. The eastern nations and Greece. of the his-toric Greeks, we can only vaguely imagine. It certainly bears testimonyto a long period of Hellenic life lying behind the historic age in Hellas. 1 Homer makes the shade of the great Achilles in Hades to say: I would beA laborer on earth and serve for hireSome man of mean estate, who makes scant cheer,Rather than reign oer all who have gone downTo death. — Odyssey, xi, 489-490 (Bryants trans.) 2 Cf. sects. 56, 89. 152 HERITAGE OF THE HISTORIC GREEKS [§ 166 166. The Mythology of the Greeks. Another wonderful posses-sion of the Greeks when they first
. The eastern nations and Greece. of the his-toric Greeks, we can only vaguely imagine. It certainly bears testimonyto a long period of Hellenic life lying behind the historic age in Hellas. 1 Homer makes the shade of the great Achilles in Hades to say: I would beA laborer on earth and serve for hireSome man of mean estate, who makes scant cheer,Rather than reign oer all who have gone downTo death. — Odyssey, xi, 489-490 (Bryants trans.) 2 Cf. sects. 56, 89. 152 HERITAGE OF THE HISTORIC GREEKS [§ 166 166. The Mythology of the Greeks. Another wonderful posses-sion of the Greeks when they first appeared in history was theirmythology. All races in the earlier stages of their development aremyth-makers, but no race has ever created such a rich and beauti-ful mythology as did the ancient Greeks, and this for the reasonthat no other race was ever endowed with so fertile and livelyan imagination. This mythology exercised a great influence upon the life andthought of the ancient Greeks. Their religion, their poetry, their. aiiiliniJIIIr .nilllllli I iilllilUiililllllliPiliilllllilWiii mawlitflli iiiiiiiniiiiiiiHiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiinh Fig. 94. Battle between Greeks and Amazons. (From a sarcophagusof about 300 ) The whole mythology was pictured on vases or carved in marble art, and their history were one and all deeply impressed by thiswonderful collection of legends and myths. Some of these storiesinspired religious feeling; some afforded themes to the epic andtragic poets; others suggested subjects to the sculptor and thepainter; and still others inspired the actors in Greek history tomany an heroic deed or adventurous undertaking. 167. Early Greek Literature: the Homeric Poems. The rich andflexible language of the Greeks had already in prehistoric times beenwrought into epic poems whose beauty and perfection are unequaledby the similar productions of any other people. These epics trans-mitted from the Greek foretime are known as the Homeri
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