18
votes
Accepted
Why was Europe named after Europa?
As with other Greco-Roman myths, the connection is often through children, descendants or other family members. While Europa herself does not seem to have made it to the continental mainland, her ...
- 9,702
17
votes
Odin's Counterpart
The key point here is Roman Syncretism. The romans believed the world was full of different gods, and they didn't presume to know about all of them, or to know everything about the ones they already ...
- 9,168
15
votes
Accepted
Greek/Latin mythology with two brothers who die as reward for hard labor
That story appears in one of the most beautifully written stories that can exist. In Herodotus Histories, chapter 1.
The Athenian lawgiver Solon is visiting the richest man in the world
the Lydian ...
- 3,501
12
votes
Is there a Western (Greek, Roman, Egyptian, or Norse) god of the cosmos?
For Egyptian, you'd have several choices. Going from the largest (at least in the Heliopolitian cosmology):
Nuun (Nun) is the cosmic ocean that our universe is a bubble in:
https://henadology....
11
votes
Accepted
Is it Lucifer or Venus?
The name of the deity represented by the planet in question, strictly speaking, is Lucifer, or Luciferus, that is, as far as Roman mythology is concerned. His Greek equivalent has a few different ...
- 9,702
11
votes
Which Greek or Roman deities have dominion over Time?
A pretty thorough list can be found here (relevant sections in the following list are mostly copied from the linked articles):
Greek:
Aion - associated with time, the orb or circle encompassing the ...
- 589
11
votes
Accepted
What is the symbolism behind Psyche's tasks?
The beautiful mind (soul) only finds pleasure (happiness) in unconditional love (heart).
The heart (unconditional love) likewise only finds happiness (pleasure) in the soul (beautiful mind).
...
- 416
10
votes
Is there a Western (Greek, Roman, Egyptian, or Norse) god of the cosmos?
This depends entirely on your stance of if you're asking for a sky god or if you'd prefer only "outer space", so to speak. Given that these are ancient cultures / mythologies we're discussing, it ...
- 101
10
votes
Is there a Western (Greek, Roman, Egyptian, or Norse) god of the cosmos?
Ouranos (Roman Uranus) is the Greek (night) sky god. You will find him at the beginning of Hesiod's Theogony. Wikipedia has an extensive list of sky gods, among whom you will find the Egyptian goddess ...
- 1,613
10
votes
Differences in the Greek and Roman portrayals of Cronos/Saturn
This is a more fascinating question than many might think at first glance.
Kronos is the Greek god and probably comes from Proto-Indo-European * gern- which meant germ or seed and yields the modern ...
10
votes
Accepted
Is the Cumaean Sybil known by any other name?
There have actually been many names from almost as many sources. In the Aeneid, Virgil described the priestess as "Deiphobe, daughter of Glaucus":
ni iam praemissus Achtes
Adforet, atque una ...
- 7,786
10
votes
Accepted
What is the relationship between Thor and storms?
The 11th century Christian missionary Adam of Bremen wrote,
"Thor, they say, presides over the air, he governs the thunder and lightning. the winds and rains."
The Norse believed that ...
- 4,041
9
votes
Accepted
Is there a connection between Acca Larentia and the wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus?
According with Michael Grant & John Hazel (1):
[Acca Larentia] Wife of Faustulus, the shepherd who found the abandoned twins Romulus and Remus and brought them up. Since the babies had been ...
- 623
9
votes
Accepted
What is the relationship between Jesus, Iseous, and Zeus
Jesus is the Medieval Latin spelling of Iesus (the 'i' is consonantal), itself derived from the Greek Ἰησοῦς, as bleh noted, which transcribed in Latin characters would be Iesous, close to your Iseous ...
- 7,140
9
votes
Accepted
When Was the Goddess Pomona's Festival?
Yeah, the Italian Wiki page is correct. The reading is:
Volturnalia a deo Volturno, cuius feriae tum. Octobri mense Meditrinalia dies dictus a medendo, quod Flaccus flamen Martialis dicebat ...
