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Similarities Between Greek Gods And Goddesses

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Ancient polytheistic societies incorporated religious ideas which involved a plethora of gods and goddesses, of which many were linked to certain human appeals or sacrifices. Similarities between various groups such as Roman, Greek, and other Near Eastern deities typified the universal ideology that gods and goddesses controlled the world and were often associated with elemental forces as well as fertility and love (Damrosch & Pike, 2009, p. 17-18). Appealing to goddesses for crops and provisions was a common characteristic of people during ancient times since it was commonly believed that the continuance of life and avoidance of disfavor depended on the goddesses’ connective interactions with humanity. As noted in both Egyptian and Babylonian …show more content…

Although also capable of vengefulness and cruelty, the mother-goddesses such as Ishtar and Inanna were viewed as more kindly disposed towards humans (n.d., para. 4). The gods had conferences if they were at odds with each other regarding a human experience such as in The Epic of Gilgamesh when Enlil and Shamash were in disagreement whether Enkidu or Gilgamesh should die after the Bull of Heaven and Humbaba were killed (Damrosch et al., 2009, p. 79). Although each god may have had different focuses or concerns, there were occasions when a particular god caused a particular petulance to occur. Regret, fear, and sadness were thought to be felt by the gods such as in The Epic of Gilgamesh when the gods were frightened by the flood and regretted their involvement during the Assembly (Damrosch et al., 2009, p. 93). Believing that the gods determined destiny, life, and death, humans would offer sacrifices of incense and animals to encourage abundant harvests and fortification. Ongoing communication with gods was an elemental part of the lives of humans with pleas for guidance, direction, and compassion especially when the humans disobeyed or felt anguish. Most humans believed that they were created for the benefit of the deities and were at the mercy of the gods. This acceptance and belief system caused humans to seek continuously to please the deities in order to maintain protection and secure a good fortune and

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The Resemblance and Distinctness in Hades and Hel Myths and legends served as bases for cultures of old and largely reflect the civilization they derive from. An undeniably extensive part of a culture is the gods that they prayed to and feared. Nations used gods and aspects of gods to demonstrate their way of life, terrors, ambitions, and to explain the strange occurrences in life. A great example of this reflection comes from the lore of the Nordic and Greek people. The Nordic goddess Hel and the Greek god Hades serve as prime examples of what these cultures had in resemblance and in polarity.

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For centuries, mortals have scoffed at the actions of the gods, often comparing them to little children arguing over toys. As Honer states, “We men are wretched things.” (Homer) However, what humans fail to realize, is exactly how similar the actions of the immortals are to that of man. The concept that allows readers and audiences to relate to the gods so fully is the fact that they are so similar to humans.

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The Greek Gods: Tyranny in Exchange for Power Throughout the evolution of society, one idea has stayed the same. That is the belief that we need to consistently be the best and the most powerful. We use this as a measure of self-worth and the foundation of the social hierarchy. The hierarchical nature of society drives this motivation of people to do everything it takes to reach the top. Our commitment can be so incredibly devout that we lose more than we gain on the search for this sense of power.

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They associated each of their gods with a different aspect of life or nature. For example Zeus was the king of the gods, Athena was the goddess of wisdom, Dionysus was the god of wine, and the list goes on. The ancient Greeks erected massive temples to these gods for worship. Each god or goddess had his or her own temple for sacrifices or offerings. They Greeks believed sacrifice was necessary to appease the gods and keep everyday life fruitful and peaceful.

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The Resemblance of Gods and Humans Throughout all religions, gods have always been seen as superior in every way possible. The division between humans and gods has always been prevalent and prominent. However, when the actions and motives of these gods are truly analyzed, it will become evident that the gods of Greek Mythology merely behave as humans with supernatural powers.

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In the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer portrays Greek gods and goddesses as possessing human qualities and faults. Through their actions and emotions, Homer emphasizes the detrimental effects of lust, envy, wrath, and greed in ancient Grecian society. He also never fails to remind readers of the importance of respect for holy figures because of their powerful abilities to create chaos and wonder". Homer wants to prove that gods and humans share a variety of traits, and the only difference is that god don’t allow these flaws negatively to impact their society. To help further his argument, we can compare Greek gods and goddesses to that of Christianity.

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“Manufacturing is more than just putting parts together. It's coming up with ideas, testing principles and perfecting the engineering, as well as final assembly.” Some people feel that manufacturing as a whole, is more than just putting parts together. Critics of bolstering the manufacturing industry feel that the time where poorly educated can achieve a middle class status by working in factories, has passed. Agreements like the deal Trump made with Carrier in late 2016, some claim that it could “help reinvigorate the nation’s manufacturing industry”.

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Thesis Statement: Mesopotamians and Hebrews are depicted as very different when it comes to religious beliefs, but actually seem to have many similarities in many ways and has led to many of their laws and social stratification correlating. Topic Sentence 1: Since the ancient Hebrews were Monotheistic and the Mesopotamians were Polytheistic, they are naturally assumed to be completely unlike each other; that is simply not the case with these specific civilizations. Topic Sentence 2: The Gods or God in both the Polytheistic and Monotheistic religions have similar traits, but the beliefs of the civilians in both cultures can be viewed as different.

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The gods are beings capable of bringing misfortune or greatness which is why mortals tend to perform sacrifices in honor of the gods due

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Greek mythology has been one of the most complicated subjects in the field of religion and mythology. This is due to the complex relations and interactions which exists in the history of Greek gods and the humans who lived in ancient Greece. Different versions of the existence and the establishment of the superior beings were developed, which at times created suspense for readers through their interactions. The various tales which exist explain the various connections between different gods, how they relate to one another, the ideological order in which they came into existence as well as the interactions they had with humans. These tales form the basis of various religious beliefs and practices since it is perceived that it is through the interactions of the gods that humans came into existence, a situation which created the dependent relationship between mortals and gods.

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There were also gods of lesser things such as love and scribal arts. Looking at Mesopotamia’s geography, you can see how it might have served as inspiration for deities. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers surrounding Babylon could’ve been inspirations for the many water gods like Apsu, Enki, and Tiamat, as could the Persian Gulf located nearby. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the gods are depicted as harsh and wrathful because they decide to wipe out the human race with a flood just because they make too much noise (Ward p.20). The gods’ destructive nature is likely based off the chaos caused by flooding from the Tigris and Euphrates.

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The relationships between the Greek gods and mortals have always been complicated. The gods can be generous and supportive, but also harsh and destructive towards the humans. They claim to be all powerful beings with unlimited power and influence, but in truth, they are far more human than they are perceived. They meddle with human lives, not because they are wise, but because of their own selfish reasons. In Homer’s

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In the Epic of Gilgamesh interrelationships between the humans and gods are not what we are used to in most modern monotheistic societies. Perhaps the greatest difference between the power of humans and gods is when Gilgamesh is referred to as “Two-thirds of him was divine, one-third of him was human!” (39) as this reveals Gilgamesh to be the son of Lugalbanda the former king and the goddess Ninsun. This would indicate that the line between human and god is an extremely thin one and thus gods cannot and are not that vastly different from their human counterparts. Indeed, throughout the journey of Gilgamesh we are confronted by gods and goddesses who are similar to humans in their desires and means of achieving them.

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Ancient people being unaware about the outside world created for themselves the hierarchy of Gods to ask for protection and support. Example: Paganism had a tendency to be polytheistic. People worshipped a variety of gods and goddesses, spirits representing national and local heroes, as well as natural phenomena. Pagans also honored their ancestry and ancestors.

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