Blog Entry 7: Mythology Parts 1 & 2

I have always loved ancient Greek and Roman mythology. I love how the ancient people made their gods have human qualities. Most people today do not see God that way. God is seen as an amazing, great being that no human, no one could match. I also like how the gods constantly interact in the daily lives of the humans. Zeus keeps falling in love with mortal Greek women and having children with them. Many of these children turn out to be heroes who leave legacies in their interesting stories of great adventure and romance. I adore the love stories in this book as well. Unfortunately, most of them are sorrowful and end in death. I also like how the ancients related some of these deaths to the births of certain types of flowers or berries. In the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, the beginning says how mulberries were white as snow and how due to the two lovers' blood spilling, they turned red. This story is similar to Romeo and Juliet in that the families did not want them to get married and that Pyramus kills himself thinking that Juliet had died, which also happens with Romeo. The story of Baucis and Philemon ends with the joining of their bodies and their transformation into a tree. This shows the ancient view towards love making two bodies become one. I had some trouble reading this book at first because I was expecting just a collection of the classics, not stories made up of a mix from different authors. However, as I read more I became accustomed to the writing style.