I moved this speculation into its own topic so I would not disrupt the flow of ideas in "So which god is THe God."
In that thread, I wrote: "I have often wondered what the basis was for the Greek gods. If you read the stories, it sounds like a difference in technology made one group appear to be like gods. No, I am NOT invoking an extraterrestrial encounter! Let me continue in a side post..."
There is a book out called The Coming of the Global Super Storm which was the basis for the movie The Day After Tomorrow. In this book, the authors describe how we could go rapidly into an ice age. It does not happen as fast as it does in the movie, but its VERY rapid none the less. (A couple of years instead of days.)
The science is fine, if not completely convincing. Then the authors admitedly make the speculation that this has happened before to humanity, and almost all traces of the past civilization have been wiped away. They claim that the Spynix and a few other artifacts are much older than the surrounding artifacts, thus suggesting that there was an advanced sociey prior to the last ice age. The only ones who survived were the people who could were totally self sufficient. Sort of like the Amish of today.
Now, the authors openly admit that they are speculating. For that, I give them credit.
Let me run this speculation by you.
Suppose that the authors were right. There was an "advanced" civilization prior to the last ice age. Let's say it was mostly destroyed. Ten thousand years ago, as the last of the ice retreated, what if the survivors of that culture still had a few working devices left. Or, soone found the devices and figured out how they worked. Either way, would they not seem to be like gods to the local farmers? They wouldn't have to use the devices often, just once or twice to terrorize the locals.
If you look at the behavior of Zeus and the others, they acted like spoiled children. It certainly does not seem like something conjured up by the locals. Rather, the "gods" seem more like humans run amok - their "powers" placed them above the social order used to determine Right and Wrong. It would also explain why the "gods" quarelled with each other. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
When the devices failed, or the users became too old, they slipped out of town. Their story was retold so many times that it became the Greek myths we know of today.
Just a speculation on my part that came while posting in the other thread.
Chaunte
