Free Essay

Roman Mythology vs. Greek Mythology

In:

Submitted By jamadagni
Words 816
Pages 4
Mythology: “The body of myths (sacred stories) of a particular culture; the study and interpretation of such myths.” A long time ago mythology was something treated with respect. People respected and believed in it. The two major mythologies known are Greek and Roman. What are the similarities and differences between these two famous mythologies?

The Roman mythology has two types of creation. Certain people believe it was created around the 12th century BC, after the war between Greece and Asia. The legend says that after the war, Aeneas, a very strong and popular soldier of the Greek royal army, won the battle against Asia but then decided to leave for Carthage. There, the Queen Dido fell in love with him but Aeneas left her to travel to Italy, where he found Rome. From there, Aeneas knowing the gods from his culture decided to create a new mythology with new gods.

The other type of creation of the Roman mythology consists of two men from Greece, Romulus and Remus, who were the sons of the God Mars and a mortal woman named Rhea Silvia. These two brothers lived with their uncle. When their parents died the uncle decided to kill the two brothers so he could receive the power of their father, the God Mars. In the conflict, Remus died but Romulus escaped to a new city named Rome, where he became its first king. “The date that Romulus founded Rome was 753 BC” (Varro).

There were several more gods in the Roman Mythology. There were 21 considered very important for the people because they represented earth and the living on earth. They were pictured that way because they were related to touchable things on earth, sometimes not only to touchable objects, such as the rain or the water, but also to feelings and beliefs, like peace and prosperity at home. Jupiter and Minerva were the rulers of the 19 other gods. Each of them had a specific role in the mythology. Honored by the people, these gods didn’t have a physical appearance; they were only represented by the imagination of the people. Or sometimes people used to tell stories about how a god was beautiful. “Physical appearance wasn’t given to Roman Gods until the 6th century BC” (Varro).

According to Varro, the Romans worshipped their gods on both individual and communal levels. Individual would be a family that would pray at home for more food and the communal level was when a group of people, most of the time the citizens of a town, would go and meet for a communal celebration. For instance, the goddess Vesta protected the earth so when people wanted to honor her, they would throw a small cake into the fire. Or to honor the god of agriculture, so the harvest could be generous, farmers would offer corn meal and wine at the graves of their own families.

The Greek Mythology was created long time before the Roman Mythology. Around the years of 2000 BC, Atlantis rose up, created by Timaus and Critias, a powerful man and woman, whose origin no one knows. God Timaus and the Goddess Critias are cited in many stories about the beginning of the Greek Mythology. Like the Roman Mythology people presume that it was created from beliefs of ancient population that lived before them. A personal opinion about the creation of the Greek Mythology would be that it was created from the Egyptians who lived before them and also believed in different gods. If we pretend that the Romans took the idea for their mythology from the Greek Mythology, we can suppose that the Greek Mythology was created from Egyptian’s beliefs and myths.

Like the Roman Mythology, the Greek one was composed of 21 gods and goddesses. Compared to the Roman, the Greek gods were represented with gorgeous bodies, where muscles, eyes, faces an hair would give them the most beautiful appearance. Greek gods were named according to a place of a living or non-living thing.

Honoring Greek gods was similar to Roman’s way of worship. People used to bring meals to either Mount Olympus, where gods lived or to the graves of family members who died. Drawing a symbol of a god in a hall of the house could represent that the family needed help of a god. In the family, if a son were sick the father would draw an object representing the Goddess Hygeia, so she could enter the house and cure the young child.

The Roman and the Greek gods seem to relate to each other. A similarity between the two mythologies is that the symbols and designations of powers are the same in the two. The differences are present in the date of creation. Also, for both mythologies we don’t know where and how were they created because there is more than one story that describes their beginning.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Greek

