Divinity and Legends in the Ancient World

Max Bartges

1.) Amulet of the Demon Pazuzu Assyrian, 8th or 7th century BCE Translucent blue chalcedony 2.) Funerary Stela of Iret-Hor-sekheru Egypt, (Thebes), Dynasties 25-26, 767-525 BCE Limestone 3.) Two-Handled jar Greece, Athens, about 525-500 BCE Ceramic, black-figure 4.) Two-Handled jar Greece, Athens, about 540-530 BCE Ceramic, black-figure 5.) Hermes as Ram Bearer (Kriphoros) Greece, (probably Sikyon), 500490 BCE Bronze 6.) Mirror Italy, (Etruria), 4th century BCE Bronze 7.) Head of Medusa Italy, (Etruria), 3rd century BCE Terracotta 8.) Handle with the Head of the Gorgon Medusa South Italy, (Greek Colonies) About 450 BCE Bronze

Throughout history, deities and legends have played an integral part in the

ways humans experience and make sense of the world. There are many similarities to be found across cultural and physical borders, but of course there are also many differences, which have helped to shape that particular society into its unique form. Some deities served practical functions, like the Amulet of the demon Pazuzu; made of blue chalcedony, and hailing from 8th or 7th century Assyria, it was believed that objects bearing [ugly faces], i.e. Pazuzu, king of the evil wind demons, could frighten away the lesser demons [that] were thought to cause disease.1 This shows that the concept was not conjuring up a bedtime story for children, or even a more classically literary aim, but rather of a concrete force to be interacted with on a day-to-day basis. However, in Egypt, the role of the divine was quite different indeed. In the Funerary Stela of Iret-Hor-sekheru, made between 767 and 525 BCE of limestone, we see the physician who owned it worshipping Osiris and Re, asking that his spirit be allowed to join the stars in the sky; ancient Egyptians likened the dead to the circumpolar stars (known to us as the Big Dipper), which never set.2 This shows a great disparity in mans relationship with divinity: in the Egyptian model the gods are not seen as having commonplace associations with anyone wise enough to use their help, but rather, they operate on an extraterrestrial level beyond our ability to influence. The goal was, then, to reach a state acceptable by divinity; the crossing between worlds was not guaranteed.
1 2

MFA Ibid.

In Greece we find a rich tradition of divinity and legends incorporated into all aspects of life, from painting to drama to sports. A two-handled ceramic jar, attributed to the group of Faina 75 in Athens, between 520 and 500 BCE, depicts in black-figure on its front the god of wine, Dionysus, riding a mule with satyrs, and on the back three satyrs and a maenad. This jar, among many others, represents the combination of the Egyptian and Assyrian beliefs into one faceted system: in Greek tradition we see gods such as Zeus, all-powerful ruler of Mount Olympus, who has the ability to use our world according to his eager plans, as we are mere pawns in the chess games he is trying to win, but also legends like Medusa, who have much contact with mortals, (in fact, she is beheaded by Perseus, a mortal). Remaining in Greece, we can examine another two-handled jar attributed to the painter of the Vatican Mourner, from Athens between 540 and 530 BCE, again of ceramic and black-figure.3 On its front is a depiction of Achilles ambushing Troilos, and on the back is a scene of warriors departing. This amalgam of the mortal and the immortal, in Achilles, is a fascinating example of creative legend. Combined with the various heads of Medusa I found at the museum, and Heracles, (which I did not find), we see a much more refined brush painting the lives of the divine onto the canvas of the culture. The subtle nuances of each legend, (i.e. Achilles heel), are a really creative way of examining that ancient quest to understand our world as humans. From Italy, (Etruria) we find a mirror made of bronze from the 4 th century BCE depicting Orpheus playing a lyre surrounded by birds and other animals.
3

Ibid.

He is essentially a great myth, called the father of songs, and the perfector of the lyre.4 This is another prime example of a blurring of the line separating our world from that of the gods, mortal from immortal: it is said he had the power to charm all animals with his music. Although the cultures may be radically different, the quest is the same: a sense of understanding, whether it is of the natural or the spiritual world. In trying to unlock these secrets many wonderful and fantastic deities and legends have been created that remain relevant even today. It is interesting to watch the development and evolution of the divine, and the idea of divinity, grow and blossom, gaining complexity, and then with monotheism shattered.

Wikipedia