From the course of school history, a person learns about the culture of the ancient world by its heritage - myths and legends. The ancients considered their myths to be true retellings of events of distant years and did not doubt their authenticity. Over time, these legends were overgrown with details, and their heroes acquired fantastic abilities, and the myth was no longer perceived by society as the history of a separate people.
Instructions
Step 1
The myths of the peoples of the world most often tell about the creation of the Earth, the Sun, the Moon and man by some rational beings - the gods. Sometimes these gods entered into battle with each other or with people. And then the wars of the gods and individual battles were reflected in myths and legends. Messages about them were passed from generation to generation, by word of mouth. Later, with the development of writing, each nation tried to write down its history, some on clay tablets, some on papyrus, some on parchment, some on birch bark. Only pitiful scraps of that huge layer of literature and history, which is called myth, have reached modern man.
Step 2
The most famous myths are the legends of Ancient Greece. Gods, demigods and heroes of human origin are the main characters in them. Moreover, unlike many other peoples, the Greeks endowed their gods with completely human traits and vices: passion, lust, drunkenness, envy, vindictiveness. During the period of Rome's conquest of Greece, the Romans liked the Greek culture so much that an amazing, but far from unique event in history took place - borrowing. Rome took over the religion of Greece, and with it its myths. Zeus became Jupiter, Aphrodite became Venus, and Poseidon became Neptune.
Step 3
Other equally well-known myths are the legends of the ancient Jews. Thanks to the emergence of Christianity and Islam, Jewish myths have spread all over the world and are perceived by believers as the most ancient history of the world. The difference between Jewish myths and, for example, Greek or Egyptian myths is that the main character in them is one, he is called the Lord God. In addition, Jewish myths follow the sequence of the narrative, and not scraps of individual stories.
Step 4
The myths of Scandinavia are darker and more violent than their more southern counterparts, most likely due to the harsh climate, the struggle for survival and constant wars for new territories. In this warlike land there was no room for sentimentality, and therefore their legends were filled with the ringing of axes, blood and cries of enemies. There is also the supreme god - Thor.
Step 5
A distinctive feature of the myths of Ancient China is that the Chinese, under the influence of Confucianism, rationalized mythological creatures and heroes and portrayed the gods of antiquity in the literature not as supernatural beings, but as real people, rulers, and emperors.
Step 6
There are a great many myths and legends in the world, each nation has its own version about the creation of the world, about the events of deep antiquity and explanations for certain natural phenomena. Many were almost completely or partially lost during wars and natural disasters, as happened with the legends of the American Indians with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors to the continent.
