The Fallibility and Humanity of Zeus and Other Olympian Gods

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The ancient Greeks believed that the universe created the gods. By that time, heaven and earth had already been formed and were the first parents. The Titans were their children and the gods, their grandchildren. The Titans were of enormous size and incredible strength. Kronus reigned supreme among them and ruled the other Titans until his son, Zeus, ousted him. Kronus fled to Italy and brought in the Golden Age, a time of perfect peace and happiness that lasted as long as he reigned. Would it not have been better had Zeus not taken over and Kronus continued his reign? We shall see.

In Greek mythology, twelve great Olympians were supreme among the gods who succeeded the Titans. They were called Olympians because Olympus was their home. All the Olympians were related to one another. They are as follows: Zeus, Hera, Posiedon, Hades, Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Hephaestus, Hestia, Demeter and Dionysius.

Zeus and his brothers drew lots for their share of the universe. The sea fell to Poseidon, the underworld to Hades, and Zeus became Lord of the Sky. They assigned themselves different realms of power, but Olympus is common to all three.

The most powerful of all was Zeus, King of Olympus. His temper affected the weather; he wielded the awful thunderbolt and threw them whenever he was unhappy. Yet, he was neither omnipotent nor omniscient. He could be opposed and deceived. Poseidon dupes him in the Iliad, and so does his wife, Hera. Sometimes that mysterious power called Fate is said to be stronger than he. Hera asks him scornfully if he proposes to deliver from death one whom Fate has doomed, “On two occasions, Zeus considers the possibility of saving a hero from the death that fate has decreed (his son Sarpedon and the beloved Hector), but both times another deity declares this to be exceptional and bad policy and Zeus gives up the idea.” (Edwards, 1987).

This is all part of Zeus’ vulnerability. Powerful in most instances but weak and helpless in others. Is this our present-day concept of a god? And yet, his power was greater than that of all the divinities put together. In the Iliad, he tells his family, “I am mightiest of all. Fasten a rope of gold to heaven and lay hold, every god and goddess. You could not drag down Zeus. But if I wished to drag you down, then I would.” (Hamilton, 1942, p. 27)

Zeus is depicted as falling in love with one woman or another and resorting to devious ways to conceal his infidelity from his wife, Hera. Isn’t promiscuity the practice of a lot of humans? There is, however, an explanation for this negative side of this most majestic of the gods. Whenever his worship spread to a place where another divine ruler had already been established, both divine rulers were fused into one. The wife of the earlier god was then transferred to Zeus. The Greeks frowned on these illicit love affairs. Isn’t this a case where this chief of the gods does not conform to the moral standards of man? The Greek army at Troy is told, “Father Zeus never helps liars or those who break their oaths.” Are there two standards here – one for humans and another for gods? Surprisingly, these conflicting ideas of Zeus, the low and the high, persisted side by side for a long time.

Hera comes next. She was Zeus’ wife and sister. The ancient Greeks considered her the protector of marriage, and married women were her particular case. She is described as the chief of the immortals in beauty and revered as much as Zeus himself. But when an account of her gets down to details, it shows her dark side. She is pictured as chiefly engaged in punishing the many women Zeus fell in love with. It didn’t matter even if they yielded only because he tricked them. She treated them all alike. It made no difference to her no matter how innocent or reluctant they were, her anger followed them and their children, and she never forgot an injury. Doesn’t this remind you of some jealous wives among the mortals, who are unreasonable and have no room in their hearts for forgiveness?

It is said that the Trojan War would have ended in an honorable peace, leaving both sides unconquered, had it not have been for Hera’s hatred of a Trojan (Paris) who had judged another goddess (Aphrodite) lovelier than she. The wrong of her slighted beauty remained with her until Troy fell in ruins.

In only one important story, the Quest of the Golden Fleece is Hera regarded as the gracious protector of heroes and the inspirer of heroic deeds. She was nevertheless revered in every home for being the mother of Ilithyla, who helped women in childbirth. It is far from the truth to say the goddesses had no power of their own. Being the wife of Zeus and Queen of Olympus, Hera was powerful, but she exercised her power in subtle sordid ways.

We see here that Hera, like her husband, Zeus is a combination of traits, good as well as bad. The two deserve each other. This relationship is not confined to mortals. In Greek mythology, sad to say, there is no perfection even among the gods.

Poseidon was the god of the sea. He was the most powerful god except for his brother, Zeus. He lived in a beautiful palace under the sea and caused earthquakes when he was in a temper (like Zeus with his thunderbolts). When he drove in his golden car over the waters, the thunder of the waves sank into stillness, and tranquil peace followed his smooth-sailing wheels.

