e times (Duzer 109).In the Epic of Gilgamesh, they put down another goddess' whims. Ishtar, goddess of war and love becomes attracted to the mighty but mortal Gilgamesh. But rather than giving into the goddes, Gilgamesh thought it out and refused. After the offer of her marriage, Gilgamesh replies, "--that I will not. How would it go with me? Your lovers have found you like a brazier which smoulders in the cold, a backdoor which keeps out neither squall of wind nor storm, a castle which crushes the garrison, pitch that blackens the bearer....And if you and I should be lovers, should not I be served in the same fashion as all these others whom you loved once?" (Mack 27). Thus, a second hero also refuses a god.Sometimes, the gods only wanted honest opinions from the humans. In the events leading up to the Iliad, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodit all contend to be the fairest of the goddesses, but out of prudence, no god will endorse them with the distinction. When Zeus refers them to the mortal shepherd, Paris, the three instantly ceases to expect an honest opinion. The question loses importance and the goddesses begin a persuasion match in which each goddess offers the shepherd great things. In the end, Paris chooses Aphrodite's gift, and her and Athena become bitter and spiteful because of the judgment. If the goddesses were equivalent to the first definition of god, they would already have either the instant wisdom to know who was the fairest. Also, their infinite power would give them each the ability to make themselves infinitely beautiful. Finally, the god would not need to ask the opinion of the human because his omniscience would already give him the opinion (Melchert 6-10).The ancient gods sometimes felt threatened by the strongest mortals. When this would happen, the gods would seek ways to stop the power of the humans, sometimes the gods would fail and others they would succeed. The gods were constantly on watch to make su...
