Nature Of The Gods Flashcards
What was Hesiod’s creation story?
In the beginning, there was:
Chaos - formlessness/ no laws of nature
Gaia - Earth
Eros - Urge (to create)
What did Gaia create?
Created Ouranos and together they made:
3x Cyclopes
3x Titans
3x Hekatonkhiters
Creation story
Ouranos is worried that he will be overthrown. Puts Titans in Tartarus. Gaia and Cronus plot against him. Cronus castrated Ouranos in the fight. Dick falls from heaven into the sea and Aphrodite is born.
The gods’ nature
Anthropomorphic Powerful Polytheism Domains Personifications
Gods’ relationship with humans
Competitive Respect relationship reciprocal (imbalanced) No 'love' Fickle
Nature of religions in ancient societies
No ‘code’
No doctrine
No hierarchy
NO ‘church’
Dodekatheism
- Zeus -Hera -Athena -Aries -Artimes -Aphrodite
- Hermes -Apollo -Poseidon -Demeter -Hephaestus
- Hestia/Dionysus
Antilochus critical reading (7th C. BC)
‘Often the gods lift up men who were crushed into the dark Earth by their troubles, and often they smash down on their faces those who stand firm’
Fates
Moirai
Who is affected by fate?
Everyone is subject to fate, even the gods
E.g. Sarpedon
Story of Oedipus Rex
King and Queen told their son would kill his father and marry his mother. They sent him away so that this wouldn’t happen. He grew up in another kingdom by other parents but when he found out about the prophecy he ran away to stop it. Met an old man on the road and killed him (king/father) and had children with the city’s Queen (mother)
Good for understanding the role of fate an how it cannot be avoided
Hoi athanatoi
The deathless ones
What happens in the afterlife?
The dead continue to exist as shades
What is Elysian Feilds?
Relm of the blessed
Those favoured by the gods go here
Like a picnic on a drizzly day
What is Tartarus?
The deepest part of Hades
Those who offend the gods are sent here
Eternal suffering and pain
Panhellenic
All Greeks including ancestory
Polis
City/state
Deme
Suburb/local community
Oikos
Household
Aetiology
The cause or origin of something
How was Athena born?
Zeus ate Metis (thought) who was pregnant with Athena. When Metis gave birth, Zeus gave birth to Athena out of his forehead.
Athena’s qualities
- Unbending of heart -Bright-eyed -Inventive -Pure virgin
- Saviour of cities -Destroyer of cities -Courageous
- Dreaded
Euripides ‘Bacchae’
Dionysus has a vendetta against Pentheus, the king of Thebes. Has his followers, Maenas, rip Pentheus apart
Jon Mikson critical reading
A reciprocal relationship is based on ‘honour’ not ‘love’
Gods are worshipped because they deserve it
Specific epithet
Zeus Agorias
Zeus of the Agora (Community activities)
Zeus Phratrious
Zeus of the clan (New people joining community)
Zeus Philios
Zeus of the household wellbeing (Friend Zeus/Oikos)
Zeus Herkios
Zeus of the fence/courtyard (security)
Heroisation
The apotheosis of mortals after their death
