The term Greek mythology covers all the myths that are related to the Greek tradition, as they are presented in the texts of the ancient Greek writers. Greek mythology specifically defines the narrative of the mythical history created by the ancient Greeks and related to their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the ritual practices of their worship.

Greek mythology consists of a rich collection of narratives that refer to the origins of the world and describe the life and adventures of a wide variety of gods, heroes and other mythological creatures. These stories were originally formed through the oral and poetic tradition before they were written in the works of Greek literature.

The oldest known literary sources are the two epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer (8th century BC), dedicated to the events of the Trojan War and to the Odysseus adventures that followed. The poetic works of Hesiod (8th century BC), Theogony and Works and Days are a major source of Greek mythology. Several myths have also been preserved by Homeric hymns, segments of epic cycle poems, lyrical poems, works of tragedies of the 5th century BC, writings of scholars and poets of the Hellenistic period, and texts written by writers of Roman times such as Plutarch and of Pausanias.

Greek mythology has an essential influence on Western civilization in general, its philosophy, its history, its politics, its arts and literature, and is considered to be a key element of Western heritage. It is part of education, from a young age, in many western countries. Poets, intellectuals, and artists have drawn inspiration from Greek mythology.