The Contradictory Nature of Greek Gods and Godesses
analytical Essay
1265 words
Many Greek gods were seen as both benefactors and tormentors, typically it depends on which god or goddess you are researching about. The seemingly 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. A Benefactor is someone who benefits or helps a person in real life, some of the greek gods intercede with the humans. One of the greatest benefactors of mankind is the greek Titan Prometheus; Prometheus stole fire from the great gods and gave it to mankind. He is known to be called “the Titan who created man from clay” and “the wise Titan God.” Prometheus was told to have the ability to scrutinize the future.When the gods battled in “Titanomachy” Zeus extradited the Titans to Tartarus but spared Prometheus because he did not fight against the other Gods along with the other Titans. The myth of Prometheus, Zeus was trying to keep the knowledge of fire and the ability to have power away from mankind. As their creator, Prometheus became more affectionate towards humans and wanted them to have a better life so in order for that to happen, the Titan stole fire from the Gods. It was also known that he stole the knowledge of some skills from Athena and Hephaestus and brought them to man. Prometheus is known to be a trickster god. He was the benefactor and protector of humans. According ... ... middle of paper ... ...ne by one he eats the men up until there are only 4 men left along with Odysseus. Odysseus tricks the cyclops into opening the door and stabs his eye with a wooden stake. The 5 men escape, as a result for hurting his son's eye, Poseidon curses Odysseus to never to go home, and if he does his loved ones and his friends will abandon him. 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.
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.
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In this essay, the author
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- 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.
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- 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.
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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.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how antigonemedea kills creon the king of corinth, the princess whom jason is in love with, and her two little children. the chorus addresses the audience about the unexpected and unbelievable end of the play.
- Analyzes how euripides concludes that gods are not like what we think they are supposed to be. the phrase, "many are the fates which zeus in olympus dispenses," tells us that gods do not favor mortals.
- Analyzes how euripides suggests that gods are not as good as they are supposed to be. medea has been exiled from her home country, from jason's homeland, and now from the city of corinth.
- Compares homer's suggestion that gods do help mortals in the odyssey. athena asks zeus to help odysseus get to his homeland.
567 wordsRead More - The Odysseyanalytical essay... throughout mythology like The Odyssey, Homeric Hymns, and Theogony, is that gods are seen as spiteful and unstable towards the people that revere them. Homer depicted the gods as powerful beings with negative attributes that will harm people if they do not appease to the immortals. So are the Greeks of this time just worshipping the gods to avoid harm and repercussions? People seemed to be so focused on appeasing the gods that they weren’t following their own paths of life. Regular people make mistakes and with the temperate of the immortals, the whole race could nearly be wiped out for making the wrong reaction in the presence of a god. Whether it would be direct contact or indirect effects of an immortal to a mortal, the interaction with gods may have some positive effects for humans, but overall gods can overreact at petty things thus canceling out the positive.
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.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how hesiod's take on the origin of evil challenges the idea that humans are to blame for creating evil.
- Explains that hesiod's works provide a more compelling introduction of evil than genesis. they analyze how humans act against their respective gods and what immediate consequences follow their actions.
- Analyzes how the divine-human relationship in hesiod complicates the common notion that evil resulted in the disobedience of humans.
- Compares the divine-human relationship in both works and the blame that is placed on the introduction of evil.
- Analyzes how hesiod's concept of evil does not coincide with the traditional definition that evil is wrong. the fall of adam and eve provides an explanation of how inherently evil humans are.
- Analyzes how the gods in hesiod's works are not as impartial and all-knowing as they are revered to be. prometheus reclaims fire back to humankind because it is the only way to "make a living."
- Analyzes how hesiod complicates the idea that evil originates from humans by portraying a god that falls from the traditional characteristics of virtuous divine being.
- Analyzes how hesiod provides a compelling story of the origin of evil as he denounces the idea that humans are solely at fault for introducing evil to society.
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In this essay, the author
- Describes a myth as "the ancient's view of the world" by philip matyszak.
- Explains that greek mythology is based on ancient oral tradition, such as iliad and odyssey, and hesiod's theogony. zeus was the ruler of the sky and the olympian gods thought of him as the father.
