Zeus Hera and the place left to traditional gods

Use in the book

At 984d, after the fivefold account of life, the Athenian says that anyone may set Zeus, Hera, and all the other gods where he wishes, according to the same law, and keep that account fixed. He then explicitly identifies the visible gods as the stellar nature and what is perceived with it. The transition leaves the traditional named gods less tightly located in the new hierarchy than the visible stars and middle kinds.

The permissive formulation should neither be suppressed nor exaggerated. It grants room to place the traditional gods within an accepted law or usage, but the sentence also demands that the account be held fixed. It is not a general manifesto that every theological claim is equally true, or permission to invent any rite whatsoever. The immediate task is to specify the visible divine order while leaving the inherited named pantheon without a newly imposed exhaustive mapping.

Conversely, the passage does not announce that Zeus and Hera are false gods. It calls them gods and follows with a prohibition on obstructing ancestral sacrifices. The new astronomical theology coexists with inherited worship, although the coexistence raises a genuine interpretive question: does the stellar account complete familiar religion, transform its basis, or shift attention away from the old narratives? The source's introduction marks that question as a difficulty, and the dialogue does not close it with a table equating each Olympian and elemental kind.

The later planetary names add a different relation. At 987b–c the heavenly bodies have taken the titles of gods; one is Zeus', while others are associated with Aphrodite, Hermes, Cronus, and Ares. The text distinguishes titles from proper names in that context. It does not retroactively identify every traditional story about Zeus with the astronomical behavior of one planet, nor does it give Hera a parallel planet in that list. A divine name can enter more than one theological construction.

The opening invitation to speak well about both gods and goddesses and the closing command to honor all gods and goddesses prevent an exclusively male reading of the religious project. Hera's mention is not merely ornamental; it helps make the inherited pantheon collectively present before the visible classification is specified. The account's selective naming should not be expanded into a complete pantheon unattested in the passage.

Places to read

1. 984dΘεοὺς μὲν δή, Δία τε καὶ Ἥραν — Zeus and Hera enter as gods already named by tradition
2. 984dκαὶ τοὺς ἄλλους πάντας — Their mention includes the remaining gods collectively
3. 984dὅπῃ τις ἐθέλει — The individual is permitted latitude of placement
4. 984dκατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν … νόμον — That placement is related to the same law or usage
5. 984dπάγιον ἐχέτω τοῦτον τὸν λόγον — The account is to be held fixed
6. 984dθεοὺς δὲ δὴ τοὺς ὁρατούς — The visible gods then receive a definite identification
7. 987bἐπωνυμίαν εἰλήφασιν θεῶν — The later planets bear titles of gods

Translation in this edition

“Set them down where he wishes” preserves the latitude; “by the same law” and “keep this account fixed” preserve the limits in the same sentence. The Zeus headword is nominative, while Δία is the actual accusative at 984d and Διός the later genitive at 987c. These inflected forms are not separate gods.

An inherited account kept fixed — λόγος (logos)

λόγος (logos)

An inherited account kept fixed. The account concerning the placement of Zeus, Hera, and the other gods is to be held fixed alongside latitude of placement according to law. Attested: λόγον (984d). Zeus Hera and the place left to traditional gods.

Stability of accepted account — πάγιος (pagios)

πάγιος (pagios)

Stability of accepted account. The account concerning the traditional gods is to be held fixed. The word limits the permissive placement clause rather than declaring every theological assertion equally true. Attested: πάγιον (984d). Zeus Hera and the place left to traditional gods.

Named goddess within inherited worship — Ἥρα (Hēra)

Ἥρα (Hēra)

Named goddess within inherited worship. Hera accompanies Zeus as a representative of the traditional gods. Her mention includes goddesses without assigning her a corresponding planet in the later list. Attested: Ἥραν (984d). Zeus Hera and the place left to traditional gods.

A rule for traditional placement — νόμος (nomos)

νόμος (nomos)

A rule for traditional placement. The gods may be set where one wishes according to the same law. The phrase qualifies the latitude and is followed by a demand to keep the account fixed. Attested: νόμον (984d). Zeus Hera and the place left to traditional gods.

A theological assignment — τιθέναι (tithenai)

τιθέναι (tithenai)

A theological assignment. The imperative allows a person to place Zeus, Hera, and the other gods within an account according to law. It need not mean physically relocating statues. Attested: τιθέσθω (984d). Zeus Hera and the place left to traditional gods.

Traditional named god — Ζεύς (Zeus)

Ζεύς (Zeus)

Traditional named god. Zeus is named with Hera and all the other gods whose placement is left to established law and the individual’s stated choice. This sentence does not give an exhaustive cosmic mapping. Attested: Δία (984d). Zeus Hera and the place left to traditional gods.

Planetary title of Zeus — Ζεύς (Zeus)

Ζεύς (Zeus)

Planetary title of Zeus. The body next after Cronus' in slowness must be called Zeus', identified as Jupiter in the edition's note. The divine title does not by itself identify every traditional narrative about Zeus with that planet's behavior. Attested: Διός (987c). Cronus Zeus Ares and the slower stars; Zeus Hera and the place left to traditional gods.

Where one wishes with an account held fixed (contextual phrase)

ὅπῃ τις ἐθέλει, ταύτῃ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τιθέσθω νόμον (984d)

The paired adverbs where and there give latitude in placing the traditional gods, while according to the same law qualifies that placement. The following requirement to keep the account fixed prevents treating the sentence as unlimited permission to invent arbitrary worship. Zeus Hera and the place left to traditional gods.