Sun Gods and their worshipers
In Sophocles Oedipus the king, The Sun God Apollo has a significant influence on his worshipers during the plague. Despite the city of Thebes being punished by their beloved Sun God, people looked their sun god for Mercy and seek any appeasement to their cherished God. From a historical point of view sun worship has been the ultimate form of worship in early societies. With the influence of sun god worship, the daily lives of man have altered.
Sun worship was a primarily performed in Agrarian societies. “The sun was recognized as a life-giving force for the Iroquois and Plains peoples. They would perform the ritual known as the Sun dance in order to keep the warmth and light of the sun strong” (About.com Religion
…show more content…
Apollo used the devastating force to influence his worshipers to seek out the great wrong that stirred his anger. Inducing a great tragedy or outstanding miracles were the common way that Sun Gods get recognition. Worshipers will present gratitude towards acts performed by the sun god; sacrifice and construction of monuments were believed to pay homage to the Gods. Helios was the sun god of Greek mythology. Like Ra Helios gave light and life to those on Earth and in the heavens. His power was greatly honored by man that a Cult of Helios was formed (Cult of Helios). The Members of the cult went to the far extremes to appease Helios. Each year a giant horse drawn chariot was driven off a cliff into the vast ocean along with an enormous bronze statue of Helios holding the sun, which over looked the island of Rhodes. It was renounced as one of the Seven Wonders of the World even after its destruction.
The cult believed that Helios overlooking the island was a physical embodiment of his influential power. The worshipers raved from the outstanding representation of their Sun God, They assumed that they ritual and statue amused Helios since the crops and life flourished, although the island was invaded twice, and the statue received irreversible damage. With damage to the island and depleting population the island could not afford to rebuild it a third
…show more content…
They were created with the universe but did not know what their purpose was. “("Sol and Mani - Norse Mythology for Smart People). They lived their life in constant fear due to wolves chasing their chariots, compared to Apollo who just raised the sun and tended to human affairs. “When the earth was created they were the Gods of day and night” ("Sol and Mani - Norse Mythology for Smart People). Unfortunately they were still chased by the wolves Mockery and Hate, eventually the wolves corrupted the pair. After an extensive attempt to save them, Mani and sol were purified bringing back balance to earth and the Heavens. Norse worshipers appreciated the action of sacrifice Sol and Mani commit every day and night. “So while we don’t know much about Sol and Mani, we can be sure that the basic conception they indicate is not only authentic, but was a part of pre-Christian Germanic religion from the earliest times
Greeks are known for many things. We know them for their poetry, for their philosophy, their politics--and also we have come to know them for their childish, petty, lustful, little gods. These gods, vengeful in the extreme, have been a source of much literature. However, not all the gods have the same publicity agent, and have suffered in obscurity for much too long. One of these gods, one of the Twelve Olympians, has been obscure in the least. He is different in most ways from the other gods, and I am here to illuminate him further to you. His name? Hephaistos.
My research paper will investigate the Greek God Apollo. The reason I chose Apollo was I have never had a chance to look into other Gods or Goddess’ other than Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. The next seven paragraphs are paraphrased depictions, stories and relational information directly related to the god Apollo The information was compiled by author: Atsma, Aaron J., on the website: Theoi.com. Theoi Project Copyright © 2000 – 2011. 12 May 2014. Each paragraph is a separate encyclopedia reference and is noted in the following footnotes reference.
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. Moreover, these topics will be examined in relation to the twelve Olympian gods and their associates.
How did people revere their gods differently among three civilizations? Did they worship with the same general intent? What were gods’ role(s) in people’s lives? A brief exploration into the religions of Egypt, Greece, and the Hebrew people may bring insight to these questions. Although the main idea of higher beings remains constant throughout societies’ religion, their form of presence in people’s lives varies. I will present the relationship between the leaders and the gods, as well as resemblance to monotheism and systems of government.
Responsibility was a big deal in the story Oedipus Rex. Even though the gods knew what he was going to do, he still had the free will to do so. This is quite similar to the beliefs of the Christian religion. Christians are accustomed to the idea that God is all knowing, yet we as humans have the gift of free will and that makes us responsible for our own actions. It seems to be similar in the tale of Oedipus Rex and in Greek mythology as a whole.
One example was the sun god who was recognized the most in the Egyptian religion. At dawn he could be a Khepri, a god that was in a form of a beetle that rolled the sun disk toward the eastern horizon (Hart 24).
Solar and Sirius, two great gods of our solar system. Goddess of the moon, Hydra, and god of the stars, Sirius. An ancient greek couple who would create the goddess of the sun, Solstice. She would grow up to live in the sky and bring everlasting light to all and not only the gods. Our sun would be placed in the sky and earn its spot for centuries to come.
Throughout 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
The 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.
Throughout Oedipus the King, Sophocles employs one continuous metaphor: light vs. darkness, and sight vs. blindness. A reference to this metaphor occurs early in the play, when Oedipus falsely accuses Tiresias and Creon of conspiracy: Creon, the soul of trust, my loyal friend from the start steals against me... so hungry to overthrow me he sets this wizard on me, this scheming quack, this fortune-teller peddling lies, eyes peeled for his own profit—seer blind in his craft!
In Ancient Greece the existence of gods and fate prevailed. In the Greek tragedy King Oedipus by the playwright Sophocles these topics are heavily involved. We receive a clear insight into their roles in the play such as they both control man's actions and that challenging their authority leads to a fall.
Here is a story where Oedipus the King, who has accomplished great things in his life, discovers that the gods were only playing with him. He has everything a man of that time could want; he is king of Thebes, he has a wonderful wife and children, and great fame through out the lands. He has lived a good life, but in the end everything is taken from him.
The Greeks housed their gods in temples, which were often enclosed by the walls. In the inside of the temples, big statues of their gods were exposed. When the ceremony took place, those statues were even bathed, clothed and symbolicayy fed.
The sun and the moon are powerful beings that bring life and death to all living creatures. They control when it is day or night, which season it is, and the weather. They fascinate humans and a considerable amount of mythology has been dedicated to the creation of the sun and moon and why or how they travel across the sky during the day and night. This paper will discuss and compare some of these myths and the gods attributed to their care and existence.