ENGLISH 14 :

Mythodology and Folklore

The difference between Greek, Roman and Norse Mythology

I personally find it rather interesting to see how closely the two religions resemble each
other. In both, the gods are unpredictable for the humans living with them in the same world. The
gods give little to no thought to the humans and reward or punish them according to their whim.
Their feuds and petty rivalries jeopardize human life more often than not, and they behave like
spoiled children most of the time, celebrating in a luxurious realm.
One thing that seems to be the same in all three of the religions is the belief that the lives
of humans and gods alike were predetermined by the Fates (or Nornes in Norse mythology). In
all three religions, three women governed everything that happened in the past, now, and future.
Thus, the Nornes/Fates are more powerful than the gods. I think it rather surprising that the
concept behind such an important part of religion as the personal freedom of the individual, be it
god or human, is the same in all these religions. To me, it suggests either a crosspollination of the
religions or an adaptation of an even older, now forgotten religion.
Interestingly, in the Roman and Greek religion, theres just one place where souls go after
death: the underworld ruled by Hades/Pluto. There, the souls deemed unworthy are sent to
Tartarus (equal hell) and the worthy souls go to the Elysian fields (equal heaven). The
underworld is circled by a river and guarded by a three headed dog. Imagine my surprise when I
found that one of the Norse underworlds looks just the same. Helheim, the home of the goddess
of death, Hel, is circled by a river that even the gods can only cross into her realm but not back
out, and it is guarded by a monstrous dog. Those souls (human and god alike) who died from
diseases, accidents, old age and such would go to Helheim upon their death. But Norse
mythology held three more places souls could go after death. The most widely known is Valhalla,
where Odin collected the most courageous fighters for Ragnarok. Men who died fighting but
didnt outshine others would go to Folkvang. Finally, drowned sailors would be collected by Ran
to her hall.
An interesting difference between Roman and Greek concerns the role of humans in the
religion. Whereas the heroic deeds by the Roman gods were more important than the actions of
men, in Greek mythology, humans were just as important as goods because they contributed
significantly to the society. Also, in Roman mythology, good deeds and heroic acts could elevate
a mortal to a god-like status. The Greek are much more concerned with the physical life on earth.

The afterlife seems to have a much smaller importance in everyday life than in Roman or Norse
mythology (Im not an expert so dont crucify me if Im wrong).
The most important difference between Roman and Greek gods and the Aesir is that in addition
to a myth of creation (all three have similar myths of creation: the slaying of older gods/giants),
the Norse also have a myth of destruction. During this final fight, Ragnarok, all gods would fall.
The whole universe of the Nordic gods would be destroyed. However, it would not end. From the
ashes, a new world would rise with two humans, Lif and Lifthrasir. Also two gods, Balder and
his blind brother Hod, would be reborn, and together they would begin a new world.
For me, that makes the Nordic mythology a more advanced sort of religion, one that
looks past its own demise thats rare even in todays religions. I find it fascinating to see how
much of what has been hidden from the wave of Christianization burning through Europe
survived, and how much could be reconstructed from the few sources that remained. Without a
doubt the Greek and Roman religions and their cultures have influenced the way the Christian
religion developed, and thus played a major role in the way humans in Europe evolved and
spread throughout the world. The impact of the Nordic myths and legends is less visible. I know
that they have been misused in the Third Reich, and still there are many people who misuse them
to this day. However, I personally believe that the Nordic myths and legends shaped our point of
view much more than we give them credit for.

Jovelyn O. Lopez
BSEd-III