Gods And Goddesses In The Odyssey

The Holy Bible King James Version,Agamemnon by Aeschylus, and The Odyssey By Homer are all works that place an emphasis on the greatness of divine power. These works in emphasizing power all have several other components in common these include the benefits of godly favor,the wrath of the gods, and their involvement in human affairs. The importance behind this that makes it all meaningful, is that these works are all written at separate times from each other. However, the message in these works despite the passage of time is the essentially the same. These similarities are all meaningful,because they prove that humanity and its’ beliefs at the most basic levels are the same throughout the passage of time. The book of Genesis in The Bible best
the wrath of God in the Cain and Abel story, when Cain and Abel both made offering to God, and Cain’s offering was not accepted while Abel’s was offering was favored: “And the LORD had respect unto Cain and his offering: But not unto Cain and to his offering he had no respect”(The Holy Bible Book of Genesis 4:4-5). The result was that Cain grew jealous of Abel and then he ultimately killed Abel, and God in his wrath cursed Cain and caused him to live in a wretched state because of his sin(Holy Bible King James Version,2012). Agamemnon similarly has many an instance of divine punishment, when Paris is mentioned, and his punishment is discussed: “Zeus God of host and guest, I confess him great who hath wrought this vengeance for Paris’ sin”( Agamemnon 1.1.347-348). The Odyssey similarly has instances of divine punishment, with one notable example being when Odysseus and his men stop on a beach, and his men are extremely hungry. The men notice cattle and desire to eat the cattle. Odysseus attempted to warn them not to eat the cattle, however his men eat the cattle anyway. However, the cattle had belonged to the Sun God and in his anger he demanded that Zeus punish the men which he did by drowning all of the men but Odysseus himself(The Odyssey, Homer). There are also instances of divine favor that are shown in the Holy Bible King James Version, and one notable instance of God’s favor towards man is with Abraham, this happens when God tells Abraham: “And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and King shall come out of thee” (The Holy Bible King James Version Book of Genesis 17:6). The Odyssey in addition to godly punishment also has its’ own instances of godly preference, and this is best shown by the fact that Odysseus is ultimately destined to return to his homeland. The rest of Odysseus’s men die as the result of various occurrences, and some of the had even been killed as punishment. However, Odysseus manages to ultimately be the sole survivor of his army, and he is able to return home and reclaim his kingdom(The Odyssey, Homer).
There are also many instances where the Gods and Goddesses have a direct role in the affairs of humans.
The Aeneid has several points where the Gods will directly play parts in the roles of the humans. The mother of Aeneas is Venus early on in the story appears to Aeneas in disguise, and she offers him consolation by assuring him of the wellbeing of his men, and she also advises him to not be upset.The God known as Cupid, involves himself in the story by Causing Dido who is a princess to fall in love with Aeneas,(The Aeneid, Virgil). The Odyssey similarly has the involvement of The Gods, and it is most notable with the Goddess Athena. She has a constant role in the story, and she even comes to Ithaca in disguise in order to give Telemachus advice on how to get rid of the suitors that are attempting to usurp his father’s estate. She constantly assists and advises both Odysseus and Telemachus throughout the course of the Odyssey and as a result she has in this instance taken a major involvement in the affairs of humans, and once again her involvement shows the recurring message that there is always intervention from divine sources in the affairs of humans(The Odyssey, Homer). The Holy Bible King James Version also has instances of personal involvement in human affairs. This is particularly notable when God sends Moses to rescue the Israelites in the Book of Genesis, and the sea is then parted by God for Moses and the Israelites so that they can escape Pharaoh and leave Egypt(The Holy Bible King James
Version,2012).
The Holy Bible King James Version has many instances of godly favor, which is shown through the benefits that God grants to those such as Abraham. There is also Godly wrath as shown with the story of Cain and Abel, and ultimately there is also involvement when God then sends Moses to aid the Jews(The Holy Bible King James Version, 2012). The Odyssey also has several instances of punishment including the death of Odysseus’s men for stealing cattle, as well instances of Godly preference when Odysseus is the only one of his men to return home, and there is also involvement when the Goddess both Athena guides and assists Telemachus and she assists Odysseus as well(The Odyssey, Homer). The story Agamemnon likewise also holds instances of godly blessing with the success in Troy, and wrath with the punishment of Paris, and there are also allowances for involvement when the Gods had ultimately determined that the Greeks would ultimately have victory over the Trojans(Agamemnon, Aeschylus), and these similarities are significant because these are stories written and produced by different authors, and they each the products of another civilization, and in spite of several differences in plot and in spite of if they believe in there is a single God or multiple Gods, their roles when it comes to dealing with humanity are the same throughout as the Odyssey(Homer), The Holy Bible King James Version, and Agamemnon prove(Aesychlus).