Mythology: Roman and Greek Gods and Goddesses
In Greek mythology, there was a god or goddess for practically every natural event or phenomenon. All of the gods lived on Mount Olympus. When the Romans borrowed many of the gods from the Greeks, many gods were the same with only different names. For instance, Zeus became Jupiter and Poseidon became Neptune. Some new gods were created and others were left out. Each god had distinguished accomplishments and many things that are known today have a said history involving the gods.Zeus, or the Roman Jupiter, is the father of all direct gods and is symbolized by the thunderbolt or eagle. Mt. Etna was supposedly formed when Zeus buried a giant and angry raging bull in the ground. Hera, or Juno, is Zeus's wife, is the queen of gods and ruler of goddesses. Mars, or Ares, is the goddess of war. Minerva, or Athena, is the goddess of wisdom. Hades, or Pluto, is the ruler of the underworld. Nept
une, or Poseidon, god of the sea, is said to have first created the magical four-legged animals that divided into unicorns and normal horses (Brush and Davis 67). In the famous Trojan War, Achilles was shot in the heel by a poison dart and died. Other beings are also written of, like the half-mortal form of Zeus called Perseus, and Medusa, who had hair locks of rancid snakes and a face that could turn men into stone. Achilles was held by his heel and dipped in sacred water, which made him invulnerable except for his heel. Daedulus built labyrinths for the king's protection, and was threatened to death by him when someone got through them. Many stories of modern times are based on these myths and some people still study them today. This may be familiar as the Janus Mutual Funds company uses a two-faced man as their symbol. Eros, more commonly known as Cupid, was an angel-like boy who practiced archery. Vesta, or Hestia, the goddess of the home and hearth, had 6 priestesses who built a sacred fire with special properties. Janus, the overseer, has two faces pointing in two opposite directions. Atlas was the guarder of sacred golden-apple trees and helped people make maps. He was on a boat that was blown onto Calypso's shore. Some other minor and less important gods and goddesses explain ideas and simply give an explanation to why things happen and what causes them. Supposedly, the mortal won, and the goddess Arachnes was changed into an eight-legged creature (Herzberg 36).
Common topics in this essay:
Brush Davis,
Perseus Medusa,
Strait Mecenes,
Vesta Hestia,
War Achilles,
Odyssey Iliad,
Neptune Poseidon,
Poseidon Neptune,
Mt Etna,
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