What Flows Through the Veins of Greek Gods?
Not blood, apparently! According to ancient Greek mythology, the gods had a mysterious substance called ichor flowing through their veins. Immortality, supernatural powers, and special blood. Being a god certainly had its perks.
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Being a Greek god sounds like a pretty sweet deal.
You get immortality, ridiculous powers, and apparently the freedom to turn people into animals whenever they annoy you.
But here's something I didn't know.
Greek gods didn't even bleed like humans.
In Homer's Iliad, during the Trojan War, the goddess Aphrodite decides to get involved in the fighting.
Bad idea.
A mortal warrior named Diomedes actually manages to wound her in the hand.
Yes. A human stabbed a goddess.
And instead of ordinary blood, something called ichor flowed from her wound.
Homer describes it as the substance that flows through the blessed gods. He also explains that the gods don't eat bread or drink wine like mortals, which helps distinguish their divine bodies from ours.
Now, you might have heard that ichor was golden.
That's a popular description today, but Homer's account doesn't actually tell us its color.
And here's another interesting detail: being immortal didn't mean being impossible to hurt.
Aphrodite could feel pain. She could bleed. She just wasn't subject to ordinary human mortality.
Which makes me wonder how many ancient Greek gods spent their days nursing injuries caused by their own terrible decisions.
Probably quite a few.
And if the word ichor sounds strangely familiar, there's a reason.
You'll find it hiding in another one of our rabbit holes.
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