Essay Example on The Twelve Greek Pantheons: Immortals of Greek Mythology & Religion

In Ancient Greek mythology and religion, there were so many gods. The principal deities of the Greeks were referred to as the Pantheons, and they were twelve in number. The gods played a significant role in Greek culture because each god represented a specific aspect of life. The gods were considered to be immortal and were worshiped as the GreekPantheons.They were given that name because they were thought to be living in the mountains. According to Greek culture, the mountains were thought to be holy places because the gods were fond of staying there. In Greek culture, twelve gods played different roles in the lives of the people (Baussier 20). Since the gods were regarded as celestial beings, they played the role of being the mediators between their fellow gods and the men.

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The gods had a special connection with human beings because, in most cases, they sided with human beings on most of the issues. The Greek Gods represented human traits. Therefore in terms of appearance and the way they used to conduct their issues, they mostly leaned towards men because they were more human than being celestial. Thus whenever a problem arose, and they were to act as the arbitrators, they always sided with men in making decisions. The siding with human beings is because they were more human than being celestial beings. They possessed so many qualities that were more inclined to human beings than divine beings (Baussier 25). The gods had even taken the human form, an indication that they were more on humans in their existence. In almost all cases, they sided with humans.

In most of the indigenous societies, the existence of the trickster and gods figure is within the complex matrix of mythic narratives and histories. The most tangible ways through which the community will interact with a trickster and gods is through the ritual performances. The tricksters and gods are revered and confirmed through holy actions irrespective of whether the ritual intends to invoke the legacy of the figure or contact him directly. To fully understand the gods and tricksters, it is essential to understand the way the religious communities invoke them. In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Hermes is a deity. He is regarded as the herald of all the Greek gods and the one protecting the human heralds, thieves, travelers, orators, and merchants. He can move freely and quickly to the dive and mortal worlds through the use of his winged sandals(Baussier 29). He is believed to carry the soul into the afterlife.

Due to his role, he can cross boundaries because he acts as the messenger. He is mostly described as the messenger of all the other gods. He can pass messages through divine realms. So that he can effectively perform his duties, he puts on sandals that have wings. The life of Herman is exciting because he was born as the patron of the god of flocks, shepherds and herds. These attributes are attributed to his origin as an aspect of the pan, Hermes received a lot of praise and was worshiped for saving the town from the plague by carrying a calf through the walls of the city ( Stanco 50). There was a yearly commemoration event during which a lamb was carried all around the city by the boy who was the most handsome, which was late sacrificed and then purified to purify the city and protect it from the famine, disease, and drought.

Loki knew where the best workmen stayed, so he decided to go off. He went to Niflheim, which was the home of the dwarfs on earth. He asked one of them to make a golden hair which it was to use ( Stanco 50). He additionally invited to be given two gifts to take to the gods who were called Frey and Odin. He did that so that they would support him.

After the goddesses and gods had finished building the Asgard and had started going through the daily business. A smith who was a master builder arrived. The builder came from the lands of the giants. Because the gods had not managed to build any walls to protect Asgard, he decides to make the walls. He said that the walls would be substantial to the extent that no to mountain troll or the giants would be in a position to break it( Stanco 50). The master said that he would be paid by being given the goddess Freva as the wife. He additionally said that he wanted the moon and the sun.

The tricksters are described as the archetypal characters ingrained in the myth s of almost all the cultures. The tricksters usually break both societal and physical boundaries. The tricksters often ruin all the principles of natural and social order. They disrupt the normal life, and then they re-establish it using a completely new basis. Often the tricksters tend to break the rules because they are fond of defying the authority. The tricksters are usually cunning and foolish at the same time. They openly question authority. They are usually male, and they are accustomed to breaking the rules set(Haffner et al.,15).. The y are ever boasting and playing tricks to both the gods and the animals.

In mythology, Loki is an enigmatic figure. There is no evidence that Loki was worshiped, and he is not known elsewhere beyond the Scandinavian countries. Loki is regarded as the father of three monsters who was ever threatening the god. Despite having a giant heritage and the offspring that are threatening, he lives amongst the gods. It happened that Loki was once captured by the giant called THjazi and promised to deliver Idunn as well as the golden apples which she had(Haffner et al.,25). The golden apples are the ones that kept the gods young. He did that, but it reached a pint when the gods forced him to retrieve her. He obeyed and did this using the form of a falcon.

A very high protective wall surrounds the Asgard, which is the celestial stronghold of the tribe of Aesir. Aesir is the tribe of goddesses and gods. The division aims to defend the Aesir from being invaded by the giants as well as other beings who are not friendly to the gods. The wall was not there from the beginning, but it was built at some point. There is an explicit story about how the wall was built (Haffner et al.,30.. It was said that a smith arrived at Asgard and volunteered to build a very high wall for the gods around their homes to protect them from anyone who might want to hurt them.

The smith, who was himself a giant, said that he was able to finish building the wall within a period of three seasons. He, however, demanded to be compensated heavily. This was to be in the form of being given Freva as a bride as well as the moon and the sun. Freya was not in agreement with the terms that Loki gave ( Stanco 50). However, Loki said that it was prudent for the builder to be given all that he wanted with the condition that if he was able to finish building the wall within one winter. He also was not to receive any assistance from anybody except his horse. After deliberations, the gods agreed to the terms set by Loki. However, the gods did not have any intention of giving Freva as a bride. Neither did they want to give the moon and the sun. They thought that the demands of the task were instead not achievable. (Haffner et al.,60).The smith consented to their terms with the condition that the gods swore that if they met their conditions, their end of the bargain had to be met.

Conclusion

Hephaestus is referred to as the Greek god od smithing, sculpture, fire, volcanoes, metalwork, and masonry/He was the patron god of all the craftsmen, sculptors, artisans, and blacksmiths. He is said to be the son of Zeus and Hera. He is the one who made all the weapons of the known gods in Olympus. He was the one who was serving as the blacksmith of all the gods and was worshipped in the industrial and manufacturing areas of Greece. This happened more, especially in Ath,ens because it was the capital city of Greece as well as the industrial and commercial cer tre(Baussier 3 5).The gods played a significant role in the lives of the people in Greece because they hadfirmong belief in the gods.

Works Cited

Baussier, Sylvie. `Greek Gods and Heroes.' Lonon : Wide Eyed Editions, 2018. Print.

Haffner, Craig, Donna E. Lusitana, Laura M. Verklan, Catherine E. Ward, Justine LaVelle, Abbe Raven, Beth R. Wright, Charlie Maday, David Ackroyd, Mary R. Lefkowitz, and Herbert Golder. `The Greek Gods. New York?': History Channel, 2005.

Stanco, Ladislav. `Greek Gods in the East: Hellenistic Iconographic Schemes in Central Asi.' . Praue : Charles University in Prague, Karolinum Press 2015