 Religion was important to the ancient Greeks because they believed that it would make their lives better while alive. They also believed the gods would take care of them when they died.

The Greeks believed the gods/goddesses controlled everything in their lives and the environment. There was a god for every aspect of their lives. It was important to please the gods; happy gods helped you, but unhappy gods punished you. People had special places in their homes where they could pray to the gods. There were also public shrines in all sorts of places where people could pray and leave presents. The Greeks participated in a number of rituals, rites, ceremonies and animal sacrifices in order to impress and placate the Gods.

Priests were important people in the community. They were believed to have the power to talk to gods and were respected and trusted. There were only two ways to become a priest. Either your mother/father was a priest or you were made a priest by a dying priest. A priest’s main job was to look after the temples and the visitors to the temples. The Greeks also sought out oracles - a priestess who consulted the gods and it was believed the gods responded to her. Oracles gave advice on religious and political aspects of life. They were also used as a means to seek out the will of the Gods. Sanctuaries were dedicated to the oracles to indicate their importance. Oracles controlled many human decisions about health, sickness, peace, war, colonization, migration, crime and punishment. It is believed that under the temple of Apollo where the Oracle of Delphi presided there was a methane gas leak which would cause the oracle to feel drunk and say strange prophetic things.

The Greeks believed that the twelve most important gods and goddesses lived at the top of Mount Olympus. They were a family and, just like a human family, they argued as well as looked after each other. Mount Olympus, in Northern Greece, is the highest mountain in the country. It was believed to be the home of the gods because it was often so cloudy and no one could see its summit.

 Ancient Greeks believed the Gods were accessible to them and would be involved in their lives.  They invoked Gods during every memorable occasion.  Deities were depicted either by themselves or as interacting with humans, demi-gods, and legendary characters in various traditional mythological situations.

 In ancient Greece, one never knew when the beggar knocking at the door might be a god, disguised or else watching from above, passing judgment. Therefore, hospitality toward strangers and travelers was a popular element in many of the myths and stories of the time.  Greeks saw hospitality as a way to honor the gods; giving hospitality to a stranger was the same as offering it to a god. Since Zeus was the god of hospitality, one of the primary ways to worship this aspect of Zeus' godliness was to be hospitable to strangers and travelers.

 Strangers were expected to be provided with food, a comfortable place to sit, charming company, and acceptance into the day's activities. Since the traveler would not usually be wandering out of his home into the dangers of the world, it was assumed he was on some sort of mission. The host then was expected to be able to provide some sort of assistance.  The hosts believed they would be rewarded for helping strangers with favors from the gods; however, if you didn’t help a stranger you could bring the gods’ wrath especially Zeus’.  What goes around comes around: you should be kind to strangers because one day you too might be a stranger in need of a warm fire and food. Since there were no hotels, this reliance on the kindness of strangers was the only way to survive when one had to travel.

 Hestia – Goddess of the Hearth and Home  Sister of Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, and Demeter  She was the first born but the last one regurgitated from Cronos  Every home had a hearth that was dedicated to Hestia, and each day began and ended with a ritual requesting that she protect and nurture the family within  She remained a virginal goddess; romance and marriage were not for her. She was content to be Aunt Hestia and serve her family and community  She was the manager of the family estate on Mt. Olympus  The living flame of Hestia was tended constantly and never allowed to die out, for it represented the energy of all life and to let the flame extinguish was to invite a cold and barren existence. When new “subdivisions” were developed, fire was carried from the town’s hearth to light the fire of the new community, assuring its prosperity.

 The Olympic Torch is just one example of the living flame that has survived to modern times, though it is seldom recalled that it originally honored the Greek goddess Hestia.  The ritual of a bride and groom lighting a candle together from the flames of two candelabra to symbolize the creation of the “new” family from their two “old” families derived from the ancient practice of bringing Hestia’s flame from the bride’s mother’s home in order to assure Hestia’s blessing on the union.