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Chance Newcomb Kneisley English-3 15 May 2013 Ancient lives, of the Ancient Greeks Greek Mythology was a virtual religion in ancient Greece in which they sacrificed things to the gods and goddesses in order to better themselves. Mythology is a topic that is continuously studied even though supposedly they were were on this planet thousands of years ago. Cultures were highly influenced by these mythical beings, and each separate god and goddess controlled a different aspect of the Earth. The influence that these beings still affect us even today because of how much people are beginning to enjoy Greek mythology again. In Homers The Odyssey, book 13 shows a change in which ancient Greek customs are revealed, and the true ways the gods and goddesses help people from their time. Athena became Odysseus mentor throughout The Odyssey and guides him to safety in his homeland and helped Odysseus son try and find him. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and shows her wisdom throughout the story in her help for Odysseus (Encyclopedia of World Mythology). Athena tends to help many heroes on their journeys because she knows many things and can help them when they need guidance through wisdom. After Odysseus arrives home she shows her wisdom through the plan she makes to help Odysseus back into his palace. Athena guides many heroes towards their final goal and always contributes to their success or failure (Encyclopedia of World Mythology). As seen in The Odyssey, Athenas help for Odysseus leads him to success on his trip home. Athena is also mentioned in The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan, in which Athena does not help Percy because she and Poseidon have a feud that cannot

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be resolved. Athena is very wise and thoughtful and knows when she should help, or harm someone. Zeus is the supreme god that either helps or hinders each heros journey throughout Greek mythology. Zeus gained control of the Olympians after he defeated his father, and controls everything (Leadbetter). Zeus defeated his father Cronus after Cronus tried to eat him and his two brothers, Poseidon and Hades. Zeus became the unspoken ruler of the gods and he also fathered many of them. Zeus is a god that controls many things but the other gods still fear his power because he is considered the ruler of the gods (greek mythology.com: Zeus). Zeus, as mentioned before, fathered many of the Olympians and many of them do not defy him or question him because he is, their father. Athena asks Zeus early in the story about bringing Odysseus home yet he believes Odysseus is not ready for it and Athena does not question him. Even though Zeus is the most powerful and respected god, he still makes the wrong decisions sometimes. Customs of being very hospitable and giving many gifts used to be a main part of Greek culture. The Greeks were always very fearful that the gods would show up at any time and always wanted to be ready ( Attitudes towards tourist hospitality). As a guideline for life in Ancient Greece, a household should always be ready for a guest and be hospitable in case a god shows up. They lived in fear and respect of the gods because they knew that the gods could affect them both positively and negatively and were responsible for everything that happened. The gifts they all give show how hospitable and kind to everyone they know (Homer 13.224-25). The ancient Greeks wanted to be as hospitable as possible because they knew how much they could be affected if they offended a god. When giving gifts they always made sure to give their highest quality thing because they wanted to impress the gods. The ancient Greeks knew about

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what they needed to do to impress the gods, and did it as much as possible to anyone they came across. Even though Ancient Greece had many different qualities than today, they had some values and ethics that are no longer valued as highly today. Zeus and Athena were major Olympians because of their help for Odysseus making sure his trip was mostly safe home. Mythology, though not always relevant to the time period, is continuously studied in in order to find a possible deeper meaning in its words. In Homers The Odyssey, book 13 is a turning point in which ancient Greek customs are revealed, and the true ways the gods and goddesses help people from their time. Greek mythology will always be one of the most captivating, yet not always understood, subjects in the world.