...Greek vs Roman Comparison Chart | Comparison | The Greeks | The Romans | Greek vs Roman Attitudes | Greeks revered the poet   | Romans revered the warrior | Greek vs Roman Mythology | Poetical & fanciful myths about individuals   | Practical myths focussing on the gods relevance to everyday life and the Roman state   | Greek vs Roman Creativity | The Greeks were highly imaginative and developed their fantastic mythology   | The Romans borrowed existing mythology, names were changed. Stories of the wars and founders of Rome were included in their mythology   | Greek vs Roman Time Period | Greek mythology was developed first   | Roman mythology was developed 1000 years later | Greek vs Roman Nature of the gods | Greek mythology focussed on the personality traits of gods   | Roman mythology focussed on practical roles and achievements | Greek vs Roman Actions | Individualistic, emphasis placed on the heroic deeds and achievements and actions of individuals   | Non-Individualistic, emphasis placed on the achievements and actions of Romans and Rome   | Greek vs Roman Politics | Greek religion had little influence on politics   | Roman religion was officially endorsed by the state and exerted considerable influence over the government of Rome   | Comparison | The Greeks | The Romans | Greek vs Roman Priests | Greek priests were revered as teachers and healers of individuals   | Roman Politicians took the offices of influential priests, called...

Words: 534 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Compare and Contrast

...Greek Mythology vs. Roman Mythology Behold the mighty power of Zeus! Perhaps you would yell out the name Jupiter instead. Depending in which era and land you lived would dictate which name you would praise. Both civilizations believed in the same Gods, but gave them different names. The physical attributes of the Gods’ is one aspect of religion that the two cultures did not agree on. The afterlife is also a belief shared by the two cultures, while the path to which and the purpose on earth is very different. There are many similarities as well as differences between the Greek and Roman Mythologies The Greeks and the Romans believed in the same Gods for their respective religion. The two cultures had a God for the same occurrences in their lives. They both had a God or Goddess for everything from the sun and moon down to fertility and wine. Greeks and Romans even believed that there were Gods that ruled over the sky, land, sea, and even the underworld. Although they gave them different names, they still had the same power and ruled over the same areas. In Greek mythology Zeus, is the Father of the Gods and of all mankind. Zeus’ symbol is a lightning bolt, a bull, an eagle, and the oak. He was known to visit multiple mortal women in varied forms from humans to animals. The Romans believed in the exact formalities as the Greeks did when it came to their Father of the Gods, except the Romans gave him the name Jupiter. The physical attributes of the Gods and Goddesses...

Words: 759 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Batman Legen and Methology Aspects

...The batman legend Aspects of mythology in batman legend: example of the dark knight trilogy There are a lot of differences and similarities between the heroes and gods of the Greek and romans myths and traditions compared to the superheroes and legends of the comic’s books and Hollywood movies. Scholars often conduct researches to define and analyze pieces of art to check its methodological features in terms of form and content. In this humble research we will try to shed the light on the aspects of mythology in batman as a superhero and a legend taking the dark knight trilogy as an example to examine how mythology is represented in this masterpiece by the brilliant director Christopher Nolan. The dark knight trilogy consists of 3 movies: batman begins (2005), the dark knight (2008) and the dark knight rises (2012). The three of them was directed by the filmmaker Christopher Nolan and were inspired from the batman character created by Bob Kane. ``Batman Begins`` movie was basically about the origin of the batman legend as a force of good in Gotham city. In the light of his parents tragic robbery murder (Bruce Wayne) took a journey around the globe looking for meaningful values and tools to fight injustice and criminals. He was taken in by a strange instructor called Ducard and taught him how to become a ninja in what is named the League of Shadows after that he came back to Gotham and uncover his masked crusader (Batman) in order to start fighting gangsters to end their...

Words: 1967 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Ancient Greek Heroes vs. Modern Heroes

...Name Course Tutor Date Ancient Greek Heroes vs. Modern Heroes Introduction The word hero brings to mind different things to different people, since people tend to have different concepts of heroism. This is particularly the case with regard to the concept of heroes in ancient and modern societies. As times have changed, the definition of heroes has also changed, in keeping with the changes in the modern society. However, ancient and modern heroes do share some similarities, which act as the basis of heroism regardless of one’s perspective. In view of this, a hero can be described as a courageous person, who deliberately sets out to conquer obstacles for the benefit others or one who performs extra ordinary feats. The aim of this paper is to compare and contrast ancient Greek heroes with modern heroes, for the purpose of understanding both concepts of heroism. Differences There a few differences between modern and ancient Greek heroes, one of them being the religious background of the ancient Greek heroes. In Greek mythology, heroes were usually religious figures, specifically demigods. They were usually born from liaisons between mortal and immortal parents. These heroes were favored by the gods, hence were able to accomplish supernatural tasks, which were beyond the abilities of normal men. Hercules’ mother for instance was a mortal, while his father Zeus was a Greek god, who disguised himself as her husband. As a result, Hercules was a demigod, and was able to accomplish...

