In this paper I will present the similarities between Greek and Egyptian culture in their ways of religion and burial rites. Then I will attempt to illustrate the importance of religion, death and fate in Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus.

The Greek peninsula has been culturally linked with the Aegean Islands, and the west coast of Asia Minor since the Neolithic Age. Prehistoric Period Archeological evidence shows that a primitive Mediterranean people, closely related to races of northern Africa, lived in the souther Aegean area during that time. In The Histories of Herodotus , by E.H. Blankeney it is said that Herodotus believed that many Greek rituals and customs were inherited from the Egyptians as the Greek civilization developed. He recorded the wide range of religious practices he encountered in his travel, comparing the religious observances of various cultures, such as sacrifice and worship, with their Greek equivalent. He followed the cult practices of Serapis, which is the Greek name for the Egyptian god Osiris who ruled the underworld. He identified Isis with Demeter, the Greek goddess of earth, agriculture and fertility. In mythology many cultures believe

I have slain him who gave me life; and now

Make further search, for I have felt enough

Allied to me; she is my wife, e'en she

And find it too."(pg.272)

Ancient Greek religion has been the subject of speculation and research from classic times to the present. Herodotus believed that the rites of many of the gods had been derived from the Egyptians. Prodicus of Ceos, a Sophist philosopher seems to have taught that the gods were simply personifications of natural phenomena, such as the sun, moon, winds, and water. The ancient Greeks had a sense of weakness before the powers of nature. The both revered it and feared it, they acknowledged their dependence on the divine beings whom they believed those powers to be controlled. From birth to death the ancient Greek invoked the gods on every memorable occasion. Their very existence was believed to depend on the divine favor of the gods. Celebrations for the gods were held regularly under the supervision of high officials. Public gratitude was expressed for being unexpectedly delivered from evil happenings or for being unusually prosperous.

Oedipus was guilty of killing his father and marrying his mother in fact, but the reality is that the second Jocasta gave him away to be slaughtered by the shepherd his destiny was sealed. There was no way to avoid what was already the predetermined course of his life.

he is unable to stop his quest for the truth, even under his wife's pleading. For it is in his own arrogance that he must solve the final riddle, the riddle of his own life.

The historian Herodotus said "The god suffers none but himself to be proud" sums up the main philosophy of that influences all of classical Greek literature. The sense of human limitation was the basic feature of Greek religion; the gods sole source of the good or evil that fell upon mortals, were approached only by making sacrifices and giving thanks for past blessings or pleading for future favors.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1925
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)