To the Editor:
I read Mary Beard’s review about what Greek myths have to teach us in modern times with interest (Sept. 10). And I agree with her that their biggest lesson might not be the value of rage. How we think about life and death, how we use symbols, and approach what we don’t understand, how we develop our systems of morals and values, are all enhanced by the force of myth.
While entertaining, myths can instruct and explain. Stories told in myth, especially when they enliven and charm, have power with deep roots in the real. Myths, both ancient and contemporary, religious and secular, reiterate the beliefs, behaviors, and feelings of people about their world. Imaginary, remote and timeless, mythic tales show the universal aspects of our human condition.
Deanie Rowan Blank
Hamden, Conn.