It [Greek religion] reflects the full range of experiences and situations
in human existence as we have it, the drama of human pursuits
and predicaments between birth and death, without any
otherworldly "beyond" that resolves or overcomes the conditions
of earthly life. Its sacred forces reflect worldly achievement and
power, visual beauty, and the plurality of competing forces that
mark the existential setting of the human condition.47
The Greek religion was based on the agon, which means a context or
struggle for excellence. 48' The agon became significant when viewed
within the context of the heroic ideal.49 The heroic ideal provided a fo-