▁and ▁Near ▁Eastern ▁orig ins , ▁some ▁sch ol ars ▁have ▁spec ulated ▁on ▁the ▁deb ts ▁of ▁Greek ▁myth ology ▁to ▁the ▁ind igen ous ▁pre - G reek ▁soci eties : ▁Cre te , ▁My c ena e , ▁P yl os , ▁The bes ▁and ▁Or ch omen us . ▁Histor ians ▁of ▁religion ▁were ▁fasc in ated ▁by ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁apparently ▁ancient ▁configurations ▁of ▁myth ▁connected ▁with ▁Cre te ▁( the ▁god ▁as ▁b ull , ▁Ze us ▁and ▁Europa , ▁P asi pha ë ▁who ▁yields ▁to ▁the ▁b ull ▁and ▁gives ▁birth ▁to ▁the ▁Min ota ur , ▁etc .). ▁Martin ▁P . ▁Nil sson ▁as ser ts , ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁representations ▁and ▁general ▁function ▁of ▁the ▁gods , ▁that ▁a ▁lot ▁of ▁M ino an ▁gods ▁and ▁religious ▁conception s ▁were ▁f used ▁in ▁the ▁My c ena e an ▁religion . ▁and ▁concluded ▁that ▁all ▁great ▁classical ▁Greek ▁myth s ▁were ▁tied ▁to ▁My c ena e an ▁cent res ▁and ▁anch ored ▁in ▁pre histor ic ▁times . ▁Nevertheless , ▁according ▁to ▁Bur k ert , ▁the ▁icon ography ▁of ▁the ▁C ret an ▁Palace ▁Period ▁has ▁provided ▁almost ▁no ▁confirm ation ▁for ▁these ▁theories . ▁ ▁Mot ifs ▁in ▁Western ▁art ▁and ▁literature ▁ ▁The ▁w ides p read ▁ad option ▁of ▁Christian ity ▁did ▁not ▁cur b ▁the ▁popular ity ▁of ▁the ▁myth s . ▁With ▁the ▁redis cover y ▁of ▁classical ▁anti qu ity ▁in ▁the ▁Renaissance , ▁the