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Religion In The Odyssey

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Religion forms a bridge between the mortals and Gods by opening a line of communication through choices made by either side. Relations surrounding the two are generally noted to be almost strictly one-way: Gods and Goddesses decree through various means of communication of their plans and desires, and mortals are expected to "respect the gods" by enacting their wishes (Fagles 2006: 235). Those who follow through are held in high regard and rewarded, meanwhile, those who did not were cursed and would suffer punishment along with their kin. Given the unnatural amount of force prescribed to them in historical and religious texts, Gods and Goddesses of their respective time and place are scrutinized on the effect they had on their mortal followers, …show more content…

Throughout The Odyssey, it becomes apparent that Homer brings light to the value of piety in Ancient Greece. Those who are religious are often rewarded in good faith by the Gods, especially heroes. Pious individuals are revered both by their peer mortals and the Gods, causing the emergence of a feedback loop that rewards those who are pious. Although Telemachus does not have much known history with favoring the Gods, he requires confidence when confronting Nestor and is rewarded with it and articulateness from Athena. Because of his father’s myriad of pious actions, Athena is able to bestow Telemachus’s current necessity (Fagles 2006: 120) through “the heart Athena herself inspired” (Fagles 2006: 121). Although he does not have experience in dialoguing with other leaders, Telemachus’s abilities, therefore free will, is significantly influenced by the will and assistance of Athena. Conversely, Odysseus’s piety earns him Athena’s attention; The Goddess initially explains how his combat strategies caught the eyes and ears of the Gods, but she concludes that the driving factor behind his numerous successes was “Athena, who always stands [and] and shields you” (Fagles 2006: 315), insinuating that Odysseus’s devotion to the Gods …show more content…

Often subjected to the harmful whim of the Gods, humans must accommodate and prove their piety in order to survive. Those who are pious and hold favorability among the Gods are rewarded; however, those who appear to exercise more free will, are cast as dishonorable and impious by the Gods and mortals and suffer Godly punishment. This paper detailed the inverse relationship between interaction and free will that pious mortals retain. Then, I showed the negative effects of impious mortals who act freely against the Gods’ mandates and the emergence of a feedback loop that reinforces religious compliance over free will. The prioritization of piety over the free will of the mortals holds the Gods more morally accountable for their musings with pious mortals. These pious mortals have relinquished a significant portion of their free will and become less morally responsible for their actions in comparison to the activities of the impious. In a culturally contrasting nature, Euripides’s Hippolytus brings forth the effects of minimal and delayed divine intervention. This allows for mortals to experience free will but also raises doubts around the ineffectiveness of mortals and their dependence on the

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The Odyssey : Book 4 Throughout the story, Telemachus changed drastically from who he once was. At the beginning of The Odyssey, the son of Odysseus was viewed as a scared and cowardly young man who was unsure of himself and lacked a fatherly figure in his life. It took the great goddess Athena to come along and install courage inside of him. Since he had to go on this journey, the young leader gathered traits that would help him in the long run. Telemachus gained faith and pride in his father Odysseus when he realized that even though this man didn’t die a war hero and no one knew what happened to him, he was still an incredibly intelligent man that was admired by everyone.

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Introduction Augustine's "City of God" and "The Enchiridion" and Plato's "Euthyphro" are all significant works that explore the nature of morality and the relationship between morality and religion. While there are many similarities between these works, there are also important differences in their approaches and conclusions. Body

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Telemachus’ loyalty “The Essential Odyssey”, A story about Odysseus and his journey to get home after the war and to save his family from the suitors who have invaded his home. The author uses loyalty as a common theme throughout the book, but the strongest showing of loyalty is Telemachus and his loyalty to his family. A clear example of loyalty is in the character Telemachus, the son of Godlike Odyessus and Penelope. He is smart, selfless, and a skilled strategist, but the most common trait he shows in this book is loyalty. Although he is not a strong warrior, he finds other ways to protect his family through his courage and intellect.

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From above in Olympus, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, watches Telemachus suffer from all his adversities. Feeling remorse for the child, she begs Zeus to permit her to go to Ithaca and guide Telemachus. Telemachus' growth from a child to a mature adult is largely influenced by Athena’s teachings and advice. She inspires him to be more like his father, Odysseus, provokes him by comparing him to his more outstanding peer, Prince Orestes,

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She instructs him to “sail in quest of news of your long-lost father.” (86). Using her disguise, Athena reaches Telemachus and offers him wisdom. Telemachus takes this advice to heart and sets out to find his father. By offering this information about Odysseus, Athena inspires Telemachus.

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In both The Odyssey and O Brother Where Art Thou? , there are several explored cultural values that reoccur in both the film and epic. These key cultural values are hospitality, cunning, loyalty. These values are the base foundation of the ideology in the past. Hospitality is an important cultural value that has came up numerous times in The Odyssey.

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The period of Antiquity held great reverence to godly figures, having them encompass a great portion of culture. Gods and fate dictated the course of human life: defying them resulted in abominable punishment. Yet, those whom the gods loathed didn’t necessarily meet with an abhorrent end, rather the opposite. Factors that dominated the feelings of gods were that of virtue. No benevolent soul faced an undeserving demise; they often changed the minds of their superiors or escaped unfair judgement by special means.

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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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Here, Odysseus tells Athena that she is all he has left and through her immortal powers, she is the only god still on his side who can help him in his time of need. Therefore, through Athena’s encouraging words, she is able to make Odysseus feel uplifted and more useful, especially as Odysseus is, at this point, very hopeless and miserably

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Many people think that their own god controls them, and they believe that their god has the power to predetermine their future, and they are not in control of their own destiny. The presence of this strong belief is very prevalent in the past, especially in Greek mythology and in the present. The events in “Book IV: The Passion of the Queen,” of Virgil’s the Aeneid show that people put too much belief in their gods. Virgil uses the interference of gods to show that one should not place so much belief in their god that they would think that their god controls their every move.

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Religion was intensely twined together with the culture of the ancient Greeks. In their several stories they have prayed to Gods to fulfill their desires, needs, and to offer assistance in their goals. The Gods would occasionally appear to select Greeks to give the gifts, comfort, or any form of aid. Alternatively, if the desires or endeavors of a mortal(s) displeased one or more Gods, they would also obstruct with the gratification of their goals. The religious beliefs and aspects of the Greek culture was very defined and strict.

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Through the millennia of documented law, religious law shows an everlasting influence upon society and secular law. The influence in early civilizations such as Mesopotamia has great evidence on how a society is influenced through religious law. The later Salic laws show yet again a unifying religious belief that binds a society to the orders of that legislation. Even through the most secular governments of Classical Greece, the effects of an underlying religious factor of heresy are evident in Plato’s Apology. The reflection of human nature in this matter is once again shown in the Fourth Lateran Council where the use of heresy is used to establish order, fear, and an unquestioned legislation that rids itself of all who oppose what is decreed.

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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

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The Odyssey, gods like Athena and Poseidon interfere with humans to satisfy their own desires, showing that they are just as imperfect and flawed as the mortals that they rule over. Athena favors Odysseus since he reminds her of herself. He portrays the same cunning, guile, and intelligence as she does; Athena had confided to him that “two of a kind, we are, contrivers, both,” comparing how similar they are. “Of all men now alive,” she says, “you are the best in plots and story telling.

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The ancient Greek religion comprises of an utter belief in the gods. Devotion to them was the key to success. Belief in the gods would also mean believing in all that it entails. Ba deeds may result in damage, whereby punishment may follow. The gods brings Dikē, that is, justice to mankind.

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