Introduction
The impact of Greek mythology on the modern society cannot go unnoticed. Many spheres of the modern society have borrowed heavily on Greek mythology. Areas like modern language, arts and traditions among others all exhibit the influence of Greek tradition in the modern society.
A good example of this is where people with no or little understanding of Greek legends still know that Hercules was a strongman and that Venus is the god responsible for love. This goes ahead to show how the Greek mythologies have taken root in our modern society. In fact, majority of the traditions that people in the modern society carry out have their origin in Greece.
One Greek mythology that has influenced the whole world is the celebration of the Olympic Games. According to historians, the Olympic Games are a traditional Greek sport that was established in 776 B.C. The Greeks used these athletic contests to award vegetal crowns to people who excelled in different areas.
According to historians, the foundation of the Olympic Games is credited to Herakles. According to the myth, Zeus set up the games to celebrate his legendary success over his father Kronos. This event was celebrated once every four years and involved all Greece citizens.
As time went by, the rest of the world adopted the use of Olympic Games as a unifying event. Today, the Olympic Games are regarded as the most popular sporting event in history. In fact, the modern day sport has minimal differences compared to the original games. This goes a long way in exhibiting just how Greek culture has influenced the world systems. (Barringer, 2010)
In the modern society, very few people can speak Greek fluently. However, the English language has been greatly shaped by Greek mythologies. An example of this is a term like “Herculean task”, which refers to doing something that requires a big effort. According to historians, the term comes from the Greek legend that refers to the labors assigned to Hercules. Another common name in the English language that has its roots from the Greeks is the sleep inducing drug known as morphine.
According to English experts, this name has its origins from Morpheus, the Greek god responsible for bringing sleep. The Greek god of love Zeus otherwise known as aphrodisiac has also been incorporated in the English language. Today, the modern language uses the term aphrodisiac to refer to any stuff or condition that stimulates sexual need.
Besides their use in languages, Greek mythology also has a great impact on science. Today, most heavenly bodies have been given the names of Greek characters. On top of this, nearly all the planets and most of the stars in the solar system have been given Roman translations of Greek characters.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the modern world has borrowed much from Greek mythology. Reference to Greek mythology proliferate every sphere of our society. The Olympic Games one of the most celebrated athletic sport has its origins from the Greek culture.
The sport has undergone the test of time and today it is considered as an event that unifies the world. In fact, some things that we take for granted as maps have their origin from Greek myths. The Europe continent that houses many communities is named after Europa, the virgin carried off by Zeus, who tricked her by masquerading as a bull.
Reference List
Barringer, J. (2010) Art, Myth, and Ritual in Classical Greece. Retrieved from http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521646475&ss=exc