ossibly induce different results depending on the direction of the interaction. For example, sacrifice can take place between a god and animals, humans, or another god thus revealing rites both of, and to mythological gods. Mortals made sacrifices at any time, to any god during the occurrence of something that fell with that deity’s’ jurisdiction, or as a payment of a vow (Sissa and Marcel). Rites of sacrifice were also the focus of many cultural festivals in which additional purposes were combined, such as rites of initiation, purification, fire, blood and oath. These rites presented themselves in all facets of Greek culture, producing ritualistic transfers of virtue, possessions, and power seeking to redress past injustices or to return existence to the status quo. However, blood, oath, and fire rituals are simply additional aspects, or traditions connected with rites of sacrifice that exemplify the detail once exhibited surrounding previous experiences. For example, the power of blood in belief and superstition exits only when it is warm running blood- as it is also necessary that the altars become bloody, in adherence with ritualistic protocol. Occasionally human blood rituals were performed, yet limited to only two reasons: before battle and at the burial of the dead (Burkert 60).Although instances of sacrifice in Greek literature are not limited by their purpose or triviality, as can be seen in exchanges of virtues or material belongings, the traditional premise of ritual sacrifice is ceremonious in conduct and essentially religious. Typically, the sacrificial victims are almost always animals—customarily Greeks chose the bull, the sheep, the ox, the goat, or the pig as honorable subjects (Burkert 55).Humanistic ritual, contrastingly, was not as prevalent due to societal disapproval, though instances of human sacrifice did occasionally take place in Ancient Greece. The moral decision pertaining to blata...
