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The iliad and the odyssey influence on literature
The iliad and the odyssey influence on literature
Influence of greek myths
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When most people consider the Iliad and Odyssey, religion does not come to mind but; In fact, without bronze age religion these stories would not exist as we know them. The validity of homers exists as a person, group of people or fictional character. Would these stories carry the same positive morals as they would without a religious influence. If not would they be as important to Greek culture as today.
There has been many debate on when exactly the bronze age took place, most dates were close together but still different. We do know for sure that the bronze age came before the iron age but after the stone age. Though we do not know the exact dates of this period, we still have enough evidence to suggest it is between 3,000 BCE and 1,000 BCE. Like most time periods, the bronze age can be divided into a early, middle and late age. During the bronze age their was many cultures celebrated or taken part in; such as, aegean and mainland culture. Most of these cultures were alike and different in many ways. The main thing that made these cultures alike was their belief in their gods. During the bronze age, the people had really strong beliefs in the Greek gods; such as, Poseidon is the "God of the Sea". If someone was going on a long boat journey across the sea, they would pray to Poseidon for safe travels. This is not much different then what happens today. Even though, we do not pray to the Greek gods for healing, we do pray to our gods for pretty much the same things.
During the bronze age, the religion was not very different then what it is today. People believe in their god and worship them without any care as to what others thought. Most people believe what they were raised to believe; For example, someone raised in a cathol...
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...ouldn't have as much affect as they did in the bronze age. This is because in this day in time most people don't really believe in Greek gods. This was so popular back then that it became a norm for Greek literature.The Greeks believed homer was the godfather of their national culture.
Surmising from the facts in this essay it ca be said that without bronze age religion homers stories would be very different if they even existed at all. the theory that homer was multiple people can even further show how far the effects of religion have on a culture because if he was in fact multiple people then "they" were all influenced by the same religion and culture. religion can be a controversial topic when being compared to fictional writings but the effects of religion spread deep into every aspect of a culture including writing so a cultures authors should be no exception.
As the name suggests the Bronze Age is a period of human culture, in which civilizations heavily used copper and bronze for various aspects of life and trading. The beginning of the Bronze Age is estimated to date before 3000 BCE in parts of Med. Europe, Middle East and China. Knossos and Mycenae are both archeological sites, and date back to the Bronze Age. Knossos was the capital of the ancient Minoan civilization; located on the island of Crete. Mycenae was a massive fortified palace, located between two hills on the plain of the Peloponnese, Greece.
Religion, an inseparable part of civilization, influenced people a lot. Both Egyptians and Olmecs were polytheistic, so in general they were quite similar. They had various gods and respected to them. The pharaohs and shamans were regarded as incarnation of gads, or they can intervene with supernatural world. Also people will had ceremonies for different purposes.
Greek mythology deals significantly with culture and its factors, as they describe the societies and the people inhabiting it by depicting their everyday life and the state of their land. Both Hephaestus, in Homer’s Iliad, and Odysseus, in Homer’s The Odyssey, set out to portray the cultures that they saw, yet the cultures and societies varied greatly, from Hephaestus illustrating the highly developed societies of the Greek and their culture; while on the other hand, Odysseus seems baffled by how underdeveloped the Cyclopes land and culture is. Hephaestus and Odysseus seem to have the same understanding what is normal of a culture, society, and their factors; however, there are noteworthy variations between their accounts.
Homer is a well-known author who is recognized for shaping Greek culture. While Homer wrote, he would call upon the muse which would help him spread knowledge throughout his works. These muses were known for their source of inspiration which would guide writers such as, Homer into writing great works. Two of his famous pieces are poems called The Iliad and The Odyssey that in respect are referred to as some of the greatest ancient Greek epics ever written. These literary works have influenced Greek culture greatly and have presented themes that people can relate to today.
Homer was a very influential and significant part of the Greek civilization. The Greeks had been passing down stories, by word, of the Golden Age and of the great battles of the Greeks for many years. Homer ...
Pino, Zachary. "How Religion Developed in the Stone Age and Bronze Age - Western Civilization I Video." Education Portal. Education Portal, Inc, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. .
