The origin of the universe can be explained by modern astronomers and astrophysicists, while archaeologists and historians try to clarify the origin of human In the distant past, however, before any sciences existed, the beginnings of theworld and of society were explained by MYTHOLOGY.The dictionary defines mythology as the myths dealing with the gods, demigods,and legendary heroes of a particular people. The word myth is often mistakenly understood to mean fiction-something thatnever happened, a made-up story or fanciful tale. Myth is really a way of thinking out thepast. Myths do not correctly explain what literally happen but suggest that behind theexplanation there is a reality that cannot be seen and examined. One of the best-known mythological books is Homer’s ‘Iliad’, which tells of theTrojan War. No one reading the book today believes Homer’s story as a historicallyfactual account. However it is believed that at some time, many centuries before Homerlived-there really was a war between the Greek city-states and the residents ofnorthwestern Asia Minor.Myths try to answer several questions. Where did the world come from? Whatare the gods like, and where did they come from? How did humanity originate? Why isthere evil in the world? What happens to people after they die? Myths also try to accountfor a society’s customs and rituals. Myths are used to justify the way a society lives. Ruling families in several ancient civilizations found justification for their power in mythsthat described their origin in the world of the gods or in heaven. Myths did not originate in written form. They developed slowly as an oraltradition that was handed down form generation to generation among people who weretrying to make sense of the world around them. They tried to imagine how it could havecome into being in the first place. In the Greek city-states cults centering around theworship of a particular...
