Another structure of authority that show in these works are the messengers who do what their Gods want them to do. Although the Athenians’ and Jews’ lives contrast sharply, the ways they devote themselves to their Gods are similar. First of all, the Greek gods are nothing like the Hebrew
It shows that the Greeks valued their gods and wanted them to be content. The Odyssey shows that Gods having humanlike qualities was very important to the Greeks. “And the lord Helios burst into angry speech among the immortals”(791). Helios was angry at Oddyseus’ men because they had eaten his cattle. Furthermore, Zeus and Helios are trying to compromise, Zeus states“Peace, Helios”(791).
On a normal Sunday morning, all of the important Greek gods and goddesses, Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Athena, Ares, Hera, and Aphrodite, gathered together in the giant arena of Mount Olympus for their usual schedule, which was Sunday playoffs. All of the gods and goddesses controlled a special part of the world and most of the goddess and gods were somehow related to each other. Zeus and Hera were king and queen of Olympus while Ares was the god of war. In some situations, they used their power in out of control ways. They weren’t expecting anything out of the ordinary to occur during the games.
These concepts can even be applied to ancient societies in Greek mythology. Many gods were blinded by the desire of having authority over others or being feared by their competitors and fellow civilians. The god’s persistent angst over this idea of sovereignty consumed them and morphed them into beings filled with vain. The gods are figures of tyranny because of their obsession of power leading to the perpetration of sociopathic acts such as Cronus killing his father, Uranus, Athena challenging Arachne causing Arachne’s death, and Aphrodite scheming against Psyche. One god that made it his cardinal ambition to achieve and maintain high power was the son of Uranus and Gaea, Cronus.
In the play, not only do the gods exist, but they also have control over the lives of all the people. Oedipus illustrates that a person’s intelligence cannot save them from the will of the gods. As the chorus says in the final lines of the play, “People of Thebes, my countrymen, look on Oedipus. He solved the famous riddle with his brilliance, he rose to power, a man beyond all power.
The stories of Lycaon, Actaeon, Arachne, and so many others prove this to be true. They just cannot handle themselves not being perfect in their responsibilities. The Gods did have a heart every once in awhile like with the couple of Baucis and Philemon, but it would never last. The myths that stand out and everyone knows are the ones were the Gods are doing something considered wrong. The relationship between the Gods and mortals still continues on in many different forms today.
2190 days earlier The livid fire roared while crickets and screams were heard in the distance. The heart radiating off the fire pricked at her skin. Happiness swelled inside of the little girl as her grandmother waved at her from the short distance put between them. The little girl cared not who screamed, nor who was to die in those few moments, all she could care about was her gradmothers grand arrival.
This confusion needs to be unpacked and we need to answer a question to get a clear picture of the limitations of the gods. We, therefore, need to ask if the gods are really all powerful? There seems to be a confusion with the word omnipotent, it looks as if a hierarchy is placed on the term omnipotence, but there is a problem with attributing a hierarchical structure to the omnipotent
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.
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.
The gods are beings capable of bringing misfortune or greatness which is why mortals tend to perform sacrifices in honor of the gods due
From the human point of view, gods possess an absolute knowledge, i.e. they know “all things” without exception. Gods, however, can be deceived, which means that they cannot know all things, even though the amount of their knowledge greatly surpasses the one of human beings. Prometheus can steal the secret of fire from Zeus, Ares can deceive Hephaesthus, starting an affair with his wife Aphrodite, while Odysseus – a mortal man – can successfully outwit the goddess Circe (though with some help from Hermes). This kind of vulnerability, along with the influence of emotions (e.g. wrath, grief or love) on their actions, makes Homeric and Hesiodic gods very
An example of this being Poisiden delaying Odysses's boat journey with challenges/weather for blinding his son, the cyclops, and then bragging about how great he was. I personally do not think that the Gods control humans, but they do interfere and influence their behavior-more or less making a moral code if you will. I think this because Humans choose their behavior and actions, yet they are guided into making
Instead of being perfect omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent gods, they have limited power and influence, and are often driven by humanistic emotions and desires. While the gods do show concern over some mortals, they don’t make decisions solely concerning the wellbeing or interests of the humans, but instead, like the humans themselves, usually act with their own interests at heart. Athena and Poseidon both acts in accordance to their desires and emotions, and have a biased view on particular humans. Unlike the perfect deities we have in mind when we think of the divine, Greek gods are just immortal beings who are just as fallible and imperfect as the humans they preside
Humans are like puppets; they have the freedom of choice however their decisions are constantly interfered by the gods. The god’s are given respect due to their extreme power, as mortals know, if offended a god, one would most likely have to face severe consequences. Nonetheless, the gods are not all powerful, as they have emotions that drive them hence weakens them. In Ancient Greek society, having the gods in your favor played a critical role in peoples daily lives, as the gods would extremely influence decision, have significant power over one’s fate, and have direct involvement in the lives of humans. “Father Zeus, is there any mortal left on the wide earth who will still declare to the immortals his mind and his purpose?
