ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Classical mythology

Classical mythology is the stories about gods and heroes that were created a long time ago by people in ancient Greece and Rome. These stories are really, really old, but they are still important because they help us understand how the people who told them saw the world and themselves.

These stories are filled with powerful gods who control things like the weather, love, and war. They are also filled with brave heroes who go on amazing adventures and fight monsters like Medusa with snakes for hair and the terrifying Hydra with multiple heads. The gods and heroes are sometimes immortal or can do things that humans can't, like fly, control the wind, or turn invisible.

A lot of these stories are about how the gods and heroes interact with each other and with normal people. Sometimes, the stories show the gods being kind and helping humans who are in trouble. But other times, they cause trouble and fight with each other. For example, the Trojan War was a big fight involving lots of gods and heroes causing lots of destruction.

Even though these stories are just myths, people have been telling them for thousands of years because they help us understand and explain the world around us. Through these stories, people found ways to explain things like why the sun rises every day or why seasons happen. They also teach important morals like how to be kind to others, the importance of family, and to avoid arrogance.

Overall, classical mythology is a way for us to understand the world and ourselves better, and to remember the stories that our ancestors told a long, long time ago.