The Greek and Roman Gods; More Than a Name

The Greek and Roman Gods; More than a Name

Most people know that the Romans took the ancient Greek gods and renamed them as their own. Zeus became Jupiter, Poseidon became Neptune, and so on. In reality, the differences between the gods are more complex than many people realize. The name was not the only aspect to change when the gods crossed over from Greece to Rome. The Roman Empire didn’t exist until 1000 years after Greek society, leaving an abundance of time for mythology to evolve. Rome and Greece were two very different places, so it is only natural that their gods would reflect their contrasting characteristics. While many people believe that the Greek and Roman gods are the same deities with different names, they fail to realize the gods differ in their identity and their roles in mythology.

Between the times of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, the gods went through a major identity shift. Back in Greece, the gods were very human-like. They appeared as beautiful people with perfect bodies. Each deity represented a human personality trait, or had a demeanor which reflected their domain with characteristics similar to a human being. The Greek gods were very emotional, sometimes letting their feelings rule over their actions. Roman gods were an entirely different story. They did not have a real physical appearance; they only appeared in the people’s imaginations. These beings were not even gender specific. Their individual characteristics were not important to the Romans. The gods were perceived as a whole, rather than as singular entities. These Roman deities were more disciplined than the Greeks, and much stricter. A good example would be the god of war. Ares, the Greek version, was the god of bloodshed and violence as well as war. He reveled in the carnage of battle, and stirred fear into the hearts of the people of Greece. Mars, the Roman version, was the god of battle strategy and fertility, as well as war. He understood the necessity of war, but used battle as a tool to secure peace. Mars was considered to be the father of the Roman people. They respected and revered him and his efforts to bring peace to Rome.

The personalities were not the only things that changed in the switch between civilizations. As noted with Ares and Mars, along with the modified behavior, the gods also had different domains. These domains determined what the gods’ particular realm would be, and what specific powers or specialties they would possess. Even for the gods whose domains were unchanged, their roles and basic skills were altered. The Greek gods started off with certain roles on Mount Olympus, the home of the gods. There was Zeus, the elected king of the gods who ruled over his realm of the heavens. Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, crafts, useful arts and battle strategy, would give advice to her father, Zeus, and was one of the most active goddesses. In Greek society and mythology,