Zeus was one of the most beloved gods of Greek time, and why not, as he is credited with the creation of all mankind. Before Zeus, there were no humans, leaving the gods with nothing to do but squabble with one another. With the invention of mankind, the gods now had a greater purpose: they would serve mankind, in return for their undulating prayers and offerings. For the Olympian gods who would follow the Titans, being worshiped and revered added meaning to their lives, and being scorned was cause for punishment.
Much like his father before him, Zeus came to the rescue of his brethren gods, saving them from his father after he had swallowed them. It was this valiant effort that made Zeus the uncontested king of all gods, and in this act he rose above his father to achieve ranking status over the whole pantheon that would come.
An Age Of Gods And Men
While it was Zeus’s idea that mankind be made, it was Prometheus and Athena who were actually given the task. Having given all of the greatest characteristics to the other animals, all that was left for Prometheus to give mankind was the ability to walk upright like the gods and to give them fire. Of course, the thought of a lowly beast resembling a god incensed Zeus highly, creating a tantalizing tale which we will go into much deeper when we discuss Prometheus in our next article. For the moment, it’s important to know that Zeus eventually did accept mankind.
While we know some of the Titans well (such as Prometheus, Hades, Poseidon, and Atlas) we are far more knowledgeable of the Olympians. Names such as Apollo, Athena, Ares, Hermes, Aphrodite, and Dionysus represent the pantheon of gods many of us are accustomed to hearing about, and for good reason, as these represent the gods and goddesses the Greeks invested much of their time worshiping. The Romans, being a large importer of culture, identified with the Greeks highly and took on these gods as their own, choosing to keep many of the characteristics already given and applying new names.
Jupiter was the Roman name given to Zeus, and in Roman times he was seen as more of a benefactor to mankind than he was in Greek times. This would make sense, as the Greeks seemed predisposed with creating an expanding democracy and the Romans were more of the conquering type. Given the might of Jupiter behind them, it was thought that the Romans could conquer any foe over time. In fact, it seemed at one time they might be capable of holding dominance over the whole civilized world, but greed and distrust would eventually put an end to such ambitions.
The End Of An Era
As the Greek and Roman civilizations started to crumble, so did their faith in their gods. Scorned by those they had so fervently believed in, they saw no choice but to take on a new deity they hoped would prove more powerful than those that had proceeded. One god replaced many, a new god that held all accountable for their own actions and rewarded only those it presumed worthy of such gifts.
By slowly ending the struggle over which god to worship, the people moved their attention to who should rule over the lands. In time, peaceful borders formed, ushering in a time where countries (for the most part) respected one another’s boundaries.
As it was beliefs that separated men in the early ages, it was a unified belief that would hold them together later on. the gods had served them at a time when they needed to understand the world around them, and the time had come for them to grow and understand themselves.
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