Features of the religion of ancient Greece. Ancient and modern Greece: religion and its features

Essay

Ancient Greek religion

Introduction 3

1. Ancient Greek religion and mythology 4

2. Gods and religion Ancient Greece 8

3. Sacrifices and processions - forms of veneration of the gods in Ancient Greece 11

References 14

Introduction

The Greek religion took shape in the Aegean era and was undoubtedly influenced by the Cretan-Mycenaean cults with their female deities. Like all ancient peoples, the Greeks had local communal cults, patron gods of individual city-polises, and agricultural gods. But already in ancient times, there was a tendency for local gods to be absorbed by the great gods of Greece - the Olympians. This trend reached its final conclusion in the Macedonian era and was a reflection of the cultural, political and economic unification of the Greek city-states. But already in the Homeric era, the cultural community of the Greeks was clearly recognized by them, which was reflected in the veneration of the common Greek gods. Epic creativity and its creators, the Aeds, played a significant role in the design of the pan-Greek pantheon.

The question of the origin of the great gods of the Olympian pantheon is extremely difficult. The images of these gods are very complex, and each of them has experienced a long evolution. The main gods of the Greek pantheon are: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Dionysus, Asclepius, Pan, Aphrodite, Ares, Hephaestus, Hestia. Characteristic feature ancient Greek religion was anthropomorphism - the deification of man, the idea of ​​gods as strong, wonderful people who are immortal and have eternal youth. The gods, according to the Greeks, lived on Mount Olympus, located on the border of Thessaly and Macedonia.

The forms of cult among the Greeks were relatively simple. The most common part of the cult was sacrifice. Other elements of the cult included laying wreaths on altars, decorating statues of gods, washing them, solemn processions, singing sacred hymns and prayers, and sometimes religious dances. The exercise of public worship was regarded as a matter national importance. In addition to the public cult, there was also a private, domestic cult, its rituals, more modest, were performed by the heads of families and clans. The priesthood in Greece did not constitute a special corporation or a closed class. The priests were simply considered servants of the temples. In some cases, they engaged in fortune telling, divination and healing. The position of priest was honorable, but did not give direct power, since civil officials often led the official cult. The Greek city-states in this respect were very different from the eastern despotic states with their dominance of the priesthood.

1. Ancient Greek religion and mythology

The mythology of Ancient Greece is a set of tales about the elemental forces of nature, demons, gods and heroes that arose as a result of the transfer of communal-tribal relations throughout the world and a fantastically generalized reflection of this world in the consciousness of primitive man. Greek mythology, according to Marx, is “...nature and social forms themselves, already processed in an unconsciously artistic way by popular fantasy.” Greek mythology has a long history of development, initially passing through the stages of fetishism, totemism and animism. On early stages its development is characterized by spontaneous, monstrous and often even ugly forms, i.e. has features of pronounced chthonism (from the Greek χϑών - the earth, which, according to mythological views, gave birth to all these monsters). In the era of the primitive communal system, in the religious and mythological ideas of the ancient Greeks, fetishistic ideas about the inseparability of the spiritual essence of objects from themselves became of great importance.

The god Zeus was represented by an eagle, a swan, lightning, thunder, etc.; Athena - an owl or a snake. Subsequently, these ideas were preserved in the form of separate rudiments, when animals or inanimate objects acted as attributes or temporary containers of god (for example, Zeus taking on the appearance of an eagle or a bull, the epithet of Athena - “owl-eyed”). In the most ancient era (corresponding to the stage of matriarchy) there was no definite hierarchy of gods. Long before the advent of Olympic mythology, there were many local gods who were revered in individual communities and did not have universal significance.

As Olympic mythology took shape, the names of these gods or places of their veneration became only new epithets of one or another god (for example, Zeus Trophonius, Artemis of Ephesus, Apollo of Delphi). The highest flowering of ancient mythology dates back to the 2nd millennium BC. e., that is, to the Cretan-Mycenaean culture, when the Olympic pantheon of gods living on the “snowy” and “multi-gorge” Mount Olympus and subordinate to the power of one god, “the father of men and gods” - Zeus, was finally taking shape. Each Olympian deity has its own strictly defined function: Athena is the goddess of war, higher births arts, crafts, guardian of cities and countries, Hermes - the god of trade, Apollo - the god of various destructive and healing functions, patron of the arts, Artemis - the goddess of hunting, Aphrodite - the goddess of love and beauty, etc. Olympic mythology is characterized by pronounced anthropomorphism. Gods and demons in the religious and mythological ideas of the ancient Greeks have a physical body, they are certain place live and have the most ordinary human qualities and even vices and shortcomings. Instead of previous tales about monsters, myths appear about heroes (Hercules, Theseus) who fight these monsters and destroy them.

However, this anthropomorphism, testifying to the growing power of man over nature, characterizes only a certain, historically transitory stage in the development of ancient Greek mythology. “All mythology overcomes, subjugates and shapes the forces of nature in the imagination and with the help of the imagination; it disappears, therefore, along with the onset of real dominance over these forces of nature.” With the decomposition of communal-tribal relations, with the emergence of scientific knowledge, naive mythological anthropomorphism decomposes, and anthropomorphic images of gods become the subject of sharp criticism.

Already among the ancient Greek poets Hesiod and Pindar, Zeus is deprived of anthropomorphic qualities and turns into an image personifying the principle of world justice; in “Prometheus Bound” by Aeschylus, he is portrayed as a world despot, a misanthrope, a representative of blind and unreasonable forces.

