Ancient Greek Olympics Research: Myths and Legends

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Ancient Greek Olympics.
INTRODUCTION
Greece is credited for the championing of the modern-day Olympics. Ancient Greek sports played a crucial role in the early times society of Olympia, a tradition that trickled down into modern times, Olympic Games. These special sports events took place after four years since the 776BC (Bingham 6). However, sporting had begun earlier before then, developing into official national happenings. The Olympia games were attributed to the god Zeus. In honor of Zeus, traditional rituals like animal sacrifice and oath-taking before the Statute of Zeus were observed. Fueled by other ancient Greek myths and culture, the Olympic games developed into a significant portion of the Greece. This study aims at exploring the various sporting events in Greek, relevant traditions, myths and the significance of each sport towards the culture and beliefs of the people of ancient Greece.
MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Several myths and legends originated from Greece. However, Olympian games were surrounded by concrete myths and associated to particular titles. The three most famous legends to the Greece's Olympian games are Pelops, Hercules and the Iphiots the King, states Simons (9). Each of these personalities played a historical role in the Olympics as discussed in this paper. Worthy to note is the fact the characters named earlier were not just legends, but also provided a basis for the numerous myths and religious stands held in the early society of Greece. Hence, each of them was attributed to particular religious' beliefs. Zeus cannot be termed as a legend, however, like a Greek god, he played a central role in religious beliefs and myths, hence his inclusion in this discussion.
Hercules is known to be the greatest hero of Olympia. In his lifetime, he is said to have defeated slavery attempts by King Eurystheos of Argos by completing twelve labor tasks. Hercules is said to have ignited the first Olympia games dedicated to the god Zeus. He is also accredited to have determined the athletic mileage as well as the size of the stadium (Simons 13). The popular myth goes on to praise the excellent win of Hercules in Olympia games. Other contributions from this legend include planting of the olive oil that was the source of victory crowns for Olympians and declaration of the repetition of the Olympian games after a four-year period.
A discussion of Olympian myths and legends cannot overlook the impressive character of Pelops. He is known as the King of Olympia. Pelops is known to have killed his father-in-law, King Oinomas of Pisa. By King Oinomas's decree, the man who would marry his daughter was to kill him first as discussed by Bingham (15). The long, fascinating myth describes how Pelops managed through the odds and married the king's daughter. Later he became king. His significance to Olympian games grounds from the use of chariots to win a hand-in-marriage. King Pelops championed chariot races and rituals as thanksgiving to the Gods. Hercules is credited for having initiated games and celebrations to honor King Pelops, at his place of burial, Pelopion sanctuary (Bingham).
King Iphitos is known as a descendant of Hercules. Traditional narratives inform that Iphitos played quit...