ulfilled his race as showing that Greek’s conquer all, and he represented his religion in that he was predicted to defeat Hektor. Zeus declares,“I have weighed Achilles life along with Hektors, and unfortunately Hektors death is heavier, it is just the way of things.”(236) Homer’s account revealed much from history, religion and mythology in one, which is connected to the epic. The history portion is the battle between Greece and Troy over Helan. Religion has to do with all the praying and constant surroundings by gods and the servants of gods. The mythology part would mostly include the gods and how they came to be. Many times Homer refers to Zeus as “the son of Kronos”, revealing the mythology of Zeus’s victory over his father to become king of the gods in the beginning. Supernatural elements are key to a good epic. There are many recallings of supernatural beings and gods that seem to have had a part in the tale. One such example was the river beside Troy which struck out against Achilles. It seemingly took on a personification and lashed out against men fighting in the field. Another time one such god set a blaze to the land so fierce that the water in the river boiled. Homer explains, “And Hephaistos turned his flame in its shining into the river.”, Homer continues, “The river spoke out with voice, blazing with fire, and his lovely waters were seething as its strength was burning away.” One can see that a river with voice, and a god with flame are unnatural, even supernatural. Only such an epic could contain such qualities, and the epic thus refers to the portrayal of the Greeks in the story. The religious beliefs of the Greeks effected the things they did and said in the Iliad. Most of the sway of the Greeks came from the gods themselves. Whenever a god told a Danaan(Greek) to do something they obeyed. For instance, Achilles had hold ov...
