Religion of the ancient Greeks: what does it represent?

Each people has its own, ancient history, unique and mysterious traditions. Part of history is, of course, religious beliefs, which in most cases guided the development of countries. At one time Ancient Greece was some kind of model of a highly developed state, and the religion of the ancient Greeks was a perfect system that became part of other cultures, including the Roman Empire.

To date, almost every person on earth is familiar with some myths, the creators of which were the Greeks. Religion just found a reflection in them. Who is not familiar with the stories of the mighty Hercules or the beautiful stories about Aphrodite? Yes, today it is nothing more than entertaining stories, but at one time it was the real religion of the ancient Greeks.

Greek religion began to emerge around the end of the second millennium BC, as it was at that time that the Greeks began the transition to a slave-owning way of life, creating the first civilized cities, indulging in the study of art, breeding livestock.

In those days, science as such did not exist and the ancient people had no explanation for even the simplest natural phenomena, for example, lightning, rain and drought. That is why they began to create beliefs in which the divine essence was attributed to absolutely incomprehensible.

The religion of the ancient Greeks told that in the beginning of time there was only chaos, from which the first gods were created, whose children were powerful and formidable titans.

The Greek people created a whole pantheon of deities, which, according to legend, lived on the world-famous Mount Olympus, which to this day is in the territory of Northern Greece. The ancients believed that the person who desecrated the sacred place and tried to climb the "kingdom of the gods" would never be able to return home.

Greek religion claimed that there are twelve major deities, each with its own responsibilities, possessed some talent and, at the same time, its shortcomings. The main thing here was Zeus, who was considered the all-powerful god of lightning and thunder. It was to this god that the supreme power belonged.

His wife, who was called Hera, was considered an ancient people, as the keeper of a home and family happiness.

Zeus also had several brothers, the most powerful of whom was Poseidon. It was he who was a formidable master of the sea element, which was capable of causing storms and storms. An integral attribute of his appearance was a trident. In his hard work, he was assisted by secondary deities, such as sea nymphs and wind gods.

Another brother - Hades - commanded the kingdom of the dead. They say that to get there, the soul of the deceased had to cross the river Styx and meet with the terrible monster Cerberus. Returned from there could not be anyone.

Zeus had several children who were considered no less powerful, and which the Greeks worshiped for many centuries. For example, Apollo was considered the god of light, which, by the way, patronized art and poetry.

Artemis - the twin sister of Apolla - was the patroness of hunters, a defender of the plant and animal world. The sacred animal of this goddess was a doe.

Ares was considered a formidable, uncontrollable and quick-tempered war god who helped the Greeks in battles. And Athena, according to legend, born from the head of Zeus, also was the patroness of military art, as well as the goddess of wisdom. By the way, it was her cult that was glorified by the inhabitants of the city of the same name.

Probably everyone heard about Aphrodite, which was born from sea foam. This goddess was a real model of beauty and commanded by such feelings as love and passion.

Hephaestus was considered the lame god of forging. People believed that the weapons made by his hands were invincible, and those who possessed him, gained full control over the enemy.

Hermes was considered a messenger, as well as an unrivaled thief.

The main deities were not the only objects of worship. The religion of the ancient Greeks claimed that there are thousands of small deities that helped to rule the world. They were nymphs, satyrs and other supernatural beings.

In addition, the Greeks believed in dangerous monsters, who feared the most. It is worth remembering only the Cerberus and the Minotaur.

Such a brief description of the religious beliefs of the ancient Greek population gives the concept and the mode of their life. After all, every god was dedicated to temples, rites were performed in their honor, they were praised and tried to appease, considering that they can help to achieve prosperity.

In the time of ancient philosophers, religion became of secondary importance, since it was these people who gave the first breath to modern science. And over time, Christian beliefs spread throughout the country. So for today the pantheon of ancient gods is nothing more than characters of beautiful fairy tales.