There are many puzzling features in mythology, if taken as purely mythology, regarding the so-called gods. I say so-called because to my way of interpreting things, the gods weren't mythological but flesh-and-blood extraterrestrials with advanced technology, especially in the field of bioengineering or genetic engineering. A puzzling feature regarding the 'gods' and related tales, or even tails, are the half-and-halves (my phrase - you probably won't find it lasted in any index in any mythology text). But these half-and-halves, for example there were the Centaurs, Cupid (or Eros), the Harpies, Mermaids or Mermen, the Minotaur, Satyrs, Sirens, the Sphinx, the Chimera, Dragons, the Gryphon (or Griffin - alt spelling), the Hydra, Pegasus and the …show more content…
That is, they appear across all cultures; all geographies. Anytime something supposedly mythological, is represented everywhere, it's time to sit up and take closer notice that things might not be quite as mythological as things first appear.
Where's the body-on-the-slab-in-the-lab evidence? With no fossil evidence of any such hybrids, perhaps this is where mythology overrides reality. Perhaps it is just a natural pondering to wonder 'what if' human abilities could be combined with some other animal's abilities; or what a composite of one animal's body parts attached to another animal's body parts might achieve.
But then again, maybe that's not the
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There's a very large life-size statue from ancient Assyria housed in the British Museum of a winged, human-headed bull (probably representing Shedu or Lamassu). That would be odd enough, but in this statue of a bull with wings and a human head, you find that the bull is depicted with five legs (please note I can count up to five!). Now, if you were to design from scratch a mythological beastie, one thing I'm pretty convinced of is that you would NOT give it five legs! So, I ask instead, is this statue a representation of one of the 'gods' genetic
As we read the Odyssey by Homer we have learned that gods and goddess were an important part of the lives of the people in ancient Greek. The people had an admiration for the gods. They would pray, ask for help in any kind of situation, and do sacrifices for them. We can also say that the gods are like a parental figure to the people in the Odyssey; if the people respected and obey them they would not get in trouble and sometimes get rewarded, but if they disrespected and disobey them chances are that they would get punished. In the Odyssey, we see that Odysseus, the main character, is the enemy of a powerful god.
The book Myths & Legends by Anthony Horowitz is a book that conveys the various adventures and fables of the gods and goddesses. Gods are supposed to be the leaders of the world, the immortals graced with special powers and innate abilities. However, their behavior is not much different than that of humans. In Myths & Legends, gods are portrayed in their true colors -- selfish, impulsive, and jealous. Selfishness is the first characteristic that comes to mind when thinking about the gods.
In the Egyptian version, Shu lifted Nut, the goddess of the sky, above Geb, the earth, to form a canopy over the earth. Similar to this, in Enuma Elish, Tiamat gives birth to Anshar and Kishar who became the gods who represented the boundary between the earth and the sky (The Enuma Elish: The Babylonian Creation Myth). All of the creation stories also contain a power struggle between gods. In the Egyptian creation story, Set wanted to be the ruler of the earth so he killed his brother Osiris. After Osiris went to the underworld, Horus battled Set in order to regain his father’s throne.
They are allowed to interfere with humans in certain ways to certain extents, they have rules, and by punishing/rewarding humans, they create an order of morals/hierarchy so they serve a purpose as well. This presentation of the gods reveals that the Greeks see them as powerful, smarter, and "magically" significant beings. I think that the story shows that they see the Gods to be like us, but with power and authority.