During the Trojan War, Athena and Poseidon were the Greek’s greatest allies among the gods. But when Troy fell, everything changed – all because the Greeks forgot what was due to the gods. Athena’s wrath was deep. She went to Poseidon and laid her wrongs before him. “Help me to vengeance,” she said, “Give the Greeks a bitter homecoming. Stir your waters with wild whirlwinds when they sail. Let dead men choke the bays and line the shores and reefs.” And Poseidon agreed.

Hades was the third brother among the Olympians who drew as his share the underworld and the rule over the dead. He was also the god of wealth. Rarely did he leave his dark realm to visit Olympus, for he was not a welcome visitor. He was unpitying, inexorable but just, a terrible but not an evil god. He was King of the dead, not death itself. Perhaps his only fault was the kidnapping of a beautiful, young and innocent girl – Persephone, who became his queen. At least he was decent enough to return her to her mother for four months every year (perhaps to make amend for robbing her of her youth).

Demeter was the goddess of the harvest. She was the sister of Zeus. Her daughter, Persephone, was forced to live with Hades each winter. During this time, Demeter let no crops grow. But she was kind; the “Good Goddess,” men always called her. She was sorry for the desolation she had brought about. She made the fields once more rich with abundant fruit and flowers and green leaves.

Athena was the goddess of wisdom. She was skilled in the art of war and helped heroes such as Odysseus and Hercules. Athena sprang full-grown from the forehead of Zeus and became his favorite child.

Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty and the protector of sailors. She may have been the daughter of Zeus and Titan Dione, or she may have risen from the sea on a shell.

Artemis was the goddess of the hunt and the protector of women in childbirth. She hunted with silver arrows and loved wild animals. Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and also the twin of Apollo.

Apollo was the god of music and healing. He was also an archer like his sister Artemis and hunted with a silver bow.

Dionysus was the god of wine, which he invented. In ancient Greece, Dionysus was honored with springtime festivals that centered on theater. He was the son of Zeus and Semele, a mortal.

Hephaestus was the god of fire and the forge. Although he made armor and weapons for the gods, he loved peace. He was the son of Zeus and Hera and married Aphrodite.

Hestia or Vesta was the goddess of the Hearth. She was the most gentle of the gods but did not play a role in many myths. Hestia was the sister of Zeus and the oldest of the Olympians.

Hermes was the messenger of the gods, a trickster, and a friend of thieves. He was the son of Zeus and Maia. He was the speediest of all the gods.

This brings us back to his father, Zeus. When we humans aren’t squabbling among ourselves over who owns what or who’s good and who’s bad, we tend to fret about the big question – who’s in charge?

Back when the world was girding for World War II, Erich Fromm wrote Escape from Freedom, in which Fromm showed that people tend to be so afraid of being free to decide for themselves and take responsibility that they surrender their freedom.

In Prometheus Bound, Zeus is supposed to be in charge of everything. Zeus is a typical dictator. Edith Hamilton says of him, “By new laws, Zeus is ruling without law.” Unlike his father and predecessor, Kronus, who ushered in the Golden Age in Italy. Furthermore, Zeus – who is full of stupidity, narrow-mindedness, and lots of lust for possessions and power, does not like humans and plans to destroy them, begetting another race to replace them. “Some ancient commentators blame Zeus for starting the Trojan War in order to relieve the world of excess population.” (Wilson, 2007)

Prometheus feels a personal attachment to humans. In the past, he pitied them for being mortal and helpless, then helped them become less so. He gave them fire which does not endear him to Zeus. Thanks to Prometheus, humans acquire technology, medical skills, agriculture, and math. And humans can indeed learn since Prometheus gives them memory, knowledge, and the power to think.

“Prometheus believes that Zeus must learn from the ‘sons,’ the human creations of the gods, who are suffering under his rule. Zeus says that Prometheus will suffer more agonies (tempests, earthquakes, and eagle eating his liver) if he doesn’t give in, but Prometheus refuses. Hamilton calls Prometheus the great rebel – “helplessly imprisoned, but his spirit, free” (Asimov, 2007).

Will, we humans, be free, not learning from the things over which we have power, or will we learn, like “de Lawd” in Green Pastures, a 20^th-century play, that humans find mercy through suffering? Zeus doesn’t learn, and we’ll never know if he does. But “de Lawd” does – and the lesson comes from humans.

References

Asimov, J. (2007) “Fallible Gods”, Humanist, Vol. 67, Issue 1
Edwards, M. (1987) Homer, Poet of the Iliad. Baltimore and London: John Hopskins University Press.
Hamilton, E. (1942) Mythology. New York: The New American Library
Wilson, J. (2007) College Literature, 34.2

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The Fallibility and Humanity of Zeus and Other Olympian Gods

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