- Explains that hermes led souls to the river styx in the underworld, where charon ferried them to hades where kerberos stood guard to keep them in.
- Explains that the roman version of zeus is identical to the greek version. jupiter was in charge of the laws and social order and was the god of storms.
- Explains that the greeks worshipped in sanctuaries, a well-defined sacred space set apart by an enclosure wall. the central ritual act in ancient greece was animal sacrifice, especially of oxen, goats, and sheep.
- Opines that most of us have heard the tales of zeus and hades, or have learned of them in school, and have found them different than what we normally read.
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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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
3757 wordsRead More - Gods In Ancient Greek Mythologyexplanatory essayReligion in ancient Greece was a major part of life and society. The religion related to all areas of life including how mankind even came into existence. Greek religion also consisted of temples, which covered the land, city festivals to commemorate the gods, and many myths. Polytheism was a major belief in Greek religion and it played a major role.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that religion in ancient greece was a major part of life and society including how mankind even came into existence.
- Explains that polytheism, or the worship of many gods, was a major aspect of ancient greek religion.
- Explains that temples were places where on special occasions, religion would take on a more proper quality. the word naos means dwelling place in reference to the belief that god resided in that place.
- Explains that priests coordinated religious ceremonies and delivered prayers, and women were restricted in the sense that they were virgins or beyond menopause.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that mythology is a body of stories told to explain the world and its mysteries.
- Explains that the greek god, zeus, was the father of all the gods and the sky.
- Explains that hera, the greek goddess of women and marriage, was the patroness of marriage and the guardian of children.
- Explains that the greek god apollo was associated with archery, healing, and poetry. the romans worshipped apollo as the god of healing and prophecy.
- Explains that poseidon was the greek god of the sea, earthquakes and horses. he controlled the mediterranean sea as he watched over fishermen.
- Explains that hades was the greek god who ruled the underworld. he was a son of cronus and rhea and the youngest brother of zeus
- Explains that ares, the greek god of war, was known for his love of wrecking havoc on the battlefield and his delight in the death of soldiers.
- Explains that athena represented the strategic planning of war rather than raw violence. she was a state goddess, concerned with fertility in all respects.
- Opines that berens, e. m., a handbook of mythology: the mys and legends of ancient greece and rome.
- Explains that felson, nancy, ph.d., "athena, poseidon." world book student.
- Explains genovese, e. n., ph.d. "juno, jupiter, mars, minerva." world book student.
- Explains harmon, daniel p., ph.d. "pluto." world book student.
- Explains littleton, c. scott, ph.d., "hades." world book.
- Explains that phillips, f. carter, ph.d., "apollo, ares and hera, zeus." world book student.
- Explains stapleton's illustrated dictionary of greek and roman mythology.
1361 wordsRead More - Cunning over Strengthanalytical essayOdysseus and his men land on the island of the Cyclops extremely hungry and looking for food. He and his men carefully search the island despite the “....instant foreboding that we were gong to find ourselves face to face with some barbarous being of colossal strength and ferocity, uncivilized and unprincipled” (Homer;9;213;216). The Cyclops also known as Polyphemus returns home from tending his animals to find twelve strangers in his cave. He quickly returns the boulder back in the door way and begins asking the men who they are and where they came from. At first Polyphenus shows hospitality to them until Odysseus replies to him with a lie. Polyphenus is outraged and quickly grabs two of Odysseus’ men and bashes their brains out and begins to eat them. Odysseus and his men are terrified that such a horrific creature could do such a thing. He then realizes that will have to use their whits to get away from this creature not their brute strength. He then hardens a stick out of a piece of olive wood and hides it under some dung in the cave. When Polyphenus returns to the cave Odysseus then sets out to ...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the odyssey, written by homer, shows that it's not always your strength but your cunning ability to get you through treacherous situations.
- Describes how odysseus and his men search the island of the cyclops despite the foreboding encounter with a barbaric creature.
- Analyzes how odysseus is warned by circe that the sweet voices of the sirens' bewitch anyone who comes near to them.
- Analyzes how odysseus is cunning, and penelope is defending her marriage against the suitors. she develops an ingenious plan to stay faithful to her long lost husband.
- Analyzes how odysseus freed himself and his men from the barbarous polyphemus by using his cunning mind to devise a plan.
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