Divine Intervention & Ungodly Behaviour

 

Divine Intervention & Ungodly Behaviour

            It’s all a bit of a muddle really! In the Iliad and the Odyssey we have gods acting like mortals and humans acting like immortals. High on Mount Olympus and down from its heights we witness rage, petty jealousy, revenge, lust and manipulation, all of which you would anticipate encountering on the wide avenues of Troy or inside the Lion Gate at Mycenae. By the same token, we see human acts of courage and heroism, love and filial piety, wisdom and understanding, all of which you would expect to see demonstrated by those who live high in the ether among their fellow gods and goddesses. The Iliad is a chronicle of godly behaviour by men and ungodly behaviour by gods, as well as divine intervention and meddling and human pleas for divine assistance. The Odyssey carries the same themes, but to a lesser and perhaps different extent.

            In the Iliad, this recurrent theme of the gods with their hands on the affairs of men should come as no surprise to us, since the whole Trojan War mess started out as an exercise in divine intervention and manipulation in the first place. In Greek mythology the legend is called The Judgement of Paris. Eris, the goddess of discord, was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, the future parents of Achilles. In order to stir up a ruckus, she rolled a golden apple into the crowd, an apple that was inscribed with the words ‘to the fairest’. The goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite all claimed the prize and after much argument finally agreed to have Paris, the Trojan prince, make the final judgement of who was the fairest. The three of them tried to lure him with significant bribes but he chose Aphrodite, because she offered him the most beautiful woman in the world, who happened to be Helen of Sparta, the wife of King Menelaus. Whether the prince kidnapped her to take her to Troy, or whether she went willingly with Paris, her husband got his brother King Agamemnon of Mycenae to mount an invading army to attack Troy and to get her back, along with the treasure with which the two had absconded.

            As a result of The Judgement of Paris, the gods took sides in the conflict and often intervened to attempt to have an impact on events or on key characters, all the while acting in the most ungodly fashion. The Achaeans had the backing of Hera, Athena, Poseidon, Thetis, Hephaestus and Hermes. Hera and Athena supported the Greeks because Paris had chosen Aphrodite instead of either of them in the beauty contest. Poseidon was angry with the Trojan leadership because they had not paid him for the walls that he had built surrounding their city. Thetis was behind the Achaeans because she was the mother of Achilles, and Hephaestus supported her by fashioning new armour for Achilles at her request. Hermes the messenger was generally in favour of the Greeks, while Zeus himself tried to be neutral, so that he did not rile his wife/sister Hera. There were times however when the father of the gods appeared to support the Trojans. Aphrodite gave her full support to the Trojans because Paris had chosen her as the fairest in the contest. Apollo was behind the Trojans because the Greeks had dishonoured his priest Chryses, and Artemis usually supported Apollo in all matters. Ares, the god of war, was aligned with Aphrodite and therefore supported the Trojans as well. Divine support and intervention in the Odyssey was much simpler. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, warfare and crafts fully supported ‘the wily Odysseus of the many counsels’ on his journey home, because he displayed the same qualities that gave the goddess her reputation. Poseidon, on the other hand, had a grudge against Odysseus because he had blinded his son, the Cyclops Polyphemus. A bit of a muddle indeed!

            Despite the kidnapping of Helen and the recovery effort mounted by the two sons of Atreus, Agamemnon and Menelaus, right at the start of the Iliad Homer instead credits Apollo with being the one who ignited the flames of war. Was the war caused by divine will rather than by human motives in Homer’s opinion? If that was indeed the case, everything that happens in the story is pre-ordained and out of the hands of mankind. Homer seems to be telling us that human willpower has no chance when stacked against divine intervention. Man is a puppet in the hands of the gods and we see much evidence of this in the epic.

Which of the gods then brought these two together in conflict? It was none other than the son of Leto and Zeus, for he, having been provoked by the king, inflicted a fatal pestilence on the army and a host of men perished, all because the son of Atreus had brought dishonour upon Chryses the priest.

