▁The ▁old ▁myth s ▁were ▁kept ▁alive ▁in ▁local ▁cult s ; ▁they ▁continued ▁to ▁influence ▁poetry ▁and ▁to ▁form ▁the ▁main ▁subject ▁of ▁painting ▁and ▁sculpt ure . ▁ ▁More ▁sport ingly , ▁the ▁ 5 th ▁century   BC ▁tra ged ian ▁Eur ip ides ▁often ▁played ▁with ▁the ▁old ▁trad itions , ▁mock ing ▁them , ▁and ▁through ▁the ▁voice ▁of ▁his ▁characters ▁inject ing ▁notes ▁of ▁doubt . ▁Yet ▁the ▁subjects ▁of ▁his ▁plays ▁were ▁taken , ▁without ▁exception , ▁from ▁myth . ▁Many ▁of ▁these ▁plays ▁were ▁written ▁in ▁answer ▁to ▁a ▁prede cess or ' s ▁version ▁of ▁the ▁same ▁or ▁similar ▁myth . ▁Eur ip ides ▁mainly ▁imp ug ns ▁the ▁myth s ▁about ▁the ▁gods ▁and ▁begins ▁his ▁critique ▁with ▁an ▁ob jection ▁similar ▁to ▁the ▁one ▁previously ▁expressed ▁by ▁X en ocr ates : ▁the ▁gods , ▁as ▁tradition ally ▁represented , ▁are ▁far ▁too ▁cr ass ly ▁anth rop omorphic . ▁ ▁H ellen istic ▁and ▁Roman ▁rational ism ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁H ellen istic ▁period , ▁myth ology ▁took ▁on ▁the ▁prest ige ▁of ▁el ite ▁knowledge ▁that ▁marks ▁its ▁possess ors ▁as ▁belonging ▁to ▁a ▁certain ▁class . ▁At ▁the ▁same ▁time , ▁the ▁ske pt ical ▁turn ▁of ▁the ▁Class ical ▁age ▁became ▁even ▁more ▁pron ounced . ▁Greek ▁myth ograph er ▁Eu hem er us ▁established ▁the ▁tradition ▁of ▁seeking ▁an ▁actual ▁historical ▁basis ▁for ▁myth ical ▁be ings ▁and ▁events . ▁Although ▁his ▁original ▁work ▁( S ac