Other images of old mythology also lose their anthropomorphic qualities and become abstract. With the advent of the slave-owning formation, ancient Greek mythology loses its naive character and becomes an ideological and artistic method in the ideology of intrapolis life.

In parallel with the development of Greek mythology, the ancient Greek religion developed and formed, that is, belief in the supernatural power of the gods, secured by a system of cults and rituals. Just like mythology, the Greek religion of ancient times bears traces of fetishism, totemism and animism. The cult practice of the ancient Greeks was reduced mainly to sacrifices and prayers, which were performed, as a rule, in temples dedicated to one or another deity. Along with the official state religion in Ancient Greece, worship services open only to initiates (mysteries) were also common.

In pre-Homeric Greece, mysteries dedicated to chthonic (underground) deities were especially widespread: (Triptolemos, etc.). The Eleusinian mysteries in honor of Demeter, the Orphic mysteries in honor of Dionysus, and the cult of the Cabiri (underground gods) are also known.

Ancient Greek mythology also influenced Greek philosophy. The most ancient philosophical views related to primitive communal system, developed within a mythological form. Greek philosophy turned out to be as substantial and material as the ancient Greek ideas about the gods. Nevertheless, from its very first steps philosophy took the path of an active struggle against mythology and religion.

Therefore, a historical consideration of Greek mythology and religion is unthinkable without taking into account their sharp criticism from advanced ancient Greek philosophy. The first period of Greek philosophy, i.e. 6th–5th centuries. BC e., is natural philosophy, the doctrine that existence consists of material elements (earth, water, air, fire, ether) and the circulation of these elements. The recognition of these material elements is characteristic not only of materialist philosophers (Heraclitus, Democritus), but also of idealists. The Eleatics, for example, although they taught that true being is devoid of plurality and movement, nevertheless, even their “one” or “being” was also understood, in the end, as a special kind of subtle matter. The Eleatics, starting with Xenophanes, rebelled against anthropomorphism, believing that all living beings create gods in their own image and likeness. The nous (mind) of Anaxagoras is just as material. The atoms of Democritus have a certain size and shape and appear as a kind of miniature figurines. The Sophists became famous for their open struggle with mythology, and to a large extent with any religion, who, through the mouth of Protagoras, proclaimed the famous thesis that man is the measure of all things.

The new attitude towards the Greek gods was formulated in Stoicism, Epicureanism and skepticism. For the Stoics, gods and demons are only pure allegory (Hephaestus - fire, Hera - air, Dionysus - grapes and wine, Pallas Athena - wisdom, etc.). For the Epicureans, gods are only abstract ideals, although represented in the form of living beings, but completely powerless and in no way influencing the life of nature and society. According to Marx, the gods of Epicurus, “...being similar to people, live in the interworld spaces of the real world, have not a body, but something like a body, not blood, but something like it; being in blissful peace, they do not heed anyone’s prayer , don’t care about us or the world..." Skeptics generally denied any possibility of knowing both existence in general and, in particular, gods and demons.

During the period 3–1 centuries. BC e., as a result of the rapprochement of Greece with the East, the ancient cults of the Great Mother are again revived, the influence of the Delphic Apollo increases, astrology appears and mystical cults are revived.

This process is also reflected in philosophy, which begins to move closer to religion and mythology. In Neoplatonism, which to a certain extent represents a restoration of ancient mythology, ancient images of gods, demons and heroes, spontaneous and often even crude, are presented in a sophisticated logical interpretation. Anthropomorphic Greek mythology is finally decomposing, becoming the object of all kinds of logical speculation.

Ancient Greek mythology has had big influence for the development of world culture. Her humane images, imbued with a sense of harmony and proportion, became the basis for the development of highly artistic ancient art. She influenced the formation of ancient Roman religion and mythology. In the Middle Ages, with the spread of Christianity, ancient mythology was rejected, the ancient gods began to be considered demons, and their images - idols.

Greek mythology, like all Greek culture, was widely used by the ideologists of the Renaissance. Ancient mythology played a significant role in subsequent eras, receiving various interpretations in science and art. The images of Greek mythology, embodied in art, reflect the historically transitory era of the “childhood of human society” and still continue “... in in a certain respect serve as a norm and an unattainable example."

In the early period of the ancient Greek religion, their deities were revered, associated with local characteristics or personifying them, on which the lives of believers depended: thus in Psofida they worshiped the local river Erymanthos, to which the temple was dedicated; in Orkhomenes - the sacred stones, as if they had once fallen from the sky, on Mount Ankhesme, Zeus Ankhesmius was revered, Zeus Laphistius - the personification of Mount Laphistion. Each locality or city had its own patron patron. This cult was of a state nature. Moreover, this cult was very strict: in general one could be skeptical about the gods, the Greek religion did not know generally binding dogmas, but one could not shirk the duties of rituals in honor of the patron god, one could not show disrespect for him. Violation of this law was punishable by severe punishment.

Of the many local gods, over time, some images merged into single pan-Greek deities, for example, Zeus Laphistius, Zeus Croceat, the cult of Zeus in Crete and Thessaly, grew into the cult of Zeus - as the supreme god, “the father of gods and people.” The very name Zeus means shining sky and goes back to a common Indo-European root (Dyaus among the Indians, Tiu among the Germans). The name Zeus had about 50 epithets indicating his functions: underground, i.e. ensures fertility, rain-bearer, all-begetter, ruler of destinies, etc.

