ABSTRACT
According to Plato, the first things we tell children are myths, and this job falls to mothers and nurses. A myth is comprised of information shared by both the narrator and the audience, and very often, the role of the narrator is passed down to the audience. This role reversal is essential to the passing down of myths. Therefore, every story is “authentic” because the act of narration confers authority. To modern times, the Greek myths have been able to take on different shapes and even different divinities, acquiring many different forms in each culture. The gods and heroes have thus provided us with a store of metaphors and allegories that find their way into the arts, poetry, and music. When Virgil invites Ulysses to reveal his story, Ulysses recounts the last feat that led to his death. The reality of poetry is not that of the facts, but that of vision.
