University Essay: Influence of Greek Myth on Roman Myth, History

This essay delves into the significant influence of Greek mythology on Roman myths. It explores the foundational role of myths in society, defining them as narratives that explain customs, values, and origins. The paper compares Greek and Roman mythologies, highlighting the adoption of Greek art forms, architecture, and narrative styles by the Romans. It examines the influence on the pantheon of gods, such as Jupiter (Zeus), Juno (Hera), and Minerva (Athena), while also pointing out uniquely Roman deities like Janus and Vesta. The essay notes that while there are many similarities, the Roman portrayal of deities was often more warrior-like, reflecting Rome's origins and focus on glory. The essay concludes that despite the strong influence, both cultures maintained their distinct characteristics.

Running head: INFLUENCE OF GREEK MYTH ON ROMAN MYTH
Influence of Greek myth on Roman myth
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1INFLUENCE OF GREEK MYTH ON ROMAN MYTH
Introduction
The basic character of the human civilization is based on certain rules, laws, customs,
traditions and that of superstitions. All of them are developed as a result of the activities of the
human beings. However, they are considered to be the unwritten rules and regulations of the
society to which the younger generation and the other peer members are required to abide by if
they want to stay in the community (Blundell 2016). The aspect of religion is considered to be
one of the most important guiding factors of the individuals of any community. Such religious
traditions give birth to the elements of mythology and that of superstitions. Such myths are
observed to be related to folk lore which consist of stories or narratives as narrated by the elderly
people of the society (Bulfinch 2019). Such myths are seen to play a foundational role within the
community whereby they talk about morals, the issue of determining what is right and wrong in
the society and the need to adhere to traditions (Bremmer 2014). The purpose of this paper is to
understand to what extent the myths of the Roman society derives their inspiration from that of
Greek mythology. To this extent, the paper draws a comparative analysis between the two
sources and mythology and identifies the point of overlap and departure.
Meaning of myths
Myths play an important role in the development and evolution of the society. They are
stories or narratives, forming a part of the folklore of the community and state the origin of a
particular custom or tradition as can be observed to be present within that particular community
(Keen 2016). The primary characters of such myths are usually considered to be the demigods,
gods or the supernatural human beings who have exceptional power as opposed to the normal
human beings of the society. Such characters are meant to lead the common masses towards

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enlightenment by the way of some actions and struggles which show cases the hardships they
had to overcome in order to reach success (Hansen 2019). Such mythological stories are
therefore, narratives of inspiration and moral tales of the society which underlines the various
customs and rules of the concerned community.
However, there is an important distinction between myths and folklore. Myths are
considered to be the stories about the world as seen through the lens of the elderly population
(Lorenz 2016). Myths are generally concerned about the relationship that exists between the
human beings and the gods. Within the field of Greek and Roman mythology, the myths dealt
with certain important issues such as those of the origin of the world, the nature of evil and good
and the concept of the afterlife (Borg 20150.
Greek mythology
The myths as developed within the Greek Empire, were seen to be flowing through the
oral tradition of the elderly population such as that of “Theogony” as opined by Hesiod
and :Odyssey” and “Iliad” as stated by Homer (Christesen and Kyle 2014). These tales were seen
to be passed from one generation to the other via the medium of spoken word, finally written
down in a textual form by 8th century BC. The foundation of Rome in the 8th century BC was
alongside an already well-established city states of the Greek Empire (Morrison 2016). During
that time, Greece had already found colonies in Sicily and the Italian peninsula. The close
contact with the Greek Empire, specifically with regard to the issue of Greek mythology and that
of Greek religion, had a considerable influence on the nature of the Roman Empire and its people
(Dunkle 2014). In this context, it can be seen that Rome was efficient in adopting the various art
forms of Greece in the form of literature, art, dance and drama. However, the spectrum of

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mythology had to be changed significantly so that they could reflect the values and traditions of
the Roman Empire rather than that of the Greek Empire.
Influence of Greek myths on the development of the Roman myths
The influence of the Greek mythology within the origin of the Roman myths is present to
a significant extent. The architecture as constructed within the Roman Empire, their subject
matter and the manner they are adorned, the style of temple, the sculptures and the mosaics, all
are quite similar to that of the ones found within the Greek Empire (Johnston, Mastrocinque and
Papaioannou 2016).
One of the most exemplary instances where such an overlap can be evidenced is that of
the Trojan War. The Trojan War has been described as one of the most significant wars fought
by the Greek Empire (Guanjie 2016). However, on the other hand, it was this war which led to
the birth of Remus and Romulus who have been observed to be the founders of the Roman
Empire.
However, one of the areas of departure between that of Greek mythology and that of
Roman mythology is that while the narratives forming a part of Greek mythology were
transmitted through the medium of oral communication and poetry, the narratives of Roman
mythology were imparted through the use of prose (De Angelis 2015). The use of such prose
provided a base for the formation of official Roman institutions and that of rituals, while
imparting a sense of historicity to them. Within the Roman Empire, the distinction between
myths and history were almost indistinguishable. Rome as considered to be a city of destiny and
the various myths that were originated, all supported the originality of this story.
Extent to which Roman mythology has been derived from Greek mythology