Homer. ?The Odyssey,? World Masterpieces: Expanded Edition. Maynard Mack ed. Ed. Coptic St.: Prentice, 1995.
Religion was deeply intertwined the culture of the ancient Greeks. In their stories, they prayed to the gods to satisfy their needs and offer assistance in their endeavors, and the gods would occasionally appear to select Greeks to give counsel, gifts, or other forms of aid. Alternatively, if the desires or endeavors of a mortal or mortals displeased one or more of the gods, they would also interfere with the fulfillment of their goals. In Homer’s Odyssey, the gods appear to or interfere with both Telemachus and Odysseus, either to help or hinder them in their journeys. Although the gods are responsible the difficulty Odysseus faces returning from Troy, they are equally responsible for motivating and assisting Odysseus and Telemachus in their respective travels. If not for divine interference, neither Odysseus nor Telemachus would have journeys to make.
...lot to be desired. The Roman individual interest and desire to be great takes a little away from the story. In fact it may have been one of the reasons for their down fall. I like the Greeks view a little better. Homer wasn’t writing this for himself or for anyone else. He wanted to do it for the people. He wanted to show people what was valuable about tradition and how in looking at tradition important values were demonstrated. This paper has lead me to believe this and might do so to others. I can see where both ideas have their place, but one makes for a better story , and the other makes for a valuable historical tool.
From the time of early Greece and Rome, around 2500-500 BC, humans have considered religion to be not only an explanation of how life was created, but also a guide on how to live life. Initially, religion in Greece was centered around the poetry of Homer and Hesiod. Gods were thought to be of great multiplicity and each had a distinct personality which reflected the society of man. Their essence lacked uniformity, as portrayed
Homer clearly and precisely depicts the religion and the ethics of the Achian and Trojan societies in The Iliad. During the time of the Trojan war, religion played an important role in the societies. Sacrifice, prayer, and rituals were all equally significant, and the superiority of the gods and the fates above humans was a standard of society. The gods were sacred deities to whom one had to bestow honor and respect. Within the society, honor, glory, and fame were desperately sought by warriors striving to achieve enduring notoriety. One's word represented a considerable commitment to be acted upon. Religion and ethics are prominently displayed in the characters throughout The Iliad due to their importance in Greek and Trojan society.
Homer’s literature served as a moral messenger to the people of ancient Greece. The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, and his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus was a great, wise, noble, and well respected war hero to his people. Odysseus had one tragic flaw that was demonstrated by his actions throughout the book. The author Homer continued to strip Odysseus of his arrogance throughout the story, by throwing challenges his way, making him pay for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus journey also to reach his home a more humble man. Reading Odysseus’ journey also served as a way to look at morals. The
Although there is some similarity between religion in Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt, they are mostly different. For starters, Greek worshipers believed that the gods would treat them well and meet their needs if they offered them animal sacrifices and fruits of the harvest. To the Greeks, animal sacrifice was similar to prayer. It was the central ritual act in Ancient Greece especially of oxen, goats, and sheep. A sacrifice would mainly take place when someone decided that they owed something to or wanted something from a god, there was also regular times in the year meant for sacrifices. Many sacrifices were family matters, like if someone was sick, perhaps one or two chickens might be sacrificed with the family standing around, and then the family would eat the chickens for dinner. Opposite of how the Greeks, Egyptians
In these two classic, epic poems told by Homer, the roles of the gods are very important to the characters and their journey throughout the books. It is always a positive or negative effect but the gods’ interference on mortals’ lives makes this an epic journey that has been remembered for thousands of years. The Iliad and the Odyssey are very different from each other in that the Iliad has more gods that effect the war and its outcome whereas the Odyssey only has two major gods that effect two characters.
Greeks had used writing since c. 1400 BC, but it was not until the late 8th century BC that their literature was first written down. Greek literature began in Ionia with the brilliant epics of Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey. These mature products of a long tradition of oral poetry brought together a vast body of divine and heroic myths and sagas that served as a foundation for much subsequent Greek literature. The epic view of humankind had a lasting influence on Greek thought; indeed, it has been said that later Greek literature is but a series of footnotes to Homer.