In the Epic of Gilgamesh, another goddess' whims are put down. Ishtar, goddess of war and love becomes attracted to the mighty but mortal Gilgamesh. But rather than jumping right into the sack with the goddess, Gilgamesh thought it out and refused. Thus, a second hero also refuses a god. Sometimes the gods only wanted honest opinions from the humans. In the events leading up to the Iliad; Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all contend to be the fairest of the goddesses, but out of prudence, no god will endorse them with the distinction. When Zeus refers them to the mortal shepherd, Paris, the three instantly cease to expect an honest opinion. The question loses importance and the goddesses begin a persuasion match in which each goddess offers the shepherd great things. In the end, Paris chooses Aphrodite's gift, and Her and Athena become bitter and spiteful because of the judgment. If the goddesses were equivalent to the Christian god, they would already have either the instant wisdom to know who was the fairest. Also, their infinite power would give them each the ability to make themselves infinitely beautiful. Finally, the modern god would not need to ask the opinion of the human because his omniscience would already give him the opinion. The current Christian god is omnipotent and in turn never feels threatened by the ant-like humans below him. In contrast, the ancient gods sometimes felt threatened by the strongest mortals. When this would happen, the gods would seek ways to stop the power of the humans. The very premise of the Epic of Gilgamesh involved a hero who nearly equaled the gods. In the beginning of the epic, the gods sought to control and/or destroy Gilgamesh by creating an antihero to defeat him. Later, the equals join, building the insecurities of the gods. Eventually, they gods afflict Enkidu, compatriot of Gilgamesh with a fatal disease, thereby stopping the power of the dynamic duo.
