ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Walter Burkert

Walter Burkert is a man who spent his whole life studying ancient stories and religions. Some of these stories are really old and come from a long, long time ago. He looked at all the different ways people talked about gods and goddesses and how they used rituals to worship them.

Burkert tried to understand why people believed in gods and goddesses in the first place. He found that many ancient religions believed that there were powerful beings controlling things like the sun and the moon, the wind and the rain. These gods and goddesses were believed to have control over almost everything in nature.

Burkert also studied the rituals that these religions used to worship their gods and goddesses. He found that many ancient people would offer gifts, sing songs, and pray to these powerful beings. They thought that by doing these things, they could make their gods happy and less likely to harm them.

Overall, Walter Burkert was someone who was really interested in understanding ancient stories and beliefs. He spent his life trying to understand why people believed in gods and goddesses and the ways they worshiped them.