And so, we leave the Iliad behind us, moving on to more enlightening pastures. But, before we go, some last thoughts to be shared. As I read the final books of the Iliad, I considered the position of the gods. The more I thought about it, the more I was unsure of thier purpose. The gods of the Iliad are not all knowing, as represented by Hera's trechery of Zues. If he was all knowing, he would never had been fooled by her trechery. Nor are the gods all powerful, as represented by Zues's use of the scales to weigh the fate of Hector.
In my opinion, the gods are merely over powered and over selfish beings, free to mess with the lives of mortals for their own amusement. They are fickle, changing sides arbitrarily, and bickering amongst themselves. They may or may not answer the prayers of thier faithful followers depending on their mood, regardless of the sacrifices that have been offered to them. In fact, the whole war would have been over much sooner if not for the interference of the gods. The gods show no behaviors that place them above the mortals, save power. So, my question to you is this: If the gods are thus, are they really necessary?
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