Mythology has an important part to play in the various art forms in our modern society. It has been served as an important starting point for many major evolutions in areas such as painting and sculpting, since it was largely the basis on which many of these were pioneered. We shall take a look at the role of mythology in the development of music, art and architecture.

Anyone familiar with classical music would know of the famous compositions of the German composer Richard Wagner. Amongst many other pieces, Wagner composed the famous "Ride of the Valkyries", which is commonly used to depict the Vikings, whose mythology it represented. Besides that, Wagner also composed an opera which told of the story of the Quest for the Holy Grail, from King Arthur in Celtic mythology.

Many African cultures developed their rudimentary form of music from their prayers to the gods or their rituals of life. The key to the creation of music is inspiration, and mythology has provided much inspiration for the creative composition of composers of different cultures. Not only did mythology provide a purpose for the creation of music in many cases, it also provided the tales that would inspire those who like to compose.

The composition of the famous Chinese tune, "The Butterfly Lovers", is based on an age old myth of China. The tune has been very popular in the Chinese classical arena, for its fitting depiction of the lovers who die and become butterflies after death so as to preserve their union.

Similar devices have worked on art, where it can be divided into two areas, that of painting, and that of sculptures. Many artists have been fascinated with the mythical world, and have depicted in their drawings, the settings from myths, and of course the creatures of mythology such as centaurs and cherubs. In many occasions, the art of many cultures such as that of Native Indians and Australian Aborigines were started in their mythology, where drawings were used as sacred signs, or in the reproduction of events from myths.

It was also an important development in Greek sculpture, when they started to model the gods out of stone. The famous statues like that of Zeus and Aphrodite flank the many temples they created for the gods. This development in art has much to owe to mythology, in ways that the patronage to the gods and goddesses actually fueled the importance and the eventual flourishing of these arts.

Many other cultures are also affected by mythology this way, especially that of Celtic culture and Japanese culture. Japanese art, which may be given special notice, is famous throughout the world in the form of comic books and has its beginnings in mythology. The eventual style developed by Japanese animators and illustrators follow in the footsteps of the mythical past.

Lastly, the same impetus that led to the advancement in sculpture in many cultures, also led to a similar advancement in the area of architecture. The Egyptians are best noted for their lavish temples to the gods, which required a lot of manpower to create. These huge temples attest to the fact that mythology had indeed spurred the Egyptians to push their technologies of architecture to greater heights, encompassing important technological breakthroughs such as the understanding of trigonometry, although the actual use of trigonometry by ancient Egyptians has never been found.

Unfortunately, much of this technology based on Egyptian mythology was stopped when they were invaded and their mythology was overruled by the Romans. A look at the culture which has led to more important effects in architecture today would invariably point us at Greek architecture. The Greeks are famous for their temples such as the Parthenon, a temple in Athens dedicated to the goddess Athene.

The three famous columns, Ionic, Doric and Corinthian all result from the Greek's patronage to their gods. The eventual advancement of technology to greater heights, have established important cornerstones like that of proportion and symmetry to architects, even today.

In many cases, the effects of mythology may not be felt directly in the forms of the gods and the mythical creatures. Mythology formed an important starting point for many ancient technologies, as have been mentioned many times above. Many other developments such as that in theatre, and garments too, have been affected by mythology, but to a lesser extent. It is interesting to ponder on the other various aspects of our lives today that have started off as a part of mythology.

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