Greek and Roman Mythology - Essay Example

Greek and Roman Mythology Every community has its story to tell about its origin and to explain extraordinary events such as earthquakes and the origin of the world. The Greeks and Romans are no exceptions as their myths though similar in some instances, are quite different. In fact, it is believed that the Romans borrowed their myths from the Greeks and that explains why the gods and goddesses of Greeks have a counterpart Roman gods and goddesses. To give an example, Zeus is the ruler of Greek gods and goddesses but has an equivalent in Rome named Jupiter. These deities are believed to be having a hand in many happenings in those communities whether it is in times of war, plenty or calamity. These myths are passed down generations through narratives, poems, music, plays, parables, or riddles and come to be accepted as the way of life and to explain mysterious events, to glorify heroes, describe the nature of the world, and justify religious practices. For example, the Ancient Greeks believed in gods and that Zeus was their leader. This myth is acceptable even now and events such as the Olympics are founded on this myth. Whilst the Greek mythology was mostly based on religion and explained things in terms of miraculous events, the Roman mythology was treated as historical and practical terms even if they were supernatural events. Roman mythology was more about politics and morality. Greeks also believed in existence of giants and monsters hence their myths were more developed than the Romans. Another great difference was that Greek gods had human personality, more beautiful than humans and could mingle with mortals while Roman gods were a product of the imagination hence no features were attributable to them. This paper will aim at differentiating Greek mythology from Roman mythology. This will be achieved through use of the creation story, the different roles and nature of gods, and heroic stories such as Odyssey for Greeks and Aenea for Romans. The Greek myths had been in existence long before Roman myths and are believed to have influenced the latter. The myths are used to explain things that in contemporary world are either explained by science or biblical teachings. For example, today people attribute the creation story with biblical teachings in the book of Genesis where God created heaven and earth, the water bodies, earth creatures and lastly men. The ancient Greeks had a very different myth about the origin of the world. In the first place, they believed that the world is flat and round and that their native land was its epicenter and to be precise, Delphi which they declared to be a holy place for their entire race (Tatlock 4). Hesiod in his work, works and days gives a historical account of this creation. The ancient Greeks and especially poets believed that the world came into being through birth or generation just like plants and flowers were sprouting up from the ground. The earth was chaotic, swirling and formless mass. Chaos consisted of Erebus or darkness which made the night and Aether or lightness which made the day. Uranus and Gaea were united by Eros to become the parents of Titans and Cyclopes. These Cyclopes were thunders, lightning and thunderbolt. They also gave birth to a hundred- handed giants representing violence of the sea. However, Uranus was afraid of his own children hence banished them underground prompting Gaea to seek the help of the Titans. Her child Cronus thus came to her rescue by overthrowing his own father and sending him underground. He then married his sister Rhea and was blessed with twelve children who became the Olympian gods. Now Cronus feared the same fate as his father would befall him thus he began swallowing the children as soon as they were born but Rhea decided to save her last child Zeus (Jupiter) by sending him to a cave in Crete where he was looked after by priests. Other children included: Hestia (Vesta), Demeter (Ceres), Hera (Juno), Poseidon (Neptune) and Hades (Pluto) (Tatlock 4-7). One feature about Greek gods is that they were immortal hence Cronus was still living. Once grown up, Zeus forced him to disgorge the children he had swallowed and they all found a sanctuary at mount Olympus. However, his father did not take it lightly and war ensued for 10years forcing Zeus to seek help of the Cyclopes and hundred-handed giants leading to his victory. This according to the Greeks is how the world came to be. This shows that Greek history is one of violence from the beginning. The Roman story is different as they believe that when Saturn (Cronus) was thrown underground, he took refuge with Sarius the king of Italy and both united to form a very prosperous nation in a period referred as the Golden Age. Another Greek myth has it that the three brothers Zeus, Hade and Poseidon after their victory decided to divide the world. Zeus became the king and the sky-god, Poseidon was to command