How did the world begin? Why do people live, breathe, and die? Why is the land barren during the winter? Demeter must be grieving over the loss of Persephone. Why do dark clouds bring rain, and then thunder and lightning? Zeus must be at work. Why does the spider weave its empty web? Because Arachne boasted that she was better than Athena.

The Greeks' beliefs of their polytheistic religion have always answered their questions about their world. They were the explanations for every blessing, and every disaster. The Greeks belived that the gods and goddesses made people fall in love, suffer illness, give birth, and die. Therefore, religion played a very important role in their lives. The Greek religion tells us of the Greek understanding of the world, and their wonderfully spun myths fascinate people even in the modern world.