Ideologies of the Ancient Greeks and Romans

Literature is often used as a socializing force, and society as a whole can often use texts to reinforce Mobil beliefs, teach young people, and, in some cases, oppress individuals. Furthermore, literature has been seen to have a socializing effect on society even though it is not intended to do so, and so it may serve as reinforcing normal and cultural behaviors without the knowledge of governmental officials, parents, relatives, and individuals. The paper examines how the Homeric hymn to Demeter and the hymn to Hermes reinforce ancient Greco-Roman ideologies about the influence of the gods and the part they played in people's lives. Notably, the hymns form part of the ancient myths that notes that the lives of the old people were not beautiful and romantic but was full of violence, disease, and hardship. The two hymns depict the fact that the ancient civilization had advanced beyond the primitive state of brutality and slavery. Therefore, the literature represented in the hymns illustrate that the old world had come into new ways of looking at the world.

Notably, the hymns indicate that humans were at the center of the universe and unlike the Egyptian gods that were an animal in nature, the ancient Greco-Roman gods were human in form. Therefore, they possessed human physical characteristics, and thus they showed human weaknesses as well. Consequently, the gods were not infinitely omnipotent and omniscient and thus they did not manifest human foibles such as obsessive jealousy, drinking, and feasting. On the contrary, the lives of the gods resembled that of humans, and thus the gods felt tangible and real rather than feeling remote and incomprehensible. The Homeric hymns to Demeter and Hermes demonstrate that the ancient Greco-Roman ideologies reflect a view of the world that admits the beauty and mystery of humanity. The hymn to Hermes is among the longest in the collection, and it narrates in details the early life Hermes, and he came to acquires titles such as the massager god, the liar god, and the trickster god.

Therefore, the character depicted by the god is the most complex character in the Greek mythology of deities. Contrivance and craft surrounded the birth of the god and also in the way he rivaled his brother and eventually he won his rightful place among the Olympians. The hymn depicts the aspect of an inferior being overcoming the superiors using trickery. The ultimate aim of the god was to stand on equal terms with his brother, and in him, he always believed that he was the messenger of the gods and also, the protector of the travelers, thieves, herds, and merchants. The Greeks believed that the god was responsible for both wealth and happiness and he used to protect the stadiums and gymnasiums, in addition to being the deity of the athletes and the propeller of the souls of the dead. Using the personal lives of the gods, the ancient Greeks used to identify their own lives with that of the gods and thus enable them to overcome their daily challenges. The gods were classified depending on the way they lived their godly lives and what they used to protect using their supernatural powers.

On the other hand, the hymn of Demeter depicts her as the god of the universe, who forsakes her duties to the world to look for her abducted daughter. As a result, many people suffered from her neglect, but in the end, she found her daughter and resumed her duty of making the world a better place to live. The ideology of the ancient Greco-Roman nature of the god was that it depicted the hardships that people go through in life. It is possible for a person to abandon everything they are entitled to do in search of a loved one. The gods in the ancient Greek demonstrated a sign of immense love towards one another. However, there is an evident rivalry between the gods as they caused sufferings amongst themselves just like the case with humans. The daughter of the Demeter was abducted by a fellow god, and consequently, her life was distorted. The gods just like humans had fruitful relationships with each other and in time of hardships, they used to give each other comfort.

The gods also used to mourn when faced with awkward moments. Demeter refused to eat or drink for nine days in crying for her child who was nowhere to be found. Even though she never had the scream of her daughter when she was abducted and felt that everything was not well with her daughter and she immediately began the search. Just like humans, the gods used to conspire against other gods for their good. Zeus conspired with Hades to abduct Persephone, the daughter of Demeter. When she realized that her daughter was kidnapped by Hades, the underworld god, with the help of Zeus, she brought drought on the lands. Consequently, other gods suffered from hunger resulting to Zeus pleading with Demeter to restore the bounty of the land. She refused to cooperate until her daughter was brought back. Therefore, according to the ancient Greco-Roman ideologies, the gods also allowed reasoning to reign and in the end develop a mutual relationship with each other.

Relating the myths of other ancient civilizations with the Greek depicted in the hymns, the Greek myths involved less frightening and strange magic. Therefore, it was easy for people to relate with the gods. Consequently, in a more rational world, ordinary people become heroes of the generations using qualities such as bravery and strength instead of using supernatural powers. The world is known to elevate humans by their abilities and thus making the world a less terrifying place to live. The unique nature of Hermes enables him to challenge his elder brother, and in the end, he succeeds in reaching his levels. The element of his cleverness is depicted by the difference between his age and the cunning nature and also through his signature use of trickery. His aim was not to overtake his brother, but he wanted to stand on equal terms with him: Hence, their conflict ended when he was able to achieve his target, and thus he reconciled with him, and an everlasting friendship is formed.

In the ancient Greco-Roman ideologies, supernatural, just like humans, the gods were often unpredictable. The two gods in the hymns, do not always act on the highest moral grounds and at times they got jealous and angry and times did horrible things. Demeter made the world unproductive due to the disappearance of the daughter. The move was selfish since not all the gods were responsible for her suffering. Hades, the underworld god abducted the girl instead of asking peacefully for a hand in marriage from the mother. His actions caused suffering among the many gods that were not part of the plot to abduct the daughter of the most important god who used to feed other gods on earth. Therefore, the gods could behave in a way that depicts human flaws and weaknesses. Many are the time's people go out of their way to use all the methods possible to achieve what they want and thus morals and integrity become the least of their concern. However, the myths do not necessarily form the religion of the Greeks, but they act as explanations to the natural phenomenon such as drought, thunderstorms, and the setting of the sun. The two hymns show that there is a resin as to why things look like in the ordinary world. Demeter is responsible for the weather that is experienced in the world and Hermes is the origin of trickery for survival and siblings rivalry that was encountered in the ancient Greek.

To sum it up, the two hymns are an explicit representation of the Greco-Roman ideologies based on the nature of human life concerning that of the gods. The gods played a crucial role in shaping the lives of the people and the way they lived with each other formed a sound basis of relevance to human life. The social life literature of the gods had a fundamental influence on the culture of the ancient Greeks, and no other body matched the effects of the ancient texts to the people. The social and cultural attitudes of the people were primarily affected by the myths as there was much to admire in the way the gods used to relate with each other.

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