You might be familiar with Greek Gods more than with Roman Gods, but both of these mythologies often have the same Gods but with different names. The main reason behind this is the fact that most of the Roman Gods are borrowed from Greek mythology. If you want to know more about the difference between Greek and Roman Gods, keep reading.
The Difference Between Greek and Roman Gods
Greek Gods
The Gods which are part of Greek mythology originate from the collection of stories or myths of the ancient Greeks. These stories were about the natural world as well as their heroes and gods. There is no exact date when the Greek Mythology started, but many myths are chronicled in the book The Iliad by Homer which is believed to date 700 years before the Roman civilization. Moreover, it is also thought that Greek mythology may have come from the Egyptians.
Greek Gods were all based on human traits and their actions were determined by their own characteristics. Greek mythology is based on the belief that both deities and mortals are crucial for the progression of life and that the individual’s actions had more consequences than the actions of the group. Likewise, physical works were less important than creativity and each of their Gods were good-looking.
Each Greek God had a perfect physical appearance and was based on human personality traits. According to Greek mythology, the afterlife wasn’t very important and none of the Gods showed interest or concern about the afterlife. The Greeks were definitely more interested in the physical life on earth and thus, mortals used to be rewarded for their good deeds.
Some of the most prominent Greek Gods and Goddesses are considered to be Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Cronus, Aphrodite, Hades, Demeter, Apollo, Athena and Ares.
Roman Gods
The Gods in Roman mythology originate from the mythological beliefs about gods in the city of Ancient Rome and are believed to date 1000 years after the Greeks Gods. The Roman myths and Gods are chronicled in the book Aeneid.
The Roman Gods weren’t given any human personality traits but are based on objects. In fact, they were only represented in the imagination of the people. According to the Roman mythology, the mortals were required to do a good deed during their life so they can be rewarded in the afterlife. All mortals aimed to do a good deed in order to gain a place among the gods in heaven after they die.
The myths were based on the heroic deeds of gods and were focused on the actions instead of words and mortal life.
Most of the Roman Gods have been borrowed from the Greek Gods, but come with different traits and names. The Roman mythology didn’t care about the actions of mortals as their life was no longer important after doing good deeds to achieve good status in the afterlife. The Roman mythology was considered much less individualistic.
Some of the most well-known Roman Gods and Goddesses include Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Saturn, Venus, Pluto, Ceres, Apollo, Minerva and Mars.
In a nutshell, according to the Antigone Mythology, both the Greeks and the Romans believed in the same gods but the gods were named differently. Nevertheless, the main difference is that Roman Gods are considered to be part of peoples’ imagination while Greek Gods are portrayed as beautiful. Likewise, although the Gods from both mythologies possess the same traits and personalities, they have completely opposite physical appearances. Last but not least, each of the mythology was created in a different era and based on a different reason.
