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One of Homers most contentious and hotly debated issues is the nature of humanitys connection to the divine. The events of the Iliad occur on two different planes: the earthly one, beneath the city of Troy, and the heavenly one, atop Mount Olympus. There are two camps of gods, and they are continually meddling in the protagonists lives. The gods and humans are sometimes shown to be on equal footing in a conflict. The gods have a major role in determining the outcome of the wars and which side wins. In Iliad, humans are controlled by the gods and function as their puppet masters. It is common practice for humans to avoid angering or upsetting the immortal gods, who they believe is responsible for bringing war, devastation, and terror to Earth. They are at the gods mercy and must obey their every command lest they face the gods wrath.
Gods are subject to destiny, even though humanity reveres them for their great might and fears them because of the strength of their character and wrath. Throughout the story, Zeus repeatedly declares that he would welcome the opportunity to separate Hector from Achilles or his son from Patroclus. However, the reader is given a hint that no man or woman born, coward or brave, can shun his destiny (Homer). Fate and destiny are set in stone, and this is particularly true in Ancient Greek culture. However, the Homeric gods should not be portrayed as tyrannical overlords who forcefully impose their will on humans. Having lost control of events, the gods now strive to aid destiny by using human logic and devising devious schemes to achieve their goals.
So-called divine intervention is a key component in describing the whole trajectory. The story is driven by forces beyond the control of the characters, by the whims of the gods and destiny. The mythical element brings cohesion to the global picture, which the epic cannot understand logically. Two things distinguish the gods as Homer sees them from the gods as other cultures do. More human characteristics have been attributed to the gods than to traditional Greek religion, which had cults and adoration. Divine characters in the epic are given as much depth of personality as human ones since they have fallen into human shape and emotions. Moreover, the gods are gifted with several negative attributes, notably in the Iliad: they are petty, capricious, harsh, and unfair. The Iliad leaves no room for delusion when it comes to the goodness of the worlds divine administration. Aside from sharing certain similarities with the deities of the Iliad, the gods in the Odyssey also serve as upholders of righteous ideals.
Homers portrayal of the gods is ironic since he shows their human frailties and even their immorality to give humankind a more robust representation. Gods abhor fate and destiny because they are beyond their control and cannot alter them, just as mortals dread death and scorn gods because they never have to stand in awe before them. People show envy towards the immortal deities and their abilities. It is written in the books that the immortals spun our lives that we, we wretched men, live on to bear such torments the gods live free of sorrows (Homer). The gods, in response, look down on mortals and brag to them about the incredible gift they have been given by gaining immortality.
In conclusion, the relationship between gods and humans in Iliad reflects the eternal struggle of challenges, betrayals, and sins. Greek gods do not exemplify noble conduct but rather are equal to the raw power that cannot be disputed despite the unreasonableness of their actions. Even though they are similar to humans, their sympathy towards humankind is chaotic and does not reflect pure goodwill. Therefore, it is closer to understanding this relationship as that of a stern boss and an intern in the organization, where the future of both is dependent on destiny, but the employee can be fired at any moment.
Work Cited
Homer. (800 B.C.E.). Iliad. MIT Classics. Web.
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