Gods Like Mortals

For every household is ruled by its senior member, as by a king, and the offshoots too, because their blood relationship, are ruled in the same way. This kind of rule is mentioned in Homer: 'Each man has power of low over chilren and wives.' He is referring to scattered settlements, which were common in primitive times. For this reason the gods too are said to be governed by a king--namely because men themselves were originally ruled by kings and some are so still. Just as men imagine gods in human shape, so they imagine their way of life to be like that of men.

-from "Formation of the Village" in Politics by Aristotle

Thought that might be of some interest.

Sza