Essays on Myths

The Odyssey: Exploring the Heroic Traits of Telemachos and Odysseus The Odyssey, written by Homer, follows the grueling obstacles that Odysseus and Telemachos go through in hopes of reuniting their family. Odysseus fights in the Trojan war for ten years, and he he feels it…

There exists in many cultures a legend of a tall humanoid figure, that is a relative cousin to humans, that walks the Earth in solitude leaving behind little evidence of its existence. In the Himalayas the indigenous sherpas believe in the Yeti, in India, there…

Terrorists during greek mythology are the laestrygones and the cicones, both of whom were willing to brutally murder trespassers to protect their lands and valuables, including trying to to take out the heroic Odysseus. Laestrygones, also spelled Laestrygonians or Lestrygonians, fictional race of cannibalistic giants…

Heroes are commonly known as men who able to across barriers or boundaries which are viewed as impossible for mortal human. They often violate geographical, physical and moral boundaries, which point out their ability to change or move to other location easily compare to mortal…

Myth has been known to play an important role in the lives and beliefs of people throughout time. Myth is often more closely associated with ancient Greece and its use in telling their history and creation stories. People would worship the many Greek gods and…

The ideas of fate and destiny are often associated with the philosophical doctrine of fatalism, in which all events are believed to be fixed in advance and human action has no effect on what will occur. Classical Greek mythology, however, offers a different view on…

As the song “Zero to Hero” from Disney’s “Hercules” tells it, Hercules went “… From zero to hero in no time flat. Zero to hero just like that…”. Now, it is safe to say that Disney took quite a few creative liberties with their movie…

As the prince of Troy, he expresses a tremendous passion for his country through his role as a leader. Hector is an epic hero in this epic poem. This is mostly portrayed through his great sense of responsibility to his station in the Trojan community….

Through reading the Epic of Gilgamesh and Yvain, there are many instances where we can find unquestionable similarities. But since Gilgamesh is an epic hero, does the journey make Yvain an epic hero as well? I will discuss that in further detail, but we can…

Throughout all of humankind there have always been different stories regarding the afterlife. From Christianity to ancient greeks. Today however I will be writing about hell and the many instances in which it has shown up throughout history. While hell as existed for a long…

Describing the nature of Aphrodite’s power in Euripides’ Hippolytus and Zeus’ tyrant behaviour in Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound Both Aphrodite in Euripides’ Hippolytus and Zeus in Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound are strong willed characters who have similar and different character traits about them. Both plays written by…

Perseus and Medusa In the myth, Perseus and Medusa, Perseus goes on a journey to get Medusa’s head for the king Polydectes. In the end, he saved Andromeda, and Perseus was turned to stone by the head of Medusa, and Perseus was crowned king of…

The likeness of myths from disparate cultures was used to recognize their shared themes and characteristics. This was referred to as Comparative Mythology. Myths have been used to show the relationships between different myths to record the development of religions and cultures, and to suggest…

 As emphasized by J.C Cooper in her excerpt, The Universal Language, our lives are filled and controlled by symbols whether we understand and recognize them or not, regardless, they always surround us. Symbolism is seen as a treasure-house of the past and holds meaning for…

Gardening is full of myths and old wives’ tales. Many are handed down through the generations and passed on in garden sheds and across allotments across the land. But should you add sugar to soil to sweeten tomatoes and will Vicks vapor rub keep bees…