Was Zeus a bigamist?

Well, the Oracle of Dodoni proclaimed that Zeus was married to Dione and not to Hera as everybody else in Ancient Greece believed. The history of the place is that the initial tribes inhabiting the area around 5000 years ago used to worship the goddess mother earth by celebrating around an oak tree, I believe it was. Then later it evolved to a complex of buildings and temples, including one astonishing 17.000 seat amphitheater. The oracle ceased to exist in when in 391, during the reign of Emperor Theodosios I, someone cut down down the sacred tree and the temple was abandoned and on its ruins a Christian basilica was built.
So this Dione was what the Greek tribes that invaded later the valley of Dodoni called the Earth goddess and they married her to Zeus. Strangely enough, another name for Zeus is Dias, so this Dione must have been kind like his female alter ego or something. One thing is for certain, Zeus was all too human; he caused much grieve to Hera his sister and wife. And those ancient immortal gods had no incest taboo at all. Wonderful thing ancient Greek or better Hellenic mythology.

reply to post by WalterRatlos

Was Zeus a bigamist?

And those ancient immortal gods had no incest taboo at all.

What, is this supposed to shock us? Zeus also murdered his father and cut him open to get the babies he'd eaten, then generally fought, murdered or imprisoned his mother's other children, swallowed his first wife whole while she was still pregnant, then married his sister and proceeded to have sex with just about any one or thing he could, including married human women while in the guise of animals.

Was Zeus a bigamist?

Oh no, a bigamist!?!?!? The horror!

Originally posted by LordBucket
reply to post by WalterRatlos

 

Was Zeus a bigamist?

And those ancient immortal gods had no incest taboo at all.

What, is this supposed to shock us?

No, it's a legitimate question based on the difference in name.

Originally posted by LordBucket
Zeus also murdered his father and cut him open to get the babies he'd eaten, then generally fought, murdered or imprisoned his mother's other children, swallowed his first wife whole while she was still pregnant, then married his sister and proceeded to have sex with just about any one or thing he could, including married human women while in the guise of animals.

He was acting in good tradition there; Cronus his father had done the same thing to his father Uranus. Yep, and that's how he seduced Europe the mythological mother of all Europeans, disguised as a bull who took her away and brought her to mainland Greece or Hellas or Ellas.

Originally posted by LordBucket

Was Zeus a bigamist?

Oh no, a bigamist!?!?!? The horror!

I still think it is a legitimate question. And I never intended it to shock or to be the horror.

There are multiple versions of a lot of the Greek myths, probably due to how LONG they lasted in time.
I think the important thing to remember about Zeus is that he WAS the creative urge. He WAS Mr. Always Wanting Sex. He was a playa with a lightening bolt.

I see Zeus' indiscretions as being a reflection of the people who created him.

Yes he was. But one thing which shocks me the most is that his bigamy could cause his destruction. Prometheus told him if he had s3x with a nymph (I think) or Gaia, he would bear a child who could overthrow him. I think that the Greeks should worship a better deity rather than lusting corrupt easily angered gods.

Zues is a fictional character, he was never actually anything. This is like starting a discussion about whether or not Spiderman is a Jehovah's witness.

Originally posted by hadriana
There are multiple versions of a lot of the Greek myths, probably due to how LONG they lasted in time.
I think the important thing to remember about Zeus is that he WAS the creative urge. He WAS Mr. Always Wanting Sex. He was a playa with a lightening bolt.

Quite right, yes around 2000 years is a long time and a lot of things change. Not to mention that there were so many local traditions, like the aforementioned Oracle of Dodoni and Dioni vs. Hera tradition. Zeus, was mainly the weather God or the God of Lightning (it is rumored that the Christian God, Jahwe or Jehova, was initially a weather god, too) and the Chief of the Immortals, although ruling immortals is an impossible task. He and his brothers Poseidon (Neptun) and Pluto had divided the world into three parts, governed by them in complete autonomy. Zeus was governing over the earth and the mortals, Poseidon ruled the seas and it's creatures and Pluto was the Lord of the underworld, the world of the dead, divided into two parts: Tartarus was the hell part while Elysium Fields was the paradise part.

Originally posted by Cheerfulnihilist
I see Zeus' indiscretions as being a reflection of the people who created him.

Definitely, the ancient Greeks imagined there Gods to be people like themselves, only immortal and with incredible magical powers.

Originally posted by RimDaas
Yes he was. But one thing which shocks me the most is that his bigamy could cause his destruction. Prometheus told him if he had s3x with a nymph (I think) or Gaia, he would bear a child who could overthrow him. I think that the Greeks should worship a better deity rather than lusting corrupt easily angered gods.

