Zeus's
Decision
Demeter, Hades, Poseidon, I thank you all, dear
siblings, for coming today. As you know, my role as King, ruler of
the land and air, entails much work. The apprentice whom I choose must
be strong, brave and powerful, as am I.
My apprentice must also be a giver.
It is important to have generosity for the people, it is much of what I
do.
I know you have
all have added much to our world and I am grateful for the gifts you
have given. You must also understand that being my apprentice will
entail much more work from you and I need an apprentice whose gifts can
complement mine. As ruler of the land and air it is my duty to form the
clouds in the sky. It is my duty to send rain down from the clouds so
that the earth and humans may be replenished. It is also my duty
to let my power be known and to punish those who may disobey. The great
thunderbolt I carry reminds you and the others of that daily.
I must make sure
you all understand that generosity and fairness will be required of my
apprentice as well. I am not sure you three understand that. I will
remind you now of the war that became between the Greeks and the
Trojans. All the gods, including the three of you, chose sides.
Remember, though, that I did not take either side and remained neutral
throughout the fights. It is important to remain fair in instances like
this. When gods, especially one as powerful as I, take sides in wars,
the results are likely to prove disastrous. So it is important for you
all understand that you must remain fair to all the people, should you
have the honor of being my apprentice bestowed upon you.
Demeter,
beautiful sister, I am thankful for your gifts each day as I see the
plants and flowers bloom upon the earth below my palace. However, I am
afraid you do not have the heart to become my apprentice. You have
shown me today that you are one to hold grudges. I need an apprentice
to be strong and brave, and, sister, I am afraid this is a task you
will
not be able to take on.
Hades, dear
brother, the work you have put into the underworld is more than I could
have asked for. Your strength and power surpass many others but you
must realize that your power does not surpass mine. You have shown me
today how much you think of yourself. I am afraid your ego would
cause you to fail as my apprentice.
Poseidon, that
leaves just you now. Brother, your powers are strong and as ruler of
the sea your job is one of the most important. I know you have made
mistakes but it is good that you have realized them and learned from
them, unlike your siblings here today. You are kind hearted, brave, and
strong, just like I need my apprentice to be.
I am afraid
though, Poseidon, that your kind heart may get in the way of your
duties as my apprentice. I fear that your heart is too kind and that it
may get in the way when it comes to making a decision. That is why,
Poseidon, I am afraid I can not have you as my apprentice either.
I thank you,
siblings, for your time and energy and all that you have done but I
need an apprentice to be perfect. I need to have confidence in the god
I
choose and to be sure I make the right choice. I regret that I see that
it none of you. I realize now that there is no other god that can
handle my work and the world like I do. I am the most powerful, the
strongest, and the most generous god there could be-no others can
compare.
Authors Note
The original
story of Zeus, King of the Gods, did not discuss the other gods. For
the purposes of my story book, it was important for me to intertwine
their stories so that Zeus could make his choice for apprentice. The
original story also described the oak tree that was believed to be
sacred to Zeus. There was a forest full of oak trees in Greece that was
so sacred only priests were allowed to live there. It was believed that
when the wind howled through the trees it was actually Zeus talking;
many men went to this forest seeking advice.
The original
story also discussed the festivals that the Greeks held in order to
honor their gods. The festival included games in which the Greeks would
compete and whoever won was believed to be the favorite of the gods.
As Zeus was the
greatest god, he had many temples built in his honor. Part of one
temple that was built for Zeus is still standing in Greece today. The
Greeks brought gold and silver to the temples as gifts for the King of
Gods. They would also bring animals to sacrifice. The priests would
burn the flesh of the animals because they believed the gods enjoyed
the smell.
One of the
temples built for Zeus had a statue created in the likeliness of Zeus.
It was made of ivory and gold and was very detailed. The face of the
statue was so beautiful that the Greeks thought the artist must have
seen Zeus personally to create something so magnificent.
Story: Hades, King of the Dead
Author: Caroline H. and Samuel B. Harding
Book: Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men
Year Published: 1905
Web Source: Baldwin
Project