            We know what happened next. Agamemnon agreed to send Chryseis back to her father but vowed to seize Briseis from Achilles as her substitute. The latter was prepared to unleash his sword and rush through the crowd to kill Agamemnon, but Athena held him back and reasoned with him. In response to her entreaty, Achilles provides us, in his own words, the rationale for humans accepting the intervention of the gods in their lives.

The bright-eyed goddess Athena then answered him. “I have come down from heaven to quell your rage if you will obey me. The white-armed goddess Hera has sent me here since she loves and cherishes both of you in her heart. So cease your anger and do not draw your sword from its sheath. Taunt him with words and tell him what will happen. For I say to you that this will truly come to pass. You will receive three times as many gifts because of his insolence towards you, but you must stand down now and obey us.”

In answer to her spoke the swift-footed Achilles. “It is better for a man to obey the commands of both of you O goddess, no matter how distressed he might be in his own heart, for the gods give ear to those who follow their orders.”

            Book I of the Iliad ends with an extended picture of the intrigue and wrangling that was happening on Mount Olympus as the various divine players lined up their strategies and support for the two sides in the war. What is evident from this scene is that the humans who were involved in the conflict would continue throughout the story to be moved about like pieces on a chessboard and that very little that happened directly to them or around them would be in their control. We know from the prediction of Hephaestus exactly how things will turn out.

The immortal gods groaned throughout the house of Zeus and Hephaestus, the skillful craftsman, rose up to harangue the gathering, hoping to bring solace to his dear mother, white-armed Hera. “Truly these will be destructive and intolerable events if you two argue thus on account of mortal men and bring discord among the gods.”

            After over nine years of fighting, the gods decided to end things and so Zeus sent a dream to Agamemnon in the night to advise him that it was time to put on the final push to conquer the Trojans. Despite several setbacks along the way, this is exactly what would unfold and ultimately the Achaeans were successful. The Iliad traces this story in great detail, but because it is the father of the gods who has spoken, we know from the start what the final conclusion will be. Troy will be taken in the end, but not that day, and not without significant losses on both sides.

Now listen to me closely. I am a messenger to you from Zeus, who though he might be far away from you, cares greatly for you and bears pity for you. You are to arm quickly the long-haired Achaeans for now you will be able to take the city of Troy with its wide streets. All of those immortals who have their homes on Olympus have ceased quarreling with one another. Hera has swayed them all to her thinking and Zeus is about to bring great grief to the people of Troy.

Having spoken thus, the dream disappeared from him and left him pondering in his mind about those things that were never to come to pass. For he, fool that he was, thought that he would take the city of Priam that day and he had no idea about what it was that Zeus had actually planned. Zeus was about to deliver great hardship and groaning to both the Trojans and the Danaans through fierce struggles on the battlefield.

            Agamemnon decided to test the loyalty and fighting spirit of his men by suggesting to them that they should just give up and go back home. He expected that they would rail against such an idea and that they would rush to arm themselves motivated by their fearsome pride. Instead they rushed to the ships thinking that Agamemnon had made a pretty good suggestion. Seeing that the plans of the gods were being undone, it took the intervention of Athena to quell the retreat as she approached the wily Odysseus to cajole him into halting the flight of the Achaeans.

Standing near him, bright-eyed Athena addressed him. “Zeus-born son of Laertes, O crafty Odysseus, will you thus flee home to your beloved fatherland having rushed to your well-benched ships? And will you leave in the hands of Priam and the Trojans the trophy of Argive Helen, on whose behalf so many Achaeans perished in Troy, far away from their homes? But go now to the people of the Achaeans and do not cease to compel each man by your gentle words to stop dragging the double-oared ships into the sea.”

Athena was successful and Agamemnon raised his hands in prayer to Zeus, the father of the gods. He knew that success was his if he had the gods on his side. Zeus was prepared to give him victory but not before the sun set that day. There would be many more sunsets awash in the blood of warfare before victory was his.

And King Agamemnon rose up to speak to them in prayer. “O all-powerful Zeus who dwells amongst the black clouds of Heaven, let not the sun sink and darkness come upon us before I throw down the burning citadel of Priam and torch its gates with hostile fire. May I tear the tunic of Hector and slash his breast with my weapon and let his many companions around him bite the dust of the earth with their teeth.”

