Deities of Greek Mythology
explanatory Essay
739 words
Gods and goddesses in mythology are used in allusions and often referred to in our daily lives, but do we truly understand them? We may not understand how or why they look the way they do, how they behave, what they are capable of accomplishing, or how they interacted with humans. These super-beings of extremely high status were the heart and soul of prayers and explanations of natural phenomena. They had a variety of natures and were represented in a variety of ways, by different religions.
To start, physical features and behaviours are crucial to the representations of gods and goddesses. When believers pray for material or emotional gain, they must have something to pray to - a statue or item that can represent the god or goddess to whom they sent their prayers. Humans made these statues, and gave the gods and goddesses that the statues represented human physical and emotional characteristics, in order to explain natural disasters or occurrences. For example, when the sea was rough or when a ship sailed into jagged rocks, the sailors would pray to Poseidon (Greek), Neptune (Roman), or whoever was in charge of the ocean in their religion, and think that the god of the oceans was unsatisfied or displeased with something or someone, thus wreaking havoc on the Earth. Divine beings conducted themselves in a royal fashion, them supposedly in charge of various necessities of life. They did as they wished, for they were immortal, the only restrictions being that they may be punished by the supreme god, which in Greek mythology, is Zeus. To prove, in the myth about the creation of the world's animals, humans were created in the image of the gods, but lacked survival capabilities. Therefore, a Titan named Prometheus stole fire from Mou...
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...had. Each god was in charge of their own aspect of the world. Zeus, in Greek mythology, was in charge of the sky (among other things) and thus had the power to control lightning. Following this example, every god and goddess could do as they wished only with whatever they were in control of, thus the power was unique. To illustrate, Zeus wouldn't be able to control the ocean unless he consulted with whoever was in charge of the ocean, which in this case, was Poseidon. As a result, the powers that the deities had were the reasons why they were so worshipped, and what fascinating abilities they were, to be able to control nature itself.
In addition, godly interactions with humans are what sprouts interest and further develops the religion. In Greek mythology, there were many instances where the gods would interfere, whether to aid or impede, with human activities.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that gods and goddesses in mythology are used in allusions, but do we truly understand them? they were the heart and soul of prayers and explanations of natural phenomena.
- Explains that physical features and behaviours are crucial to the representations of gods and goddesses.
- Explains that divine powers are common to all gods, while others are unique to each individual god. zeus, in greek mythology, was in charge of the sky and had the power to control lightning.
- Explains that godly interactions with humans are what sprouts interest and further develops the religion. in greek mythology, the gods interfered to aid or impede human activities.
Related
- explanatory
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- Hermesexplanatory essayThe gods and goddesses were thought to control different parts of the universe. For example, Zeus is the king of the gods, controlled weather. Or like Athena who was the goddess of wisdom. You learn about different gods and goddesses in myths. A myth is a story about a god or goddess. Homer, a blind poet, is famous for telling myths. He told myths because no one could read or write.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the ancient greeks were the first group to form a religion based on gods and goddesses.
- Explains how different gods and goddesses were thought to control different parts of the universe. homer, a blind poet, is famous for telling myths.
- Explains that hermes is the fastest of all the gods and goddesses. he is a guide who knew the way to the underworld.
- Describes hermes as an incredibly clever god who found a tortoise outside of his cave and displayed his godly talent by placing strings over the shell, inventing the first lyre.
- Explains that hermes is a master thief, and his intelligence and theft abilities in the following myth won him recognition as the god.
- Explains that hermes' worship began in arcadia, where people held festivals called hermaea in his honor. he sacrificed honey, incense, cakes, pigs, lambs and young goats.
- Narrates how hermes picked fifty best cows to keep his brother apollo from knowing which direction he led them, and hid them in a near-by grove.
- Opines that hermes learned an important lesson in this myth. he never again told a lie (but he didn’t always tell the whole truth) and never stole.
- Opines that they had a lot of fun doing this project. they never knew there was so much information about different gods, goddesses and myths. the shield was fun to make.
- Explains that they have a better understanding of greek religion and mythology. they also learned report writing and note taking skills.
