Greek Religion 1.1

Nature of the Gods

What does 'polytheism' mean?

The belief and/or worship of more than one god

What does 'orthopraxy' mean?

Correct practice/worship

Was Greek religion an orthodoxy or an orthopraxy?

Greeks were more concerned with orthopraxy (worshipping correctly) than orthodoxy (having the correct views.)

What does 'anthropomorphism' mean?

The attribution of human characteristics and emotions to non-human forms.

Who are the 12 Olympian gods?

Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hermes, Hephaestus, Ares, Hestia/Dionysus

What is Zeus' main responsibility?

Order, justice (king of the gods)

What is Hera's main responsibility?

Marriage (wife of Zeus)

What is Poseidon's main responsibility?

Sea and horses

What is Athena's main responsibility?

Wisdom, crafts, heroes

What is Artemis' main responsibility?

Archery, maidens

What is Apollo's main responsibility?

Sun, music, prophecy

What is Aphrodite's main responsibility?

Beauty, love

What is Demeter's main responsibility?

Agriculture

What is Hermes' main responsibility?

Messengers, travellers, merchants, and thieves

What is Hephaestus' main responsibility?

Blacksmiths

What is Ares' main responsibility?

War

What is Hestia's main responsibility?

Hearth

What is Dionysus' main responsibility?

Wine, theatre

Who are some Chthonic deities?

Hades, Persephone, Hecate

Who is Homer?

An 8th or 7th century BC poet credited with composing the Iliad and the Odyssey. Both epics centre around heroes during or after the Trojan War.

How does Homer present the human-like deceit and favouritism of the gods in the Iliad?

Athena deceives Hector by disguising herself as his brother, Deiphobus, in Book 22.

Hector says: 'Oh for sure now the gods have called me to my death! I thought the hero Deiphobos was with me: but he is inside the wall, and Athene has tricked me. So now vile death is close on me, not far now any longer, and there is no escape.'

What does critic Geoffrey Kirk say about the gods in Homer's epics?

'All sorts of not very heroic qualities are allowed to enter the lives of the gods.'

How do the gods act as comic relief in Homer's epics?

Book 1 of the Iliad: Achilles and Agamemnon are arguing about Achilles' withdrawal from the Greek army, which is causing countless deaths. In contrast, on Olympus, Zeus and Hera’s argument about the decision is broken by Hephaestus serving drinks, which causes laughter among the gods. He argues their argument will ruin the gods' feast.

Book 8 of the Odyssey: the bard tells a tale of Aphrodite and Ares being caught in their affair with a net made by Hephaestus, and the gods arrive to laugh and jeer at them.

What does critic James Redfield say about gods in Homer's Iliad?

'The gods are a chief source of comedy in the Iliad.'

Who is Hesiod?

Epic poet from c. 700BC who wrote 'Works and Days' and a 'Theogony'. 'Works and Days' teaches farmers how to live good and productive lives. His 'Theogony' describes the gods' origins and family tree

What advice does Hesiod give on how to worship the gods in 'Works and Days'?

'Never pour gleaming wine to Zeus in the morning with unwashed hands, or to the other immortals, for then they pay no heed, and spit out your prayers.'

Why were Homer and Hesiod significant for Greek ideas about the gods?

Homer and Hesiod's poems set out how the Greeks perceived the gods during the eighth and seventh centuries BC. They continued to shape views in later periods.

Homer taught what happens if you don't honour the gods correctly through the vindictive nature of the gods, as well as showing the tales of heroes.

Hesiod taught the origins of gods, their myths, and what to worship them for.

What does 5th century historian Herodotus say about Homer and Hesiod?

'Homer and Hesiod are the poets who composed theogonies and described the gods for the Greeks, giving them their appropriate titles, offices, and powers' (Histories, 2.53)

What are the Homeric Hymns?

