Gods Essay, Research Paper

The ancient Greek and ancient Roman religion was the belief in gods. They had

similar beliefs, but also vast differences. They came from each other and gave their people

a form of morality. It was composed of many meaningful gods and goddesses that all

played a part in the everyday life of the average Roman and Greek person of that time.

They believed in something called polytheism. It is the belief of many gods; each

given a personality, function, relationship to each other through family, and to be the

subject of many myths and legends that were to be told for many of years to come. They

were to become the basis for a religion that would last for hundreds of years and would

yield thousands of followers to believe in the made stories of these enchanted people or

gods as they were called. ( Grolier)

The Roman mythology was to consist of twelve to thirteen main gods. Each

having a function in the life of the everyday Roman that would require some sort of

worshipping. The Roman gods were taken from the beliefs of the Greek gods. They are

directly descended from their neighboring religion. The Roman mythology consisted of

the high god Jupiter, his wife and sister Juno, son Vulcan, son Mercury, daughter Diana,

daughter Venus, son Mars, daughter Minerva, son Apollo, sister Vesta, brother Pluto,

brother Neptune, and Janus.(www, hunt)

Jupiter was the ruler of the gods. He is also known as Zeus to the Greeks. He

became ruler of the gods through him drawing that lot from his brothers after they

overthrew the Titans. He was the god of sky and rain. He was the keeper of the

thunderbolt which he hurled at anyone that displeased. That is how he is portrayed

through the Greeks, but through the Romans; he was still the ruler of the gods and used

his thunderbolts. They portrayed as the lord of life and death and he never visited

mankind on earth.(www. hunt)

Neptune was the god of the sea. This is the lot he drew from his brothers. He was

worshipped mostly by seaman. He was the creator of the horse and the user of his three-

pronged spear, the trident. It could shake the ground and break any object at will, but in

his Roman sense he was still the god of the sea. It only took longer for him to be noticed

as it. He started out as a minor deity of the water, but his importance increased as the

number of seamen increased. (www. hunt)

Pluto the god of the underworld. This is the lot he drew from his brothers. He is

one of the greediest of the gods and is always looking for more ruling subjects. He is the

god of wealth also because of all the precious metals mined from the earth. He is also the

king of the dead and married to his abducted queen Persephone in the Greek mythology.

(www. hunt)

Vesta was the goddess of the hearth and the symbol of the home. She was the

watcher of households and family activities. She is a virgin goddess and plays no parts in

myths. She is known as Hestia in the Greek religion. (www. hunt)

Juno was the goddess of marriage and the protectress of women. She was the

queen of the heavens. She was the wife and sister to Jupiter.(Grolier) In Greek

mythology She was all and the same. She was forced into marrying Zeus(Jupiter) because

he raped her. To hide her shame she married him.(www. hunt)

Mars was the god of war, agriculture, and of the state. He appeared in three

different ways: Mars Sylvanus, the god of vegetation; Mars Gradivus, the god of war; and

Mars Quirinius, the god of state. (Grolier) In Greek mythology he was also considered

the god of war, but not of the others. He was disliked by his parents and was a coward.

Apollo was the god of music, healing and truth. He was the player of the golden

lyre, shooter of the silver arrows, teacher of medicine to mankind, and god that could not

tell a lie. He was the also the carrier of the Sun across the sky by his chariot of winged

horses. He was represented in the same way in both the Roman and Greek religions.

(www. hunt)

Minerva is the goddess of wisdom, art and craft, and war. She was a deity of the

dawn. She was originally said to be the daughter of the giant Palla, but was later said to

have sprung from the forehead of Jupiter fully armed and grown. (Grolier) That is said in

both religions, but in the Greek religion she is the goddess of the city, handicrafts, and

agriculture. She is the inventor of the bridle, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the

plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She represented reason, wisdom, and purity.

