Greek/Roman Aspects

[U-we-tsi-a-ge-ya]

Howdy,I was just currious to see other peoples take on this:

When it comes to Greek and Roman deities,do you veiw them as different aspects of the same divine being or two totally seperate beings?

The topic came up recently and it got me thinking about it and I'm interested in how others veiw it.

[StarlitNox]

I'm guilty of thinking of them as basically the same, a rose by any other name I guess. XD
Assuming you mean things like Zeus - Jupiter. :3

[U-we-tsi-a-ge-ya]

I'm guilty of thinking of them as basically the same, a rose by any other name I guess. XD
Assuming you mean things like Zeus - Jupiter. :3

Yea,thats what I mean. I probably made it sound really confusing though so I'll re-explain it. What I mean is,Do you beleive that the Greek deities are the same beings as the Roman deities,They simply shift their names and personalities and such,depending on which of their aspects is needed.

[Randi_phx]

I look at it as the same energy but different motives. Greek gods were thought of as more as the brain and Roman gods as more of the braun...if that makes sense.

[U-we-tsi-a-ge-ya]

I look at it as the same energy but different motives. Greek gods were thought of as more as the brain and Roman gods as more of the braun...if that makes sense.

Thats what I've read/heard alot too,that the Roman deities were more War-like than the Greek deities.

[antiquitas]

I consider all deities aspects of each other.
How many Sky Fathers and Earth Mothers can you name?
Who are the Virgin Goddesses you know of?
What about Death/Destruction/Rebirth?

Mainly these are all the same, overlapping deities because the majority of them are from Indo-European cultures.
I can't speak at all to Asian, African, Native American or Pacific Islander deities. I know they can be wholly different from European. But if looking at European myths are any indication, I'll bet that you can group by continent and form hundreds of overlap.

I consider Zeus and Odin (maybe even Thor) to be the same exact personification. I grew up with the Greek pantheon and myths but the name is just a synonym of the others to me. Even the Christian God is the same Sky Father personification.

As for just Greco-Roman.... there is overlap due to acculturation. To me Athena is no different from Minerva and the names are exchangeable. Personifications alter moreso than main deities, but I am not familiar enough with those.

[U-we-tsi-a-ge-ya]

I consider all deities aspects of each other.
How many Sky Fathers and Earth Mothers can you name?
Who are the Virgin Goddesses you know of?
What about Death/Destruction/Rebirth?

Mainly these are all the same, overlapping deities because the majority of them are from Indo-European cultures.
I can't speak at all to Asian, African, Native American or Pacific Islander deities. I know they can be wholly different from European. But if looking at European myths are any indication, I'll bet that you can group by continent and form hundreds of overlap.

I consider Zeus and Odin (maybe even Thor) to be the same exact personification. I grew up with the Greek pantheon and myths but the name is just a synonym of the others to me. Even the Christian God is the same Sky Father personification.

As for just Greco-Roman.... there is overlap due to acculturation. To me Athena is no different from Minerva and the names are exchangeable. Personifications alter moreso than main deities, but I am not familiar enough with those.

That makes sense,thanks for sharing. I tend to blend the greek and roman deities together but other than that,I don't really blend any of the deities together.

[Twinkle]

I don't really see them as the same....the Greek and Roman Gods have different myths and different aspects, and some are not incorporated at all into the Roman Pantheon.

[U-we-tsi-a-ge-ya]

I don't really see them as the same....the Greek and Roman Gods have different myths and different aspects, and some are not incorporated at all into the Roman Pantheon.
That's true,thats why I started this thread. I wanted to hear what others had to say. I'll admit though,I was expecting alot of others to have the same opinion as you.

I've always seen them as the same because.....well,I'm actually not sure why,I just have. I wonder why some people see them as the same and others don't....

[Twinkle]

I think because they have been fused together so long...and the integration of the Greeks into the Roman Empire was a huge influence. Some would argue they are the same...but based on what I posted above, I believe they are two different pantheons, and those that practice Hellenismos and the Religio Romana are not practicing the same religion...although we could easily be called "kissing cousins".

