Greek Gods: Their Beliefs and Rituals
Posted By The Ancient Scribe on April 12, 2010
Greeks believed in the various forces of nature, and Greek mythology tells us that they used to hold up their hands towards the sky while praying to Zeus and the other gods of the heavens. While praying to Hades, the God of the underworld, they used to kneel down and hit the earth strongly, so that the gods could hear them. The Greeks, during their prayers, used to ask for help and support from their gods and gave offerings like oil, nuts, sweets, milk, wine and made sacrifices of cows, ewes, bulls and goats, based on what they felt would be liked by their gods. They even took to human sacrifices while praying to gods like Hades and Artemis, as they are the gods of hunting.
The Greeks believed that, if they ignored or disrespected the existence of a god, then the punishments would be really grave. The Greeks used a ‘perirrhanteria’, a wash basin made of marble. This wash basin used to be set up near the altar, and the animals for sacrifice used to be purified by sprinkling water on them from this wash basin. This marble basin came to be used during their rituals since the 7th century B.C. If you visit ancient Athens, Corinth, Olympia, Arta, Delphi, Eleusis, Etna, Paphos and Thebes, you will come across some of the ancient Greek temples that will give you a better idea about their beliefs and their rituals.
Theogony, the famous poem by Hesiod, gives us a brief idea about the birth of the Greek Gods. From this poem, we learn that the creation of gods took place in four parts. First, there was chaos, which was followed by the formation of the earth (Gaea) and desire (Eros). Earth and desire were followed by the heaven (Uranus), and lastly, the sea (Porus) and the mountains of the world. Gaea was the wife of Uranus, and she gave birth to 12 Titans including 3 Cyclops, Brontes, Steropes, and heady Arges, followed by 3 Hecatonchires, or creatures with hundred hands.
Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, was born after the castration of Uranus by one of the Titans. She was the Olympian goddess known for love and beauty. More Olympian gods were created due to the union of Cronus and Rhea. However, Cronus had the same kind of fear of dethronement as Uranus (Cronus’s father) had, and so he started killing his own children. Rhea wanted to save their youngest son, Zeus, and sent him to Crete. In a battle against the Titans, the Olympian gods emerged victorious, and they finally came to rule the entire world. The Olympian gods were the strongest gods according to Greek mythology. They used to reside on the majestic Mount Olympus that the Cyclops had created. Zeus led the Olympian gods. Though, Greek mythology normally refers to only 12 gods, there were 16 gods in total. However, all 12 gods were not mentioned at a time, and the four alternative deities were Hades, Dionysus, Hestia and Demeter.
Related posts:
- Greek Mythology: The Role of Rituals and Beliefs (Part II)
- Greek Mythology: The Role of Rituals and Beliefs (Part I)
- Egyptian Gods: Showing a Different Face of Egyptian Mythology
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