Today, we view the world through mathematics, scientific terms, and the omnipresent factor of chance. This, however, was not the case 3000 years ago, when Homer wrote the Iliad. Man based his views of reality solely on what he observed, and thus he needed to create the reasons behind them. Where we can construe and confine reality to numbers and facts today, the Greeks had hundreds of gods and goddesses ages ago. They knew nothing of the natural events and what caused them, only that there must be some unseen, all-powerful source somewhere controlling it all. Examples of this early "science" are the tales of Narcissus, Pandora, and Persephone. Indeed, the Greeks were pioneers in explaining the world they saw around them with logical explanations.

The tale of Narcissus is one of youthful exuberance, egotism, and human values. The story goes that a beautiful nymph named Echo was condemned...