GREEK MYTHOLOGY COMPARED TO NORSE MYTHOLOGY
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порівняння грецької та скандинавської міфологій
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, and nature. I also see gods as being characters that have many similarities with the people within the society. The gods and goddesses are powerful beings capable of super-human powers, but nevertheless are characters fraught with very human frailties and flaws. In this way they created gods that had similarities with the common man in the society. This made the gods more tangible and easier to identify with. I think that this was necessary because they were not yet at the societal maturity level to have a single god on a cosmic plane.
Most of the comparisons will be examining the similarities between major Greek and Norse gods, as well as creatures, stories and specific symbols which are featured in the mythologies.
APHRODITIE
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, reproduction, laughter and sexuality. She was born from foam, which is what her name means. She sprang fully-grown from this white foam as the severed genitals of Uranos fell into the sea. As she is the god of sexuality and reproduction she has mothered many children. One of her most famous lovers was Ares. It is interesting to note that she was the patroness of prostitutes.
Her power over the heart was reinforced by a special belt or girdle.
FREYIA
Freyia is the goddess of love, fertility, war, and wealth. She was the daughter of Njord, and the sister of Frey. Her daughter, by her husband, Od, is named Hnoss, who is so beautiful that whatever is valuable and lovely is named "treasure" after her. She lived in Folkvang (battlefield) and each day chose half of the slain warriors to split with Odin. She somehow lost her husband, Od, and cried golden tears for him. Many believe Od is Odin. Her chariot was drawn by cats and she owned the precious Brisinga-men's necklace, which she acquired by sleeping with four dwarves. She also owned a feather coat which she could use to fly between the worlds.
She was also known as the goddess of magic and divination.
Freyia was one of the few Norse female characters who had a major role, an exception to the general rule of lower status for goddesses compared to gods. She was revered by women.
Some sources say Friday is named after her.
DIRECT COMPARISON
Both Aphrodite and Freyia are goddesses of love and fertility/reproduction. In keeping with the apparent Norse acceptance of infidelity, Freyia is much more a goddess of lust, being identified with sexual freedom. In this way she was almost identical to Aphrodite, as both were well-known for their numerous partners.
While one of Freyia's prized possessions was her famous necklace, Aphrodite, similarly, was renowned for her girdle. In many stories, both goddesses were asked to "lend" these adornments to others.
Because of her association with divination, Freyia has some of the characteristics which the Greeks assigned to Apollo.
ULL
Ull is the goddess of archery and the hunt and according to some she is also the patron goddess of skiers and the snowshoe. Her weapon is a longbow made out of yew. She lived in Ydal (Yew Dales.) She was called upon for help in duels. She was the daughter (or step-daughter) of Thor and Sif (or Ovandrill, depending on the source). Her name, which means glorious, is a part of many place names, therefore, she is considered to be an ancient goddess who was widely worshipped. It is believed that at one time she was one of the highest gods.
ARTEMIS
Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and childbirth. She is the twin sister of Apollo. She is the daughter of the Titan, Leto, and Zeus. Artemis, like her brother Apollo, possessed a wide range of divine attributes. She was a virgin and very protective of her chastity. She was also famous for her wrath. This was usually displayed when someone tried to seduce her. Artemis is also known as the goddess of the moon, as her brother is the god of the sun.
DIRECT COMPARISON
Artemis is the goddess of the moon, and of the hunt. Ull is also identified with hunting, but not the moon. Both mythologies, interestingly enough, identified females for the deity associated with hunting. But again, Ull is not a major player in the Norse myths, especially in comparison with Artemis, who had a fairly lage role. Ull is not known as being a virgin, but she is known for her vengeful thoughts. This is displayed in her constant hatred for Loki, for killing her father even after they had made a truce. This is in many ways a lot like Artemis and her wrath. She would not forgive anyone that tried to seduce her.
Both of these goddesses were symbolized by a longbow. Ull was also known for skiing and snowshoeing. It is not a surprise that Artemis was not identified with these, as there just isn't a lot of snow in Greece.
The important fact is that it seems that both are powerful women characters. This is especially important in the case of Ull because of the usual lesser status of female figures women in Norse myths. However, to reinforce the dominance of males, in some of the sources, Ull was displayed as being male. It may have been too problematical for the Norse to have a deity that was both powerful and female.