the waters while Hades was given dominion over the underground and the dead. Gaea though she supported the revolution, she was not happy with the children hence released Typhon a monster with one hundred serpent heads and throat that produced sounds that shook the earth to take the world from them (Tatlock 8). However, Zeus used the help of thunderbolt to deal with the monster and buried it underground. This according to this myth is what causes volcanic eruptions as the creature writhes and rumbles underneath. The war was not over yet as Zeus had to fight with more giants who had erupted from the blood of Uranus but once again he defeated them and became the ultimate ruler of heaven and earth. This creation story is a clear show of how myths are used to explain supernatural events. If we begin to ask ourselves about God who is a supernatural being and how he came to be that he created the earth and heaven, we may never get the answer. Myths are a simple way of explaining such events. It is easier to explain that a monster or giant causes earthquakes and volcanoes to children than telling them they are natural events. Each event must have a cause according to ancient tradition. The stories may be different but they try to explain the same phenomenon. Greeks used their mythology to impart some important life lesson and also as a way to entertain the people while at the same time, warn the people of any risks or dangers to their way of life. A case in point is the creation story. According to the theory of Hesiod, Titan Prometheus had formed man from clay and goddess Athena the daughter of Zeus had breathed air into them. Prometheus then gave the mortal the gift of fire with which he made tools to hunt and farm for his needs. This was the beginning of civilization. Zeus was not happy with Prometheus for creating mortals and favoring them, he thus deprived them of fire and hence their means of livelihood but Prometheus stole it back from heaven (Hesiod, 56 ff). For this, he was punished by being bound to a rock where eagles fed on his fresh. However, they later reconciled and he was set free by Heracle (Hercules) the son of Zeus. This Greek myth teaches about obedience and reward for being disobedience. The gods and goddesses did punish the mortals for not worshiping or for other wrongs and Zeus as the supreme god also had right to punish lesser gods. This story just like the bible story also depicts a woman as the source of evil but this evil was devised by Zeus. He decided to punish mortals by creating a beautiful woman named Pandora and presented her to Epimetheus (afterthought). Epimetheus had been given a gift jar of blessings and advised not to open but the curious woman opened it leading to the escape of all blessings except hope. Moreover, it brought plagues, diseases and pain that tormented the mortals. This shows just how many different things could be explained in mythical terms by Greeks. These men later became degenerate and Zeus made them to disappear through floods just like God destroyed humans and animals who did not enter the Ark. Only Deucalion the son of Prometheus and his wife Pyrrha survived to extend the race once more. The Greek and Roman mythology also differed on the way they represented their gods. The ancient Greek gods had a human personality in that they could love, hate, be passionate, fight and had bodily forms. The only difference between them and humans was that they were immortal and could change to different forms any time as circumstances dictated. This is evident in many myths such as the marriage of Zeus and Hera. They also bore certain characteristics that enabled them to perform their actions but for Romans, individual characteristics did not matter. Another big difference between Greek and Roman gods is that Roman gods never descended on earth to mingle with mortals. This is because mortal life was not important after death. This is same reason why Romans mythology was based on brave, heroic deeds of gods and not the mortals like the Greeks. Greek gods and goddesses were presented in art as having beautiful bodies, gorgeous muscles, eyes, hair and everything (Hesiod 58ff). Hera the wife of Zeus portrayed most of these characteristics. She was very beautiful and as a symbol of marriage her role was to guard the marriage institution but she was very jealous and hateful. Zeus on the other hand, was mischievous, unfaithful and sometimes cruel. He had a lot of wives both gods and mortals or nymphs and Hera hated this. Whoever messed around with her husband bore her full wrath (Homer, Iliad VIII.18.ff). Greek god Zeus was the sky-god and used thunderbolt as his weapon. He also ensured maintenance of law and order and to ensure that all men are hospitable. In some occasions, he did visit mortals with his messenger Hermes (Mercury) to test the hospitality of men. One time he did turn the whole village into a marsh for their refusal to accept them