Title Greek Mythology: Fear of the UnknownThe Ancient Greeks lived in an influential and creative era. Music filled the streets, sculptures dominated the city, and masterpieces hung on the walls everywhere. Children were educated, which led to the emergence of great philosophers in the future. This city-state was flourishing and is known today as one of the most advanced ancient civilizations. As progressive as these people were, they were held back by their own beliefs. Fear of a raging hurricane controlled by Poseidon or one of Zeus' deadly lightning bolts left people frightened that these horrible things could happen to them, making it much easier to follow the lessons of the stories that to think for themselves. When the consequences were so deadly, why wouldn't you follow the rules? The gods were a great way to describe what was happening around them. It was a simpler explanation than a scientific equation. The Greeks were not encouraged to think for themselves, but rather to follow the lessons of myths about love, character traits, and the afterlife. The ancient Greeks grew up with stories of star-crossed lovers and mortals condemned for falling in love with immortals. Love was a dangerous thing in Greece and falling in love with the wrong person could spell disaster. A good example of punishment for falling in love is Cupid and Psyche. Venus was so jealous of Psyche's beauty that she tried to cast a spell on her and make her fall in love with a horrible beast (Hamilton, 97). When that didn't work, she made him do impossible tasks (Hamilton, 102). Hera is another pixie... middle of paper ... who believes in gods/goddesses and that they had complete control over every part of their lives. The stories that children grew up with made them fear the deities and opposing them was very scary. The stories were guides on how to live, such as don't be greedy, stick by your family, respect the gods and much more. In Greek culture, it was very important to respect these moral codes. From the beginning, people were "brainwashed" by their own religion to follow the "rules" or terrible things would happen. Even though their city was so progressive and prosperous, they were held back because of their religion. Instead of learning about science, it was easier to assume that a more powerful power controlled the weather or the crops. They could never think for themselves because they constantly relied on the gods to think for them..