Apollo is considered the embodiment of the national spirit. The main functions of Apollo: divination of the future, patronage of the sciences and arts, healing, cleansing from all filth, the deity of light, a correct, orderly world order. The healer god Axlepius developed on purely Greek soil. The god of the shepherds, Pan, was of Arcadian origin. The Asia Minor goddess of fertility, Aphrodite, became the goddess of beauty, love, and an idealized personification of femininity among the Greeks. Ares, borrowed from the Franks, became the frantic gods of war. Further: Demeter is the goddess of fertility, Hephaestus is the personification of earthly fire and blacksmithing, Hestia is also the personification of fire, only at home, the deity of the family hearth, Hermes is the patron of roads and travelers, the god of trade. Some of the Greek gods are more or less abstract images - personifications of individual abstract concepts: Plutos - the direct personification of wealth, Nemesis - the goddess of retribution, Themis - the goddess of justice, Moira - the goddess of fate, Nike - the goddess of victory, and these are not all the deities of the Greeks.

Cosmogonic themes did not occupy a prominent place in folk beliefs. The idea of ​​a creator god was absent in this religion. According to Hesiod, from Chaos were born Earth, Darkness, Night, and then Light, Ether, Day, Sky, Sea and other great forces of nature. From Heaven and Earth the older generation of gods was born, and from them Zeus and other Olympian gods.

There was no central cult in Greece, but on the basis of cultural community, some cult centers acquired broad, pan-Greek significance. The sanctuaries of Apollo in Delphi, Zeus in Olympia, Demeter in Epidaurus and others became widely known and were revered throughout Greece.

2. Gods and religion of Ancient Greece

Myths and legends of early Greece were one of the most delightful phenomena in the culture and life of the peoples of the Mediterranean. But these myths and this religion with the gods of ancient Greece were not so homogeneous and went through a very complex evolution. Scientists distinguish three periods in mythology:

1. Chthonic, otherwise called pre-Olympic, classical Olympic, late heroic

The main trends that characterize the chthonic period appeared in ancient Greek society much earlier than the Dorian conquest of the 12th century. BC e. and even before the appearance of the very first Achaean states. No sources have survived where these views were presented fully and in order.

Because of this, there was a need to use individual archaic images in the religion of the gods of ancient Greece or mythological episodes that were randomly reflected in the texts of the late period of the development of Greece.

The first period in the formation of religious cults with the gods of ancient Greece.

The term “chthonic” itself comes from the ancient Greek word “chthon” - earth. In the perception of the Greeks, the earth was a living and omnipotent being that creates everything and nourishes everything. The essence of the earth was manifested in everything that could surround a person and in himself; this explains the worship with which the ancient Greeks surrounded the symbols of deities: extraordinary stones, trees and even ordinary boards.

But the usual ancient fetishism was mixed with animism among the ancient Greeks, which led to the fact that in ancient Greece a complex and unusual system of beliefs appeared with the gods. Also, in addition to gods, the ancient Greeks also had demons. These are unknown and terrible forces that did not have their own appearance, but possessed great power.

Demons appeared out of nowhere, interfered in people’s lives in the most terrible and catastrophic ways, and then disappeared. In the religion of ancient Greece, demons were usually associated with ideas about monsters, which at this stage of the formation of Greek culture were also perceived as divine power.

In these ideas about the ancient Greek gods and in the distinctive attitude towards the Earth as the Great Mother, echoes of the ideas of various stages of the formation of Greek culture are visible - and a very early time, when man did not separate himself from nature and created images of humanoid animals, and the period when female dominance in society were reinforced by narratives about enormous power Earth. But only one thing united all views - the idea that the ancient Greek gods were indifferent.

The gods in ancient Greece were perceived as very powerful beings, but also dangerous ones, from whom one had to constantly pay off in order to obtain good deeds from the gods. This is how one of the gods of ancient Greece sticks - the god Pan, who, unlike some other ancient Greek gods, did not become a monster, but remained a god in ancient Greece, he was the patron of fields and forests. He was associated with wildlife, and not with human society, and, despite the tendency to entertain, can instill fear in people. With the legs of a goat and horns, he appeared when the sun was at its zenith and everything was frozen from the heat, this time was considered as dangerous as the night. The god of ancient Greece, Pan, could have been fair and kind, but still, it’s better not to meet this god, he retained the bestial appearance that Mother Earth herself gave him.

2. The second period in the development of religious cults with the ancient Greek gods

The collapse of matriarchy and the beginning of the transition to patriarchy, the formation of the initial Achaean states - all these factors became the impetus for a complete modification of all mythology, a departure from the outdated gods of ancient Greece and the emergence of new ones. Just like other people, the gods, who were soulless forces of nature, are replaced in the religion of ancient Greece by other gods, who in turn were the patrons of individual human groups. The groups were united along various lines: class, class, professional, but they all had something that united them - all these people were not friendly with nature, they sought to take control of it, make something new out of it, to force a person to obey.

It's no coincidence ancient myths The Olympic cycle begins with the expulsion of creatures who in early times were obeyed as gods. The deity of ancient Greece - Apollo kills giants and a dragon, people - demigods, kill other creatures: Chimera, Medusa, Hydra. Just during this period, Zeus celebrates his victory over the gods of the ancient world; in the religion of ancient Greece, he becomes the king of the gods of the cosmos. The image of Zeus turned out to be very complex and was not formed in one day. Full image Zeus was formed only after the Dorian victory; people who came from the north elevated him to absolute gods.

