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The multiplicity of gods in Greek mythology, coupled with their diverse personalities and capabilities created a very rich set of characters for explaining natural occurrences and for teaching moral lessons. This is why the relationships between the Greek gods and human beings was complex. This paper explores the complexities.
Greek gods demanded worship from human beings, which usually included the offering of sacrifices. In the Homeric hymn, one of Greek gods called Demeter, expressly directs people to build a temple and an altar in her honor. Demeter was the god associated with agriculture hence worshiping her assured people of good harvests.
Other gods also demanded human beings to worship them for various favors. For instance, soldiers paid tribute to Athena who was the goddess of battle strategy, military skill, and wisdom. Humans worshiped these gods depending on personal or community needs based on the attributes of the god.
The second aspect of the relationship between the Greek gods and humans is that the gods sought to influence human action to achieve their own “divine” ends. Part of this influence was meting out punishment to human beings who defied divine orders. A famous case in point is the demise of the Odysseus crew that came about after the crew ignored warnings from the gods.
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