except an old couple (Hesiod, works and days). He was the most powerful among the gods and had married his sister Hera. His marriage to different goddesses and maidens signified the diversity of Greece people as each state had to have a hero who was the son of Zeus. He had right to punish or reward those who obeyed the law. For example, he rewarded Amphion and Zethus by making them kings of Thebes for dealing ruthlessly with Dirce and Lycus for mistreating their mother and his wife. As for his appearance, he was majestic and powerful god. He was represented as seated on a throne holding scepter or spear and on the other hand, thunderbolt. Greeks did perform the Olympics every four years to show off their might and in honor of Zeus. Jupiter was the Roman god equivalent to Zeus. He also had temples built in his honor in Italy and his temple was in Alban Mountains and was worshipped at Capitoline Hill in Rome just as Zeus was worshipped in Olympia (Tatlock 36). Jupiter was the guardian of state and giver of victory in war and protector of right and truth and sanctity of oaths. His wife was Juno whose role was similar to that of Hera. Juno (Hera) has a special dislike for Trojans as a Trojan prince had been offered the place of a cup-bearer which previously belonged to her daughter Hebe. Another important myth is odyssey which is more or less similar to Aenea of the Romans. The ancient Greeks used their myths to teach a particular lesson for the populace such as how men should not succumb to temptations or otherwise they will perish. This had been a theme in Odyssey wherein Odysseus was held captive as a sex slave (although unwillingly at that) in the secret and remote island owned by the goddess Kalypso. Odyssey is about a Greek hero who wandered in various places after the Trojan War before reaching his home in Ithaca (Homer, Odyssey). He had been active in the battle leading the Greeks to victory in capturing Helen the wife of Menelaus who had been captured by a Trojan prince. All those Greeks returning home suffered same fate and some died due to the many desecrations and cruelty they had committed against people of Troy. Aeneas was a Roman myth also concerning the Trojan War but in this case Aenea fled from Trojan to follow his destiny which was to found a city in Italy (Virgil, Aeneid). He was a Trojan Hero and founder of the Roman race and son of Venus (Aphrodite) and Anchises. In the midst of war, he carried his father and family out of the city and began voyage to Italy. On his way to Italy just like Odyssey the gods especially Juno (Hera) made his life difficult. Juno first wrecked the fleets so that Aenea could not reach Carthage and conquer it as it was her favorite. At Carthage he fell in love with Dido but since that was not his destiny, he had to leave and as a result, Dido committed suicide. He then went underworld where his father Achilles showed him his fate. On reaching Latium, King Latinus offered him his daughter Lativia in marriage but she was already betrothed to Turnus a war erupted 9Ovid, Metamorphoses 14). He later defeated him on one-on-one combat. The Aenea Trojans intermarried with native Latinos to form the Roman race. This shows the character of Roman gods who are practical thus dutiful, patient and self-sacrificing. This is also a character of Roman myths to integrate own legendary story with myths of Greek city-states using bridging figures such as Aenea. Greeks on the other hand, stressed interaction of gods, men and monsters and this is reflected in the voyage of odyssey who fell into the hands of a giants and Cyclops on his way. Conclusion There is a substantial difference between Greek mythology and Roman mythology even though Roman mythology is more of duplicate copy of Greek mythology. Both have similar gods who perform the same functions but the Roman gods are borrowed from the Greeks, only the name changes. For example we have Zeus (Jupiter) and Hera (Juno). Only Apollo remains same in both mythologies. The difference is that Greeks stress the supernatural as well as interaction of gods, humans, giants and monsters and bear human figures even though they are more beautiful. Roman gods are imaginary hence do have traits, are thinly sketched and are also practical. Zeus differs with Jupiter in that Jupiter has absolute power over life and death but Zeus conforms to fate to a certain extent. Jupiter is worshipped as Optimus-Maximus (best and greatest) but Zeus is worshipped in religion. However, both mythologies do warn people of consequences of bad behavior and punish them accordingly. Works Cited Tatlock, Jessie M. Greek and Roman Mythology. Wildside Press, 2008. Print. Hesiod. Works and Days. Trans. A.W.Mair Homer. Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York, NY: Penguin, 1997. Ovid. Metamorphoses. Trans. David Raeburn. New York: Penguin, 2004. Virgil. Aeneid. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage, 1990. Read More