The Gods Of Greek And Roman Mythology Essay - 1940 Words

At the beginning of the second scene of the Orestes, Choephori, Orestes says that the oracle of Apollo told him that he had to kill Clytemnestra. Orestes says that the oracle told him, â€Å"By not taking their lives my own will be taken but not before tasting great torture and torments† (Aeschylus 56). However, the involvement of the gods goes much farther than just what is described in Choephori and Eumenides. From the events of the Trojan War, to the system of honor that demands that Orestes avenge his father, the gods were the directors of all of the action. The gods of Greek and Roman mythology are portrayed in very human terms. They are fallible, temperamental, and equally prone to anger or happiness toward their human subjects. In these myths, the gods are constantly interacting with their human subjects. They told the future and gave advice through their priests, priestesses, and oracles. They were constantly taking the forms of humans to, in equal parts, test or tease their human subjects. They would come disguised to take lovers or test the faithful. In ancient Greece anyone could be a god in disguise. They could come to you disguised as your family members, neighbors, or strangers that you meet. In Greek mythology there are numerous stories that revolve around the theme of a god comes disguised and not getting the respect they are due. The human that doesn’t respect the god is almost assuredly punished in a brutal way. Unsurprisingly, in ancient Greece everyoneShow MoreRelatedThe Gods Of Greek And Roman Mythology1006 Words   |  5 PagesMany say that the gods of Greek and Roman mythology find their origin to the days of Noah — and I would argue — the time of the Canaanites some 3500 plus years ago. In these stories, we find all sorts of beings that are part human and part divine (gods). Is it just one more coincidence that The Bible teaches that The Antichrist will head up a ten-nation kingdom made up from the old Roman Empire? That The Antichrist himself will eventually become part human and part angel when Satan comes into himRead MoreComparing Roman And Greek Mythology1354 Words   |  6 Pages Roman Vs. Greek Mythology Roman and Greek mythology are full of complexities. Much of Greek and Roman everyday life revolved around these myths. Many similarities are obvious between Roman and Greek mythology because the Romans borrowed a significant amount of their myths and gods from the Greeks. Although Roman and Greek mythology have a few components in common, they also have many various aspects that cause differences in their cultures. First of all; values, morals, traditionsRead MoreGreek And Roman Mythology881 Words   |  4 PagesGreek and Roman Mythology Since the dawn of time, different societies have worshiped gods, believing in their power and being afraid of their fury. People have prayed and made sacrifices in order to achieve the gods mercy and generosity. They believed that, if the gods are in good mood, they will provide people with good weather conditions for growing crops. People needed explanations for different natural phenomena, such as rain, drought, lightning, thunder and earthquake. So, ancient people believedRead MoreGreek Mythology And The Mythology850 Words   |  4 Pagesdepending on which part of the world an individual is in. The Greeks and Romans are both very polytheistic civilizations. They believe in a multitude of gods and creatures, and they have gods for fertility, elements, war, medicine, and a multitude of others. The mythology of these two cultures is exceedingly similar, although for those looking for a more interesting view on the subject, Greek mythology is far superior to Roman mythology. The time period in which mythological tales were told beganRead MoreThe Influence of Ancient Greek Mythology on Modern Society Essay1055 Words   |  5 PagesAncient Greek society fell over 2000 years ago but despite this, its mythology still continues to influence our western society. References to Greek mythology can be found all through time and in our western culture. The influence of Greek mythology can be found in our science, arts and literature and our language. When Ancient Greece fell to the Roman Empire, Rome adapted its mythologies which still influence us today as they have through history. That is not to say that Greek mythology wasn’t influencedRead MoreGreek Mythology Vs Roman Mythology1256 Words   |  6 Pages Greek vs. Roman Mythology The line separating Greek and Roman mythology may seem very fine, but there are actually a few distinct differences between the two. For example, the Greeks and Romans both presented many of their stories orally, however, the Greeks were the first people to begin writing them down. Greek mythology is superior as it puts more emphasis on the role of mortals, the appearance of gods is more relevant, and its origin is more interesting as it was original and came before theRead MoreGreek and Roman Culture Essay examples1240 Words   |  5 PagesGreek and Roman culture, although similar, are very different and interesting. Since the Romans adopted culture from the Greeks, many traditions are the same. When the Romans conquered the Hellenistic cities, they became fascinated with the idea of a Greek style of doing things. All things Greek were now considered popular. This is how much of the Greek way of life made its way into the Roman society. The first part of culture that the Romans adopted was the Greek art. Scores of Greek paintingsRead MoreEssay on Family Relationships in Greek Mythology 1632 Words   |  7 PagesGreek Mythology originated around 775 B.C.E. It all started with Homer’s Iliad and continued on with Hesiod’s Theogany. These were the first two myths to be recorded in Greek Mythology. Both of these myths reveal to us about their understanding of the universe, and about their culture. Not only do they talk about their various gods, and heroes, but they also talk about how they viewed the universe in general (Rosenberg 79). Greek Mythology evolved from two early civilizations, the Mycenaean’s andRead MoreGreek and Roman Gods 1375 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Mythology is a body of stories told to explain the world and its mysteries,† Doctor Scott A. Leonard explains in his article, â€Å"Mythology†. Before the knowledge to provide scientific reasoning towards the worldâ⠂¬â„¢s events, people told myths about heroes, gods and goddesses to explain natural events. (Leonard, â€Å"Mythology†). In mythology, most stories are connected and explain another myth, (Stapleton 42). According to the article â€Å"Roman Gods†, the twelve greatest gods and goddess of Rome were parallelRead MoreSimilarities and Differences between Greek and Roman Gods1010 Words   |  5 Pageslives get their names from? Well the answer could be from Greek or Roman gods. So many things are indeed named after the gods. Like the car company Mercury or the shoe company Nike. There are many gods in both mythologies but this essay will talk about 12 of them, six gods from Greek mythology and six gods from Roman mythology. Each god will have their own corresponding god from the other mythology. Although they might be from different mythologies in essence they are all very similar. If this is an