ABSTRACT
This chapter opens by summarizing the prominent role that the athanatoi (“the deathless ones”, or “gods”) play in the Iliad. It then emphasizes that the epics reveal a dual perspective: a human (thnêtoi, “the dying ones”) perspective versus an athanatoi perspective. In doing so, the epics illuminate important characteristics of humans. Lastly, this chapter weaves these ideas into a tapestry that I believe helps to explain the relationships we humans have as a species with other components of the natural world. The tapestry features such legal concepts as the “equitable trust” from English common law, the “common heritage of mankind” from international law, and noblesse oblige. These legal concepts, in turn, relate to the physical realities of processes and relationships that combine to create a lively ecosphere, a living planet.
