To what extent are Roman myths derived from Greek myths.

To what extent are Roman myths derived from Greek myths.

Myths help to tell a story about the creation of worlds, people and philosophes. Myths help to connect humans to their past, present and future. While each myth is unique to one another, in the case of Greek and Roman mythology, it is important to note that some similarities exist.

Greek mythology through poems such as Homer’s Iliad[1] try to illustrate the unexplainable, such as the creation of the world and different ways of life like the creation of men and women[2] and stories of hero’s who have great adventures and perform deeds.

While Roman mythology is the telling of battles and the weaving of stories of the interaction between immortals – Virgil’s The Aeneid[3] is a great source for the foundation of Roman myth which looks beyond the life deeds of men and gods and focuses on life after death[4] . When looking at the differences between the two; simply put – Roman mythology disregards mortals deeds while Greek Myth seek and praises them.[5] 

This essay will explore the similarities and differences between Greek and Roman mythologies, starting with what Greek and Roman mythology is, followed by the compare and contrast of what gods are seen in both myths and then how Roman myth differs and finally ending with the myth of the foundation of Rome. It is through this that the question ‘to what extent are Roman myths derived from Greek myths’ will be answered.

Verily at the first Chaos came to be, but next wide-bosomed Earth, the ever-sure foundations of all the deathless ones who hold the peaks of snowy Olympus, and dim Tartarus in the depth of the wide-pathed Earth, and Eros (Love), fairest among the deathless gods, who unnerves the limbs and overcomes the mind and wise counsels of all gods and all men within them. From Chaos came forth Erebus and black Night; but of Night were born Aether and Day, whom she conceived and bare from union in love with Erebus. And Earth first bare starry Heaven, equal to herself, to cover her on every side, and to be an ever-sure abiding-place for the blessed gods. And she brought forth long Hills, graceful haunts of the goddess-Nymphs who dwell amongst the glens of the hills. She bare also the fruitless deep with his raging swell, Pontus, without sweet union of love. But afterwards she lay with Heaven and bare deep-swirling Oceanus, Coeus and Crius and Hyperion and Iapetus, Theia and Rhea, Themis and Mnemosyne and gold-crowned Phoebe and lovely Tethys. After them was born Cronos the wily, youngest and most terrible of her children, and he hated his lusty sire.[6]

Greek Mythology starts with the creation of gods, this sets the stage for things to come, with incest, and ill intent towards each other. Through the work of Homer[7] and Hesiod[8] we are shown a world created, Gods born and killed and heroes coming together to fight monsters. We are introduced to Gods such as Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Ares, Athena, Demeter and Apollo. We are told of heroes such as Hector, Jason, Odysseus, Perseus, Prometheus and Achilles. Each story about a hero or god is interwoven into a telling of a tale of epic proportions. Some seem human like in their affairs and connects the ancient Greeks to their world.

Romulus chose the Palatine and Remus the Aventine hill as their stands to make their observations. It is said, that to Remus an omen came first, six vultures; and now, the omen having been declared, when double the number presented itself to Romulus, his own party saluted each king; the former claimed the kingdom on the ground of priority of time, the latter on account of the number of birds. Upon this, having met in an altercation, from the contest of angry feelings they turn to bloodshed; there Remus fell from a blow received in the crowd. A more common account is, that Remus, in derision of his brother, leaped over his new-built wall, and was, for that reason, slain by Romulus in a passion; who, after sharply chiding him, added words to this effect: "So shall every one fare, who shall dare to leap over my fortifications." Thus Romulus got the sovereignty to himself; the city, when built, was called after the name of its founder. His first work was to fortify the Palatine hill where he had been educated. [9]

Roman Mythology can be seen through the work of Virgil with his poem The Aeneid and Livy with his book The History of Rome help to explain Roman mythology. Interestingly enough, Roman mythology starts with Greeks and a Greek myth in that of the fall of Troy[10]. So maybe since the Romans saw that the Greeks were a high functioning society, and revered them for it, decided to base some of their myth off that of the Greeks.[11]

