Telling Tales

"It is the Dark Age that the exceptionally rich mythic culture of the Greek world first developed"
-The Ancient Mediterranean World (Greek Civilization: Hellas and Hellinism, pg 57)

This quote does not make sense when you first look at it. How could culture develop in a time period that lacked any remnants of literature, art, or music. The mythic culture developed because of the oral traditions of Greek people. Instead of writing things down-partially because of the lack of literacy or supplies-citizens told myths and tales through speech. Stories were passed down through generations of families.

When a cultural rennisance emerged in the Archaic Period, authors and poets such as Homer began to write myths down. Two of Homer's poems, Illiad and Oddysey were a couple of the first great pieces of literature. Greek mythology surely would not have become as well known or powerful without the written element-something that Homer is greatly responsible for- however it is because of the telling of myths and the fact that they changed ever so slightly each time they were told that Greek mythology has its mystique.