Who were the Greek and Roman gods, and what did myths reveal about how the ancients imagined them?
The nature of the gods (immortality, anthropomorphism, power and limitations), the major Olympian gods and goddesses and their Roman equivalents and spheres of influence, their symbols and attributes in literature and material culture, and myths showing the gods interacting with mortals.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of the gods in Myth and Religion. Covers the nature of the gods (immortality, anthropomorphism, power and limits), the twelve Olympians and their Roman equivalents and spheres, their symbols and attributes in art, and myths of gods and mortals, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
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What this dot point is asking
This is the opening of OCR's Myth and Religion thematic study (Component J199/11). You need to understand the nature of the Greek and Roman gods (that they were immortal, anthropomorphic, hugely powerful yet limited), to know the major Olympian gods and goddesses, their Roman equivalents and their spheres of influence, to recognise their symbols and attributes in literature and art, and to know myths that show the gods dealing with mortals. The paper tests precise knowledge (AO1) and the analysis of literary and material sources plus your own argument (AO2).
The answer
The nature of the gods
The twelve Olympians and their Roman equivalents
Symbols and attributes in art
Because statues and vase-paintings could not label a god, artists gave each a recognisable attribute:
- A bearded king with a thunderbolt is Zeus/Jupiter; with a trident he is Poseidon/Neptune.
- An armed goddess with an owl, helmet and the aegis (Medusa-headed breastplate) is Athene/Minerva.
- A youth with a lyre or bow is Apollo; a beautiful woman with a dove or mirror is Aphrodite/Venus.
Recognising attributes is a core J199 skill, because the source questions show images of gods and ask you to identify them and explain their meaning.
Myths of gods and mortals
The gods were constantly involved in human affairs. Myths show them:
- Helping favourites, as Athene protects Odysseus and Heracles.
- Punishing offence, as Artemis punishes those who boast against her.
- Desiring mortals, as Zeus fathers heroes such as Heracles.
- Taking sides, as the gods divide over the Trojan War.
These stories explained the world (storms, plague, harvest) and justified worship: if the gods rewarded honour and punished neglect, it made sense to sacrifice and pray to them.
Examples in context
A strong essay on the gods would argue that they were imagined anthropomorphically so that worshippers could relate to and bargain with them, while remaining immortal and powerful far beyond any human.
Try this
Q1. Name three Olympian gods, giving the Greek name, the Roman name and the sphere of each. [6 marks]
- What the marker wants. Three correct pairs with correct spheres, for example Zeus/Jupiter (sky and king of the gods), Poseidon/Neptune (sea), Aphrodite/Venus (love).
Q2. Explain how artists showed which god was which in statues and vase-paintings. You must refer to examples. [8 marks]
- Cue. Explain attributes and symbols: the thunderbolt and eagle for Zeus, the trident for Poseidon, the owl and aegis for Athene, the lyre or bow for Apollo, so viewers could identify the deity without a label.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR J199/11 2019 (style)4 marksIdentify two of the Olympian gods and state what each was the god of. [4]Show worked answer →
A short knowledge question (4 marks, AO1). Reward two correct gods, each with a correct sphere of influence (2 marks each).
Example one. Zeus (Roman Jupiter), king of the gods, god of the sky, thunder and justice.
Example two. Poseidon (Roman Neptune), god of the sea, earthquakes and horses.
Top marks. Two named gods with a precise, correct sphere each. Vague answers ("god of nature") do not score.
OCR J199/11 2021 (essay, true tariff 15)15 marks'The Greek and Roman gods behaved just like human beings.' How far do you agree? Justify your response. [marked here out of 15; this is the true J199/11 tariff]Show worked answer →
The 15-mark extended response (AO1 and AO2). The marker rewards a clear argument supported by named myths.
Agree (anthropomorphic). The gods looked human, felt human emotions (Hera's jealousy, Aphrodite's desire), quarrelled, took sides in the Trojan War, deceived one another and had children with mortals. Myths repeatedly show them squabbling like a family.
Disagree (more than human). They were immortal, vastly powerful, could change shape and move unseen, and demanded worship; their anger could destroy whole cities. They were not bound by human mortality or weakness.
Judgement. The top band argues a clear line, for example that the gods were imagined anthropomorphically (human in form and feeling) precisely so that worshippers could understand and bargain with them, while remaining immortal and powerful in ways no human could match. Support every point with a named god or myth.
Related dot points
- Heracles (Roman Hercules) as the universal hero: his birth and the hostility of Hera, the Twelve Labours, other exploits, his depiction in art, and his significance to both Greeks and Romans, including his use in Roman ideology.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Heracles (Roman Hercules), the universal hero in Myth and Religion. Covers his birth and Hera's hostility, the Twelve Labours and other exploits, his depiction in art (lion skin, club), his apotheosis, and his significance to both Greeks and Romans, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
- Theseus as the local hero of Athens: his journey to Athens and the bandits, the Minotaur and the Labyrinth, Ariadne and the voyage home, his role as a unifier and king of Athens, and how his myths expressed Athenian values and civic identity.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Theseus, the local hero of Athens, in Myth and Religion. Covers his journey to Athens and the bandits, the Minotaur and the Labyrinth, Ariadne and the tragic return, his role as unifier and king of Athens, and how his myths expressed Athenian civic identity, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
- The foundation myths of Rome: Aeneas's journey from Troy to Italy and his role as ancestor of the Romans, the story of Romulus and Remus (the she-wolf, the founding of the city and the death of Remus), and how these myths expressed Roman values and identity.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Rome's foundation myths in Myth and Religion. Covers Aeneas's journey from Troy to Italy and his role as ancestor of the Romans, the story of Romulus and Remus (the she-wolf, the founding and the death of Remus), and how the myths expressed Roman values and identity, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
- Greek and Roman attitudes to death and the afterlife, funerary and burial practices (rituals, tombs and offerings), beliefs about the underworld, and the mythic journeys to the underworld (katabasis) made by Odysseus, Aeneas, Heracles and Orpheus.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of death and the underworld in Myth and Religion. Covers Greek and Roman attitudes to death and the afterlife, funerary and burial practices and offerings, beliefs about the underworld and its geography, and the mythic journeys (katabasis) of Odysseus, Aeneas, Heracles and Orpheus, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
- The concept of sacred space (the sanctuary and altar), the form, function and location of the Greek and Roman temple, its key architectural features (columns, cella, pediment, the orders), and the religious meaning of temples such as the Parthenon.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of temples and sacred space in Myth and Religion. Covers the sanctuary and altar, the form, function and location of the Greek and Roman temple, its architectural features (columns, cella, pediment, the Doric and Ionic orders), and the religious meaning of temples such as the Parthenon, with the source and essay skills the J199/11 paper rewards.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Classical Civilisation J199 specification — OCR (2017)