Classical mythology  

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-[[Image:Amor Vincit Omnia by Caravaggio.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''[[Amor Vincit Omnia (Caravaggio) |Amor Vincit Omnia]]'' ([[1601]] - [[1603]]) by [[Caravaggio]]]]+[[Image:Apollo and Daphne.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''[[Apollo and Daphne]]'' by [[Antonio Pollaiuolo]], one tale of transformation in [[Ovid]]'s ''[[Metamorphoses]]''—he lusts after her and she escapes him by turning into a [[bay laurel]].]]
{{Template}} {{Template}}
-'''Classical''' or '''Greco-Roman mythology''' usually refers to the [[mythology]], and the associated [[polytheism|polytheistic]] [[ritual]]s and practices, of [[Classical Antiquity]]. +:''[[Greek mythology]]''
-Originally cognate but still markedly different, Roman religion converged with Greek over time, beginning when Greeks first colonized Italy in the eighth century BC. The two traditions had converged to the point of near identity by the first century BC. See+'''Classical mythology''' or '''Greco-Roman mythology''' is the [[reception theory|cultural reception]] of [[myth]]s from the [[ancient Greeks]] and [[ancient Romans|Romans]]. Along with [[Ancient Greek philosophy|philosophy]] and [[History of political thinking|political thought]], mythology represents one of the major survivals of [[classical antiquity]] throughout later [[Western culture]].
 +Classical mythology has provided subject matter for all forms of [[fine art|visual]], [[Classical music|musical]], and [[Western literature|literary art in the West]], including [[poetry]], [[History of theatre|drama]], [[Western painting|painting]], [[History of sculpture|sculpture]], [[opera]], and [[ballet]], as well as forms of [[popular culture]] such as [[Hollywood movies]], [[television program|television series]], [[comic books]], and [[video games]]. Classical myths are also alluded to in [[nomenclature|scientific naming]], particularly in [[History of astronomy|astronomy]], [[History of chemistry|chemistry]], and [[Binomial nomenclature|biology]], and in the [[Freudian psychology|psychoanalytic theory]] of [[Freud]] and the [[archetypal psychology]] of [[Jung]].
 +
 +During the [[Middle Ages]] and [[Renaissance]], when [[Latin]] remained the dominant language in [[Europe]] for international educated discourse, mythological names almost always appeared in Latinized form. With the Greek revival of the 19th century, however, Greek names began to be used more often, and "[[Zeus]]" may be more familiar than "[[Jove]]" as the name of the supreme god of the classical [[Pantheon (gods)|pantheon]].
 +
 +=='Classical' myth==
 +A classical myth as it appears in later Western culture is usually a [[syncretism]] of various versions from both [[ancient Greek literature|Greek]] and [[Latin literature|Latin sources]].
 +
 +[[Greek mythology|Greek myths]], originally [[oral tradition|transmitted orally]], were narratives related to [[Religion in ancient Greece|ancient Greek religion]], often concerned with the actions of [[List of Greek mythological figures|gods and other supernatural beings]] and of [[Greek hero cult|heroes]] who transcend human bounds. Major sources for Greek myths include the [[Homeric epics]], that is, the ''[[Iliad]]'' and the ''[[Odyssey]]'', and the [[Greek tragedy|tragedies]] of [[Aeschylus]], [[Sophocles]], and [[Euripides]]. Known versions are mostly preserved in sophisticated literary works shaped by the artistry of individuals and by the conventions of [[literary genre|genre]], or in [[Pottery of ancient Greece|vase painting]] and other forms of visual art.
 +
 +[[Roman mythology|Roman myths]] are traditional stories pertaining to [[ancient Rome]]'s [[founding of Rome|legendary origins]], [[Religion in ancient Rome|religious institutions]], and [[mos maiorum|moral models]], with a focus on human actors and only occasional intervention from deities but a pervasive sense of divinely ordered destiny. Roman myths have a dynamic relation to [[Roman historiography]], as in the early books of [[Livy]]'s ''[[Ab urbe condita (book)|Ab urbe condita]]''.
 +
 +During the [[Hellenization]] of Roman literature and culture, the Romans identified [[List of Roman deities|their own gods]] with those of the Greeks, adapting the stories told about them (see ''[[interpretatio graeca]]'') and importing other myths for which they had no counterpart. For instance, while the Greek god [[Ares]] and the [[Ancient peoples of Italy|Italic]] god [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]] are both [[war god|war deities]], the role of each in his society and its religious practices differed often strikingly; but in literature and [[Roman art]], the Romans reinterpreted stories about Ares under the name of Mars. The literary collection of Greco-Roman myths with the greatest influence on later Western culture was the ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' of the [[Augustan literature (ancient Rome)|Augustan poet]] [[Ovid]].
 +
 +Syncretized versions form the classical tradition of [[mythography]], and by the time of the influential [[Renaissance]] mythographer [[Natalis Comes]], few if any distinctions were made between Greek and Roman myths. The myths as they appear in popular culture of the 20th and 21st centuries often have only a [[tangential]] relation to the stories as told in ancient Greek and Latin literature.
 +
 +==See also==
 +* [[Classics]]
*[[Greek mythology]] and [[Ancient Greek religion]]. *[[Greek mythology]] and [[Ancient Greek religion]].
*[[Roman mythology]] and [[Ancient Roman religion]]. *[[Roman mythology]] and [[Ancient Roman religion]].
-==See also==+* [[Proto-Indo-European religion]]
 +* [[List of films based on Greco-Roman mythology]]
 +* [[List of films based on Greek drama]]
*[[Greco-Roman]] *[[Greco-Roman]]
*''[[Interpretatio graeca]]'' *''[[Interpretatio graeca]]''
-**[[List of films based on Greco-Roman mythology]]+*[[The Loves of the Gods]]
- +
{{GFDL}} {{GFDL}}

