What does the depiction of the gods and divine society reveal about Greek culture and mindset? What does the general nature of the gods - their place in the universe, their roles, their personalities, psychological and physical makeup, their behavior - sa

The Depiction of Gods and Divine Society of Ancient Greece

The society of ancient Greece was constantly under siege the two main places of power in Greece were Athens and Sparta . Greece was divided into numerous city-states and each community (polis ) had its patron god or goddess

To the ancient Greeks , the gods and goddesses were an unquestionable reality . Their supreme father , Zeus , is said to have come from the earliest Greeks as the god of weather (Ron Leadbetter , 1997 . Zeus was the lord of all gods and mortals

This indicates

a rather patriarchal society amongst the ancient Greeks yet the Goddesses were also mighty and fierce they were everything from patrons of childbirth to warrior huntresses (Athena and Artemis

There were twelve celestial deities in all , called the Olympians . Zeus and his wife Hera were the highest lords . The other ten Olympians were all children of Zeus , except for Aphrodite , who mysteriously appeared from the sea

The stories of the gods , goddesses , demigods , heroes and monsters are rich and complex there was a deity of some sort for every human emotion or activity . The varied and interwoven relationships between them depicted , perhaps , hidden human desires that were attributed only to the gods

The records of the Greek religion exist in texts such as Homer , The Iliad and other plays and novels . It was believed by the ancient Greeks that one 's life was controlled by the gods , and so was fate . The Three Fates were women who spun the thread of life for a mortal . When the Fates cut the thread , the life ended . No one but the Fates knew how long the thread of life would be

In terms of the Olympians , there was a god or goddess displaying every human trait , and each of them could look into a mortals life at will . If ill fortune fell upon a person , it was because he or she had offended one of the Gods , or because the Gods dictated that the ill fortune should happen as a personal challenge to the individual

Any kind of challenge to the submission of will to the gods was usually in the form of a theatrical play which explored the ridiculousness of simply following the will of the gods at the expense of family sacrifice of children and other irrational acts (Megan Wilde , 1996 These plays only served to reinforce the religion of the common people and increase the gods ' power

The depiction of the Olympians as equal numbers of males and females indicates a sense of balance and proportion , for which the Greeks were the most famous in architecture and the sciences

It is said that while other tribes worshipped idols , the Greeks created radiant and beautiful gods (Erin Cicalo , 2004 . The Greeks praised their talented people as being blessed or favored by the gods singers and poets were said to have their Muse heroes and great leaders were said to have one or more of the gods on their side

While the Greeks built magnificent temples and statues in the image of the gods , the people themselves didn 't give themselves any credit for their own talent . It was all done in praise of whatever god or deity they thought had bestowed them with their gift

It is difficult to ascertain what daily life was like for the common folk of ancient Greece nothing was written about them and only artifacts survive their time period . But plenty is written about the many wars and battles waged between one section of Greece and another such as the Trojan War , which is depicted as involving the Goddesses Athena and Aphrodite

That women were such a source of trouble is a common theme among myths women were the causes of many a battle , and winning their hand was the motivation for many an act of heroism . When someone wanted the attention of another , the person would pray to Aphrodite for help , but woe to those who suddenly fell in love ! That would be the work of Aphrodite 's son Eros , shooting his arrows of infatuation into unwary mortals just for sport

Obviously , the Greeks were well aware of the ills of human nature such as jealousy , greed , laziness , gossip , etc . Mythology says that in to punish mankind for cheating the gods out of their fair share of sacrifices and keeping the best parts for themselves . Zeus told Hephaestus (the god of the forge ) to make an irresistible woman who would carry a box , which contained all of the ills of humanity . The woman 's name was Pandora and when her box was opened , the bad habits of humanity flew out and bit people with a vengeance . Where they had been peaceful before , they began to argue and fight . Apparently , gratitude was very important to the gods and so to the Greeks

The gods were certainly not above fooling each other when Hermes was only a child , he stole some of Apollo 's cows , then had the audacity to lie about it . While Hermes was waiting for Apollo to finish his heavenly tirade , he began to play a lyre he had fashioned out of a tortoise shell and some gut . Apollo was enchanted with the music and let Hermes keep the cattle . This is only one example of subtle manipulation conducted by the gods , and there were many

It would seem that if it was all right for the gods , then it was all right for people as well , as long as the people paid proper tribute to the gods for success in manipulative endeavors

Two gods stand out as being different than the other Olympians , and they are Hades (who did not live at Olympus because he was lord of the underworld ) and Hestia , who was one of the original Olympians but being a peace loving soul , surrendered her Olympian throne to Dionysus in to tend to the hearth and withdraw from the politics and arguments involved with being an Olympian (Gordon Dean , 1998

The ancient Greeks were continually warned not to try to become godlike , as was depicted in the tale of Icarus and Daedalus . Daedalus was a master craftsman and architect . When he and his son Icarus were trapped in a labyrinth , they used artificial wings he had made earlier to escape . Despite the cautions from his father , Icarus flew ever higher and eventually flew too close to the sun , which melted the wax on his wings . He fell to the sea and drowned

Greek mythology is what is left of a rich and imaginative people who founded the rudiments of mathematics , medicine , music , comedy and tragedy and philosophy . The decline of the gods began in the later Hellenistic Era , and eventually Greece fell to Roman rule and the Greek gods were replaced by their Roman counterparts

In image and sculpture , the gods are depicted as beautiful and either youthful or middle aged but with youthful bodies . The Greeks valued beauty and were certainly able to demonstrate that in their artwork and music

The ancient Greeks were an extraordinary race who were able to thrive in a living universe , equipped with deities who involved themselves in every aspect of life . With the advent of philosophy and the decline of religion due to Hellenistic Greece exposing Greeks to other cultures and religions , the gods lost their power in all but the original land

References

Cicalo , Erin . Greek God Project ' San Diego State University , EdWeb 2004 , 11 December 2005 . HYPERLINK "http /edweb .sdsu .edu /t2arp /quest /greekgods /greekgods .html http /edweb .sdsu .edu /t2arp /quest /greekgods /greekgods .html

Dean , Gordon . The Olympians ' Mythweb . 1998 , 12 December 2005 HYPERLINK "http /www .mythweb .com /gods /index .html http /www .mythweb .com /gods /index .html

Leadbetter , Ron . Zeus ' Encyclopedia Mythica . 03 March 1997 , 12 December 2005 . HYPERLINK "http /www .pantheon .org /areas /mythology /europe /greek /articles .html http /www .pantheon .org /areas /mythology /europe /greek /articles .html

Wilde , Megan . Iphigenia At Aulis ' Wildewildeweb . Fall 1996 , 11 December 2005 . HYPERLINK "http /www .wildewildeweb .com /personal /schoolessays /iphigenia .html http /www .wildewildeweb .com /personal /schoolessays /iphigenia .html...