tions of nature. In Homer, the Gods alternate between each of these parts, and on occasion become one. It can be best said that while the Gods are anthropomorphic, they are also a personification of nature. There are numerous examples of this in both the Iliad and the Odyssey. In book 21 of the Iliad Achilles has to fight the river god Xanthus, but he is saved by the fire god Hephaestus. Hephaestus is portrayed both a fire God as well as the fire itself. Xanthus, who natural aspect is revealed with the lines “ the river’s anger rose/ churning at heart for a way to halt his rampage” (Iliad, book 21, lines 156-157) . The use of adjectives such as churning better describe qualities of a force of nature than an anthropomorphic deity . In essence, Achilles is not so much fighting a God, as he is fighting a force of nature. Another good example deals with the nature of Posiedon in the Odyssey. Posiedon play the role of the sea God as well as the sea itself . In book 5 of the Odyssey, Odysseus attempts to drown Odysseus “ –churned the waves into chaos, whipping all the gales from every quarter…” ( Odyssey, book 5, lines 322-323). Posiedon displays both the natural and anthropomorphic facets of his nature. What does this have to do with the divine interactions with humans? Simply stated, the Gods are generally human in characteristics, therefore they have the same motives as mortals. Because the Gods have the same motivations as mortal men their actions can be predicted. Divine interactions and relationships with mortals can be compared to a mortal kingdom. The Gods are the ruling class, and the mortals occupy the lower classes. Kings and heroes occupy the middle class, they are greater than other mortals, but lesser than the gods. A majority of Greek heroes and kings trace their lineage back to one of the Gods, and use it to claim superiority over other mortals. Odysseus, Achilles, Heracles, Atreus, Agamemnon, and many other heroes claim divine parentage, but this will be discussed more later. . When talking about divine interactions, it is best to group them into them into two groups, physical and psychological. The first type that will be discussed is the physical interactions between Gods and mortals. Gods have the same desires and emotions as humans, and because of this the Gods constantly meddle in mortal affairs, yet the always seem to stay just on the outside of their plane of existence. The Gods are ever present, but are usually just outside of the mortal plain of existance. They are an unseen force that influences mortal affairs. The way the Gods physically interactwith mortals comes in many forms. In the realm of myth, the Gods have many different positions. They play both protagonist and antagonist, they help or hinder the hero, and they decide the fates of mortal men. Most physical interactions with mortals takes place with heroes. Virtually every hero has a God on his side acting as his champion or protector. The role of the Gods in heroic myth raises an important question, do the Gods make heroes? As many examples there are of hero-Deity interactions, it is hard to tell whether or not the hero needs the God. It can be argued that to make a hero, one of the Gods is needed. More often than not, when a hero is left without a God, he suffers a horrible fate. In book 16 of the Iliad when Patrocalous dies, he lays blame not on Hector, but on Apollo “No, deadly fate in league with Apollo killed me. From the Ranks of men, Euphorbus. You came third, and all you could do was finish of my life” (Iliad, book 16, lines 993-995). Hector had Apollo on his side, and Patroclus had no divine assistance, therefore Hector could not lose. In this situation Apollo gave Hector greatness, not his own ability. Another good example of this is in book 23 of the Iliad, in which there is a race between Ajax and Odysseus. In this race Ajax has a lead, but Odysseus prays to his patron Goddess, Athena, who causes Ajax slip in cow dun

Some topics in this essay:
Atreus Agamemnon, Goddess Athena, Greek Kings, Diomedes Achilles, Arachne Arachne, Aphrodite Diomedes, Homer Iliad, Odyssey Odysseus, Maddening Goddess, Aneas Achilles, iliad book, gods mortals, book 3, gods diomedes, book 5, iliad book 3, divine parentage, achilles fight, class mortals, mortals gods, heroic qualities, god acting champion, book 3 iliad, him” iliad book, ruling class mortals,