Why are References to Greek Gods and Myths used in our Modern World?

Studying archetypes in English at school has resulted in me pondering the fact of why we see the names of Greek gods so commonly in our society today. Like come on, these gods were worshipped thousands of years ago, why in the world are these gods and the myths that go with them evident today in our increasingly modern and urban society?

I think that one reason why the names of god’s are still used in our society as names for consumer products, shops, restaurants, and transportation methods, is because of the power, identity, and ultimately the image, associated with a particular god. Greek God’s were powerful beings because they were god’s obviously and therefore often had superior powers, knowledge, and abilities in comparison to a human. This creates a desirable image of a product or store or whatever the object /place is in the eyes of a consumer. I mean, who wouldn’t want to buy a cosmetic product associated with the goddess of beauty, Aphrodite? Such use of the names of Greek god’s is for marketing purposes ; that is to attract consumers by using the name of a Greek god to instil a powerful, superior image of the god in the consumer’s mind, in the hopes that they will transfer their positive image of the God to the product.

Examples-

 1) Venus Razor- Venus is the Roman name for Aphrodite the goddess of love and beauty. This razor is advertized for woman and the association with the name of the god Aphrodite proves that the association with “Venus” is to create a positive image in the consumer’s mind in regards to the razor.

2) The brand Nike – Nike was a winged goddess in Greek Mythology. She was the goddess of victory. Associating a brand of sports where with the goddess “Nike” shows that the company wants their clothing to be associated with the idea of victory and therefore influence customers by creating a positive image in their mind of the product.

3) Argus Security- Argus was a guardian giant with a hundred eyes in Greek mythology. Naming a security company after the giant “Argus” associates the company with a positive image of the Greek giant Argus and attracts consumers by making them think that since their company is named after Argus the guardian giant, who is always watching, they must be a good security company.

4) The movie “Poseidon” – In this movie, the name of the boat is Poseidon.  Associating the name of the boat with the god of the sea functions to create positive impressions about the boat in the minds’ of potential passengers. Poseidon was the God of the sea, created/controlled the waves in the ocean, earthquakes and sea monsters. Naming the boat “Poseidon” would lead people to believe that the boat is very safe because it is the ‘ ruler’ of the waves and will not be taken down by any storm or wave. Ironically, in the movie the ship capsizes after being swarmed by a rogue wave and many passengers die and the remainder need to struggle to escape the quickly sinking boat.

In conclusion, the powerful image and identity behind a Greek God motivate people to use such references in our modern society. This is evident in the naming of companies, consumer products, restaurants, and modes of transportation.

Do you believe that there are other reasons as to why references to Greek god’s and myths are used in our modern world? Is it possible that they are sometimes just simply used due to the fact that Greek mythology is well known and liked?