Greek mythology in popular culture
Elements of Greek mythology appear many times in culture, including pop culture. The Greek myths spread beyond the Hellenistic world when adopted into the culture of ancient Rome, and Western cultural movements have frequently incorporated them ever since, particularly since the Renaissance. Mythological elements feature in Renaissance art and in English poems, as well as in film and in other literature, and in songs and commercials. Along with the Bible and the classics-saturated works of Shakespeare, the myths of Greece and Rome have been the major "touchstone" in Western culture for the past 500 years.
The nineteenth-century statue of Athena in front of the Austrian Parliament Building illustrates "myth fill[ing] in where history failed" to provide an appropriate local personification of the political rise of the Parliament over the power of Emperor Franz Joseph (r. 1848–1916).
Pegasus has frequently appeared on airmail stamps, such as this early example from Italy, 1930.
The champion Thoroughbred horse Poseidon had 11 wins as a three-year-old racer. In Greek mythology, the god Poseidon was credited with the creation of horses.
A coin featuring the profile of Hera on one face and Zeus on the other, c. 210 AC
In Homer's Odyssey, Argos is Odysseus' faithful dog.
Odysseus leaning on his pilgrim's staff, and recognised by his old dog, Argos (Early Greek intaglio, on a chalcedony scarabaeoid)
Odysseus and Argos by Jean-Auguste Barre (19th century illustration)
![The nineteenth-century statue of Athena in front of the Austrian Parliament Building illustrates "myth fill[ing] in where history failed" to provide a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Wien_-_Pallas-Athene-Brunnen.JPG/400px-Wien_-_Pallas-Athene-Brunnen.JPG)
