The Homeric Gods

Often when one thinks of a god, an almost immediate association with powers and miracles comes to mind. Gods, over time, have been portrayed as almighty beings who contribute to historical events ranging from uncontrollable Earthly forces to the outcome of a treacherous battle. We know much today of legends and myths because of oral tradition passed from friend to friend, family to family, and culture to culture. Writers and poets are highly responsible, as well, for the great knowledge we attain of gods from long ago. A certain poet, however, by the name of Homer contributed an enormous understanding of the will of the gods through his epic poem, The Iliad. Known today as one of the world’s greatest literary achievements, The Iliad establishes an insight into the lives of the Olympian gods by simply exposing not only their right to exercise the impossible, but also revealing their inept human-like qualities.

The Greeks regarded direct involvement by the gods as a daily, uncontrollable part of life. Needless to say, divine intervention was a major variable in the equation of Homer’s Iliad. In Book 1, the god Apollo casts a plague on the Greek army at the request of Chryses, a priest of Apollo. Chryses prayed for such de

. . .

View the whole essay, without interruption

Poseidon, for example, was a supporter of the ocean-faring Greeks.

Zeus’s role as mediator and supreme authority seems to turn into that of a “divine baby-sitter,” but his close watch of the gods is important because they help to ensure a mortal’s fate. This general acceptance of a god’s will is a recurring trend throughout the poem. He yells out an enormous cry that sends the Trojans in flight (18.

As a result of only setting fate back on the right course, like entering the battlefield, the gods often feel no guilt for their doings. The gods can even save those doomed by their own pride, tragic heroes (for a while, at least). struction because Agamemnon, the leader of the Achaean forces, had taken his daughter, Chryseis, from their Trojan-ally town. If and when pain does occur, it is temporary, as when Aphrodite joins battle in Book 5 and is cut at the wrist. Characters’ deaths and certain events are foreshadowed and often described in several books of Homer’s epic. Consequently, even with the manipulation of the gods, The Iliad holds true to its focus as a story of the mortal people, not of the divine. He held a long-standing grudge against the Trojans because they never paid him for helping to build their city. 330-354)

Even with this ability to conquer all, gods are still very agonistic figures. This relates to Hera, who also hides behind Zeus’s back, in her rally against the Trojans. The gods can taint intentions, as when Athena disguises herself as Deiphobus and convinces Hector they can take on Achilles.

Approximate Word count = 1360
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Simply subscribe to view this paper, and 100,000 others.