Did the Ancient Greek Gods Exist Essay

The antique Grecians regarded their religion and mythology with much comply and loyalty. Although the antediluvian patriarch classic immortals are now seen as an explanation created by man, for natural forces and the world just about us, there has been much evidence both for and against the count that these Gods were real. The Grecians believed that the Earth was created with the birth of Gaia, or Mother Earth, from the dreary void cognise as Chaos. It was believed that Gods were solely-powerful giants and heroes, who were answerable for our public.The Olympians were a younger race of Gods led by genus Zeus, who eventu on the wholey overthrew the formidable Titans, led by Zeus tyrannical father Cronus. Once in power, the Olympians, named after(prenominal) their home Mount Olympus, were each given real responsibilities and powers over natural forces and aspects of life. Such as the sky, ocean, expiry and war. some(prenominal) have debated that the Gods have made thei r straw man clear, through their influencing and intervening with our history and punishments that they have tender upon us. Whereas others betoken that they were unsullied stories told to inspire others, teach ethics and explain the unknown.The mythology of the Gods were mainly passed on through stories and back up with archaeological evidence, the main literary account was by Homer and his two epic numberss. Although they mainly accounted for the events meet the Trojan War, they include much proof on the impact and influence the Gods had on Ancient Greek history. In Homers epic poem Illiad, Zeus is shown sending Agamemnon a false dream, therefore influencing his military decisions during the Trojan war in an start out to depopulate the Earth. Although the existence of Agamemnon cannot be proven, the city of troy weight can be.The archaeological ruins of the city can be give in what is now known as Turkey and shows signs of being destroyed and rebuilt several times, cl ose identically due to an earthquake and even a war, from which there was evidence of much slaughter. The Ancient Greeks worship the Gods, believing they had power over everything around them and perceive them as almighty deities. The Gods were believed to have normally taken on human form, exhibiting the same emotions and traits. They were too known for regularly intervening in human history.Many people have argued that like some Ancient Chinese deities, many another(prenominal) Gods were in fact found on actual figures of history and that over time, like the Chinese gods, their true identities were simply forgotten and they were continually perceived as almighty gods. Such as Guan Yu, a Chinese general who was deified as the Taoist God of War, during the Sui Dynasty (581-618) for his contributions to the civil war. He continues to be revere by the Chinese and is a figure of Chinese folk religion. Like the Greek Gods, Guan Yu is idolize with alters, ceremonies, sacrifices a nd festivals. that after many centuries of being seen as a God, many are unaware that he did in fact exist. The Historical Theory, continues to support the idea that all people mentioned in mythology were once real people, all their story is passed on and changed over time. Comparisons have also been drawn with the similarities amongst the basis of Ancient Greek mythology and its factual history. The Greeks believed that there were three generations of Gods Uranus and other creation gods, the Titans and the Olympians.Many believe that this is merely a verbalism of the three major Ancient Greek civilisations Minoan, Mycenaean and Hellenic. Even with the Gods, they portray heavy social struggles mingled with threatening communities. Professor Martin P. Nilsson concluded that the Gods were a mere reflection and dramatization of Ancient Greek civilisation. Although the Gods were worshipped for their allegiance, they were also known for their wrath and harsh punishments such(prenomin al)(prenominal) as the Minotaur, a ferocious monster with a thirst for blood and the result of a Gods punishment.It all began as a censure cast by the God, Poseidon, onto the King of Crete, Minos for not sacrificing a prized white diddlysquat. To punish him, fellow goddess Aphrodite made Minos married woman Pasiphae fall in love with a falsify hence resulting in the birth of the Minotaur, the unnatural payoff of man and bull through. The Minotaur was infamous for its human body and bull head. Uncovered representational arts such as vases, alters and ruins have proven the high amount of bull worship in Crete and even parts of Spain, perchance due to the existence of the Minotaur.However many argue that it was from the bull sensation that came the origins and inspiration for the tale of the Minotaur. The brute eventually grew for a horrific taste for blood, forcing Minos to tuck away it in a twisting labyrinth downstairs his palace, Knossos. Several years ago, Oxford universi ty geographer Nicholas Howarth uncovered an underground hollow complex consisting of a dark, twisting network of tunnels on the island of Crete, just miles away from the ruins of Knossos.Locally, it is even known as Labyrinthos Caves. The Minotaur was eventually slain by Theseus, a demi-god, supercharge supporting the ancestry that the Ancient Greek Gods existed. As mentioned, over time people have advance to accept the Ancient Greek gods as something the Greeks created to infer the world around them. The Physical theory reinforces this argument, claiming that all mythology and religion is formed from the basis of the natural elements air, go up and water.Similarities can be seen with that of the Ancient Greek gods, such as Poseidon who was God of the Sea and was believed to have scene of action over the ocean. Many argued that the Gods were mere symbolic personifications of the indocile nature around us, from which the Ancient Greeks found apprehend and security. Sigmund F reuds symbolic communication and dream translation suggested that with the proper psyche and desperation, the Greeks could have used the Gods as a verification of control.Many have go along to attempt to interpret the mythology of different ancient civilisations. angiotensin-converting enzyme of the most successful would be Herodotus, who uncovered the relationships and connections between Ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythologies. He believed that the Ancient Greek Gods were directly inspired by Egyptian mythology. Gods such as Zeus were paired with the Egyptian god Amun. Through historical linguistics, it was believed that these gods actually derived from putting surface archetypes of the Proto-Indo-European religion.Thus concluding that Gods were a mere assume of other cultural religions and myths. Despite the scepticism that many feel towards the argument, the evidence is overwhelming and reinforces the debate that the Gods did exist, whether they were immortal Olympian s or simply heroic human beings. As immortal wrathful giants, the gods were able to influence wide-cut battles and punish those they believed evil, whereas if they were only human beings, their story would be able to inspire and teach others heroism and bravery.Although the argument involving the Physical theory and Herodotus is viable, the natural elements are the excogitation of life and therefore can be depraved to fit any argument and have similarities found anywhere if one simply looked hard enough. Although we may never learn the truth, the existence of the Ancient Greek gods are more realistic due to the possibilities face up with the idea that they could have been either almighty gods or average human beings.