Literal interpretations of our stories is something that pops up in a lot of places. From Zeus being someone who nobody will come near to Artemis hating men, I’d like to tackle this creature. There is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to explaining Greek myths. In order to begin, we have to start with poets which programmed humans to literalism in the first place.

The Gospel of Homer and the Epistles of Hesiod
Ancient Greek poets such as Homer and Hesiod often wrote their stories after praising the Muses, Goddesses of Inspiration, Memory, Music, and other arts. This indicates that their poetry was divinely inspired, and not just their invention. The problem lies in that not much literature has survived from this time period, but we know that there are different mythic tales depending on the region of Greece or Magna Graecia (the Orphic Myths come to mind, as well as some of the stories of the city of Lokri). There were no uniform stories.

Still, scholars throughout the Middle Ages and the later 19th century were obsessed with viewing Homer and Hesiod as the critical texts that everyone believed in. Hardly anyone thought to give space for oral traditions passed down from mouth to ear, which was surely the case for most of Greek Mythos. Instead, epics such as Homer’s “The Iliad and the Odyssey,” along with Hesiod’s “Theogony,” were viewed as the final authority on how Greek Mythos was to be interpreted.

The Plays
In time, playwrights wrote about mythological narratives, but with the purpose of entertainment. The playwrights didn’t really (as far as we know) look at mythos as sacrosanct: holy relics to be untouched and reverenced. Instead, by reading some of the tragedies such as “The Bacchae” written by Euripides or the words of Aeschylus give us indication that – gasp! – fan fiction existed.

That’s right: the Greek Myths were nothing more than fodder for excitement and suspense to the audience as a whole. Unfortunately, many writings were lost, and in some cases only fragments survived. For example, for Aeschylus only seven plays survive, out of a possible ninety which are attributed to him.

The Presocratics
The Presocratics were a group of philosophers and mystics who predated or were contemporary with the philosopher Socrates. They are considered some of the first critics of poetic myth. They were early scientists who had a natural curiosity of the world around them, and began to view mythic tales as explanations for natural phenomena, or simply allegories and fables. Teachers in this school of thought often didn’t agree with one another, and that was fine (for some).

The Presocratics weren’t atheists; in fact, many were quite theistic and religious. It was just that they challenged interpretations of the natural world: that the deities and spirits were the first cause for activity in the world and the Cosmos.

The Rise of Christianity
This post is not an attack on Christianity, but it does deserve mention. When Christianity first began, many of the Greek Fathers (that is, major figures in the formation of the Early Church who were Greek or Hellenistic) encouraged the metaphorical interpretation of the Bible. An example is Origen who wrote that some parts of the Bible should have an allegorical interpretation. He lived most of his life in the great city of Alexandria, where he had access to the great library I’m sure.

Origen famously wrote:

When God is said to ‘walk in paradise in the cool of the day’ and Adam to hide himself behind a tree, I do not think anyone will doubt that these are figurative expressions which indicate certain mysteries through a semblance of history and not through actual event.

Following this, the Eastern Orthodox Church attempts to use a balanced approach between literalism, allegory, historical narrative, and moral lessons. The Roman Catholic Church as a whole also at times uses this approach. The Bible is not the only material they go by. They also have the oral traditions, the Mysteries, and the lives of the Saints.

Martin Luther and Sola Scriptura
Martin Luther, the Reformist who left the Roman Catholic church and formed his own movement (later the Protestants), saw the teaching of sola scriptura (by Scripture alone) as one of the fundamental differences between himself and the Church. As a result of rejecting the Catholic traditions, he was declared a heretic.

Protestant Christians grasped onto this teaching, and Biblical literalism was born. The Bible is literally believed to be “God-breathed,” the inerrant Word of God. Nothing outside of it can exist in contradiction to it. Every single word is to be the only answer to how a Christian should live in the world, no questions asked. This teaching is said to stem from the apostle Paul’s letter to his acolyte Timothy:

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:12-17).

The Protestant Framework
Due to this framework of sola scriptura, many Protestant Americans and other peoples have a difficult time with reading the Bible without questioning it. They take it at face value, and as a result transfer that mindset to other avenues. Critical thinking skills are discouraged, and the responsibility of a reader is no longer a part of their training. My late father taught me the value of a reader’s responsibility insofar as reading a text is concerned: read with an open mind, ask questions, examine the book section by section, analyze, and then interpret. And leave room for changes in interpretation as you continue to re-read the texts at different stages in your life.

These skills are hardly taught in public schooling anymore. As a result, when we grow and change religions or philosophies, we tend to see a philosopher or “esteemed writer” as an orthodox source of knowledge. This has unfortunately passed into Neopaganism, Polytheism, and Witchcraft.

There are many people who have come to these religious practices taking authors at their word that the final period is it. As a result, our stories and songs (myths) are distorted. A famous example in Hellenic Polytheism is how many handle Zeus or Hades. Zeus’ sexual exploits (rape included) create a strong reaction and aversion for people who have experienced those things. They refuse to worship a “patriarchal God” who does what he wants, being unfaithful to Hera and causing all sorts of mischief.

What people don’t realize is that we need to take a philosophical approach, a worship approach, and a critical approach to these stories. Zeus, a fertility God of the Storms and Weather, is why he is very active. Recall that there are different myths depending on the region and even Mystery Cult. Remember: the “Gospel of Homer” and the “Epistles of Hesiod” (tongue-in-cheek here) are someone’s fan fiction of mythic figures. It is their interpretation, and their own agenda.

Conclusion
Zeus is not a rapist. Hades didn’t rape Kore who became Persephone. Hekate is not a hag. Evolution is real. Personally, I do not look to the myths as how to view the Gods. I can, and that choice in how I interpret is up to me and how it defines my relationship with the Gods and spirits. However, archaeological evidence has a better tale in how everyday people approached the deities and spirits. It often clashes with the poetic styles we have. I encourage you to gain a foothold in philosophy, thealogy (yes with an “a”), hermeneutics, and exegesis. These will be of tremendous value moving forward for the budding Neopagan, polytheist, and witch. Our books may be sacred, but we are not Protestant. They are not scripture. You have your own mind, and Reason is a gift from the Gods.

I would also like to remind you: the Father of Rationalism, Parmenides, was taught the rules of Reason in an Underworld journey to the Goddess Persephone. So think about that the next time you worship your deities and spirits, using Reason to guide you.

Eirene kai Hugieia!
(Peace and Health!)
Oracle