The Ancient Greeks were the great myth-makers of Europe. In around 400 BC the Athenian philosopher Plato gave us the name Mythology, when he used the word mythologia in order to distinguish between the imaginative accounts of the divine actions and the factual descriptions of events, supernatural or otherwise.     Unlike a story composed by a particular author, a myth always stood out on its own, with a plot and a set of characters readily understood by those who listened to the story-teller or dramatist making use of it. As Greeks living before and after Plato understood, however, myths were fictitious stories that illustrated truth.

Webpage by Robert Matulewicz, 27th of May 2001

Back to Sample Lessons Index, Teaching Strategies