I found this on e-mule and I'm trying to bribe you with it into
translating these verses into Old Norse: "Come in, corner-dwellers,
The doors of my home are open for you,
If your arms for me be too."

PS: I haven't read Harry Potter either.

GREEK MYTHOLOGY COMPARED TO NORSE MYTHOLOGY
GARETH LONG
INTRODUCTION

Greek mythology and Roman mythology are almost identical.
This is an accepted fact, as it is widely known that the Romans stole
the Greek myths.
However, it is very interesting to note that the mythology of the
Vikings (Norse)
has many similarities with the Greek myths. These myths are, by no
means,
identical to the Greek ones (like the Roman ones are), but there are
very
distinct commonalities between the two. I see two possible reasons
for this besides pure
coincidence.

The first has to do with the fact that Norse myths
were codified during the Viking era: 780 - 1070.
This gives the Norsemen many centuries to become exposed to the Greek
(or Roman) myths.
The Vikings did travel as far east as the Caspian sea, which is
further east
than both Italy and Greece. The Norse myths were fashioned after the
fall of the Roman
empire. During the expansion of the Roman empire, the Romans were
able to get
all the way to Britain, which is farther west than the Scandinavian
countries
where these myths originated. The Vikings made many expeditions into
Britain.
So it is a very realistic thought that the Vikings could have been
exposed to the stories of the Greek and Roman gods.
It is also possible that the Vikings could have extrapolated parts of
the Roman stories
into their own. The only two existing primary sources of Norse
mythology
are the Prose (Elder) Edda, and the Poetic (Younger) Edda. These were
written about
one thousand to eight hundred years ago respectively.

The second factor has to do with mythology as an extension of the
society that fashions it.
I see mythology as an attempt by a people to explain the powerful
forces
which affect and shape it,that are beyond its control, such as
weather, the elements,
and nature. I also see gods as being characters that have many
similarities
with the people within the society. The gods and goddesses
are powerful beings capable of super-human powers, but nevertheless
are characters fraught
with very human frailties and flaws. In this way they created gods
that had similarities
with the common man in the society. This made the gods more tangible
and easier
to identify with. I think that this was necessary because they were
not yet
at the societal maturity level to have a single god on a cosmic
plane.

Most of the comparisons will be examining the similarities between
major Greek and Norse
gods, as well as creatures, stories and specific symbols which are
featured
in the mythologies.

Some of the gods do not have direct counterparts (Thor,Athena).
However, I will
provide possible similarities within the respective mythologies.

To view these comparisons, click on the menu bar to the left,
choosing the appropriate buttons.
AEGIR -- POSEIDON

POSEIDON


Poseidon is the brother of Zeus and Hades.After the overthrow of
their father, Cronos,
he drew lots with Zeus and Hades to decide who would rule over what
part of the world.
Poseidon's prize was to become the god of the sea, and therefore he
was widely worshipped
by seamen. Poseidon was the secondmost powerful of the gods, second
only to Zeus.
He was very quarrelsome, greedy, and had many disputes with other
gods when he tried
to take over their cities. Poseidon was known for creating the horse.
Poseidon's weapon
and symbol is the trident, which can shake the earth and shatter any
object.
He was well-liked by some, but not all.



AEGIR


Aegir is the god of the sea. He is also known as Hler. Aegir was
often called the
ruler of the sea in the Poetic Edda. He was a personification of the
ocean, be it good
or evil. He caused storms with his anger, and the Skalds (Viking
poets) said a ship went
into "Aegir's wide jaws" when it wrecked. Aegir was often said to
have been crowned
with seaweed and always surrounded by nixies and mermaids while in
his hall.
Aegir's wife (and sister) was Ran. Ran and Aegir had nine daughters
who were the waves;
all of their names are poetic names for waves. Aegir brewed ale for
the gods.
Every winter the gods would drink beer at Aegir's home. He was,
therefore,
famed for his hospitality. Gold was put onto the floor of the hall to
provide light,
instead of lighting a fire. Gold is therefore called Aegir's fire.
The cups in Aegir's hall were always full, magically refilling
themselves.
Sailors feared Aegir, and thought he would sometimes surface to
destroy ships.
Early Saxons made human sacrifices to a god of the sea, possibly
connected with Aegir.



