Talk:Greek mythology

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Apollodorus

The Literary Sources section says the Pseudo-Apollodorus "attempts to reconcile the contradictory tales of the poets". The introduction to the Oxford World's Classics version (written by the same person this sentence uses as a citation) says that one of the good things about this work is that it doesn't try to reconcile contradictions, and the author doesn't try to impose his own view on things. "And the author was content to summarize them as he found them without imposing his own interpretations, or attempting to reconcile conflicting traditions". Do people think this could do with changing?

YA! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.166.42.119 (talk) 16:39, 3 April 2009 (UTC)

"Diachronically heavy"

I don't understand what the sentence "Therefore, western literature is diachronically heavy with allusions to the heritage of the ancient Greek myths" means. I would guess it either means A) throughout the history of western literature, there are allsuions to Greek myths or B) an allusion to Greek myth has 2500 years behind it, so when I speak of "Odysseus", the reference is not only to Homer, but also to Euripides, Ovid, Dante, and Joyce. Either way, I think the sentence needs to be rewritten to be clearer, and I hope the editor who wrote the sentence can clarify what s/he meant. --Akhilleus (talk) 05:41, 3 December 2006 (UTC)

It is the A.--Yannismarou 09:07, 3 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the response. In my judgment the sentence is unnecessary, since the rest of the paragraph already tells us that Greek mythology has had influence on culture, art, and literature throughout western history, so I have removed it. --Akhilleus (talk) 05:28, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

OK! But I think a citation would still be useful there.--Yannismarou 10:18, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

Albanian nonsense

I agree with the removal of the section some anon user keeps putting in claiming that Greek mythology comes from Albanian beliefs. That's just sheer nonsense that no reputable academic has ever said. The idea that the Albanians became Christian and then cast off their old beliefs to the Greeks is especially ridiculous, as Greek beliefs were around longer than Christianity. Looks like some nationalistic wishful thinking by some woefully undereducated individual who doesn't understand that Wikipedia articles are for facts as the world sees them and not brand new fanciful theories... DreamGuy 00:03, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

List of names

Should there be a list of all the gods, and maybe even mortals that were related to gods? It could help. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.3.153.229 (talk) 23:24, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

I am uncertain mythology is important.  ; )

This article is quite long, and shouldn't be bloated by lists of names. There are some navigation templates that might be worth including in the article: {{Greek myth (Olympian)}}, {{Greek myth}}, and so on. --Akhilleus (talk) 17:04, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

dully noted and thank you for the quick reply. Ill try helping in the regard of templates though my skills in such are mediocre at best. --ParthianPrince (talk) 20:54, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Mythology is not unimportant. It provides a lot of explanation to many unexplained things going on with the universe. Especially those who don't believe in God as a whole. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kitt-kat1218 (talk • contribs) 20:42, 21 September 2010 (UTC)

request for redirect(if it exist) "xenomandias"

Theres some greek story or myth,or something like that.It's about a guy that he is called xenomandias (more or less).The story is something like this.In the desert ,in the middle of nothing,a traveler notices between the rocks,one with inscription for Xenomandias(more or less), about how great this great king?/Emperor? is,and that everybody will remember him for ever and ever.I really liked the irony of the story,but the spelling of the name is incorrect,and i can't find it.--88.82.47.59 (talk) 17:56, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

If theres no relevant article concerning this,can somebody post here the correct spelling of the name.--88.82.47.59 (talk) 18:02, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

look up Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "Ozymandias". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.39.209.48 (talk) 18:46, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

Mythology

teach people things —Preceding unsigned comment added by Itidus (talk • contribs) 04:44, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

I think that mythology is also a great way to learn. I enjoy hearing the same myth but with a different way of the story unfolding. That is my favorite part about myths.

--DragonForce99 (talk) 04:53, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

Hades

I am wondering why Hades is not included in the list of Deities. As described on the Wikipedia page regarding Hades, he, along with his brothers Zeus and Poseidon, defeated the Titans and took control of the Underworld, Sky and Sea. Is there a special reason why the God of the Underworld, one of the three basic deities of Greek mythology is not included on the list at the base of the page and in the side window list?

