Okay, so we
have to break this all down. Zeus, by providing Pandora is enabling a method
for humanity to learn and grow past their mistakes. Sure, they have to suffer
through some stuff to do so, but he also threw in hope to make sure it was possible
to grow.
Zeus goes
on to father heroes, providing examples for what humanity should aspire to,
what they have the potential to become, whether it’s Perseus using his wits and
Batman-esque items to save the day and rescuing Andromeda from her blaspheming
parents or Hercules setting aside his own pride to atone for actions under
madness.
Lastly, we
have the realization of the human potential in heroes such as Diomedes and
Odysseus, representing physical and mental prowess of humanity, respectively.
The question we’re faced with, though, is why does Zeus want this?
We’re on
shakier ground, here. Zeus, being Zeus, never comes right out and states his
purpose. We’re going to have to infer his purpose from the evidence at hand.
The actions are too deliberate to think it’s accidental. We know that he wants
humanity to grow.
Furthermore,
we know that Zeus is something of a politician. He can make alliances, and he
doesn’t renege on them. He was honest in his dealings with the Cyclopes and
Hundred Handed-ones.
He forgave
the Olympians for their attempted coup, asking only an oath from them.
He is
adaptable. He can adjust what he’s doing and change his own behaviors. He is a
fierce opponent resorting to brutality when he feels it’s justified, will avoid
entanglements in his mediations between the gods, even relying on his mother
Rhea (yes, the one he raped) to mediate between Demeter and Hades.
Out of all
the Greek gods, he is the most skillful and adaptable, mostly because the
others, as we’ have seen, are incapable of change in any way. They are the way
they are. Forever.
But with
humanity, there is a race that can change and grow, and they have done so at a
phenomenal pace, cosmically speaking. In a few dozen generations, human heroes
have shown that they can challenge titans (Odysseus defeating Polyphemus) and
the Olympian gods (Diomedes routing Ares). It’s only a matter of time until
they will be able to rise up as an entire people to become more powerful than
the gods themselves.
The only
gods they will be able to replace, though, are the gods who cannot change,
meaning the rest of the Olympian gods. Zeus himself, however, will be immune to
them as he will continue to grow and change even as the people do. Moreover, he
has been their patron from the beginning, skillfully manipulating events to
most benefit them without the other gods ever knowing.
Could they
ever rise up in power enough to challenge him? Well, sure. But then, that’s
just the pattern established since the beginning of time in Greek mythology.
The son replaces the father. Zeus, however, will not be replaced by the likes
of the unchanging Olympians, who have proven themselves spiteful and petty in
their disputes. The god who eventually replaces Zeus will be a worthy successor
capable of the same growth as Zeus himself, if there’s ever even a need to
replace such a skillful and capable king of the Gods.