverse animal species. Embedded underneath the land are rich deposits of metals and minerals. Without a name this part of the world seemed to inherit a selective majesty fit for things beyond mortal imagination. The country of course is Greece. Over two millennium ago, Ancient Greece was born into the world's chronology of time. Greek thought and law influenced successive cultures even up to the Tudor dynasty in England. However, many people are more intrigued by their mythical stories composed by such legendary poets as Homer. In order to understand Greek myth we must first examine the internal factors that motivate the fantastic forces at work in the myths.

There existed a collective system of political and religious customs in Europe before the advancement of the Greek culture. This period of time, referred to as Neolithic Europe, had a homogeneous set of religious ideas based on the worshipping of mother-goddesses. The great goddess was regarded as immortal, changeless, and omnipotent. The role of fatherhood was not a practice that had any influence in a group's religious toleration. This focus on goddesses transferred into the reverence of a queen as the dominant figure amongst a people. The matriarchal structure that developed is dramatically different from the practices patriarchal cultures observe today. (Graves)

The queen chose lovers for pleasure only. The father was not an important part in providing for the children. Most men feared the power held by the matriarch, but they obeyed. In a twist of fate, men's religious status actually improved at the expense of a sacrificial young man. Over time in some tribes, a tribal nymph, or queen, choose a man to become king and then to be sacrificed by the end of the year. Instead of just being the object of erotic desire, the king became a symbol of fertility. The blood from his death served to nourish trees, crops, flocks, and the flesh from his body was eaten by the Queen's other nymph's. (Graves)

The significance of the king's death was symbolic in accordance with nature's role in the matriarchal mind. Early civilizations were concerned with the powers present within natural phenomena. Seasonal cycles as well as anything non-human were either worshiped or shrouded in superstitious beliefs. The sun was thought to yield precedence to the moon. This appears contrary due to the sun's obvious superiority in size and strength, but not to these early people. The sun may produce scorching heat during the summer months, but its power wanes as the winter months approach. The moon, however, does not grow dimmer like the sun once the winter nears. The moon was also seen to have greater power because it was credited with granting or denying water to the fields. (Graves)

The connotation of symbolic numbers also influenced matriarchal thought. The number three's significance is derived from the moon's three phases. The moon's three phases corresponded to the queen's three stages of life. The new stage was said to represent a queen's maiden status, the full lunar stage represented the pinnacle of beauty or a nymph, and lastly the old stage signified the decline of the queen's appearance, who then was called a crone. The sun also forms a triad during earth's orbit around its sphere. The seasons of spring, summer, and winter all carry the same direct meaning as the moon's three phases; maiden, nymph, and crone. Besides the distant solar landscapes, earth itself held non-human powers to these ancient people. Earth was given a feminine essence, and was referred to as Mother Earth. It is interesting that on every Earth Day American's still refer to the earth as if it exhibited feminine traits. The ancients were intensely aware of the earth's seasonal cycle of growth. Spring began the new cycle of growth with buds and germinating plants. Summer brought the climax of the growing season and was followed by the barren conditions during the winter months. The three cycles of life associated with the queen again matched the sun and moon. Mystical analogies such as these triads contributed to the sacred disposition of the number three. At first the three triads were independent goddesses, but during classical Greek times the three were juxtaposed into one god name Hera. (Graves)

Other important numbers include the number seven and twenty-eight. The ancient's way of keeping time was observed by lunations. Every important ceremony was correlated to a specific phase of the moon during certain seasonal periods. The sacrificial king was killed during the seventh full moon after the shortest day. That explains the number seven's sanctity. The ancients calibrated their year according to moon cycles. The solar year was divided into months with an even number of twenty-eight days each. The months, called, common-law months, fit perfectly into the matriarchal worship of the woman. A woman's menstrual cycle is typically twenty-eight days long, so it thus became a sacred number. With twenty-eight days in each month, the solar year was thirteen months long. Even after the introduction of the Julian calendar, many European peasants still used the Greek calendar into the following millennia. (Graves)

Although the number seven's appearance at this place in history may confirm its origin, it is noteworthy to compare its cultural migration through the ages. The writers of the Bible also centered time on this number. So despite the two millennium separating our present culture from that of the Greeks, it is not that much of a leap of reasoning to understand the mindset during this time. We may not grasp the practices of years past, but individually we all carry symbolism which is different from one person to the next. Without any prior Greek knowledge, my own favorite number has always been seven since I could read numbers. This collective subconscious which pervades all cultures contributes to the Greek myths continued readability.

The matriarchal social structure began to change with the confounding of different invaders. Hellenic invasions followed the more destructive advances of the Achaean and Dorian tribes. Male military aristocracy gradually masked female theocracy in what is now Greece and Crete. The Hellenes transported there own ideas once they gained a foothold and were able to form a civilization, not just a subsistence lifestyle. The king became the figure-head, replacing the queen. The king was said to be granted his powers by the god Zeus, or Poseidon