Gods Of The Greek Gods

In ancient times mankind used the spoken word in order to tell stories to one another. This tradition carried on until the year 3500 -3000 BCE., when the earliest known written language to man appeared in southern Mesopotamia in the city of Sumer (Mark). As the written language progressed from symbols and images to words with sounds, people began to switch their method of storytelling to the written language, or literature. Some of the earliest works of literature still studied today comes from the Ancient Mediterranean lands. These stories, written in various formats, tell of the nature of all things involving gods, men, and the world that surrounded the people of the time.

Religious text, like the Hebrew Bible, tell stories of an all-powerful god. In Psalms he is celebrated and praised, his relationship to

The nature of the gods in Greek literature is far more relatable than the god of the Hebrew Bible. Where God of the Hebrew Bible acts as a watchful guide over mankind, the Greek gods often intervened in human affairs in the stories they are in and caused more trouble for mankind than assist them. Their behaviors are flawed, just as man’s behaviors are, and their actions not always made in the best interest of the entire race of mankind and more often made in selfishness. In stories like the Iliad, where man is at war with each other, each god picks a favorite whom they plan to aid throughout their battles (Homer). The gods involve themselves far more than their Hebrew counterpart, each causing more chaos and trouble for the mortal men instead of giving them any real help. While the gods favored some men, they despised others. In The Odyssey, the sequel to the Iliad, Poseidon, who despises Odysseus, makes sure to make the man’s journey home difficult, as well as the other gods who do not favor him. Athena, who favors him, aids him throughout his journey home (Homer, The