Compare and Contrast the Greek and Roman gods

The Romans to begin with stole most of the Greek gods and put them into their own society. Mostly all the Romans did was give them different names, some new gods, they took some of them out, and they changed some of the books that had Greek gods in them such as the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Aphrodite (Venus) | goddess of love and beauty
Apollo (Apollo) | god of the arts (esp. poetry and music), archery, and divination
Ares (Mars) | god of war
Artemis (Diana) | goddess of the hunt and protector of children
Athena (Minerva) | goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts; patron of Athens
Demeter (Ceres) | goddess of agriculture and fertility
Dionysos (Bacchus) | god of wine, mysteries, and the theatre
Hephaistos (Vulcan) | god of smiths and metal-workers
Hera (Juno) | goddess of marriage; consort of Zeus
Hermes (Mercury) | god of merchants; messenger of Zeus
Poseidon (Neptune) | god of the sea and earthquakes
Zeus (Jupiter) | god of the sky; ruler of Olympus

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Now that is a basic showing of the Greek and Roman main top dogs in mythology. This next part shows in greater detail the differences between the Greek and Roman gods, both the ones that each worshiped some that only the Greeks worshiped and the Romans excluded in their worship, and those that the Romans put in there for their own wants in their gods. It also shows their names and the way that the Romans changed most of the Greek god's name.

Zeus	Jupiter, Jove	Lord of the Sky, Gods, and Thunder, also Rain-god, Cloud-gatherer
Hera	Juno	Protector of Marriage
Poseidon	Neptune	Ruler of the Sea
Hades, Polydectes	Pluto	God of the Underworld and Precious Metals
	Libitina	Goddess of the Underworld
Pallas Athena	Minerva	Goddess of the City, Education/Science, and War
Phoebus Apollo	Apollo	God of Sun, Truth, Music, Healing
Artemis, Orthia, Phoebe	Diana	Goddess of Wild Things, Hunter-in-Chief
Aphrodite, Anadyomene	Venus	Goddess of Love and Beauty
Hermes, Pyschopompus	Mercury	God of Commerce and Market, Zeus' Messenger
Ares	Mars	God of War
Enyo	Bellona	Lesser Goddess of War
Hephaestus	Vulcan, Mulciber	God of the Forge and Fire, Workman to the immortals
Hestia	Vesta	Goddess of the Hearth and Home; also Fertility(Greek only)
	Priapus	God of Fertility
Eros	Cupid, Amor	God of Love
Hymen		God of the Wedding Feast
Hebe		Goddess of Youth
	Juventus	God of Youth
Iris		Goddess of the Rainbow
Persephone, Kora	Persipina, Libera	Goddess of Spring [Season], Underworld through Hades
Demeter	Ceres	Goddess of the Corn, Earth, Harvest
Dionysus, Lycaeus	Bacchus, Liber	God of the Vine, Wine, Merriment
Pan	Inuus,Faunus	God of Flocks, Sheep
Selene	Luna	Goddess of the Moon
Helios	Sol	God of the Sun
	Terminus	Guardian of Boundaries
	Priapus	Cause of Fertility
	Pales	Strengthener of Cattle
	Sylvanus	Helper of Plowmen and Woodcutters
	Saturn	Protector of the Sowers and the Seed
	Janus	God of good beginnings
Eileithyia, Ilithyia	Lucina	Goddess of Childbirth
	Pomona & Vertumnus	Powers Protecting Orchards and Gardens
Aether		God of Light
Eos	Aurora, Mater Matuta	Goddess of the Dawn
Asklepios	Aesculapius	God of Health and Medicine
Hygea		Goddess of Health
Aeolus		King of the Winds
Boreas	Aquilo	North Wind
Zephyr	Favonius	West Wind
Notus	Auster	South Wind
Eurus	Eurus	East Wind
Pontus		God of the Deep Sea
Nereus		"Old Man of the Sea"
Triton		Trumpeter of the Sea
Ate		Goddess of Mischief
Eris	Discordia	Goddess of Discord
Maia	Fauna, Bono Dea	Goddess of Fields, "Good Goddess"
	Flora	Goddess of Flowers
Hypnos	Somnus	God of Sleep
	Juturna	Goddess of Springs [Water]
Nike	Victoria	Goddess of Victory
Peitha	Suadela	Goddess of Persuasion
Hecate	Trivia	Goddess of the Crossways, the Dark Side of the Moon, and Magic
Tyche	Fortuna	Goddess of Fortune
	Voluptas	Goddess of Pleasure
Poena		Goddess of Punishment
Nemesis		Goddess of Revenge
Hespera		Goddess of Dusk
Morpheus		God of Dreams
Phosphor	Lucifer	Light-bearer, Star that brings in the day
Fama		God of fame, rumor

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As you can see the Romans really changed the gods up to reach the standards that they wanted, because htey thought they were the superior beings (which they were at that time), and also because they wanted to be different from everyone else. now think nowadays doesn't America want to be different then everyone else? Don't American's change things up to reach their standards to show that they are superior? Yes to both, we like the Romans want to be different it shows that we are superior.

This blog wen through the idea that Rome was superior at that time. Rome wanted to be different then the Greeks because they took over them and all of the Mediterranean which would make them the super power at the time. So the Romans decided to change the gods that everyone worshiped they changed names added new ones and took some of the gods out to show the world that they can do what they wanted. Some of the gods had completely different names then what they had when the Greeks were in control.


References:

"The Olympians." Dr. James Jackson. http://198.248.56.50/~jjackson/oly.html.

Siren, "Greek Gods." http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/7371/greekgods.html.

Tulane University, "Priapus." http://homeport.tcs.tulane.edu/lester/text/Western.Architect/Pompeii/Pompeii65.html.

Parada, Carlos. Greek Mythology Link. http://www.hsa.brown.edu/~maicar/.

Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1942