Nores vs. Greek Essay - 5576 Words

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†¦show more content†¦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. Some of the gods do not have direct counterparts (Thor, Athena and Loki). However, I will provide possib le similarities within the respective mythologies. ASGARD Asgard is sometimes known as Asgarth. It is the realm of the gods and the home of both the Aesir and Vanir. Is is ruled by Odin, the leader of the Norse deities. It is located in the heavens, but is connected to earth by a bridge, known as Bifrost, sometimes referred to as a rainbow. There is also a route from Asgard to the underworld, the domain of Hel. Valhalla, a hall within Asgard, was the palace for fallen kings, warriors who had died in battle and heroes. MT. OLYMPUS Mount Olympus was the home of the Greek gods. It was chosen as their home because of its altitude, for Zeus, the king of the gods, was associated with the sky. Within the mythology, Mt. Olympus was large, foreboding