For some reason, the Greek Myths have held a powerful place in Academia for centuries. They aren’t considered ‘just’ stories. They are considered something that all educated people should know something about. Sometimes, I find it very hard to understand why.
The Greek Myths aren’t actually very nice. They may have influenced stunning expressions of art over the centuries but when it comes to the Myths themselves, one is hard pressed to find any tale at all that has any real goodness or kindness in it.
I have heard it said continuously that Classical Mythology is a wonderful way of finding artistically expressed truths that are relevant to all of humanity.
But what truths? That it’s OK to eat babies? That cheating on your husband is alright if your lover is really hot? That having loads of affairs is the true measure of a man?
The more I read Classical Mythology, the more convinced I become that it does matter. But not for the reason we are told. One should not read the myths seeking for truth. One should read them looking for lies.
Western civilization owes a lot of her mindset to those ancient tales. The Gods and Goddesses may be figments of imaginations long gone, but the mindset that belief in those deities produced is more powerful than ever.
Why do we despise a woman or a man who holds their virginity until marriage? Why do we assume that they must be unbearably ugly to have managed it?
We despise virginity in the west and yet there is a huge rise in western women selling it. Aphrodite despised virginity as well. Anyone who valued it became her special little target. On the island of Cyprus were the worship of her was most strong, every young girl was expected to offer her virginity up in an act of prostitution.
And what about Hephaestus? He was so ugly when he was born he was thrown away. His parents could not bear the trouble of raising something less than perfect. A friend of mine became pregnant with a Down-Syndrome baby a while ago. Because of the burden a Down-Syndrome person is estimated to place on taxpayers, she was advised to abort.
You know the old saying, that you must judge a tree by its fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor a bad tree good fruit. I want to reverse that idea. Sometimes, a certain fruit becomes so ensconced in society, we can’t even tell if it’s bad anymore.
When familiarity breeds confusion, there is another way. Find the root of the idea and ask yourself “is this right?”
It is often easier to make clear judgements on things that happened two thousand, six hundred years ago.
Is Classical Mythology relevant today? I am certain it is. But not for the truth, for the lies.