Roman Gods are a group of higher beings that have reigned over the Roman people for centuries. Roman Gods have obvious flaws with in their system and flaws are what make this system of higher beings poor. For example The Roman god of war
Mars is one primary source of foul behavior. He is a god who is famous for aggressive and violent out lashes, not to mention he is a god responsible for war. War ruins lives, families, and countries which Mars is responsible for all of this pain and suffering, and the worst thing is he is supposed to enjoy it the most. This God does not deliver any good to people only suffering, humans are better of with this god who is responsible for suffering.
Aside from the violent perpetrators there is also the leader of these gods,
Jupiter. This God meddles in the affairs of the people quite often. He is widely accepted as the leader and the Greeks, although they call him Zeus, speak of him as a wild person. He often meddles in the affairs of humans on a daily basis, he has numerous affairs with endless woman, and is often feared for his anger as well. This is no idol for men to look upon, he is no model that others should strive to be. Gods are meant to be a goal to us humans, that one day we can hopefully reach, but this God is a model of what not to be. He cheats on his wife, and scorns all of the misfit children he is responsible for. He abuses his power more than any God which shows his carelessness and history has told us that he isn't even loyal to women so how should he be loyal to his supporters?
Lastly there is one more God to talk about,
Minerva. This god is a cold and calculating person regarded as the wisest among the gods. Although she was wise she was brutal. There is a story that she saw a woman weave a beautiful piece, it was so beautiful that even Minerva couldn't find a fault in the work. Angered by this Minerva turned her into a spider in spite of her piece. Minerva is a cold God who is absorbed in herself. She is not fit to rule men when she cares more for herself.
Works Cited
"Jupiter | Roman God." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2015.
"Roman Gods and Goddesses - Crystalinks." Roman Gods and Goddesses - Crystalinks. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2015.
Roman, Luke, and Monica Roman. Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology. New York: Facts On File, 2010. Web.
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I believe what are you saying here about Roman Gods such as Mars is true in modern times, but back in ancient times I think these were good values. For example, the God of War, Mars, can be seen as negative to modern day people, but back in Roman times his aggressiveness was not condemned and his war was seen as a good way to solve a problem.
ReplyDeleteI think your supposed to have a link to your project. Otherwise this was a really good blog. The thing about the roman gods is that they were viewed as just supernatural humans as opposed to all knowing, wise beings.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are many negative aspect of the Roman gods, but you also have to look at the more positive stories. Every story can be told from many ways. It is how you interpret it. I also agree that war is bad and ruins lives, but it is inevitable. I believe it is a good thing that the Romans had a God to look up to in their times of war, and like Thomas said they were good values in ancient Rome.
ReplyDeleteReading about the flaws in these gods made me think about our leaders today. If we take the obvious leaders such as politicians and presidents into account, scandals and mistakes circle about. Within the presidents office there have been wars started, mistakes made, and infidelity committed. But, we often times excuse such acts on behalf of our respect for the leader, or even our biased toward our country. If a president constantly starts wars with our enemy, chances are we may not object, and rather we support it. Romans probably had a similar mindset in terms of the gods/leaders they looked up to.
ReplyDeleteI think that despite how negative the Roman Gods may have be portrayed, I think that the Romans valued and worshiped them so much in their daily lives that it was overlooked or possibly seen more positive than negative. There is no doubt that negative aspects to the Roman Gods is clear especially the more well known ones like Mars and Jupiter.
ReplyDeleteI think the topic you address is the biggest difference between the "God" we think of today, and the gods that people worshiped before. This kind of divinity is categorized as mythology, composed of simple stories and fables that taught us lessons. However, a monotheistic "God" is held at a much more spiritual standard. I believe this is because of the flaws you mentioned in the Roman/Greek gods. The Roman gods were not perfect, as you pointed out. They had just as many issues as the humans who worshiped them. Yes, Mars promoted war, and Jupiter was an adulterer. However, violence and adultery still exist in a world that worships a "perfect" God. It does not matter if humans worship imperfect or perfect divinity. You can argue the fact, that society is just as messed up today as it was in the time where people worshiped Roman gods. So, I do not think we can blame the Roman gods for human stupidity.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dora that the gods in Roman mythology acted human. Since humans created these myths, however, wouldn't one expect some influence to come through? If the gods weren't like humans, people wouldn't be able to connect them with their own situations and lives to understand their relevance. I think it's interesting that you focus on the negative aspects of the Roman gods, though I disagree with you on some points. For example, you call Mars responsible for war. I think of him more as an avatar- an effect, not a cause. He doesn't cause war, but it has such a strong effect on so many lives that it brings him power. Venus (Aphrodite), on the other hand, is definitely one responsible for fights- for example, Mars and Vulcan (Hephaestus) battle for her attention and love, even though she is married to Vulcan already.
ReplyDeleteI think you are on the mark about Zeus/Jupiter- he shows many bad human qualities and sets a bad example. Although he has his strengths, Jupiter is a poor role model for modern standards.
I disagree with your assessment of Minerva/Athena on some points. She is certainly harsh, but she shares a job with Mars (strategy for battle is in her domain) which requires it. Minerva is also the goddess of crafts, and in your quotation of the myth of Arachne, you did not mention that she was angered by the rude and impudent depictions of the gods in Arachne's tapestries. The crafting was flawless but the content was personally insulting, and Minerva let her emotions take over- she did not attack for jealousy, but for the insult to the gods. As the myths tell us, blasphemy gets punished. Harshly. This is another moment showing human traits- wouldn't a noble punish a peasant for insulting her to her face? It's a similar disparity in rank.
This is a really thought provoking post!
This is a really interesting post: I was struck by your initial comment about Mars, and how having a god of war seems like a negative thing to begin with. This got me thinking about the domains of the other gods: love, wisdom, sun, poetry, music, sky, water--> these all seem to be essential elements or feelings to human life. Do you think that the fact that the Romans had a god specifically for war meant that they viewed war as an essential part of life? Is the same true for the Greeks?
ReplyDeleteThis is really cool to think about!
This is a really interesting post: I was struck by your initial comment about Mars, and how having a god of war seems like a negative thing to begin with. This got me thinking about the domains of the other gods: love, wisdom, sun, poetry, music, sky, water--> these all seem to be essential elements or feelings to human life. Do you think that the fact that the Romans had a god specifically for war meant that they viewed war as an essential part of life? Is the same true for the Greeks?
ReplyDeleteThis is really cool to think about!