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GREEKS vs
ROMANS
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The Greek and Roman Mythologies have
fascinated human beings for centuries, inspiring books, movies,
research, and conversation among those who want to learn more and
who want to share the fables of the Gods and Goddesses. Their
stories (myths or mythos, depending on the origin), their triumphs
and failures, and their imminent
Immortality has been the influence of many other religions,
including Paganism and Norse Mythology.
Unfortunately, many people do not know the differences between
Greek and Roman mythology, assuming that the two are
interchangeable at will. In reality, the two are very different
from one another, and capture almost opposing life values that are
central to the people of the time. Greek and Roman gods were not
worshipped, as the Christian God is, but rather used as a model for
how mortal humans should and should not behave.
The Greeks came first, some 1,000 years before the Romans.
Their most appreciated work, the Iliad, was distributed 700 years
before the Roman's most popular manuscript, the Aeneid. The Iliad
was based on at least 300 years of myths and stories, which were
gathered from the tales passed down by mortal observants, which
certainly correlates with the Christian Bible. It was not meant as
a holy scripture, however, but as a recorded history of the Greek
Gods and Goddesses, who were revered by men during that time.
The Greeks were focused primarily on life on earth, versus the
eventuality of the afterlife. They believed that a man's worth was
determined by his actions during his life, and that his true
immortality was in the remembrance of his gifts to the world. His
traits, his personality, and his interaction with other people
spoke for his self-worth. Gods and Goddesses were based on human
personality traits - such as Love, Honor, Dignity, and Hatred - and
their actions in myths were symbolic of the actions of men. Many
myths involved a mortal or a deity snatching something back from
the Underworld, which illustrated their belief that the afterlife
was not of any concern, and that it was the physical world that was
important.
Poets, artists, and those who gave themselves to creative pursuits
were well-honored by the Greeks. They held creativity above
physical works in the mortal and mythical world; myths reflected
those personal traits and were meant to expose the positive and
negative aspects of humanity. Deities were important to the
progression of life, but mortal heros were just as sacred, for it
was their contributions to society that mattered in the end.
Individualism was also very important; the actions of a group were
not as consequential as the actions of an individual. Men were
responsible for their own well-being, and could not be bothered by
the mistakes of the masses.
Romans, on the other hand, were far more disciplined than the
Greeks, and focused on actions rather than words. Whereas the
Greeks revered the poet, the Romans held up the warrior as the
epitome of sanctity, and rewarded bravery and risks taken by both
mortals and deities. They strongly felt that good deeds on earth
would be well-received in Heaven, and they strove to earn their
place among the Gods in the afterlife. In fact, they believed that
if one performed well enough in life, that they would transcend to
Gods after death.
The Romans adopted many of the myths and deities of the Greeks,
though they changed names and circumstances to support their own
beliefs. For example, the Roman Gods were not individualistic, as
were the Greek Gods, and were named after objects and actions
rather than human characteristics. Myths were rooted in the brave,
heroic acts of the Gods, and rarely displayed the lives of mortals,
because mortal life was not as important as that after death.
Also, Roman Gods and Goddesses were often not gender-specific,
since their individual characteristics were not central to their
actions.
Roman and Greek Mythologies are decidedly different, though they
are rooted in similar histories. A study of their individual
characteristics illustrates the values and beliefs of the Greeks
and Romans respectively, and can offer a better understanding of
how these myths and anecdotes originally came about.
Greek vs Roman Mythology – The Differences and
Similarities of Two Fascinating Cultures (Brandi Noriega Feb 24,
2006)
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/19648/greek_vs_roman_mythology.html