However, the Romans also had some of their own Gods and heroes which did not have a Greek equivalent. These gods were to name a few; Junus, Quirinus, Mithras, Lares and Dis Pater. Out of these Junus seems to hold the same high regard as Zeus and Jupiter.[12]

Comparing the Greek and Roman gods, we can see the connections. For example, with Zeus and Jupiter. Jupiter and Zeus are both the primary deity of the Roman and Greek pantheons, respectively. They are both the god of the sky, lightning and kings. However, differences are that Roman gods were more revered, their flaws less discussed, and more distant to humans. Whereas in Greek mythology, stories of Zeus' childhood, are told and he is portrayed as a flawed character, much like any human.[13]

While Romans and Greek gods were mirrors of each other, their societies were very different from each other and therefore, their way of telling of the gods were also very different. Roman gods were full of ideals of duty, obedience and mirrored that of the Roman people. As a result, romans changed certain gods to reflect better their cultural feelings, for example Ares became Mars, Hermes became Mercury, Athena became Minerva and Aphrodite became Venus.[14] 

The Roman versions of Greek gods were, overall, a more socially acceptable, representing virtues of the Roman people and setting themselves apart from their Greek counterpart. The Greek and Roman gods may have had the same symbols, clothing, and aspects, but they were not the same people.[15]

As we have seen, there has been a similar correspondence between Greek and Roman mythology, now moving forward, Romans did not borrow everything from the Greeks. The story of Jupiter and Io is one tale, despite Jupiter being the Greek equivalent of Zeus, this story tells of Jupiter’s affair with Io and his wife Juno (Hera) finding out. In order to save Io, Jupiter turns her into a cow. However, this does not stop Juno and she thinks of a way to get rid of Io forever, Jupiter’s love was great, and he sent Mercury (Hermes) to save her. In the end, Io is sent to Egypt and becomes a goddess there.[16]

Other stories from Roman mythology include such tales as; History of Aeneas[17] - Aeneas is both Greek and Roman. Both Homer and Virgil talk about him in their works. Homer mentions him as the first cousin of King Priam and Troy. Virgil describes him as a hero and the ancestor of Romulus and Remus, who later is the foundation of Rome itself.[18]

One of the great Roman myths is about teaching a lesson, take for instance, the story of Jupiter and the Bee. In this story, the moral is how revenge can have dire consequences.[19] Or take the story of Pluto and the River Styx.[20] Pluto was the Roman god of the dead, he was seen as cold and hard. He looked after the River Styx and when a person died, they had to cross that river, the person was buried with a coin, to pay the ferrymen Charon, cross the river to meet Pluto[21]

When comparing Greek and Roman mythology, Homer’s epic poem titled Iliad was distributed 700 years before Roman civilization came to be. Romans and Roman myth did not come until 1000 years after the Greeks. In the Aeneid, Virgil wrote about how Aeneus would be the founding father of the Romans[22], Aeneus coming from Troy, thus in a way, Roman myth is a continuation of Greek myth.

Now call'd Iulus, shall begin his reign.

He thirty rolling years the crown shall wear,

Then from Lavinium shall the seat transfer,

And, with hard labor, Alba Longa build.

The throne with his succession shall be fill'd

Three hundred circuits more: then shall be seen

Ilia the fair, a priestess and a queen,

Who, full of Mars, in time, with kindly throes,

Shall at a birth two goodly boys disclose.

The royal babes a tawny wolf shall drain:

Then Romulus his grandsire's throne shall gain,

Of martial tow'rs the founder shall become,

The people Romans call, the city Rome.