Revision as of 10:13, 19 April 2013

Apollo and Daphne by Antonio Pollaiuolo, one tale of transformation in Ovid's Metamorphoses—he lusts after her and she escapes him by turning into a bay laurel.
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Apollo and Daphne by Antonio Pollaiuolo, one tale of transformation in Ovid's Metamorphoses—he lusts after her and she escapes him by turning into a bay laurel.

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Greek mythology

Classical mythology or Greco-Roman mythology is the cultural reception of myths from the ancient Greeks and Romans. Along with philosophy and political thought, mythology represents one of the major survivals of classical antiquity throughout later Western culture.

Classical mythology has provided subject matter for all forms of visual, musical, and literary art in the West, including poetry, drama, painting, sculpture, opera, and ballet, as well as forms of popular culture such as Hollywood movies, television series, comic books, and video games. Classical myths are also alluded to in scientific naming, particularly in astronomy, chemistry, and biology, and in the psychoanalytic theory of Freud and the archetypal psychology of Jung.

During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, when Latin remained the dominant language in Europe for international educated discourse, mythological names almost always appeared in Latinized form. With the Greek revival of the 19th century, however, Greek names began to be used more often, and "Zeus" may be more familiar than "Jove" as the name of the supreme god of the classical pantheon.

'Classical' myth

A classical myth as it appears in later Western culture is usually a syncretism of various versions from both Greek and Latin sources.

Greek myths, originally transmitted orally, were narratives related to ancient Greek religion, often concerned with the actions of gods and other supernatural beings and of heroes who transcend human bounds. Major sources for Greek myths include the Homeric epics, that is, the Iliad and the Odyssey, and the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Known versions are mostly preserved in sophisticated literary works shaped by the artistry of individuals and by the conventions of genre, or in vase painting and other forms of visual art.

Roman myths are traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins, religious institutions, and moral models, with a focus on human actors and only occasional intervention from deities but a pervasive sense of divinely ordered destiny. Roman myths have a dynamic relation to Roman historiography, as in the early books of Livy's Ab urbe condita.

During the Hellenization of Roman literature and culture, the Romans identified their own gods with those of the Greeks, adapting the stories told about them (see interpretatio graeca) and importing other myths for which they had no counterpart. For instance, while the Greek god Ares and the Italic god Mars are both war deities, the role of each in his society and its religious practices differed often strikingly; but in literature and Roman art, the Romans reinterpreted stories about Ares under the name of Mars. The literary collection of Greco-Roman myths with the greatest influence on later Western culture was the Metamorphoses of the Augustan poet Ovid.

Syncretized versions form the classical tradition of mythography, and by the time of the influential Renaissance mythographer Natalis Comes, few if any distinctions were made between Greek and Roman myths. The myths as they appear in popular culture of the 20th and 21st centuries often have only a tangential relation to the stories as told in ancient Greek and Latin literature.

See also




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Classical mythology" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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