What purposes did myths serve to ancient people?

Myths served a number of purposes for the Greeks. Many myths were etiological; i.e., they explained the origins of natural phenomena (e.g., "Where do spiders come from?") and social customs ("When we sacrifice to the gods, why do we get the meat while they get stuck with the bones wrapped in fat?") Many Greek city-states -- Athens, Mycenae, Sparta and Thebes, inter alia -- had foundation myths. These stories typically involved the gods and/or heroes such as Heracles. Foundation myths were important in that they helped to foster a sense of community.

the andes or andean mountains (spanish: cordillera de los andes) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of south america. this range is about 7,000 km (4,300 mi) long, about 200 to 700 km (120 to 430 mi) wide (widest between 18° south and 20° south latitude), and of an average height of about 4,000 m (13,000 ft). the andes extend from north to south through seven south american countries: venezuela, colombia, ecuador, peru, bolivia, chile and argentina.

from wikipedia

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