I'm not aware of that particular myth, but I'm sure Zeus knew that his reign would end in a similar way. Interestingly enough it did end in a similar way; he was replaced the the son of the Hebrew God, Jahwe or Jehova, go figure. Having sex with Gaia, that would have been really gross, because Gaia was his grandmother. Besides after the gigantomachia, the battle of the Titans and the Giants, they were not on good terms. It was a civil war right after Zeus slew Chronos, his father, and on one side there was Gaia (his grandmother) with the Giants and Titans and on the other the Olympian gods and their allies, among them Prometheus and his brother Ifiklis who were both Titans, but choose to fight on the side of the Olympians. Prometheus was according to his myth the one who stole the sacred fire and some ambrosia from Mount Olymp, seat of the Olympians, and brought fire to mankind. Zeus was so mad that he chained him to the mountain slopes in Kaukausus mountains, where an eagle or a vulture would come every day and feast on his liver, then during the night the liver would regenerate (Prometheus, as a Titan, was also immortal.). He was then rescued after thousands of years had passed by a son of Zeus: Herakles or Hercules.

Originally posted by NotTooHappy
Zues is a fictional character, he was never actually anything. This is like starting a discussion about whether or not Spiderman is a Jehovah's witness.

Zues is definitely a fictional character, because you have misspelled the name. Zeus is of course a fictional or mythological character, but then so are all Gods. Actually, starting a discussion whether or not Spiderman is a Jehovah's witness, makes sense within the fictional story frame. Unfortunately, I have seen no evidence that he was. He was certainly a mutant, though.

Zeus is still worshiped to this day.
People seem to forget that.

It might not be a lot of people that do it, but it does endure.

All the Greeks myths are discussed in a past tense, as if this doesn't continue.
The Greek Govt. and Orthodox church would like to pretend that it doesn't, but it does- and not just in Greece, but all over the world.

I love this picture: news.nationalgeographic.com...

Originally posted by hadriana
Zeus is still worshiped to this day.
People seem to forget that.
It might not be a lot of people that do it, but it does endure.

Oddly enough, that's true. A very small minority, but so are all other religions except for the Greek Orthodox religion in Greece.

Originally posted by hadriana
All the Greeks myths are discussed in a past tense, as if this doesn't continue.
The Greek Govt. and Orthodox church would like to pretend that it doesn't, but it does- and not just in Greece, but all over the world.

True, still compared to other major religions, a small minority. And myths can only be discussed in past tense, because they refer to the past, to something that happened a long time ago. Whether there is any truth in them is another matter entirely. Surely, one does learn quite a lot by studying myths of the world.

Originally posted by hadriana
I love this picture: news.nationalgeographic.com...

edit on 17-1-2011 by hadriana because: adding link

Yes, nice one. And one correction to something I said above: Prometheus' brother was called Epimetheus and not Ifikles (that's what watching too much hollywood Hercules does to your brain).

reply to post by WalterRatlos


Are youtalking about the mythical God, Zues???? Are you serious?? What is the point of this thread? Dont you have anything better to do with your time than to waste ours?

Yes without sounding like a hyporcrite this will be my first and last post in this thread, but seriously... come on.

You are using mythology and legend mixed in with philosiphy and so on...

I want to ask you a serious question OP, dont you think there are more important things to focus your time on?? Try to be more productive - No sarcasim intended...

Also the Greeks were the experts at so-called propaganda and so on. Look at what they did to Egyptian history, they took over, distorted the hell out of it and then sold it as their own history at the same time erasing what didnt suit them. The outcome being we lost many thousands of years of ancient history...

Ptloemy took many ancient Egyptian astro calculations and then claimed it for his own. They ended up making sure the Library of Alexandria was burnt down ( the greatest library of ancient - pre greek / roman rule in history )

You think it was an accident??

Yeshua the Jew Zeus

"The myth of the abduction of Persephone hides the powerful knowledge of the Eleusinian Mysteries...."

THE ORPHIC MYSTERIES

Orpheus, the Thracian bard, the great initiator of the Greeks, ceased to be known as a man and was celebrated as a divinity several centuries before the Christian Era. "As to Orpheus himself * * *, " writes Thomas Taylor, "scarcely a vestige of his life is to be found amongst the immense ruins of time. For who has ever been able to affirm any thing with certainty of his origin, his age, his country, and condition? This alone may be depended on, from general assent, that there formerly lived a person named Orpheus, who was the founder of theology among the Greeks; the institutor of their lives and morals; the first of prophets, and the prince of poets; himself the offspring of a Muse; who taught the Greeks their sacred rites and mysteries, and from whose wisdom, as from a perennial and abundant fountain, the divine muse of Homer and the sublime theology of Pythagoras and Plato flowed." (See The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus.)

