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Comment by ldjkfkdsjnv | Hacker News Reader

The same is true of greek gods. Some of them, like Zeus, were probably real people that existed a long time ago

No, probably not. The word “Zeus” is far older than Greek - it’s a Proto-Indo-European word, and he is an Indo-European sky god, with analogues from India to Iberia. (“Dios,” as in the Latin languages’ word for the Christian god, has this derivation.)

This all to say that the word (and the sacred culture attendant) is far older and far broader than can be ascribed to some just-so story of a prehistoric, let alone proto-Greek, warlord. If I were to look for origins of “Zeus,” the god, I would instead first contemplate how vast the sky appears when seen from the steppe (whence the Yamnaya, first speakers of this language family). How does one not imagine a sky father in that seeming infinity?

Nothing you wrote here negates what I wrote. Just that it goes far back, and probably originates in pre-history. Its not inconceivable to think about figures like Jesus existing 20-30-40k years ago. Over time they turn into legends, which are bigger and more vast than the living human ever was.

Or possibly several people: it's worth remembering that there were no photographs in most of human history.

The story of who a person was can easily be a combination of many.

Absolutely right! Famously every town in the ancient Mediterranean had a Hercules story about how he came around and did some unique thing.

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