What is myth? Is it an embellished version of historical events, or a symbolic language created by humans to tell the truth?

I think the biggest problem with Troy begins right here. The film tried to make Homer "rational." It removed the gods, toned down the prophecies, and reduced the sense of fate. The result is a well-made film about an ancient war, but the spirit of the Iliad is missing.

Because in Homer's world, the question is not a simple "Did the Trojan War happen?"
The real issue is the bargain between glory and death, man's insignificance in the face of fate, whether anger makes a person divine or animalistic, and the fact that heroism is actually a curse.

Now consider:
What happens when you remove the gods? Poseidon is no longer the sea, only bad weather.
Athena is no longer wisdom, but "strategic thinking."
Fate is no longer a cosmic web, but "political outcome."

And the story shrinks.

Modern cinema, especially after the 2000s, has loved to make myths realistic. Because they wanted to give the audience the feeling of "look, these things could actually have happened." But the purpose of myth is not to be a documentary. Myth magnifies and tells the story of human psychology, fear, and desires.

That's why many people love Troy but don't get that "Homeric feel."

The new crucial question for The Odyssey will be:
“Will Odysseus’s journey be a psychological and metaphysical test, or simply a long homecoming adventure?”

Because the Odyssey is actually less a sea adventure and more an epic about post-war trauma, loss of identity, the inability to be the same person upon returning home, and the disintegration of humanity in the face of temptation.

For example, the Cyclops isn't just a giant. He's a symbol of uncivilized, crude power. Sirens aren't just "women with beautiful voices." They're the call of self-destructive desires.

If you take these completely literally, it becomes fantasy. If you rationalize them completely, their spirit dies.

I think the fundamental problem of the modern world is partly this:
We don't believe in symbols, but we can't live without them either.
That's why we either marvel at myths or turn them into historical documentaries.

However, the world Homer describes is an echo of an era where humans felt they were sitting at the same table with the gods.
There, the storm isn't meteorological; sometimes it's truly the wrath of Poseidon. Because for the people of that era, nature and the sacred weren't separated.

And to be honest, when we reduce myths entirely to reason, all we're left with is the "plot," not the spirit.

#cinema #myth #homer #theodyssey #theiliad #mythology #hollywood