DIRECT COMPARISON



Aegir and Poseidon, both being the gods of the sea in their
respective mythologies,
had some other similarities. Both of them were feared by sailors.
This goes back to
the thesis that one of the main functions for myths was to explain
the unexplainable.
Since both of these societies were sea-going, these gods must have
been very important.
This is the case with the Greek myths, but in the Norse, Aegir does
not seem to be as
major a figure. The Norse also had a god for the beach and shore
waters: Njord,
who seemed more important in the myths. So, did the Vikings find
Aegir important,
or did they feel that they had enough control over the seas and the
vessels that they
did not need to fear Aegir? This could be very true, as the Vikings
did manage to reach
North America well before Columbus, so they had to have some control
over the seas.
The Atlantic Ocean, which the Vikings crossed, is larger and much
more formidable than
the Mediterranean, the largest body of water travelled by the Greeks.

It is also important to note that Aegir was considered a very
hospitable god,
whereas Poseidon was considered very harsh and greedy.

Another similarity between the two is the fact that both of them had
a very large and
elaborate palace on the ocean floor.

One last thing of importance is that Poseidon is sometimes displayed
as being bad or evil;
this is not the case with Aegir.

ASGARD -- MT. OLYMPUS



ASGARD
Asgard is sometimes known as Asgarth. It is the realm of the gods and
the home
of both the Aesir and Vanir. Is is ruled by Odin, the leader of the
Norse deities.
It is located in the heavens, but is connected to earth by a bridge,
known as Bifrost,
sometimes referred to as a rainbow. There is also a route from Asgard
to the underworld,
the domain of Hel.

Valhalla, a hall within Asgard, was the palace for fallen kings,
warriors who had died in battle and heroes.


. OLYMPUS
Mount Olympus was the home of the Greek gods.
It was chosen as their home because of its altitude, for Zeus, the
king of the gods,
was associated with the sky. Within the mythology, Mt. Olympus was
large,
foreboding and of considerable elevation, but the real Mt.
Olympus is little more than a hill.


DIRECT COMPARISON

The comparisons between Asgard and Mt. Olympus are many.
Both are in the sky or heavens. In this sense, these mythologies are
somewhat
similar to understandings of "heaven" in later religions, which is
often visualized
as being above the earth. However, both Asgard and Mt. Olympus have
direct connections
with the earth (via the bridge or up the slopes of the mountain.)
This connectedness to the realm of man is again another example of
the needed
tangibility of the gods by these peoples.

Both Asgard and Mt. Olympus were ruled by the supreme god of the
respective mythological
supreme gods, Odin and Zeus. Odin, from his throne, Hlidskialf,
was able to see all of the nine worlds of Norse mythology,
while Zeus could also see all of the earth from Mt. Olympus.
Both sites were the domain of the gods, forbidden to ordinary humans,
although their inhabitants often left to interact with the common
people.
Even though the gods did not always live in Asgard or Mt. Olympus,
they were the places for conferences and councils of the gods.
ATHENA


Athena is the daughter of Zeus and Metis.
There was a prophecy that Metis would bear a child equal to Zeus in
wisdom,
so he ate his pregnant wife, Metis, and unborn daughter.
The story goes that, one day Zeus claimed that he had the worst
headache in history,
and ordered Hephaestos, the craftsman god, to split his head open
with an axe.
He did so and Athena sprang -- full grown and in armour -- from his
forehead.
She is fierce and brave in battle but only fights to protect the
state and home
from outside enemies. She is the goddess of the city, handicrafts,
and agriculture.
She invented the bridle, which permitted man to tame horses, the
trumpet, the flute,
the pot, the rake, the plow, the yoke, the ship, and the chariot.
She is the embodiment of wisdom, reason, and purity.
She was Zeus' favourite child and was allowed to use his weapons
including his thunderbolt.
Her favorite city is Athens. Her tree is the olive. The owl is her
bird.
She is a virgin goddess.

COMPARISON

Athena does not have a direct counterpart in Norse mythology.
However, she is a major figure in Greek mythology and cannot be
ignored.
Athena was the most worshipped of the Greek gods and goddesses,
and in this respect can be compared to Thor.
As Thor had amulets of his hammer made for him,
Athena had her likeness put on the staters (coins) of Alexander the
Great.

Because of her great wisdom, a comparison can be drawn between her
and Odin.
Odin also had great wisdom. However, it seems that Athena was held in
higher
esteem than Odin, as Odin was not born with this great wisdom, but
had to go
through many tasks and tricks to gain the knowledge.

