Tales of the Greek Heroes

“Among the olive leaves stand the broken columns of temples, grey, or white, or golden-yellow: every one has a tale to tell—a legend, a story, or an actual history.”

In this quotation, Green emphasizes the connection of ancient Greek mythology to the Greek landscape. Greek myths were often rooted in real-world places, such as Mount Olympus and Mount Parnassus, as well as sacred sites like Apollo’s temple in Delphi. In emphasizing that ancient Greek culture is inscribed in the Greek geography to this day, Green also gestures toward these stories’ far-reaching influence.

“Then, later, when minstrels travelled from place to place, and writing became more common, and people began to meet those from other parts of the Greek world, they found that many of the stories did not agree.”

As in many ancient civilizations, myths in ancient Greece were initially part of an oral tradition. This resulted in diverse and sometimes conflicting versions of stories, which evolved with every performance. After their transition to the written word, the stories became more codified. Green, writing from the perspective of a 20th-century text-based culture, frames this shift as progress, referring to the prior multiplicity of stories as a “trouble.”

“Swear the oath, son Hermes, and give the lyre to Apollo. Then shall he be the Lord of Music and of all sweet songs, and the Nine Muses shall follow him and do him honour. And you, Hermes, shall be our Messenger, right welcome in the golden halls of Olympus, and kindly disposed to the mortals upon earth.”

The story recounting Hermes and Apollo’s relationship reflects the power dynamics between gods and their hierarchical differences. Zeus’s agency resolves the tension between the two brothers by granting them different divine duties: Apollo becomes the god of music and Hermes the gods’ messenger. As a myth, the story emphasizes the power of brotherly bonds and the importance of reconciliation.