How did the gods influence the lives of the Ancient Greeks?
Source 1:
A. The Divine played an integral part in Greek
religion and their society.
B. The Greeks were polytheistic, consisting of the
worship of many Gods.
C. The Greeks believed that the Gods would offer
protection and guide their city-states.
D. Divinities were the most important element of
Greek religion and much emphasis was placed
on pleasing the Gods in order to live a life free of
oppression and hardship.
E. the Greeks believed that they had to worship
and please the Gods in order to have good
fortune. The Greeks participated in a number of
rituals, rites, ceremonies and sacrifices in order to
impress and placate the Gods.
F. Temples, shrines and statues were erected as a
designated place to offer sacrifices to the
Gods.
G.
Religion was a very important aspect of
Greek society and culture, with the sacrifices
and regular worships of Gods surving to unify the
people in a common goal to please the Gods.
The Greeks attempted to please the Gods,
fearing that they could upset them with
insolence and impiety.
H. The Greeks also placed an immense faith in the
idea that an afterlife awaited them after their
death. They firmly believed that this life was not
the only reality in which the soul lives, but after
this lifetime, a whole new and different one
awaited them. Greek religion centered on the
belief that the soul moved onto another life,
such as Heaven or Hell.
I. However Greek religion was not simply
legendary tales and fictitious myths, it was a
complex organization with each city-state
containing its own divinities, which acted to
cement the body of citizens into a true
community.
J. The Divine entered all parts of Greek society,
domestic affairs, civic organization, gender,
agriculture and war.
K. The Greeks placed great importance on Twelve
Pantheon Gods. They also worshipped other
deities such as oracles, lesser divinities, demi
Gods and Heroes.
L. The Gods were admired and feared, being
distinguished from man by their immortality.
M.
The Greeks believed that the Gods
controlled natural and social forces and resided
on Mount Olympus.
N. Greek culture was earth based culture and held
a high respect for nature and the earth. To
reflect this love of nature, the Greeks placed
different Gods in charge of different aspects of
life.
O.
They had Gods of the countryside; Nymphs,
the Goat- God Pan, Naead ( dwelling in springs),
dryads (dwelling in trees), Nereids ( dwelling in
the sea) and Satyrs, showing their respect for
nature.
P. The twelve main Gods were: Hades; God of the
underworld, Aphrodite; Goddess of love, Apollo;
God of light, purity, guidance, healing and
music, Zeus; King of Gods, thunder, lightning,
gold and kings, Athere; Goddess of Athens, war,
handicrafts and wisdom, Demeter; Goddess of
harvest, Hera, Hermes, Hestia, Hephaistos,
Poseidon, Artemis and Ares.
Q.
The Greeks used the Gods to explain the
occurrence of things, which they could not
understand through lack of scientific proof. For
example they thought that the Gods controlled
the rising and setting of the sun and created
great myths about such events.
R. Although the Greeks heavily depended on their
Gods to uphold their society, it is evident that
they relied on other deities as well. This can be
seen through the Greeks faith in a deity, which
they called an Oracle. An oracles primary
function was to offer guidance and advice. In
archaic times, the Greeks sought out the Oracles
advice in relation to religious and political
aspects of life. They were also used as a mean
to seek out the will of the Gods.
S. Sanctuaries were dedicated to the Oracles to
indicate their importance. Shrines were also
erected for the Oracles and became places of
international prestige. Oracles controlled many
human decisions about health, sickness, peace,
war, colonization, migration, crime and
punishment.
T. Sacrifices of animals; sheep, cows, goats, pigs
and bulls were made, as well as the occasional
human sacrifice as a present to the Gods.
Chosen animals for sacrifice formed a
procession, they were crowned, adorned,
purified with water and sprinkled with barley. It is
obvious that the Greeks placed a lot of pride in
their temples and shrines, for extensive time was
taken to re-build, preserve and beautify them.
U. Further evidence of the Greeks desire to please
the Gods can be seen through their offerings.
The Greeks offered such things as stone freezes,
"gold vessels, wheat, wine and honey, milk,
water and first fruits." Prayers and hymns
accompanied sacrifices and sometimes
performances and other ritual acts followed
such as dances or early forms of drama.
