A Dive into Mythology

Bulfinch’s mythology is full of special messages ready to be discovered. This great variety of myths teaches us valuable lessons with what has to do with our goals, and our relationship with the gods. The first one I read was the Sphinx or the story of Edipo which shows us that we have to be more thoughtful in our decisions and our answers to daily questions as he was to the question of the Sphinx. “Man, who in childhood creeps on hands and knees, in manhood walks erect, and in old age with the aid of a staff.” –The Sphinx He shows that sometimes it isn’t the difficulty of a question but our deficiency to understand it. It is interesting to know the influence each mythological creature had in a community’s beliefs as the centaurs were very important in the Greek culture, it was one of the few animal-creatures who were half-human and fully accepted as equals to the human species. Dryope gave me the same message as Edipo did, of being more open-minded and aware of other’s. If Dryope hadn’t been so self-centered to destroy another species body, she wouldn’t have suffered the terrible consequences she went through.

Difference has always been an important conversation topic. Being little, as the pygmies, doesn’t take any importance away from these special mythological creatures who appear in Homer, and Milton’s writings who will pass along in culture for centuries to come. Griffins are a type of bird native to India in mythology. Every character has to have a special trait, in these birds it is their nests made of gold. I believe it is important to know a little about our past and other cultures’ mythologies, this is why I believe Griffins have an important role as a character in Greek mythology. Penelope is the mother cause of our modern expression of things that are done to never be finished as she had to do to wait for her husband Ulysses without getting married. “This is the famous Penelope’s web, which is used as a proverbial expression for anything which is perpetually doing but never done.” –Penelope We can see how other’s ideas will always have an effect on generations to come. Mythology has a unique and lasting value because it is a special colorful, creative, dramatic and memorable format for teaching and questioning patterns, morals, valuable ideas and universal wisdom, which I look forward to continue enjoying, by reading and studying for the rest of my life.