soul by Phoebus; the genial glow of life, the festal mirth, and the glad revel were the gift of Dionysos.  All nature was alive with some touch of a divine presence.  So, too, every spot of Hellas was made interesting by some legend of Hercules, of Theseus, of Prometheus, of the great Dioscuri, of Minos, or Daedalus, of Jason and the Argonauts.  The Greeks extended their own bright life backward through history, and upward through heroes and demigods to Zeus himself.

In Homer, the gods are very human.  They have few traits of divinity, scarcely of dignity.  Their ridicule of Vulcan is certainly coarse; the threats of Zeus are brutal.

As a family, they live together on Olympus, feasting, talking, making love, making war, deceiving each other, angry, and reconciled.  They feed on nectar and ambrosia, which makes them immortal; just as the Amrita makes the Hindoo gods so.  So in the Iliad we see them at their feast, with Vulcan handing each the cup, pouring out nectar for them all.  “And then inextinguishable laughter arose among the immortal gods, when they saw Vulcan bustling through the mansion.  So they feasted all day till sundown; nor did the soul want anything of the equal feast, nor of the beautiful harp which Apollo held, nor of the Muses, who accompanied him, responding in turn with delicious voice.”

“But when the splendid light of the sun was sunk, they retired to repose, each one to his house, which renowned Vulcan, lame of both legs, had built.  But Olympian Zeus went to his couch, and laid down to rest beside white-armed Here."[229]

Or sometimes they fight together, or with mortals; instances of both appear in the Iliad.  It must be admitted that they do not appear to advantage in these conflicts.  They usually get the worst of it, and go back to Zeus to complain.  In the Twenty-first Book they fight together, Ares against Athene, Athene also against his helper, Aphrodite; Poseidon and Here against Apollo and Artemis, Vulcan against the river god, Scamander.  Ares called Athene impudent, and threatened to chastise her.  She seized a stone and struck him on the neck, and relaxed his knees.  Seven acres he covered falling, and his back was defiled with dust; but Pallas-Athene jeered at him; and when Aphrodite led him away groaning frequently, Pallas-Athene sprang after, and smote her with her hand, dissolving her knees and dear heart.  Apollo was afraid of Poseidon, and declined fighting with him when challenged, for which Artemis rebuked him.  On this, Here tells her that she can kill stags on the mountains, but is afraid to fight with her betters, and then proceeds to punish her, holding both the hands of Artemis in one of hers, and beating her over the head with her own bow.  A disgraceful scene altogether, we must confess, and it is no wonder that Plato was scandalized by such stories.