Ancient Light #8 Who are the Gods You Serve? #Plato

Ancient Light #8 Who are the Gods You Serve? Plato & Personification

Ancient history themed podcast presented by Steve Dotson, history professor. An explanation & exploration of Plato's Theory of Forms & "Holy" Personification. 

Topics in this episode: Plato's Theory of Forms, personification, mythology, religion, literature, Neil Gaiman, Oprah, philosophy, poetry, Martin Heidegger, phenomenology & literature

Link to an earlier performance of the larger poem 'Young Gods' performed live at a SpoFest event in Montserrat Vineyards, Montserrat, Missouri, 2013. The wind was occasionally blowing into the microphone, so it isn't the best quality. Was that you Zephyr? https://youtu.be/WfbzpfXkR7U

Here is the text of the poem at the end of the show

'Young Gods' excerpt

A well known god is known through the ages

New gods born as old gods needs forgotten

Even the offspring of a god and human

are born then die a final breath goodbye

But the children of the union of gods

can only rise and descend never die

The Immortals, once born never vacant

but after their turn home is in Hades

Roaming the back of the minds of mortal

Shadow of the active gods on the earth

Young gods defining the state of the age

As the long-lived can tell you this one truth

The bastards of gods born from mortal womb:

Herakles, Percy, Alex and the Christ

Saw the old Zeus once young once purveyor

Our Olympic heritage from his sire

Zeus long gone from mortal realm remembered

His corpse named Jupiter now well preserved

During the rise of the strong roman hand

And so they did to the corpse of the Christ

Once martyred man Jesus, now sovereign 

Images of old gods used as puppets

The operator moves the lips and speaks

The deathly appearance not out of place

When the paint fades from the eyes of Greek statue

The image conveys a gaze of blank stare

Not to ramble on about Zeus once young

But must needs him so you can soon relate

ushered in the demise of old Chronos

The old gods who bore their own replacement

Homer in his time tells of Zeus in prime

The days of the blind poet would ne'er see

Old thunderbolt on Olympus skyline

For Mount Ida reared god burying Zeus

Had long descended as man found rust

And melted it into swords and the plow

Old kings turned over in ancient dark age

His offspring Ares spread war and grew large

But who told the humans that Zeus was gone?

Even the gods know the truth of worship 

The religion of mortals always behind

They advance as a whole with the new gods

Having only known the names of the old

Apollo and Perseus wander the realm free

Smelling the perfume of the sacrifice

No matter the name attached to the smoke

The sounds and scent arouse the active gods

Is this sacrifice all that they require?

one may be well informed to know our task

The new god bids change and we rearrange

To know the living gods look around

What law dominates? What new advancement?

What conflicts loom? What new plow to till earth?

How are humans defying nature now?

Therein lies the study of the new gods