Greek Gods and Goddesses
Can you accept that many years ago, powerful immortal deities were thought to walk the earth? Ancient Greek life was full of gods and goddesses and their belief of them affected their daily living greatly. With powers far greater than a human could ever hope to possess, the ability to shape-shift, and often having drop-dead looks, these creatures are an incredibly interesting topic to study. For years, gods that believed to control many aspects of Greek lives. Since most of the Greeks were sailors, the god Poseidon played a huge part in their culture.
Poseidon could control the seas and cause terrible earthquakes to all who angered him. He was considered to be the second most powerful god. The most powerful god had power over the skies and all that happens there. His name is Zeus, king of the gods. An unfaithful spouse to Hera, many stories are devoted to his flings with mortals and the byproducts of his actions. For example, the eternally famous hero, Heracles, was a son of the god of the skies himself.
His strength and well-known victories while doing his twelve tasks turned Heracles into the ancient Greek equivalent of George Clooney or Chris Pine. Isn’t it fascinating to consider how large a role Greek goddesses played in such a sexist society? Athena, for example, is the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. She was greatly revered and many Greeks would go to her for advice. For example, Perseus was given life-saving advice by her when he set out on his quest to kill Medusa; a hideous gorgon whose gained would turn all who looked to stone. The queen of the gods, otherwise known as Hera, was an extremely beautiful, powerful and easily offended goddess.
She had a reputation for exacted harsh revenge on mortals whom her husband, Zeus, would court. The belief in immortal deities greatly altered ancient Greek life. There were many occasions when a sacrifice was deemed necessary for the Greeks. Weddings and wars being the most prominent. There were many other things that required sacrifices. Some absolutely tiny, like you’ll have a good birthday.
Or more important things like whether or not your friend will die from an infection. Greeks were brilliant storytellers and loved to create tall tales, otherwise known as myths, until it became hard to know what had actually happened and what happened. Because of their belief in gods, it was easy to pass of blame to one of them instead of taking responsibility for their actions or trying to understand what had actually happened. Aren’t the Greek beliefs quite intriguing? Have you read stories about the mighty gods? The women of ancient Greece often prayed to their goddesses. It is clear that the belief of these inhuman immortals has affected Greek life greatly. Imagine standing in the bustling center of Athens as majestic temples rise up so high that they seem to touch the sky.
Greeks rush past you dressed in togas and chitons, hurrying to complete their errands. Overwhelming colors and scents assault your senses turning everything to a blur of color and noise. Shouts in a language you can’t understand reach your ears, and signs with strange symbols stare back at you mockingly. Sighing quietly, you say with a small smile “It’s all Greek to me”.