Venus was the carrier of four things in the Roman religion as: Venus Felix; bringer

of luck; Venus Victrix, bringer of victory; Venus Verticordia, protector of female chastity;

and Venus Libentina, patroness of sensual pleasure. (Grolier) In Greek mythology as

Aphrodite, she was the goddess of love, desire, and beauty. She is also said to have a

magic girdle that makes anyone she wishes to desire her. (www. hunt)

Mercury was the messenger of the Roman gods. He darted around quickly with

his winged shoes and hat. He was also the god of merchants, science, astronomy, thieves,

travelers, vagabonds, and of cleverness. (Grolier) In Greek mythology he is also the god

of thieves and messenger of the gods. He guides the dead to the underworld and was the

inventor of the lyre, pipes, musical scale, astronomy, weights and measures, boxing,

gymnastics, and the carer of the olive trees. (www. hunt)

Diana was at first a minor deity of the forest and woodland, but was later known

as a great hunter, patron of women, and the goddess of the moon. (Grolier) In Greek

mythology Artemis is also the hunter of the Greek gods. She is the protector of the

young, goddess of the moon, goddess of chastity, and the overlooker of childbirth even

though she was a virgin goddess. (www. hunt)

Vulcan was the god of fire and was recommended by the other gods to also

prevent fires. He was ugly and lame and married to the ever pretty goddess Venus, but

she was unfaithful and involved in many affairs. He was married to Venus only because

she felt sorry for his ugliness. (Grolier) In Greek mythology he was the god of fire and

forge and was the smith and armorer of the gods. He used volcanoes to produce his

weapons and armor. He is also the god of smiths and weavers. He is also married to

Aphrodite. He is still ugly and lame, but is the kindest and the peace lover of the group.

There are many rumors to his lameness. He was either flung from Mount Olympus

because Hera was upset with his ugliness and broke his legs as he fell into the sea or he

was flung off the mountain as he took Hera’s side in an argument with Zeus. (www. hunt)

Janus was the god that was not represented in Greek mythology. He was the god

of entrances, coming and going, doorways, bridges, ferries, harbors, and boundaries.

Janus was also the doorkeeper of heaven. He was said to be the supreme god, but was

later said to be second to Jupiter. In Greek mythology Poseidon was second in charge.

He was asked for blessings before the beginning of the day, month, week, and year. He

was said to of have two faces that faced each way to see the coming and the going which

symbolized how much he knew about the present and the past. (www janus)

At this time another religion was up and coming. It was Christianity. It was

unaccepted by the Roman government. They met without permission which was a major

violation of the of the old laws of the Roman government. (Crowell, 193)

In the Jewish religion, it was the same game for them too. The fact that they

represented only one god and should be worshipping more. So they got treated as a

whole with the Christians since both of their religions were the same in the eyes of the

Roman government. So when one of them got persecuted then one of the other would

feel the same way too. (Arnott, 288-9)

The old religion started to lose its touch and Christianity was beginning to gain in

popularity. It was easily understood and its teaching of mercy, gentleness, kind-loving,

and charity towards others even if they were your enemies. It brought upon a knew look

on life. It taught them self-discipline, care for the rejected, and the belief in the

seriousness of sins. It taught of faith in one God and the expectation of life after death

causing the grasp of the religion to come easy to people. This later took over the Roman

society and became the official religion of Rome. (Cowell, 193-4)

In all and all the mythology of both Romans and Greeks was surprising similar, but

in ways they were very much apart. The Greeks were very much involved in their religion

with stories, myths, legends, and in depth descriptions of their personality and physical

appearance. They all lived the life that is dreamed of by many, but not achieved by much.

They all expressed something with their powers and their ability of ruling over normal

mankind. The Romans had nothing to do with any of this. Their religion wasn’t as serious

as of that of the Greeks. They did not have the mystical life like that of the Greeks, but

rather they were represented in statues and worshipped at certain times of the year. This

all could not make their time of worship last, but it was rather the end of a great time of

religious beliefs. It was the end of a legacy to some and the beginning of the new to

others. The age had to come to an end, but it never ended in the lives of some. So today

in its own way it plays its part, it is just how in is thought about in the eyes of society and

accepted by the people of the day.

The ancient Greek and ancient Roman religion was the belief in gods. They had

similar beliefs, but also vast differences. They came from each other and gave their people

a form of morality. It was composed of many meaningful gods and goddesses that all

played a part in the everyday life of the average Roman and Greek person of that time.