In a balanced world, Zeus had children from ordinary earthly women, who completed the work of their famous father, destroying the monsters that remained. Children of the gods in the religion and mythology of ancient Greece are heroes symbolizing the unity of the world ordinary people and the gods, the connection with them and the attention with which the gods watch over the people. The gods provide assistance to the heroes, and careless citizens fall under their wrath. During this period, demons also take on a different face; now they become spirits living in all the elements.

3. The third period of formation of the religion of the gods of ancient Greece

The development and formation of the state, society becomes more complex, and with it the relations in society, gradually, as the Greeks get an idea of ​​​​the world around them, they develop a feeling of tragedy, they are sure that evil is happening in the world.

During the period when the heroes received the greatest development, the opinion again appears that there is a force to which everything living and non-living is subordinate, including the gods themselves of the mythology of ancient Greece. The great Zeus also falls before this force, at this time Zeus also has a hard time, he has to knock information about his fate out of the titan Prometheus, he has to watch how his son Hercules is subjected to all sorts of tests.

The gods in the religion of ancient Greece were not very merciful towards people. For violation of their will, the punishments were terrible. Tantalus, for example, was forever tormented by thirst and hunger, Ixion was chained to a fiery wheel that was spinning. In later Greek societies, religion in the world of ancient Greece gradually declined into mere performances of traditional rituals, and mythology became a common treasure trove of stories and images.

3. Sacrifices and processions - forms of veneration of the gods in Ancient Greece

Ritualism and cult among the Greek people were preserved, in all likelihood, in the form of a tradition that went from the era of the heroes of the great Homer to later periods in the history of Greece. Even before the Roman conquest and after, almost before the introduction Christian faith in the form of a state religion in the great Byzantine Empire. Of course, the first thing to point out is the obligatory sacrifice. They could be brought both in the temple and outside it.

The temple itself, in most cases, was built on a hill and separated from other buildings by a large fence. The temple featured images of a particular god and a large altar for bloodless and valuable relics. In addition, there were special rooms for sacred relics and donations. Blood sacrifices were performed on the site in front of the temple building, but not outside the fence.

Even among the most ancient tribes of the Greeks, priests did not play a significant role in society, and absolutely anyone could perform their duties.

This situation continued even with the emergence of a separate state.

Religion in ancient Greece is a state matter, and the priests, at their core, were government employees who were also subject to the laws, like other ordinary citizens of the country.

The duties of the priest, if absolutely necessary, could be performed by the king or the head of the clan. The priests did not teach religion and did not work on creating theological works, and practically in no way developed religious thought. And the narrow range of their duties was limited to the performance of rituals, exclusively in a specific temple to which each priest was assigned.

Communication with the gods in ancient Greece during worship was determined by the same perception of their beneficent, understandable and powerful beings. The gifts were sacrifices, and in exchange, God had to fulfill the request of the praying person. Bloodless sacrifices could consist of fruits, vegetables, and various other foods that were dedicated to individual gods. Blood sacrifice was limited to the killing of an animal, but in extreme cases a person could also be sacrificed.

The most common victims to appease the gods in ancient Greece were bulls, pigs and sheep. During general holidays and special occasions in the public life of society, more than a hundred animals could be killed. This sacrifice is called a hecatomb.

All animals that were sacrificed to the gods in ancient Greece had to be perfect, without any flaws. Before this ritual, the priests dressed up in white clothes and washed their hands in salt water. The ceremony took place in absolute silence, but there was musical accompaniment from flute players. A small piece of the dead animal was burned directly on the altar, the other part went to the priests, and the rest was eaten at the feast, which usually took place after such a service. After the ceremony, the priest read a prayer to the gods in ancient Greece, which all participants in the ceremony, without exception, had to repeat. Religious rites also included curses and oaths, because how they could be pronounced according to strictly established orders and rules while simultaneously invoking the gods in ancient Greece.

In the house of the Greeks, altars could also be erected for making sacrifices and statues of patrons could be installed.

The home hearth was considered sacred, because Hestia patronized it and, when performing bloodless sacrificial rituals at the hearth, the Greeks directly addressed only this goddess.

On the fifth day of the child’s life, they carried him around the hearth in order to try to protect him from possible harm. The funeral was also carried out according to a strictly established ceremony. The deceased was anointed with ointments and various incense. They dressed in white clothes, with a small coin in their mouth, which was intended for Charon, who was the carrier of the dead. Initially, in Greece, the corpse was burned, but this custom was soon supplanted by the tradition of burying the body in a special tomb or simply in the ground.

One of the main duties of the Greek priests was to predict the future.

Many priests were exclusively engaged in fortune-telling from the entrails of sacrificed animals and the flights of ordinary birds. The ephor priests were able to predict the future by changes in the sky, and the pifaists were able to predict the future by lightning.

The Greeks had a special privilege over oracles, in which, according to legend, the gods could, through priests, give answers to any questions that a person might ask. The oracles at Dodona, Miletus and Bura were especially famous. But the most important oracle of the ancient world, undoubtedly, was the oracle at Delphi, which was originally dedicated to the gods in ancient Greece: Gaia, after Themis and Apollo.

In the center of the structure with the oracle there was a small crevice, from which fumes rose upward in the form of smoke. A tripod was strengthened over the crevice, on which the fortuneteller, the Pythia, sat. Stupefied by laurel and numerous poisons, she fell into a state of trance, and it was at this moment that the gods revealed to her all the secrets of the future.

