Classical Wisdom Litterae - April 2019

The Age of Heroes

We classicists know the importance of mythology in ancient Greece; indeed, it was at the very heart of everyday life, a part of their history. They used myths to demonstrate morals, culture, traditions,

the ancient Greeks most definitely preferred the age of heroes. For instance, the heroic Iliad and Odyssey dwarfed the divine-focused Theogony and Homeric Hymns in both size and popularity. As such, we here at Classical Wisdom felt it was about time we dedicated an entire Classical Wisdom Litterae Magazine to the heroic age... to help set straight some of the most important mythological stories known, loved and feared by the ancient Greeks. What is exactly included in the age of heroes? Good question... The events and labors of Heracles are usually considered the dawn of the age of heroes. Following this strong demi-god are three great events, the Argonautic expedition, the ‘Generational Crimes’ including both the House of Atreus and the Theban Cycle, and the Trojan War. We’ve made sure to include something from every section... So get ready to read all about the mythological heroic age... a time when men took the main stage in stories... and heroes were born.

values and natural phenomena.

And yet knowing this, it can be very difficult to fully comprehend the entire breadth and depth of their ancient stories. So, with that in mind, let’s take a moment to have a bird’s eye view of ancient Greek mythology... We can, if we wish to categorize for comprehension’s sake, split Greek mythology into 3 major categories: 1. The age of gods: These are myths about the origins of the world, the gods, and the human race. 2. The age when gods and mortals mingled freely: These are stories of the early interactions between gods, demigods, and mortals. 3. The age of heroes: This is where divine activity was more limited. The last and greatest of the heroic legends is the story of the Trojan War (which sometimes is placed in its own, fourth, category). Now, while modern day mythology lovers may be drawn to the creation stories and the birth of gods,

Anya Leonard Co-Founder and Project Director Classical Wisdom

II