They believed in something called polytheism. It is the belief of many gods; each

given a personality, function, relationship to each other through family, and to be the

subject of many myths and legends that were to be told for many of years to come. They

were to become the basis for a religion that would last for hundreds of years and would

yield thousands of followers to believe in the made stories of these enchanted people or

gods as they were called. ( Grolier)

The Roman mythology was to consist of twelve to thirteen main gods. Each

having a function in the life of the everyday Roman that would require some sort of

worshipping. The Roman gods were taken from the beliefs of the Greek gods. They are

directly descended from their neighboring religion. The Roman mythology consisted of

the high god Jupiter, his wife and sister Juno, son Vulcan, son Mercury, daughter Diana,

daughter Venus, son Mars, daughter Minerva, son Apollo, sister Vesta, brother Pluto,

brother Neptune, and Janus.(www, hunt)

Jupiter was the ruler of the gods. He is also known as Zeus to the Greeks. He

became ruler of the gods through him drawing that lot from his brothers after they

overthrew the Titans. He was the god of sky and rain. He was the keeper of the

thunderbolt which he hurled at anyone that displeased. That is how he is portrayed

through the Greeks, but through the Romans; he was still the ruler of the gods and used

his thunderbolts. They portrayed as the lord of life and death and he never visited

mankind on earth.(www. hunt)

Neptune was the god of the sea. This is the lot he drew from his brothers. He was

worshipped mostly by seaman. He was the creator of the horse and the user of his three-

pronged spear, the trident. It could shake the ground and break any object at will, but in

his Roman sense he was still the god of the sea. It only took longer for him to be noticed

as it. He started out as a minor deity of the water, but his importance increased as the

number of seamen increased. (www. hunt)

Pluto the god of the underworld. This is the lot he drew from his brothers. He is

one of the greediest of the gods and is always looking for more ruling subjects. He is the

god of wealth also because of all the precious metals mined from the earth. He is also the

king of the dead and married to his abducted queen Persephone in the Greek mythology.

(www. hunt)

Vesta was the goddess of the hearth and the symbol of the home. She was the

watcher of households and family activities. She is a virgin goddess and plays no parts in

myths. She is known as Hestia in the Greek religion. (www. hunt)

Juno was the goddess of marriage and the protectress of women. She was the

queen of the heavens. She was the wife and sister to Jupiter.(Grolier) In Greek

mythology She was all and the same. She was forced into marrying Zeus(Jupiter) because

he raped her. To hide her shame she married him.(www. hunt)

Mars was the god of war, agriculture, and of the state. He appeared in three

different ways: Mars Sylvanus, the god of vegetation; Mars Gradivus, the god of war; and

Mars Quirinius, the god of state. (Grolier) In Greek mythology he was also considered

the god of war, but not of the others. He was disliked by his parents and was a coward.

Apollo was the god of music, healing and truth. He was the player of the golden

lyre, shooter of the silver arrows, teacher of medicine to mankind, and god that could not

tell a lie. He was the also the carrier of the Sun across the sky by his chariot of winged

horses. He was represented in the same way in both the Roman and Greek religions.

(www. hunt)

Minerva is the goddess of wisdom, art and craft, and war. She was a deity of the

dawn. She was originally said to be the daughter of the giant Palla, but was later said to

have sprung from the forehead of Jupiter fully armed and grown. (Grolier) That is said in

both religions, but in the Greek religion she is the goddess of the city, handicrafts, and

agriculture. She is the inventor of the bridle, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the

plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She represented reason, wisdom, and purity.

