Polytheism was long ago replaced by monotheism. Humanity once had many gods, but now almost all religious believers recognize only one god, although exactly which god is which varies. Among the common theories of “big history” is that as a society grows in size, the number of gods advocated by its beliefs decreases. In this plan, it also makes sense that the growing Roman Empire would eventually adopt Christianity, and that the Roman Empire would have so many gods that it first inherited from the ancient Greek city-states. To our modern eyes, the various immortals so easily evoked by the Greeks look more like characters from a long-running television drama than holy figures.
Or maybe it has to be a melodrama, given that most of them belong to one large, often troubled clan. Therefore, the structure of UsefulCharts’ Greek mythology family tree is explained below. video above. Also Available in poster formatIt clearly illustrates the relationships of all the people in the Greek pantheon, from the highest “primordial gods” like Eros the Elder and Gaia, to the children of Zeus and Poseidon.
As powerful as these gods were, and while some were indeed powerful, none behaved like the infallible, omniscient beings of the major religions as we know them today. They can act capriciously, vengefully, and even senselessly, reflecting the nature of life in the ancient world, which often seemed capricious, vengeful, and senseless.
For the Greeks themselves, these mythical gods and monsters were not just explanatory devices, but also a kind of entertainment. Because in their noble world, nothing can go on without high drama. For us, they continue to exist not only in our legends, from which we draw inspiration for our own larger-than-life stories of heroism and villainy, but also in our very language. Consider how in our everyday conversations we continue to evoke Kronos, the ruler of time, Cupid, the bringer of love, the androgynous Hermaphroditus, the many-headed Hydra, and so on. Although we may no longer need them to organize our societies, some of them continue to play a role in the age of monotheism. Monotheism, whatever its other advantages, does not need to refer to a diagram to know who is who.
Related content:
Mythos: An animation that recreates timeless Greek mythology in an abstract modern design.
Mythology experts review depictions of Greek and Roman mythology in popular movies and TV shows
How the ancient Greeks built their magnificent temples: the art of ancient engineering
Animated explanations of 18 classic myths: Pandora’s Box, Sisyphus, and more
The Concept of the Hero in Greek Civilization (Free Course at Harvard University)
A visual timeline of world history: Observe the rise and fall of civilizations over 5,000 years.
Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages ​​and cultures. he is the author of the newsletter books about cities books as well Home page (I won’t summarize Korea) and korean newtro. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