As a rule, the prophecies of this oracle were rather vague and, at times, ambiguous. So, for example, Croesus asked the oracle whether he should attack the Persian kingdom, to which the oracle replied that if he attacked, the great kingdom would perish. The result of this war was the fall and conquest of the kingdom of Croesus by the Persians, to which the priests said that it was not precisely said which kingdom would fall. And they considered the oracle’s prediction absolutely accurate.

A special form of serving the gods in ancient Greece was various sports competitions. The historical ideas of the Greek people about deities, as beings that are similar to people, but more ideal, dictated to the ordinary people the desire to try to be more like them and achieve the perfection of their body. There was a legend that the gods in ancient Greece were very pleased when they saw people who could show off their strength and powerful health. The main and most famous competition of ancient Greece was, naturally, Olympic Games.

They were installed, according to legend, by Hercules himself. These celebrations were of a pronounced religious nature and were important to such an extent that during the Games an unquestioning peace was concluded between all warring parties. It is worth noting that chronology in ancient Greece was based exclusively on Olympic years, starting from 776 BC. The Olympic Games, as now, were held every four years in the unforgettable city of Olympia. Sports competitions were dedicated exclusively to the gods in ancient Greece, although the patron of these places was only Zeus. Sports competitions alternated with sacrifices. The main competition was the pentathlon - jumping, running, wrestling, discus throwing and javelin throwing. In addition, there were fist fights and chariot races. In addition to the Olympics, other events were held at that time sport games– Isthmian, Nemean and Pythian.

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As in, the development of religious views in Ancient Greece went through certain periods that correspond to periods of development ancient greek culture. Usually the following are distinguished.

Creto-Mycenaean(III-II millennium BC). This period ended as a result of destruction on the island of Crete caused by volcanic eruptions and floods. On the coast, the cause of destruction was the invasion of northern peoples - the Dorians.

Homeric period(XI-VIII centuries BC). At this time, the formation of the political system of Ancient Greece took place - policy. The end of the period is characterized by the creation of the famous poems of Homer, in which the main principles of the religion of the ancient Greeks can already be traced.

Archaic period(VIII-VI centuries BC). Formation of the main features of ancient Greek culture and religion.

Classical period(V-IV centuries BC). The rise of ancient Greek culture.

Hellenistic period(IV-I centuries BC). Active mutual influence of ancient Greek culture and cultures of other peoples.

The main sources of information about ancient Greek are the works Homer's Iliad" And " Odyssey" And Gay-ode "Theogony". Based on these works, we can conclude that the ancient Greek gods were divided into three groups:

1. heavenly or uranic (Zeus and all the Olympian gods);
2. underground or chthonic (Hades, Demeter, Erinyes);
3. earthly or ecumenical (Hestia, gods of the hearth).

In the original ideas, the dominant place was occupied by the sovereign goddess - the deity of fertility. Subsequently, she was transformed into the wife of the highest God - Geru. Then the male deity stands out - Zeus. His position is equal to that of a king among the aristocracy and ordinary subjects. Zeus and Hera form a divine couple, a model of family and sovereignty. Of the same generation as them - gods Poseidon and Demeter. The younger generation of Gods are the sons of Zeus - Apollo, Hephaestus And Ares; daughters - Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite. They are the executors of the will of Zeus and receive power over their part of the world order.

Zeus becomes the highest god in the fight against previous generations of gods: Uranus, Kronos, titans. These gods are defeated, but not destroyed. They are the personification of the elemental forces of nature. In addition to these gods, the Greek pantheon included local deities; thus, the pantheon of gods was very large. The gods were anthropomorphic in nature. They had the same character traits as humans, but differed in that they could transform into animals and were immortal.

The ancient Greeks had an idea about demons - lower supernatural forces. Demons were nymphs, satyrs, seleniums. In honor of demons, rituals and ceremonies were performed that were aimed at preventing demons from harming people. The ancient Greeks distinguished superstition And faith. Excessive demon worship (superstition) was frowned upon by society.

Among the ancient Greeks, occupied an important place ancestor cult. The Greeks believed that the dead could harm living people; and to prevent this from happening, they need to be appeased, i.e. make sacrifices. Failure to bury ashes (absence of burial) was considered especially unacceptable. There was an idea about the kingdom of the dead Aida. In Hades, dead people were divided into sinners and righteous people; sinners fell into Tartarus(similar to hell). The doctrine of posthumous existence was called orphism(named after the ancient Greek hero who visited the world of the dead).

Great importance rituals were performed, and state cults existed. These cults were carried out periodically, as well as to commemorate particularly significant events (disasters, victories, etc.).

In the VI century. BC. a holiday was established - “ Great Panathenaea" in honor of the goddess Athena. It was built for this holiday Acropolis. The ritual was performed once every four years in July-August and lasted five days. First there were night celebrations and demonstrations. Then sacrifices were made. It was believed that the gods ate the smell of meat, and people ate meat. Similar festivals were dedicated to other gods, for example "Great Dionithese" - in honor of God Dionysus. Poets and musicians composed hymns. In addition, there were mysteries - secret, hidden rituals. The uninitiated were forbidden to participate in the mysteries.

The priests of Ancient Greece did not enjoy such authority as in, they were not allocated to a special class; any citizen, for example the head of a family, could perform the ritual. A person was chosen at a community meeting to perform the rituals. In some churches, the service required special preparation, so they chose knowledgeable people. Sometimes they were called oracles, since it was believed that they were able to convey the will of the gods.

