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In Bruno Snell’s The Discovery of the Mind, one of his key observations is how emotions and actions in early Greek literature—especially in Homer—are often attributed to gods, rather than to an internal, unified human psyche. Snell argues that the Greeks of Homer’s time did not yet have a concept of the self as an autonomous center of thought and emotion. Instead, gods personify and externalize emotional and psychological states.
Examples from Snell’s analysis:
Snell doesn’t offer a rigid catalog mapping every emotion to a specific god, but he provides a number of compelling examples where certain gods are responsible for specific human impulses or emotional states. Here’s a representative list based on his interpretation of Homer:
Gods and the Emotions or Actions They Represent in Homer (as interpreted by Snell):
| God/Goddess | Associated Emotion or Function |
|---|---|
| Aphrodite | Sexual desire and erotic love. She inspires passion, often overpowering reason or will. |
| Ares | Rage and violent aggression. Represents bloodlust and the destructive force of war. |
| Athena | Strategic thought, prudence, and clarity of mind. She often inspires calm intelligence and heroic self-control. |
| Apollo | Prophecy, rational order, and clarity—but also sudden plague or punishment. He is sometimes linked to inspired speech. |
| Eris | Strife and discord. Represents competitive or chaotic conflict, often sowing trouble. |
| Eros | Sexual longing and irresistible attraction—similar to Aphrodite but more primal and abrupt. |
| Dionysus | Ecstasy, frenzy, and madness. Associated with states that dissolve rational boundaries. |
| Zeus | Authority, decision-making, and fate. Often the source of broad, external pressures or decrees. |
| Hera | Jealousy, pride, and manipulation—especially in matters of marriage and honor. |
| The Muses | Inspiration in poetry, song, and memory—seen as the source of artistic and intellectual performance. |
| Nemesis | Righteous indignation, retribution, or moral outrage in response to hubris. |
Snell’s Argument:
Snell’s central point is that Homeric characters often do not “have” emotions in the modern internal sense—they are “possessed” by them, and those emotions are understood as coming from outside the self, typically from a god. This is part of what Snell identifies as the gradual “discovery of the mind”—the shift from externally located causes of emotion and action (the gods) to an internal, psychological understanding of selfhood.
Example:
When Achilles is overwhelmed by rage in the Iliad, it is often presented not as his own emotion, but as something instilled in him by Ares or other divine forces. Similarly, Athena restrains him from killing Agamemnon—not by appealing to a moral code Achilles holds internally, but by directly influencing his actions.
If you’re interested, I can provide excerpts from Snell’s analysis of specific passages in Homer where he makes these claims. Would you like that?
4o