In the earliest times, the Pelasgians practiced religious rituals long before the well-known Greek gods had clear names. According to information received from Dodona, one of the most ancient religious centers in Greece, the Pelasgians offered many kinds of sacrifices and prayed regularly. However, they did not use specific names or titles for their gods. This was not because they lacked belief, but because they had never heard individual divine names A Personal Interpretation of the Story.
Instead, they used a general term: Theoi, meaning “those who arrange or dispose of all things.” They believed that divine powers controlled the universe and kept everything in harmony and order. For them, the beauty and balance of the world were proof that higher powers existed, even if those powers had no personal identities yet.
The Arrival of the Gods’ Names from Egypt
After a long period of time, the situation changed. The names of many gods reached Greece from Egypt. Through contact with foreign cultures, the Pelasgians gradually learned these names and began to associate them with their own religious practices. However, not all gods were known at once. For example, the god Bacchus (Dionysus) was introduced much later than others.
Unsure whether they should accept these foreign names, the Pelasgians sought guidance from the Oracle of Dodona. This oracle was the oldest in Greece, and at that time there were no other oracles in the region. They asked a direct question: should they adopt the names of the gods that had come from foreign lands?
The Role of the Oracle of Dodona
The oracle advised them to use these new names. Following this recommendation, the Pelasgians began to include the named gods in their sacrifices and prayers. Over time, these names spread beyond the Pelasgians and became part of Greek religious tradition. In this way, the basic structure of Greek worship was formed through a mix of older beliefs and newly introduced ideas City Tours Istanbul.
The Origins and Forms of the Gods
Even after adopting the names of the gods, many questions remained unanswered. The Greeks did not know where the gods came from, whether they had always existed, or what forms they originally took. These ideas were not clearly defined until much later.
Homer, Hesiod, and the Birth of Greek Mythology
According to tradition, Homer and Hesiod were the first poets to organize these beliefs into structured stories known as Theogonies. They gave the gods their family histories, titles, duties, and physical descriptions. They explained which god ruled the sea, the sky, or the underworld, and how the gods interacted with both humans and each other.
It is believed that Homer and Hesiod lived about four hundred years before the writer’s own time. Although some people claim that other poets lived earlier, this view is doubtful. In the opinion of the author, those poets actually came later.
Sources and Authority
The information about the Pelasgians and the early gods comes from the priestesses of Dodona, whose authority was widely respected. The views regarding Homer and Hesiod, however, are the author’s own conclusions. Together, these sources help explain how Greek religion evolved from unnamed divine forces into a rich and detailed mythology.