Words: 1860 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Constellation Myths

...in the galaxy. They are made out of dust clouds dispersed throughout space. Did you know that stars don’t twinkle? It’s the turbulence in the sky that makes the stars appear like they are blinking. Since the dawn of recorded civilization, stars have been important to us throughout the world. They have been used for navigation, agriculture and even for religious reasons. There are also 58 important stars that are used by aviators and navigators worldwide. Have you ever heard about constellation myths? They are ancient stories about the gods, heroes, and mythological creatures (serpents, dragons etc…) featured in the constellations. Greeks and Romans created the stories for the constellation in the Northern Hemisphere, and for a petty in the Southern Hemisphere that they could sometimes see, near the horizon. Other cultures had their own mythologies for the stars. Some of their stories were part of their religions, helping them to explain everyday events, such as the seasons. These stories usually have a hero, who was given an honorary place in the sky, as either a reward or tribute. One of the very first use of the Constellations was for religion reasons. Ancient people...

Words: 1221 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Art History Paper 1

...The second indication that this may be a northern painting has to do with the people gathered around Christ. It is easy to tell that these individuals are merely common folk. A southern painting would most likely feature angels or clergymen gathered around Christ, but within paintings from the north was the concept of humanism. In lamens terms, humanism is merely a system of thought in which human beings are of utmost importance as opposed to the divine or supernatural. In summation, both styles of this painting, naturalism and humanism, are indicative of a northern painting. Dissimilar to paintings of the North, which dealt heavily with naturalism, Southern paintings were more abstract, and less detailed, and mostly featured classical mythology and religious scenes. The works of art from the North convey a more accurate depiction of Christianity and do so by allowing the emotion of the artwork to be felt by the viewer. Northern...

Words: 945 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

The Afterlife

...similar faiths, such as all the derivatives of Christianity, there is variation in their beliefs. In Roman Catholicism their belief in salvation and the afterlife is that it must be earned by being part of the church community, basically meaning that a Roman Catholic would only gain entry into the afterlife if they attended church [Stewart]. In Baptist churches they believe that only those who believe, who have been baptized and also believe Christ is their savior may enter the afterlife [Buschart]. On the other hand there are the non-Christians, sometimes referred to as pagans; though in this age the term is more used for polytheists who aren’t Hindu believers or ancestral worshipers. In my own religious beliefs, Wicca, the afterlife varies based on the god or goddess being followed. In Greek based Wicca there is an afterlife and depending on how your soul acts in that life varies on where you’ll be sent [Marks]. In Cherokee following paganism, how my mother follows, they do not believe in a literal place like heaven but more that when a person dies they go on as ghosts, wandering the earth [The Tradition Belief System]. Then there are the non-theistic groups like agnostics and atheists. Agnostics tend to vary from person to person on death and the afterlife so it’s hard to tell what they believe [Agnostics]. Atheists do not believe in an afterlife. Taking a focus on Roman Catholicism is quite intriguing. While they believe their practitioners do go onto an afterlife, they...

Words: 2152 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Re: Greek Mythology

...GREEK MYTHOLOGY Background to Homer’s Odyssey As you read each story, ask yourself: What is most enjoyable, predictable, or bizarre about this story? How would I have responded in this situation? What mysteries or features of the world might this story try to explain? What bit of moral or religious instructions (i.e. don’t disobey the gods) might be contained in this story? How does this story compare with Christian beliefs, or with the values of our culture today? Are there any other stories or fables I’ve heard that follow the same pattern as this story? The Creation Myths Part 1 Before there was anything, there was Chaos, a formless void. This void, this pure nothingness, gave birth to Gaea (the Earth itself), Tartarus (the underworld), Eros (love), Erebus (underground darkness) and Nyx (the darkness of night). The two kinds of darkness joined together and gave birth two kinds of light: the Light of the heavens and the Light of day. Nyx (night) also gave birth to the three Fates, who control the course of the universe and determine the length of each person’s life on their wheel of fortune. Of the fates, Clotho spins the threads of each person’s life, Lachesis measures the length of the thread, and Atropos cuts the thread. The Fates – Francisco Goya (one of the best painters ever!) 1823 – Note the scissors in the hand of Atropos and Lachesis measuring with a magnifying glass. Who’s...

