thumb|300x300px|[[The Tower of Babel (Bruegel)|The Tower of Babel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1563)]]
Architectural mythology means the symbolism in real-world architecture, as well as the architecture described in mythological stories. In addition to language, a myth could be represented by a painting, a sculpture, or a building. It is about the overall story of an architectural work, often revealed through art.Mythology and symbolism has been a channel for architects to inject a deeper meaning for an indissoluble amount of time. The power of ancient myths and symbols is controlled to create a bridge between the past and the future. Mythology in architecture is a deliberate strategy, they try to design something timeless and universally relatable. The value of a built environment, therefore, is a conglomerate of its actual physical existence and the historical memories and myths people attach to it, bring to it, and project on it.
Not all stories surrounding an architectural work incorporate a level of myth. These stories can also be well hidden from the casual viewer and are often built into the conceptual design of the architectural statement.
Ancient Greek architecture
Before 600 BC worship was done in the open, but when the Greeks began to represent their Gods by large statues, it was necessary to provide a building for this purpose. This led to the development of temples. With the greek god of architecture being Hephaestus (fire, metalworking, craftsmen, <u>sculpture</u>, metallurgy and volcanoes) and the greek goddess associated with architecture being Hestia (architecture, the hearth, and domesticity). The role temples are intended for worship to celebrate their god and receive comfort. But, Ancient Greek temples were meant to serve as homes for the gods and goddesses of that community. Their homes were the finest and came with a staff of servants.
thumb|Part of the Parthenon's eastern frieze
The ancient Greek temples were often enhanced with mythological decorations from the columns to the roof. The architectural functions of the temple mainly concentrated on the cella with the cult statue. The architectural elaboration served to stress the dignity of the cella.These statues of the god or goddess were usually represented standing up or sitting down in the central space of the temple. The early statues were made of wood and then were transitioned to be made out of stone or cast bronze. Two of the finest statues for temples built was the statue of Zeus at Olympia or Athena at the Parthenon, they were both a combination of gold and ivory with Zeus been considered as one of the seven wonder of the ancient world.
The Parthenon is a greek temple located in Athens that was built in dedication to the greek goddess of wisdom, war, handicraft, and practical reason Athena.The Parthenon was a symbol of the Athenians' devotion and gratitude to her. At a time when the Athenians wanted to showcase their strength, civilization, and heroism to the world, the Parthenon’s sculptural reliefs reinforced these ideals. The South, West, and North sides of the Parthenon frieze show a procession of human figures. The East side contains Greek gods in various positions. The gods on the left side of the frieze tend to have stronger associations with the underworld while the gods on the right reside over spheres of fertility and optimism. This creates a story of life and death across the East Frieze. There are as many as 900 individual compositions in each pyramid. These sphinxes like the pyramids had inscriptions on their bases and bodies. These inscriptions were references to the Egyptian gods such as Horus, Nekhbet, Wadjet and many others.</blockquote>
See also
- Folly