The Olympian gods play an important role in Homer's Iliad. Their nature and power provide the setting in which the heroes act, and their interventions in human affairs decisively shape the plot of the epic.
NO PERFECTION HERE
The Greek gods definitely were not perfect. They could be spiteful, cruel, jealous, and deceptive— rather like human beings. They had their own particular concerns. These were related to that aspect of human life (love and war, for example) or the natural world (sea and sun, for example) over which each deity was thought to hold sway. The gods also played favorites among mortals, helping or harming as they saw fit. So, while they were immortal, they were not all-powerful. Zeus, the king of the gods and the god of the sky and thunder, ruled over all the deities from his lofty seat atop Mount Olympus, restraining them when their quarrels threatened to overthrow the order of the world. Still, the gods often sought to escape his control through trickery and disguise.
This story is from the October 2017 edition of Dig Into History Magazine for Kids and Teens.
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This story is from the October 2017 edition of Dig Into History Magazine for Kids and Teens.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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