What is mythology? According to Merriam-Webster, mythology is: “The myths dealing with the gods, demigods, and legendary heroes of a particular people” (Merriam Webster Dictionary). The Roman and Greek religions were a central part of the lives of the Roman and Greek peoples. These two vastly different cultures were unified through their similarities in the religions. Both cultures considered themselves as highly religious and thought being highly religious would help them become a world power. It was thought impossible for there to be such a union, but it was accomplished quite easily (Grant, 59).
It has been observed in history that both the Greeks and Romans benefitted from the sharing of the gods. Although …show more content…
In Greek mythology, the gods were categorized by primordial gods, titans, and giants. Roman gods were categorized by triads, the twelve, and Sabine gods. Greek mythology was founded 700 years before the Romans. The origins of mythology are unknown. Gods and goddesses were named after human traits and the Greeks only believed in the underworld. Gods and goddesses were not viewed as all good or all bad in the Greek mythology. Many of the major gods and goddesses were viewed as married couples because of the interactions that were told of in the stories. In Greek mythology, they also acted like humans, and would interact with and even have children with them. Roman mythology was founded 1000 years after the Greeks. The Romans borrowed from Greek mythology. Gods and goddesses were named after objects rather than traits. Romans believed if they did good things in this life they would be rewarded in the afterlife. They buried their dead with money because they believed that if they were rewarded in the afterlife, they would have to pay to cross a lake to get to Paradise. There were seventy-four Greek gods and goddesses, and there were over one hundred and fifty Roman gods and goddesses, yet there were twelve main gods in the Pantheon. Greek mythology lasted until the early 9th century but Roman mythology lasted until the 5th century when Constantine established Christianity as the main religion. There are some …show more content…
Also, the Greeks and the Romans believed in the power of prophecy - whether it came from oracles, who were heavily drugged women that claimed to be able to speak to the different dieties; they studied the movement of the stars, and they believed that they could find messages in fires (also called pyromancy). The Greeks and Romans used prophecy to see if whether one god or another supported a decision that they wanted to make. The Greeks and Romans took things very seriously when it came to their personal lives. Divine approval was sought in affairs ranging from opening a business to invading a country. These religions do have their differences, as