The Iliad the gods and goddesses

 

In The Iliad the gods and goddesses are like ordinary human beings except their supernatural power. Discuss.

 

Ans. The Homeric gods differ from the Greeks not much in a broader sense. Only they are endowed with supernatural powers. Otherwise we can find very little else to distinguish them from mortal beings. They have almost all the traits of character, such as lusty, jealous, hateful, hungry human beings who lived below the Mount Olympus. Many of the Greek gods can hardly be distinguished from just ordinary mortals with all their vices and banality.

 

The Olympian gods are a family akin to many human families on earth. Zeus is the king and all philandering father. He cannot be defied, but may be deceived. He has a watchful, jealous wife, Hera who can spell doom on her enemy. Zeus has many sons and daughters vying for their parents favour.

 

In spite of behaving like mortals they are not subject to change, whatsoever. They are the personification of mysterious forces. They are responsible for the rise and fall of individuals as well as nations, destruction and regeneration, sweetness of love and the intoxication of wine.