Source 2: Greek Gods - The Historical Background
Greek gods are an integral part of Greek mythology. Our formal knowledge of the ancient Greek gods
can be traced back to the writings of Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey (8th century BC). In addition,
many scholars believe that the myths were heavily influenced by the Mycenaean culture that existed in
Greece between 1700 and 1100 BC. Remarkably, there is evidence that the beginnings of Greek
mythology can be traced back to the ancient Middle Eastern cultures of Mesopotamia and Anatolia.
There are many similarities between the mythology of these ancient Middle Eastern cultures and the
ancient Greeks.
Greek Gods - The Religious & Social Background
The Greek gods were created by man to explain the world around them, act as a means of exploration,
provide legitimacy and authority to ancient Greek aristocracy, and provide entertainment for the
masses. The religion of the ancient Greeks did not have a single source of written scripture such as the
Bible or the Qur'an. Furthermore, the ancient Greeks did not believe in absolute truth as practiced by
modern faiths such as Christianity and Judaism. Generally, a Greek city-state would devote itself to a
particular god or a set of gods, and depending on the location of the city-state, the characteristics of the
gods could vary widely. Many city-states erected temples to their particular gods, and these gods were
honored in festivals and animal sacrifices. The ancient Greek gods normally took on human form and
lived in a society similar to human society. They exhibited all the emotions of human beings and
frequently intervened in human history. The most significant difference between the Greek gods and
humans was that the gods were immortal and human beings were not.
Greek Gods - The Creation Myths
It is difficult to trace the ancestry of the ancient Greek gods since there are several creation myths. A
combination of the account put together by the Greek Poet Hesiod in the 8th century BC and an
account written by the mythographer (compiler of myths) Apollodrous would have been recognized by
most ancient Greeks. It was as follows: The god Chaos (gaping void) was the foundation of all
creation. Out of this god arose Gaea (earth), Tartarus (underworld) and Eros (love). The god Eros was
necessary to draw Chaos and Gaea together so that they would produce offspring. Chaos then created
night and the first born of Gaea was Uranus (god of the heavens). The union of Chaos and Gaea also
resulted in the creation of the mountains, seas, and gods known as Titans. The interaction of these early
gods resulted in the creation of several other gods. These included well-known figures such as
Aphrodite, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus. Zeus eventually waged war on his father (Cronus) and the
Titans. As a result of this conflict, Zeus established a new regime on Mt. Olympus. Zeus ruled the sky,
his bother Poseidon ruled the seas, and his brother Hades ruled the underworld. The creation of human
beings is the result of conflicting myths. Many creation stories held that human beings sprang directly
from the ground. In some cases, separate Greek societies had their own unique creation events. This is
true for the Arcadians and Thebans, which both trace their beginnings to different earth-born men
created in different areas. One myth states that humans were created out of earth and water, aided by
the Titan, Prometheus, with his gift of fire.
Greek Gods - The Lasting Effects
The Greek gods continue to impact modern society, and the lasting effects of
ancient Greek civilization cannot be exaggerated. In fact, most of Western
civilization can trace its origins to ancient Greece. When the Roman Empire
conquered the Greeks they inherited an extensive empire. The Romans also
adopted the beliefs of the Greeks and Greek mythology became the official
religion of the Roman Empire. This lasted for centuries, until the Roman emperor
Constantine adopted Christianity as the official religion of the Rome in 312 AD.
Although there are no modern formal religions that worship the ancient Greek
gods, their legacy continues throughout the entire world. In particular, the arts
have been greatly influenced by Greek mythology. Many well-known
masterpieces in painting, music, literature and theater use themes from Greek
mythology. Today, the influence of Greek mythology and the ancient Greek gods
shows no sign of diminishing. Computer games frequently use stories of the
ancient Greek gods as a backdrop for their quest orientated games. Motion
pictures that utilize characters from Greek mythology are still popular. It seems
that the moral and intellectual themes of the stories behind the ancient Greek
gods have proven easily adaptable to many cultures over many centuries. It
shows mankind's inherent need to explore origins, meaning and morality - it
shows man's need to explain why he is here and where he is going…
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