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Like that of the Greek mythology, Roman mythology is also seen to contain a number of
gods, goddesses and that of demigods who had parental lineage of both gods and human beings.
Such influences are a result of the presence of Greeks within the peninsula of Italy (Fowler
2017). The constant contact with the culture of the Greek Empire made the Romans adopt not
only their narratives with regard to the generation of myths, but also the characteristics features
and personality of their own gods and goddesses. One of the significant exception to this was the
god Apollo, whose name was kept same in both of the mythologies (Feeney 2016). Before the
association with the Greeks, the Roman gods and goddesses were found to be sharing a close
association with that of the cults rather than with the stories in the myths. However, the nature of
the stories underwent a change when the Romans took an interest in warfare rather than spending
their time partaking in agricultural activities.
The extent to which the Greek mythology has influenced the development of Roman
mythology can be judged from the names and characters of the various gods and goddesses that
exist in the two fields (Johnston, Mastrocinque and Papaioannou 2016). For instance, within
Roman mythology, Saturn was considered to be the equivalent of Cronus, a Greek god. His
temple was located at the foothill of the Capitoline Hill which includes the public treasury and
decrees that belong to the Roman Senate. This shows that the mythologies of the Roman Empire
had a considerable hint of the true historical development of the Empire and its customs in itself
(Christesen and Kyle 2014).
The triad of the cult deities of Rome were recreated as Minerva, Jupiter and Juno. Jupiter
was the God of the sky and he was equivalent to Zeus, who was the most powerful deity within
Greek mythology. His temple located in Capitoline Hill was considered to be the victory
destinations where the military commanders would leave a portion of the spoils of war, as a

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tribute to Jupiter (Christesen and Kyle 2014). His wife was Juno, the equivalent of Hera in Greek
mythology. She had the responsibility to preside over every single sphere of the life of a woman
living in Rome. Furthermore, Minerva was the equivalent of Athena in Greek mythology. She
was considered to be the patron of craftsmen and the goddess and protector of the school
children.
Another point of similarity between Greek mythology and that of Roman mythology is
that the cities of Rome adopted their very own deity of patron in order to build the temples in
their images (Johnston, Mastrocinque and Papaioannou 2016). The local people even performed
certain rituals in order to honor the gods and the goddesses. However, not every gods and
goddesses found within the Roman mythology has derived their inspiration from that of Greek
mythology. There are certain deities in Rome who are not found within the Greek mythology,
such as that of Janus. Janus was the two faced god who protected the gates and doorways of the
Roman Empire. He was mainly valued for his wisdom (Johnston, Mastrocinque and Papaioannou
2016). Another goddess that has found a place within the Roman mythology is that of Vesta, the
daughter of Saturn. Vesta was considered to be the goddess of family and hearth and had the
personality of maintaining the warmth in the family (Johnston, Mastrocinque and Papaioannou
2016). Significant similarities can be found between Vesta and Hestia, a goddess within Greek
mythology. However, Vesta has a unique personality of her own which gave her a distinct
character within Roman mythology.
Although the characteristic features and the personality of the gods and goddesses as
found within the Greek mythology and that of the Roman mythology overlapped to a
considerable extent, there were certain differences. The portrayal of the Roman deities were
found to be more warrior like and battle ready than the gods and goddesses of the Greek

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mythology (Christesen and Kyle 2014). This is mainly due to the reason that the city of Rome
originated as a result of a battle, that of the Trojan War. The founders, Romulus and Remus were
considered to have struggled significantly in order to create the beautiful city. In this regard, the
portrayal of the entire Roman Empire is more majestic and formal than that of the Greek Empire
who believed in the freedom of men and the liberty of the people. Rome was more concerned
about the pursuance of glory (Christesen and Kyle 2014).
Thus, it can be seen that even with the existence of influence as a result of close contact
between the two civilizations, they each had their own distinguishing features. It was such
differences which set the tone and nature of the two civilizations and differentiated between their
myths. Thus, even though a reader of the two myths would initially get confused as to which
myth belongs to which empire, they eventually would get accustomed to the myths and their
peculiar nature. Thus, it can be seen that the extent of influence of Greek mythology on that of
Roman mythology was significantly high and yet they each had their own distinct characteristics.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be observed that there is a significant influence of the Greek
mythology on that of Roman myths. Myths are important for the development and growth of the
human society as they are the narratives of the elderly population with regard to the origin of that
particular community. In other words, the origin of the society, its customs and values, the need
to adhere to them, all of these questions are answered by the way of myths. Every community in
the world have their own set of myths. However, the most famous ones are derived from that of
Greek Empire and the Roman Empire. They are the two oldest civilizations in the world and laid
the foundation of the beginning of a society. The Greek civilization was more concerned with
guaranteeing to the people a decent way of life, filled with morals and ethics. In this context, its

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gods and goddesses who have featured in their myths, are seen to be heroes who try to save the
world and the values of the society. The Roman Empire emerged when the Greek civilization
was in its full flourish. As a consequence of a close associated contact between the two empires,
the influence of the Greek civilization is considerably visible on the Roman Empire.

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