Orpheus was founder of the Grecian mythological system which he used as the medium for the promulgation of his philosophical doctrines. The origin of his philosophy is uncertain. He may have got it from the Brahmins, there being legends to the effect that he got it was a Hindu, his name possibly being derived from ὀρφανῖος, meaning "dark." Orpheus was initiated into the Egyptian Mysteries, from which he secured extensive knowledge of magic, astrology, sorcery, and medicine. The Mysteries of the Cabiri at Samothrace were also conferred upon him, and these undoubtedly contributed to his knowledge of medicine and music.

The romance of Orpheus and Eurydice is one of the tragic episodes of Greek mythology and apparently constitutes the outstanding feature of the Orphic Rite....

reply to post by Tamahu


Sorry i dont get your post.... perhaps add some of YOUR own words...

Thanks HK007

reply to post by Havick007


In other words: The symbols related to Zeus are symbolic, and can only be understood by Initiates.

They are not meant to be theories to be played around with by the minds of the vulgar and the profane scholars.

Said symbols are meant to convey truths to the Consciousness of Initiates.

And I'm not claiming to be an Initiate myself, however when one gets even a small taste of the esoteric flavor of the various world mythologies, this much becomes obvious.

I'm also not saying any of this in order to criticize anybody, but only to invite people to go a little bit deeper....

Originally posted by Havick007
Also the Greeks were the experts at so-called propaganda and so on. Look at what they did to Egyptian history, they took over, distorted the hell out of it and then sold it as their own history at the same time erasing what didnt suit them. The outcome being we lost many thousands of years of ancient history...

Ptloemy took many ancient Egyptian astro calculations and then claimed it for his own. They ended up making sure the Library of Alexandria was burnt down ( the greatest library of ancient - pre greek / roman rule in history )

You think it was an accident??

Both the Greeks as a whole and the Khemetians as a whole eventually degenerated over time. If the Khemetians had not eventually ended up degenerating, then how is it that the Greeks and other peoples who had also degenerated were allowed to infiltrate and further degenerate Khemet?

But in their original purity, the Inner meanings of the mythologies of the Neteru of Ancient Khemet and the Gods of Ancient Greece (and of the Yoruba, Phoenicians, Sumerians, Arabians, etc.) conveyed Occult Truths.

Originally posted by hadriana
There are multiple versions of a lot of the Greek myths, probably due to how LONG they lasted in time.

It is very probable that there are corrupted versions of the Greek and other mythologies that survived until contemporary times. Just like there are said to have been fake Gnostic scriptures floating around, even during the times of the Gnostic sects of Greece and Egypt.


For further information see this thread.

Originally posted by Havick007
reply to post by WalterRatlos

 

Are youtalking about the mythical God, Zues???? Are you serious?? What is the point of this thread? Dont you have anything better to do with your time than to waste ours?

No, I am not talking about the mythical God, Zues; I am talking about the mythical God, Zeus, however. Yes, I am quite serious. The point is to discuss a matter that interests me with whoever is also interested in discussing it. No, I don't have anything better to do with my time. See, I am retired, so time is plentiful for me, so I can hardly waste it. As for yours, sorry, but if you don't like what you read, go read something else. It is that simple.

Originally posted by Havick007
Yes without sounding like a hyporcrite this will be my first and last post in this thread, but seriously... come on.

That's your choice and good bye and don't let the door slam you on your way out.

Originally posted by Havick007
You are using mythology and legend mixed in with philosiphy and so on...

So, did Freud and Jung, what's the big deal? Where's the harm done? What's your point? Do you have one, apart from accusing me of wasting your time, for which I apologize? However, it is not possible to please everybody in this regard.

Originally posted by Havick007
I want to ask you a serious question OP, dont you think there are more important things to focus your time on?? Try to be more productive

- No sarcasim intended...

For me, right now, apart from making sure me and my cat are well fed, no there is nothing more important than to talk freely on an online forum about matters that interest me - and yes, ancient Greek mythology interests me very much. And I am quite productive in my life, thank you for your suggestion, though.

Originally posted by Havick007
Also the Greeks were the experts at so-called propaganda and so on. Look at what they did to Egyptian history, they took over, distorted the hell out of it and then sold it as their own history at the same time erasing what didnt suit them. The outcome being we lost many thousands of years of ancient history...