Venus was the carrier of four things in the Roman religion as: Venus Felix; bringer

of luck; Venus Victrix, bringer of victory; Venus Verticordia, protector of female chastity;

and Venus Libentina, patroness of sensual pleasure. (Grolier) In Greek mythology as

Aphrodite, she was the goddess of love, desire, and beauty. She is also said to have a

magic girdle that makes anyone she wishes to desire her. (www. hunt)

Mercury was the messenger of the Roman gods. He darted around quickly with

his winged shoes and hat. He was also the god of merchants, science, astronomy, thieves,

travelers, vagabonds, and of cleverness. (Grolier) In Greek mythology he is also the god

of thieves and messenger of the gods. He guides the dead to the underworld and was the

inventor of the lyre, pipes, musical scale, astronomy, weights and measures, boxing,

gymnastics, and the carer of the olive trees. (www. hunt)

Diana was at first a minor deity of the forest and woodland, but was later known

as a great hunter, patron of women, and the goddess of the moon. (Grolier) In Greek

mythology Artemis is also the hunter of the Greek gods. She is the protector of the

young, goddess of the moon, goddess of chastity, and the overlooker of childbirth even

though she was a virgin goddess. (www. hunt)

Vulcan was the god of fire and was recommended by the other gods to also

prevent fires. He was ugly and lame and married to the ever pretty goddess Venus, but

she was unfaithful and involved in many affairs. He was married to Venus only because

she felt sorry for his ugliness. (Grolier) In Greek mythology he was the god of fire and

forge and was the smith and armorer of the gods. He used volcanoes to produce his

weapons and armor. He is also the god of smiths and weavers. He is also married to

Aphrodite. He is still ugly and lame, but is the kindest and the peace lover of the group.

There are many rumors to his lameness. He was either flung from Mount Olympus

because Hera was upset with his ugliness and broke his legs as he fell into the sea or he

was flung off the mountain as he took Hera’s side in an argument with Zeus. (www. hunt)

Janus was the god that was not represented in Greek mythology. He was the god

of entrances, coming and going, doorways, bridges, ferries, harbors, and boundaries.

Janus was also the doorkeeper of heaven. He was said to be the supreme god, but was

later said to be second to Jupiter. In Greek mythology Poseidon was second in charge.

He was asked for blessings before the beginning of the day, month, week, and year. He

was said to of have two faces that faced each way to see the coming and the going which

symbolized how much he knew about the present and the past. (www janus)

At this time another religion was up and coming. It was Christianity. It was

unaccepted by the Roman government. They met without permission which was a major

violation of the of the old laws of the Roman government. (Crowell, 193)

In the Jewish religion, it was the same game for them too. The fact that they

represented only one god and should be worshipping more. So they got treated as a

whole with the Christians since both of their religions were the same in the eyes of the

Roman government. So when one of them got persecuted then one of the other would

feel the same way too. (Arnott, 288-9)

The old religion started to lose its touch and Christianity was beginning to gain in

popularity. It was easily understood and its teaching of mercy, gentleness, kind-loving,

and charity towards others even if they were your enemies. It brought upon a knew look

on life. It taught them self-discipline, care for the rejected, and the belief in the

seriousness of sins. It taught of faith in one God and the expectation of life after death

causing the grasp of the religion to come easy to people. This later took over the Roman

society and became the official religion of Rome. (Cowell, 193-4)

In all and all the mythology of both Romans and Greeks was surprising similar, but

in ways they were very much apart. The Greeks were very much involved in their religion

with stories, myths, legends, and in depth descriptions of their personality and physical

appearance. They all lived the life that is dreamed of by many, but not achieved by much.

They all expressed something with their powers and their ability of ruling over normal

mankind. The Romans had nothing to do with any of this. Their religion wasn’t as serious

as of that of the Greeks. They did not have the mystical life like that of the Greeks, but

rather they were represented in statues and worshipped at certain times of the year. This

all could not make their time of worship last, but it was rather the end of a great time of

religious beliefs. It was the end of a legacy to some and the beginning of the new to

others. The age had to come to an end, but it never ended in the lives of some. So today

in its own way it plays its part, it is just how in is thought about in the eyes of society and

accepted by the people of the day.

The ancient Greek and ancient Roman religion was the belief in gods. They had

similar beliefs, but also vast differences. They came from each other and gave their people

a form of morality. It was composed of many meaningful gods and goddesses that all

played a part in the everyday life of the average Roman and Greek person of that time.

