The myth in its essence is one of the forms of history that satisfies the inherent need of the human race for its own identification and answers the questions that arise about the origin of life, culture, relations between people and nature. So, Greek mythology had a rather strong impact on the development of ancient culture and, on the whole, on the formation of ancient civilizations. Myths and legends of Ancient Greece preserve the past of mankind, being its history in all its manifestations.
From ancient times, the Greeks formed the idea of an eternal, limitless and harmoniously united Cosmos. Their
mythological thinking was based on emotional and intuitive insights into the mystery of this limitless Chaos, the source of life in the world, and man was perceived as part of cosmic unity. In the early stages of history, the legends and myths of ancient Greece reflected ideas about the surrounding reality, played the role of a guide in everyday life. This fantastic reflection of reality, being the primary source of the formation of the worldview, expressed the powerlessness of man before nature, its elemental forces. However, the ancients were not afraid to learn a world filled with fearsome
mythical creatures. Myths and legends of Ancient Greece indicate that the unlimited thirst for knowledge of the world has prevailed over the fear of an unknown danger. It is enough to recall the numerous exploits of mythical heroes, the fearless adventures of the Argonauts, Odysseus and his team.
Myths and legends of Ancient Greece are the oldest form of understanding of natural phenomena. The appearance of rebellious and wild nature was personified in the form of animate and very real creatures. Fantasy of the
ancient Greeks inhabited the world with good and evil mythical creatures. So, dryads, satyrs, centaurs settled in picturesque groves, in the mountains - oreads, nymphs lived in the rivers, and oceans in the seas and oceans.
Myths and legends of Ancient Greece from the legends of other nations are distinguished by a characteristic feature, which consists in the humanization of divine beings. This made them closer and more understandable to ordinary people, most of whom perceived these traditions as their oldest history. Mysterious, beyond the understanding and influence of a simple layman, the forces of nature became more explicable for the imagination of a simple person.
The people of Ancient Greece became the creator of unique and colorful legends about the life of people, immortal gods and heroes. In myths, memories of a distant and little-known past and poetic fiction are harmoniously interwoven. No other human creation is notable for such richness and fullness of images. This explains their unforgettableness. Myths and legends of ancient Greece gave images often used by art
in different ways. Inexhaustible legendary plots were often used and are still popular among historians and philosophers, sculptors and artists, poets and writers. In myths they draw ideas for their own works and often bring in them some new
mythological worldview that corresponds to a certain historical period.
Ancient myths and legends of Greece, reflecting the moral views of man, his aesthetic attitude to reality, helped to shed light on the political and religious institutions of that time, to understand the nature of myth-making.
Ancient culture is recognized as a fundamental phenomenon of world history. It served as the basis for the culture of all of Europe. Many images of Greek mythology are firmly fixed in language, consciousness, artistic images, and philosophy. Everyone understands and is familiar with such concepts as “Achilles' heel”, “Himena’s bonds”, “cornucopia”, “Augean stables”, “Damocles sword”, “Ariadne’s thread”, “apple of discord” and many others. But often, using these winged expressions in speech, people do not think about their true meaning and history.
Ancient Greek mythology played an important role in the development of the history of modernity. Her research has provided important information about the life of ancient civilizations and the formation of religion.