Howbeit the whole plain was filled with men and horses, and aflame with bronze, and the earth resounded beneath their feet as they rushed together; and two warriors best by far of all came one against the other into the space between the two hosts, eager to do battle, even Aeneas, Anchises’ son, and goodly Achilles. ibid. XX
But soon as early Dawn appeared, the rosy-fingered, then gathered the folk about the pyre of glorious Hector. And when they were assembled and met together, first they quenched with flaming wine all the pyre, so far as the fire's might had come upon it, and thereafter his brethren and his comrades gathered the white bones, mourning, and big tears flowed ever down their cheeks. The bones they took and placed in a golden urn, covering them over with soft purple robes, and quickly laid the urn in a hollow grave, and covered it over with great close-set stones. Then with speed heaped they the mound, and round about were watchers set on every side, lest the well-greaved Achaeans should set upon them before the time. And when they had piled the barrow they went back, and gathering together duly feasted a glorious feast in the palace of Priam, the king fostered of Zeus. On this wise held they funeral for horse-taming Hector. ibid. XXIV
No, it’s a fucking urban myth, like ghosts or large penises. What We Do in the Shadows s3e6: The Escape, Laszlo
Contractor: You’ve got to continue believing this myth. That it was good we were here. John Pilger, Vietnam: Still America’s War
Even before the time of Homer himself people were telling the story of one of the most celebrated monsters in all Greek mythology ... a Cyclops. Tom Holland, Dinosaurs, Myths & Monsters, BBC 2011
Hades is the realm of the dead, and the Greeks believed that when they died they went down into Hades. Hades most likely could be seen as a kind of literal place underground. Dr Marvin Meyer, Chapman University
The real bad sinners go to Tartarus. Dr Marvin Mayer
As it is, the Greek story has it that no sooner was Dionysus born than Zeus sewed him up in his thigh and carried him away to Nysa in Ethiopia beyond Egypt; and as for Pan, the Greeks do not know what became of him after his birth. It is therefore plain to me that the Greeks learned the names of these two gods later than the names of all the others, and trace the birth of both to the time when they gained the knowledge. Herodotus, Histories 2.146
The Greek god Dionysus was a man-god said to be the ‘Son of Zeus’. He was killed, buried, descended into hell, and rose from the dead to sit at the right hand of the father. His empty tomb at Delphi was long preserved and venerated by believers. Dan Barker, Godless
cf.
They bring up Dionysus. December 25th is of no relevance. Keith Thompson, Zeitgeist Debunked
Achilles’ wrath, to Greece the direful spring
Of woes unnumbered, heavenly goddess, sing! Alexander Pope, translation of The Iliad
In a way, it’s nice to know that there are Greek gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong. For instance, when you’re walking away from a bus that’s just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it’s raining on top of everything else, most people might think that’s just really bad luck; when you’re a half-blood, you understand that some divine force is really trying to mess up your day. Rick Riordan, The Titan’s Curse
On his descent into the underworld the Greek hero Theseus lost his memory. For four years he was trapped there constantly goaded and attacked by serpents. Gates of Hell, 2010
In Greek mythology Orpheus ventured into Hades to save his wife Euripides. ibid.
Hades was the Hell of the ancient Greeks. ibid.
On the southernmost tip of the Greek mainland on the Peloponnese coast portals to Hades have been identified. ibid.
Greek mythology is full of strange alien-type creatures and beings with supernatural powers and advanced technology. In 1900 the wreck of an ancient ship was found off the coast of Crete near the Island of Antikythera. Divers found lumps of corroded bronze ... A complex and elegantly-made mechanism like the interior of an expensive hand-made clock. Chris Everard, Secret Space II
One of the most pervasive mythologies … The world is too complicated for us as human beings to understand but nothing is too complicated for the machines and the data, for they can see the hidden reality under the surface. Adam Curtis, Can’t Get You Out of My Head VI Are We a Pigeon? Or Are We Dancer? ***** BBC 2021
The virus was a force that came from completely outside the systems of power. But it has come at a moment when many of the old certainties of this age are already cracking. ibid.
The psychological theories that tell us we are weak and manipulable are cracking. And more and more people are beginning to realise that the fragmented emotions of anxiety and suspicion that they feel inside them may really be just the raw material for the technology corporations to feed off. It may be that we are really far stronger than we think. ibid.
The whole pantheon of gods that we have in ancient Greece consists of nothing else but flesh and blood extraterrestrials who were misinterpreted as being these divine creatures by our ancestors. Giorgio Tsoukalos, editor Legendary Times magazine
Ancient tales and myths: the country was continually criss-crossed by hundreds of travelling bards. Empires Special: The Greeks: Crucible of Civilisation: Revolution, PBS 2000
Images of heroes are found all over Greek art. ibid.
The Iliad and the Odyssey composed by the legendary poet Homer – these works tell of mighty battles and epic struggles. And at their heart lie the heroes. ibid.
Achilles was the archetypal Greek hero. ibid.
A sequence of events that saw a surprise attack by the Germans and their rapid advance through France in a breathtaking period of blitzkrieg. Then a chaotic retreat to the coast by Allied troops, evacuation followed by the fall of France. For the French, the shame of defeat demanded blame and scapegoats, so again myths, this time of betrayal, were created to explain away national disaster. For Germany, victory created a different kind of myth, providing Hitler with an image of himself as military genius. Tim Pigott-Smith, The Other Side of Dunkirk, BBC 2020
Christianity along with all other theist belief systems is the fraud of the age. It serves to detach the species from the natural world, and likewise each other. It supports blind submission to authority. It reduces human responsibility to the effect that God controls everything, and in turn, awful crimes can be justified in the name of divine pursuit. And most importantly, it empowers those who know the truth to use the myth to manipulate and control societies. The religious myth is the most powerful device ever created and serves as the psychological soil upon which other myths can flourish. Peter Joseph, Zeitgeist, 2007
The Nazi belief in these ancestors was to form the foundation of Germany’s new religion. A religion with Adolf Hitler as its High Priest. Inspiring Hitler’s evil crusades was a belief that pure Aryan blood was being contaminated be so-called inferior races ... To prove their superiority the Nazis would leave no myth or religion unexplored. In effect borrowing from any belief that could adapt to the Aryan cause. As a foundation for this new faith Hitler needed to eliminate competing religions. Nazis: The Occult Conspiracy, Discovery 1998
From the ashes of World War One Adolf Hitler attempted to build a sinister new world order. Led by a so-called race of Aryan supermen. Spreading a reign of terror unlike any the world had ever known. Many believed the Nazis conjured strange spirits and followed occult practices that had lain dormant in Europe for thousands of years. Now documents prove that their beliefs were based on a perversion of ancient pagan law, a twisting of mythic battles between the forces of light and darkness. ibid.
There is something feeble and a little contemptible about a man who cannot face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths. Bertrand Russell, Human Society in Ethics and Politics
Faith is a myth and beliefs shift like mists on the shore; thoughts vanish; words, once pronounced, die; and the memory of yesterday is as shadowy as the hope of to-morrow. Joseph Conrad
Science must begin with myths, and with the criticism of myths. Karl Popper, Conjectures and Refutations
We have a really good understanding now of the psychology and sociology of myth-making. Dr Michael Shermer
For thousands of years ancient myths have told of gods who came down from the heavens. Who were these mystical beings who ruled the skies with their supernatural powers? Ancient Aliens s2e2: Gods & Aliens, History 2010
If Mount Olympus was home to alien visitors, was Zeus their leader? ibid.