знайшла на http://webhome.idirect.com/~donlong/
порівняння грецької та скандинавської міфологій
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, and nature. I also see gods as being characters that have many similarities with the people within the society. The gods and goddesses are powerful beings capable of super-human powers, but nevertheless are characters fraught with very human frailties and flaws. In this way they created gods that had similarities with the common man in the society. This made the gods more tangible and easier to identify with. I think that this was necessary because they were not yet at the societal maturity level to have a single god on a cosmic plane.
Most of the comparisons will be examining the similarities between major Greek and Norse gods, as well as creatures, stories and specific symbols which are featured in the mythologies.
APHRODITIE
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, reproduction, laughter and sexuality. She was born from foam, which is what her name means. She sprang fully-grown from this white foam as the severed genitals of Uranos fell into the sea. As she is the god of sexuality and reproduction she has mothered many children. One of her most famous lovers was Ares. It is interesting to note that she was the patroness of prostitutes.
Her power over the heart was reinforced by a special belt or girdle.
FREYIA
Freyia is the goddess of love, fertility, war, and wealth. She was the daughter of Njord, and the sister of Frey. Her daughter, by her husband, Od, is named Hnoss, who is so beautiful that whatever is valuable and lovely is named "treasure" after her. She lived in Folkvang (battlefield) and each day chose half of the slain warriors to split with Odin. She somehow lost her husband, Od, and cried golden tears for him. Many believe Od is Odin. Her chariot was drawn by cats and she owned the precious Brisinga-men's necklace, which she acquired by sleeping with four dwarves. She also owned a feather coat which she could use to fly between the worlds.
She was also known as the goddess of magic and divination.
Freyia was one of the few Norse female characters who had a major role, an exception to the general rule of lower status for goddesses compared to gods. She was revered by women.
Some sources say Friday is named after her.
DIRECT COMPARISON
Both Aphrodite and Freyia are goddesses of love and fertility/reproduction. In keeping with the apparent Norse acceptance of infidelity, Freyia is much more a goddess of lust, being identified with sexual freedom. In this way she was almost identical to Aphrodite, as both were well-known for their numerous partners.
While one of Freyia's prized possessions was her famous necklace, Aphrodite, similarly, was renowned for her girdle. In many stories, both goddesses were asked to "lend" these adornments to others.
Because of her association with divination, Freyia has some of the characteristics which the Greeks assigned to Apollo.
ULL
Ull is the goddess of archery and the hunt and according to some she is also the patron goddess of skiers and the snowshoe. Her weapon is a longbow made out of yew. She lived in Ydal (Yew Dales.) She was called upon for help in duels. She was the daughter (or step-daughter) of Thor and Sif (or Ovandrill, depending on the source). Her name, which means glorious, is a part of many place names, therefore, she is considered to be an ancient goddess who was widely worshipped. It is believed that at one time she was one of the highest gods.
ARTEMIS
Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and childbirth. She is the twin sister of Apollo. She is the daughter of the Titan, Leto, and Zeus. Artemis, like her brother Apollo, possessed a wide range of divine attributes. She was a virgin and very protective of her chastity. She was also famous for her wrath. This was usually displayed when someone tried to seduce her. Artemis is also known as the goddess of the moon, as her brother is the god of the sun.
DIRECT COMPARISON
Artemis is the goddess of the moon, and of the hunt. Ull is also identified with hunting, but not the moon. Both mythologies, interestingly enough, identified females for the deity associated with hunting. But again, Ull is not a major player in the Norse myths, especially in comparison with Artemis, who had a fairly lage role. Ull is not known as being a virgin, but she is known for her vengeful thoughts. This is displayed in her constant hatred for Loki, for killing her father even after they had made a truce. This is in many ways a lot like Artemis and her wrath. She would not forgive anyone that tried to seduce her.
Both of these goddesses were symbolized by a longbow. Ull was also known for skiing and snowshoeing. It is not a surprise that Artemis was not identified with these, as there just isn't a lot of snow in Greece.
The important fact is that it seems that both are powerful women characters. This is especially important in the case of Ull because of the usual lesser status of female figures women in Norse myths. However, to reinforce the dominance of males, in some of the sources, Ull was displayed as being male. It may have been too problematical for the Norse to have a deity that was both powerful and female.
знайшла на http://webhome.idirect.com/~donlong/