Gods Amongst Each OtherClearly the proper way to begin a great work is with a great
The Gods Amongst Each Other Clearly, the proper way to begin a great work is with a great topic: the all-powerful gods. ... They not only have to deal with humans, they have to deal with each other as well. Zeus, by far, is the leader of the gods. All the gods fear the lightning-bearing son of Kronos. ... As the almighty son of Kronos rules over all mortals, so he rules over the gods. Though immortal, the gods exemplify behavior amongst each other that is very mortal. As humans anger each other, so do the gods. This bickering was exemplified by Kalypso when confronted with the message that she must release the great Odysseus from her island: "Oh you vile gods…white-hot thunderbolt. ... The actions of the gods meets protest, even from amongst their own kind. Competition between the gods is not something unusual. Throughout this great work, we see the forces of Pallas Athena and of Poseidon, lord of the seas, working against each other. ... Throughout the great epic, their forces conflicted as Odysseus slowly progressed homeward. The Immortals and Mortals No matter how similar the gods posses may seem to mortals, they are still immortal. ... Gods as powerful as Father Zeus or as minor as the nymphs who inhabit the caves of Ithaka should be held before all earthly possessions. As long as we mortals are able to keep the gods happy, they will look kindly upon us. ... Odysseus was clearly on the receiving end of the wrath of the gods. Odysseus showed how the vengeance of gods can bring down the spirits of even the strongest men. ... As the great tactician Odysseus left the island of the Cyclops, the blinded giant issued a prayer to his father: "O hear me lord…days at home. ... Odysseus was not the only one to have faced the wrath of the gods in the blessed Odyssey. The red-haired Menelaos attributed some of his misfortunes to his failure to appease the gods. "During my first try at a passage homeward the gods detained me, tied me down to Egypt- for I had been too scant in hekatombs, and the gods will have the rules each time remembered. ... Everyone, even the people who claim to be of the gods’ own kin, must show respect to the gods. The Phaiakians learned the hard way that even though they may have been Poseidon’s own kinsmen, they were not free from his fury. ... – shows us that nobody is safe from the wrath of the gods and that in order to avoid it, we must keep them pleased. Gods are not always hostile to humans. If kept satisfied, they work to the benefit of humans. ... On many other occasions, we are able to see Pallas Athena aid these two great men. The Pleasing of the Gods I apologize to you, my fellow Greek citizens, for I have been going on and on about appeasing the gods without any mention of how you may do so. ... The most basic way to please the gods is through sacrifice. Most simply, this can be done by tipping wine from a cup and offering a prayer to the gods before a meal. "…each man where he sat poured out his offering to the gods own the sweep of heaven. ... These large sacrifices were held amongst a great number of people and were usually accompanied by feasting afterwards, as can be seen from the hekatomb offered by Nestor and his people. "On the shore, black bulls were being offered by the people to the blue-maned god who makes the islands tremble: nine congregations, each five-hundred strong, led out nine bulls apiece to sacrifice, taking tripes to eat, while on their altars thighbones in fat lay burning for the god. ... Sacrifices are not the only way that man can please his gods. Sometimes, minor gods and deities ask tasks of humans. ... When the great Odysseus was asked by the goddess Kalypso to lay with her, he did so. ... Sadly, no matter how much some people try to please the gods, destiny will lead them to the fate that the gods have chosen for them. Odysseus’s crewmen believed that if they offered sacrifice to the gods, their sin of killing Helios’s cattle would be forgiven.