It’s All Greek to Me
Religion is one of the most present things in this world. Arguably, everyone is religious in one way, shape, or form. Being Atheist, while its literal meaning is non-religious, is a type of religion in itself. Personally, I find religion to be an extremely fascinating concept. The art of devoting your lifestyle in a way that reflects your God/gods, deity, higher being, etc. really takes quite a bit of devotion and belief. I consider myself to be Agnostic, which is defined as “nothing is known or can be known about the existence of a higher being(s)”. I choose to take that definition and use it as a leeway to explore all kinds of religions. Christianity and Catholicism, Buddhism, Taosim, Judaism, etc.
While I don’t devote myself or believe in one single religion, I do have one that I find the most fascinating that I'd love to share some of my favorite stories. When thinking of the beginning of time or how things came to be, everyone has their own belief. The most common two are “God created all living things” or “The process of evolution”. I am personally enamored by the idea of Hellenism, or Polytheism; but most people call this Greek Mythology. They have the most beautiful stories about how things came to be. Stories about life/death, the creation of emotions, how various animals were created, etc. They are truly beautiful and fascinating.
My favorite story would be the origin of the phrase “Tempting Fate”. The three sisters of fate were named Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. These three strong and independent women wove the strings of fate for both the gods and humans alike, and their judgment or actions were unable to be influenced by anyone. The youngest, Clotho, spun the thread of life. She was in charge of the creation of life itself which manifested in the birth of a being. Lachesis, the middle sister, spun the fate of a life's course. Her thread spun the nature and length of life, although many could not understand that their destiny was created from multiple possibilities, her very name is defined as “lots”. The oldest, Atropos, held the scissors that cut the thread of life and determined how and when someone would die.
The phrase “tempting fate” is often used when someone is doing something risky, whether resulting in bad luck, injury, or even death. This implies that the fates are watching their life unfold, and they are defying their destiny as chosen by the fates. If someone is frequently reckless, they are tempting them to change the course of their life. Some may choose to make a choice that could change the fate of the entire universe and make things miserable for them. Lachesis may change your course of action to avoid it, or put an obstacle in your way to prevent it. For example, she may change the life of a King on the verge of war from a Kingdom of Ruin to a Kingdom of Plenty to tip the odds in his favor. Or she may influence his luck to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, resulting in Atropos cutting his threat and ending his journey. It was considered extremely thoughtless and inconsiderate to tempt the fates. You were meant to trust in your destiny and follow the path you were meant to lead, trust that Lachesis will guide you in the right path and Atropos would cut your thread at your destined time.
Another one of my favorite stories is about Pandora. I feel as though many have heard of Pandora's box, but don't truly know the story behind Pandora and how the box came to be in her possession. For you to know the story of Pandora, here are some cliff notes of the story of Prometheus and Epimetheus. The two brothers served loyally under Zeus. Due to Promteheus having the gift of prophecy, he informed Zeus that he would succeed in defeating the Titans. Zeus rewarded the brothers for their loyalty by allowing them to create the first creatures to live on Earth. Epimetheus created animals, giving them multiple strengths and skills as a form of protection. While Epimetheus was creating the animals, Prometheus took his time creating man only to realize that all forms of protection were taken by Epimethues, leaving man defenseless against their surroundings.
Prometheus asked Zeus to give the humans fire, which was reserved only for the gods. When Zeus refused, Prometheus stole the flames out of love for his creation and brought it to the humans. Zeus punished him by tying him to a rock on a mountain, sending an eagle to eat his liver, only for it to replenish and for him to endure the torture each day for eternity. Eventually, Hercules found Prometheus and set him free. Zeus felt the punishment for Prometheus was not enough, and the humans should also be punished for accepting Prometheus’s gift. Zeus created the first woman, giving her gifts of wisdom, grace, kindness, and peace. She was given the irresistible beauty of Persephony, and her name was Pandora
Zeus gave Pandora to Epimetheus to become his wife. Prometheus warned his brother not to accept gifts from Zeus, but he was so overcome with her beauty that Epimetheus decided to marry her. As a wedding present, Zeus gave Pandora a box and warned her never to open it. Pandora, who was created with curiosity, couldn't resist. The urge to open it became too overwhelming and she opened the box, releasing the 7 Deadliest Sins ; Wrath, Gluttony, Greed, Envy, Slot, Pride, and Lust. She quickly slammed the lid closed, entrapping one thing left in the box— Hope. That Hope remained safe in the box, and so humans had a chance to survive the wickedness that these sins would cause.
The last story I'm going to share is definitely an interesting one. There is a lot about Greek Mythology that doesn't quite make sense, just like in every other religion. For example, if Clotho was responsible for the birth and creation of beings, then how did Epimetheus and Prometheus create man-kind and animals? Or did Clotho tell Lachesis “Hey sis, we could really use some life up in here, I gotta be able to create birth for something. I want some humans down on Earth” then Lachesis was like “Ah okay, I gotchu. I’ll make sure those two brothers get that done for you so you’re not out of a job.” I’m sure it didn't go exactly like that, but I'm sure it was close. Another example of the stories not quite lining up is my next story. If Epimetheus created all animals, then how did Athena supposedly create spiders? This is the story of Arachne.
Arachne was a shepherd's daughter who was exceptionally skilled at weaving. People came from far places to watch her weave skillfully and gracefully, producing the most beautiful pieces of art. Eventually, Arachne became arrogant. She began to boast about how she was an even more skillful weaver than Athena herself, who was also a very skilled weaver. Word eventually traveled to Athena of Arachne and the claims she was making, so she decided to pay Arachne a visit. She disguised herself as an old woman visiting to admire her work. Again, Arachne boasted about her more superior ability to weave than Athena, and that she would challenge the goddess herself if given a chance. Just then, Athena revealed herself.
The men and women surrounding her were humbled and bowed in her presence, whereas Arachne stood her ground. Athena challenged her to weave in front of all of Athens, and the loser was damned to never weave again. Athena wove a beautiful piece that represented the gods in majesty. A tapestry that showed her in between Zeus and Poseidon, winning her victory over Poseidon, to which the city of Athens was given its name. Arachne, however, decided to represent the gods in all of their infidelities and abuse of power. She wove a tapestry of Zeus in his deceit to lay with mortals. A swan to rape the Spartan Queen, a bull to entise Europa, an eagle to abduct Aegina, a satyr to seduce Antiope, etc. Her tapestry included twenty-one infidelities done by gods including Poseidon, Apollo, Dionysus, and more.
While Athena was outraged by her mockery and disrespect for the gods and olympians, she was also impressed by her brilliant and flawless work at the loom. However, it was not enough to calm her. Athena destroyed Arachne’s tapestry and set a curse on her. She began to transform her into a creature with eight legs, and eight eyes. She was no longer a beautiful maiden, but the very first spider doomed to weave for all of eternity.
As I stated before, Religion is a very curious thing. There are so many religions, and so many beliefs on how things came to be. Even stories like these contradict each other, but they sure are entertaining. Quite honestly, I believe that everyone should believe in what they think is right for them. However, my biggest belief is that people should be open-minded about other beliefs ; because sometimes they produce the most amazing stories. The idea of religion is beautiful and powerful, and it gives people the strength to power through any challenges that this crazy world throws at us. I, for one, think we could use all the strength we can get.