Nores vs. Greek Greek mythology and Roman mythology are almost identical. This is an accepted fact, as it is widely known that the Romans stole the Greek myths. However, it is very interesting to note that the mythology of the Vikings (Norse) has many similarities with the Greek myths. These myths are, by no means, identical to the Greek ones (like the Roman ones are), but there are very distinct commonalities between the two. I see two possible reasons for this besides pure coincidence. The first has to do with the fact that Norse myths were codified during the Viking era: 780 - 1070. This gives the Norsemen many centuries to become exposed to the Greek (or Roman) myths. The Vikings did travel as far east as the Caspian sea, which is further east than both Italy and Greece. The Norse myths were fashioned after the fall of the Roman empire. During the expansion of the Roman empire, the Romans were able to get all the way to Britain, which is farther west than the Scandinavian countries where these myths originated. The Vikings made many expeditions into Britain. So it is a very realistic thought that the Vikings could have been exposed to the stories of the Greek and Roman gods. It is also possible that the Vikings could have extrapolated parts of the Roman stories into their own. The only two existing primary sources of Norse mythology are the Prose (Elder) Edda, and the Poetic (Younger) Edda. These were written about one thousand to eight hundred years ago respectively. The second factor has to do with mythology as an extension of the society that fashions it. I see mythology as an attempt by a people to explain the powerful forces which affect and shape it, that are beyond its control, such as weather, the elements,... ... middle of paper ... ...christ (translator), The Prose Edda, by Snorri Sturluson, American-Scandanavain Foundation, London, England, 1923 Hodge, Jessica, Who's Who in Classical Mythology, Bison Books Ltd. London, England, 1995 Osborne, Mary Pope, Favorite Norse Myths, Scholastic Inc. New York, New York, 1996 Picard, Barbara Leonie, Tales of the Norse Gods and Heroes, Oxford Univeristy Press, Oxford, England, 1953. WEB PAGES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://grimnir.wiwi.hu-berlin.de/~kroehn/sysnames/myth/nrw_myth.html http://webcom.com/shownet/medea/bulfinch/bullnote.html http://www.intergate.net/uhtml//.jhunt/greek_myth/gvrIntro.html http://www.m3cnet.com/Nic/M/m2a.htm http://www.netusa.net/~jmr/kg/trgods.html http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/mythlinks.html/ http://www.siprelle.com/spirit/norse.html
Why do myths from different cultures around the world address such similar or universal themes? Do we see these same themes in today's myths? Think about how myths explain the unknown and the tribulations of mankind.
Long ago, stories of gods, goddesses, heroes, and monsters in ancient Greece were essential to everyday life. Mythology is a culture’s collective rationalization of events, history, and super natural power. Myths are told to have originated in ancient Greece during but the concepts true source is unknown. Influences mythology has on Greeks and Romans include religion, history, art, and entertainment.
Mythology was used by the ancient worlds to tell their civilizations past and explain the unexplainable. The highly known and studied mythologies include Greek, Roman and Egyptian. However, there is another mythology that is lesser known in terms of popularity, Norse mythology, it is known to date back just as far and even farther in some cases than the more popular mythologies. Even though it is not widely known about, it still contains a vast and detailed history.
The Viking era existed from 800 AD to 1200 AD and during 1000 AD Christianity began to have major influence in the Viking culture (Roesdahl 27). A major religion that shaped the Viking culture is Nordic Paganism (Williams). According to Stephen Henkin who wrote an article called the Viking Fury, the Vikings admired and tried to live up to the character traits they saw their gods portraying(Henkin ). Stephen Henkin suggested that character traits the Vikings saw in the Nordic gods are virile qualities: brutality, anger, lust, and humor (Henkin). The Vikings attempted to try to shape their character from the character traits they saw their gods portraying believing that they should try to acquire these characteristics to make their gods happy. Nordic Paganism was polytheistic with the main gods being Odin, Thor and Frey (“The Pagan Library”).
Let’s begin with an introduction of mythology and its effect on the Roman Empire. The English word myth derives from the Greek word muthos meaning a spoken word or written story. Greeks defined the word mythology as a narration of past events. These were bodies of sacred stories told by early humans to explain the origins of the world. The stories that were shared by early humans dealt with gods and their interactions with humans.
