Erendira Alatorre

Professor Dedrick

HUM 310-02

February 15, 2017

Greek gods

Greek mythology has been around since what seems like the beginning of time, and it

continues to influence modern day society. It is certain that the ancient collection of Greek

stories is known to be myths. However, these myths continue to be relevant in modern day

society, and relationship with modern day gods. Greek gods and myths served a greater role and

function to humanity such as giving explanations for natural occurrences, giving insight into a

person’s true nature and changed the relationship between humans and gods in modern day

society.

Greek myths were often used to explain natural phenomena in the world. This gave the

Greeks a sense of knowledge and answers to questions not yet discovered. An example of a myth

used to explain a natural occurrence is the story of Apollo which is the Greek god responsible for

hauling the sun from east to west on his flying chariot daily (63). This story is far fetched yet it

gave the ancient Greeks an answer to why and how the sun rose and set everyday without fail.

Other myths explain the changing of the seasons or why certain animals were created. For

example, horses, giraffes and hippos were created by Poseidon in order to win the heart of a

lovely maiden. This story is also far fetched yet it gives an explanation to why these animals

were created.
 Greek gods were created in the image of man by man. The gods are flawed beings just

like humans with raging desires that guide their choices. For example, Hera is Zeus’s wife yet

she is jealous of him whenever he cheats on her and acts out in anger to get revenge on the

women that Zeus is cheating with. This can be considered a humanistic quality which makes

Hera relatable to women. Greek gods often make hasty decisions which turn into mistakes. This

quality truly resonates with humanity because everyone makes mistakes at one point in their

lives. One thing we can learn from Greek gods is that they were not perfect and made mistakes

such as killing someone off, turning someone into an animal or simply tricking someone.

Due to the actions of Greek gods ancient Greeks were able to see the relevance of these

gods in their own lives. For example, Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty which is a

common desire humans share. The Greeks would often give credit to Aphrodite for things of

beauty or feelings of love as if she were the one who created them. This is still present today in

art, and even love.

Due to the likeness between Greek gods and humans Ancient Greeks saw themselves as

more divine beings. If the gods had human characteristics, then in a sense that made humanity

like a god. Not to mention the abundance of children Greek gods had with humans. This is

crucial to the relationship between ancient Greeks and the Greek gods. It is to my belief that this

is where refinements in art, government, and religion were created. An influence of Greek

mythology on government was the creation of democracy. For example, in the oldest myths Zeus

and the other gods were of equal importance even the goddesses had important roles such as

teaching man how to hunt. These myths led to the creation of democracy where every man is

equal and has a say in government.

 Not only did Greek mythology influence government but it also influenced the ancient

Greek’s way of thinking. It is safe to say that the ancient and present day Greeks take into

consideration the outcomes of certain characters or Greek gods when making decisions.

According to the video played in class Greek gods are still alive today within humanity.

The gods continue to be relevant by resonating in a person’s self understanding. Examples of this

are still prominent in Greece where people continue to worship the Greek gods because they can

relate to them. The silversmith god Hephaestus is still worshiped today by other silversmiths

because the skill is still prominent in Greece. Poseidon the god of the sea is still worshipped

because of the strength and power he symbolizes. Not to mention he is the god of water

something that is essential to human life.

The Greek gods resonate within humanity to this day due to their similarities with man

kind. Some stories of the gods may help a person realize characteristics about their innermost

self such as tuning into feelings of strength, sorrow, good and bad. These stories are what keep

the Greek gods alive and relevant in today’s society.

One particular similarity is the relationship between the Greek gods and the modern day

God is that they all take care of their believers. There are stories of miracles occurring or gifts

being given to their faithful believers/followers in order to help them overcome a particular

obstacle. For example, God parted the Red Sea for Moses so he may escape with the slaves he

freed. Another example of this would be when the goddess Aphrodite helped her favorite Nymph

Echo from suffering by making her disappear along with her sorrows.

Greek gods and modern day gods have similar creation stories. Such as stories that

explain why certain mountains were formed, or why the stars’ twinkle. Its is important to

mention that they each give some sort of explanation to how the world was created and how it
works the way it does. An example of a creation story can be taken from Cronos (the father of

Zeus) who was the ruler of the world and whose name literally means chronological as in the

beginning. One could even find creation stories from modern day Hinduism or even Christianity

with the creation story in the book of Genesis.

Another similarity between modern day gods and Greek gods are that their stories teach

humans lessons and morals. Every story in Greek mythology has a greater purpose to the

audience that is hearing it. This purpose can include a particular life lesson such as don’t cheat or

steal. The stories can also teach humans to behave a particular way such as being kind to others

because you never know what god or goddess may be watching.

Furthermore, Greek gods or modern day gods teach humans to live life in a particular

way. This can include a mother staying home and being the home maker, or a father being

responsible and working for his family. Not only are we influenced by these gods in our current

life but also in the after life. The gods modern and ancient also give humans a sense of knowing

what will occur in the afterlife according to whatever belief the person has. This knowledge of

the afterlife can and does influence an individual to act a particular way during their living time

on Earth.

Greek gods are different from the monotheistic God of Christianity. According to the

bible “we were created in His image” meaning we are his creation. Unlike the Greek gods who

were created in our own image. This is one of the most important differences between Greek

gods and the monotheistic God of Christianity. In Christianity there is one true God who makes

no mistakes and is perfect which seems harder for humanity to relate to. However, in this aspect

of Christianity it is important to have one true God who is perfect in order for believers to look

up to him.
 Greek gods differ from other modern day gods because they were created in our image in

order to “better understand ourselves”. This is different from modern day gods that require their

believers to completely adjust their lives to them. An example of this would be nuns or priests

having to dedicate their entire lives to serving God in order to reach a sense of spiritual

understanding. Whereas ancient Greek gods allowed the Greeks to have a liberal lifestyle

because they did not require such a massive amount of dedication.

Another difference between Greek gods and modern day gods are how they watched their

followers/believers. The Greek gods seemed to be watching humans as a form of amusement.

Countless stories involve a Greek god stepping in out of sheer entertainment or because they

simply are fond of the human they are helping. This is different to western gods where the

almighty Lord is watching his “children” because he loves them and takes care of them or he

may be waiting to pass judgment upon them. The Greek gods seemed to have a more lenient

relationship or friendship with their followers instead of a dominating relationship like the

Christian God of western culture.

This relationship between humans and gods is ever changing. Although, Greek gods

completely changed the relationship between gods and humanity for the better. Greek gods are

relatable with human characteristics and flaws. Nonetheless these gods still have massive

amounts of followers/believers in modern day society. Their own likeness to humanity is key in

this resonating relationship.

The role and function of Greek gods in the lives of humans may very well have been to

change the relationship between gods and humans while still giving explanations to natural

phenomena. Greek gods may have also led man to believe they were like the gods as well. Even

though the answer to this question can be limitless the Greek gods are still relevant to this day in
various art forms, thinking, and even within our own lives. The ancient gods will continue to be

relevant due to their shared emotional characteristics with humanity.

 Work Cited

Evslin, Bernard, and William Hofmann. Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths. New

York: Dell Laurel-Leaf, 2005. Print.

The Quest for the Gods. Perf. Richard Bangs. The History Channel, n.d. Web.