Sacrifice In The Iliad

In Greek mythology, it was common practice to make sacrifices to appease gods and goddesses. Often times, it was even mandatory, because a god would be upset at a human for whatever reason and arbitrarily decides to put a plague on them, their family, or their entire country, just because they felt like it, or sometimes in retribution. An example would be Apollo’s plague on the Greeks after they kidnapped his priest’s daughter, Chryseis. In The Iliad, the residents of Mount Olympus are no more or less flippant than usual, making the lives of the humans beneath them a constant hazard with their endless fighting, each god having their own position on the war, and all were inclined to assist their side. Some gods and goddesses, like Hades, …show more content…
The Iliad gives very general examples of everyday sacrifices made to the gods, as well as specific times, such as the priest Chryses being rewarded for his loyalty to the god Apollo, and The Greeks’ sacrifice to Apollo to life the plague placed on them due to Chryses’ …show more content…
Sacrifices were necessary to placate the gods and keep them from coming down on the humans with an unnatural fury. However, sacrifices were also a means of honoring and thanking the gods, and used as a sign of respect and loyalty. Throughout The Iliad, and in all Greek myths, one sees humans in a constant struggle to remain in the favor of the gods, while maintaining their lifestyle and without offending a god while in the process of worshiping another. An example of this would be the Goddesses that, essentially, caused the Trojan War due to a petty feud. In competition to see who was “the fairest” the goddess involved Paris, a mortal, asking him to make the decision. In a situation of that nature, there is no right answer. No matter whom Paris chose the other goddesses would be angry. Paris, in the end chose Aphrodite, and took what she had to offer, which was Helen, and in doing so, started a war that would claim countless