Myths are based on religion, supernatural beings or creators/gods or demigods, and explaining natural phenomena.
In the earliest years of the Vikings, there was little history recorded due to the polytheistic views that they followed. After the Vikings converted to Christianity, there were eventually written documents created pertaining to their existence. In Viking Warfare, I.P. Stephenson states that the Vikings “first described attack took place in AD 789”(11). The Vikings were also known as Norsemen. They were great storytellers, and that is perhaps how society knows so much about them today. The stories that the Norsemen told were called Sagas. Today, Vikings are often depicted as murderous savages, but while they were not pillaging villages they were actually quite a peaceful civilization. There were three countries that Vikings evolved from; Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Although it may seem that all Vikings were on the same side, they quarreled with each other as well. Despite the fact that Viking battles were bloody and gruesome they were also known to be the most hygienic out of many of the earlier civilizations. There was not a huge percentage of Vikings that went out and raided but when they did they made a huge impact on what Vikings are now known for. The success of Viking warfare and raids relied primarily on the uses of armor, weapons, long ships, and battle tactics.
There are many topics to be explored in Ancient Greek mythology. This unique polytheistic religion was based upon myth about anthropomorphic gods and goddesses. It impacted every facet of Grecian life from law and ritual to culture and art. The individual as well as society both influenced the characteristics of the religion and were influenced by the religion itself.
Foster, Mary H., and Mabel H. Cummings. Asgard Stories: Tales from Norse Mythology. New York: Silver, Burdett and Company, 1901. Kindle file.
Myths have been around long before writing, philosophy, science, and literature were invented. Its original purpose was to help humans understand the world around them. For example, Greek, Roman, Babylonian, and Sumerian myths use similar goddess of fruitfulness to explain when food and fruits grow and die during the seasonal changes. For example, Pomona, a Roman goddess, represents fruit trees and Demeter, a Greek goddess, represents harvest. Myths were also before religion. Every religion uses universal mythical themes. The Creation story, the first Man and Woman, and Heaven and Earth are some of the major stories that have been retold using myths. After writing was invented, myths became part of written literature. Works such Moby Dick, Noah’s Ark, and Jonah and the Whale, are also base...
Essentially, there are three typical characteristics of mythology. Classic myths often include gods or supernatural heroes, are “closely linked to religion,” and “generally take place in a primordial age, when the world had not yet achieved its current form” (“Mythology” Wikipedia). Furthermore, myths provide an explanation for the existence of life and how the world came to be.
There are many mythologies in the world, and all of these have things in common as well as differences. A very popular mythology would be Greek mythology, Which many people know about it or at least know of it. Another not as popular mythology is Norse mythology; Norse mythology is the religion of the Norse people. The Norse people are the ancient people of northern Europe (Scandinavia, Iceland, Denmark, Northern Germany etc.) (World Book 259).
Mythology is an essential part of all cultures. Through myth, ancient cultures attempted to explain the world and make sense of their daily lives. Myth helps us to live in the minds and time period of people who lived many centuries ago with no technology, no running water, and a basic education. Greek myth is possibly the most commonly recognized myth simply because it is likely the most developed and best recorded. Modern Greek myth originated around 1000 B.C. in the writings of the famous Greek poet Homer in the Odyssey and the Illiad. Although early Greek myths are often vague and contain many primitive elements regarding their understanding of death, sacrifice, and fate, later myths show Greek culture developed and changed over time.
The Vikings have garnered attention over the years not only for their raiding and trading, but also for the Paganist gods and religion. Similar to many other ancient civilizations, the Vikings leave behind many myths containing tales of their gods and their beliefs. Marvel’s 2011 film Thor serves as an introduction to Norse gods and mythology, but it does fall flat in term of accuracy and detail in certain areas. Despite various large and small-scale changes to its overall plot and characters, Thor has been well-adapted to portray Norse myths as best as possible within an existing Marvel franchise.
In conclusion, myths reflect show us the Greeks view on the world, religion, and nature. Their understanding of the world is both similar and different compared to modern society. Myths also reflect the importance of gods in the Greek society and how each god represented something different. In addition, we can see the role of monsters in myths, what they represent and how were they important. Myths also show us the role of women in society and whether they were as important as men or not.