Enduring legacies and The Aeneid - Essay Example

Enduring legacies and The Aeneid - 247300 The ical idea of gods, with particular reference to the Greco-Roman culture is one that is as complex as the things that they observed and practiced every day of their own human lives. In order words, (1) it was born from their perceptions of life itself. (2)This stance is the only thing that creates a division when one attempts to examine the difference between the view of the Greek and that of the Romans with regards to their deity. Their concept of gods and other entities in their mythology was an attempt to explain the things they observed in their own world and the universe as a whole, and (3) there is no place that the marriage of Greek and Roman culture, in this aspect, finds a better expression, than in The Aeneid. The idea of the deity, according to both worlds, was that of one who represented the human in every aspect, except that of (1) mortality and (2) some human incapability. And within this concept of elevated-power lay a hierarchy or classification-variations in duty and importance (much like a human political hierarchy). There were those with lesser (potentials), and there were those with higher (potentials), but all were gods, and their king or father was Zeus, according to the Greeks, or Jupiter, according to the Romans. It is worthy of note that whereas in many cultures around the world, the head god was often perceived as having created or being the cause of the existence of other gods, in Greco-Roman mythology, the head god descended from a lineage of existing gods and was, to some degree, no different than others in the upper hierarchy. According to Hesiod, Zeus was the son of Cronus, a Titan, who in turn was the son of Gaia, the earth. Gaia came from emptiness (Chaos), along with his siblings Eros, Tartarus and Erebus. Cronus overthrew his father and became ruler over the other gods. To avert the same fate from himself with regards to his off springs, he swallowed them at birth. Zeus was fortunate to escape this fate, with the help of his mother Rhea. On growing up, he defeated Cronus, liberated his brothers and sisters from their father's belly, and resided in Mount Olympus, along with some other chief gods as their overseer. There was a three-way division of universal power: His brother Poseidon became god of the sea; his other brother Hades became possessor of the underworld; while Zeus himself took over the sky, and thus the earth and Olympus. Some of the chief gods include: Hermes, Artemis, Apollo Hera and Aphrodite. Jupiter, on the other hand, was one of the three sons of Saturn-the other two being Neptune and Pluto. Neptune ruled over the sea, Pluto the earth and the underworld, and Jupiter the air or sky. Among the primary gods were: Apollo, Mars, Venus and Mercury In examining these stories very well, one sees the effect of human political situations in their formation, as well as the observation of the cosmic. The origin of the gods and their fight for supremacy represented how the Greeks themselves ran their socio- political lives, as is witnessed in the mythic tales, such as those told in The Aeneid, Iliad, and Metamorphoses, as well as true stories of war and conquest. Whatever their religious view, it supported them, and gave them a reason to do the things they did: The Greeks and the Romans so honored their gods, that these deities formed an important part of their daily existence. Alexander the Great was much moved by the feats of Achilles that he strove to be like him. In terms of the merits of these gods (which is also a reflection of the people themselves and their outlook on life), the Roman gods appear to me to be the ones who deserve more praise. Many of the Greek deities were callous, vengeful and untrustworthy, compared to their Roman counterparts. Take, for example, Hera who tried to kill Heracles as a baby, because he was the son of her husband, Zeus, and a mortal woman. Juno of the Romans, on the other hand, was more peaceful, loving, and represented the guardian spirit of every woman. Apollo, the Sun god of the Greeks was a jealous deity who aided in killing Achilles, and also the one that turned King Midas's ears into those of an ass; while his Roman counterpart, Apollo, focused more on bringing healing to sick people. Artemis of the Greeks seemed to take a kind of pleasure in fetching sudden death to people, unlike Diana of the Romans. Ares, god of war, was a handsome, but cruel, deity, whose throne "was said to be covered in human skin" (Dean); quite unlike Mars who was more dignified, besides being the father of Romolus and Remus, known as the founders of Rome. Divinity is also about dignity and with regards to that, the Roman gods hold a far more elevated position than those of the Greeks. How then does all this relate to The Aeneid The story of The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, from Virgil, about Aeneis who travelled from Troy to Italy, and became the father of the Romans. In this aspect, there is a Greco-Roman unification. If one were to take the story of the gods more seriously, one would certainly tie the similarities in function of these gods, secluded in their different cultures, to this great tale that has come down through many generations. Works Cited Dean, Gordon. "Ares." The Olympians. 1998. . Read More