The Pantheons and Their Counterparts

LESSON 3 THE PANTHEONS AND THEIR COUNTERPARTS Overview This lesson explains pantheons believed by some cultures around the world. Deities of all cultures play an important role in shaping a person’s moral life, and Roman culture revolved heavily around the worship of various deities. These ancient Roman gods have been part of great literary works and have been greatly influenced by Etruscan and Greek cultures. The deeper you dig the more you will know about these fascinating pantheons. Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lesson, the students can: A. explain what pantheon is; B. compare and contrast pantheons from around the world; and C. conduct a local-based survey on the pantheons believed by the community. Materials Needed • Learning Materials • Laptop, PowerPoint Presentation • Mobile Phone with Internet Connection Learning Content: A pantheon (from Greek πάνθεον pantheon, literally "(a temple) of all gods", "of or common to all gods" from πᾶν pan- "all" and θεός theos "god") is the particular set of all gods of any polytheistic religion, mythology, or tradition. A pantheon of gods is a common element of polytheistic societies, and the nature of a society's pantheon can be considered a reflection of that society: A pantheon is an overview of a given culture's gods and goddesses and reflects not only the society's values but also its sense of itself. In many civilizations, pantheons tended to grow over time. Deities first worshipped as the patrons of cities or places came to be collected together as empires extended over larger territories. Conquests could lead to the subordination of the elder culture's pantheon to a newer one, as in the Greek Titanomachia, and possibly also the case of the Æsir and Vanir in the Norse mythos. Cultural exchange could lead to "the same" deity being renowned in two places under different names, as seen with the Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans, and also to the cultural transmission of elements of an extraneous religion into a local cult, as with worship of the ancient Egyptian deity Osiris, which was later followed in ancient Greece. Max Weber's 1922 opus Economy and Society discusses tendency in philosophers the ancient Greek to interpret gods worshiped in the pantheons of other cultures as "equivalent to and so identical with moderately the deities organized of the Greek pantheon. The concept of a pantheon of gods has been widely imitated in Twentieth-century fantasy literature and role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. These uses tend to borrow heavily from historical patterns. In these contexts, it is considered important for the writer to construct pantheon of gods that fits the genre, where the characteristics of the gods are in balance so that none of them is able to overwhelm the story, and so that the actions of the characters are not overwhelmed by the machinations of the gods. 3.1 Greek The Olympians are a group of gods who ruled after Zeus led his siblings in the overthrow of the Titans. They lived atop Mount Olympus, for which they are named, and are all related in some way. Many are the children of the Titans, Kronus and Rhea, and most of the rest are children of Zeus. The original 12 Olympic gods include Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Hera, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes, Artemis, and Hephaestus. Demeter and Dionysus have also been recognized as Olympic gods. The Olympic gods have generally been credited with the first Olympics. The actual historical origins of the ancient Olympic games are a bit murky, but one myth credits their origin to the deity Zeus, who began the festival after his defeat of his father, the Titan god Cronus. Another myth claims that the hero Heracles, after winning a race at Olympia, decreed that the race should be re-enacted every four years. Whatever their actual origin, the ancient Olympic games were called Olympic after Mount Olympus, the mountain on which the Greek gods were said to live. The games were also dedicated to these Greek gods of Mt. Olympus for nearly 12 centuries until Emperor Theodosius decreed in 393 A.D. that all such "pagan cults" should be banned. Kronus & Rhea The Titan Kronus (sometimes spelled Cronus) married Rhea and together they had the following children. All six are generally numbered among the Olympic gods. 1. Poseidon: After overthrowing their father and the other Titans from power, Poseidon and his brothers drew lots to split the world between them. Poseidon's pick made him lord of the sea. He married Amphitrite, daughter of Neurus and Doris, and granddaughter of the Titan Oceanus. 2. Hades: Drawing the "short straw" when he and his brothers split up the world between them, Hades became god of the underworld. He is also known as the god of wealth, due to the precious metals mined from the earth. His married Persephone. 3. Zeus: Zeus, the youngest son of Kronus and Rhea, was considered the most important of all the Olympic gods. He drew the best lot of the three sons of Kronus to become the leader of the gods on Mt. Olympus, and lord of the sky, thunder, and rain in Greek mythology. Due to his many children and multiple affairs, he also came to be worshipped as the god of fertility. 4. Hestia: The oldest daughter of Kronus and Rhea, Hestia is a virgin goddess, known as the "goddess of the hearth." She gave up her seat as one of the original Twelve Olympians to Dionysus, to tend the sacred fire on Mt. Olympus. 5. Hera: Both the sister and wife of Zeus, Hera was raised by the Titans Ocean and Tethys. Hera is known as the goddess of marriage and protector of the marital bond. She was worshipped all over Greece, but particularly in the region of Argos. 6. Demeter: The Greek goddess of agriculture Children of Zeus The god Zeus married his sister, Hera, through trickery and rape, and the marriage was never particularly happy. Zeus was well known for his infidelities, and many of his children came from unions with other gods and with mortal women. The following children of Zeus became Olympic gods: • Ares: god of war • Hephaestus: god of blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, and fire. Some accounts say that Hera gave birth to Hephaestus without the involvement of Zeus, in revenge for his having given birth to Athena without her. Hephaestus married Aphrodite. • Artemis: Zeus's daughter by the immortal, Leto, and twin sister of Apollo, Artemis is the virgin moon goddess of the hunt, wild animals, fertility and childbirth. • Apollo: Twin of Artemis, Apollo is the god of the sun, music, medicine, and poetry. • Aphrodite: goddess of love, desire, and beauty. Some accounts identify Aphrodite as the daughter of Zeus and Dione. Another tale says that she sprang from the foam of the sea after Cronus castrated Uranus and tossed his severed genitals into the ocean. Aphrodite married Hephaestus • Hermes: the god of boundaries and the travellers who cross them and the son of Zeus and Maia. • Athena: goddess of wisdom and unmarried girls, Athena is said to have sprung fully grown and fully armed from the forehead of Zeus. Many myths have him swallowing his pregnant first wife, Metis, so that she would not bear a child who could usurp his power—the child who later emerged as Athena. • Dionysus: his mother, Semele, died before giving birth, but it is said that Zeus took the unborn Dionysus from her womb and sewed him inside his thigh until it was time for the child's birth. Dionysus (more commonly known by his Roman name Bacchus) took the place of Hestia as an Olympic god, and is worshipped as the god of wine. 3.2 Roman The Roman pantheon of gods is considered to be the largest of all. The Romans had gods for every imaginable thing. They had Mars, the god of war, Neptune, the god of the sea, Bacchus, the god of wine, and many more. Like all cultures, they also had a rich and vibrant mythological background. While some of their gods are adaptations of the Greek gods, some are original too such as the two-faced god of doorways and gates, Janus. These deities gave the Romans a sense of national pride, an understanding of valor and honor, and an insight into their own destiny. Ancient Rome’s traditional religious system can also be seen in Roman historical literature and the visual arts. The Legend of Romulus and Remus is one such famous example. The Roman gods had majestic personas and great powers.