781 wordsRead More - The Generation Of Monsters In Hesiod Analysisanalytical essayFrom the beginning, the gods emerged from “cosmic forces” and slowly defined their individual personalities and forms, “their functions articulated in relation to each other” (Clay 105). The authority of Zeus forces the rest of the gods to keep their powers balanced by filling certain niches. In the Eumenides, Pythia begins by singing a prayer to honor the gods. Although she first honors Gaia, Pythia spends a few lines talking about Apollo and his relation to Zeus. When she calls on Zeus, she calls him “the Fulfiller, the highest god” (Aeschylus, Eumenides, p. 112, 17-19). Her approval and reverence towards Zeus is made clear immediately. Even before that, Pythia acknowledges that Apollo was “Zeus inspired” and the “spokesman of Zeus,” thus making him higher up in her hierarchy of gods (Aeschylus, Eumenides, p. 112, 17-19). Zeus is known for his many godly offspring who were all “Zeus inspired”. Along with Apollo, god of music and arts, this list also includes Athena, goddess of wisdom and war. Being made from the same cosmic forces, all of the gods developed their own strengths to fulfil certain niches (Clay 106) At the end of this individualization process, there is the “emergence of a stable, ordered, and harmonious cosmos” (Clay 106). As a result, new standards of conforming and being uniform became apparent through the
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how jenny strauss clay's "the generation of monsters in hesiod" points out the "natural hierarchy of men and beasts" in greek culture.
- Analyzes how every creature in greek and roman myths submits to the tutelage of zeus.
- Explains that greek and roman monsters are hybrid creatures that unite disparate elements, such as human and bestial, and are casted aside because of their distinctive qualities.
- Analyzes how the cyclopes produce weapons that allow zeus to win and maintain power and monsters like the hundred-handers keep guard over the defeated titans.
- Analyzes how the gods reinforce their natural hierarchy by rejecting diversity. monsters like cerberus and the furies are captured or put to work doing the jobs that they don't want.
1285 wordsRead More - Mythology: The World's Impact On The Worldexplanatory essayThroughout time each civilization has spread its folklore about their gods. Mythology is the collection of a societys myths and during older times mythology was thought to be created by the people who did not see the world like everyone else. Those people saw the world full of beautiful, magical possiblities. Many of the stories still hold an impact on the world today. Maybe not in the sense of worship, but people are intrigued to figure out the state of mind of the ancient people that once worshipped these gods. Some civilzations worshipped these gods in hope that they would help them in their daily lives. Most civilizations had gods for everything taht imacted their lives. Civilizations had gods that controlled the weather, the harvest, or
In this essay, the author
- Explains that mythology was created by people who did not see the world like everyone else. civilizations had gods that controlled the weather, harvest, or if a woman would have children.
- Describes how ancient greece spread its culture through the stories of their gods and advances of art, poetry, technology, and politics.
- Explains that land was the most valuable resource at this time. over population forced men to move away from the overcrowding into lowly populated areas.
955 wordsRead More - Greek and Roman Mythologyexplanatory essaygods, each given a personality and purpose. And was the subject of many myths and legends that would be told for many generations to come. They were to become the basis for a religion that would last for hundreds of years and would yield thousands of followers to believe in the made stories of these enchanted people or gods as they were called.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that roman and greek people had similar beliefs, but also immeasurable differences. it was composed of many meaningful gods and goddesses that all played a part in everyday life.
- Explains that gods, each given a personality and purpose, were the subject of many myths and legends that would be told for many generations to come.
- Explains that hestia plays no part in myths. she is known as hesia in the greek religion.
- Explains that the queen of the heavens was also the wife and sister of jupiter.
- Explains that the goddess of dawn was originally said to be the daughter of the giant.
- Describes the inventors of the bridle, trumpet, flute, pot, rake, and plow.
- Explains that she is said to have a magic girdle that makes anyone she makes.
- Explains that poseidon was asked for blessings before the beginning of the day, month, week, and year. he had two faces that faced each way to symbolize how much he knew about the present and past.
- Explains that jupiter's temple was built in the capitol, and newly elected counsels offered their first prayers to him. hera was the wife and sister of zeus and the high goddess of the greeks.
- Explains pluto, the roman god of the underworld, is shown with the horn of plenty, which is most likely why we associate the devil, or satan, as having a horn on top of his head.
- Explains that aphrodite, the greek goddess of love and beauty, was married to the smith god, hephaestus, but left him for the god of war.
- Explains that diana was very similar to the greek goddess artemis. born on delos with a twin brother named apollo, she was the goddess of hunting. she had two shrines in italy: one at aricia on the shores of lake nemi, and the other at capua.