[U-we-tsi-a-ge-ya]

I think because they have been fused together so long...and the integration of the Greeks into the Roman Empire was a huge influence. Some would argue they are the same...but based on what I posted above, I believe they are two different pantheons, and those that practice Hellenismos and the Religio Romana are not practicing the same religion...although we could easily be called "kissing cousins".

Makes sense.

[Agaliha]

I think because they have been fused together so long...and the integration of the Greeks into the Roman Empire was a huge influence. Some would argue they are the same...but based on what I posted above, I believe they are two different pantheons, and those that practice Hellenismos and the Religio Romana are not practicing the same religion...although we could easily be called "kissing cousins".

I see them more like cousins as well.
I see them as similar, but not the same.

Long ago I used to think the Romans just copied the Greeks, but as I started to read and learn (over the years) about the Romans and Hellenic gods, I noticed for many, there were major differences. Also many Roman goes originated as Italic and Etruscan gods, not mere copies of Greek gods. For some, they took on the attributes of their Greek counterparts later on.

Some deities are very similar** and others are less so. For example, the cult of Hestia and Vesta are different, Vesta is far more predominant and established in Roman religion. Mars and Ares are one of the more different ones, even though they're equated with each other. IMO, they're very different, they feel different to me. Mars is associated with things Ares isn't. For example, land, agriculture, crops, boundaries, fertility, protection of cattle, spring, etc. When I was learning about Mars he seemed to share traits associated with Hermes, not Ares. Also, Ares is into war for the sake of war whereas Mars is associated with war and battle to protect land and gain land (to oversimplify). Also, in Rome Mars was much loved and held in great esteem (he was also seen as the father/founder of the Roman people), whereas Ares wasn't so much in Greece (though he was worshipped as one of the Olympians). Venus was originally associated with nature, vines, gardens and (more earthy) things of that sort before she became a "Roman Aphrodite."

There are also Roman deities that have no Greek counterpart, such as Janus, Bona Dea and others.

So for me, I see them as sharing a common thread, but not the same deity.

Obviously with many things there's an element of syncretism, but it's not a perfect system. I remember seeing the Gaulish god Ogmios (similar to Ogma) and reading he was equated with Hercules...which seemed a bit off to me at the time. They both wore a lion's skin and had a club and such. Seemed it was more for physical reasons? Hermes would have made more sense. They're both associated with psychopomping, eloquence, etc. Anyway, my point is, equating the gods can be tricky. It's sometimes based off superficial reasons or aspects. Mars and Ares both engage in war so they must be the same, right? Well, IMO, that's not looking close enough. I wouldn't like it if someone looked at a few of my interests or appearance and lumped me into the same category or thought I was interchangeable as someone else just because we shared some characteristics.



**Apollo, The Dioskouri/Castor & Pollux, Haides/Dis Pater, Herakles/Hercules, etc for example

[Fiamma]

I've always seen them as the same because.....well,I'm actually not sure why,I just have. I wonder why some people see them as the same and others don't....

I think some people see them as different gods because they are, and others because they've been portrayed that way over time. Okay, so I'm biased, I believe that most of them are separate- and I believe that there's a lot of history to that.

A lot of what is often thought of as Roman mythology is really Greek myth with Roman names- for example, Ovid's Metamorphoses consists mostly of retellings of existing Greek myths using the names of the most similar Roman gods. And then when you look at the popularity of mythology in say, 1800's literature, you tend to see Roman names used, even when Greek gods were spoken of, and books like Bullfinch's Mythology and Edith Hamilton's Mythology either used the names mixed together or flat out said that they were the same god called by different names in Greece and Rome. The only one that I believe with any certainty that this DOES apply to is Apollo, who is not one of the dii indigetes, but was widely worshipped in the Greek-controlled parts of Italy pre-Rome, and also appeared in the Etruscan pantheon as Aplu or Apulu.