The myth is inherently one of the forms of history, satisfying the inherent need of the human race for its own identification and responding to emerging questions about the origin of life, culture, people's relations and nature. Thus, Greek mythology had a rather strong influence on the development of ancient culture and, in general, on the formation of ancient civilizations. Myths and legends of Ancient Greece preserve the past of mankind, being its history in all its manifestations.
Since ancient times, the Greeks have formed an idea of the eternal, boundless and harmonically united Cosmos. Their mythological thinking was based on emotional and intuitive penetration into the mystery of this boundless Chaos, the source of the life of the world, and man was perceived as part of cosmic unity. In the early stages of the story, the legends and myths of Ancient Greece reflected ideas about the surrounding reality, played a role of a reference point in everyday life. This fantastic reflection of reality, being the primary source of the formation of the world outlook, expressed the man's impotence in front of nature, its elemental forces. However, the ancients were not afraid to learn the world filled with fear-inspiring mythical creatures. Myths and legends of ancient Greece indicate that the boundless thirst for knowledge of the world around them has prevailed over the fear of an unknown danger. Suffice it to recall the many exploits of mythical heroes, the fearless adventures of the Argonauts, Odysseus and his team.
Myths and legends of Ancient Greece represent the oldest form of understanding natural phenomena. The appearance of the unruly and wild nature was embodied in the form of animate and quite real beings. Fantasy of the ancient Greeks inhabited the world with kind and evil mythical creatures. So, in the picturesque groves settled dryads, satyrs, centaurs, in the mountains - nerads, in the rivers lived nymphs, and in the seas and oceans - oceanids.
Myths and legends of ancient Greece from the legends of other nations are distinguished by a characteristic feature, consisting in the humanization of divine beings. This made them more intimate and understandable to ordinary people, most of whom perceived these traditions as their most ancient history. Mysterious, beyond the understanding and influence of the common man of nature, became more explainable to the imagination of the common man.
The people of ancient Greece became the creator of unique and colorful legends about the lives of people, immortal gods and heroes. In myths, the memories of the distant and little-known past and the poetic fiction harmoniously blended together. No other human creation is distinguished by such richness and completeness of images. This explains their unforgettable. Myths and legends of Ancient Greece presented images, often used by art In various comprehension. Inexhaustible legendary subjects were often used and still popular among historians and philosophers, sculptors and artists, poets and writers. In myths they draw ideas for their own works and often bring in them some new mythological worldview, corresponding to a certain historical period.
Ancient myths and legends of Greece, Reflecting the moral views of man, his aesthetic attitude to reality, helped shed light on the political and religious institutions of that time, to understand the nature of mythmaking.
Ancient culture is recognized as a fundamental phenomenon of world history. It served as the basis for the culture of the whole of Europe. Many images of Greek mythology are firmly fixed in language, consciousness, artistic images, philosophy. Everyone understands and uses such notions as "Achilles' heel", "Hymen's bonds", "cornucopia", "Augean stables", "Damocles sword", "Ariadne's thread", "apple of discord" and many others. But often, using these expressions in a speech, people do not think about their true meaning and history of origin.
Ancient Greek mythology played an important role in the development of modern history. Her research enabled us to gather important information about the life of ancient civilizations and the formation of religion.