- Explains that demeter was the god of fertility, and often referred to as the essential mother. she had a baby girl called persephone.
- Explains that the roman gods were taken from the beliefs of the greek gods. they are directly descended from their neighboring religion.
- Explains pluto was the greediest of the gods and was always looking for more ruling subjects.
- Explains that apollo was the god of music, healing, and truth. he carried the sun across the sky by his chariot of winged horses.
- Explains that diana was a minor goddess of the forest and woodland, but later known as the hunter, supporter of women, and the overlooker. vulcan was the god of fire and force.
2303 wordsRead More - The Contradictory Nature of Greek Gods and Godessesanalytical essayThe myths which prove the contradictory behavior of the gods, acting as both benefactors and tormentors of man, can readily be explained when viewed in light of the prime directive for man, to worship the gods and not “overstep,” and the ensuing “Deus ex Mahina” which served to coerce man to fulfill his destiny as evidenced by the myths: “Pandora,” “Arachne, and “Odysseus.” Humankind and it’s range of vision over the gods beauty and power portrayed them to be benefactors but unseemingly it depicted their affliction towards humans.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the greek gods were seen as both benefactors and tormentors of man, based on the prime directive for man to worship them and the ensuing "deus ex mahina"
- Explains that a benefactor is someone who benefits or helps someone in real life. prometheus stole fire from the great gods and gave it to mankind.
- Explains that tormentors are foreseen to be evil and not bring any good to mankind. apollo brought music, prophecy, and enlightenment to the humans.
- Explains that the prime directive of man in greek mythology is to flat out worship the gods.
- Explains that deus ex machina is a plot device where an unsolvable problem is resolved by the manipulative and unexpected interruption of some new event, character, ability or object.
- Explains that in greek mythology, greek gods are benefactors or tormentors of mankind. the titan prometheus had originally been assigned with the task of creating man.
- Narrates how arachne challenged athena, the goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason. she boasted that she was better than her.
- Analyzes how odysseus tricked the enemy into bringing a wooden horse within the walls of troy. the greeks had been laying siege to troy for nine long years, but suddenly it looked like their entire army had departed.
- Analyzes the myths which prove the contradictory behavior of the gods, acting as both benefactors and tormentors of man.
1265 wordsRead More - Gods And Goddesses Of Greek Mythologyexplanatory essayWhat was Greek Mythology? Who were the Gods and Goddesses that were the leaders at this period? Have you ever wondered who people believed in thousands of years ago? It’s really an interesting topic if you dig into it. Greek mythology has so many aspects to it, and it’s great to be able to get to know each one. The Greek Gods and Goddesses came to be in many ways, to help them grow they were worshipped by people who believed in them.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that greek mythology has so many aspects to it, and it's great to be able to get to know each one.
- Describes the gods and goddesses of greek mythology, including demeter, hera, poseidon, zeus, hades, and hestia.
- Explains that the second generation of gods and goddesses came after the first six. athena, dionysus, hermes, aphrodite, ares, and apollo were twins.
- Explains that the first generation of gods and goddesses all had the same two parents, cronos and rhea.
- Narrates how hephaestus and dionysus were sons and daughters of zeus, hera, or both.
- Explains that hermes was born in a cave near mount cyllene and later became part of the olympian council. ares was the son of zeus and hera, and artemis and apollo were born on the floating island.
- Explains how people worshiped the gods and goddesses of greek mythology. they worshipped hestia, demeter, poseidon, zeus, aphrodite, ares, and apollo.
1699 wordsRead More - Major Greek Gods and Goddessesexplanatory essayUnlike religious gods today, the Greek gods resembled human being in their form and their emotions, and suffered from the same dilemmas humans throughout time have faced. The Greeks believe in many gods and think they are very much like people. They have both supernatural powers and human weaknesses. The gods would fight, play on each other, gets angry or jealous, and steal from each other. The Olympian Gods live atop Mt. Olympus in Greece behind a gate of clouds. They watch the mortals down on earth which they can visit any time, and are responsible for the success or failure of human life. The Greeks worship their gods, pray, give offerings, and build temples to please the gods so they will not give any punishments.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the greek gods resembled human beings in their form and emotions, and suffered from the same dilemmas humans throughout time have faced. the olympian gods live atop mt.
- Explains that zeus is the leader of all the olympian gods, born by rhea and cronus.
