Author Description

First Greece, then Rome, the Greeks were not the only people to produce myths. The Romans also had a rich mythology of their own and, while much of it was derived from their neighbors, the Greeks, it still defined the rich history of the Roman people as they eventually grew into an empire. Myths are the reflection of the ancient's view of the world, they often appear as simple stories filled with valiant heroes, maidens in distress, and a host of all-powerful gods. The gods of the Greeks and Romans were anthropomorphic, exhibiting many human qualities such as love, hate, and jealousy, and because of this, the people of Rome and Greece were able to see themselves in these tales and understand their relationship to the rest of the world as well their connection to the gods. The lesson often to be learned was that one must meet one's destiny with strength, determination, and nobility. These myths enabled an individual to stand against the ills and hardships of an unforgiving universe. In spite of their constant disagreements and battles, the gods and humankind had to stand together against the "monsters and giants" of the world, or more simply, the "forces of disorder and wanton destruction." Myths, whether Greek, Roman, were concerned with the relationship between the gods and humans, are different in this regard from fairytales and folktales. For all people, in many ways, myths made life bearable by providing security. They should not be regarded as simple stories for, in both Greece and Rome, they dealt with important issues: the creation of the world, the nature of good and evil, and even the afterlife. And, for this reason, these tales have stood the test of time and become part of our present day culture. One only needs look at the names of our planets to see this: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus and even poor little Pluto are all named for Roman gods. The Book collects 106 Greek and Roman mythology tales.