Introduction
Homer’s epic poem Iliad is one of the most influential literary works in western literature, and it is a detailed description of the values, norms, and beliefs of Ancient Greece. The author depicts the Greek pantheon of gods and their multiple interactions with people. One of the major peculiarities of Greek gods is their anthropomorphism which is evident in their appearance, their conduct, and their intentions (Heath, 2019). The very beginning of the Trojan war is the result of goddesses’ jealousy, vanity, and vindictiveness. Gods display a plethora of humane traits during the epic, but they are still divine entities that can control natural and supernatural forces and use this power to help people who exhibit loyalty.
Gods Are as Physical as Humans
One of the first features making Greek gods so humane is their appearance. In the epic poem, the depicted gods are very physical and characterized by the perfection of human physical traits (Heath, 2019). Gods are strong, attractive, wise, and confident, which are positive characteristics. Heath (2019) states that it is not stated explicitly in the epic whether the gods have a physical form when they are in Olympus. Gods are presented as glorified and empowered people who have endless riches.
Gods’ physical features are described in detail on diverse occasions, especially when it comes to interaction between gods and people. Moreover, gods are often depicted with great attention to objects (clothes, accessories, and so on). For example, when leading the troops, “the fiery-eyed Athena bore / her awesome shield of storm, ageless, deathless” (Homer, 1991, p. 114). Thus, the poet describes gods as physical beings who, just like people, use beautiful things to adorn themselves. Although gods are mighty and diving, they are still depicted as a part of the physical world. They can travel from Olympus to the human world, but they often take different forms, which denotes their physical nature or their ability to take physical forms when they interact with people.
Humane Features
As mentioned above, gods display very human features of character when they are on Olympus or with people on Earth. They can be furious, jealous, kind, generous, vindictive, and just. All these qualities are very humane and visible in people’s everyday lives. For example, Aphrodite is the goddess of beauty and love, who can bring a lot of joy to people and gods. However, she can often be angry and impatient, while one of her most disgraceful features is her cowardness. This trait is depicted in one of the battle scenes: “but he with his ruthless bronze was hunting Aphrodite / Diomedes, knowing her for the coward goddess she is” (Homer, 1991, p. 175). At that, she still has power over people and can make them fearful. For example, she makes Helen obey: “Don’t provoke me-wretched, headstrong girl! / Or in my immortal rage I may just toss you over” (Homer, 1991, p. 142). Again, being such adaptive and different in interactions with different people, Aphrodite exhibits quite a human quality.
God’s Pantheon as a Human Community
One of the anthropomorphic features of the Ancient Greek gods is the family ties and relationships between them. The pantheon is an extended family where Zeus is the head and the ruler and where his siblings and children try to live in peace, obeying his will. All gods accepted the power of Zeus, which is displayed in many instances:
Zeus went back to his halls, and all the gods in full assembly rose from their seats at once to meet the Father striding toward them now. (Homer, 1991, p. 95)
This distribution of power and responsibilities in the family of gods is similar to the norms accepted in the human community in Ancient Greece. Jones (2017) notes that the pantheon is the reflection of Greek society, and gods serve as a tool to depict some of its peculiarities. During that period, people lived in a patriarchal world where the father had the utmost power and ensured balance in the family. Other members of the family could have different responsibilities and degrees of influence on each other and outsiders. Likewise, gods followed the established rules and Zeus was the major judge who could solve any conflicts in his divine family. For example, Zeus’s children had considerable power on the Earth as the mighty god loved them and let them play the games they wanted. Athena is the favorite daughter who enjoys more freedom and benefits, but she still has to obey her father’s will.
Helping and Punishing People
As mentioned above, gods are described as creatures supervising people’s actions, guiding them, and helping or punishing the inhabitants of the Earth. Kings and rulers of different countries are also subject to the divine power of the Olympic gods. Agamemnon and King Priam have to obey the will of gods on the battlefield or when making decisions. Gods help people make these decisions or warn them about possible negative consequences of some actions. Gods show their positive and negative attitudes in different ways. For instance, they may give gifts to people or ensure success in some endeavors. At that, gods can display their positive attitude by visiting people:
Only yesterday Zeus went off to the Ocean River to feast with the Aethiopians, loyal, lordly men, and all the gods went with him. (Homer, 1991, pp. 91-92)
Horrible death or disgrace can become the punishment for some activities and decisions. Gods use natural forces to punish those who disobey or display disrespect:
when Zeus flings down his pelting, punishing rains – up in arms, furious, storming against those men who brawl in the courts and render crooked judgments, men who throw all rights to the winds with no regard for the vengeful eyes of the gods… (Homer, 1991, p. 425)
In this power god’s exercise, humane features are also exhibited as punishing and awarding are instruments exploited in human society at the times of Ancient Greece and now. Those in power used to punish people who disobeyed the rules and norms that had been established to ensure order and proper development of the community. Gods had the power to ensure just decisions and proper conduct of every human being irrespective of their social status. Kings and soldiers were all to obey equally and be loyal to their gods.
Fate as the Ultimate Similarity Between people and Gods
Finally, fate is the major concept showing the parallel between gods and humans. Although they had considerable freedom and could make diverse decisions on their own, all gods and people could not escape from what their destiny was (Heath, 2019). Even Zeus had to obey some laws as he is responsible for keeping balance. For instance, the mightiest of gods laments: “My cruel fate… / my Sarpedon, the man I love the most, my son doomed to die at the hands of Menoetius’ son Patroclus” (Homer, 1991, p. 427). His wife warns him about the consequences of irresponsible behavior and an attempt to save his mortal son. Hera stresses that balance and order will be destroyed if Zeus tries to intrude as other gods follow and break the rules. The primary difference between the gods and people is the way they accept their fate. While gods may think of changing destinies, people do not even dare to think about it.
Conclusion
In conclusion, in the Iliad, Homer depicts gods as mighty supernatural creatures who live following the rules people also obey. Moreover, gods are characterized by all features and traits people tend to possess. They appear as perfect people, and their physical nature is evident in the poem. Gods live in a community where a leader ensures that order is preserved, while other deities have to follow all the rules. Even such trifle aspects as possessions resemble the way people live because gods tend to be described with different items of wealth (gold, armor, clothes). At that, the way gods have to accept their fate and the fate of all the creatures in the world makes them similar to humans. Thus, Homer depicts gods as creatures with human features such as appearance, emotions, behaviors, and desires. At the same time, these deities live in the supernatural world, intruding into the world of people when they want to entertain.
References
Heath, J. (2019). The Bible, Homer, and the search for meaning in ancient myths: Why we would be better off with Homer’s gods. Routledge.
Homer. (1991). The Iliad (R. Fagles, Trans.). Penguin Books.
Jones, N. (2017). The justice of the gods in Homer and the early Greek plays. Journal of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate, 9(1), 1-12.