The Hindu Tradition
1.)
Agni
Agni is mentioned as many different things such as: the household priest king god of sacrifice, most brilliant leader of all gods, wish granter, shines up in darkness, guardian of the order, lord of power and master of sacrificed food, always included in sacrifices to other gods, favorite priest, sharp sight of a poet, great speaker who inspires all with his shining speech, the first god to rejoice in human friendship, lord of tribes, the chief priest who finds riches and a combination of Indra (the strongest of all except Agni??) and the wide striding Vishna who is worthy of reverence.
Worshippers of Agni want to: hold a safe household, find riches and treasure, grow as a person in wealth and happiness, give animal (human?) sacrifice to him, be inspired by his speeches, protection of their tribes and always be granted what they wish for.
Angiras
Angiras was mentioned just once in this text as the mediator between heaven and Earth. This name is related to the English word: Angel.
Varuna
Varuna was said to have spread out the Earth, extended the air above the trees, put strength in horses, milk in cows, will power in the heart, fire in waters, the sun in heaven, Soma upon the mountains, caused rain by pouring his leather bag, moistened the Earth, to be the magic (maya) worker and measured the Earth to the Sun with a measuring rod.
Worshippers of Varuna ask for reconciliation from him and forgiveness of sins or offenses.
Mitra and Aryaman
These two were listed but there were not any writings about them except that they did have powers. I wonder whether Aryaman is the Leader of the gods for the Aryan people or tribe.
Manu
The first man on Earth according to the Rig Veda, he is the Clan founder or Adam, Noah, Abraham or Moses. He is only listed on these texts.
Indra
Indra is mentioned in these texts as: the bull, the strongest of all that exist (except Agni??), he is one of the most honored besides Agni, the warrior king of 33 gods of Manu, wielder of thunderbolt, a killer of dragons, killer of the first born dragon, overpowering the wily tricksters, the god who brought forth the sun, heaven and dawn, not having anymore enemies after Vritra, the greatest enemy of Indra, who challenged Indra, who is without shoulders. Indra killed Vritra with a thunderbolt, broke his nose and crushed him.
The Bible contains many stories of people having an encounter with angels. An encounter alludes to an unexpected meeting. The word “angel” is a transliteration from the Hebrew word “mal’ak” in the Old Testament (Strong’s H4397) and the Greek word “angelos” in the New Testament (Strong’s G32). Both words mean “messenger” and describes one who executes the plan and will of the person whom they serve.
Many authors have employed the religious beliefs of their cultures in literature. The deities contained in Homer’s Odyssey and in the Biblical book of Exodus reflect the nature of the gods in their respective societies. Upon examination of these two works, there are three major areas where the gods of the Greek epic seem to directly contrast the nature of the God of the Israelites: the way problems are solved, the prestige and status that separates the divine from the masses, and the extent of power among the immortal beings.
Aeneas was a Pagan and his world was full of many gods, who he spoke to often. There are many times when Aeneas spoke and prayed to different gods to help him along his journey, one example being when he was told that his fate was to go to Italy to settle. There is also a time when Aeneas is going through the underworld and speaks with his dead father, and learns the fate of the reused souls will be his descendants in their new land. These things show that Aeneas’ religious experiences are much different from Sir Gawain’s religious experiences. Sir Gawain is a devout Christian who unlike Aeneas only prays to one god for everything. God is not as present in Sir Gawain’s time as it was in Aeneas’ time, he did not play a direct part and come down and speak to Gawain throughout the story as Aeneas’ gods did. Though they may not be the same religion, they are both faithful in their gods and show that throughout the
Mithras is the Roman name for the Indo-Iranian god Mitra, or Mithra, as he was called by the Persians. Mitra is part of the Hindu pantheon, and Mithra is one of several yazatas (minor deities) under Ahura-Mazda in the Zoroastrian pantheon. Mithra is the god of the airy light between heaven and earth, but he is also associated with the light of the sun, and with contracts and mediation. Neither in Hinduism nor in Zoroastrianism did Mitra/Mithra have his own cult. Mitra is mentioned in the Hindu Vedas, while Mithra is is the subject of Yashts (hymns) in the Zoroastrian Avesta, a text compiled during the Sassanian period (224-640 CE) to preserve a much older oral tradition.
gods, each given a personality and purpose. And was the subject of many myths and legends that would be told for many generations to come. They were to become the basis for a religion that would last for hundreds of years and would yield thousands of followers to believe in the made stories of these enchanted people or gods as they were called.
