red ▁Script ures ) ▁is ▁lost , ▁much ▁is ▁known ▁about ▁it ▁from ▁what ▁is ▁recorded ▁by ▁D iod orus ▁and ▁L act ant ius . ▁ ▁R ational izing ▁herm ene ut ics ▁of ▁myth ▁became ▁even ▁more ▁popular ▁under ▁the ▁Roman ▁Empire , ▁thanks ▁to ▁the ▁physical ist ▁theories ▁of ▁Sto ic ▁and ▁Ep ic ure an ▁philosophy . ▁Sto ics ▁presented ▁explan ations ▁of ▁the ▁gods ▁and ▁hero es ▁as ▁physical ▁phen omena , ▁while ▁the ▁Eu hem er ists ▁rational ized ▁them ▁as ▁historical ▁figures . ▁At ▁the ▁same ▁time , ▁the ▁Sto ics ▁and ▁the ▁Ne op lat on ists ▁promoted ▁the ▁moral ▁signific ations ▁of ▁the ▁myth ological ▁tradition , ▁often ▁based ▁on ▁Greek ▁et ym ologies . ▁Through ▁his ▁Ep ic ure an ▁message , ▁Lu cre ti us ▁had ▁sought ▁to ▁exp el ▁super st it ious ▁fear s ▁from ▁the ▁minds ▁of ▁his ▁fellow - cit iz ens . ▁Liv y , ▁too , ▁is ▁ske pt ical ▁about ▁the ▁myth ological ▁tradition ▁and ▁claims ▁that ▁he ▁does ▁not ▁intend ▁to ▁pass ▁jud g ement ▁on ▁such ▁leg ends ▁( fab ula e ). ▁The ▁challenge ▁for ▁Rom ans ▁with ▁a ▁strong ▁and ▁apolog etic ▁sense ▁of ▁religious ▁tradition ▁was ▁to ▁defend ▁that ▁tradition ▁while ▁conced ing ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁often ▁a ▁bre eding - ground ▁for ▁super st ition . ▁The ▁anti qu arian ▁Var ro , ▁who ▁regarded ▁religion ▁as ▁a ▁human ▁institution ▁with ▁great ▁importance ▁for ▁the ▁pres ervation ▁of ▁good