ipl-logo

Zeus: The Supreme Ruler

642 Words3 Pages

While serving as lord of the gods and men, Zeus functioned as the supreme ruler and judge over law and order. Despite his views on justice and virtue, he frequently asserted his dominance and took part in many sexual affairs. Traditionally, affairs like these would be contra to order, yet Zeus seemed to bypass the rules. The Greeks who worshipped the gods viewed the gods as holy beings that are supreme. I believe that due to Zeus’s function as a god, his supremacy, and his power, Greeks along with other gods were frightened to discuss the problems with these affairs and therefore had to accept that Zeus could do as he pleased.
Zeus’s main function is to carry out law and order, and initiate discipline when the rules are violated. He protects, …show more content…

Zeus protects the immortal and mortal world, in terms of laws, order and life in general. The Greeks saw Zeus as the supreme ruler of gods and of men. I believe that the Greeks truly worshiped the gods and felt that they were perfect immortal beings. To the Greeks, the gods did no wrong as holy figures, therefore, Zeus’s actions were justified as acceptable. As mortals, Greeks were most likely afraid to question anything the gods did, and specifically not Zeus. The Greeks could have been punished by a natural disaster or an unleashed evil from the underworld. Zeus’s power was so influential as described by Hesiod, “for easily he makes them strong and easily he brings them low” (Works and Days lines 3-7). The fear of Zeus’s strong authority and ability to induce these terrors on the Greeks must have played a strong role in how they responded to Zeus’s sexual escapades. In addition, aside from their religion the Greeks, as humans, recognize the realistic quality of their lives and are aware of the uncertainty they endure. Despite their optimism they are cautious of, “ the horrible disasters that a vindictive god or fate may dispense at any moment” (MLS p. 141), which are quite possible concerns for the mortals. Compared to the gods, mortals lives were complicated and challenging, so they worshiped

Show More
Related

Greek Gods Help Out Men

772 Words | 4 Pages

“Father Zeus, doesn’t it infuriate you to see this violence? We gods get the worst of it from each other whenever we try to help out men. Why did you have to give birth to that madwoman, your marauding daughter who is always breaking the rules? All the rest of us gods, everyone on Olympus, listens to you. But she can say or do whatever she wants.”

Read More

How Did Socrates Corrupt Greek Government

493 Words | 2 Pages

As all Greek people know we believe in the Olympian gods which were “The Big Three”, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Socrates did not make his beliefs silent and personal as he spoke freely about them in public. Socrates was asking why the people of Athens followed the gods, which aggravated the people because they were not used to thinking this

Read More

Zeus Commanded Cronus: The First Stone

235 Words | 1 Pages

After, Zeus released the Gigantes, the Hecatonchires, and the Cyclopes killing their own guard, Campe. The Cyclopes rewarded Zeus, giving him the lightning bolt. Zeus ruled over the Greek Olympian Pantheon, playing a major role. He was the father of many heroes. As a result, he was in many of their local cults.

Read More

How Did Zeus Influence The Greek Gods And Goddesses

1584 Words | 7 Pages

Zeus believed in punishments and paying for the wrongs one has done. ("Greek Mythology's Enormous Legacy". Greek Mythology 84-100) Although Zeus is mainly remembered as being the leader of all gods some of his actions had a mythical influence on the modern day

Read More

Essay Who Was Fair When Zeus Punished Prometheus

1829 Words | 8 Pages

Zeus is unfair to many people but this instance he was especially unfair. Argument #1: Zeus had a cruel side to him, like many ancient gods, such as when he punished Prometheus for stealing the flames of Olympus and giving them to the mortals, thus giving the mortals ability to evolve and learn. He condemned Prometheus to having him strapped to a rock while a giant eagle ate his liver daily, only for the liver to regrow so as to repeat the torture for all of eternity. We feel it was a very cruel and unusual punishment.