- Describes zeus as the supreme god and ruler of olympus. he was the sixth child born to cronus and rhea behind poseidon, hades, hestia, dementer, and hera.
- Explains that poseidon is the ancient greek god who resembles the power of the untamed, the brutal, and the wild.
- Explains that hera, the wife of zeus, is a representation of the female gender.
- Explains that hades is the god of the dead and ruler of underworld. he is jealous of his brothers zeus and poseidon because they became lords of better places.
- Explains that all the greek gods had human weaknesses, including zeus, poseidon, and hera.
- Cites "mt. olympus." sacred sites: places of peace and power. thanasi's greek restaurant.
- Describes zeus the greek god's history, mythology, art, war, culture, society, and architecture.
- Explains ashworth, leon. gods and goddesses of ancient greece. north mankato, mn.
- Explains that ibid gibson, michael, and giovanni caselli, gods, men & monsters from the greek myths.
- Describes the greek gods and goddesses of ancient greece. ashworth, leon, gibson, michael, and giovanni caselli.
1150 wordsRead More - Roman Religionsexplanatory essayIn ancient Greece, the Greeksk alson believed in many gods and goddesses. The gods behaved much like ordinary people, but they had great wisdon. They were wiser, more cunning, and more powerful. The gods not only controlled nature, but they also controlled people’s fate. There were 12 main gods of the Greek belief, known as the Olympians. Some of the most famous included Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, and Apollo.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the ancient romans worshiped many gods, godesses and spirits, each of whom was responsible for a different part of life.
- Explains that emperors showed their devotion to their favored deities by building temples to them. roman citizens left offerings such as food, milk, wine, money, jewels or statues at temple alters.
- Explains that the romans were generally accepting of other people's religions but persecuted the christians because, among other things, they displeased the gods by refusing to patricipate in such animal sacrifices and unjust ceremonies.
- Explains that the romans built large temples for these many gods, often in places that people believed were special to them. the acropolis in greece is one of these places.
- Explains that ancient greeks believed in many gods and goddesses, but they were wiser, cunning, and powerful. the olympians controlled nature and people's fate.
- Narrates how worshipers of the time might have visited the temple to thank the god for a favor.
- Explains that the inside of the temple wasn't a gathering place for worship like churches and sacred buildings of today. worship services were held outside on an alter.
- Explains that the parthenon was a gift to athena for the greeks’ victory in the persian wars. athletes from all over came to compete at olympia.
- Explains that the romans and greeks believed that a ritual must be performed before they could hope for the expected outcome of their prayers.
- Explains that every household had its own protective gods. they acted as priests and made offerings of food, wine, oil, or cakes on the alter of the household shrine.
- Explains that the state had a sacred hearth. the temple of jupiter in central rome was important for state and business functions.
- Explains that rome's history and development is closely related to their religion. what began as a village of primitive huts beside the tiber river grew to be incredibly large and astonishing.
- Explains that the greeks did not worship their gods with the aid of temples and statues, but believed that objects and events had some kind of supernatural force.
- Explains that the greek gods were given human like personalities after the romans shared their human looking, human-like gods with them.
- Explains that the romans were concerned about the death and well-being of those who had died. the dead brought bad luck to those living they had left behind.
- Explains that fire was believed to be powerful against the bad influences brought by death, which is why bodies were burned and torches were carried at funerals.
- Cites bowker, john, bowd, jeffery, daly, kathleen n. greek and roman mythology a to z.
- Cites liston, michael, and monaghan, patricia. "roman vs greek deities."
1140 wordsRead More - The Odysseyanalytical essayThough the Gods are clearly more powerful than humans, the relationship between the two isn’t as one-sided as one might think. Humans have the ability to sway gods through sacrifice and are capable of creating their own and even humanities fate, for better or for worse. First, there direct contact between the mortal, Paris, and the goddesses, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. This would be an example of the human condition where humans are competitive and selfish. Although the human condition is amplified to an extreme when Paris’ pick sparked the Trojan War, which resulted in the fall of Troy (Lecture, Feb. 17). Secondly, Greeks specifically have influence when it comes to which Greek God they sacrifice to. Poseidon complains to Zeus and speaks of his embarrassment at the fact that mortals are no longer under his wrath or consequences since Odysseus was able to make it home safe. (Odyssey 13.142-50) Poseidon then turns the boat to stone, which is an example that humans are not rewarded if it interferes with other gods. e Although the Phacaeacians acted as they should by providing hospitality for Odysseus, they are still are still brutally punished because one god was offended. Lastly, ...
