Apollo Belvedere

The presence of Nymphs in Greek literature and religion is everywhere; from whom people pray to, to the way they impact the stories of authors, and all the way to impacting how people speak like Socrates and Homer. Describing what a nymph is however, is a very difficult process. In Greek literature and religion, the main way of identifying a nymph is the formula “Daughter of Asopos” (Larson 4). Other common ways of identifying these divine beings are if they are the daughter of Zeus or other…

direct non-human intervention of the Gods on Oedipus and his city. Oedipus at first shows respect to the Gods and sent Creon to an oracle to seek Apollos advice on the matter. Oedipus accepts Apollos advise of searching for Laius's murderer. Of course the irony is that Oedipus is the killer but he does not know that. Throughout book, humans go to Apollo seeking advice and help. But then act differently in a useless effort to change their fate. The relationship between Gods and humans differs…

The Olympian Gods were a major part of the Greek peoples daily lives. The Greeks spent much of there time trying to please the gods so that they would give them wealth and prosperity, and tried not to anger them. Anger from these gods were recognized as natural occurrences such as lighting brought on by Zeus, or harsh waters brought on by Poseidon. They believed that positive natural occurrences were also brought on by these gods as they made them happy and worshiped each god equally to…

Written in two different times, The Iliad by Homer and by The Aeneids by Virgil focuses on two war heroes and the paths they must take. Homer makes Achilles a Greek who is fated to destroy the city of the Trojans. Virgil, who was inspired Homer, came to create a Trojan named Aeneas and his quest to eventually settle on the foundations of rome. The Greek influence on Homer’s story, and certain themes like the gods and mythos, carried mixed in and carried over with Roman influence. What is…

Religion was the lens through which the Greeks perceived the world around them. The influence of the Greek gods on the Grecian worldview was prevailing because the Greeks believed in the ultimate authority of these deities. However, these deities tended to be temperamental, therefore causing the concept of honor and shame to also play a significant role in Greek worldview. Examining prominent literary works from that era allows us to understand how the Greeks interacted with the world around…

In the Apology of Socrates there is not real evidence of true impiety for the Athenian government, but Socrates does put forth feelings of arrogance and self-confidence within himself and his beliefs. Throughout Socrates’ trial he hardly questions anyone which would be seen in a traditional trial, he often goes on tangents and laments about the injustices of the world in large words that perhaps many of the people there did not understand which leads to him being seen as impious and rejecting…

Throughout many artistic works we see the good suffer, and in the Iliad by Homer and The Book of Job in the Bible, the suffering of the good is a prominent theme. These literary works are similar in the way they present the suffering of the good, but they are also very different in how the good cope with their troubles. The Iliad uses divine intervention and fate to exemplify how the good suffer, whereas The Book of Job uses divine influence and God’s will to illustrate suffering. Similarly,…

The First Existential Hero? What is existentialism? Existentialism is a philosophical theory that accentuates the belief of existence. To be more specific, the idea of being absolutely free, there is no such thing as fate, no predestination, no gods, no god to control our lives, nothing to determine our paths or shapes our destiny. The individual is the only person to choose their own paths, how the individual lives and shapes their own life and give a meaning to their own existence. This…

NASA had put out the Apollo program from 1961-1972, with its main goal to put a man on the moon and return him safely to earth. The Apollo program was named after the Greek God, after the Mercury mission, but who was Apollo the God? Was Apollo that important that NASA deemed him fit enough to be a set of space missions? In fact, he was. Apollo was the God of more than eight different things, he has a very strong background, and he took part in many myths. Imagine being good looking and a master…

What motivates us mortals in our day-to-day lives? Some say money, love, or the pursuit of happiness, but for the Greek gods, it is because they are aware that they are indestructible. By taking note of Hera and Athena’s actions throughout the events of the Iliad it is clear this conclusion reigns true. The Trojan war was fought by men, but the real focal point of the conflict were the actions of the gods and goddesses. It seemed as if no side could gain a decisive edge without some form of…