Gods and goddesses are often pictured as greater, higher, and a perfect image of man. They are responsible for everything seen and experienced all around the world. They give life and meaning to everything humanity does and they believe in their gods’ influence on the world. Gods help humans understand their environment and their significance in the world as conscious beings in a world full of possibilities. Although the Olympians were gods, they had very human flaws and frailties such as jealousy, cunning, and manipulation. Firstly, one common flaw shown amongst the gods was that of cunning. The definition of cunning is someone who uses deceit to achieve their own goals. An example of a cunning god is Eris, goddess of quarrels. Eris was
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When his wife Gaea, the goddess of the earth, gave birth to their children such as the Hundred-Handed Children, Cyclops, and the Twelve Titans, Uranus did not like the idea that one day his children will take his power from him. Uranus was jealous of the possibility and decided to fix his problem by burying them all alive. His selfish and jealous actions ended in his death by a long, curved knife wielded by his son Cronus, one of the Twelve Titans with the help of his mother Gaea. Another example of jealousy is shown from Hera, the goddess of women and marriage in multiple occasions. Many incidents of jealousy are sparked by her husband Zeus and habit of cheating. One of Zeus’ many affairs resulted in the birth of Apollo, the god of prophecy, music, healing, and purification. Apollo’s mother was Leto, a mortal who Hera tried to kill by sending a sacred python. It was not able to kill Leto because instead, “Apollo wounded a sacred python which has been sent by jealous Hera to kill his mother“ (Head 14). Hera had gone out of her way to have Leto killed because she was jealous she had given birth to a son of Zeus. As a result, it can be said that jealousy is one of the most important and common human flaw found in the …show more content…
An example of this is Apollo with Artemis, the goddess of woodland and wild creatures and Orion, son of Poseidon. Artemis had befriended Orion and found each other as great hunting partners that had a lot in common in personality and hobbies. Apollo was not happy with the friendship between his sister and Orion because he feared Artemis would forget her vows as a maiden-goddess and marry this son of Poseidon. His solution was to challenge and doubt Artemis’ hunting skills and manipulate her into hitting a target far out at sea. She did but it happened to be Orion’s head. Apollo had gone so far as to manipulate her sister into killing her friend. Another example of manipulation is Aphrodite’s part in the Trojan War. Aphrodite manipulated Paris into choosing her as the beautiful goddess the golden apple referred to which was put in place by Eris. Aphrodite offered Paris the “most beautiful mortal in the world as his wife” (Head 35). Paris found this offer the most attractive than those of Hera and Athena. Paris then met and took Helen, Queen of Sparta, which soon led to the Trojan War that destroyed the city of Troy. As a result of this evidence, the flaw of being manipulative for their own gain among the gods and goddesses has been one of the most impactful human
When his wife Gaea, the goddess of the earth, gave birth to their children such as the Hundred-Handed Children, Cyclops, and the Twelve Titans, Uranus did not like the idea that one day his children will take his power from him. Uranus was jealous of the possibility and decided to fix his problem by burying them all alive. His selfish and jealous actions ended in his death by a long, curved knife wielded by his son Cronus, one of the Twelve Titans with the help of his mother Gaea. Another example of jealousy is shown from Hera, the goddess of women and marriage in multiple occasions. Many incidents of jealousy are sparked by her husband Zeus and habit of cheating. One of Zeus’ many affairs resulted in the birth of Apollo, the god of prophecy, music, healing, and purification. Apollo’s mother was Leto, a mortal who Hera tried to kill by sending a sacred python. It was not able to kill Leto because instead, “Apollo wounded a sacred python which has been sent by jealous Hera to kill his mother“ (Head 14). Hera had gone out of her way to have Leto killed because she was jealous she had given birth to a son of Zeus. As a result, it can be said that jealousy is one of the most important and common human flaw found in the …show more content…
An example of this is Apollo with Artemis, the goddess of woodland and wild creatures and Orion, son of Poseidon. Artemis had befriended Orion and found each other as great hunting partners that had a lot in common in personality and hobbies. Apollo was not happy with the friendship between his sister and Orion because he feared Artemis would forget her vows as a maiden-goddess and marry this son of Poseidon. His solution was to challenge and doubt Artemis’ hunting skills and manipulate her into hitting a target far out at sea. She did but it happened to be Orion’s head. Apollo had gone so far as to manipulate her sister into killing her friend. Another example of manipulation is Aphrodite’s part in the Trojan War. Aphrodite manipulated Paris into choosing her as the beautiful goddess the golden apple referred to which was put in place by Eris. Aphrodite offered Paris the “most beautiful mortal in the world as his wife” (Head 35). Paris found this offer the most attractive than those of Hera and Athena. Paris then met and took Helen, Queen of Sparta, which soon led to the Trojan War that destroyed the city of Troy. As a result of this evidence, the flaw of being manipulative for their own gain among the gods and goddesses has been one of the most impactful human