In this session, we carried on from the last session to say more about the sky god Zeus.
He was a the strong, powerful, dangerous guardian of the universe and leader of the gods. We reinforced the view that Zeus was not portrayed as a remote god, mysterious and unknowable. On the contrary he was given a very definite character, with weaknesses as well as strengths, and some quite ‘human’ failings. He was proud, vengeful, vindictive, lustful and he enjoyed meddling in the affairs of both the gods and men. On the one hand, he needed to be able to interfere as part of his role as a guardian of the universe, but he also seemed to have enjoyed it as well.
Zeus hurried along the start of the Trojan Wars because he wanted to see the numbers of people on the Earth reduced by a long and bloody conflict.
He gave his daughter Tyche the ability to bring both good and bad fortune to mortals in a totally random way and was entertained by the trouble that she caused.
He fathered numerous offspring with both goddesses and mortal women, the latter with the aim of producing heroes who could help to safeguard the earth.
We also included Aphrodite in the session and discussed the argument that she may have begun her career as a manifestation of the Great Goddess. When she became established in Greece, she was given a different character, but elements of the Great Goddess mythology are still evident in the Greek Myths.
Last Updated on July 6, 2022