Mythical stories that are grouped together are classified in the category of Mythology. These are stories that ancient people told about their gods and heroes. They differ from legendary stories that are told and narrated about actual people and events. In many ways, myths, taken together, formed the religion of ancient peoples. Prior to the advent of written history, man began to wonder what made things work the way they did. Language was not as yet fully developed and it was impossible to express ideas and feelings. Every name meant a particular object; therefore, there was no way to describe an object without giving it an individual and personal character. For instance, the sun was deemed to have a certain personality, and when it began to set, men thought of it as growing old, or dying. Personal characteristics were attributed to rivers, forests, mountains, rain, ocean, fire, thunder and the stars in the sky.

Man considered that things of Nature had great effects on his life and that these could help or hinder him in his daily living. He believed that these natural elements were gods and goddesses and had considerable power over all his actions. When there was a tidal wave or a flood, he believed that the god of the seas was angry, as a result of which, he began to explain such natural events to himself. His myths had become his science. Many short mythical stories were written in which gods and goddesses are mentioned.

Students of mythology have observed that almost all countries and races have certain myths, many of which are alike. As man started to move to different parts of the world, he took these primitive myths with him. His myths began to change gradually but not altogether.

According to the myths of the Greeks, the original rulers of the earth were great giants called Titans. The Greek gods fought and conquered the Titans. There were twelve chief gods, as well as many lesser ones. The Romans later adopted some of the Greeks gods whom they called by different names. There were also monsters, considered to be the children of the gods. Norse mythology is warlike with full of mythical tales of battle and heroism. A group of operas by the German composer, Richard Wagner, tells some of the stories about the Norse Gods. The earliest record of gods worshiped by the Greeks and Romans is reflected in Homer's Iliad and the Odyssey.

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