Abstract

Greek and Roman mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. It is widely accepted that Hellenic culture is the soil from which Western culture grows. As a most important part of Hellenic culture, Greek mythology has made western culture what it is now. Roman mythology is often associated with Greek mythology by which it is greatly influenced. Greek and Roman mythology is just like the spring giving much vitality to Western civilization. Greek and Roman mythology can be seen everywhere in Western culture. Lack of the knowledge of mythology may lead to misunderstanding and confusion. That’s to say, to study Western culture and language, we have to study Greek and Roman mythology first. This article aims to analyze some influences of Greek and Roman mythology on Western language and literature by giving lots of examples, which helps us to understand the importance to study Greek Mythology

Key words: Greek myths, western culture, languages, development

CONTENTS

中文摘要

Abstract

1.Introduction1

2.Impact on culture.2

2.1On science and technology.2

2.2On film and television3

2.3On video games.4

2.4On marketing4

2.5On sociology and psychology.4

2.6On painting and sculpture5

2.7On literature5

2.7.1 On poetry5

2.7.2 On plays6

2.7.3 On children and young adult literature.7

   2.8 On geography8

   2.9 On music8

   2.10 On architecture and other constructions8

3. Conclusion9

Works cited.10