Words: 10610 - Pages: 43

Free Essay

The Effect of Allusions in Hamlet

...references to something else. One of the finest places to look for Shakespearean allusions is Hamlet, a tragedy about the negative effect of ambition and revenge. The result of William Shakespeare incorporating allusions into Hamlet is the readers have a more sophisticated understanding of themes, characters, and conflicts. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, he uses allusions in order to develop themes in the play. One of the major themes in the play is action vs. inaction. In Act 1, Scene 5, Hamlet talks with the ghost of his father about the cause of his death. The ghost informs him that it was his uncle Claudius, as he suspected, and that it is imperative that he seek revenge at once. The ghost says, “I find thee apt. And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed that roots itself in ease on Lethe Wharf, wouldst thou not stir in this.” The ghost sees that Hamlet is eager to get revenge, but little does he know, this allusion is a prediction of what is to come. The ghost’s statement alludes to the Lethe River, found in Greek Mythology. It is said that anyone who drank from the Lethe River would forget all their memories of being alive. The King’s ghost supposes that Hamlet would be as lazy as a weed on the shore of the river of forgetfulness if he did not agree to avenge his father’s death. When the time comes for Hamlet to murder Claudius, his morals get in the...

Words: 1024 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Renaissance

...Italian Renaissance v. Northern Renaissance Christopher Garrett University of Phoenix Renaissance comes from the Latin renasci, which means to be born, or rebirth or revival (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2014). The Renaissance was an era that influenced countries for over 200 years, and transformed culture and religion. Starting toward the end of the 13th century, the renaissance was an integral part of developing countries in both north Europe and Italy. These renaissance periods are the Italian and the Northern renaissance. Even though both renaissances had similarities and made an impact within European countries, they both had differences as well that made them each unique. The Italian Renaissance began at the end of the 13th century and lasted until the beginning of the 1600’s. This period could be considered the transition period between the Middle ages and medieval period to modern Europe. During the Italian Renaissance, humanists labeled the “rebirth” as the Dark Ages. The Italian Renaissance focused more on the common man and everyday realities of life, which heavily influenced the culture and art (Beougher, 2010). The Northern Renaissance was influenced by Italian Renaissance; however, the northern movement carried different characteristics and strengths and affected European countries outside of Italy. During the Northern Renaissance, the north held onto the Gothic art and architecture. The north also had fewer centers of free commerce, unlike in Italy...

Words: 1078 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Different of Art

...ASSIGNMENT NO: 01 | Title: Evolution of Old Masters Painting & Modern Art | Spring 2012History of World and ArchitectureSubject Code: GED 302Semester: 6thSection: 01Submitted To: Selima Quader ChowdhrySubmission Date: April 4, 2012 | Submitted By NAME: SHAIKH KHADIJA NO ID: 102011058 | “Evolution of Old Masters Painting & Modern Art” Index: Subject | Page No | I. Introduction | 03 | II. Italian Renaissance | 04 | III. Comparison between the paintings of the Italian Renaissance artists | 05 | IV. Modern Art | 08 | V. Comparison Between The Old Masters Painting And Modern Art | 09 | VI. Conclusion | 11 | VII. Reference | 12 | Introduction I am a student of “history of World Art and Architecture”. In this subject I am learning about analyze and evaluate the major movement, and trends in the visual arts of “Western Civilization”. For this reason, In 29 February, 2012 my classmate and I went to Bangladesh National Museum with our course teacher. It was a magnificent experience in my life. The 3rd Floor decorated with Pictures of International politicians, artists, scientists, famous pictures and three international galleries- Korean, Iranian and Swiss. We had a class on the Western arts gallery. The “Western Arts” gallery is enhancing with many famous artists painting. They all are reproduction of original work. (http://www.quiltindex.org/~quilti/wiki/index.php/Bangladesh_National_Museum) In the museum I saw many works of...

