Greek and Roman Mythologies

 Ashwin, Roll No. 202554, a student of B.A.English Honours 1st sem, prepared this comprehensive and brilliant project work   

Greek Mythology

Greek Mythology is a broad genre which was influenced by Ancient Greek Folklore consisting of oral narratives in the form of ghost stories and urban legends which later on were propagated widely through their widespread use in Ancient Greek Literature. Homer’s epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey and his contemporary Hesiod’s Theogony were one of the initial literary works which contained accounts of conflicts between Greeks and their rivals or in the case of Odysseus, his never ending voyage following the Trojan War which consists of various references to Greek gods such as Athena, Poseidon and Zeus. Moreover Hesiod’s Theogony describes the origins and genealogies of the Greek gods and his Works and Days describe the creation of man.

Apart from this, presence of archaeological evidence in the form of paintings, artifacts and mainly through sculptures of Greek gods and major public buildings such as the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Apollo at Delphi and probably the most famous one Parthenon at Athens.

Generally the imaginative Greeks weaved myths in order to illustrate every element of the human condition and existence.

 

 

 

Roman Mythology

When Rome was founded in 8^th century B.C.E, Greece had well established colonies in the Italian provinces and on the island of Sicily. After the Macedonian Wars, these colonies became a part of the Roman Republic. This exposure to Greece and especially to Greek religion and mythology had a persisting effect on Roman people and the culture. This occurred due to the fact that Romans had little mythology of their own and inheritance of the Greek Mythological tradition caused the Romans to adopt gods with characteristics similar to their equivalents. Roman’s not only adopted the stories but also many of the Greek gods, renaming a number of them. For Example: Athena became Minerva, Hera became Juno, and Ares became Mars. One exception to this practice is the God Apollo, the only god whose name is common in both cultures, apart from his usual references to the Sun. Similarly the Greek Trinity of the brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon became Jupiter, Pluto and Neptune respectively. You can equate the Greek Trinity with the Hindu Trimurti i.e. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva for ease of understanding. All in all, Roman Mythology is basically an influenced adoption of Greek Mythology but it was simplified to conform to the Roman beliefs and culture. While Roman Mythology may not have original extensive mythological narratives like the Greek’s but Romulus and Remus suckling the she-wolf is as well known as any other image in the Greek Mythology. Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Virgil’s Aeneid elicited great interest in Roman culture and came to be regarded as canonical. Now we have some information on both the Greek and the Roman Mythology.

 

 

 

 

Let’s have a look at both the Greek and the Roman Gods Family Tree’s respectively.

 

Now if you observe both the above images closely, the characters in both the mythologies are almost similar with just the names changed with the exception of some characters like Romulus and Remus.

In Ancient Greek mythology, the twelve Olympians are the major deities of the Greek Pantheon (a particular set of Gods), consisting of Zeus [Jupiter], Hera [Juno], Poseidon [Neptune], Demeter[Ceres],Athena[Minerva],Apollo[Sun],Artemis[Diana],Ares[Mars], Hephaestus[Vulcan], Aphrodite[Venus], Hermes[Mercury], and Dionysus[Bacchus].

Let’s start with the description of the Greek Holy Trinity which is made up of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Each presided over one of the three realms of the universe: the sky, the waters and the underworld respectively.

Greek Trinity

1) Zeus [Roman Name-Jupiter]

The King of Greek Gods. He was one of the founders of the Olympian family of the Greek Gods, named so because of their mythical abode atop Mount Olympus. Son of the Titan Kronos and Rhea, he was regarded as the King of Gods and the god of sky, thunder, lightning, weather, law and order, destiny, and kingship. After the defeat of the Titans, Zeus drew lots with his brothers over the division of the cosmos and ended up with guardianship of the heavens. Zeus was lawfully wedded to the Greek Goddess Hera [Juno] but their union was not a peaceful one due to Zeus’ amorous nature.

2) Poseidon [Roman Name-Neptune]

The God of Seas. The second son of Kronos and the brother of Zeus, Poseidon after drawing lots with his brothers Zeus and Hades, ended with the rule over the realm of seas. Poseidon was regarded as the lord of the seas, floods and droughts. Eventually he was also associated with earthquakes and horses. Poseidon’s quarrelsome personality is evident in the stories of him competing with Athena [Minerva] for the dominion over Athens and how he ended up scattering Odysseus’ fleet after the latter blinded Poseidon’s cyclopean son Polyphemus. His image is always perceived with his renowned trident crafted by the Cyclopes.