It is believed that as the Roman form of Hermes, Mercury and him had the same story at birth of how they stole Apollo’s cattle, made the lyre, and traded it for the herd of cows so therefore Apollo was god of music and Hermes and Mercury were gods of Herds. As they are similar they are both usually depicted as wearing a winged hat, two winged sandals, loincloth, a purse, and a staff that has two snakes on it that they threw on the ground to stop the snakes from fighting and they combined with the staff. In history many have mistaken the snakes for a
Characterized as capricious, selfish, and often comical, the Greek gods and goddesses hardly served as moral precedents, as can be seen through Zeus’ various exploits and Ares’ violent and cruel tendencies (Whitmarsh 31-32). To this end, the Greek gods and goddesses served as symbolic manifestations of all aspects of humanity, embodying the urges, ingenuity, hardships, and faults of all people (31). Consequently, the Greek people tended to criticize divine elements in Homer’s and Hesiod’s works, undermining, questioning, and even parodying the adventures of the heroes (36). A significant instance of this can be found within the writings of Palaephatus, a skeptical Athenian. Regarding the mythological creatures known as centaurs, Palaephatus writes, “... it is impossible.
Ancient men often visualized gods in animal form not only because animals were a main source of energy, and a reliable source for clothing aswell; but because in a way they looked up to them. Animals were seen as godly creatures, many ancient civilizations were polythesitic and used animals to represent their gods. For example, the Great Spinx to demonstrate strength and power, along with the bull which represented war and power because it was a very agressive animal. Those two animals in general were seen often in art from Prehistoric, Egyption, and Near Eastern time periods. I think animals were such a popular work of art over these time periods because they were so different compared to humans, they had four legs and in general were just
Mankind and the divine living in coexistence has endured the test of time due to the “glass ceiling” remaining intact. This barrier has restrained humans and empowered gods creating a relationship of ruler and subject. Humans have been pious and humble towards the gods, believing they are perfect beings. The gods themselves are ignorant of their own flaws and very humane qualities. Ancient Greek literature depicts gods as reflections of troubled mankind’s need for a role figure who are similar to themselves in stature and personality.
Instead of being perfect omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent gods, they have limited power and influence, and are often driven by humanistic emotions and desires. While the gods do show concern over some mortals, they don’t make decisions solely concerning the wellbeing or interests of the humans, but instead, like the humans themselves, usually act with their own interests at heart. Athena and Poseidon both acts in accordance to their desires and emotions, and have a biased view on particular humans. Unlike the perfect deities we have in mind when we think of the divine, Greek gods are just immortal beings who are just as fallible and imperfect as the humans they preside
There were also gods of lesser things such as love and scribal arts. Looking at Mesopotamia’s geography, you can see how it might have served as inspiration for deities. The Euphrates and Tigris rivers surrounding Babylon could’ve been inspirations for the many water gods like Apsu, Enki, and Tiamat, as could the Persian Gulf located nearby. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the gods are depicted as harsh and wrathful because they decide to wipe out the human race with a flood just because they make too much noise (Ward p.20). The gods’ destructive nature is likely based off the chaos caused by flooding from the Tigris and Euphrates.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh interrelationships between the humans and gods are not what we are used to in most modern monotheistic societies. Perhaps the greatest difference between the power of humans and gods is when Gilgamesh is referred to as “Two-thirds of him was divine, one-third of him was human!” (39) as this reveals Gilgamesh to be the son of Lugalbanda the former king and the goddess Ninsun. This would indicate that the line between human and god is an extremely thin one and thus gods cannot and are not that vastly different from their human counterparts. Indeed, throughout the journey of Gilgamesh we are confronted by gods and goddesses who are similar to humans in their desires and means of achieving them.
The Resemblance of Gods and Humans Throughout all religions, gods have always been seen as superior in every way possible. The division between humans and gods has always been prevalent and prominent. However, when the actions and motives of these gods are truly analyzed, it will become evident that the gods of Greek Mythology merely behave as humans with supernatural powers.
The gods represent the best and worst, and they show us both the possibilities and limitations of human behavior. If nothing else, the gods remind us of the overwhelming
This is another example to show that gods/goddess and humans had the same flaws. You can relate this point between humans and gods because humans are also narcissistic. This is also a moral lesson to not be too self-centered. In the end gods and human have same flaws, in this case being
They believed that these deities were able to interact with people and have an impact on their lives. One illustration of polytheism in Greek religion is the pantheon of gods and goddesses, which includes names like Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, and many others. The god of the sky, the god of