GREEK DEITY
Divine being (theos) • Divine being is other than human being • Divine being is deinos : both awesome and awful • Divine being manifests itself primarily as powerful • Direct contact with divine being or what belongs to it is dangerous • Contact with divine being must be carefully controlled
nature uranian divine being god chthonic hero human being mortal
Ouranian / Chthonic Deity deity above ground deity below ground daytime sacrifice nighttime sacrifice white, unblemished victim dark victim raised altar pit or trench shared meal no shared meal
Characteristics of Deity form anthropomorphic/traces of theriomorphism immanence/transcendence immanence: corporeality longevity athanatos v. thnêtos power dynamis + elpis knowledge qualified omniscience organization bureaucratization: attributes and epithets morality qualified morality: orthopraxy
Binary Functions ARTEMIS APHRODITE HERA virginity sexual activity marriage, childbirth nympha adolescent girl gynê woman married woman
Characteristics of Deity form anthropomorphic/traces of theriomorphism immanence/transcendence immanence: corporeality longevity athanatos v. thnêtos power dynamis + elpis knowledge qualified omniscience organization bureaucratization: attributes and epithets morality qualified morality: orthopraxy
Benefits of Worship (kharis) • fertility of crops, livestock, human beings • economic prosperity • health • safety and security
(unspecified) god daimôn (pl. daimones) ~. dain- (apportion (unspecified) god daimôn (pl. daimones) ~*dain- (apportion?) divine power
Kinds of Space NATURE wilderness uncultivated, “raw” NYMPHS garden self-cultivated, “self-cooked” CULTURE farm cultivated, “cooked”