To them no bounds of empire I assign,

Nor term of years to their immortal line.[23] 

It seems that Greek and Roman mythology are interweaved between the two, while Roman myth has some of its own little myths, their links to the Greeks are strong. The story of Apollo[24] and Cassandra is a mix between the Greeks and Romans. In this myth, it tells the story of the fall of Troy. Apollo being in love with Cassandra, and Cassandra being the most beloved daughter of the King of Troy – King Priam. Apollo gave Cassandra the power of Prophecy, to prove his love. Having seen the fall of Troy, Cassandra tries to warn her father who does not listen, and the fall of Troy happens.[25]

Another Greek myth turned Roman is that of Hercules - In Greek Mythology, he was Heracles, who was the son of Zeus, and a human called Alcmene.[26] In Roman Mythology he was half god and half man, and was famous for his strength and adventures which were called the Twelve Labors of Hercules.[27]

Throughout this essay, discussion on what Greek and Roman mythology is, with some examples to showcase how while the Romans did borrow from the Greeks, they still did have their own ideas and own gods. What they borrowed, they also decided to change and mould towards their own philosophies and ideals.

Important to remember is that even though Greek and Roman mythology have differences – Roman myth was created almost 1000 years after Greek mythology was. Roman mythology adopted, adapted and paraphrased Greek mythology to fit into the Roman way of life and thinking. And in some cases, even continued the story of Greek hero’s and turned them into the foundation of Rome.

[1] The Iliad is an ancient Greek epic poem in dactylic hexameter, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles.

[2] In Greek Mythology, Pandora was the first human created by Hephaestus, ordered by Zeus.

[3] The Aeneid by the Roman poet Virgil is an epic poem in 12 books that tells the story of the foundation of Rome from the ashes of Troy. The poem is named after the Trojan hero Aeneas, the son of Venus and Anchises, a Trojan aristocrat.

[4] Daly, Kathleen N, and Marian Rengel. 2009. Greek and Roman Mythology, A to Z. Infobase Publishing.

[5] Bremmer, Jan. 1987. “What Is a Greek Myth?” Interpretations of Greek Mythology, 1–9. 

[6] Hesiod, Theogony 116 - 128

[7] Homer wrote The Iliad and The Odyssey

[8] Hesiod wrote Theogony, Works and Days, and the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica

[9] Livy chapter 7

[10] Gransden, Karl Watts, and Stephen John Harrison. 2004. Virgil: The Aeneid. Cambridge University Press.

[11] Lévi-Strauss, Claude. 2013. Myth and Meaning. Routledge.

[12] Nardo, Don. 2009. Greek and Roman Mythology. Greenhaven Publishing LLC.

[13] Roman, Luke, and Monica Roman. 2010. Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology. Infobase Publishing.

[14] Stapleton, Michael. 1978. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Mythology. Outlet.

[15] Stapleton, Michael. 1978. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Mythology. Outlet.

[16] Jones, V S Vernon, and Arthur Rackham. 1994. Aesop’s Fables. Wordsworth Editions.

[17] Putnam, Michael C J. 1995. Virgil’s Aeneid: Interpretation and Influence. Univ of North Carolina Press

[18] Wiseman, Timothy Peter. 1995. Remus: A Roman Myth. Cambridge University Press.

[19] Kennedy, Amos Paul. 1993. “The Bee and Jupiter.”

[20] Roman, Luke, and Monica Roman. 2010. Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology. Infobase Publishing.

[21] Roman, Luke, and Monica Roman. 2010. Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology. Infobase Publishing.

[22] His descendants Romulus and Remus founding Rome

[23] (Aeneid 1.267 – 281)

[24] Apollo is one of the major gods in both Greek and Roman Mythology.

[25]Vandiver, Elizabeth, and Noreen Bizzarri. 2000. Classical Mythology. Teaching Company.

[26] Roman, Luke, and Monica Roman. 2010. Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology. Infobase Publishing.

[27]One: Kill the Nemean Lion, Two: Kill the Lernean Hydra,  Three: Capture the Cerynian Hind, Four: Capture the Erymanthian Boar, Five: Clean the Augean Stables, Six: Kill the Stymphalian Birds, Seven: Capture the Cretan Bull, Eight: Capture the Horses of Diomedes, Nine: Take the Girdle of the Amazon Queen Hippolyte, Ten: Capture the Cattle of Geryon, Eleven: Take the Golden Apples of the Hesperides, Twelve: Capture Cerberus