The Ancient Scribe

Posted By The Ancient Scribe on April 30, 2010

The Greeks believed in gods like Nymphs, the Goat- God Pan, Naead, dryads, Nereids and Satyrs. These gods represented different aspects of nature. The six prime Gods of the Greeks are:

• Hades – the God of the Underworld (Yup, he’s their devil!)
• Aphrodite – the Goddess of love (Always in fashion!)
• Apollo – the God of light, healing, guidance, purity and music (He literally holds the whole world in his hands)
• Zeus – the King of Gods, lightning, gold, thunder and kings (He will strike you down if you get on his bad side – literally!)
• Athena – Goddess of Athens, handicrafts, war and wisdom (The wise one)
• Demeter – the Goddess of harvest (He crops up every few seasons)

The other gods of the Greek were Hera, Poseidon, Artemis, Hermes, Hestia, Hephaistos and Ares.

The Greeks often depicted their gods in human forms, just as the Romans and the Pagans did. In fact, the Greeks also believed that the gods also took the form of animals. Sometimes, the same Gods had two or more names. For instance, Zeus was also known as Omrios. Moreover, the Greeks depended on the Gods to explain the occurrence of certain un-natural events.

The Greeks had great faith in deities known as Oracles. They also sought advice from these Oracles. They dedicated sanctuaries and erected shrines in the name of the Oracles. They always depended on the Oracles for advice and guidance, as they believed that the Oracles were the messengers of God. Apparently, these Oracles played a prime role in terms of manipulation of decisions made by the humans, regarding sickness, peace, war, migration, crime, health, colonization and punishment.

The Greeks performed numerous rituals and sacrifices and made offerings to show their love and respect for the Gods and the Oracles. They made sacrifices of animals like cows, goats, sheep, pigs and bulls. The selected animals were taken out in a huge procession; they were crowned and purified with water and barley before being sacrificed. The Greeks paid equal amount of importance on the maintenance of their shrines and temples. Their offerings included gold vessels, wine, honey, milk, water, wheat, and the first fruit of the season.

Regarding the afterlife, the Greeks believed strongly that after death, souls went to another world where they continued to live. Here is something interesting. This religious belief of the Greeks differed from the beliefs of the Pagans quite a bit. Greeks believed in the concept of heaven and hell, while the Pagans only believed in re-incarnation.

The Greeks believed that the body of the deceased had to be buried with wealth that they had accumulated in their lifetime. From many grave sites, the archeologists found proof of food, cloth and jeweled ornaments that were buried with the dead body. They used to bury their kings with their bronze weapons, chariots and horses. At times, the wives and slaves of the deceased also used to be killed and buried with them so that the person could have his family with him after death. The bodies used to be embalmed for preservation, and this stopped them from rotting.

Greek beliefs played a pivotal role in their daily lives, and some of them continue to be popular to this day.

Related posts:

1. Greek Mythology: The Role of Rituals and Beliefs (Part I)
2. Greek Gods: Their Beliefs and Rituals
3. Ancient Mythology: Religion Through The Ages
4. Egyptian Gods: Showing a Different Face of Egyptian Mythology

Category: Ancient History
Tags: greek, mythology, pagan