Hymns written in c. 700BC that discuss the birth of the gods and the origin of their cults (aetiology). Not necessarily composed by Homer but in the same style and tradition as his epics

What does Homeric Hymns 11 say about Athena?

'Protectress of cities [...] that fearsome goddess who cares with Ares for warlike works- the sacking of cities, the screams of battle, the clash of the fray- and also ensures the army's safe parting and homeward return.'

What does Homeric Hymns 28 say about Athena's birth?

'It was Craft-filled Zeus himself who gave birth From his sacred head to her already in armour of war’

What style is the Panathenaic Amphora?

Black figure

What is on the obverse side of the Panathenaic Amphora?

Armed Athena striding forwards

What is on the reverse side of the Panathenaic Amphora?

Three athletes running

What is the current location of the Panathenaic Amphora?

The British Museum

What is the significance of the Panathenaic Amphora?

It reveals the goddess’ presence in the Athenian festival and depicts her as anthropomorphic.

What does Solon Fragment 4 say about Athena?

'Our city never will perish [...] for such a great-spirited guard holds her hands protectingly above it, Pallas Athena’

How does the foundation myth of the Eleusinian Mysteries show the anthropomorphic emotions of the gods?

Hades is overcome with passion for Persephone. He seizes her and takes her to the underworld to be his wife. Demeter, distraught by the loss of her daughter, travels to the underworld to find her, abandoning her crops.

What does Euripides' 'Bacchae' say about the anthropomorphism of the gods?

Dionysus says 'I have exchanged my divine form for a mortal one’, perhaps implying that gods are not anthropomorphic, which contradicts figures in art and suggests that beliefs are not orthodox

How does the mortal Hippolytus express anger at the gods for their divine retribution in Euripides' 'Hippolytus'?

Hippolytus wishes 'that the race of men could curse the gods’

How is godly favouritism shown in Homer's Odyssey?

Poseidon hates Odysseus. Book 5: 'Seizing his trident in his hands, he stirred up the sea. He roused the stormy blasts of every wind that blows, and covered land and water alike with a canopy of cloud'.

Athena seeks to protect Odysseus. Book 5: 'Checked all winds in their courses, bidding them calm down and go to sleep […] so that Odysseus, favourite of Zeus, might be rescued from the jaws of death.'

What does critic James Griffin say about the depiction of gods in Homer's epics?

The epics are full of 'really impressive gods' who deserve the worship they receive

How does Hesiod describe Zeus' power and authority?

'For easily he makes strong, and easily he oppresses the strong, easily he diminishes the conspicuous one and magnifies the inconspicuous [...] There is no way to evade the purpose of Zeus.' (Works and Days)

How does Euripides' 'Hippolytus' show the distinction between divine immortality and human mortality?

Death is polluting for the gods; Athena says 'It is not lawful for me to look upon the dead or to defile my sight with the last breath of the dying.' In the 32 surviving Greek tragedies, only one character dies on stage: Ajax in Sophocles' 'Ajax’.

What is a votive offering?

A dedication to a god as part of a 'contract' or vow made between mortal and deity

What does 'do ut des' mean?

'I give so that you may give’

What is an example of the gods appreciating correct worshipping in Homer's Iliad?

Zeus is sad when Hector is about to die because he had made many sacrifices in his honour

How does Hesiod teach how to honour the gods properly in order to receive support in 'Works and Days'?

'Appease the immortal gods with libations and burnt offerings, both when you go to bed and when the holy light returns, so that they may have a gracious heart and spirit towards you, and you may buy other men's land and not have someone else buy yours’

In what ways did the Greeks honour their gods?

Sacrifice, libations, prayers, and votive offerings

How do the gods punish mortals who do not worship them properly in Euripides' plays?

In Euripides' 'Bacchae', the god Dionysus says: 'This man is a god-fighter where my worship is concerned, forcibly excluding me from libations and making no mention of me in prayer.' Pentheus (King of Thebes) is ripped apart by Dionysus' bacchants.