- 7,140
9
votes
Accepted
Was divination a job reserved to women?
Certainly not the Romans, in general. For sure, the Roman haruspex and augurs were male. However, it is entirely possible that certain kinds of divination were linked to either sex, so that the kind ...
- 5,996
9
votes
Accepted
Why did Hercules murder his first wife?
Hera struck him with madness, and he killed his wife Megara and children. In some myths, his need to atone for this led to him performing 12 Labours of Hercules. Two plays, by Euripides and Seneca, ...
- 5,868
9
votes
Greek or Roman equivalent of Bible
One would have to start with the Iliad and Odyssey by Homer, the Theogony by Hesiod and the Aeneid by Virgil, in addition to the aforementioned Metamorphosis by Ovid.
- 191
9
votes
Why did the Romans name the planets after their gods?
The Romans were not the first and only to apply this practice. The seven classical planets (visible to the naked eye, 5 of which today are considered actual planets) were named after deities in ...
- 5,344
8
votes
Accepted
What are the differences between fauns and satyrs?
According to theoi, Satyrs are depicted as having:
the tail of a horse, assine ears, upturned pug noses, reclining hair-lines, and erect members.
Another group of 'rustic' spirits called the Panes ...
- 3,539
8
votes
Accepted
Is this Sabine name of Flora accurate?
That claim according to which there was a Sabine month called Flusalis can be found in a footnote of William Warde Fowler's The Roman festivals of the period of the Republic; an introduction to the ...
- 3,539
8
votes
Accepted
Are Moirai & Parcae mortal?
No, the Moirai are immortal. In fact, contrary to to your comment in response to bleh, the gods are also immortal. Henrichs put this most succinctly with the opening of his section on the gods, "First ...
- 7,140
8
votes
Did the Trojans worship the gods by their Greek or Roman names?
The simple fact that in the Aeneid Vergil used Latin names is because the Aeneid was written in Latin. That is all there is to it. It was written much later—700 years later—and thus we cannot expect ...
- 7,140
8
votes
Accepted
Greek or Roman equivalent of Bible
In terms of comprehensiveness, the Bibliotheca of (Pseudo-)Apollodorus (text) is probably the best single work for Greek mythology.
Older sources, such as Homer, Hesiod, lyric poets (e.g. Pindar) and ...
- 675
7
votes
Greek/Roman Mermaids
Virtually all the ichthyanthropomorphic [part fish, part humanoid] characters featured in Greco-Roman mythology are water deities, usually sea-gods. Even Aigipan, the one aegichthyomorphic [part goat, ...
- 9,702
7
votes
Is there a Western (Greek, Roman, Egyptian, or Norse) god of the cosmos?
THe closest thing to a god of the cosmos in Norse myth would be Ymir, the first being. The ice of the cold realm of Nifhel and fire from the realm of Muspellheim met in the space between, Ginnungagap, ...
- 5,868
7
votes
Where do satyrs and fauns come from?
Satyrs are specific to Greek mythology, Fauns are specifically Roman.
Satyrs have goat's horns and horse's tails, and usually human legs, but a permanently erect penis. Fauns are more innocent but ...
- 171
7
votes
Was Saturn a person or god among the early Romans?
In ancient Rome, there was a divine trio known as the Archaic Triad. The members were Jupiter, Mars,and Quirinus.
Saturn is possibly derived from Satre, an Etruscan god mentioned on a bronze tablet ...
- 281
7
votes
Accepted
Did Greeks bow to their gods?
Bowing at the knees in Greek is an act called proskynesis. It wasn't mandatory, but it did occur. It was more often associated with the Persians, as they would perform proskynesis to those nobler than ...
- 583
7
votes
Accepted
What is this symbol on my necklace?
This is the dove with a halo, as a christian symbol for the Holy Spirit or the soul.
The colour red is associated with the blood of Christ and with the Holy Spirit.
The fact that you bought it in ...
- 186
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