Difference Between Greek and Roman Gods
It is known that mythology is the study and interpretation of the set of myths and legends that are part of a certain culture. Also, it is in charge of the study of its origins and the elements that compose it. Mythology, then, varies depending on the people or culture that is the object of study, encompassing a set of popular knowledge and beliefs that generally start from the creation of the world, because, in general, each culture has their own theories about the creation of the world.
Both the Greek and Roman civilizations had their own beliefs on this subject, therefore, their mythology is very old and is known worldwide for the importance it had in different studies. For example, the names of the signs of the zodiac and the planets come from Greek or Roman deities.
For this reason, the study of Greek mythology has its implications in the current world, as we know it. In the same order of ideas, each of these cultures had their own deities or mythological gods. Also, Greek mythology is older than Roman mythology, so many of the Roman gods have their origin in the Greek gods. Some of these gods are presented with minimal differences in their names, which in the case of Roman mythology come from words of Latin origin.
This article aims to establish the differences between the gods belonging to Greek mythology and Roman mythology. Before establishing these differences, it is necessary to point out the definitions of Greek and Roman gods.
greek gods
Unlike monotheistic cultures and religions that believe in a single god, the Greek culture had infinities of gods. In most cases, these gods represented the strength and power of nature. Since the highest mountain in Greece is Mount Olympus, it was believed that this was the place where the most important gods of their mythology lived and that they had an important influence on people’s lives and their teachings served to direct the life of men.
An example of a Greek god is Poseidon, god of seas, rivers, and oceans. His biggest flaw was anger, he was not a compassionate god but implacable. His greatest virtues were being an animal lover and being a very competitive god.
roman gods
The vast majority of Roman gods derived from the fusion of Roman culture with the contributions of Greek mythology. Therefore, they are by definition the same gods but with differences in their names and some virtues or functions that were attributed to them. However, the Romans had a very different way of conceiving their gods and, like the Greek gods, they had an influence on men, their lives and their way of acting.
An example of a Roman god is Neptune (in Greek, Poseidon) god of the seas and earthquakes whose power lay in causing earthquakes and great maritime storms, so no man should provoke his wrath.
As has been shown, there are differences between the gods of Greek mythology and the gods of Roman mythology. However, the most notable differences are listed below:
| greek gods | roman gods |
| The Greek gods derive from beliefs regarding the origins and creation of the world. | The Roman gods come from literature and the fusion of their culture with the influence of Greek culture. |
| The Greek gods were created by spirits of greater wisdom. | The Roman gods were created in response to the needs of the inhabitants. |
| The Greek gods acted like human beings, with virtues and defects typical of the human species. His performances influenced people. | The Roman gods were not considered to act like human beings. However, it was believed that they could influence men. |
