Some versions of a single myth are downright contradictory. First, they are much more than simple stories we tell children as entertainment, although many do qualify on that level. Most scholars believe they somehow reflect the way the Greeks thought about their world, and it is our job to decipher that message. But not one way of looking at myths can satisfy our desire to know all myths. It is important to remember the multi-functionalism of myth.
Myth explains the cycle of life and death in nature.
Explains why certain things are done the way they are done e.g. in Pindar's Odes , he tells of why certain games exist - example, the Nemean games were founded to honor Heracles, who killed the Nemean Lion. Puts us back in touch with our origins, our beginnings. One of the greatest minds in classics today, Walter Burkert, has written excellent books on Greek Religion using this very approach. Ritual is defined as ceremonial, repeated action, usually in honor of a god. More on this later.