A little Greek Mythology….

According to the Oxford Dictionary mythology is a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events. The Greek myths are mostly about gods, heroes and events from the past. It can be seen to interpret the world with the knowledge of the past events. In myths people of a certain time period try to articulate and find a distinct between their own existence and the mysterious outside world. Therefore, the creation of stories and legends leads to an understanding of  the universe and made it more tangible to the Greeks. Consequently, a lot of different myths exist to make this unknown world more explainable.  The myths that are dealing with the beginning of the world are called cosmogony myth, the ones who deal with the end are called eschatological myth. Myth explained for example natural conditions; heaven and earth itself became deities. The Greeks believed that the change of seasons is due to a walking up and decent of Persephone into the underworld. Persephone was the daughter of Zeus, who is the father of the gods, and Demeter who is the goddess of agriculture,fertility, and harvest. Persephone was adducted by Hades to the underworld because he fell in love with her. Hades is Zeus brother and the God of the Underworld. Through the lack of fertile farming-land, the Greek population suffered from famines. Zeus then decided that Persephone should spend two-thirds of the year with her mother Demeter and during the wintertime she will be the Queen of the Underworld. Zeus did not want humankind to starve anymore. Therefore, when Persephone comes back to earth it is Spring and Summer, with fertile land and the Greek population has time to harvest and when Persephone returns to the Underworld it gets colder and less fertile.