Introduction, blog breakdown and what is a god?

Hello there!
This is a blog which I have created in order to keep up to date my studies in Ancient Greek Religion - a popular module at my university!

In my blog I will explore various deities with the help of ancient sources such as the Homeric Hymns and Theogony, and also give my personal opinions on the different aspects of Greek religion as and when I study them in my lectures each week. Not to mention the relevant scholarship which I will call upon to digest and analyse as many aspects of Greek religion that I find fascinating!

The reason why I chose Ancient Greek Religion was because I've always held a fascination with the various Greek gods which stems from my love of the epic poems - Iliad and Odyssey, and also how they were perceived to the people of ancient Greece. I had always wondered whether the citizens of Greece revered the gods to the extent that the characters from the epic poems did. - Ultimately this will lead to my final posting where I explore the origins of the Gods and state how real or mythological they were!
Furthermore I hold a firm interest in mythological heroes such as Theseus, Jason and Meleager, and was fascinated to find out that they were worshiped in a similar pedigree to their immortal gods Zeus, Athena and so on.

This made me think: 'What is a god? Do they need to be immortal and live in the heavens or beneath the sea?' The term 'god' might not be as tangible as many people believe. In my opinion, a god is simply a being, mortal or immortal that is worshiped and revered by the common man to such a degree which makes that common man aspire to be greater as a result. In any case, religion played a monumental role in the lives of the ancient Greeks.


Further reading:
D. Hine - Works of Hesiod and the Homeric Hymns, (chicago 2005)
R. Buxton - Complete world of Greek mythology, (thames & hudson 2004)