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Ancient Greece Religion
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Ancient Greek Religion
Alma Medvedofsky, Maiya Blumenthal, Sophie Schwartz, and Rinat Schreiber
Main Ideas
Background
- Religion was present in all areas of life
- Gods controlled all aspects of life, provided for human needs, and protected them
- While beliefs may have differed between different people, the core beliefs were what allowed society and religion to survive
Olympian Gods
Olympian
Gods
- Beginning: great void called Chaos
-Titans led by Kronos who ruled Mount Othrys
-Olympians fought Titans, led by Zeus who became ruler of Mount Olympus
Olympian Gods:
Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Poseidon, Hermes, Hera, Aphrodite, Demeter, Ares, Artemis, Hephaestus, and Dionysos
- Each god represented a certain area of human conditions and some aspects of nature.
- Recognized across Greece
-Particular attributes and associations
Olympian Gods Descriptions
Descriptions
Zeus: King of Gods, sky of thunder
Hera: Queen of Gods, Goddess of women and family
Poseidon: God of sea and earthquakes
Demeter: Goddess of Earth's fertility
Athena: Goddess of wisdom and warfare
Ares: God of war
Aphrodite: Goddess of love and beauty
Apollo: God the sun, of oracles and healing
Artemis: Goddess of the hunt and wildlife
Hephaestus: God of craftsmen - blacksmith
Hermes: Gods messenger
Dionysos: God of wine
https://www.hellenic-art.com/the-12-olympian-gods-2072.html
Purification and Holiness
Holiness
- Animal sacrifice, libations, myths, temples, city festivals, national sporting, artistic competitions
- Temenos/sanctuary was set apart
- Temples were not places for public worship
-Some entered only once a year or only by priests
- Impurity was a great offense
-Ex: disease, childbirth
- Purification: sacrificing a pig or dog, bathing in the sea, or using a scapegoat
Nature
- All of nature was instinct with life
- There was little appreciation of natural beauty, it was just seen as a symbol of power
- Ex: mountain was sky god's throne, worshippers went to the hilltops to pray for rain, every tree is connected to a dryad, oak was sacred to Zeus, olive to Athena, bay to Apollo, myrtle to Aphrodite
Mythological Creatures
Nympths: female divinities
Dryads: nympths who lived in trees
Satyr/Silenus: men with horse tails and ears
Centaur: part man, part horse
Mythological
Creatures
Thesis
Anthropomorphic deities in Greek religion helped Greeks relate with their gods’ emotions, flaws, and hardships. This allowed the Greek people to have security in the idea that a powerful being isn’t perfect, and moderation is the path to success.
Thesis
Question to Consider
What is the nature of the relationship between the ancient Greeks and their gods, and what Greek values either conflict with or support these relationships?
How the Gods are Portrayed in Myths
1. Gods were more powerful than humans, but still imperfect with human like conflicts in their myths
2. The stories offer a nuanced and balanced way of looking at the Gods, because they recongnize their power without sugarcoating their flaws and negative sides
Hera's Jealousy
Myth of Echo and Narcissus: "When Hera learned she had been fooled, she cursed Echo, saying, 'From now on your words will not be your own. You will only be able to repeat what is said to you. That way your powers to beguile and distract will be curtailed.'"
Myth of Io and Argus: "But Hera in her jealous rage tormented his other wives and children, and even Zeus was powerless to stop her. She knew how trickly Zeus could be and kept very close watch over him. ... Hera tied poor Io to a tree and sent her servant Argus to keep watch over her. ... Hera was furious when she saw that Argus was dead and the cow Io had been set free. She sent a vicious gadfly to sting and chase the cow."
Hera's Jealousy
Zeus's Balance
Zeus's Balance
Negative: Myth of Prometheus and Pandora “'Not a spark will I give,” said Zeus. “No, indeed! Why, if men had fire they might become strong and
wise like ourselves, and after a while they would drive us out of our kingdom. Let them shiver with
cold, and let them live like the beasts. It is best for them to be poor and ignorant, that so we Mighty
Ones may thrive and be happy.'”
Positive: Saved his sibling from Kronos - his father who ate them
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeus#/media/File:Jupiter_Smyrna_Louvre_Ma13.jpg
Heroes
- Heroes were worshipped like gods and were sacred to the city they were born in
- They made mistakes which often angered the gods
- Heroes aren't usually associated with flawed people who have made mistakes like them
Heroes
https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/hubris-of-greek-heroes.jpg?width=1400&quality=70
Heroes committed crimes
- Heracles: did challenges to repent for killing his sons which made him famous, tricked a titan and stole from Hades
- Agamemnon: sacrificed his daughter
- Claetemnestra: killed Agamemnon because of what he did
Crimes
Heroes had Flaws:
- Atlanta: lost a race because she was distracted by golden apples and tricked by Hippomenes
- Bellerophon: power hungry and the gods despised him because he tried to get to Mount Olympus
Flaws
Examples of Moderation
- Moderation was everywhere
- Moderation was asprirational; people wanted to live a life of balance because they valued it
Moderation
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Scale_of_justice_2.svg/408px-Scale_of_justice_2.svg.png?20220906235037
"Meden Agan"
- Inscribed on the Temple of Apollo it says "Meden Agan" which means "nothing in excess"
- This phrase was created by the Greek sages
"Meden Agan"
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Temple_of_Apollo%2C_Corinth_by_Joy_of_Museums.jpg/1024px-Temple_of_Apollo%2C_Corinth_by_Joy_of_Museums.jpg
Daedelus and Icarus
"'Icarus, stay in the middle course', he said. 'I warn you, if you fly too low the waves may dampen your feathers; if you fly too high, the sun will burn you with its fire. You must fly in the middle.'"
Daedulas and Icarus
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/Gowy-icaro-prado.jpg/500px-Gowy-icaro-prado.jpg
Religious Practices
Religious Practices
- Greeks would split their sacrifices between themselves and the gods
- Saved the most festive festivals for the most important gods or requests
- Personal control over how much they follow the religion
- They can make personal prayers to gods, they can consult an oracle for divine advice, they can divine something
- Consulting with oracles shows a balance between strong communication with gods and seperation from divinity
So what?
- The more they can connect and relate to the Gods, the stronger their relationships can be
- If the Gods couldn't be perfect, then they felt more reasurance in the fact that they couldn't be perfect
- Not a religion that expects people to be perfect, rather they encourage moderation