Alysandra Bui Hist 010 Professor Chrissanthos TA: David Shanta July 18, 2018 The Gods of Ancient Greek Lives From the Dark Ages to the Archaic Period of Ancient Greece, various aspects of Greek life changed with the addition of a writing system and the development of the Greek polis as the political backbone of civilization. However, one thing that seemed constant and unchanged was the religious attachment they had to the divine beings living on Mount Olympus, whose existence predated the Bronze Age. Through the examination and observation of artifacts and works of fiction, knowledge has accumulated, revealing the workings of civilization from its inception to its end. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayThe ancient Greek religion of mythological polytheism regarding the nature of society, such as natural events, human thought and interaction, and war, largely affected typical life. the daily life of the Greeks; their beliefs organized and gave authority to the ideas, actions, and even material objects of Greek culture and society. The actions of these gods were apparent in every aspect of Greek life, but the most well-known manifestation of this is found in the literature of the time. Homer's Odyssey shows this, where Odysseus and his men are hampered by the natural difficulties linked to the sea voyages of Poseidon, the god of seas and earthquakes. Through several clever tricks of Odysseus to escape a horrible fate in the land of the one-eyed Cyclops, he hurt and angered one of them, who was Poseidon's son named Polyphemus. Because of Odysseus’ actions, Polyphemus prayed to his father and said, “‘Listen to me, great Neptune; if I am indeed your own true son, grant that Odysseus may never reach his home alive'... So he prayed, and Neptune heard his prayer. Then he picked up a rock much larger than the first, swung it upwards and threw it with prodigious force... The sea shook as the rock fell in, and the flow of the wave it raised pushed us forward on our way to the shore of the island. A simple prayer from a son for some type of ill wish on the return journey of Odysseus and his crew automatically elicited a response from Poseidon to wreak havoc on the waters of the sea. In reality, he did not No substantial evidence exists for the veracity of Homer's epic, but many Greeks view the works of several writers of the time not only as tales of adventure, but also as a lesson not to joke with the gods . This instilled the idea of ​​"getting what's coming to you" based on the actions of humans as well as the will and power wielded by the gods. Another significant example involves the Thesmophoria, which was a ceremonial festival to honor the goddess Demeter in hopes of having fertile crops during the harvest season. The practice of mixing parts of a sacrificial pig with corn seeds is interpreted to be linked to blessing the goddess of agriculture that the corn harvest will be plentiful and sweet. Although such a ritual may seem completely absurd due to current knowledge of agricultural practices, the Greeks sincerely believed that the annual festival would produce what they wanted if done correctly. Separated corn kernels and pork are virtually useless on their own in ancient Greek society. However, when combined, they collectively had some form of authority over the Greeks, resulting inat several gatherings across civilization without fail each year for the Thesmophorias. Additionally, a notable point about the festival ritual is the fact that it always takes place in the presence of only adult women, with men not even allowed to speculate or listen to it. This could be because the holiday was dedicated to a goddess and even Demeter's daughter Persephone. The most credible reason is also the fact that women were often presented as the gender involved in the whole fertility theme. Some adult women had the sole profession of being a priestess in which they performed rituals and communicated with the gods on Mount Olympus, like an ancient version of the modern day witch. This indicated a set of principles in which the gods and the Greeks adhered to their rituals. Things like going hunting, going to war, or sailing at sea seemed to be linked to men and male gods such as Zeus and Ares. On the other hand, things regarding motherhood, family and agriculture were linked to women and female goddesses. While this is not absolute, with the exception of the god of death who was a man named Hades, it not only shaped the way they worshiped them but also set a precedent for societal and social rules that can be observed even in today's modern times. Furthermore, these observations connect the idea that the thoughts and interactions of the Greeks were in some way guided by the role that their gods had the authority to interfere in their domains. The Greeks honored the gods, not just out of lack of understanding, but out of an inherent fear that divine beings were responsible for every aspect of their miserable mortal lives. Even though the gods did more harm than good to the ancient Greeks, their power outweighed any suffering they endured, demonstrating that "myths teach us that [mortals] must struggle to appreciate and understand the advice the gods choose to give.” give them away. Although powerful and seemingly supreme in all matters, the Gods were also imperfect and dealt with many things that human beings face. One of the human qualities they possessed came from the fact that the Gods had partners from the mortal world. This clearly comes from the power and nature of attraction, given that their human lovers were generally very desirable unlike many. While there are unlimited options on Olympus for polygamous partners, there are several additional theories as to why they mixed with humans. The main one concerned oversight of the mortal world, as their mixed children would not have different loyalties being born to a single godly parent. The division of loyalties usually occurred when it came to pureblood gods who sided with one parent at a time based on disagreement, or even other immortals, such as titans and nymphs who slipped when they were tasked with certain tasks at the behest of certain gods. . As for half-mortal, half-immortal children, they were better than the average human, creating an ideally good person from which the myths of "the heroes of the fourth generation of humanity" would sprout. As these heroes reproduced, the rest of the Greeks would now believe that they were in some way the descendants of the gods. Many of these sexual interactions between gods and humans themselves have spewed out countless other emotions that can be shown across several different stories. In the myth, Zeus speaks to Prometheus after he.