The word mercy originates from France in 1125.
I believe that this would be a personal attack. It’s obviously not a distraction , doesn’t fit the description of a stereotype, there is no either/or for it to be a dilemma, and personal attack makes most sense.
No. Our gender is defined at our birth.
The passage demonstrates the Greeks hold a strong posture over their undeniable superiority of the gods over mortals. It is stated that gods are the core element of existence and reside here to stay an eternity, and as such, their dominance shall not be jeopardized by any being other than a god. With these defensive claims of their beliefs, it is fair to say the Greeks thought that by understanding the gods, they would be understanding nature itself.