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(Homer.Iliad.Bk1) This episode is notable for several reasons. First of all, the interaction between Achilleus, Thetis and Zeus bears a striking resemblance to a family. The analogy here is quiet obvious : a weeping child whose "toy" is taken away by a neighborhood bully pleads to his mother. The concerned mom comforts her offspring, promising punishment for .
the offender and the return of the toy; she then approaches the head of the family, and asks that the injustice dealt to her son be taken care of. The father weighs his choices, and decides upon the best course of action. This analogy is surprisingly accurate in describing the interactions between the mortal and the gods, and it gives the relationship between humans and immortals a sense of filial unity. Zeus, though far superior to humans, is willing to grant Achilleus's wish despite the fact that this .
will surely put him at odds with other gods sympathetic to the Greeks - his wife and daughter among them. It follows then, that the relationship between gods and humans is in some cases stronger than Olympian family ties! Second of all, this case of human-god interaction reveals another facet of the bond between human-beings and gods - the fact that many of Iliad's .
heroes are the offsping of unions of gods with mortals. This reaffirms and expands the idea of gods and humans as one large family. An immediate consequence of this fact is the actual "flesh and blood" relation between gods and humans - not an abstract interaction between an untouchable deity and a mere mortal, induced through some obscure religious ceremony, but a .
direct hereditary dependence. During the course of the great battles that constitute the bulk of the Iliad, the gods repeatedly confront each other over the fate of their mortal sons in the battlefield. For example, when Ares's son is slain, the war-god is aflame with fury, and seeks to revenge his son's death despite his knowledge of certain and deadly grave punishment from Zeus.
