The Contradictory Nature of Greek Gods and Godesses

1265 Words3 Pages

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.

Show More
Related

  • God of Jealous Grace

    964 Words  | 2 Pages

    After creating a pure and perfect world which he declared “good,” God experienced His first disappointment in humans. When He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and instructed them not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam and Eve made the decision to disobey God and eat from it. According to the Old Testament, this decision gave Adam and Eve’s descendants (all humans) their sinful human nature, which as a result separated those who did not repent from God’s grace. Eventually the world was full of wickedness and a new side of YHWH came out. The God of unconditional love who is often thought of tended to be a God ...

    Read More

  • Deities of Greek Mythology

    739 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gods and goddesses in mythology are used in allusions and often referred to in our daily lives, but do we truly understand them? We may not understand how or why they look the way they do, how they behave, what they are capable of accomplishing, or how they interacted with humans. These super-beings of extremely high status were the heart and soul of prayers and explanations of natural phenomena. They had a variety of natures and were represented in a variety of ways, by different religions.

    Read More

  • Greek Gods

    530 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Prometheus Hera, The Queen Of The Gods

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the begging of time, where humans where non-existent, the nature of gods was very chaotic due to there always being a power struggle between the gods. Through myths, many people were able to take into accounts of how the gods interacted with humans for better or for worse. It was known to many Greek citizens that gods were these almighty powerful beings who were praised and had to be treated with respect and dignity. Many people also feared the gods because there were known to disguise themselves as humans, and lay curses to those who did not obey the beliefs that the gods expected. Due to the power struggles between the gods many humans were caught in the crossfire because each god cared about power and rule. Aeschylus’ tragedy “Prometheus

    Read More

  • Relationship Between Gods And Humanity

    709 Words  | 2 Pages

    The relationship between the gods and humanity in The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey are the same. In each saga, the gods seem to live nearby and are always present. Both epic poems portray humans as simply at the mercy of the gods. The gods feel that it is their duty to intervene if they feel that man is traveling off course from his destiny. However, the gods are not all powerful.

    Read More

  • Comparing Evil In Hesiod's Works And Genesis

    1817 Words  | 4 Pages

    Within Genesis, Works & Days, and Theogony the divine-human relationship is depicted where humans are initially blessed by the gods and live an effortless life until humans challenged them, thus leading to the existence of evil. Unlike Genesis, however, the origin of evil in Theogony is ambiguous because there is no clear indication of who is considered to be “in the right” between Prometheus and Zeus. While it can be argued that Prometheus should be held responsible for bringing evil due to his holier-than-thou attitude towards Zeus, it is important to consider that Zeus holds responsibility for condemning evil to Prometheus and humankind. In addition, Hesiod raises

    Read More

  • Essay on the Gods in Euripides' Medea

    567 Words  | 2 Pages

    The general thems is gods are not as good as they are supposed to be.

    Read More

  • Greek Gods And Roman Gods

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Roman Gods have a lot of differences to the Greek Gods. For instance, the Greek Gods came around 700 years before the Roman civilisation and the Roman Gods came 1000 years after the Greeks. So the two types of Gods, didn’t intervene in each other. The literary source is also a difference. The Greek myths, including in the Gods, were chronicled in the book the Illiad by Homer. The Roman myths chronicled in book Aeneid. The Greek Gods are based on human personality traits such as love, honour, hatred and dignity. The Roman Gods are named after objects like planets. The two different types of Gods had special traits. The Greek Gods were as Gods were based on human traits they each had characteristics that determined their actions. Their revered traits are that he creativity is more important than physical works, they revered the poet. The Roman Gods were not central to the myths because they are not gender specific. Their revered traits are focused on actions rather than words, they revered the warrior as sacred. Also the Greek Gods were individualistic: actions of the individual were of more consequences that action of the group, Roman Gods are not. The main difference is that Greek Gods were an attraction with very beautiful features and the Roman Gods did not have a physical appearance, only represented in the imagination of the people.

