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