Thus he spoke but the son of Cronos did not bring to pass what he asked of him.

            We often see gods and goddesses in the Iliad actually taking part in what was happening on the battlefield itself. We see warriors being shrouded in mists to make them invisible to their enemies, arrows and spears being diverted in mid-flight so that they do not strike their intended targets, warriors being physically lifted from the battle and being deposited elsewhere in safety and bodies of slain heroes being protected by the gods so that their corpses cannot be defiled or stripped of their armour. One such event occurs during the duel between Menelaus and Alexander, as they fight to see which of them will claim Helen as his own. Menelaus has overpowered Alexander and is dragging him by the helmet to his death when Aphrodite breaks the chin-strap on the helmet and plucks Alexander from the fray.

Thus he spoke and he hurried over and grabbed the horse-hair crest of his helmet and dragged him toward the well-greaved Achaeans. Alexander was being choked by the much-embroidered strap under his chin which was fastened there to keep the helmet on his head. And now Menelaus would have dragged him and achieved an immense amount of glory had not Aphrodite the daughter of Zeus, who witnessed what was happening, did not break the ox-leather thong under his chin. The empty helmet came off in his hands and the hero wheeled around and threw it towards the well-greaved Achaeans and his trusty comrades caught it. He rushed back at his enemy, fully wanting to kill him with his bronze lance but Aphrodite, goddess that she was, easily rescued him. She hid him in the mists and deposited him back in his sweet-smelling perfumed bed chamber.

            The other common form of divine intervention that we witness in the Iliad is when a god or goddess takes on a disguise and approaches a human with a message from the gods or with some advice. Such appearances by the gods are called theophanies and they permit the gods to influence the war, give aid to heroes and to even engage in what is going on. Apollo appeared to the Trojans as one of their warriors to rally them in battle. The sea-goddess Thetis, the mother of Achilles, often appears to him in human form to offer advice or to console him. Zeus himself gets involved when he sends Iris as his messenger. An example of this is when Pallas Athena, in the guise of Laodocus the son of Antenor, went looking for Pandarus on the battlefield or when Zeus sent Iris to advise Helen and she took on the likeness of Laodice. Helen’s feelings were stirred by the visit of the goddess.

Disguised as her husband’s sister who was the wife of the son of Antenor, the goddess Iris went to white-armed Helen. She appeared as Laodice, wife of lord Helicaon the son of Antenor and the loveliest of the daughters of Priam.

Having spoken thus, the goddess placed in her mind tender thoughts about him who had been her husband, her city and her parents.

But Helen too is just a puppet controlled by the gods. She has no control over what is happening to her and around her as Aphrodite plainly points out:

Then the much provoked Aphrodite called out to her. “Do not anger me you wretched woman lest being provoked, I hate you and I abandon you to the same degree that I have heretofore loved you. Yet I can contrive to create a great hatred against you in the middle of the Trojans and the Danaans so that your black fate is sealed.”

            At the start of Book IV of the Iliad we are reminded again about the part played by the gods in the affairs of men. The scene very much reminds me of the science fiction novel “Under the Dome”, published by Stephen King in 2009. The people in a small town in Maine are suddenly cut off from the rest of the world and sealed under an invisible and impenetrable dome where they are manipulated by unseen hands. They must work together to survive and uncover the mystery surrounding their captivity and the characters display heroism and love as well as cunning and villainy. No spoiler alerts here – you will have to read the book to find out the origin of the dome, but there certainly parallels to what was being discussed on Mount Olympus.

