“Poor people, why did I give you to King Peleus? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Obtain an original sage, a mortal, you who never grow old or die, to make you suffer with men in their hard lot? Of all creatures that breathe and walk, none of the earth is more to be pitied than man. ——Iliad Book 17: 497-501Among mortal creatures, all those that breathe and move, the earth has none more fragile than humanity. What man believes in future troubles, as long as valor and strong knees are provided by the gods? But when the gods in bliss bring miseries, then, willy-nilly, blindly, he resists. ——Odyssey Book 18: 164-169The events in Homer's epic poems occur in two parallel worlds, the mortal and the immortal. The Iliad and the Odyssey describe dramatic relationships between humans and gods. The gods have enormous power over humans. For example, the gods can lead Paris away from Meneláos' spear as easily as they can throw Patróklos into the midst of destruction. However, when Odysseus is offered immortality, he chooses to be mortal and embrace all the pain Calypso predicted. Seeing this unusual case, we can't help but compare humanity and immortality and explore the meaning of being human. The inherent difference between humans and gods is that humans “possess the ability” to die. Death, by making life impermanent, gives a unique value to the life of a human being. The sad fact that Penélopê dies makes her more precious to Odysseus than to Calypso. Additionally, the characters also welcome glorified death. Hector is clearly aware that “the day will come when ancient Ilium will fall.” (6:521) When Andrómakhê sincerely begs Hector not to abandon his family and go to the battlefield, he does not give up his position on the battlefield, as he wants people to remember him as the one “who fought best| of the Trojan knights." (6:535/6) For him, fighting for honor is much more important than his family, despite the risk of his wife becoming a prisoner and his own life being lost. Likewise, Ahilleus must choose whether to live in peace or return to battle with the threat of death as glory walks hand in hand with his destiny. However, his response is firm: “I would have to face the darkness gloomy spirit of death… Now, however, may I conquer my perfect glory.” (18:132/3, 140) He pursues the honor of war and revenge for Patróklos instead of living a peaceful life. By dying a hero, his name will be remembered for centuries and he will be able to achieve what the gods can never achieve: immortality in the minds of people who will always remember him as a hero. Death with glory, therefore, is not the end of life, but the beginning of immortality. Furthermore, as Hector states before leaving Andrómakhê forever, “Let me be hidden in the darkness of my grave | before I hear your cry or see you as a prisoner!” (6:539-40) While Achilleus also consoles Thetis by saying that “[he] will rest when [he] falls!” (18:139) Both welcome death as a final resting place, where one is not destined to suffer from bereavement or war. The theme of immortal humans recurs throughout the Iliad and the Odyssey. If we define immortality simply as an eternal presence of spirit, mind, or a mental world after death, the existence of the Underworld best exemplifies the possibility for human beings to achieve immortality. This explains why both Patróklos and Elpênor beg for a worthy burial, since in ancient Greek belief, only souls whose bodies had beenproperly disposed of they could enter the Underworld. In Book 18 of the Iliad, Homer turns away from brutal war and personal revenge to meditate on the immense beauty of the larger universe that enacts war, imagining several scenes on the immortal shield soon after Akhilleus finds the meaning of life and decided to return to battle. How insignificant is our Earth, the theater on which all our powerful projects, our deaths and all our wars take place, when compared to the universe [Christiaan Huygens 1690]. To a greater extent, an individual dies, but his descendants carry his blood and lineage, so that the history of humanity lasts forever. The wheel of history will continue to turn through the death of the old life and the birth of the new life again and again. The death and rebirth of Homeric heroes also exemplify this type of eternal life. Meanwhile, this idea resonates with Perséphonê eating the “honey-sweet pomegranate seed” (2:372) offered by Hades in the Hymn to Demeter. While in many cultures pomegranate seeds are associated with fertility, birth and sex, this shows that death is somehow linked to sex, hence new birth. Sex and death, creation and destruction, the most powerful forces, form the cycle of nature, and it is humanity's infinite desire that perpetuates this cycle. As the quotes at the beginning of this article state, the gods know the agony of mortals, since they played the most important role in causing it. But human suffering surpasses that of any other creature. Before Achilleus joins the battle, his mother, Thetis, has already told him that “Both he and [Patróklos] were destined| stain the very earth here in Troy dark red." (18:384/5) But despite being aware of divine interventions, he is unable to prevent his fate. Human awareness of the absurdity and arbitrariness of the gods' treatment of them cannot help them make better decisions with foresight; it only emphasizes the pain and agony. Hector predicts the fall of Ilium and Kassandra predicts his death with Agamemnon, but neither can simply walk away and avoid the grim death that awaits them. Human tragedy lies in the excess of knowledge and the inability to manipulate this knowledge to change human destiny. However, it is from this suffering and pain that true virtues and human spirits arise. In Book V of the Odyssey, when Poseidon punishes Odysseus by throwing a huge wave on the road to Skhería, “Odysseus would have died,| mistreated inhumanely, but he had the gift of grey-eyed Athena's self-control” (455-7) and survives. Despite the help of Ino and Athena, it is Ulysses who reaches Skhería. Odysseus has the determination and perseverance necessary to realize his dream of returning home, despite the numerous setbacks caused by the furious Earthshaker. There resides the human spirit, which is a strong response to the fragile nature of human beings. Although they know that without divine help they cannot achieve their goal, they still courageously accept the challenges that come their way. This immutable misfortune extends human virtues, often associated with the development of their personality. When Akhilleus comes out of the taste of his anger and decides to face death, he suddenly realizes many things he never thought about. When Priam begs Ahilleus to return Hector's body, Ahilleus shows sympathy and respect by returning it and granting an eleven-day reprieve for a proper funeral. He orders Hector's body to be put aside, “where Priam| he could not see his son, because he had seen Hector| could in his great pain give in to anger, | and fury then might rise in Ahilleus” (24:698-701). This.