'What is a Myth?' - to me it has become clear that the word 'myth' is a very difficult word to pin down into one box as it serves so many different purposes. In our discussions as part of my lectures during my degree, we focused on four prominent purposes of mythology; the first being to entertain. The primary way people shared myths both within an ancient context and a modern context was through telling of these myths as stories during one’s childhood and especially in my own experience this is how the interest and fascination with mythology was sparked. However as well as this, back in a contemporary context these myths of the gods and of hero's there was so much enjoyment that people felt the need to celebrate these stories through festivals much as we do today with the events such as Easter and Christmas, celebrating the religious significance of the birth and rebirth of Jesus Christ. The second purpose mythology serves, is to teach morals within society. For thousands of years people have learned their moral behaviour through stories told to them as children; the most obvious example for me of this would be fables as these stories are specifically tailored to reach a conclusion on moral behaviour. Therefore, it is probably right to assume that Ancient communities learned their moral behaviour from the stories of the gods and other mythological Heroes. A classic example of this would be the myth of Icarus and Daedalus; a tale of a father building himself and his son a pair of wings from feathers and wax in order to escape their something. Daedalus warned his son not to fly to close to the sun as the wax would melt, but Icarus didn’t listen to his father and fell to his death. This myth has been a tale taught by parents all over the world as a moral lesson for their children warning them to listen to their parents, but also to warn against over confidence. This is why sharing mythology as a story is so important especially to a young audience as it teaches important life lessons in an engaging and fun way, and it is this that forms the basis of the communities’ social structure. The third purpose of mythology is to construct identity and this very much links to the previous point. Identity is made up of characteristics that we inherited, but also of characteristics that we learn from the stories we are told growing up such as classical myths. From these stories we learn morals and ways to conduct one’s self in society and, as previously mentioned, this forms the structure of the community you are part of, and sets the boundaries constituting what is and isn't acceptable in society. Finally, the last use for mythology, and this applies primarily to a more ancient context, is that mythology was used to legitimize power. Specifically, in the Roman era when individuals ruled rather than a traditional ruling democracy as was adopted more by Greek society Emperors especially would link themselves to mythological Hero's such as Hercules in order to link themselves to the gods and therefore a more noble and significant blood line. A notable example of this would be Alexander the Great; the royal heritage Alexanders mother, claimed that they were related to the Greek hero Achilles, the hero of the Trojan War. Olympias ancestors were descended from Molassas, the son of Andromache and Neoptolemus, Neoptolemus being a son of Achilles. This claim therefore, made Alexander a descendant of heroes. Claims such as these made the individual appear to be of higher character and breeding which they were then able to use to legitimize their rule. Therefore, this links to the previous point of constructing identity as linking themselves to certain gods and heroes allowed the individual to also link themselves to particular characteristics of their 'lineage'. When it comes to Greek and Roman approaches to love and sexuality in mythology and how the community is impacted by this, the primary purposes that mythology serves differ between the two cultures. Comparing Greek and Roman Myth there is an obvious difference between how they represent Love and sex in their mythology, and this has a direct correlation with how sex was viewed in society. While both cultures use all of these purposes of their mythology in their communities some serve greater uses than others. Starting with Greek mythology, I believe that their mythos serves a greater purpose in teaching morals within their community more so than any other due to the fact that their mythology separates them from the gods so much so that the only thing one can relate to is their moral lessons. The story in which the Athenian people link their biological heritage to the goddess Athena for example, brings an unusually sexual and violent footing to the city of Athens and this therefore must reflect in the morals of Greek society rather than solely reflecting the identity of the Athenian people. The myth states that upon visiting the god Hephaestus, Athena found herself being attacked in a fit of lust resulting in Hephaestus ejaculating on Athena’s leg. A wool cloth was used to remove the mess and was subsequently discarded on the ground, and from this Erichthonius was born. Interestingly, in her book ‘Athena’ Susan Deacy links this portrayal of Athena to the character of the Parthenos who’s role is formidable in a number of Greek myths including the myth of Leda and the Swan. The Parthenos in Greek myth is a woman of marriageable age ‘who falls pray to the sexual attentions of the gods and flees from him only to be caught, deflowered and impregnated’. This comparison supports my hypothesis further as it highlights how frequently in Greek Mythology that this series of events occur in a number of popular myths, all of which shape