Divine Roles Across Cultures Matrix

University of Phoenix Material Divine Roles Across Cultures Matrix

Select one common divine role that recurs in world mythology.

Possible options of divine roles include the following: father or mother divinities, divinities of war, home or hearth divinities, divinities of love, divinities of wisdom, divinities of medicine or health, divinities of the wind, divinities of agriculture, divinities of the sky, ruler of all the gods, and so on.

Identify the role in the title of your matrix.

Select two myths, each from a different culture, in which the divine role appears. Identify the divinity names and cultures in columns A and B.

Complete the matrix by answering each of the five questions for both selected divinities.

Title: Column A

Divinity Name: Aphrodite

Culture of Origin: Greek Column B

Divinity Name: Ishtar

Culture of Origin: Babylon

1. How is this divinity portrayed? Describe the divinity’s role within the myth.

Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty. She was involved in the aspects of uniting true love and making men fall in love with the women who were already in love with them. She was said to have caused the Trojan war when she offered Paris who was a noble Trojan shepherd and promised him the love of his life, Helen if he would award her with the Golden apple which was promised to the fairest goddess. Helen was married to the king of Sparta which inevitably began the Trojan war. Ishtar was the Goddess of war, love and procreation. She was well known within the Babylonian myths to abolish all of her love interests

2. Is the divinity male or female? What function does this gender play?

Aphrodite was a female. As a female goddess she was stereotypically more intuitive to the matters of the heart but ignorant to the possible negative outcome. Ishtar was a female. Her main function was as a fertility god which was highly praised. The temples in that time were centered on sexuality.

3. Within the myth of origin, how does this divinity compare with other divinities? How does this divinity interact with or compare to divinities of the same gender and to divinities of the opposite gender?

Although Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty she was said to be very vulnerable and allowed herself to get emotionally involved. Ishtar was one of the few fertility gods. She was known for being a great goddess in the area of love war and fertility. Most mythological gods are specific to either peace or war and Ishtar was