Are you sure you are not confusing them with the Nazis? I don't think there is any serious historian who would agree with you there; at least, I am not aware of one. I am also not aware that the ancient Greeks stole the history of the ancient Egypts. However, there was a time - around 300 years long - when Egypt was ruled by Macedonian rulers. During this time a lot of merging of cultures may have happened.

Originally posted by Havick007
Ptloemy took many ancient Egyptian astro calculations and then claimed it for his own. They ended up making sure the Library of Alexandria was burnt down ( the greatest library of ancient - pre greek / roman rule in history )

You think it was an accident??

No, what Ptolemy did was inviting the best scientists of his days to the Library. He also made sure to gather as many books as possible from all around the world - a huge knowledge preservation program. That he may have plagiarized his theory on the solar system from the Egypts is something absolutely new to me. Again, I doubt any serious historian would agree with you there. As I recall it, the library burned down much, much later, when Christian Emperors ruled the Byzantine Empire and yes, as I recall it, it was an accident. I have no reason to believe otherwise, but if it was arson, the Christians did it. Blame the Christians, always works for me. Just kidding, but they did destroy a lot of temples and a lot of relics from ancient Greece, because they were pagan.

@ Tamahu: Yes, it would have been nice, if you had added your own thoughts there. Especially, why do you think that the text you quoted is relevant here?

Originally posted by Tamahu

reply to post by Havick007

 

In other words: The symbols related to Zeus are symbolic, and can only be understood by Initiates.

They are not meant to be theories to be played around with by the minds of the vulgar and the profane scholars.

Said symbols are meant to convey truths to the Consciousness of Initiates.

And I'm not claiming to be an Initiate myself, however when one gets even a small taste of the esoteric flavor of the various world mythologies, this much becomes obvious.

I'm also not saying any of this in order to criticize anybody, but only to invite people to go a little bit deeper...

Which symbols are those? His thunder and lighting bolts? And the Mysteries of Eleusis were the biggest scam of them all. You should read a book about what went on down there. Petitioners first fasted for days, then they were drugged with psychotropic substances, then they were led through a labyrinth full with smoke and water vapor, where Gods and dead people communicated to them, in some instances appearing out of nothing from down below, hydraulically assisted, of course. Sure, it was a hell of an experience and definitely worth living it, but mystical and spiritual and all that ... no, an elaborate scam, that's all. You know sometimes it is better not to look into to deep into things expecting to find some hitherto undiscovered esoteric meaning; sometimes you just have to look beyond the deception to get to the truth. In this case, this means that an elaborate religious scam was performed at the expense of gullible believers.

reply to post by WalterRatlos


Waaaiit a sec, i stopped readin as soon as you contradicted yourself....

You said and i quote '' i am not talking about the mythical God Zeus, but i am talking about the Mythical God Zeus....

Sorry i'm confused, look i'm not trying to put ur thread down but i dont get the point of this thread. Instead of going through the bushes and making us confused just come and say your thoughts.. yeah

What is your premise, your thoery and your conclusion?

Originally posted by Tamahu
Both the Greeks and the Khemetians eventually degenerated over time. If the Khemetians had not eventually ended up degenerating, then how is it that the Greeks and other peoples who had also degenerated were allowed to infiltrate and further degenerate Khemet?

I suppose Khemetians are the ancient Egypts during the Hellenistic rule? And I am kind of offended that you suggest that the ancient Greeks during the Hellenistic period were degenerating or that their successors eventually did. I'm not sure what you are talking about here, but if you mean the conquest, it was the work of amilitary genius, namely Alexander the Great, King of Macedons, and among his teachers was the philosopher Aristotle.

Originally posted by Tamahu
But in their original purity, the Inner meanings of the mythologies of the Neteru of Ancient Khemet and the Gods of Ancient Greece (and of the Yoruba, Phoenicians, Sumerians, Arabians, etc.) conveyed Occult Truths.

What Occult Thruths? I don't know much about the other civilizations, but I am quite knowledgeable on the ancient Greek civilization. Yes, there were several mystery schools who performed each their own rituals, but as I have already said, especially the Mysteries of Eleysis during the Hellenistic period (ca. 300 - 30 BCE) were a huge scam.

Originally posted by Tamahu
It is very probable that there are corrupted versions of the Greek and other mythologies that survived until contemporary times. Just like there are said to have been fake Gnostic scriptures floating around, even during the times of the Gnostic sects of Greece and Egypt.

I know of none, but I could be wrong. Also, it's irrelevant to the OP. I know it is hard to stay on topic, but this should serve as a reminder to us all, me included, to try and stay on topic from now on.