The Sky Lords When the majority of people ponder mythology, tales of Roman Gods such as Jupiter regularly come into view. What many do not know is that nearly every culture in the world was polytheistic at some point in history. The beliefs of the early Scandinavian people: the Vikings, differ drastically from that of the classical Romans. In fact, despite both being gods of the sky, Jupiter and Odin for the Romans and Norse respectively, are unique in both the way they treat men and their personalities. In their various tales and legends the aether rulers are significantly contrasting in terms of how they want to treat mankind. In Greco-Roman mythology, Jupiter is generally depicted as a strong and powerful leader who guides the others to victory against his suppressing father: the titan Saturn. On the …show more content…
He decides to punish another titan, Prometheus (who had earlier helped the gods) for trying to assist mankind. Prometheus had "stolen fire for men" so as payment, he was tortured (Hamilton 72). The barbaric Viking god Odin, and the regal Jupiter could not be any more distinct. Odin is far more interested in achieving knowledge for mankind (and himself) than his classical counterpart. Throughout the ages, Odin "constantly sought for more wisdom" (322). He even gave up one of his own eyes to learn runes (essentially the viking form of writing). One of the first things he did with them was pass "the hard-won knowledge" to men"(323). Additionally, Odin and the other gods plan to use mankind as allies in their final battle against evil (314-315). These two accounts help to paint a