HINDU MYTHOLOGY & GREEK MYTHOLOGY- A CREATIVE COMPARISON

Two of the World's most famous & oldest Mythologies & Cultures are the Hindu & Greek Mythologies & Cultures.They are the most adored & discussed,there were other prominent cultures & mythologies like the Roman,Egyptian,Norse & Of course the biggest religions in today's date the Christian & Islam,although it was the later part of the time when Jesus Christ & Prophet Muhammad dawned but the earliest mythologies were the Hindu & Greek.

Both the mythologies date back as old as time itself,we all know the mythologies,we know the epics like Ramayana,Mahabharata,we know the Avatars of Gods like the Dasavataras & their deeds as well as the The Iliad & Odyssey,labors of Hercules,Jason & the Argonauts,Perseus & Medusa,Theseus &  Minotaur & others.

What is intersting among both the mythologies is that there are a lot of resemblances not just any comparison but there are versatile similarities among the two mythologies if we see.So lets ascend higher to the Gods & see the comparison up close.

                                                                 

                                                     THE BIG THREE

In both the mythologies there are The Big Three Gods who are above all the other Gods,both in terms of worship & Power.They were the three most powerful Gods who were worshipped,feared & obeyed by every other Gods & mortals alike.They were the rulers of the very world & the universe,they watched upon mankind & did as they pleased with the mortals & immortals alike.

   

The comparison isn't the same when it comes to the individual Gods among the big three because the big three in Greek are brothers who overthrew their father Kronos to become Gods,Zeus created Man & was the God of Thunder & Lightning,Poseidon was the God of the seas & Hades was tricked by his brothers to rule in the Underworld.In Hindu the big three are not related they are divine beings with Brahma being the Creator of the world & mankind, Vishnu being the Preserver who watches over everyone & Shiva or Maheswar being the Destroyer who keeps the balance between the good & evil.

                                           
                                THE COUNCIL OF GODS

The Council of Gods atop Mount Olympus

There is a council of Gods in both the mythologies,both of them comprising of a bevy of Gods at their council.The council of Gods in Greek is atop the fictional Mount Olympus & in Hindu it is atop the fictional Mount Meru.Both th mythologies see the Gods having a council atop a sacred mountain where they held their divine council & discussed about their duties & mankind's welfare.

Indralok atop Mount Meru    

                       
                      GODS/DEVAS   VS  TITANS/ASURAS

 There is always a clash between good & evil & good always wins but evil never dies it comes back in many forms retaining its aura over & over again.In Hindu mythology the Devas were the Good side & the Asuras were the Evil side who were always at war,similarly in Greek mythology the Gods were the Good side & the Titans were on the Evil side & the wars always went on.The Gods always managed to defeat the Titans & the Devas aways defeated the Asuras.The abode of the Gods of Greek was Mount Olympus & abode of the Titans was Mount Tartarus deep below underworld where they were imprisoned by the Gods,the abode of the Devas was Devalok atop mount Meru & the Asuras lived in patal lok which was below the Earth.

Gods Fighting the Titans

Devas fighting the Asuras

Hindu Mythical Creatures

In these great wars many mythical creatures were also involved,some fought on the side of Devas & some fought on the sides of the Asuras,the creatures like Jatayu,Airavat,Nandi,Vrungi,Jambhaban fought on the side of the Gods,similarly creatures like the Pegasus,Satyrs,Centaurs also fought on the side of Gods against the Titans.Creatures like Daityas,Pisachas fought on side of the Asuras & creatures like Minotaurs,Laistrygonians,Cyclops,Medusa,Kraken fought on the side of Titans.

Greek Mythical Creatures

                              AVATARS & DEMIGODS

AVATARS OF HINDU MYTHOS

Avatars were reincarnations of Devas in the Hindu mythology,Gods taking birth in mortal form to live among the mortals & fight & see the welfare of the mankind.In Greek mythology this was the duty of the Demigods who were the offspring of a God with a mortal,sometimes out of a relationship or out of  force,the demigods in the greek mythology were the greatest heroes of the mankind,they were also worshipped by people for their deeds just like the avatars of Devas.
         

DEMIGODS OF GREEK MYTHOS

                                                                   
                               GODS & DEVAS-Similarities

• The Gods of Greek used to drink Nectar& Ambrosia to revitalize & energize themselves similarly the Devas used to drink Somras to revitalize & energize themselves.
• Indra is the God Of Lightning & Thunder of Hindu Mythology & Zeus  is the God Of Lightning & Thunder of Greek Mythology.
• Varun is the God Of Sea of Hindu Mythology & Poseidon  is the God Of Sea of Greek Mythology.
• Yama is the God Of Underworld in Hindu Mythology & Hades is the God of the underworld in Greek Mythology.
• Saraswati is the Goddesses Of Wisdom in Hindu Mythology & Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom in Greek Mythology.
• Biswakarma is the God Of Forges in Hindu Mythology & Hephaestus is the god of forges in Greek Mythology.
• Narada is the Messenger of Gods in Hindu Mythology & Hermes is the messenger God in Greek Mythology.
• Rati is the Goddess of Love in Hindu Mythology & Aphrodite is the Goddess of love in Greek Mythology. 
• Greek Gods had Naiads,Dryads & satyrs for entertainment & Hindu Devas had Apsaras & Gandharvas for entertainment.