At that time the gods were seated on the golden floor near Zeus and were assembled in discussion. Among them was the divine Hebe who was pouring out nectar for them. They offered golden goblets to one another and looked down towards the city of Troy. At once the son of Cronos tried to irritate Hera by throwing malicious words at her in the assembly. “Two of the goddesses appear to be helping Menelaus. Hera is for the Argives as well as Athena the Alalcomenean. These two sit apart and have fun looking on while laughter-loving Aphrodite continues to protect Alexander and keep cruel fate away from him. And now she has saved him again as he thought he was about to die. But indeed victory belongs to the war-loving Menelaus. So let us discuss with one another how we might bring all these things to an end, whether we again give rise to horrible war and the piercing of battle cries, or else throw a friendly reception for both sides. If this then is pleasing to all of us, then let the city of Priam the king be again inhabited and let Menelaus lead home the Argive Helen.”

            So the war waged on and the gods involved themselves wherever they could. They continued to take sides in the conflict and worked hard to ensure the safety, well-being and victory of their favourites.

Indeed, Ares urged on these Trojans and the bright-eyed Athena supported the other side. Terror and Fear and relentless Strife waged on as well and the man-slaying sister of Ares was likewise a companion, she being small at first but then she raised her head to the heavens and stalked about on the earth. She then heaved dissension into the mix of them and destruction moved through the ranks increasing the groaning of the men.

            One of the major themes that makes the Iliad a true marvel is the continued presence of divine intervention in the story. Divine intervention and the actions of the gods add a level of complexity to the tale and position it as a story that has more to it than just human conflict. It also highlights the power and the influence of the divine in the lives of the ancient Greeks. The theme makes us question the very notion of free will and fate and whether humans can act on their own or are just subject to the whims of the gods. The theme of divine intervention and the sight of gods acting in ungodly ways add drama to the narrative and help to engage the audience more fully. 

          Divine intervention also plays a significant role in the Odyssey. In this epic, it is a central theme, with divine beings actively shaping the narrative and influencing the fates of mortals, particularly Odysseus. Athena, Odysseus's divine patron, plays a significant role in guiding him home, while Poseidon opposes him because of his past actions, particularly his role in blinding Polyphemus. These interventions point out the close relationship between the divine and human realms in the epic, showcasing the power of the gods to bestow both good fortune and bad on mankind.

            The divine interventions in the Odyssey demonstrate the power of the gods and their influence on human destiny. Like their counterparts in the Iliad, they also raise questions about fate, free will, and the consequences of actions, as the gods' interventions can be both helpful and detrimental. The story emphasizes how the gods can shape events, but also how mortals' choices, like Odysseus's cleverness and his crew's recklessness, contribute to their experiences.

Athena, in particular, works repeatedly to advocate for Odysseus and protect him. She intervenes by begging Zeus to make Calypso free Odysseus and Zeus agrees and sends Hermes to deliver the message. Athena also provides Telemachus with advice and then disguises herself as a young man in order to encourage him on his journey to find his father. Athena accompanies Telemachus on this journey disguised as Mentor.

Later on Athena arranges the meeting between Nausicaa and Odysseus and then hides the hero in a fog so that he can sneak into the palace and plead his case before Queen Arete. During his stay in the land of the Phaeacians, Odysseus recounts his encounter with Polyphemus and how blinding the Cyclops brought down the wrath of Poseidon on him.

Several other gods also make their appearance in the Odyssey. The involvement of Hermes in defeating Circe is another example. Helios demands that Zeus punish Odysseus after the Ithacans eat his sacred cattle, and the tempest that Zeus unleashes leaves Odysseus as the sole survivor of his fleet. After Odysseus leaves Scheria and returns to Ithaca, Poseidon punishes the Phaeacians for helping Odysseus by turning their ship to stone. Athena makes her presence felt again and intervenes to help Odysseus now that he is back on Ithaca. She disguises him as a beggar so that he can better position himself to retake control of his household.

These are just some of the many examples of the gods interceding and intervening on behalf of mortals. Throughout this second epic, the gods set up paths for mortals to take - paths to their ultimate destinies, but it is up to the mortals to take advantage of the situations the gods put them in through their own intelligence and cunning. Unlike in the Iliad, where the concept of free will seems to have been eliminated, in the Odyssey we find characters that appear to have much more control over their fates and their destinies. It forces the question as to whether Homer has adopted a new line of thinking about the role that the gods play in the lives of men, or whether we are peering into the thought processes of a different Homer.