This post will be about book 6 of the Illiad, which I found particularly interesting.
While reading the Illiad, I couldn't help but feel powerless. It seemed as though all actions and events were done by the gods in some way. For example, in book 6, Diomedes in wounded and prays to Athena for revenge. Athena then grants him SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH. He then goes around slaughtering everyone including the man who hurt him prior, Pandarus. Later, he wounds Aphrodite and then Apollo! This was a big uh-oh. Apollo shows Diomedes mercy but then out of retaliation urges the God of war Ares to fight on the Trojan side. Which leads me to my next talking point, are any mortals worthy of wielding the power of a god without messing things up?
Later Hera and Athena go to Zeus to get permission to intervene on the side of the Archaens.
This book truly made me wonder if this extremely long and taxing war is just a playground for the gods. It almost seems like a form of entertainment for them, like a play. Although humans have free will, they almost always ask/sacrifice to the gods for advice and help. Even when a human decides to do something, it seems as though a God can shut it down with the snap of a finger; all while able to be wooed, wounded and tricked by the mortals! This back and forth of power by Homer is intriguing to me. Let me know your thoughts!
(Also, I apologize for the tardy post. I added this class late and the permission email to enter this blog found its way into my spam folder) Also enjoy this horrible graphic I made with powerpoint haha
I’ve noticed and thought about all of the same things you mentioned. I keep wondering how much destiny and fate actually matter, because it seems that the gods make exceptions all the time. Either it’s unacceptable to meddle or they justify it in some way. I’ve been picturing the war as just simply entertainment for them as well, like a sport for them. And to answer your question about whether any mortals are worthy of the powers and other things that gods have given them over time, I definitely don’t think so. I can’t think of any time off the top of my head that it went well and ended happily because the person was responsible and never let it get to their head. Though of course, maybe we just never heard about those stories because what’s the point in writing them down to retell for thousands of years if there was no lesson to be learned? Basically, humans are too flawed to handle the powers, gifts, knowledge etc. that the gods possess. As we keep seeing, not even they are always wise with their talents!
ReplyDeleteAnd it's pretty clear sometimes that the gods themselves are not so flawless as to be trusted with those powers...
DeleteI think that when you combine the pettiness, greed, lust, and vengeful nature of the gods with superpowers and a superiority complex as big as Mount Olympus, it's not going to make for some friendly deities. While some gods are more benevolent than others, they all seem to see manipulating humans as their right. While some gods might take personal interest in aiding and abetting a particular human, it is clear that that is not out of the goodness of their hearts, but out of egotism.
ReplyDeleteHowever while it is true that gods have physical power over humans, their weak character doesn't make them very good rulers over humanity. I mean, you couldn't swing a dead cat in ancient Greece without hitting some poor girl Zeus had taken a liking to and ruined her life in the process.
The gods can behave like toddlers sometimes, playing in the great sandbox that is the world with no regard to the humans and tonka trucks they break in the process.
"they all seem to see manipulating humans as their right"
Delete--They're gods. It IS their right... 😉
Greek mythology has made its way back into modern culture in several books and I have come across a few authors that address a similar point. Many times the gods' meddling in the Trojan war leads them to pull back and leave the world to its own devices afterward until some big event brings them back into prominence for the new story. As such a hectic battleground, the gods fighting each other and mortals was simply a waste of lives. I do think it served its purpose, however: everyone is fallible, including those with power. Challenging that power comes with great risk, as Hektor and many other heroes quickly learned before they died. I don't question why the two distant relatives asked to know the other before battling in case the other was a god - to strike one of them would be certain death. The meddling caused far more harm than good.
ReplyDeleteI really love thinking about stories and lives like this, as if we are all just pieces in some gods' little game of Sorry! or something, until I think about it for too long and have an existential crisis as I realize that maybe nothing I do will ever truly matter because my life is possibly predetermined from the start and there is no way to change that. I really do think the gods should stop helping humans by just giving them powers that they very clearly do not know how to control or use, and maybe just keep their noses out of our business? I know they're supposed to be looking out over the humans and making sure they don't mess things up ~too badly~ but there's also a limit as to how much they should really be helping out. I feel as if all they do is more harm than they intend, especially when they intend to do harm in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that this is exactly how the ancient Greeks felt about the "gods". The time period in which they lived lacked much of the knowledge we have today, and humans will always attempt to explain their situation in terms that they can understand. I feel this was the case for the ancient Greeks. At the time, there were no real explanations for human behavior or the natural occurrences that took place in their everyday life so, naturally, they attributed these occurrences to the whims and feelings of the gods. How else could you explain the seemingly arbitrary situations? All this being said, there is a strange sense of security that comes from believing in a higher power. It "relieves the pressure" and makes your own actions seem less important. If there is a god dictating the happenings of humanity, why try so hard? I don't necessarily believe this concept, but there are many people who do. I call it "The passenger seat theory".
ReplyDeleteI like that...
DeleteI have come to appreciate greek gods as similar to common humans playing the sims. While yes, for a certain amount of time you may just let your sim free roam, it is always inevitably fr more fun to make them do things, or in some cases, ruin their day for no reason other than enjoyment in seemingly consequence-less cruelty.
ReplyDeleteThere is absolutely no doubt: were we humans to attain the power of gods over some poor Creation of ours, we would make the Greek gods look like angels...
DeleteI really like this seed post. I have always thought that the gods had favorites and it was overly apparent through reading. Like Pierre said, this offered an explanation for the unexplainable. It allowed the Greeks to rationalize their lives in a way that they otherwise wouldn't have been able to.
ReplyDeleteI like the question you, "are any mortals worthy of wielding the power of a god without messing things up?" I think the answer to this would be no. Of course, I am sure some people would like to think that they would be able to control that power (or use it in "appropriate" doses) but the reality is, humans do not have powers for a reason. The prime reason being we are all flawed. I also like how you refer to the war being a "playground for the gods." I could not have worded it better. It's like they are playing a chess game, and the mortals are their pawns.
ReplyDeleteFirst off I love the picture. Second I believe the gods have nothing else to do. Think about you are a divine with stupid amount of power what else would there be to do other than to help or hurt the mortals. To the gods it must seem like a live action movie is taking place in front of them, but they have the power to sway the story in the direction they wish to come true.
ReplyDeleteThat was a productive post, Cam. I think you got some interesting responses from your commenters, too.
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ReplyDeleteI think that this topic is very interesting. It does seem that the gods are looking at this as a game. Its almost like they are treating the common people as a video game almost, but in real life, and yes the people do have free will, but also like you said they would pray to the gods because they always wanted help.
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