Essay Example on Explore Greek Polytheism: A Burkert Account

It is essential to examine the polytheistic nature of the Greek gods and goddesses to understand Greek religious beliefs. Burkert gives an account of the Greek polytheism. Polytheism refers to the worship of many gods at the same time and place. In pantheism, the supreme god that unites the polytheistic gods is revealed in the divine world. All the individual gods in the polytheistic gods work together each having a distinct responsibility and an attached symbol. Unlike in monotheism, where there is a single superior deity, none of the gods is superior to the other in polytheism. They are all seen as eternal beings. The main difference between the polytheistic gods and the Judeo-Christian god is the jealousy aspect of the supreme God in Judeo-Christian. The paper examines the various roles and responsibilities of the gods and goddesses in the family of gods as well as the qualities, making them equivalent to a "football team" per Burkert's text.

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A critical analysis of the roles and responsibilities of the gods and goddesses is vital to understand better Burkert's excerpt, and why he uses the analogy of the football team to refer to the family of the gods. The family of gods comprises of twelve Olympian Gods. These gods were Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Aphrodite, Demeter, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Athena and Hermes (Slater, 2014). According to Greek mythology, all these gods and goddesses had various roles and responsibilities. Burkert in the text, equates these responsibilities to those of teammates in the realm of a football match (Burkert, 1985). The gods had symbols that would identify them. For example, Zeus's symbol was a thunderbolt and a bull, which was a sign that he had authority over the earth and the sky. The lightning symbolized his role as a punisher to the wrongdoers. Hera, who was the wife of Zeus, served as the protector of the feminine deities. Her human-like characteristic was jealous and was symbolized by a peacock. Zeus and Hera formed a family. Thus, they are the leaders of the family of gods.

The other deities forming the family of the gods include Poseidon, who is the ruler of the sea and earthquakes. He was seen as the protector of the cities. Hades served as the ruler of the underworld and was responsible for the world of the dead. Hestia, who was the lovable Greek goddess, served as the ruler of the households (Patterson, 2009). He was responsible for peace and harmony in the city as well as homes. Aphrodite remained beautiful and young throughout the Greek's mythology. As a result, she was the ruler and giver of beauty.

Demeter was the goddess of fertility. Her primary role in the family of gods was to ensure that there was a balance in the circle of life in the earth. Apollo, who was a son of Zeus, was the god of prophecy, arts, science of medicine as well as truth. Artemis, his twin sister, was responsible for the forest as she loved hunting and forest sports. Ares and Athena were god and goddess of war and violence. People disliked Ares due to his violent nature. However, he was highly respected and feared due to his anger. Athena, despite being a goddess of war, she appears to be more strategic than Ares. Her primary role was to exercise wisdom and justice to the people. Hermes served as the messenger of the gods (Slater, 2014). He came into contact with an extensive body of knowledge in his line of duty. As a result, he was the most knowledgeable and all-knowing god. He was also responsible for the underworld.

Burkert explores the religious belief and the organization of the Greek gods and goddesses. The structure of the family of gods in the Greek polytheistic religion is believed to comprise of twelve of the most vital gods and goddesses (Burkert, 1985). The gods and goddesses are believed to have lived in the highland regions of Mount Olympus. The gods and goddess formed more of a family that closely corresponds to the human family. They had similar qualities of ordinary human families such as constant family arguments, the ability to fall in love as well as taking care of one another. As a sign of supremacy, these gods lived at the top of Mount Olympus (Patterson, 2009). The mountain stands to be the highest in Greece. As a result, it provided the best place for the gods to live due to the clouds that filled the atmosphere, making it hard for the people to see.

The size of the family of gods and goddesses was small, comprising of twelve deities. Burkert compares this small family to a football team (Burkert, 1985). He uses the analogy of a football team to portray the closely-knit relationship in the family. The gods and goddesses depended upon each other for their mutual development. They worked together on many occasions. The Greeks held on to the belief that these gods and goddesses controlled nature, environment, and whatever happened in their lives. Similar to a football team where each player has a role to play and a unique position in the game, the Greeks believed that a god or goddess existed in every aspect of their lives. Therefore, it was their role to worship and please god. Failure to please the gods through worship and sacrifices on special occasions attracted severe punishment from the gods. There were unique places in the Greek's homes set aside for the worship of the gods. Additionally, there were other places such as public shrines where communal devotions and offerings took place.

The Olympian gods lived in a way that emulates the lives of the Olympians. There were various aspects of life, such as division of roles and designation of independent authorities to the gods. Just like in a football match where players cooperate, the gods work closely with one another. They all have different roles and powers. The design of the proper authorities is in such a way that no single god stands in the path of another. If a god wishes to punish an individual or a community, no one god will stand in their way. They also have different forms and places of worship and receive sacrifices. The structure of the family gods of the Greek serves as an explanation of the relationship between the gods and the Greek society.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Ancient Greek society believes in the existence of gods and goddesses whom they worshipped. Their form of worship takes a polytheistic approach, meaning that they worshipped multiple deities. They adored a family of gods and goddesses that consisted of twelve deities. The twelve gods and goddesses had distinct roles and responsibilities. They were represented in symbols that resembled the role that they played. Burkert uses a football team to explain the purposes of the Greek gods better. He states that the Greek gods and goddess lays the foundation and origin of human cooperation and interaction. The number twelve in the ancient Greek gods and the number eleven in the football team strategically represents a small manageable number desirable for teamwork and mutual coexistence.

References

Burkert, W. (1985). Greek religion. Harvard University Press.

Patterson, C. B. (2009). The family in Greek history. Harvard University Press.

Slater, P. E. (2014). The glory of Hera: Greek mythology and the Greek family (Vol. 99). Princeton University Press.