Words: 2557 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Child Labour

...10000 quiz questions and answers www.cartiaz.ro 10000 general knowledge questions and answers 10000 general knowledge questions and answers www.cartiaz.ro No Questions Quiz 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Carl and the Passions changed band name to what How many rings on the Olympic flag What colour is vermilion a shade of King Zog ruled which country What colour is Spock's blood Where in your body is your patella Where can you find London bridge today What spirit is mixed with ginger beer in a Moscow mule Who was the first man in space What would you do with a Yashmak Who betrayed Jesus to the Romans Which animal lays eggs On television what was Flipper Who's band was The Quarrymen Which was the most successful Grand National horse Who starred as the Six Million Dollar Man In the song Waltzing Matilda - What is a Jumbuck Who was Dan Dare's greatest enemy in the Eagle What is Dick Grayson better known as What was given on the fourth day of Christmas What was Skippy ( on TV ) What does a funambulist do What is the name of Dennis the Menace's dog What are bactrians and dromedaries Who played The Fugitive Who was the King of Swing Who was the first man to fly across the channel Who starred as Rocky Balboa In which war was the charge of the Light Brigade Who invented the television Who would use a mashie niblick In the song who killed Cock Robin What do deciduous...

Words: 123102 - Pages: 493

Premium Essay

Entertainment in India

...course of the arts of India, and consequently, the rest of Asia. Arts refer to paintings, architecture, literature, music, dance, languages and cinema. In early India, most of the arts were derived Vedic influences. After the birth of contemporary Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism arts flourished under the patronage of kings and emperors. The coming of Islam spawned a whole new era of Indian architecture and art. Finally the British brought their own Gothic and Roman influences and fused it with the Indian style. They have a culture infusion in their art. Contents [hide] 1 Architecture 2 Literature 3 Music 4 Dance 5 Sculpture 6 Painting 7 Cinema 8 Radio 9 Television 9.1 Major events 9.2 Professional events 9.3 Amateur events 10 References 11 External links Architecture[edit] Main article: Architecture of India This article contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information. Please remove or replace such wording and instead of making proclamations about a subject's importance, use facts and attribution to demonstrate that importance. (October 2009) Indian architecture is that vast tapestry of production of the Indian subcontinent that encompasses a multitude of expressions over space and time, transformed by the forces of history considered unique to the sub-continent, sometimes destroying, but most of the time absorbing. The result is an evolving range of architectural production that nonetheless...

Words: 2841 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Constellations

...everyday usage, a constellation is a traditional or recognizable group of stars in the night sky, or the region of the sky containing them. In technical usage these meanings have been separated, with groupings of stars being called asterisms, and the word constellation being reserved for a specific area of the celestial sphere with boundaries laid down by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). These areas mostly had their origins in Western-traditional asterisms from which the constellations take their names. When astronomers say something is “in” a given constellation they mean it is within those official boundaries. There are 88 officially recognized constellations, covering the entire sky[1] which have grown from the 48 classical Greek constellations laid down by Ptolemy in the Almagest. Out of these 88 constellations, 12 compose the zodiac signs. Thus, any given point in a celestial coordinate system can unambiguously be assigned to a constellation. It is usual in astronomy to give the constellation in which a given object is found along with its coordinates in order to convey a rough idea in which part of the sky it is located. Contents   [hide]  * 1Terminology * 2History * 2.1Ancient near East * 2.2Chinese astronomy * 2.3Indian astronomy * 2.4Classical antiquity * 2.5Islamic astronomy * 2.6Early Modern era * 3IAU constellations * 4Asterisms * 5Ecliptic coordinate systems * 6Dark cloud...

Words: 5188 - Pages: 21

Free Essay

Renaissance Theatre.

...Renaissance Theatre. The Protestant Reformation in northern Europe put an end to most religious drama by the mid-16th century, and a new, dynamic secular drama developed in its place. The Renaissance began at different times in different areas of Europe and was a slow process of change rather than a sudden shift in ideas and values. England The English drama of the 16th cent. showed from the beginning that it would not be bound by classical rules. Many themes and ideas can be seen in the components of the Elizabethan drama. For example, many works were influenced by other works. Themes on revenge were seen and blood and killing was evidenced in many works by, for instance, Thomas Kyd 's Spanish Tragedy (c.1586). Marlowe’s works presented deeper meanings of questioning life. Shakespeare, of course, stands as the supreme dramatist of the Renaissance period, equally skilful at writing tragedies, comedies, or chronicle plays. His great achievements include the perfection of a verse form and language that captures the spirit of ordinary speech and yet stand above it to give a special dignity to his characters and situations; a marvellous ability to unify plot, character, imagery, and verse movement. With the reign of James I the English drama began to decline until the closing of the theatres by the Puritans in 1642. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_drama Comedy in Elizabethan Drama: The term "comedy" as applied to a division of the drama was not...

Words: 3837 - Pages: 16