Question: Which Gods Were Most Active in Human Lives?
Email question: Which God/Goddess do I think the Greeks felt had the biggest influence on their lives?
Answer: While Zeus is considered responsible for the current age of man, Athena gave Athens the olive tree, and Demeter taught mankind about agriculture, they don't deal in the ordinary affairs of ordinary man. In a sense, Dionysus is important in that he brought wine and encourages its consumption. In a society where water was used to dilute wine but wasn't considered a safe potable, a wine god would have been as important as a goddess of grain, but I've ruled her out as staying in the background, and so, I probably should do the same with Dionysus.
There are some generally less important deities who do handle daily activities or the entire thread of life. I assume the question is about these, but I have not come up with a single god or goddess. There are the goddesses who deal with punishing humans -- Nemesis, goddess of divine retribution, and the Erinyes (Furies). There are the goddesses of chance and fate, Tyche (Chance) and the Moirae (Fates), the latter responsible for determining the length of human life.
Please let me know if you have a better answer.
Greek Mythology FAQ Index
- How many trips did Hercules (Heracles) make to the Underworld?
- Which is the most intriguing story in Greek mythology?
- Which god or goddess do you find most important in our everyday life?
- What is myth?
- What's the name of a monster who is half man and half beast?
- What are the names for the four winds (gods)?
- What are Psyche's 4 tasks?