In his 'Hippolytus', Aphrodite expresses her anger at Hippolytus because he 'says that I am the worst of deities.' She makes his step-mother fall in love with him and kill herself.

What does critic Jon Mikalson say about the reciprocal nature of worship between gods and mortals?

Gods are worshipped with the 'honour' that 'a subject owes his king’

How does Hesiod show that the gods and Zeus provide justice in his 'Works and Days'?

'If a man is willing to say what he knows to be just, to him wide-seeing Zeus gives prosperity […] For those who occupy themselves with violence and wickedness and brutal deeds, Kronos' son, wide-seeing Zeus, marks out retribution'

What is an epithet?

An adjective that accompanies someone's name to denote a quality or characteristic

What does the epithet 'Zeus Agoraios' mean?

Zeus of the Agora. Zeus had oversight over those selling and buying goods, ensuring that administration was just and that deals were sealed with sworn oaths

What does the epithet 'Zeus Horkios' mean?

Zeus of the oaths. Due to the underdeveloped legal system, most deals, legal, and war-time agreements were sworn as an oath under Zeus

What does the epithet 'Zeus Phratrios' mean?

Zeus of the phratry. Athenian citizens belonged to a clan group called a phratry ('brotherhood') as well as one of the larger 10 tribes. The patron deities of these phratries were Zeus Phratrios and Athena Phratria

What does the epithet 'Zeus Philios' mean?

Zeus Philios was a god of individual and household well-being, prosperity and purification, consulted usually on issues regarding prosperity, marriage and childbirth.

What does the epithet 'Zeus Herkeios' mean?

Zeus of the fence/courtyard; protector of families. One of the questions asked in an interview for a magisterial role was whether one was enrolled in his cult

Why was the variety of epithets sometimes challenging for worshippers?

Worshippers were often confused who to worship. If a woman was pregnant, should she worship Zeus Philios (household wellbeing) or Artemis (childbirth)?

How was the challenge of many epithets solved by the worshippers?

Asking oracles, such as the sanctuary of Zeus at Dodona, which god they should worship via oracular tablets

How many of the 75 attested oracular consultations at Delphi were distinctly religious matters?

56

How does critic Gunnel Erkroth explain the difference between heroes and gods?

'A hero can be defined as a person who had lived and died, either in myth or in real life, this being the main distinction between a god and a hero’

How does one become a hero?

You had to have achieved something “superhuman” in your lifetime- positive or negative.

What's a positive example of heroism?

Heracles completed his twelve labours to save communities from various threats (a lion, a giant wild boar, a hydra, etc.)

What's a negative example of heroism?

Cleomedes of Astypalea, who (according to Pausanias) ripped down the roof of a school in a fit of rage and killed sixty children. He was declared a hero by the Pythia.

What does modern scholar Robert Parker say about Greek polytheism?

'The tendency of the Greeks to appeal to a plurality of gods, to recruit a team, appears in this area of life more clearly than in any other.'

Who was the most celebrated Greek hero?

Heracles. He was particularly honoured at Olympia where his labours are on the temple of Zeus

What are two examples of local heroes?

Pelops: mythical king of the Peloponnese, worshipped as a hero at Olympia in the Pelopeion. Theogenes: worshipped on the island of Thasos.

How was Athena both a local and Panhellenic goddess?

She was the name-sake and patron goddess of Athens but also had sanctuaries throughout the Greek world. Examples include: Athena Chalkioikos in Sparta, Athena Pronoia in Delphi, Athena Lindia in Rhodes, and Athena Alea in Tegea

How could heroes also serve multiple functions?

Heracles was often worshipped as a household god, and his statue stood outside homes to ward off evil, but he was also worshipped at the Panhellenic sanctuary at Olympia, especially by athletes.

What is an example of a god/hero who had a purely local significance?

The heroes Epops, Leucaspis, and Menedeius (Athenian deme of Erchia)