Greek Afterlife Beliefs

The ancient Romans did believe in an afterlife. They believed in the immortality of the soul and had a complicated belief system about life after death. The ancient Romans believed that when one died, one was met by Mercury, the messenger god and son of Jupiter and taken to the river Styx that flowed nine times around the underworld. There they paid the ferryman, Charon, a fee to cross the river where they were met and judged by Minos, Aenaeus, and Rhadymanthas.

The Greeks believed that the only answer to death was to be remembered in fantastic tales and heroic deeds. Many of the gods existed with characteristics like the mortal man with the exception of death and powers of unnatural strength, intelligence, and other amplified

The ancient Greeks with their brilliant and imaginative spirit created a complete order of things that functioned harmoniously in the infinite world that contained them. Although its exact origins are lost in time, Greek religion is thought to date from about the 2d millenium B.C., when the culture of Aryan invaders fused with those of the Aegean and Minoan peoples who had inhabited the region of Greece from Neolithic times [1]. The beginning and the genesis of this world occupied the ancient Greeks in much the same way it did the early people of every civilization. Greek religion was at the beginning a blend of Minoan, Egyptian, Asian, and other elements, but it subsequently evolved along with Greek thought.

Every culture has a unique ideas of the afterlife. This paper will compare how two ancient societies viewed the afterlife. The ancient societies to be discussed are the Egyptians and the Chinese. This paper will compare and contrast the two views in a limited way. It will consider what this suggests about the two cultures. Lastly, it will consider which is closer to modern American beliefs.

The people see the gods an authority figure so if they treat people bad they get punished. Also they give offerings as saying thank you protecter spare me, or treat me well. Odysseus makes sure to tell the Cyclops about Greek values,“‘ As custom is to honor strangers./We would entreat you, great Sir, have a care/ for the gods’ courtesy; Zeus will avenge/ the unoffending guest.’”(377). Just like any other

Greek and Roman mythology is well know. The people of that time period were passionate about the gods and did everything in their power to please them. Like most religions the goal is be like one of the gods in order to achieve good fortune or to gain everlasting life. One of the most interesting characteristics about the Greek and Roman Gods is how the gods are not perfect in that they make the same mistakes that the average human would make. These characteristics were put into place to allow ancient Greeks and Romans to effectively relate to the gods making them more believable. This is unlike other religions where the god(s) are shown as the all perfect character making no mistakes. These characteristics relate back to the family and

Greeks went to temples to present sacrifices to please the gods or to ask for the judgment of the gods on a problem. Greeks thought the gods had control over a aspect of there life and to get help they had to please the gods. They thought that if the gods were happy good things would happen to them. the Greeks believed that the gods controlled all parts of society.

That seems like a crazy thing to see that people used to do but that is our history That was one of their most positive reasons to believe in the gods. You had someone to blame for everything and there was many of them so you could say it was any of them. That's the first positive effect it had on the Ancient Greeks. The second positive (and negative) reason is where they used to live Its a positive effect effects because the view was spectacular. They lived on "Thera which is one of the most picturesque islands of Greece.

The afterlife in ancient Greece was Known as Hades. It was a grey world ruled by Hades, the Lord of the Dead. If they had a virtuous life they could enjoy the sunny pleasures of the Elysium or paradise, if they had a wicked life, then they fell into the dark pits of Tartarus, while if they

Unlike religious gods today, the Greek gods resembled human being in their form and their emotions, and suffered from the same dilemmas humans throughout time have faced. The Greeks believe in many gods and think they are very much like people. They have both supernatural powers and human weaknesses. The gods would fight, play on each other, gets angry or jealous, and steal from each other. The Olympian Gods live atop Mt. Olympus in Greece behind a gate of clouds. They watch the mortals down on earth which they can visit any time, and are responsible for the success or failure of human life. The Greeks worship their gods, pray, give offerings, and build temples to please the gods so they will not give any punishments.

These ideals are very different from modern-day beliefs about death. Christian views about the afterlife include the two options for our souls after death: heaven- the happy, safe, and comfortable place where the good people go, and hell-the fiery, and dangerous place some go to if they made bad choices on Earth. Others believe in reincarnation, where a person’s soul lives on and takes the form of something else. Many people, no matter their religious stance, want to believe that there is something else after death, because it makes it easier when the time comes. It certainly eases some of the grief and anxiety that people face over death, and is far more comforting than the beliefs that ancient Mesopotamians held about death.

The Greek gods were also famous for their love in addition to jealousy and vengeance. They took good care of their offspring. “Golden-throned Hera agreed to replace her jealousy with love. As proof of her change of heart, she awarded Heracules her royal daughter, Hebe, as his immortal wife'; (Rosenberg and Baker 235). The Greek gods also took care of those who properly worshipped and respected them. “They were humble and kind, and they respected the deathless gods. Therefore, he was content to let them remain the sole survivors of the great catastrophe'; (Rosenberg and Baker 123). The Greek gods granted wishes and power to those who showed them kindness. Love was just as strong as the other characteristics and it showed that the gods were as kind as they were strict.

It is evident that after death there were two diverging paths that one was forced upon. One could lead a pleasant afterlife with life’s regular amenities or on could be confined to live miserably and repent for their sins. The only thing that determined this was your life on earth. Thus, this is why the Greeks believed that pleasing the gods would not only allow them to live a good life on earth, but would also ensure them a secure and peaceful afterlife. In Greek religion the gods and goddesses controlled all aspects of life. This gave the Greeks motivation to live a righteous life, so they could live a joyful life. As part of living a righteous Greek life the Greeks

Greek Mythology played a monumental role in the structural development of ancient Greece, not only as a society, but as individuals. Surprisingly, their religion was not exactly one of originality. In fact, their religion was loosely based on earlier cultures’ religions. It bears many strikingly similar resemblances to some of the oldest recorded religions in history. Ancient Greek religion is a type of polytheism called “Monarchial Polytheism.” That is, they believe in several different gods and deities but there is a supreme ruler above all of them. In order to fully understand how similar the mythological systems of religions have been throughout the years, you must look back towards the earliest of recorded civilizations. Polytheism

In this method twelve factors were identified about beliefs about afterlife. Three of the major factors were that 12.1 percent believe in Heave and Hell. 7.9 percent believe in reincarnation and 6.6 percent believed that there ate material objects and sexual desire in the after life. The gender differences that were found are that men are not less likely to believe in afterlife but they were less likely to believe in Heaven, reuniting with loved ones, communication with the living and request for forgiveness before death. Men were more likely the women to believe that there are material objects, that spirits have human form, that there is pain, hunger, thirst and that rituals carried out after death are important. The religious differences they found were that Protestant students were less likely to believe in life-after-death then Roman Catholic students. On the other hand, Protestant students were more likely to believe that there is Hell and that forgiveness needs to be requested to get into Heaven.