When ancient people look to understand religion, it is easier for them to relate to a higher power, also known as a god. Throughout the world and through time, there have been hundreds of different religions that have been established, and in the writings by people of these various groups there are often stories about conversation with the gods. This helps other people in understanding and conforming to the same beliefs. Two of such examples of this style of analyzing what gods are, are found in St. Augustine’s Confessions and The Bhagavad Gita.
...n - (or ANU in the Babaylonian belief).He was the king of the Gods. Ishtar is Anu's second child, daughter of Anu and Antum. She is the goddess of love, procreation, and war. She is armed with a quiver and bow, and her sacred animal is the lion. Her temples have special prostitutes of both genders. The Eanna in Uruk is dedicated both to her and Anu. Even though Anu was a major god and Ishtar a minor goddess, they both were important were believed in heavily in order to build ziggurats for them.
“There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar ; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made. And he spoke to them, propounding them to themes of music; and they sang before him and he was glad.” (...
A goddess in ancient Mesopotamia is considered a woman who is of the highest ranking and deserves the highest respect to be considered by men (Thompson). Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, has a small, destructive role in the epic. She essentially lets all fire and brimstone loose, which leads to a battle with Enkidu and Gilgamesh, which in turn leads to Enkidu getting the death penalty from the gods, which sends Gilgamesh off to his failed quest for immortality (shmoop). One more
Mesopotamia were a polytheistic group of civilization. Meaning they believed in more than one god. Some of the gods that they believed in was... An, Sky god, as well as father of the gods, An was the king of all the gods. There was no art depicting him, all information about this god was translated from ancient texts. Then there is enki God of fresh water, known for his wisdom. He was depicted as a bearded man with water flowing around him. There is lnanna, Goddess of love, fertility, and war. She was the most important of the female deities. Also nanna God of the moon and the son of Enlil and Ninlil. He travels across the sky in his small boat of woven twigs, surrounded by the planets and stars. Lastly utu God of the sun and of justice. Between the time when the sun sets in the west and rises in the east he is in the underworld, where he decrees the fate of the
Unlike “The Song of Creation” from the Rig Veda, the Popol Vuh thought the earth and humanity were birthed from spiritual gods. The Mayans believed in several higher powers and lionized them all. Both cultures had their individual views on how the earth was formed, who were the first humans, and who created them. This contradiction builds on the many aspects of today’s reality and how did it all begin.
In conclusion, through the remained literatures of the ancient Greeks, one can see that the Greeks believed that they were created to glorify their gods and that the exchange between human beings and gods are obvious. Hence, one should please the gods to be blessed.
Akhenaten was a major change maker to Egypt. He forgot 2,000 years of Egyptian history overnight. He made all of Egypt worship one god, Aten the sun god. The royal family only worshiped Aten the common people worshiped the royal family. Akhenaten was not strictly monotheistic compared to the Israelites. In inscriptions they mention solar gods and other abstract ideas of Akhenaten’s religion.
Hindu mythology has interesting theories on how the Earth was created and the reincarnation of people, Hinduism is very different to many other mythologies and has some unique key features that make it stand out from the rest. History tells that there are over 330 million gods in Hindu mythology. There are six main gods in Hinduism. Hindu’s have an interesting belief of what happens to them after death, the afterlife Hindus believe in must be met by accomplishing a goal. Hinduism is a unique belief in many gods, the life cycle and reincarnation of its people.