There were various religious communities in Ancient Greece. The basis of religious life was family. Families united in phratries, phratries united into phyla(primarily on professional grounds). There were also sects - secret organizations that gathered around the leader.

Myths and religion of ancient Greece briefly

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Myths of Ancient Greece briefly

In their legends - myths - the Greeks tried to explain the origin of everything that surrounded man: natural phenomena, relationships between people. In myths, fiction was closely intertwined with reality. Myths are the creativity of the people of that era when there was no writing and fiction. By studying myths, we penetrate into the most distant times of human history, getting acquainted with the ideas and beliefs of ancient people.
Myths formed the basis for the works of Greek poets, artists, and sculptors. They captivate with their poetry, spontaneity, rich imagination and are the property of all humanity.
Many Greek myths tell about the exploits of heroes who were distinguished by their extraordinary strength, courage, and courage.
One of the people's favorite heroes was Hercules. The Greeks talked about twelve labors he performed. Hercules fought with predators that attacked people, fought with giants, performed the most hard work, traveled to unknown countries. Hercules was distinguished not only by his enormous strength and courage, but also by his intelligence, which allowed him to defeat stronger opponents.
Already at that time there were people who understood that man owed his victories over nature not to the gods, but to himself. This is how the myth of the titan Prometheus appeared. In this myth the main greek god Zeus
is portrayed as a cruel and domineering king, striving to maintain his dominance and therefore interested in keeping people always in darkness and ignorance.
Prometheus is the liberator and friend of humanity. He stole fire from the gods and brought it to people. Prometheus taught people crafts and agriculture. People have become less dependent on nature. The cruel god punished Prometheus by ordering him to be chained to a rock in the Caucasus. Every day an eagle flew to Prometheus and pecked out his liver, and at night it grew back. Despite the torment, the courageous Prometheus did not humble himself before God.
In the myth of Prometheus, the Greeks glorified humanity’s desire for freedom and knowledge, the fortitude and courage of the heroes who suffer and fight for the people.

Religion of Ancient Greece in brief

The Greeks explained many incomprehensible phenomena by the intervention of the gods. They imagined them to be similar to people, but strong and immortal, living at the top high mountain Olympus (in Northern Greece). From there, the Greeks thought, the gods ruled the world.

Zeus was considered the “Lord of gods and men.” In the mountains, lightning often killed shepherds and livestock. Not understanding the causes of lightning, the Greeks attributed it to the wrath of Zeus, who struck with his fiery arrows. Zeus was called the Thunderer and the Cloud Remover.
The menacing sea, before which sailors were often powerless, was given over by the Greeks to the power of Zeus’s brother, Poseidon. Another brother of Zeus, Hades, was given the kingdom of the dead. Entrance

this dark kingdom was guarded by the terrible three-headed dog Kerber
Athena was considered the favorite daughter of Zeus. She entered into a rivalry with Poseidon for the possession of Attica. Victory was supposed to belong to the one who would give people the most valuable gift. Athena gave the people of Attica an olive tree and won.
The lame Hephaestus was considered the god of fire and blacksmithing, and Apollo was considered the god of the sun, light, poetry and music.
In addition to these main Olympian gods, every region of Greece had its own. Every stream, every natural phenomenon was deified by the Greeks. The winds that brought heat and cold were also considered divine.
The Greek religion, like other religions, inspired man that he depended on the gods for everything, whose mercy could be achieved through rich gifts and sacrifices. In temples, at altars, cattle were slaughtered; Believers brought bread, wine, vegetables, and fruits here. The priests spread rumors about supposedly miraculous healings of the sick by the will of the gods, and people donated to the temple images of diseased body parts cast from precious metals.

In some Greek temples, priests allegedly recognized the will of the gods and predicted the future using various signs. The places where predictions were given and the predictors themselves were called oracles. The oracle of Apollo in Cellphi (Central Greece) was especially famous. Here in the cave there was a crevice from which poisonous gases came out. The priestess, blindfolded, sat down by the crevice. Her consciousness became darkened from the effects of the gases. She shouted incoherent words, and the priests passed them off as the prophecies of Apollo and interpreted them according to their interests. The Delphic priests received rich gifts for their predictions. They profited from people's superstitions.
Religion is a distorted reflection of reality. Religion reflects life
of people. When the Greeks began to process metal, they created a myth about the blacksmith god Hephaestus. The Greeks imagined the relationships between the gods on Olympus to be the same as the relationships between people. Zeus ruled the gods despotically. When Zeus's wife Hera once misbehaved, he ordered her to be suspended by her hands to the sky and heavy anvils tied to her feet. This myth reflected the powerless position of a woman, wholly dependent on the head of the family. Believers endowed Zeus with the traits of a cruel, domineering, unjust basileus.
The image of the blacksmith god Hephaestus symbolizes the transition of the Greeks to metal processing, but myths attributed to God such wonderful products that blacksmiths could not create: invisible nets, self-propelled carts, etc.
The myths of the ancient Greeks and their religion convey reality distortedly.

Poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey"

The Greeks have preserved legends about the war between Mycenae and Troy. These tales formed the basis of the great poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey”. Their author is called the ancient poet Homer. Nobody knows where and when he was born. Poems from Homer's poems were first passed down orally and then written down. They depict the life of Greece in the 11th-9th centuries. BC e. This time is called Homeric time.
The Iliad is a story about the tenth year of the Greek war with Troy or Ilion, as the Greeks otherwise called it.
The supreme leader of the Greek army was the Mycenaean king Agamemnon. Mighty and glorious heroes took part in the war on both sides: Achilles among the Greeks, Hector among the Trojans.

