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Greek and norse mythology contrast and comparison essay
Greek and norse mythology contrast and comparison essay
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In Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin, Jealousy is a characteristic that all the gods have. They usually can't contain their jealousy and that leads them to do bad things, like killing or punishing people. One god is actually known for being full of envy, her name is Hera. Zeus is always having affairs and not being faithful to his wife, Hera. Because of Zeus’s infedelities, Hera always watches out for him and she can never stop being jealous.
In the time period, the world was full of polytheistic religions, like the Ancient Egyptian religion, and therefore the transition from henotheism to monotheism was extremely significant in history. The start of this transition can be seen in the story of Noah’s ark, especially in comparison to the flood from the Epic of Gilgamesh. These two stories are undeniably linked and share many similarities. An important difference between the two is that the Mesopotamian story contains many gods and the Biblical story only contains one God. Creation myths are essential to a religion because they give an explanation for the origins of the world, and usually revolve around certain deities.
The most important way to think about myths is that they are symbolic stories that attempt to answer difficult human questions about the universe. For instance, where did we and the world come from? And what is the meaning of life?. “We all want to know where we came from, but because our earliest beginnings are lost in the mists of prehistory, we have created myths about our forefathers that are not historical but help to explain current attitudes about our environment, neighbors and customs” (6). Myth functions as a guidance that explains everything that we come into contact with in the universe.
conditions for creations; common motifs in creations myths Have you ever wondered how someone 1,000 miles away can have have the same ideology concerning creation as someone else even though they have no way of even hoping for contact, let alone conversation fruitful enough to spark an exchange of ideas? many myths share many similar ideas such as: humans being created from clay, humans being destroyed by the gods due to an imperfection, and humans being created by the god breathing life into them. this fact does not seem so impressive until one understands the fact that many, if not all of these cultures have not had any contact what-so-ever to many of the cultures that share their ideas. yet we plainly see that they are there throughout a large number of creation myths and logic tells us that there must be a reason behind this coincidence.
Starting off, concurring to what is recorded of Norse Mythology; Thor, is the son of Odin, and the supposed god of thunder. Whilst, thought with the power of wind and lightning; he is considered the strongest within Asgard his home; Thor however, is also the least intellectual amongst them as well. Though, that probably just made his brother Loki’s day; as Thor’s lack of brains made it much easier to trick him; as Loki is the alleged god of pranks after all. Coalescing, Thor’s deficiency of brilliance, amidst his terse strop, as well as the giants of which he fought teasing him and begging for a fight; is the mythological explanation behind the natural wonder that is dubbed a thunderstorm. Furthermore, with the mythological story of
Mythology by Edith Hamilton explains the main notion of Norse and Greek mythologies. The novel is centered around gods, heroes, and how each of them interacted with one another. Instantly Edith clears up the common misunderstanding of mythology. Mythology is often seen as beautiful and peaceful. The lives of ancient people were not euphoric.
When the average person thinks about Vikings they probably imagine muscular, wild eyed, and bearded men ready for battle. Some aspects of that statement might be true, however there are a lot of misconceptions about the Vikings. Among the most common myths about the Vikings is that they wore horned helmets when in fact they did not, instead their helmets were rounded made with leather and metal reinforcements often including a face guard. The idea that Vikings wore horned helmets was invented in the 19th century when they became a romanticized group of people. Gerry Larson an avid explorer of Norwegian heritage says that, “Romantic authors did not know what sort of equipment the heroes of the sagas had used and archaeology as a science did
The classic trickster archetypes represent the traits of deceitfulness, craftiness, and stealthiness. Tricksters will repeatedly annoy the gods to make a name for themselves, or they will commit an act of great proportions, gaining infamy in their respective realms. Others, however, commit an act of trickery that results in punishment, such as the deceitful serpent in Genesis. However, Hermes, from Greek Mythology, used a mischievous act at a young age to gain notoriety and influence later in his life. Rather, Loki, depicted in Norse Mythology, committed malicious acts from his position of power.
Odin and Ymir A myth can be a false statement or story that is not true and a creation can be a story that is not true but it 's how they thought the way of life is created. In the mythical story “Odin and Ymir” they explain how the earth was created in there eyes. There is a place called Niflheim and the characters that are in the story is Ymir “ The First Frost Giant” then formed a cow to be with Ymir. On the third day a new man named Buri and he sad a son named Bor who married a girl named Bestla who is a daughter of one of the giants.
Many ancient civilizations revolved around certain ideas or in this case mythologies. The two most well-known ancient civilizations are the Greek and Roman Empires. Greek Mythology was the collection of stories about gods in the natural world. These stories became the foundation for Roman Mythology 1000 years later.
Greek mythology can be viewed as a mirror to the ancient Greek civilization. Ancient Greek myths and legends often reflected how the Greeks saw themselves. Myths were used by Greeks to make justifications of every existing aspect of earth as well as their own society. In myths, Greek gods & heroes often represented key aspects of the human civilization. From Greek mythology, we can learn about the favorable characteristics of humans, such as their behavior and valuable skills that were approved of by the ancient Greek society.
Each every creation myth is unique in its own way. Of course, creation myths have their similarities, but each of them has at least one detail that separates them from every other myth. The question is how those similarities came about, considering for some of these groups that didn’t even know that each other existed. It would have nearly impossible and extremely unlikely for them to communicate with each other let alone, share their stories with each other. Yet, despite this there are some extremely common themes and events throughout these myths.
The Resemblance of Gods and Humans Throughout all religions, gods have always been seen as superior in every way possible. The division between humans and gods has always been prevalent and prominent. However, when the actions and motives of these gods are truly analyzed, it will become evident that the gods of Greek Mythology merely behave as humans with supernatural powers.
Greek Mythology and its Influences on Modern Society By Jenna Marie A. Macalawa, Lyceum of the Philippines University – Cavite Campus 2014 Myths are not dissimilar to fairy tales, legends, and sagas, but its period is distinctly different from usual existential time. It is considered as an expression of childhood experiences, and it also explains the origin and meaning of the world. According to Long (1994), “The term mythology may describe a certain body of myths, for example, Greek, African, or Scandinavian, or it may refer to the study of myths” (p.694). These collections of narratives are superior when it comes to influencing different areas of knowledge. There are numerous types of mythology, but Ancient Greece is the one that has given an immense influence on modern society.
Since the existence of human beings, there have been creation myths to explain how life existed on the planet. These creation myths have a huge impact on how people view utopia. Nearly every culture or society has its own creation myth, which is just a version of how humans came to exist on the planet Earth. Many religions also have their own versions, such as the Christians, Islamic, and Jewish. Some cultures with creation myths include the Greeks, the Romans, the Norse, the Chinese, the Mayans, the Aztecs, the Incas, the Sumerians, the Japanese, the Korean and the Native Americans.