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the interaction between the greek gods and humans is negative for humans.
- Analyzes how humans can sway gods through sacrifice and create their own and even humanities fate, for better or for worse.
- Analyzes how humans see the negative side of the gods in the odyssey, the homeric hymns, and theogony.
- Analyzes how the gods in the homeric hymns and theogony act on personal motives, which can lead to major consequences for mortals.
- Analyzes how the greeks worshipped the gods to avoid harm and repercussions. they were so focused on appeasing them that they weren't following their own paths of life.
964 wordsRead More - How the Greek Revered Their Godsexplanatory essayHow the Greek revered their gods In ancient times, the Greeks had absolute and undeniable respect for their gods. They demonstrated their admiration by putting in place many rituals and celebrations to reverence the gods that they loved and feared in order to ensure harmony with them. In particular, the focus will be on the religious beliefs of the Greeks, including prayer and sacrifice, as well as on festivals and the arts, such as the ancient Olympic games and theatre. These aspects of their culture made a significant contribution to their quality of life.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that at the temple entrance stood an altar, which was required to have a place for the sacred fire, and once it had been used, the altar was not to be moved.
- Explains that sacrifice was a communal event through which the greeks believed that they were bound together with the gods.
- Explains that the greeks went to the oracles because communication through a deity was possible there to seek advice or guidance.
- Explains that a greek wedding ceremony was performed in succession of places. it included the preparation of the bride, removal from her father's house, reception, and presents.
- Explains that the bride sacrificed her childhood toys to artemis, the virgin goddess, on the day before the wedding. the marital journey from one house to the other happened at night by torchlight.
- Explains that prayers and rituals united the greeks in a common goal and gave their life meaning.
- Explains that the greeks held festivals, athletic games, and the arts in honour of the gods. the pythian games were held at delphi, nemea and isthmian games.
- Explains that the first olympic games started in 776 bc, and included only one competition, the footrace.
- Explains that olympia became a principal site for the worship of zeus. individuals donated buildings, statues, altars and other dedications to the god.
- Explains that competition in the olympic games was restricted to greeks only; people who were not greek could not compete. the emphasis on individual athletic accomplishment through public competition was connected to the greek ideal of excellence.
- Explains that not all athletes lived up to the code of excellence. those who were discovered cheating were fined, and the money was used to make bronze statues of zeus.
- Explains that the olympic festivals were so revered that a truce was announced to allow visitors and athletes to travel safely to olympia. wars were suspended, armies were prohibited from entering elis or threatening the games.
- Explains that there were several non-athletic festivals throughout the year associated with different gods, such as anthesteria, mounukhia, and maia.
- Explains that during the summer solstice, there was a festival called plunteria, which was the festival for washing the ancient statue of athena.
- Explains that during autumn, there was a minor thanksgiving festival for apollo called boedromia, and puanepsia, which sought divine blessings for the autumn sowing.
- Explains that agricultural festivals were more concerned with raising human spirits and reviving the crops than with the return of the sun.
- Explains that religious festivals and rituals were accompanied by hymns to the specific god, and seasonal festivals included singing and dancing. greek tragedy honored the wine god dionysos.
- Explains how the greeks reverenced their gods in order to maintain a harmonious relationship with them. interaction and worship of them was part of life.
- Explains walters, h.b., a guide to the exhibition illustrating greek and roman life.
- Explains that the greeks had absolute and undeniable respect for their gods. they put in place many rituals and celebrations to reverently revere their gods in order to ensure harmony with them.
- Explains that the ancient greeks practiced a religion that revolved around their reverence to the gods, making their religion polytheistic.
- Explains that the olympian religion lacked sentimentality, and the greek gods were portrayed as humans, which meant that they were not perfect.
- Explains that the greeks used the gods as a means to justify anything that they could not understand or scientifically explain.
- Explains that the major form of worship occurred through prayer and sacrifice at temples, at the oracles or in the homes of the greeks.
- Explains that the greeks would also think about the gods during their daily routine, but if they had a specific request, the worshipper would take an offering directly to god's temple.
- Explains that the greeks went to these places of worship to make offerings or present sacrifices to maintain protection from the gods and keep order.
- Explains that the temples were built with a high regard for nature, as the greeks' was an earth-based culture and never drastically changed the environment in which they were constructed.
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