In the first years of the war, the Greeks were victorious. But one day Agamemnon quarreled with Achilles. The Greek hero refused to fight, and the Trojans began to push back the Greeks. Achilles' friend Patrbcles, knowing that the enemies were afraid of the mere sight of Achilles, put on Achilles' armor and led the Greeks with him. The Trojans, mistaking Patroclus for his friend, fled. But at the gates of Troy Hector came out against Patroclus. He killed Patroclus and took Achilles' armor.
Having learned about the death of his friend, the Greek hero decided to take revenge on the Trojans. In new armor, forged for him by the god of blacksmithing, he rushed into battle on a war chariot. The Trojans hid behind the city walls. Only Hector did not retreat. He fought desperately with Achilles, but fell in battle.

The Greek hero tied the body of the vanquished man to his chariot and
dragged the Greeks into the camp.
Other myths tell of the death of Achilles and the end of the Trojan War. Achilles was killed by Hector's brother. He hit the only one with an arrow vulnerable spot hero's heel. This is where the expression “Achilles' heel” comes from, i.e. a vulnerable spot.
The Greeks took Troy by cunning. One of the Greek leaders, Odysseus, proposed building a huge wooden horse and placing soldiers in it. The Trojans, taking the amazing horse as a gift from the gods, dragged him into the city. At night, getting out of the horse, the Greeks killed the guards and opened the gates of Troy.
After the fall of Troy, Odysseus went to the shores of his native island of Ithaca. “Odyssey” is a story about the wanderings of Odysseus, about his return to his beloved homeland.
The poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey” are a wonderful monument of fiction; people loved and preserved these poems. They glorify courage, bravery, and ingenuity in the fight against difficulties.
In sonorous verses, Homer glorified friendship, camaraderie, and love of country. Through the poems of Homer we get acquainted with the life of the Greeks of the Homeric era. The Iliad and Odyssey are the most valuable source of historical knowledge about ancient Greece. They reflected the social structure of the Greeks over a number of centuries.

Religion was an organic part of Greek culture and had a great influence on it. Just like other peoples of antiquity, the Greek religion determined the foundations of worldview, morality, forms and direction of artistic creativity, its various manifestations in literature, architecture, sculpture, painting, even philosophy and science. Rich Greek mythology, which developed back in the archaic period, numerous tales about the relationships of gods, heroes among themselves and people created a rich arsenal of images that became the starting point for the development of artistic types of strong people who opposed the blind forces of nature, against the powerful gods themselves, served as the basis to create wonderful Greek literature of the 5th–4th centuries. BC e.

In ancient times, Mother Earth was especially revered by the Greeks. This reflected both the influence of matriarchy left in the past and the importance of agriculture as the main branch of the people’s economy. The earth goddess Gaia was considered the mother of all living things. Later, the cult of the earth also included the veneration of Rhea, Demeter, Persephone and many others. smaller deities associated with soil cultivation, sowing and harvesting. The gods seemed to the Greeks to be busy with one kind of work or another: Hermes and Pan - watching over herds, Athena - growing an olive tree, etc. Therefore, in order for a person to successfully perform k.-l. matter, it was considered necessary to appease one or another deity by sacrificing fruits, young animals, etc. To him, there was no hierarchy among the gods in ancient times among the Greeks, which testified to the fragmentation of the Greeks. tribes

Temple of Athena at Paestum. Photo: Greenshed

In religion In the beliefs of the Greeks, remnants of primitive religions were preserved - remnants of fetishism (for example, the veneration of stones, especially the so-called Delphic omphalos), totemism (eagle, owl, cow, etc. animals were constant attributes of the gods, and the gods themselves were often depicted taking the form of animals) , of magic. Great importance in D.-g. R. had a cult of ancestors and the dead in general (see Cult of Ancestors), in connection with the Crimea there was also a cult of heroes - half-humans, half-gods. In the later, “classical” era, in the cult of the dead, the idea of ​​the life of the souls of the righteous on the Champs Elysees appeared (see Elysium).

With the establishment of the dominance of the tribal nobility in Greece, small local deities were pushed aside in the minds of the people by the “Olympian gods”, the location of which was considered to be the city of Olympus. These gods - Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Ares, Hermes and others - were already considered as a kind of family, having both “elders” and their supreme head - the “father” people and gods" Zeus, who embodied religion. form of the trait of a patriarchal ruler. That. a hierarchy of gods arose, reflecting the strengthened hierarchy of the emerging class society. The Olympian gods acted in the minds of the ancient Greeks as patrons of the nobility and defenders of their power. This idea left a clear imprint on Homer’s poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey”, where a broad picture of life, morals and religions is given. beliefs of that era. The palace of Zeus on Olympus depicted in the poems, sparkling with walls and floors of gold, the luxurious robes of the goddesses, as well as the constant feuds and intrigues among the gods were unique. a reflection of the life and ideals of the Greek. family aristocracy. The lower strata of the people, opposed to the aristocracy, often preferred to worship not the Olympian gods, but their old agricultural gods.

The Greeks represented gods and heroes in the images of beautiful people; this became the starting point for the development of a sculptural image of a heroized citizen, a full member of the polis collective. A beautiful divine being, according to the Greeks, lives in a beautiful home, and Greek architects directed their efforts to develop the temple building as the most perfect architectural structure and made it one of the initial foundations for the development of all Greek architecture.

