In Homer's The Iliad the roles of the Greek gods and goddesses in the Trojan War often involve the death and treachery of mortals. The gods usually decide who dies and who lives, and they determine the mental will of a person, but ultimately it is Fate that governs what happens to an individual. Only thinking of themselves, the immortal gods cannot relate to death or human affairs and often give little thought to the value of human life. The gods' and goddesses' influence on the life of mortals, whether it is deciding the victor of a battle, the winner of a race, or fulfillment of one's destiny, never strays from the character's inevitable Fate.
             The gods of The Iliad play a crucial role in determining later happenings or the fulfillment of mortal destinies. A mortal's Fate dictates his entire life, everything important he will do is already set, it is only how and when he does these things that the gods control. Because of this plan the gods must keep everything together by balancing their own actions and the mortals. When Agamemnon will not return Chrysies Apollo sets a plague upon the Achaeans. Because it is prophesied that Troy will fall, Hera must intervene through Calchas the seer to prevent the archer-god from decimating the Achaean army. Also, when Achilles is about to kill Agamemnon, Athena "[leaves] from heaven...in hopes of bringing [Achilles] to his senses" (Homer 28). She could not let Achilles kill Agamemnon or it would change the chain of events leading up to the incredible wrath Achilles brings upon the Trojans.
             The intervention of the gods can decides how a battle develops, whether or not certain warriors will live or die, and how those who perish will do so. The selfishness of the gods drives them to manipulate a situation in order to achieve an outcome that is satisfactory to them. They can do this by giving power to a person or group, dealing death to a person, or altering...