Greek Mythology - Gods Question

[Cortexian]

Without having taken any related historical classes or spending a whole lot of time researching things, I have a question on the broad subject matter of the greek gods (Hades, Zeus, Apollo, etc).

What is the most widely supported scientific theory of the origins of these myths? Were these ordinary people (see: mortals, non-specific as to economic class) who performed deeds that were exaggerated through time until they resembled their current "god-like" status?

I read the origin theories section on Wikipedia about this, but it covers a few different theories, including the ones supporting the notion that immortals/gods actually exist. I'm not debating that they don't, I'm just one of those people that won't believe in something I can't see for myself.

[Warsaw]

From the classes I took, they invented the figures to assist in the stories explaining natural phenomenon. I know that sounds like the normal go-to answer, but that's honestly just how basic it is. It's not like Jesus where we have a man, who was supposedly a good man, that got turned into a legend by a bunch of radical Jews that we now call Christians.

[Sanctus]

I tend to agree with Warsaw. I used to be a BIG lover of Greek mythology (Still am to some degree) and I remember reading that the dominant theory is that the Gods were created to explain natural occurrences. For example: to explain thunder and lighting, Zeus was created.

[=sw=warlord]

As I recall all the greek gods were based on elements, lightning, the sun, the earth, the sky, death, seas.

[Cortexian]

Invented in order to explain natural phenomenon makes sense, did the stories just spring up after that to add some "meat and potatoes" to the mix? For example, gods vs titans vs man.

[Warsaw]

Pretty much, yeah. Since these phenomena are temperamental and hard to predict, it makes sense to assign them to human-like personalities.

[DarkHalo003]

Greeks LOVED creating epic poems. Ironically, the end of the Greek gods came by the Greeks making them more human. Oh, and the barbarians kicking the shit out of their society as well.

[TVTyrant]

Oh, and the barbarians kicking the shit out of their society as well.
There is all kinds of wrong and non-factual statement in this sentence I don't even know when (rimshot) to start. I think Im having an aneurysm.

[Warsaw]

Maybe he's drawing a correlation between the Greek mythology and the Roman one and how the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire ended the Hellenistic religions.

[TVTyrant]

Yeah, that's a good point. But the Greeks didn't end til the 1500s when Constantinople falls to the Turks...

[DarkHalo003]

Maybe he's drawing a correlation between the Greek mythology and the Roman one and how the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire ended the Hellenistic religions.
More or less, though the original Christians weren't barbarians if that was implied. Of course, if you want to look at later Christianity (the rise of the "Church") then you coudl go as far as saying that barbarism entirely dissolved the Greek and Roman theologies on a religious aspect.

[TVTyrant]

More or less, though the original Christians weren't barbarians if that was implied. Of course, if you want to look at later Christianity (the rise of the "Church") then you coudl go as far as saying that barbarism entirely dissolved the Greek and Roman theologies on a religious aspect.
Except for the Byzantines, who were Greeks :/ You seem to be forgetting this.

[DarkHalo003]

Except for the Byzantines, who were Greeks :/ You seem to be forgetting this.
The Byzantines were the Byzantines. I was talking about the original Greek society pre-dating Christianity.

[TVTyrant]

Byzantines spoke Greek predominantly, were closer connected to Greek culture than Romans, were in a region inhabited by Greeks, and looked just like Greeks. Because they were Greek. Greece before Christ was wiped out by the Romans anyway.

[DarkHalo003]

Byzantines spoke Greek predominantly, were closer connected to Greek culture than Romans, were in a region inhabited by Greeks, and looked just like Greeks. Because they were Greek. Greece before Christ was wiped out by the Romans anyway.
I thought this was established or implied already. :ugh:

[TVTyrant]

I don't think we're having the same discussion anymore lol.