To create a system of spiritual values ​​of the ancient Greeks, a unique understanding of the nature of the deity was of paramount importance. The Greeks perceived their gods, even the highest ones, as powerful, but not omnipotent, subject to the force of a higher necessity that dominates the gods as well as people. The known limitations of the omnipotence of the deity, a certain proximity of the world of the gods to man through the peculiar mediation of demigods - heroes, through the relationship of gods with people, in principle, elevated man, developed his abilities and opened great prospects to create artistic images of heroic, strong people, and for philosophical reflection on the essence of man, the power of his strength and mind.

An indispensable part of religious cult in the V-IV centuries. BC e. began to venerate the main deity of a given polis in the form of solemn processions of citizens with a statue of the deity and festive events after making a sacrifice in his honor in front of the main temple. Among the festive activities, a feast was obligatory (usually only the entrails of animals were sacrificed, most of the carcass was used for refreshments), competitions of young athletes, and the performance of scenes from the life of gods or townspeople. Participation in the solemn procession, sacrifice, competitions and theatrical scenes of the bulk of citizens gave the festival a national character and made it an important social event.

In the 5th century BC e. In most Greek city-states (this was especially evident in Athens), the celebration in honor of the main deity - the patron deity of the city-polis began to be considered as a demonstration of the strength and wealth of the city, a review of its achievements and successes, as a manifestation of the unity of the entire city-state collective. The religious origins of such celebrations are somewhat obscured, while the social, political and ideological sides appear more clearly and fully. More and more attention is paid to gymnastic competitions and theatrical performances; preparation for them, which is carried out by the entire city, becomes a strong creative impulse. Celebrations such as Panathenaea in Athens in honor of the patron goddess of the city of Athens, Dionysia in honor of the god of vegetation, viticulture, wine and fun Dionysus, Olympic festivals in honor supreme god sky, thunder and lightning of Zeus, Pythian in Delphi in honor of the god Apollo, Isthmian in honor of the god of the seas and sea moisture Poseidon in Corinth, turn into large social events not only local, but also of pan-Greek significance.

The most famous of them were the Olympic festivals, or Olympic Games, held every four years. The Olympic Games were originally a traditional part of the cult in honor of Zeus, in which, as in other similar religious ceremonies, athletic competitions and theatrical entertainment only complemented the cult activities. However, already in the 6th century. BC e. religious ceremonies began to be perceived as a kind of introductory part to sports competitions, acquired a pan-Greek character, and even theatrical performances were relegated to the background. In other festivals, for example at the Pythian Games, it was not sports, but musical competitions of citharas and auletes (that is, performers playing citharas and flutes) that came first. In Athens during the celebration of Panathenaia and Dionysius in the 5th century. BC e. The role of theatrical performances gradually increased (tragedies and comedies were staged), from which the wonderful Greek theater grew, which played a huge role in public life, education and the entire culture of the ancient Greeks.

The formation of city-states (polises) in Greece and the further development of slave society changed the character of the Greek people. religion. Cults of patron gods of crafts and trade arose and spread. Thus, Hephaestus became the god of blacksmiths, and Hermes became the god of trade. There was a shift in ideas about the functions of the gods: the patrons of crafts in each city were usually the gods, who were also considered the guardians of the city itself: for example, in Athens - Athena, in Corinth - Poseidon, in Delphi - Apollo. In the VIII-VII centuries. Don. e. The first temples began to be erected in honor of the gods. The heyday of temple construction in Athens dates back to the V-IV centuries. BC e. Worship as a whole was under state control. Priest corporations in Greek State affairs as a rule did not exist. Officials chosen by lot also performed the duties of priests.

In recognition of common Greek. gods and shrines associated with them were partly a manifestation of the consciousness of the unity of the Greek. people not united into one state. So, the Greek is very famous throughout. the world received the sanctuary at Olympia and the Delphic oracle. All Greeks could participate in games and competitions, which were organized periodically at such sanctuaries. The Olympic Games (Olympiads) became the basis of ancient Greek. chronology.

Along with cults intended for the entire population, secret religions arose early in Greece. societies and cults in which only initiates (mystics) were allowed to participate. The most famous are the sacraments in honor of Demeter (Eleusinian mysteries) and in honor of Dionysus (Dionysia). Those initiated into the mysteries of the Eleven Mysteries were promised, under certain conditions, salvation and bliss after death. The Dionysian participant was believed to have communed with the deity by eating raw meat from a heavily torn animal. Mystery cults in the late antique period were to a certain extent an expression of dissatisfaction with living conditions and, therefore, captured part of the lower strata of ancient Greek. society.



They were, as we have already seen, personifications of the forces of nature and little by little acquired moral significance. Among epic poets and singers, the moral element in ideas about deities is so predominant that the original symbolic personifications of nature are little and faintly visible. The deities of the ancient Greek religion are, both in character and in appearance, completely similar to people, idealized people; they differ from people in that they are infinitely superior to them in intelligence, knowledge, and strength, and, moreover, are immortal; in addition, they can be instantly transported from place to place; but the qualities of their mind and heart are the same as those of people, the motives for their actions are the same. The same feelings and passions rule over them: hatred and love; they have the same joys and sorrows. In this sense, we must understand the words of Herodotus that Homer and Hesiod created their gods for the Greeks; he talks about this anthropomorphism, about the transformation of the ancient gods, who were the personifications of the forces of nature, into ideal humanoid creatures having all human virtues and vices.