▁except ▁A res ▁and ▁to ▁many ▁legend ary ▁figures . ▁Pre viously ▁existing ▁myth s , ▁such ▁as ▁those ▁of ▁Ach illes ▁and ▁Pat ro clus , ▁also ▁then ▁were ▁cast ▁in ▁a ▁p eder astic ▁light . ▁Alexand rian ▁po ets ▁at ▁first , ▁then ▁more ▁generally ▁literary ▁myth ograph ers ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁Roman ▁Empire , ▁often ▁re - ada pt ed ▁stories ▁of ▁Greek ▁myth ological ▁characters ▁in ▁this ▁fashion . ▁ ▁The ▁achiev ement ▁of ▁ep ic ▁poetry ▁was ▁to ▁create ▁story - cy cles ▁and , ▁as ▁a ▁result , ▁to ▁develop ▁a ▁new ▁sense ▁of ▁myth ological ▁chron ology . ▁Thus ▁Greek ▁myth ology ▁unf olds ▁as ▁a ▁phase ▁in ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁the ▁world ▁and ▁of ▁humans . ▁While ▁self - contr ad ict ions ▁in ▁these ▁stories ▁make ▁an ▁absolute ▁tim eline ▁impossible , ▁an ▁approximate ▁chron ology ▁may ▁be ▁disc ern ed . ▁The ▁resulting ▁myth ological ▁" history ▁of ▁the ▁world " ▁may ▁be ▁divided ▁into ▁three ▁or ▁four ▁bro ader ▁periods : ▁ ▁The ▁myth s ▁of ▁origin ▁or ▁age ▁of ▁gods ▁( The og on ies , ▁" b irth s ▁of ▁gods " ): ▁myth s ▁about ▁the ▁orig ins ▁of ▁the ▁world , ▁the ▁gods , ▁and ▁the ▁human ▁race . ▁ ▁The ▁age ▁when ▁gods ▁and ▁mort als ▁m ing led ▁freely : ▁stories ▁of ▁the ▁early ▁interactions ▁between ▁gods , ▁dem ig ods , ▁and ▁mort als . ▁▁ ▁The ▁age ▁of ▁hero es ▁( h ero