Every nation has its own, ancienthistory, unique and mysterious traditions. Part of the story is, of course, and religious beliefs, which in most cases led the development of countries. At one time, Ancient Greece was a kind 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.
Today, almost every person onearth is familiar with some of the myths, the creators of which were the Greeks. Religion just found in them the display. Who is not familiar with the stories of the mighty Hercules or the wonderful 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.
The Greek religion began to emerge aroundthe end of the second millennium BC, since it was at that time that the Greeks began the transition to the slave-owning way of life, creating the first civilized cities, indulging in the study of art, engaged in breeding livestock.
In those days, science, as such, did not existand the ancients did not have an explanation for even the simplest natural phenomena, such as lightning, rain, and drought. That is why they began to create beliefs in which they attributed the divine essence to absolutely everything incomprehensible.
The religion of the ancient Greeks narrated that at the beginning of time there was only chaos, from which the first gods were created, whose children were powerful and terrible 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 located on the territory of Northern Greece. The ancients believed that the man who desecrated the sacred place and tried to climb into the "kingdom of the gods", will never be able to return home.
Greek religion claimed to existThe twelve main deities, each of which had its own duties, possessed some talents and, at the same time, 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, whose name was Hera, was venerated by the ancient people as the keeper of the home and family happiness.
У Зевса также было несколько братьев, самым the most powerful of which was considered Poseidon. It was he who was the terrible lord of the sea elements, who could cause storms and storms. An integral attribute of his appearance was a trident. In his hard work he was assisted by minor deities, such as sea nymphs and gods of the wind.
Another brother, Hades, commanded the kingdom of the dead.They say that to get there, the soul of the deceased had to swim across the River Styx and meet the terrible monster Cerberus. No one could return from there.
Zeus had several children who were not consideredless powerful, and which the Greeks worshiped for many centuries. For example, Apollo, who, by the way, patronized art and poetry, was considered the god of light.
Artemis - Aplon's twin sister - was the patroness of the hunters, the protector of the plant and animal world. The sacred animal of this goddess was the doe.
Ares was considered formidable, uncontrollable andhot-tempered god of war, who helped the Greeks in battles. And Athena, according to legend, was born from the head of Zeus, was also 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 same city.
Probably everyone has heard of Aphrodite, who was born from the sea foam. This goddess was a true model of beauty and commanded feelings such as love and passion.
Hephaestus was considered the lame god of blacksmithing. People believed that the weapons made by his hands were invincible, and those possessing them received complete power over the enemy.
Hermes was considered the herald, and also the unsurpassed thief.
The main deities were not the only objects.cult. Religion of the ancient Greeks argued that there are thousands of small deities who helped rule the world. They were nymphs, satires and other supernatural beings.
In addition, the Greeks believed in dangerous monsters, which they feared the most. It is worth remembering only Cerberus and the Minotaur.
Such a brief description of religious beliefsThe ancient Greek population gives an idea about their way of life. After all, temples were dedicated to every god, ceremonies were held in their honor, they were praised and tried to appease, believing that they could help achieve well-being.
In the days of the ancient philosophers, religion gainedof secondary importance, since it is these people who gave the first breath to the modern sciences. And over time, Christian beliefs spread throughout the country. So today the pantheon of the ancient gods is nothing more than the characters of beautiful fairy tales.
