Greek Vs. Norse Mythology

Zeus can be compared to Superman in the sense that he is powerful, he protects the weak, and punishes the wicked. He is a human-like god in a sense he commits adultery, and is often to his wife Hera. The real life ideals represented by Zeus’s role, is one of a just and powerful character that gets justice against those that are bad and by protecting the good and weak. For Zeus being the god over all the Olympian gods it is quite easy to be powerful and just. In real life instance the justice system is the one to execute injustice through the law, the police and court system. This enables the victims that a sense of justice has been served.

According to the Norse Mythology for Smart People in the article, “THOR,” Thor is the thunder god, who protects Asgard from the giants, “Thor, the brawny thunder god, is the archetype of a loyal and honorable warrior, the ideal toward which the average human warrior aspired. He’s the indefatigable defender of […] Asgard from the encroachments of the giants […].” Thor is described as having similar characteristic of Finn: Loyal and honorable. Thor is also strong and courageous: “His courage and sense of duty are unshakeable, and his physical strength is virtually unmatched,” (THOR).

Thor is one of the most famous of the gods in Norse mythology, well known due to his popularity. Thor is described as having a quick and hot temper, and a love for food. The enemies of the gods, the giants, were on the receiving end of

The Norse mythology hero Thor from the myth “ Thor Unlucky Journey to Jotunheim” and Theseus from the Greek myth “Theseus” are heroes, like Superman and Batman in their own culture . Both have the same tragic flaws which untimely lead them to both of their failures. Theseus and Thor's myths both have different characteristics. Both of these heroes have many different and similar qualities in their culture and their characteristics. Greek mythology are the stories that the Greek society come up with to explain events and natural occurrences that happen in nature and society.

     The main similarity between these two is that they are the king of the gods. Another is that they both value wisdom. Zeus is more focused on law, Odin’s focus is on war.

One of the most prominent groups of ancient teachings is Greek mythology. These myths bestow us with an insight on the gods, heroes, practices, and beliefs of the ancient Greeks. Although there were several Greek gods, Zeus was the supreme ruler of them all. Zeus- powerful, wise, and authoritative, was comparable to the Christian God in numerous ways. But conversely, the two were quite different in many ways as well.

Norse Mythology’s creation started with a giant named Ymir. He emerged from the ground and grew very large from cow’s milk. In time, the god Buri and his wife appeared and gave birth to Bor and Bor’s son was named Odin. Ymir, was evil, and the gods didn’t like it, so they killed him, making his huge body form the earth. His blood became the sea, his flesh became land, his bones became mountains, his hair became the trees, and his

Although Zeus and Thor are alike in many ways, such as their physical appearances and the fact that they are both the god of thunder, their role in mythology is completely different. For example, Zeus is the ruler of men and all gods, while Thor is the protector of men and all gods. Although these roles may sound similar, they are very different. Additionally, Thor loves his father, while Zeus wants to kill his father. Thor’s father, Odin, holds a deep respect for him and appreciates him. On the other hand, Zeus’ father, Cronus, wanted to eat him to get his power. Finally, Zeus has lightning bolts that he can throw down to Earth, while Thor has a hammer that gives him strength.

There are many gods in pantheons. Here are some more known gods and goddesses. The most famous gods are from Greek, Norse, and Egyptian mythologies. There are many king gods in mythologies like Odin, god of war and wisdom and Zeus, God of lightning and the sky. Strangely there are quite a few gods of lightning including Zeus and Thor. There are also many wisdom gods and goddesses some of which are Athena and Odin. And finally the death gods Hades and Osiris from Greek and Egyptian mythologies.

In Norse mythology, Thor is known as the God of Thunder. The Vikings believed that the sound of thunder was caused by Thor. In the Norse myth, Thor and his mighty hammer, Miolnir, take on the destructive giants. It is said that every crack of thunder is Thor dropping his hammer down. (The Encyclopedia of Ancient Myths and Culture 449-455)

I chose to write about Zeus for my independent project. By the time my paper is written and finished, I can only hope to have discovered more and more information about him than at the beginning of this essay. Some things I do want to remember and learn about him are what made him so great, is he the Greek God’s leader, and what did he accomplish? When somebody speaks about Greek mythology, it seems as though everyone wants to talk about Zeus. Another thing that I hear very often when Zeus is mentioned is the fact that he controls/carries the lightning bolt. That is Zeus’s symbol. I have for a long while been itching to take in more about him yet never thought to consider his history until today.

The mythological character and God, Zeus, is portrayed in many ways, by many different people. Hesiod describes Zeus as being relentless in his fury. When he gets mad he unleashes all of his power. If his brother Hades wasn’t in charge of the Underworld, he’d make all of Hell break loose. For example, in Hesiod’s Theogony, which is about when Zeus defeated his father, Cronus, he says, “Then Zeus did not hold back any longer, but now immediately his heart was filled with strength and he showed clearly all his force.” (Morford and Lenardon 85) He tends to treat others, mortals and immortals, very unfairly. Two mortals could do the same exact type of sacrilege towards him, and depending on how he felt that day, he would take two very different approaches to how he would treat them. He also doesn’t take any threats towards him very lightly at all. If anyone ever threatens him, he normally punishes them very severely, if he doesn’t destroy them completely. Hesiod’s approach to Zeus’ behavior is overdramatic, and makes it seem more extreme than it probably would’ve been.

According to Jesse Washington’s article, “How Reality TV is Changing The Way We Live,” one negative way reality TV affects participants in the way they live, is the way depression encounters their life when they are not on camera. In the article, Tyler Barnett admits that, "After being on camera for a month straight, almost 24 hours a day, when I got home I felt very depressed. And I'm not a depressed person," (Washington). Barnett is saying that when he does not have the attention that he had constantly for a month, he feels low and life doesn’t feel exciting anymore. This quote supports the negative effect reality TV brings to the participants of the show because, a former cast member of several reality TV shows, confesses the sudden slump

Zeus was considered to be the leader of the Olympian gods of Mount Olympus. He was the god of the sky and thunder. He had many powers but the most significant was the power to wield lightning bolts. He could hurl lightning bolts at people who defied him or other gods who he was displeased with. He was the youngest child of Cronus and Rhea and was planned to get eaten by Cronus like all of his brothers and sisters before him, but he was hidden from Cronus at Mount Dicte. He then went on to overthrow Cronus and control the gods. He had twenty-four children and some of them were powerful gods. He also had some half god children like Hercules. He lives on the top of Mount Olympus with Hera, his wife.

The supreme ruler and king of gods, Zeus, is often mentioned as Jupiter and the sender of thunder, lightning, rain, and wind (Britannica.com). “Zeus was the first of the gods and a very imposing figure. Often referred to as ‘the father of gods and men,’ he is a sky god who controls lightning.” (Britannica.com) Although the god is labeled most powerful and the mightiest of all, he is not perfect. Zeus is known for his promiscuous action. Often times he fell in love with one woman after the other and attempted to disguise his infidelity from his wife. Zeus left no woman behind in his crazy love-life, the god married and had children with his sister, Hera and. Hera was not Zeus’ only siblings. He also had two brothers, Poseidon and Hades and another sister named Hestia. His parents are known as Cronus and Rhea. Zeus was not just handed the title “god of the sky,” instead him and his two brothers drew lots. The sea was given to Poseidon, the underworld to Hades, and Zeus was named lord of the sky, rain god, and cloud gatherer. The eagle is considered sacred to this god. Zeus also treasures the oak tree. It is often told that the gods will was revealed by the rustling of the oak tree. (Hamilton 27)