![]() Their origin stories and roles are often very similar to each other, but each goddess in Greek culture is a bit different than her Roman counterpart. Zeus often interfered with mortal life on Earth Jupiter was also the god of victory.īoth Greek and Roman cultures worshipped powerful goddesses as well as gods. Neptune was originally the god of freshwater, as the Roman Empire was landlocked for a period of time. Hermes is more of a trickster and thief than Mercury. Vulcan controls volcanic fire and eruptions. Pluto is derived from the Greek plouton meaning “rich,” he collects wealth under the ground, while Hades is more foreboding. God of wine, vegetation, and intoxicationĭionysus is also the Greek god of religion (“spiritual intoxication”).Įros is the god of all love, but Cupid is the god of romantic love and lust. ![]() Saturn is the Roman god of seasons and sowing seeds Rome gave Saturn (father of Jupiter) the same genealogy as Chronos (father of Zeus). Mars, originally god of agriculture, was Rome’s protector, while Ares was deadly to everyone, including Greeks. When Rome reached Greece, they adopted all 12 gods, changed their names to Roman names, and gave them more traditional Roman personalities.Ĭheck out these additional similarities and differences between Greek and Roman gods.Īpollo is also known as Phoebus and has a more imperial role in Roman culture. They added gods with desirable attributes to their pantheon as they expanded the Roman Empire across the world. Greeks and Romans often established societal norms with mythological stories, as gods were not perfect in behavior or personality.īut unlike the Greeks who worshipped the 12 gods of Olympia, Rome worshipped thousands of different gods. Hades was a feared god of the Greek pantheon, but he was also regarded as a fair one, for he provided a balance to life, and of course everyone died.Even though Greek gods predate Roman gods by over 1,000 years, both cultures use mythology to understand the world around them. The pair would be reunited as long as Orpheus did not look back during the exit from the Underworld, but the Greek hero did glance back, and so lost Eurydice until he himself died. Hades was also merciful when Orpheus came and asked for the return of his wife, Eurydice. Hades agreed to the request as long as Cerberus was not hurt during the attempt. Heracles was actually in the Underworld undertaking one of his labours, a labour which involved the kidnapping of Cerberus, but rather than simply take the guard dog, Heracles would ask the permission of the god. Theseus would eventually be released by Heracles, but Pirithous would remain imprisoned for eternity. Hades though was well aware of the plans of the pair, and when they sat down to eat with the god, Hades would ensnare them both within stone chairs. Theseus and Pirithouswould travel together to the Underworld when Pirithous decided that he wanted Persephone to be his wife. Hades would rarely leave his domain, and so stories of the god in Greek mythology were often based around visitors to his realm and even though no living person was supposed to leave the Underworld, many did. Sometimes Hades was thought of as being Death, but in Greek mythology there was a separate god for this role, Thanatos, a son of Nyx. ![]() The soul of the departed were therefore the population of Hades' realm, but the god let the judging be done by others, and instead the god simple appreciated the fear and reverence that his position gave him. The dead would be judged as to how their lives had been led, and eternity might be spent in Tartarus, the Elysian Fields or the nothingness of the Asphodel Meadows. Today, it is common to think of the Greek Underworld as Hell, and indeed the name Hades is often used in place of the word hell, but the ancient Greek realm was more than hell, for whilst it contained Tartarus, the hell pit, it also included the Elysian Fields, paradise. The division was undertaken by the drawing of lots, and so Zeus became lord of heaven and earth, Poseidon received the earth's waters, and Hades was given the Underworld. V ictory meant that the cosmos now needed to be divided between the three sons of Cronus.
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