That is a good question.Why isn't one of the main deities not listed in an article about Greek Gods. That is a bit backwards. Yoh Hades isnt listed as one of the main deities beacuse zeus forced him to be god of the underworld and he's not considered an olympian god, he doesnt even have a throne at olympus. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.25.11.23 (talk) 19:58, 21 January 2011 (UTC)

Well spotted. Not sure why this has been overlooked but as neither Hades nor Hestia are usually included among lists of Twelve Olympians, have moved them to "Other" in the footlist. I'll see if I can find an appropriate place for Hades in the sidelist. Haploidavey (talk) 22:38, 21 January 2011 (UTC)

But then, it seems Hestia and Hades are sometimes described as Olympians; so I've played safe but messy. See changed footer-nav-box and change again, if required. Nav-boxes, tuh. Haploidavey (talk) 23:24, 21 January 2011 (UTC)

apollo

apollo was the sun god.but before apollo came up helios was the sun god.no one knows how helios came up.But helios was the son of zeus. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.14.178.106 (talk) 03:23, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

The Iliad and The Odyssey are the oldest known literary sources within Greek mythology. Currently, due to the phrasing, it may mislead readers to believe these are the two oldest known literary sources EVER. (This would be untrue.) I don't know how to edit this page though, so could someone change it?129.173.209.5 (talk) 18:02, 6 June 2008 (UTC) Helios was a Greek but, Apollo was Creek and Roman because of the controversy that followers had about who came first. So it would make sense to talk about these two deities separatley. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kitt-kat1218 (talk • contribs) 20:37, 21 September 2010 (UTC)

Also remember that Zeus slept and bore children with many of females whether they were mortal or immortal so it's not a question of how he came up it's who came first and in what time fashion and where. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kitt-kat1218 (talk • contribs) 20:45, 21 September 2010 (UTC)

Bengali Language Article

Please include Bengali langaugage article link on greek mythology to the inter-wiki links in tha article - bn:গ্রিক পুরাণ মনসিজ (talk) 13:38, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Question about License

I have this question. Is Encyclopaedia Britanica (2002) under PD or GFDL? I have Encyclopaedia Britanica (2005) CD set, and the many sentences in this article seem to be same as the entries of this Encyclopaedia (2005). Are there no copyrights violations in this article? Though this is very simple question, but I think it's very important. Because copying so much sentences might not comform to the terms and conditions of citation. If this is legal, please simply say so. --Stella maris (talk) 07:34, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

Pronunciation help for Sources of Greek mythology

I'm working on the spoken version of this article and would like help on the a few of the pronunciations in this section. In particular:

• Liberalis - Short or long "A"?
• Smyrnaeus - Stressed as "smyr-nae-us" or "smyr-nae-us"? And is "smyr" rendered as in English "smear" or "smirk"?
• Lollianus - Short or long "A"?

Thanks for your help! -- Tonyle (talk | contribs) 20:04, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

The pronunciation depends on which variety of English you're speaking. I think a standard pronunciation in US English would be:

• Liberalis -- short a
• Smyrnaeus -- stress nae, "smyr" as in "smirk"
• Lollianus -- short a

--Akhilleus (talk) 01:22, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks again! I'm indeed using the US English pronunciation. This would be so much easier if we hadn't bastardized these names during the Great Vowel Shift. ;-)

More pronunciation requests to come.

-- Tonyle (talk • contribs) 10:24, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Greek Mythology Monsters

Is there a place where there are links of all the monsters in Greek Mythology? Reliable Forever^talk 01:15, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Try Category:Greek_legendary_creatures. --Akhilleus (talk) 01:20, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Pronunciation help for Heroic age

I'm working now on recording the "Heroic age" section and need more pronunciation help. Here is what I haven't been able to find online. As before, I'm using US English pronunciation.

• Lamos – Short or long "A"? My guess is long "A". (Web search is complicated by this word also being slang for "lame people".)
• Bianor – "BYE-uh-nor" according to the Bianor corporation
• Iokaste – Found here as "yo-KAHS-tee", "yo-KASS-tuh" or "ee-oo-KAHS-tee"
• Dictys Cretensis – Found here as "DIK-tus"
• Dares Phrygius – Found here as "Dairy's Fridgey Us"

A couple of others I have from previous sections:

• Coeus – Found here as "KOY-us"
• Hecatonchires – Found here with stress on "ton"
• Lycaon – Currently rendered as "lye-CAY-on" —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tonyle (talk • contribs) 01:34, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks again!

