Written by GreekBoston. When it comes to Greek mythology, there are different gods and goddesses who all came about at time periods. Some, such as the twelve Olympian gods and goddesses, came about later on in Ancient Greek history. However, despite his importance, there is some controversy as to where he came from.

Some myths list him as a primordial god and others say that he is the son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

Hesiod’s dates are uncertain, but leading scholars generally agree that he lived in the latter half of the 8th Century BCE, probably shortly after.

Myths are reflective of human concerns and needs during ancient times. By reviewing them, it turns out that many human problems today, have a historical background. Among the main themes of ancient mythologies, fertility and reproduction have various representations in ancient civilizations. The purpose of this paper was to review myths and common symbols of fertility and reproduction in ancient civilizations and evaluate the reasons of their continuous importance in different cultures.

The data in this review study was obtained by scrutinizing the related literature. The gathered data indicated the multiplicity and variety of fertility symbols in ancient myths. Most ancient fertility symbols were inspired by the nature and some of them like earth and water were common in mythology of different civilizations. Therefore, the symbols consolidate the concept of conformity between human reproductive concerns and the nature’s necessities.

If we conceive society as a cultural concept in which the people’s behaviors are representative of the types of relationships they have with each other, then it necessitates evaluating the cultural aspect of each event for investigating its social dimension. Therefore, in order to have an accurate understanding of fertility and infertility as a social phenomenon and for evaluating its social dimensions, a careful review of the event’s cultural background is required.

There are various definitions of culture. It thus refers to the norms, values and standards by which people act, and it includes the ways distinctive in each society of ordering the world and rendering it intelligible.