Greek Mythology in Ancient Times
Greek Mythology in Ancient Times
In Greek society, poets played a vital role, in a variety of ways. Back in these days, they didn’t have cell phones, televisions, and a variety of other things to keep them entertained. The majority of entertainment was left to the poets. The fascinating stories of the Greek gods were the best form of entertainment that there was. This role may sound pretty important, but as far as I’m concerned, it is the least important of them. The Greek poet was also responsible for informing people of history. People of this era didn’t have a clear idea or explanation for what has happened in the past. There were no textbooks or teachers to explain how certain structures were built. This was also a poet’s responsibility, as without them the people of ancient Greece would know nothing of what has happened before them. To some, as of today, the stories may sound outlandish, but whether they are true or not, they gave the people of this time some explanation for why seasons exist among many other things. The third key role that was played, and the most important one, in my opinion, was the teaching of moral lessons. Christians have the bible, and Muslims have the Quran to teach right from wrong, and Greeks had the stories from poets. Many moral lessons were taught in these stories, such as men shouldn’t cheat on their wives, because if the mistress is a goddess, he would become impotent. Treat vagrants kindly before you ask questions, because the traveler may be a god. These stories kept the society in line.
The main message that is being sent by the Hymn to Aphrodite, was that man should not cheat on his wife. If he does, he may be cheating with Aphrodite or another goddess. If this is the case the man would become impotent as a result. This was on display when Zeus tricked Aphrodite into having a sexual lust for a mortal man. She fell for it and seduced him successfully. Aphrodite let the mortal off the hook because she was tricked in the act as well; therefore she blessed Anchises with a son. This situation is not a double edged sword however. If a female was to sleep with a god, she would be blessed with an immortal child. These two themes probably did a really good job, when it came to keeping man loyal to his wife. Another moral that occurs in this Hymn, is to be careful what you wish for. Aphrodite wanted to have sex with Anchises, and that’s exactly what she got. In the end it was a trick. The Hymn to Aphrodite does have a couple of myths within the myth. Aphrodite told Anchises of an elaborate lie about how she was born a mortal Trojan woman, who was abducted by Argeiphontes. Afterward, Argeiphontes told Aphrodite, that she was to be the wife of Anchises, and she was to be the mother of