Mythology: “Legendary Stories, people, or person. False popular belief” quoted by http://dictionary. reference.
com/browse/mythology+ . Is this the correct definition? Depends on your beliefs. These “false stories” used to be peoples religion! Roman myths! Greek Myths! Olympian Greek Gods who control the sky, water, and hell same with the Roman gods for whom our planets are named after (Romans were the first to name them so therefore....
. ). They had many differences and similarities sometimes the thing that makes them different also made them the same.The way the cities for these “myths” started, the practicality of the way they worship, and others opinions on these so-called “stories”.
In the beginning there was chaos then came Erebus, The place where night and death dwell. Silent, dark, endless. Then Love was born, from love came light and day. From them together (Love and Erebus) came Gaea, the earth came to be. Then Erebus slept with night that gave birth to Ether, Heavenly light, and to Day, earthly light.
Then Night alone produced by herself doom, fate, earth, sleep, and dreams. While Gaea alone gave birth to Uranus, the heavens.Together they produced Cyclones, Hecatoncheires and the titans, but Uranus was a cruel father who hated his children. So he was defeated by his own son, one of the titans; the youngest to be exact.
Coronus, having defeated his father, took over and rules the heavens with his siblings, one of who he married. But he was told by his mother Gaea, that he himself would be defeated by his own son. Zeus was that son, after Zeus who created humans on earth to worship and amuse, him and his brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters (the other gods) the age of the Greek gods and Greece itself was started.This is how the Greeks were started. Yet the Roman’s story for the beginning of Rome was completely different. Both myths were started by the gods, through giving birth to those that would carry on.
Yet in Romans myth’s there were two twin demigods, the sons of the god of war (Mars-Roman/ Ares- Greek), Remes and Romulus there mother was Rhea Silvia a human queen. The brother of Rhea abandoned the twin babies to die so as to keep the throne of Alba Longa, which he seized by imprisoning the King and husband of Rhea.The twins were then found by a she-wolf named Lupa. Afterwards while they were hunting with the cubs found by a shepherd and his wife who raised them into manhood. When the twins found out about their mother, and there king.
They defeated Amuluis (brother of Rhea), and put the king back to his throne. They set out to found their own city. When time came to make decisions. They fought, and Remes is killed and Romulus gets the city, starting the city of Rome. There beginning so different from the beginning of Greece.
So many similarities the main being that even though the gods are different they still are in charge of starting the cycle. While in Greek mythology everything revolves around the Gods. The romans are more open to the thoughts of demi gods and humans being the start of things in there cities. The romans based there history to kindle with the Greeks so that when the expansion was over the change wasn’t so dire for the control. The roman history shows human nature, which is to fight over money, power, decisions and of course women.
While the Greeks showed that the gods could do whatever they wanted whenever and however. The differences between these religions filled in the gaps of the similarities. One of the main reasons people switch religions is because of the practicality according to changing times. Henry changed Catholic religion into Episcopal because he wanted a divorce! One of the main differences between Greek worshipping and Roman worshipping was how practical it was.
By far Roman’s won that fight all the way. While the Greek’s were more ritual and ceremonial types, the Romans were more practical and less poetical.Every roman god had a specific job, something only they were known for, but the Greek god’s that were known by only some, but were in the pantheon were only permitted to be worshipped at homes. So in all the gods of the Greeks were sometimes scattered and un-heard of by other people.
In Greek religion no one was really “appointed” as priest, but in Roman quite the opposite there were specially appointed Pontiffs to lead religious ceremonies that were complicated and minute.Greek’s versions of religious ceremonies weren’t as complicated and could be altered with house types and what not, nlike the romans which could not be altered even the least. Both religions though were very keen on the tradition of sacrifice whether it was a portion of their food or an altogether animal. On top of that both religions worshipped there gods vigorously and the religions gave each god a specific thing to rule over like Zeus/Jupiter the god of the Sky’s, Poseidon/ Neptunes the god of the waters, and Hades/Pluto God of the underworld.
In Both each god is specifically paired with something just because the name is different doesn’t make the power, personality or god different.Opinions are based on the person that is giving them. When people gather together to hear about these “myths” their reactions are usually the same. HA! You have got to be joking?! A god for everything? It’s perfectly normal for people who aren’t polytheistic to have serious issues accepting these religions. These Greek and Roman myths have this in common the fact that they were polytheistic, more than one god. This is why Romans after the expansion had such a hard time accepting the “only one God” way of life.
To them it seemed impossible, One controlling all?!Science thrived in the polytheistic culture of ancient Greece. The Greek and Romans have their opinion of thinking in common and they have the differences of how they pray but the main underline is still there. Like with Islam and Christianity, the basics are the same, just the details of Jesus Christ are the only thing that changed or was different. Same with the Greeks and Romans. So these “false stories” have a background back in the times with Greek Gods, there was no science they needed some way to explain the world so they came up with one.The darkness that was known as earth in the beginning started the story of Greek coming to life while the twin sons of mars started the empire of Rome, The names are different and the ways of worshipping is different but there still worshipping the same gods just with different names, No matter what you think of there “stories” that your own opinion and they opinions about these myths might change the stories might change but the base will always be the same its just the details that change.
So what do you think? Was dictionary. com’s definition right? Or would you rather called these forgotten exaggerated truths?
