Comparing Selene And Luna In Greek Mythology

One goddess that is very similar in both Greek and Roman mythology is Athena (Greek) and Minerva (Roman). However, many people believe that since Athena and Minerva come from two different cultures and influences they do not share any similarities. This is true to a sense.

Ancient 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 influenced itself – Greek mythology has links with the bible and the early Mycenaean’s. It has also been recognised as one of the earliest forms of paganism.

It has been known that the Romans and the Greeks have had many interactions with each other, whether it would be due to trading or just plain traveling, the stories of their myths have crossed each other in one way or another. This is may be the reason why there are many similarities between Greek and Roman Mythology. Even though a Greek god or goddess may have a different name in Roman Mythology they still performed similar tasks and were worshiped for similar reasons. I will compare and contrast Greek gods with their Roman equivalences to see how similar they truly are to each other. Probably the most famous Greek god, Zeus, was the god of all gods. Born to Cronus and Rhea, he was the ruler of the sky, and had

Greek mythology and Roman mythology both have an importance in both ancient history and the modern world. People often confuse the two and mistake them for each other. They may be similar on paper but they are very different. Greek mythology is more original, had a bigger influence on the ancient people, and has a bigger influence on the modern world.

In Greco-Roman Culture, humans imagine the deities of mythology to be and act certain ways, due to the needs they must fill. People invented certain deities for reasons that align with what they needed from them. To examine how a deity has a certain purpose, one must first examine what they are like. Athena and Ares are examples of deities invented for very specific purposes. One must first look at Athena and Ares’ similarities and differences in relation to their characteristics, their sexuality and physical appearances, as well as their different powers and how they are worshipped, to discover why they were created.

Greek Mythology is strongly based on Roman Mythology. Most of the stories are the same, but the gods have different names. For example, Zeus in Roman Mythology is Jupiter.

“In the modern mind (at least in the modern American mind) Greek and Roman culture and mythology are classed together. An indication of this is that the academic study of the Ancient Greeks and Romans are general put into the same Classics department.”(http://www.hol.gr/greece/mythology/gvrIntro.html) Greek mythology had more individual gods, gods that would have unique characteristics and flaws. There were gods for just

54-55). His chosen name, 'Moon', only reinforces this impression, given the mystic powers that are often ascribed to the moon. In this context, it is especially interesting to note that many cultures associate the moon with femininity, not least of all Greek mythology. Two goddesses, Serene and Artemis, represent the moon while their respective brothers, Helios and Apollo, represent the sun (cf. Roman & Roman).

The only exception is the god of archery, music, medicine, the sun, etc; Apollo. He is the only god that shares the same name in Roman and Greek mythology. The Roman civilization

The Greeks named the Gods/Goddesses after their personality and views, whereas the Romans named them after the planets of our solar system. Both religions are polytheistic, meaning they believe in more than one God. They believe in twelve main Gods/Goddesses. In all actuality, there are over 30 gods and goddesses in each religion, but 12 they talk, fear, and love most. Although Romans got the idea of their religion from the Greeks, they bent the religion and morphed it into their own religion.

In both mytholigies people praise their gods and recieve gifts of recources and happieness. In both there are monsters that the gods and heroes face such as a cyclops. A difference is that they have different gods for example Egyptians have Memon and the Greeks have Achilles. Another difference is that Egyptians never had human interaction with their gods.

In the course “Understanding Greek and Roman Mythology”, we had a chance to deeply immerse to the Ancient Greek world. Myths and stories of about various gods and goddesses, heroes and creatures were interesting. They all tried to explain natural phenomena in a daily life or hierarchical structure of Greek society, its culture and values. Interestingly, Greek mythology is not the only one that represents the particular civilization. There exists other myth and stories that belongs to different cultures.

Roman art was heavily influenced by the Greeks. The Romans adopted their style as well as certain art subjects including mythology. This can be seen on a sarcophagus panel at the Getty Villa in Malibu portraying the myth of Selene and Endymion. In short, the myth states that Selene, the goddess of the moon, fell in love with a mortal, Endymion. Endymion was allowed to choose his death in which he chose eternal sleep. Selene visited him every night which is what is depicted on the sarcophagus panel. The myth is told on the label of the sculpture.

In Greek Mythology, perhaps one of the most rudimental yet one of the most important elements are the Greek Gods and Goddesses. The ancient Greeks created the stories about the lives and journeys of the Greek Gods, known as myths, simply as an endeavor to elucidate nature and all phenomena which were difficult to explain using modern science and logic. These myths about the Gods were spread around the world by explorers and storytellers, and later merged with Greek religion. To this day, numerous myths survived through many writings and through much art. Each of these myths is very unique, and moreover, tells us much about the Greek Gods. The Greek myths in particular convey to us that Greek Gods and Goddesses looked and acted like humans,

Greek mythology and Roman mythology are almost identical. This is an accepted fact, as it is widely known that the Romans stole the Greek myths. However, it is very interesting to note that the mythology of the Vikings (Norse) has many similarities with the Greek myths. These myths are, by no means, identical to the Greek ones (like the Roman ones are), but there are very distinct commonalities between the two. I see two possible reasons for this besides pure coincidence.