Gods: More human than you think

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Gods: More human than you think

by San Juan, Rendel P.
III-2 BEE

    When you hear the word “god”, what are the things that come to your mind? Good, benevolent, all-knowing, all-powerful, merciful, forgiving, etc. these are just some of the qualities of the god that we came to know. Catholicism is the most widespread in the Philippines, we, as Filipinos, grew up being taught that there was only one God and that was the one with the capital “G”, the omniscient, the omnipotent, the alpha and the omega, and that is why it baffles most people when they hear the stories about the gods of other culture, especially their stories in mythologies. The Greek pantheon being the most notable one as they are the most adapted in our pop culture from books, comics, movies, and the likes. The Greeks are polytheistic and it is said that the gods were created as a reflection of human nature (ushistory.org, n.d.). Like how they participate in conflict and sometimes they are the cause of conflict. Especially the couple who runs the show, Zeus and Hera.

 
The Greek pantheon of gods

    This can be seen as the gods of the Greek pantheon commit ungodly and almost human actions, such as how Hera, queen of the gods, shows animosity towards Heracles, son of Zeus with a mortal, as shown in lines 315-316 Hesiod’s Theogony “The Lernaian Hydra that the white-armed goddess Hera nourished, infinitely peeved with Heracles,” which refers to Heracles’ 12 labors which were prompted by Hera. 
 
The 12 Labors of Heracles

    While we are on the topic of Heracles, he was the son of Zeus “Heracles,/The son of Zeus (but of the house of Amphitryon)/Who used merciless bronze to despoil the monster/With Iolaos’ help and Athena’s strategy” (Hesiod, line 316-319). It is well-known that Zeus gets around and that most of the story in the Greek myths is connected to Zeus’ affairs with other women aside from his wife, Hera, which causes problems for all the people involved excluding Zeus himself. Zeus was the reflection of the power of the Greeks and as the king of the gods he wants respect above all else, but his pride in being a god can again cause problems to many people and there is one account in Theogony which involved all of humanity, introducing Prometheus.
 
Prometheus stealing fire

    Prometheus was the one who was said to create human and he was fond of humans, and so when Zeus demanded an unreasonable tribute to humanity, Prometheus sprang into action and proceeded to trick Zeus, “Zeus most glorious, greatest of the everlasting gods,/Choose whichever of these your heart desires/This was Prometheus’ trick” (Hesiod, lines 550-552), “With both his hands he picked up the gleaming fat./Anger seethed in his lungs and bile rose to his heart/When he saw the ox’s white bones artfully tricked out./And that is why the tribes of men on earth/Burn white bones to the immortals upon smoking altars.” (Hesiod, lines 555-559), this deception angered Zeus and took fire from humanity but Prometheus stole it back which angered Zeus more and he punished Prometheus by tying him on a rock and having his liver eaten by an eagle every day. These are just some of the deeds of Zeus and Hera it shows how the concept of “god” is different from what we grew up to know. The gods are a reflection of the culture, politics, beliefs, etc. of the ancient Greeks it can be seen all over Greek mythology not just from Hesiod’s Theogony, like how Athena punished Arachne for disrespecting the gods, Poseidon and Athena fighting over Athens, and more. The Greek gods are sometimes helpful to humans, unforgiving, they hold grudges, they show fondness, they engage in conflict with mortals or fellow gods, etc. these actions and characteristics make them more closer to humans rather than the perfect being that we associate with the word “god”.


References
ushistory.org. (n.d.). Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes. Retrieved from Ancient Civilizations Online Textbook: //www.ushistory.org/civ/5c.asp

Atsma, A. (2017). Hesiod theogony. Theoi Project. Retrieved February 22, 2021 from https://www.theoi.com/Text/HesiodTheogony.html?fbclid=IwAR1RcxW9MomPI1QLdaUTA37eRDwVdKyLZzEDdPaZ0MhufZidfJk8APhMhv0

Images used:
The Greek pantheon of gods: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cf/d7/9b/cfd79ba765288b6fb6b8e4edc90acfc3.jpg

12 Labors of Heracles: https://www.greekmythology.com/images/mythology/labours_of_heracles_image_326.jpg

Prometheus stealing fire: https://www.greekmythsgreekmythology.com/wpcontent/uploads/2009/08/prometheus-fire.jpg
 

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