I ended my last blog with two questions, the first of which I’ll aim to answer today:

“What if the [Greek] myths aren’t solely metaphors, but whispers of actual cosmic history?”

I’m confident most people are familiar with Greek mythology, if only from school world history and literature classes, plus movies like Troy, Disney’s Hercules, and the Percy Jackson fiction series. Furthermore, depictions of mythological figures such as winged horses (Pegasus), nymphs, centaurs, satyrs, and Cyclopes are ubiquitous throughout the world, showing up in just as many ancient mosaics and Renaissance paintings as they do in modern Hollywood films and TV shows.

Despite the impressive presence of the ancient Greek tales in our world, it wasn’t until a few years ago that I began to question whether they were more than simply poetic explanations of religious mores, social and political institutions, and natural phenomena. As I read the Bible and studied topics such as spiritual warfare, the Garden of Eden, and Satan’s expulsion from heaven, I couldn’t help but wonder if the myths, or at least some of them, were artistic echoes of timeless, primordial truths.

Here are some of the scriptures that piqued my curiosity concerning a possible link between Greek mythology and my Christian faith:

“The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” – Luke 10:17-18

“Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” – Revelation 12:7-9

“How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble.” – Isaiah 14:12-16

“You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.” – Ezekiel 28:16-19

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment.” – 2 Peter 2:4

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:12

“Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” – 2 Corinthians 11:14

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8

Cosmic war.

All-powerful Eternal Being versus a lesser, infinitely prideful eternal being.

Warriors and demons.

Heroes and dragons.

Colossal hubris warranting colossal retribution.

Dark chains of the underworld.

A chief prince of darkness who takes on myriad forms, from an “angel of light” to a “roaring lion.”

I think you’d agree that the above descriptions have all the makings of a Homeric epic or Marvel movie.

And in my opinion, there’s good reason for that, and that is that the Bible itself, teeming with heroes and villains and their mind-blowing battles, is the ultimate epic. (I’m reminded of the grandfather’s line in The Princess Bride when he describes the story as containing “fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, miracles.” What more could a reader want?)

Here are just a few examples of the parallels between Greek myths and Biblical stories:

The First Woman

We all know that, according to the Book of Genesis, the first woman God created was Eve. This was at a time when the world was perfect, free of death and suffering. In Genesis 3, however, the Serpent, a.k.a. Satan, deceives Eve by tempting her to eat of the forbidden fruit. Adam, taking her lead, partook also. Their disobedience, indeed their rebellion against God, resulted in what we know and experience as The Curse, namely suffering and death.

In Greek mythology, the first woman was named Pandora (pan = “all” and dora = “gift”). She was created from earth and water and given a large jar containing all the world’s evils and calamities. Understandably, she was told by Hermes, Zeus’ messenger, never to open it. But, as curiosity often does, it got the better of her. She opened the jar, whereupon evil reared its ugly, unrelenting head in our world.

The Giants

I was in eighth grade, packing up my backpack after science class, when, for reasons I’ve long since forgotten, my best friend told me that fallen angels, a.k.a. demons, once had sex with human women.

I looked at her like her skin had just turned neon green.

“Really,” she went on. “It’s in Genesis chapter six.”
Sure enough, my friends, it is! In Genesis 6:4, the Hebrew word Nephilim is used to describe the sons of God who “had intercourse with women” and “gave birth to the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times” (NLT).

Thinking back on Greek mythology, can you recall any heroes or famous warriors who were half god, half human? Here are a few that come to my mind:

Heracles (Hercules to the Romans)
Achilles
Theseus
Perseus
Helen of Troy
Hippolyta

In the Old Testament, the “sons of God,” also referred to as “heroes of old” and “men of renown,” are indisputably regarded as angelic beings (Gen. 6:2; Gen. 6:4; Job 1:7; Job 2:1; Job 38:7). But those mentioned in the Genesis six account were angels who followed Lucifer in his rebellion against God; mating with women created a new race of people who waged war, demanded worship for themselves, and spread paganism and occult practices throughout the world.[1]

It’s worth noting that one reason God commanded Joshua and King David to relentlessly conquer and destroy tribes such as the Canaanites, Philistines, and the Anakim is because they were comprised of these satanic giants.

Greek demigods, like the biblical Nephilim, were remarkable specimens – strong, pugnacious, fierce, formidable, and more than a little big-headed.

The Flood

As a third and final example of the striking similarities between Greek myths and biblical accounts, allow me to present to you the myth of Deucalion and Pyrrha and the well-known story of Noah’s Ark.

Noah’ Ark requires no summary, does it? Well, here’s one See Spot-style:

See humanity.

See humanity screw up royally.

See God regret creating man.

See God acknowledging the righteousness of one man named Noah.

See God decree a worldwide catastrophe that will destroy all flesh.

See God have mercy on Noah and provide a way of escape.

See Noah look like a fool by building a gigantic boat, though it’s never so much as sprinkled before on the planet.[2]

See everyone else look like fools when the rains do come and Noah, plus tons of animals, are safe inside the Ark.

That was around 2348 B.C. The Argonautica, a book from the third century B.C., makes mention of Deucalion, one of Prometheus’s (a type of Satan, by the way) sons. Ovid’s Metamorphoses (published in 8 A.D.) tells his harrowing tale of surviving, along with his wife Pyrrha, a world-crushing flood.

The following is taken from a short story I wrote, but have not published yet, titled “Bones of My Mother”:

It was Prometheus who warned his son of the coming decimation. Straight away, my husband set to work constructing the wooden chest that would be our salvation. For the entire month of Thargelion, I gathered nuts and seeds, stored cheese in barrels and barley bread into amphoras. I pled with my family to build rafts or ships for themselves, but they only laughed at me. They swore I’d offended some god and had my wits taken out of my head.

Soon enough, they found out I was perfectly sane.
Zeus unleashed the deluge and the torrents flowed with all the wrath of heaven. The sea flooded the coastal plains, engulfing the foothills and every creature in them. From the safety of our chest, we watched Phthia wash away. Young warriors and old men, pregnant women and bright-eyed children… All were swallowed by the insatiable flood.

For eight days, the waters rose. Deucalion and I had a surplus of provisions, but neither of us ate, not even a bite. We were so consumed with grief that the mere thought of food made our chests heave.

“I cannot bear this,” was all I could say. I pulled my cloak over my head and cowered like a child, debating with myself whether it would be nobler to live and start again, or to dive into the waves and join my family.

On the ninth day, Deucalion whispered to me as I slept: “We’ve landed, my love.” I heard birds chirping and felt warm sun on my face. “We’re on Mount Parnassus.”