Greek God's And Goddesses

A detailed Summary of Greek God's And Goddesses

The gods and goddesses that the Greek people believe in make up the Greek mythology studied today. These divine characters represent a family living on Mount Olympus who intervene frequently in the lives of the human characters in Greek plays. They are omnipresent, for they are always observing mans actions and working through human nature. The gods are a higher power, and provide explanations for otherwise unexplainable events. The gods help humans in trouble and give them guidance about the future. The Olympians influence men on earth both psychologically and physically. In Homer's epic poem, The Iliad, the intervention of such divine powers as Athena, Apollo, and Zeus play significant roles in the lives of the characters and the events of the Greek-Trojan War.

Athena plays a very influential role in the Greek-Trojan War. She is the most constant divine supporter of the Greeks and divine enemy of the Trojans. Athena's function is to be a goddess of pro-Greek warfare. She came to the aid of the Greeks many times throughout the war. For instance, Athena came down from the sky to stop Achilleus from attacking Agamemnon (Willcock). Andre Michalopoulous confirms this action by quoting what Athena says to Achilles :

Achilles listens to Athena's request, and therefore he returns his sword to its sheath, and withdraws from battle. Athena also assists Achilles in his battle with Hektor. Malcolm Willcock quotes, "After deceiving Hektor into fighting Achilles,she comes to his aid by returning his sword to him" (244). This intervention is the greatest assist of a divine power to a human being in The Iliad.

judgement of Paris and Zues' love for the Trojan boy Ganymede are left

Father Zeus, if ever before in word or action I did you favor among immortals, now grant what I ask for. Now give honor to my son short -

and let not thine hand draw the sword.(65)

drop it and fly away, while the snake fell and squirmed within the ranks of

striking at the neck and breast of its captor until the eagle was forced to

Zeus assists the Trojans in another instance by directly intervening in a battle. Mueller says, "After a general account of indecisive fighting, the turning point in the second day's battle comes when Zeus intervened on the side of the Trojans (103).

Zeus assists the Greeks during the war in many ways. One of the ways in which he comes to the aid of the Greeks is by sending an omen. Agamemnon prays to Zeus that his army might not perish. In response to his prayer, Zeus sends an eagle as a sign that he had granted his wish. This prayer is demonstrated as John Scott says :

of his love for Troy and Hera offers to sacrifice her own favorite cities in

Athena also plays an influential role in the battles of Diomedes. Martin Mueller reveals, "Athena is closest to Diomedes. " She is with him at the beginning and end of his aristeia and she addresses him without disguise" (136). Athena also urges Diomedes to fight Aphrodite. With this command, she removes the cloud from his eyes which made him able to see the gods. Furthermore, as Robert Graves states, "She put fresh strength into his legs and arms," which allowed him to sustain in battle with Aphrodite (104). Athena instructs Diomedes not to attack any other gods; but, Diomedes does not take her advice, and fights against Apollo and other gods, which causes Diomedes to retreat until he is saved by being reunited with Athena. This powerful goddess assistsd Diomedes greatly as she does the other characters in The Iliad.

eagle appeared on the left with a live snake in its talons. The snake kept

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Category: Religion