2.1.1: Allegorical Theories

The earliest interpretations of Greek myths stem from the reasoning of early Greeks themselves, most of whom recognized within the stories common fictional elements, and thus saw them as allegorical tools meant to teach social lessons. Thanks to their alphabet, and the subsequent ability to write and form rational opinions, they were the first culture to demonstrate evidence of self-criticism, especially in regard to their own stories and traditions. 6th century BCE philosopher, Xenophanes [ksen-OF-a-neez] of Colophon identified the moral and ethical flaws of the Olympians, asserting that the commonly believed inferences about the deities was inaccurate:

In my opinion mortals have created their gods with the dress and voice and appearance of mortals. If cattle and horses had hands and wanted to draw or carve as men do, the cattle would show their gods in the form of cattle and horses would show them as horses, with the same form and appearance as their own. The Ethiopians say that their gods have snub noses and black skins, while the Thracians say theirs have blue eyes and red hair. (Xenophanes, fragment 21 B 14-16, qtd. In Powell 655-56)

His logic reflects the reasonable observation that ancient people constructed gods in their own anthropomorphic image, inclusive of their cultural ideals and foibles. Writing a good two hundred years after Homer, he had a long lens through which to form such an opinion. Another two hundred years after him, Plato offered an even more critical view of ancient myths, arguing that the tales possessed a dangerous influence to unschooled minds who would see them as historical “truths” rather than “tales.” However, his use of the mythic format to write his own morality lessons conveys his appreciation for the form, if not the function. His works include “The Myth of Er,” and “The Myth of Atlantis.” It’s important to note that early philosophers, like Plato and Xenophanes were primarily invested in “truth” in its highest, purest form; thus the vehicle of the story–the impossibility that giant titans hurdled boulders at one another to establish supremacy, or that a father (Kronus) would ingest his own children to keep them from toppling his rule–became the object of their ridicule.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Plato. Marble, Roman copy after a Greek original from the last quarter of the 4th century.Vatican Museums. (Public domain, via Wikimedia)

However, despite the criticism or surface dismissal of Classical myths from noted voices, other Greeks of the time saw the moral lessons embedded in the stories and recognized that the surface meaning wasn’t the ultimate reward.