3) Hades [Roman Name-Pluto]

God of the Underworld. The oldest son of Kronos and thus the eldest among the Olympian Greek Gods, Hades was perceived as a mysterious figure that was held in awe and fear by ordinary Greeks- so much so even the utterance of his name was avoided. Euphemisms were used to refer to him. After the defeat of the Titans, Hades gained rulership over the underworld, a dark and brooding place. The name Hades became synonymous with the underworld. It was considered as the final resting place for the souls of ordinary mortals (while the souls of the heroes and the righteous went to the paradisiacal Elysian Fields) and its lower depths were reserved for the sinners who were put to eternal suffering. It was said to be guarded by a three headed dog Cerberus. Hades’ is not seen much as a protagonist but plays a part when he falls in love with Persephone [Proserpina], daughter of the Greek Goddess Demeter [Ceres] and abducts her.

 

Zeus’ Consorts

1) Hera [Roman Name-Juno]

 Queen of Olympic Greek Gods and Goddesses. Hera was the goddess of marriage, family, women and childbirth. She was the sister and wife of Zeus[Jupiter]. She was seduced by Zeus, who transformed himself into a cuckoo to win her over. The union of Hera and Zeus was unhappy due to the latter’s various affairs with other women- goddesses and mortals alike. Hera was jealous towards all of Zeus’ lovers and his illegitimate children and would continuously torment them. She even agitated a rebellion among the Greek Gods against Zeus. She was depicted as a beautiful woman wearing a crown and holding a lotus-tipped scepter or a pomegranate. Zeus fathered Ares [Mars], Hephaestus [Vulcan] and Hebe [Juventas] with Hera. 

2) Semele

Semele was a mortal princess of Thebes and the youngest daughter of the Phoenician hero Cadmus and Harmonia. Zeus[Jupiter] fell in love with Semele and repeatedly visited her secretly. Hera [Juno] discovered his affair with Semele and disguised as an old woman planted seeds of doubt in her mind and this led to Semele asking Zeus to reveal himself in his divine glory which led to her incineration as mortals could not look upon gods without perishing. Zeus fathered Dionysus [Bacchus] with Semele.

3) Leto [Roman Name-Latona]

The Goddess of motherhood. Leto was a Titan goddess, the daughter of Titans Coeus and Phoebe. When Hera[Juno] discovered that Leto was pregnant by Zeus[Jupiter], she banned her from giving birth on solid land, the mainland or any island but Leto found a barren floating island of Delos which was neither a mainland nor a real island and gave birth there. Zeus fathered the twins Apollo [Sun] and Artemis [Diana] with Leto.

4) Maia

Maia was the daughter of Atlas and Pleione. She was the eldest of the Pleiades referred to as the mountain nymphs. She was explicitly identified with earth in Roman mythology and embodied a concept of growth. She was a shy goddess who dwelt alone in a cave of Cyllene. Zeus raped her in the middle of night secretly and through him she gave birth to Hermes [Mercury].

5) Demeter [Roman Name-Ceres]

The Goddess of harvest, agriculture, grain and bread. She was the daughter of Kronos and Rhea and the sister of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera and Hestia. Demeter was the mother of Persephone [Proserpina] and Iacchus both with Zeus. Demeter was also pursued by Poseidon [Neptune] and to his escape his intentions she changed into a mare but Poseidon also transformed himself into a horse and their resulting offspring was Arion, the winged horse ridden by Heracles [Hercules].

 

Rest of the Greek Pantheon

1)Athena [Roman Name-Minerva]

Goddess of wisdom, warfare and handicrafts.  Also regarded as the patron and protector of Athens, which led to her receiving the name Athena. Her major symbol’s include, owls, olive trees and snakes. Her origin story is of great interest as she is said to have been born from the forehead of her father Zeus [Jupiter], springing forth in her fully mature form draped in armor. Athena [Minerva] was called by her epithet Parthenos which meant ‘virgin’- due to her distaste for illicit affairs. She was also the patron goddess of heroic endeavor and had aided heroes like Perseus, Heracles and Jason through their adventures. She also acted as a guide to Odysseus in Odyssey and in Ovid’s Metamorphoses her feud with the mortal Arachne is a renowned mythical story.