They believed in something called polytheism. It is the belief of many gods; each

given a personality, function, relationship to each other through family, and to be the

subject of many myths and legends that were to be told for many of years to come. They

were to become the basis for a religion that would last for hundreds of years and would

yield thousands of followers to believe in the made stories of these enchanted people or

gods as they were called. ( Grolier)

The Roman mythology was to consist of twelve to thirteen main gods. Each

having a function in the life of the everyday Roman that would require some sort of

worshipping. The Roman gods were taken from the beliefs of the Greek gods. They are

directly descended from their neighboring religion. The Roman mythology consisted of

the high god Jupiter, his wife and sister Juno, son Vulcan, son Mercury, daughter Diana,

daughter Venus, son Mars, daughter Minerva, son Apollo, sister Vesta, brother Pluto,

brother Neptune, and Janus.(www, hunt)

Jupiter was the ruler of the gods. He is also known as Zeus to the Greeks. He

became ruler of the gods through him drawing that lot from his brothers after they

overthrew the Titans. He was the god of sky and rain. He was the keeper of the

thunderbolt which he hurled at anyone that displeased. That is how he is portrayed

through the Greeks, but through the Romans; he was still the ruler of the gods and used

his thunderbolts. They portrayed as the lord of life and death and he never visited

mankind on earth.(www. hunt)

Neptune was the god of the sea. This is the lot he drew from his brothers. He was

worshipped mostly by seaman. He was the creator of the horse and the user of his three-

pronged spear, the trident. It could shake the ground and break any object at will, but in

his Roman sense he was still the god of the sea. It only took longer for him to be noticed

as it. He started out as a minor deity of the water, but his importance increased as the

number of seamen increased. (www. hunt)

Pluto the god of the underworld. This is the lot he drew from his brothers. He is

one of the greediest of the gods and is always looking for more ruling subjects. He is the

god of wealth also because of all the precious metals mined from the earth. He is also the

king of the dead and married to his abducted queen Persephone in the Greek mythology.

(www. hunt)

Vesta was the goddess of the hearth and the symbol of the home. She was the

watcher of households and family activities. She is a virgin goddess and plays no parts in

myths. She is known as Hestia in the Greek religion. (www. hunt)

Juno was the goddess of marriage and the protectress of women. She was the

queen of the heavens. She was the wife and sister to Jupiter.(Grolier) In Greek

mythology She was all and the same. She was forced into marrying Zeus(Jupiter) because

he raped her. To hide her shame she married him.(www. hunt)

Mars was the god of war, agriculture, and of the state. He appeared in three

different ways: Mars Sylvanus, the god of vegetation; Mars Gradivus, the god of war; and

Mars Quirinius, the god of state. (Grolier) In Greek mythology he was also considered

the god of war, but not of the others. He was disliked by his parents and was a coward.

Apollo was the god of music, healing and truth. He was the player of the golden

lyre, shooter of the silver arrows, teacher of medicine to mankind, and god that could not

tell a lie. He was the also the carrier of the Sun across the sky by his chariot of winged

horses. He was represented in the same way in both the Roman and Greek religions.

(www. hunt)

Minerva is the goddess of wisdom, art and craft, and war. She was a deity of the

dawn. She was originally said to be the daughter of the giant Palla, but was later said to

have sprung from the forehead of Jupiter fully armed and grown. (Grolier) That is said in

both religions, but in the Greek religion she is the goddess of the city, handicrafts, and

agriculture. She is the inventor of the bridle, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the

plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She represented reason, wisdom, and purity.

Venus was the carrier of four things in the Roman religion as: Venus Felix; bringer

of luck; Venus Victrix, bringer of victory; Venus Verticordia, protector of female chastity;

and Venus Libentina, patroness of sensual pleasure. (Grolier) In Greek mythology as

Aphrodite, she was the goddess of love, desire, and beauty. She is also said to have a

magic girdle that makes anyone she wishes to desire her. (www. hunt)

Mercury was the messenger of the Roman gods. He darted around quickly with

his winged shoes and hat. He was also the god of merchants, science, astronomy, thieves,

travelers, vagabonds, and of cleverness. (Grolier) In Greek mythology he is also the god

of thieves and messenger of the gods. He guides the dead to the underworld and was the

inventor of the lyre, pipes, musical scale, astronomy, weights and measures, boxing,

gymnastics, and the carer of the olive trees. (www. hunt)

