Difference Between Greek Gods and Roman Gods

Greek Gods vs Roman Gods
 

Greek Gods and Roman Gods showed enormous differences between them when it comes to the mythological stories involving them, the fables, and the like. It is indeed interesting to note that many religious practices of the Romans were taken from the Greeks. Hence, it can be said that the Greek Gods influenced the Roman Gods to a great extent. However, you will see that once Greek Gods found their way into Rome, the general attitudes of the Gods changed to suit the Roman culture. In this article, we will explore more about the Greek Gods as well as the Roman Gods.

Who are Greek Gods?

Greek Gods are the Gods worshipped by the Greek during the times of the Greek civilization. Just like the people living in Greece during this civilization, the Greek Gods too were more peaceful. They were symbols of the Greek culture.

Some of the Greek Gods are Hades, Hera, Hephaestus, Dionysus, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Zeus, and Demeter. Each God was assigned to some task. Zeus is the Gods of Sky and Wind. He is also the leader of the Gods. So, Zeus was much feared and was considered very powerful. Hercules is a son of Zeus. Poseidon is the god of seas. Hades is the god of the underworld. As you can see, all the tasks assigned to each god are essential parts for people to live. People needed rain, wind, and water to live and, once they died, they needed a place to go.

Who are Roman Gods?

Roman Gods are the Gods worshipped by the Romans during the times of the Roman civilization. Romans were people born to fight and conquer other lands. As a result, their depiction of gods was also of immortal beings who were most ready to fight than to keep a peaceful appearance. The interesting fact is that the Roman Gods are the Roman counterparts of the Greek Gods with slight differences.

Ceres (Demeter), Pluto (Hades), Mercury (Hermes), Mars (Ares), Diana (Artemis), Minerva (Athena), Neptune (Poseidon), Liber (Dionysus), Vesta (Hestia), Juno (Hera), and Jupiter (Zeus) are some of the Roman gods known in Roman mythology. These gods were assigned the same tasks as their Greek counterparts. However, some gods may have extra tasks or qualities.

Most of the Roman gods, who have Greek counterparts, have different names from the Greeks. For example, the God of war is Ares in Greek mythology. On the other hand, the same god of war is called by the name Mars in Roman mythology. In fact, it is important to know that Mars officiates as the god of agriculture and fertility too in the Roman mythology whereas, in Greek mythology, it is not so.

On the other hand, Ares is just the god of war in Greek mythology. Another distinction between them is that while Mars is regarded as a highly benevolent god, Ares is looked upon as the god of war who is fearsome. The various gods of Greek mythology and Roman mythology are also different.

Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom. Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom. Dionysus is the Greek God of wine, enjoyment, or diversion. Liber or Bacchusis the Roman god of wine and enjoyment, or diversions. Poseidon is the Greek god of the sea. Neptune is the Roman counterpart of Poseidon. A further research made into the subject of Greek gods and Roman gods shows that there are a good number of similarities too between them. This is possibly because of the fact that Greek mythology has influenced Roman mythology to a large extent.

However, treatment of different Gods can be different in the two cultures. For example, Athena, as the Goddess of wisdom, was much respected by the Greeks. However, Romans did not respect Minerva, Athena’s counterpart, that much. For them, Bellona, Goddess of War was more important as Romans were a nation that was interested in wars. Bellona does not have a Greek counterpart.

What is the difference between Greek Gods and Roman Gods?

• Greek Gods and Roman Gods:

• Greek gods are the gods worshipped by the Greeks during the Greek civilization.

• Roman gods are the gods worshipped by the Romans during the Roman civilization.

• Names:

Every Greek god has a roman counterpart and most of the time they have different names.

• Some of the Greek Gods are Hades, Hera, Hephaestus, Dionysus, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Zeus, and Demeter.

• Ceres (Demeter.), Pluto (Hades), Mercury (Hermes), Mars (Ares), Diana (Artemis), Minerva (Athena), Neptune (Poseidon), Liber (Dionysus), Vesta (Hestia), Juno (Hera), and Jupiter (Zeus) are some of the Roman gods.

• Different Gods:

• All Greek gods have Roman counterparts.

• However, there are some Roman gods such as Bellona, who do not have Greek counterparts.

 

Images Courtesy:

1. Poseidon, the god of the sea by Aavindraa (CC BY-SA 3.0)
2. Mars by  User:Jean-Pol GRANDMONT (CC BY 3.0)