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Truth and Myth - Ancient Greece and Religion

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Greek myths though similar in many ways, have several dissimilarities that illustrate an intrinsically different process of rationalising world. Most greek myths have creator-gods who constructed the world but these worlds had conflicts which would alter the face of the earth. The conflicts are usually between Gods or ‘Man and God’ to establish power, authority and rule which in turn causes shift in the command of the world. Theogony expresses a narrative about how earth came into existence. Its architects are manlike in their emotions and contemplation (even weaknesses). These deities create tragedies, teach moral lessons and set examples. The Greek people showed high regard and admiration for their gods and strived to maintain a harmonious relationship with them by ensuring that the gods were always content. The Greeks adopted a way of life which constantly interacted and worshiped the gods as they believed this would result in guidance, hope and comfort. Like all mythologies of the past, the Greek Mythology started with the Creation Myth; the story that explains the origins of life and of all things. This story is in essence an attempt to make sense of life's mysteries; to impose structure and order in the universe and to define the place of individuals, races and all people in that universe. For how can we define where we are, without first explaining where we came from? It is worthwhile to note that the central recurring theme in Hesiod's narration about the creation myth, is that the driving force behind progression from generation to generation of gods, is domination through conflict and war: From Uranus to Cronus and then from Cronus to Zeus, the power was violently seized from the successor who was challenging his predecessor's domination. This phenomenon is parallel to the radical changes that nature had to go through since the first time of creation, until it reached a phase of order and stability. William L.Power observes that myths in both their written and oral form stem from the creative mind of an individual. Some of these myths are the outcome of a spontaneous and impulsive imagination, while others are more planned and skilfully sown. According to Power, their mimetic realism cannot be ignored as myths emerge from and speak about their various different historical contexts. However one of the question that Power believes we should try to answer is how is reality represented by myths and stories? Which in this case relates to a pragmatic explanation of Greeks understanding of Religion, Gods and the effect of the Myths stemming from them, on their day to day life. The Greeks had unconditional and indisputable respect for their gods. Many events, festivities and rituals were held to ensure harmony with them. Greeks despite admiring their gods also greatly feared them, which places emphasis on the religious principles of the Greeks, their rituals prayers and sacrifices, along with its effect on festivals and Arts. These elements of the Greek society would then directly affect the Greek way of life. Importance of Religion in Ancient Greek: The early Greeks practised a religion that was as a result, a building piece to numerous following pagan religions. This religion rotated around their reverence to the divine beings. Basically, the Greeks worshipped various divine beings, making their religion polytheistic. They accepted that having the ability to pick between a wide clusters of divine beings to worship offered them an incredible view of opportunity and freedom that they prized. The Greeks were known for their educated qualification of which their method for worship had enormous influence. Every city-state, or polis, therefore had an associated god who secured and guided its occupants. Inside a given polis, the faith in common divine beings brought the individuals together. The Greeks longed for this solidarity and order in the universe, which is a trademark that is much the same as that of individuals today. It may appear conflicting that they had faith in numerous divine beings and looked for association in the meantime, for bigger numbers are intrinsically flimsy. However, to the god-fearing Greeks, every god spoke to an alternate feature or element of life that together maintained an organized universe, if each of these divine beings was appropriately conciliated. To please these divine beings, the Greeks took part in rituals and prayers and raised perfect sanctuaries and places for oracles to pay tribute to particular Gods. There is confirmation of this organization at an early stage in the rule of the Olympian gods, accordingly framing the Olympian religion. The Greek Religion The Olympian religion and the divine beings were not seen as pardoning or "immaculate" as the Christian God is frequently depicted. The Greek gods were depicted as people, which implied that they were not flawless. That is, the gods committed errors, felt torment (e.g. Aphrodite in love with the mortal Ad

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