2) Apollo

God of music and dance, oracles, the Sun, healing, archery and more. He is the son of Zeus [Jupiter] and Leto[Latona] and the twin brother of Artemis [Diana]. Apollo was regarded as the patron of Delphi. Embodiment of the beardless, youthful and athletic being (kouros). His symbols include a lyre, a laurel wreath, bow and arrows and a python. He is synonymous with the Sun in Roman Mythology. His mention in Oedipus Rex, his siding with the Trojans in the Trojan War, his connection with Heracles’ story are some of the most well known literature.

3) Artemis [Roman Name-Diana]

Artemis is the goddess of hunt, wilderness, wild animals, the Moon and chastity. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo. Just like Athena [Minerva] she remained chaste eternally. Artemis’ symbols include a bow and arrow, deer, hunting knives and a quiver. Callisto the nymph was also a companion of Artemis [Diana] but the latter turned her into a bear when she learned about her equation with Zeus [Jupiter]. She along with her twin brother Apollo killed Niobe’s 14 children when she disrespected their mother Leto [Latona].

4) Ares [Roman Name- Mars]

Ares was the god of war and courage. The son of Zeus and Hera [Juno], this divine entity epitomized war and destruction in its full glory. The Greeks were not exactly appreciative of Ares’ actions due to his overwhelming nature. His illicit affair with Aphrodite [Venus], the wife of Hephaestus [Vulcan] is one of the most talked about mention of Ares in mythology. His union with Aphrodite led to the birth of Phobos [Pavor] and Deimos [Formido] the personifications of fear and dread respectively.

5) Aphrodite [Roman Name- Venus]

Goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, sexuality and procreation. Her birth according to Hesiod’s Theogony, resulted from the foam produced by Uranus’ genitals and according to Homer’s Iliad, she is mentioned to be born from the union of Zeus and Dione (a female Titan). Her symbols include roses, swans, doves, dolphin and pearl. She was married to Hephaestus [Vulcan]. Being the Goddess of love and pleasure, Aphrodite had many lovers- both Greek gods and mortals including Ares and Adonis and produced a lot of children including Hermaphroditus, Phobos, Harmonia and Aeneas (the ancestor of Remus and Romulus). She is referred to in Book Eighth of the Odyssey by the blind singer Demodocus as the wife of Hephaestus and her illicit affair with Ares.

6) Hephaestus [Roman Name- Vulcan]

Hephaestus is the Greek god of metallurgy, fire, blacksmiths, sculptors, forges and volcanoes. His parents were Zeus [Jupiter] and Hera [Juno] while in many narratives he was said to have no father. He was cast away from Mount Olympus by Hera due to his looks and deformity. Hephaestus made all the weapons of the gods in Olympus. His symbols include hammer, anvil, a pair of tongs and volcano. He married Aphrodite [Venus] the most beautiful goddess, but his domestic life was an unhappy one due to his wife’s numerous affairs.

7) Hermes [Roman Name- Mercury]

Hermes was considered as the messenger of the gods. He is also the god of roads and travelers, merchants, thieves, speed, athletes and cunning. Hermes also acts as guide to the souls into the afterlife. His most well known symbol is the caduceus (short staff entwined by two serpents, surmounted by wings) along with a rooster, winged helmet and a tortoise. In Roman mythology his name was Mercury derived from the Latin word merx meaning ‘merchandise’. He is the son of Zeus and Maia (one of the daughters of Titan Atlas). Hermes as an infant was able to steal the cattle of Apollo and also make a lyre out of the shell of a tortoise. Due to his cunning and intelligence Zeus made him the messenger of gods.

8) Dionysus [Roman Name- Bacchus]

The God of winemaking and wine, grape harvest, vegetation, ritual madness, insanity, festivity and theatre. He was the son of Zeus [Jupiter] and the mortal Semele who is the daughter of Cadmus (the story in Book 3 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses]. His symbols include grapevine, a chalice, ivy and a bull. The followers of Dionysus were mainly women, called bacchantes, who possessed occult powers along with worshipping Dionysus [Bacchus] with uncontrollable frenzy. He is referred to in many books of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

9) Hestia [Roman Name- Vesta]

The Goddess of Hearth. Initially the part of Greek Parthenon (the 12 Olympic Greek Gods) she was replaced by Dionysus [Bacchus] in the later stories. She is considered as the oldest daughter of Kronos and Rhea. Her symbols include the hearth and its fire. Her character was often associated with purity and peace while also being perceived as the deity of domesticity. She was depicted as a modest middle aged woman carrying a staff of flowers in her hand.

 

The researcher of this topic:

 Ashwin Glenson