the moral mind set of right and wrong. Erichthonius, child of Athena grows up to become the king of Athens and so begins the divine lineage of its people. This story is incredibly sexual in content which a modern audience would find shocking, however, due to the sexually liberated nature of Greek society this story wouldn’t have been received in the same way. The theory that the Greek community was sexuality liberated is an idea that has been researched and corroborated by numerous historians most prominently M. Foucault and M.B. Skinner, and many link the ancients sexual desire to the gods as that’s where they believe it originated. Jennifer Larson in her book ‘Greek and Roman Sexualities’ states that ‘for the ancients, sexual desire was perceived as a cosmic principle and personified in deities of primordial power (Aphrodite, Venus, Eros, Amor) who cast their spell over helpless mortals’. This idea in Greek society is backed up by many contemporary sources such as Plato’s Symposium, which discusses the many philosophical approaches to love, linking them to the mythology of the gods, such as Aphrodite. In Pausanias’ speech he explains that the two gods ‘Love and Aphrodite are inseparable’, but also that there are two different goddesses that go by the name of Aphrodite: Aphrodite Urania (Heavenly Aphrodite) and Aphrodite Pandemos (Common Aphrodite). Teaching these kinds of beliefs tells children or even adults that love and lust are two separate, but equally justifiable emotions. And it is these kinds of lessons that teach that, as Pausanias explains, ‘no action is either good or bad, honourable or shameful’ one is just more pure than the other. These kinds of moral lessons are what cultivates a liberal sexual environment as from a young age people are being taught that all of their sexual impulses valid. By being exposed to stories such as this and myths containing sexual images like that of Athena from such a young age, Greek citizens would have an evolved and more liberal approach to sex in their daily life. As a result, sexuality would not have been something that you should have to be ashamed of as these stories lent themselves as justification for an individual’s sexuality as being the will of the gods. In contrast Roman mythology is vastly different and served a completely different purpose. Roman Mythos, much like the names of their gods, were taken and adapted from Greek mythology, and from this came with it the idea that the mythology they had borrowed was equally up for interpretation. Unlike the Greeks whose Mythos set the foundation for their social structure, the new roman leaders used this borrowed mythology, and the reputation it carried in relation to the Greeks, in order to establish a new power and identity to their Emperor and therefore their Empire. When it comes to sex in the adapted Roman mythology the imagery is a lot more reserved especially when we hit the principate of Augustus, as he began to install traditional values in his legislation. Rather than having obvious sexual references, as the Greeks do, roman antiquity shows a more metaphorical and subtle approach to presenting their sexuality. A clear example of this would be the Augustus Prima Porta. The Prima Porta was a sculpture of Augustus which is famous for the amount of mythology displayed not only around him but also on him. Through the use of this mythology, as R.J Barrow claims, 'The statue proclaims the divinity of the Julian gens and also celebrates Augustan Military achievement'. But it isn’t just the use of mythological imagery that links him to the gods. The chest plate that Augustus wears in the Prima Porta clearly resembles a sculpted male chest which one could compare to the nude statues of the Hellenistic period. This therefore denotes ideas of heroic nudity that Augustus used to enhance his military and physical prowess, channelling this through his body and his sexuality much like that of Alexander the Great. As well as this, Augustus is dressed in a dropped paludamentum, now worn as a hip mantle. Wearing it in this way 'implies nudity' as it conjures up images of hip mantle nudes such as that of Venus. Having such prominent physical symbols referencing his sexuality in order to signify a divine connection to the gods shows how important the link between sex and the gods were; especially considering the goddess Venus who links Augustus’ blood line to the divine. The mythology in this example is displayed all over the statue; on what he is holding, on his chest plate, and near the feet of the emperor, which goes to show how important mythology was to the propaganda of Augustus and to other emperors. The prima porta was a statue that was most likely displayed in an area for everyone to look upon in order to view Augustus' victory. By having the mythology situated on this 'bare chest' suggests the idea that the mythology is physically part of him in order to legitimise their power. In relating themselves to the people who are viewing their statues; referencing mythology allows the Emperor to connect with their people through their religions, and the physical vulnerability Augustus displays with the near nudity consolidates his power by linking himself with the divine. The example of the Prima Porta not only constructs an identity for Augustus, presenting himself in an idealised way and linking his lineage to the gods, but it also allows him to legitimise his power. This is due to the fact that similarly to old English beliefs about our monarchy and the divine right of kings in which it was believed that the king was chose by god to rule. If Augustus descended from the Gods that gave him divine authority, therefore legitimizing his power as the will of the gods.