This is some sweet mythology, I often wonder about these myths and what they really mean. Are the gods representative of archetypal forces which play out through us?

There is some truth in here about beauty and lust, leading to jealousy and then violence. These dark emotions create a tragic ending. Ultimately caused by 'gods' who lack empathy. They have power but are disconnected.

Would the gods have any relevance without mortals? They seem to need mortals in order to have something to distinguish themselves against, and play with. That being the case then gods have no intention of elevating anyone, they would rather retain superiority and power. People without empathy are sometimes called psychopaths, we can see this kind of psychology playing out in the business world.

There are kind gods as well I guess, yet mostly it seems to boil down to this dynamic of something outside of us that we have to pay homage to.

Thanks for a great post, and an opportunity to speculate :P