Read More

Sacrifice In The Odyssey

442 Words | 2 Pages

Zeus is trying to be more peaceful, whereas Helios is trying to punish the men. When Helios is upset, he wants to get revenge, Zeus however is trying to compromise, just like humans do. It shows that the gods had similar emotions to humans and also shows that the Greeks had a very complex religion and

Read More

The Importance Of Zeus In Greek Mythology

379 Words | 2 Pages

Greek mythology is a person favorite thing to research about because the things like goddesses,monsters, places. In greek mythology zeus is the youngest son that cronus and rhea have, he was the supreme ruler olympics and the pantheon of gods, and originally worshiped as a weather god by greek tribes. Zeus won the draw and became the supreme the ruler of gods, as well as lord of the sky and rain. Zeus the deity of the universe, ruler of the skies and earth,zeus is important to greek mythology, because he was the god of the sky and the ruler of olympian gods.

Read More

Ancient Greek Sexuality And Gender Roles In Modern Society

2071 Words | 9 Pages

They viewed sex in terms of phalluses, of active and passive: something that was done to somebody, rather than with them [Source 2][Source 6][Source 9]. While an adult male was expected to sexually pursue both women and boys [Source 4][Source 9], a grown man who preferred a passive role would have been stereotyped as effeminate and ridiculed [Source 2][Source 4]. Marriages were usually for political or monetary reasons rather than love, so most romantic bonds were between two men [Source 9]. Another thing that separates the Ancient Greeks from the norms, values and definitions of today is that they attached no shame to sex

Read More

Sexual Power In Ancient Rome

1236 Words | 5 Pages

The Greeks did not trust women with any agency or control in their lives, even when they were away. Greek sexual morals were designed to villainize the relationships between men and women, while male homosexual relationships were seen as pure. In contrast, in Roman society, especially among the elites, women were expected women to sometimes participate in decisions of magnitude, either as an active member of the family or as a vessel for economic or political power. Elite Roman women made connections, either thorough formal marriages

Read More

The Gods Role In Homer's The Odyssey

614 Words | 3 Pages

I think that it shows the Greeks believe that pridefulness is wrong/punishable as well. Along with pride, I think that there were themes of piety, lies and deciet, and justice so I believe that the Greeks may have seen the Gods as a way to enforce good behavior/a moral code of good, although they show to be ignorant, act "bratty", and can be decietful which may be believed to cause humans to be bad. So it explains their bad behavior for them in a

Read More

The Importance Of God In Greek Mythology

2165 Words | 9 Pages

Through Greek mythology we have one God who was the ruler, Zeus. Zeus is the bringer of justice and civilization. He is also known as the “Father of Gods and men”. This God has more power than any of the other Gods ever had. He was not born with the power of lightening either.

Read More

The Gods And Mortals In Homer's The Odyssey

610 Words | 3 Pages

The relationships between the Greek gods and mortals have always been complicated. The gods can be generous and supportive, but also harsh and destructive towards the humans. They claim to be all powerful beings with unlimited power and influence, but in truth, they are far more human than they are perceived. They meddle with human lives, not because they are wise, but because of their own selfish reasons. In Homer’s

Read More

Deception's Role In Greek Mythology

734 Words | 3 Pages

All of these myths outline Zeus’s desperation and rashness, but also something deeper within Greek society. Zeus performing all of these immoral deeds showed a more human side of himself, which was a chief factor in devising the

Read More

What Is Zeus's Role In The Trojan War

754 Words | 4 Pages

The Greek gods viewed the Trojan War as an elaborate chess game, where the gods and goddess have the role of a chess player and the humans are the game pieces and pawns. The gods have the ability to influence the decisions of each human or pawn. Zeus seems to be playing the role similar to that of an antagonist as he was the one who started the war or we can say the “game of chess”. This is a competition between the gods.

Read More

The Role Of The Gods In The Iliad

718 Words | 3 Pages

Humans are like puppets; they have the freedom of choice however their decisions are constantly interfered by the gods. The god’s are given respect due to their extreme power, as mortals know, if offended a god, one would most likely have to face severe consequences. Nonetheless, the gods are not all powerful, as they have emotions that drive them hence weakens them. In Ancient Greek society, having the gods in your favor played a critical role in peoples daily lives, as the gods would extremely influence decision, have significant power over one’s fate, and have direct involvement in the lives of humans. “Father Zeus, is there any mortal left on the wide earth who will still declare to the immortals his mind and his purpose?

Read More

More about Zeus: The Supreme Ruler

Related Topics

Open Document