Not only did the Greeks fear and respect the mythological gods and goddesses that they created, but they also related to the stories and characteristics of each god. The Greeks primarily used Mythology to better understand the world around them, but a few of the stories were purely for entertainment. Those who disliked the irrational, but loved facts created mythology. These mythologies consisted of the gods and goddesses encountering struggles, love, pain, and almost any human interaction. The Ancient Greeks applied the stories to overcome similar struggles in their own lives. Although the Greeks respected these mythological deities, they did not view the gods as religious figures. Almost every god or goddess had a mythology that featured …show more content…
An inadequate amount of punishment would pursue, and another god would have to step into the big responsibilities that Zeus once possessed. Many of the other gods and goddesses looked to Zeus during a time of need for answers and guidance. Also, Zeus had many offspring that had many prominent roles in mythology. For example, Athena was Zeus’ daughter who embodied the characteristics of wisdom, courage, inspiration, justice, strategy, and protection. The Greek mortals, just like many people today, liked to feel secure, and that was another role that Zeus played as the ruler of the Heavens. The theoretical absence of Zeus shows how different the Greek mythologies would be without this powerful …show more content…
Another key significance about this story is that it exhibited the human tendency to seek power. Even today, there are instances where employees, students, and influential figures take great steps to elevate themselves to a higher position in society. Some people may even resort to illegal actions to increase their own personal gain. Human nature is always developing, but this specific myth highlighted a human desire to have control and
Long ago, stories of gods, goddesses, heroes, and monsters in ancient Greece were essential to everyday life. Mythology is a culture’s collective rationalization of events, history, and super natural power. Myths are told to have originated in ancient Greece during but the concepts true source is unknown. Influences mythology has on Greeks and Romans include religion, history, art, and entertainment.
When we look at Greek Mythology we often run into the gods of that era. Sometimes they are merely backdrops to the human element of the story but in stories such as The Odyssey the gods play a prominent if not vital role to the central themes of the story.
Greek mythology is sewn together with many godlike deities, one of the strongest being Zeus. “Through a vast set of myths and legends (the clearest illustration is Hesiod 's Theogony) the gods and goddesses were carefully related
In many ways, Greek gods are very much like human. They exhibit different emotions and act according to their own desires. According to Mike Webster from the Grand Valley State University, Greek gods “act capriciously, frivolously, and even immorally, that they are not particularly heroic, and that they lack the religious seriousness we might expect from a god”. These qualities that the Greek gods possess enable them to develop a deeper connection to the mortal world that gods from other religions usually do not and for the Greeks to relate to their gods more personally. In many myths, gods mingle in the world of mortals and interact directly with them. Zeus has many affairs with mortals; Athena fights with the mortals. In other texts, gods
In General the Greeks respected and feared their gods because they understood that they were superior creatures, but they usually felt differently about different gods depending on that God’s personality and the myths that surrounded his existence.
There are many topics to be explored in Ancient Greek mythology. This unique polytheistic religion was based upon myth about anthropomorphic gods and goddesses. It impacted every facet of Grecian life from law and ritual to culture and art. The individual as well as society both influenced the characteristics of the religion and were influenced by the religion itself.
In Ancient Greece the people honored and believe in the deities. Myths, poems, and epics
Ancient Greek religion was a polytheistic religion that believed in many gods and goddesses. To Greeks, these gods and goddesses would be able to control everything. Each god or goddess had his or her own distinct personality and territory. “Greek myths explained the origins of the gods and their individual relations with mankind” (Hemingway). Unlike current religions, like Christianity and Judaism, Greek gods were not known for being moral or being truly good or evil. Many of the Greek gods and goddesses were disorganized and self-contradicting. Although this was apparent to the Greeks, the Greeks believed that their religion was to brighten their own lives, rather than give them godlike guidance. The best example of a self-contradicting Greek god is Zeus – father of all gods and humans (Cunningham and Reich 32-33).
The tales of Greek heroes and the gods are older than all of us. Most of these tales are thought to be myths, but every interpretation of Greek mythology and the stories that it contains correlates with something in the real world today. The story of the creation of the world, and the stories of the heroes Hercules, Perseus and Theseus, are only but a few of the compelling stories Greek mythology has to offer.
"Zeus, father of gods and of men. His power was vast as the sky, mighty as the roll of thunder . . . " (Lord 9). From this description of Zeus we could imagine a huge dominating person who had absolute control over everything. Zeus, was the father of gods, many of them were his children. Zeus was the god who liberated the world from the rule of the Titans. His father, Cronus, was the most powerful of the Titans. Cronus had heard that one day one of his sons would manage to take the throne from him. In order to avoid this most miserable fortune, he swallowed his children right after they were born. Zeus managed to avoid this fate though because his mother tricked Cronus into swallowing a rock instead. When Zeus was grown, he forced Cronus, with the help of his grandmother earth, to regurgitate all of the five older children and the rock. Then with the help of his siblings, and various other creatures he defeats the Titans. Zeus and his brother then drew lots to see who would rule what. Zeus ended up as ruler of the skies. He wielded the devastating thunderbolt. His power was greater than all of the other gods powers combined. In spite of his power though, he is not omnipotent or omniscient. He can be opposed and deceived. Both Poseidon and Hera, his wife, get the better of him in the Illiad. Might...
Greek mythology was used in ancient times to explain how and why the world works and how it was created. People used Greek Mythology to tell myths about why the world has characteristics such as water ,plants, life, and animals. Myths tell stories about Gods, Goddesses, monsters and mythical creatures, although there are many myths about the sea, trees, and life, but one the most important myth is the myth of Gaea she was known to be the creator of earth.
Mythology was an integral part of the lives of all ancient peoples. The myths of
To begin with, the ancient Greeks explained the creation of the universe, in particular the Earth and its elements, by a system of anthropomorphism in which their gods are human-like and are representatives of these elements. For example, Zeus is the god of heaven while Hades is the underworld lord (Hesiod, p.145). Unlike the Christians’ god who is “flawless”, the ancient Greeks’ divinities are portrayed as humans and are far from perfect. Their gods behave like ordinary people except they are immortal and have supernatural powers. Like any human being, the Greeks’ gods have love, jealousy, sadness, etc. For instance, in Euripides’ Bacchae, Zeus falls in love with Semele, which makes Hera becomes jealous and tries to kill Semele and Dionysus (Euripides, p.209). The Greeks even have a physically imperfect god, Hephaestus. This is to say that the gods’ attitude toward mortals is affected by how people treat them as the Greeks’ gods have emotions like humans.
The relationship between gods and mortals in mythology has long been a complicated topic. The gods can be generous and supportive, and also devastating and destructive to any group of humans. Mortals must respect the powers above them that cannot be controlled. The gods rule over destiny, nature, and justice, and need to be recognized and worshipped for the powerful beings as they are. Regardless of one's actions, intentions, and thoughts, the gods in Greek myth have ultimate power and the final decision of justice over nature, mortals, and even each other.
In conclusion, myths reflect show us the Greeks view on the world, religion, and nature. Their understanding of the world is both similar and different compared to modern society. Myths also reflect the importance of gods in the Greek society and how each god represented something different. In addition, we can see the role of monsters in myths, what they represent and how were they important. Myths also show us the role of women in society and whether they were as important as men or not.