The relationship between otherworldly figure and mortals in The Odyssey books VII-XII seems alien in comparison to current conceptions of God and spirituality from the Judeo-Christian tradition. Most monotheistic religions see God as omnipotent and omniscient. This runs in stark contrast to the many gods of Mt. Olympus whose powers are limited and are far from omniscient, in fact they rely on gossip for most of their information!
In book VII Odysseus finds himself shipwrecked on the Phaeacia because of a storm created by Poseidon. This storm was so violent it almost killed him. Poseidon was still angry with Odysseus over his not paying him proper homage after the Trojan war and for his blinding of Poseidon’s son the Cyclops. One striking thing about this example is how clear-cut the motivations of the gods are. Often when tragic events happen to religious people today they ask the question “why would God do or allow this.” The most frequent response from clergy is that God works in mysterious ways that humans simply can’t understand. Instead of the Greek gods occupying a separate mental plane from humans they share some of the same traits and motivations.
Odysseus is found on the beach by the Phaecian princess Nausicaa who was told to go there by Athena. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and has a special relationship with Odysseus. Since his ordeal after the Trojan War ended she had been advocating on his behalf on Mt. Olympus. During the Trojan War most of the gods had chosen sides, sometimes interceding and other times allowing the battles to unfold unaffected. In the Greek polytheistic religion there were many gods to choose from and pray to. Each profession had their own god. Humans had favorite gods and gods in turn had favorite humans that they paid special attention to. The gods seem to use the humans as entertainment, pushing them in certain directions like pawns. Athena knows that Odysseus is a gentleman and can win over the Phaecians but she still decides to give him a little edge by explaining all their customs to him and making him invisible as he makes his way to the castle. Athena could just as well have magically transported him to the castle fully dressed and properly groomed but instead she took a less active and more circuitous route. This appears to be the norm in god/human relations. The gods like to subtlety effect human relationships or slightly change the information available to them and see what happens. I mean how much fun would it be if they just controlled everything?
The Essay on Does Human Nature Cause War And Violence
Does human nature cause war and violence? What has the world come to these days? Its very complicated question and it often seems like everywhere one looks, violence rears its ugly head. In our life, the streets, back alleys, school, and even at home we see the violence. But I agree with Ellen Goodman that to have a discussion about violence without talking about war is like talking about war ...
Athena doesn’t force Nausicaa to visit Odysseus she just suggests it and then provides Odysseus a little help on the way to the castle. Occasionally the gods like to appear as their normal selves but most of the time they work behind the scenes. That is why it was probably more than pure flattery when Odysseus asks the princess Nausicaa in the previous book if she is a goddess. This idea of God as a trickster who misleads people for entertainment is so foreign to think about from a Judeo-Christian perspective. It doesn’t seem possible for an omnipotent being to have a sense of humor. This probably stems from the fact that a sense of humor seems so human and familiar to us. However, once we put gods in the same categories as humans it makes more sense.