▁tales ▁of ▁the ▁gods ' ▁tr icks , ▁the ft s ▁and ▁ad ul ter ies ▁as ▁imm oral , ▁and ▁object ed ▁to ▁their ▁central ▁role ▁in ▁literature . ▁Pl ato ' s ▁criticism ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁serious ▁challenge ▁to ▁the ▁H omer ic ▁myth ological ▁tradition , ▁referring ▁to ▁the ▁myth s ▁as ▁" old ▁w ives ' ▁ch atter ." ▁For ▁his ▁part ▁Arist ot le ▁critic ized ▁the ▁Pre - s ocr atic ▁quasi - my th ical ▁philosoph ical ▁approach ▁and ▁unders cor ed ▁that ▁" H es iod ▁and ▁the ▁the ological ▁writers ▁were ▁concerned ▁only ▁with ▁what ▁seemed ▁pla us ible ▁to ▁themselves , ▁and ▁had ▁no ▁respect ▁for ▁us ▁... ▁But ▁it ▁is ▁not ▁worth ▁taking ▁seriously ▁writers ▁who ▁show ▁off ▁in ▁the ▁myth ical ▁style ; ▁as ▁for ▁those ▁who ▁do ▁proceed ▁by ▁prov ing ▁their ▁assert ions , ▁we ▁must ▁cross - ex am ine ▁them ." ▁ ▁Nevertheless , ▁even ▁Pl ato ▁did ▁not ▁manage ▁to ▁we an ▁himself ▁and ▁his ▁society ▁from ▁the ▁influence ▁of ▁myth ; ▁his ▁own ▁character ization ▁for ▁S ocr ates ▁is ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁traditional ▁H omer ic ▁and ▁trag ic ▁patterns , ▁used ▁by ▁the ▁phil os opher ▁to ▁pra ise ▁the ▁r igh te ous ▁life ▁of ▁his ▁teacher : ▁ ▁Hans on ▁and ▁He ath ▁estimate ▁that ▁Pl ato ' s ▁re jection ▁of ▁the ▁H omer ic ▁tradition ▁was ▁not ▁favor ably ▁received ▁by ▁the ▁grass ro ots ▁Greek ▁civil ization .