    Read More

  • The Greek Gods: Symbolism Of The Olympian Gods

    1210 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most people that learn about the twelve main Olympian gods might think that they are confusing, imperfect, and just down right weird. And they are. They have symbols to represent them but most of the symbols for them have no connection. However, let 's take Zeus for example, one of his symbols is the thunderbolt, Zeus 's most well known symbol. Zeus however is connected to the thunderbolt because he can throw them.

    Read More

  • The Greek Gods And Goddesses

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    My research topic is on the twelve Olympians and the minor gods and goddesses. These gods and goddesses are from the Greek mythology. The ancient Greek gods and goddesses are mythical being that rule over in this world. The ancient Greek gods and goddesses have always and will always have diversified meaning. The pondering of the Greek gods and goddesses that are in the myths, because twelve Olympians, Artemis, Athena, the big three, and personifying the life of the gods and goddesses.

    Read More

  • The True Nature Of Man And Gods In Homer's The Iliad

    1083 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, gods are presented as remarkably human in almost every way. While it is assumed that gods are divine entities incapable of human transgression, they are portrayed with all the flaws of mortals in The Iliad. The gods are a manifestation of human emotions consequently helping to explain the behavior of the humans in The Iliad. The actions of the heroes are what determine their fate, not divine intervention. Ultimately, the humans in The Iliad have inherent characteristics that provide the driving force behind their actions: the gods simply act in concert with them, allowing the human beings to exercise free will of

    Read More

  • Oedipus The King: Role Of Gods

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Gods can be evil sometimes.” In the play “Oedipus the King”, Sophocles defamed the gods’ reputation, and lowered their status by making them look harmful and evil. It is known that all gods should be perfect and infallible, and should represent justice and equity, but with Oedipus, the gods decided to destroy him and his family for no reason. It might be hard to believe that gods can have humanistic traits, but in fact they do. The gods, especially Apollo, are considered evil by the reader because they destroyed an innocent man’s life and his family. They destroyed Oedipus by controlling his fate, granting people the power of prophecy, telling Oedipus about his fate through the oracle of Apollo, and finally afflicting the people of Thebes with a dreadful plague. Fundamentally, by utilizing fate, prophecies, the oracle of Apollo, and the plague, the gods played a significant role in the destruction of Oedipus and his family.

    Read More

  • The Metamorphoses And The IIlad

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gods are were seen interacting with mortal on numerous occasions. When Athena goes to Telemachus and to provide information about his father. Later, Telemachus thought about dismissing all suitors because Athena advised him to do so. It was kind of a friendly relationship sometimes between gods and mortals in the Odyssey. On Telemachus journey, Athena provided a lot of confidence into the prince. It gave Telemachus a sense of hope that his father was still out there. When there is hope there is always a way and that is what Athena gave to to him. Another interaction is when Odyessy made Poseidon upset. Poseidon is one of the Gods who holds a grudge against a mortal and had a negative impact during the journey. Odysseus killed Polyphemus, that is why Poseidon left Odysseus on an island before his return home. The relationship between Gods and Humans are similar between humans and humans. The only thing that is different is that Gods have the powers and ability to do

    Read More

  • Gods In Ancient Greek Mythology

    600 Words  | 2 Pages

    Religion 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.

    Read More

  • Do the Gods Love Humanity?

    1464 Words  | 3 Pages

    Humans tend to believe that their gods love them, that they were created in the image of their gods to be inheritors, to one day join them in immortality, or even just as children who are loved and cared for. However, when examining the texts of ancient civilizations that offer stories about god to human interaction, it becomes questionable whether or not the gods actually had any sort or regard for humans other than as a pet or a servant. Assuming that the human interpretation of actions of the gods is factual, events such as Creation and the Flood- constants found in nearly every civilization- become advocates that humans do not hold the favor of the gods, and even heroes found in Ancient Mesopotamian myths can be thrown aside without regret. While Humans may hope to be cared for by their lords, the opposite may in fact be the truth. This essay will examine the myth of Creation and the myth of the flood in multiple societies, as well as Mesopotamian prayers and myths about human-god interaction such as How Adapa Lost Immortality, as well as Aqhat to determine whether or not the gods really do care about humans.

    Read More

More about The Contradictory Nature of Greek Gods and Godesses

Open Document