-- Tonyle (talk • contribs) 12:06, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

By the way: beyond the various dictionary sites, I've found the following helpful:

• Pantheon.org
• Moby Pronunciation List

-- Tonyle (talk • contribs) 19:09, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

I'd say "LAH-mos" with a short a, and "Bee-AH-nor". But that's just me. Some of these guys are so obscure that there may not be a standard pronunciation. --Akhilleus (talk) 03:56, 19 December 2008 (UTC)

Also, "lye-CAY-on". --Akhilleus (talk) 03:56, 19 December 2008 (UTC)

God → deity

Among the many recent edits by 83d40m is a wide-scale replacement of the word "god" with "deity". What is the rationale behind such a sweeping change? Is there a policy or rule that reserves "god" (even when uncapitalized) for monotheistic deities? —Tonyle (talk • contribs) 18:43, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

This is a bad idea. The Greek gods should be referred to as such. --Akhilleus (talk) 19:19, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

Probably because Deity encompasses gods, goddesses, and spirits alike. Either that or he's an interfereing Christian. --[[User:Tutthoth-Ankhre|Tutthoth-Ankhre~ The Pharaoh of the Universe]] (talk) 01:19, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Age of Deities

I noticed that under the "Cosmonogy and Cosmology" subsection, one of the links given (Family tree of the Greek deities) leads to a superfluous stub article. It is superfluous because there actually is a fully-operational Family tree of the Greek gods article. I would suggest replacing the "deities" link with the "gods" link. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Historynerd87 (talk • contribs) 19:22, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

What was the name of them?

What did the greeks call their gods? I mean, what was the greek word we translate as meaning "God"? --[[User:Tutthoth-Ankhre|Tutthoth-Ankhre~ The Pharaoh of the Universe]] (talk) 01:39, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

theos, plural theoi. There are some other words that could be used to refer to divine powers, but theos is the one we translate as "god". --Akhilleus (talk) 01:52, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Also, Note how "theos" or "θεός" has the same root as the Latin: "Deus" (plural Dei). Sillyfolkboy (talk) 02:07, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Actually, even though they sound similar, they are not etymologically related. --Akhilleus (talk) 02:19, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

In the words of Victor Meldrew I don't believe it! And really, I don't. So the truth is: most academics believe they are unrelated terms. One goon on Wikipedia believes that these academics have seen a fancy acrostic of "deus" as the first written occurrence, thus perceived it as the root of the word. Meanwhile theos is more similar to humus and thermos? Absolute codswallop I say! By that measure I could equally forward the idea that theos is similar to odos, meaning "the path to enlightenment". I repeat, codswallop. Anyway, they'll all be proved wrong in the end. Linguists always are! Sillyfolkboy (talk) 02:30, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Thanks. I needed it for my sci-fi novel ( based on Ancient Astronaut Theory). --[[User:Tutthoth-Ankhre|Tutthoth-Ankhre~ The Pharaoh of the Universe]] (talk) 02:45, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

Picture caption query

I've corrected an error in the article's 5th picture-caption - Charun is shown, not Charon - but could someone familiar with Greek and Etruscan orthography (thus not me) please check the identity of the standing figure with sword in hand? The Commons source describes it as Akhilleus but the ancient potter obligingly labeled his cast of characters and what he's written looks like Ajax to me. Thanks in advance. Haploidavey (talk) 17:07, 2 January 2010 (UTC)

modern adherents

Does greco-roman religion have any modern adherents, and if not then historically when (and under what circumstances) did they disappear? Cesiumfrog (talk) 04:02, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

to your first question, yes there are those who today call themselves followers of the olympian or twelve-god religion, although they are of dubious lineage. The true pagans died out in waves beginning in the first century as Christianity became popular. The move away from the old religions has a few milestones - the closing of the philosophical schools of Athens, the banning of the games at Olympia, etc., the destruction of pagan temples - all these span the 4-5-6th centuries. In some parts of southern Greece there were still pagans up to the 8th or even 9th centuries. There is then a hiatus of more than 1,000 years and the revivalists have cropped up, numbering no more than a few thousand. They are trying to recreate the old religion based on texts and archaeological finds. It's all a bit of a sham. --5telios (talk) 09:27, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for that info. Could you suggest any further references? Also, do you know why people abandoned it exactly? (It seems difficult to conceive of a major religion entirely disappearing today.. was Christianity just that much more convincing?) Cesiumfrog (talk) 14:22, 5 March 2010 (UTC)

Why is there nothing about how and when Greek mythology died out in this article? 194.176.105.39 (talk) 10:37, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

Page moves

Today and over the past few days there have been two move attempts by the same editor moving the page to two different titles both of which I reverted. The rationale for both moves was "It sounds better". This is obviously not a valid move rationale. The ghits meanwhile for both reverted titles were abysmally low compared to the current title which is the most common English name. This is also a featured article. No page moves should happen without broad consensus. Conclusion: There is no valid reason currently at all to move the page to any other title. Dr.K. ^{λogosπraxis} 00:10, 27 August 2010 (UTC)

consistency between Cronus/Kronos

In the section on the "Age of Gods" Cronus is spelled with both a "C" and a "K" at different points in the text. It should probably consistent all the way through with a mention that it can be spelled the alternative way. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.12.232.123 (talk) 22:22, 29 August 2010 (UTC)