Diana was at first a minor deity of the forest and woodland, but was later known

as a great hunter, patron of women, and the goddess of the moon. (Grolier) In Greek

mythology Artemis is also the hunter of the Greek gods. She is the protector of the

young, goddess of the moon, goddess of chastity, and the overlooker of childbirth even

though she was a virgin goddess. (www. hunt)

Vulcan was the god of fire and was recommended by the other gods to also

prevent fires. He was ugly and lame and married to the ever pretty goddess Venus, but

she was unfaithful and involved in many affairs. He was married to Venus only because

she felt sorry for his ugliness. (Grolier) In Greek mythology he was the god of fire and

forge and was the smith and armorer of the gods. He used volcanoes to produce his

weapons and armor. He is also the god of smiths and weavers. He is also married to

Aphrodite. He is still ugly and lame, but is the kindest and the peace lover of the group.

There are many rumors to his lameness. He was either flung from Mount Olympus

because Hera was upset with his ugliness and broke his legs as he fell into the sea or he

was flung off the mountain as he took Hera’s side in an argument with Zeus. (www. hunt)

Janus was the god that was not represented in Greek mythology. He was the god

of entrances, coming and going, doorways, bridges, ferries, harbors, and boundaries.

Janus was also the doorkeeper of heaven. He was said to be the supreme god, but was

later said to be second to Jupiter. In Greek mythology Poseidon was second in charge.

He was asked for blessings before the beginning of the day, month, week, and year. He

was said to of have two faces that faced each way to see the coming and the going which

symbolized how much he knew about the present and the past. (www janus)

At this time another religion was up and coming. It was Christianity. It was

unaccepted by the Roman government. They met without permission which was a major

violation of the of the old laws of the Roman government. (Crowell, 193)

In the Jewish religion, it was the same game for them too. The fact that they

represented only one god and should be worshipping more. So they got treated as a

whole with the Christians since both of their religions were the same in the eyes of the

Roman government. So when one of them got persecuted then one of the other would

feel the same way too. (Arnott, 288-9)

The old religion started to lose its touch and Christianity was beginning to gain in

popularity. It was easily understood and its teaching of mercy, gentleness, kind-loving,

and charity towards others even if they were your enemies. It brought upon a knew look

on life. It taught them self-discipline, care for the rejected, and the belief in the

seriousness of sins. It taught of faith in one God and the expectation of life after death

causing the grasp of the religion to come easy to people. This later took over the Roman

society and became the official religion of Rome. (Cowell, 193-4)

In all and all the mythology of both Romans and Greeks was surprising similar, but

in ways they were very much apart. The Greeks were very much involved in their religion

with stories, myths, legends, and in depth descriptions of their personality and physical

appearance. They all lived the life that is dreamed of by many, but not achieved by much.

They all expressed something with their powers and their ability of ruling over normal

mankind. The Romans had nothing to do with any of this. Their religion wasn’t as serious

as of that of the Greeks. They did not have the mystical life like that of the Greeks, but

rather they were represented in statues and worshipped at certain times of the year. This

all could not make their time of worship last, but it was rather the end of a great time of

religious beliefs. It was the end of a legacy to some and the beginning of the new to

others. The age had to come to an end, but it never ended in the lives of some. So today

in its own way it plays its part, it is just how in is thought about in the eyes of society and

accepted by the people of the day.

The ancient Greek and ancient Roman religion was the belief in gods. They had

similar beliefs, but also vast differences. They came from each other and gave their people

a form of morality. It was composed of many meaningful gods and goddesses that all

played a part in the everyday life of the average Roman and Greek person of that time.

They believed in something called polytheism. It is the belief of many gods; each

given a personality, function, relationship to each other through family, and to be the

subject of many myths and legends that were to be told for many of years to come. They

were to become the basis for a religion that would last for hundreds of years and would

yield thousands of followers to believe in the made stories of these enchanted people or

gods as they w