Tricksters in Greek Mythology - Essay Example

However, many gods were also cunning. Cronus tried to trick the destiny and swallowed his children, as he knew that one of his children would overthrow him. Zeus was very cunning and he did not always use his might (destructive power) to punish. When Zeus desired to punish people, he did not simply destroy their world, but he sent the beautiful Pandora, who set horrible disasters free and people’s lives became miserable.

The trickster is also a “consummate and continuous trick-player and deceiver” (as cited in Evans, 2010, p. 111). Zeus during his love affairs often used various tricks taking shapes of animals or turning into rain or turning into a particular man. Of course, Hermes was the major trickster as he used to play tricks since his birth. For example, he left his cradle to play and pretended to be a little baby to get away with his theft. Prometheus can also be seen as a trickster as he wanted to deceive Zeus during the discussion of the sacrifice and the parts people should give to Gods.

Finally, the trickster is characterized by typical “deceitful thievery” (as cited in Evans, 2010, p. 111). Hermes stole Apollo’s cattle when the former was only a baby. Prometheus also was a thief as he stole fire from gods. Therefore, all the gods mentioned above can be regarded as tricksters.