Sacrifice in Greek Myth Essay Example

It is a well-known fact that the Greeks of old practiced sacrifice. Many believe that they also practiced human sacrifice. However, not many can say to what extent or for what specific purposes where such sacrifices made. Very few historical texts are available depicting the true nature of these sacrifices and whether or not they played a role in the everyday society of ancient Greece. Our best depictions of ancient Greek history can be found in their mythologies. Thus we can only begin to decipher the truth behind these ritualistic sacrifices by first analyzing their mythology. One of the most famous examples of human sacrifice in Greek mythology can be found in the depiction of Iphigenia at Aulis given by Euripides. This paper sets out to compare the role of human sacrifice in Greek myth and its role as depicted by Euripides in Iphigenia at Aulis. The three major points discussed shall be the purpose of sacrifice in Greek myth, those suitable for sacrifice in Greek myth, and the portrayal of sacrifice in Greek myth.
"The purpose of the sacrifice is to restore harmony to the community, to reinforce the social fabric" (Girard Violence 8).
In essence the sacrifice satisfies this purpose by taking on the role of scapegoat. Such "scapegoating" can take on one of two forms. This is the more mythical and religious. The sacrificial victim is offered as a target for the God's wrath which otherwise would be suffered by the followers. The second, involves the idea of blame, in such a case the community believes that the sacrificial victim is to blame for some unwanted state of affairs. Thus in order to eliminate the cause of the situation they must make the sacrifice.
It is in a state of disaster where the need for sacrifice is most prevalent. A community faced with such a disaster has the tendency to establish a false causal link between its chosen scapegoat and the real or imaginary cause of its trouble (Girard Violent Origins 103). This link however weak is all that