An important point is that the authors of great myths, whether they be Greek, Roman, Jewish, or Christian, were telling stories that were about some essential and universal aspect of what it means to be human. These stories were deeply intellectual and psychological, highlighting specific archetypes and how those show up in our behaviors. For the majority of people, who were uneducated and intellectually simple, these stories depicted real heroes and gods. Add the context in which these people lived, and of course these stories were thought to depict real events. What is fascinating to me is how in 21st century America, millions still believe that the stories in the Bible depict real events, rather than the allegorical descriptions they were intended to be. Which is odd, because the teachings of Jesus were usually contained within parables that often conveyed obscure meanings. If Jesus was really preaching to the simple folks of his time, why would he be so abstruse?