¶ … myth in some detail, and give your evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses. The word 'myth' comes from the Greek word 'mythos' that means, "spoken or written story." A myth is essentially a story with a purpose that is usually to explain why the world is the way it is, or the relationship between the gods and human beings. Though the events within myths may sometimes appear to be far-fetched or impossible, there was usually a social issue or moral underneath it all.

This theory of a myth, I feel is probably one of the most viable as myths have lasted thousands of years. Many have been passed on from one generation to another for centuries before written documentation or a created alphabet. Myths, in this case, would be the spoken story or history of people and events relevant to that particular society.

The natural enemy to these spoken stories would be a sense of exaggeration or "Chinese Whispers" where things may get changed through the nature of retelling. Otherwise such a method would be invaluable to bringing a tribe or village together as a social event or for inspiring the youth in a culture. It would also be invaluable to get across key ethical contexts of the society and show that there were consequences (outside parental punishment, or social punishment) by a hand of a higher power.

In a way, myths were both entertaining and lessons on how to live. They taught people the relationship between certain aspects of life and Mother Nature. Myths were also a form of history, usually spoken, before written documentation could record...

The Romans embellished on their gods and goddesses in numerous ways, but most evident is what they took from the Greeks.
Most Roman gods and goddesses have different names, though their appearances and traits are similar to the Greek Twelve Olympians. For example, Hermes and his Roman counterpart Mercury both have winged helmets and a staff. They are both messengers to their respective Gods. Athena and Minerva both don armor and a helmet. They were also both goddesses of wisdom.

The god Saturn, though similar to the Titan Cronus (and arguably, goddess Demeter) has his beginnings in Roman mythology and his celebration of Saturnalia was very much a Roman-based holiday.

The legend of Heracles, as well as that of Odysseus (Ulysses) managed to crossover into Roman mythology, though the Romans did have their own unique myths. Most known of these, is the story of Romulus and his twin brother Remus who were raised by a she-wolf. Romulus later became the founder of the city of Rome.

Odysseus

Of all the Greek and Roman heroes, the one that appeals to me the most must be Odysseus (Ulysses). Odysseus fought in the Trojan War for ten years, and had been warned that if he did go to Troy, he would not return to his home on the island of…