Orr Forum: Greek Gods and the Modern Search for Eternal Life

Would it be good to live forever? This was the question posed by Deborah Lyons, professor of classics at Miami University of Ohio, during the recent Orr Forum held on March 12. Lyons provided insight into her research on the immortality of Greek gods to show that maybe their lives were not as good as they seemed. 

Image

As she investigated the concept of prolonging life, or eliminating death, Lyons looked at concepts in Greek mythology to find illustrations of how Greek gods differed from mortals. The myths she studied expressed some uncertainty. Could the god feel pain? In battle, Greek gods can sustain physical injuries that result in pain. Could the god feel grief? Falling in love with a mortal or watching one’s son die in battle created moments when the gods suffered most. Could the god die? Not really, but death could come close. As Lyons explained, there are several instances in Greek mythology when something happened to a god that approached the condition of death, such as a state of suspended animation. 

Finally, the most important concept Lyons described was boredom. “Without the antics of mortals, [the gods] would be incredibly bored,” she said. The gods took great interest in war and gossip, especially gossiping about mortals. Lyons described the god Zeus as saying, “We tell [mortals] not to do things and they don’t listen. They are then hurt or killed, and they blame us.” Greek gods, particularly many goddesses, also tried to immortalize their children and their lovers and failed. 

Ultimately, she explained, even though Greek mortals regard immortality as the peak of existence, they could not imagine gods who looked like them, yet who were completely free and immortal. For Lyons, the ultimate question then became whether we as humans would like to live forever after looking at these basic issues faced by the Greek gods. She said, “I think many of us, if we had the assurance that we would have enough health, money, and friends staying alive with us, we might like to live forever, but those are a lot of conditions.” 

Lyons is the author of “Dangerous Gifts: Gender and Exchange in Ancient Greece” and “Gender and Immortality: Heroines in Ancient Greek Myth and Cult,” and the co-editor (with Kurt Raaflaub) of “Ex Oriente Lex: Near Eastern Influences on Greek and Roman Law” and (with Raymond Westbrook) “Women and Property in Ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean Societies.” She earned a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University, and a master’s and doctorate in classics from Princeton University. She also studied at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, and the University of Heidelberg. 

Since its inception in 1964, the Orr Forum has been Wilson College’s most widely known and perhaps most prestigious academic event. The Forum features discussions on the wide and shifting interests in religion studies in America.