Blog Entry 9: Mythology Parts 5 & 6

Reading about the important families of mythology was interesting. It seems that family honor was very important to the Greeks and Romans even if it were stained by mistake. This is especially seen when the gods fall in love with mortals, married or not, and cause illegitimate children to be born. Many of the mortal girls gave up their children for fear of their fathers' and husbands' wraths. Another important aspect of family honor is seen when it comes to avenging a loved one's death, especially if it is a parent. It is interesting to see these morals, which many religions today uphold, having been upholded in the ancient world without a holy book or specific set if rules. These morals were mainly created by the philosophers, the thinkers of the time and not necessarily proclaimed by a prophet, which to me is admirable. A third aspect of family issues in the ancient world has to do with the effects of one family member's deeds, which can end up cursing the whole family for centuries. This further emphasizes the family being made up of a group of people who work together and how when one family member strays from the path, destruction ensues. The short myths introduced in part 6 were wonderful to read. I like how, as usual, the gods intervene in the mortals' lives in good and bad ways and found it interesting how if a mortal makes a god angry, there is no mercy for them and suffering is sure to follow. I really enjoyed reading these stories and cannot wait to read more about mythology during the school year.