Charles Do HUM 102W C200

Homeric Hymns: Gods and Goddesses Influence on Humanity
The Olympians are major deities of the Greek pantheon; however, the deities: Poseidon,
Hestia, Athena and Hephaestus appear to be salient towards humanity. All of these gods play a large role in shaping the lives of men as what they govern directly affects humanity. Poseidon for his control over the sea/floods/droughts, Hestia for hearth and home, Athena for wisdom, courage, peace and battle strategy, and lastly Hephaestus for inventions and craft. Poseidon, Shaker of the Earth and God of the Sea. For without him there would be drought. Men rely on Poseidon to aid the sailors as they set sail across the endless seas (H.22,
7). It is said that when Poseidon is in a good mood, he would create new lands in the water and calm the sea of any obstacles. However, if he is displeased or offended, then he would cause earthquakes and shipwrecks, thus giving him the name, Shaker of the Earth. Hestia’s importance stems from her role as the goddess of the hearth and home, for without Hestia there is no sense of banquet (H.29, 5). As the goddess of the hearth, she is commonly worshipped anywhere and by everyone, regardless of the temple’s dedication to any deities. She is personified by a fire burning in the hearth of all households and towns and is not to be put out. This is meant to bring the together the families or the community if put into a town setting. Although Athena is the goddess of warfare, she is foreseen as a defender of cities and savior of men. Athena’s wisdom is carried forth to men from agriculture to artisan activities.
Some consider Athena as the provider of all basic knowledge that is needed for civilization.

Athena and Poseidon had a competition for Athens where Athena offered peace and fruitfulness to the city. The people of the city accepted her offer over Poseidon’s and now look to her for guidance and wisdom. As well as Athena, Hephaestus is worshipped as a patron of arts and crafts. It seems as though Hephaestus is renowned for his craftsmanship as a blacksmith over anything else, however, his teaching of the fine crafts have brought man to a new evolution. Hephaestus is pictured as “lame”, meaning he is imperfect regarding his physical appearance. Although this may be true, he still brings beautiful inventions and art to the Olympians. This could be the reason as to why he is considered one of the major deities, even though the Greeks look down upon the ugly. This could have been a metaphor for humanity, that although imperfect, he is still able to produce objects that radiate beauty. All of the gods of olympus have an effect on humanity in some way, some in more positive ways than others. With regard to the Homeric Hymns it is seen that some of these gods provide a plethora of wisdom, peace, protection and much more; while others govern over
Olympus more than that of human civilization. However it is agreeable in the sense that men have gathered much of their skill and information from these gods.