Another similarity between Odin and Athena is the fact that both are
known
for helping mortals. Athena helped Odysseus, Perseus, Jason and
Herakles.
In this same light, Odin is the protector of Sigmund, for example.
Athena was a warrior goddess, as Odin was a warrior god,
although Athena was a strategic figure, and most of the Norse
figures,
including Odin, were not known for being strategists.

An interesting difference between Norse and Greek mythology is
exemplified
in the popularity and importance of Athena, because she is female.
Although a line in the Poetic Edda states that the goddesses were no
less
important than the gods, in fact no Norse goddess approached the
stature
or popularity that Athena had with the Greeks.
In the various stories of Norse mythology, the goddesses,
while being mentioned, have no major impact,
yet Athena is a prime mover in many Greek legends.
APOLLO -- BALDER



APOLLO

Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto. His twin sister is Artemis.
He is a god with many attributes. As ruler over the nine Muses
--the source of inspiration to humans in all the arts --
he is identified with the arts but particularly music. He is known as
the god of music,
often portrayed playing a golden lyre. He is also called the Archer,
often depicted shooting long distances with a silver bow.
He is also the god of healing, who taught man medicine, and the god
of light,
sometimes referred to as the sun god. One of Apollo's more important
daily tasks
is to harness his chariot with four horses and drive the sun across
the sky.
He was not supposed to be able to tell lies and was thus the god of
truth.

He is famous for his oracle at Delphi. People traveled to it from all
over
the Greek world to divine the future. He is thus also known as the
god of prophecy
and divination.

He was a patron of Troy and was instrumental in the killing of the
Greek hero, Achilles.

His tree is the laurel and the crow his bird. The dolphin is the
animal identified with him.



BALDER
Balder, the favourite son of Odin and Frigg, is described as a very
handsome and wise god.
His name means "The Glorious." Some consider him to be a god of
light since he was so bright with light shining from him. He was also
called
the "god of tears." He was killed by his blind twin brother, Hod.
Balder's wife was Nanna and they had a son named Forseti. Balder and
Nanna
lived in Breidablik [The Broad-Gleaming], where nothing unclean could
be
and there were "fewest baneful runes." Breidablik had a silver roof on
golden pillars.

Saxo (one of possible authors of the Prose Edda) gave a very
different picture of Balder:
he was a vicious god who fought with Hod to
marry Nanna. Balder's name rarely occurs in place names, therefore,
it is
thought that not many people worshipped him. The poets used his name
to
mean warrior.


DIRECT COMPARISON
Both Apollo and Balder are known as the gods of light and both are
considered to be
beautiful, handsome gods. Apollo was known as the god of divination
and one of the most
common stories about Balder is his dream about his death. Both were
sons of the supreme god
in their respective mythologies and both had twins (Balder and Hod,
Apollo and Artemis.)
While Apollo was known as the sun god, Balder was usually thought to
have light shining
from him.

APHRODITIE -- FREYIA


APHRODITIE

Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, reproduction,
laughter and sexuality.
She was born from foam, which is what her name means.
She sprang fully-grown from this white foam as the severed genitals
of Uranos
fell into the sea. As she is the god of sexuality and reproduction
she has
mothered many children. One of her most famous lovers was Ares.
It is interesting to note that she was the patroness of prostitutes.

Her power over the heart was reinforced by a special belt or girdle.


FREYIA

Freyia is the goddess of love, fertility, war, and wealth.
She was the daughter of Njord, and the sister of Frey.
Her daughter, by her husband, Od, is named Hnoss,
who is so beautiful that whatever is valuable and lovely is named
"treasure" after her. She lived in Folkvang (battlefield) and each
day
chose half of the slain warriors to split with Odin. She somehow lost
her husband,
Od, and cried golden tears for him. Many believe Od is Odin.
Her chariot was drawn by cats and she owned the precious Brisinga-
men's necklace,
which she acquired by sleeping with four dwarves.
She also owned a feather coat which she could use to fly between the
worlds.

She was also known as the goddess of magic and divination.

Freyia was one of the few Norse female characters who had a major
role,
an exception to the general rule of lower status for goddesses
compared to gods.
She was revered by women.

Some sources say Friday is named after her.


DIRECT COMPARISON

Both Aphrodite and Freyia are goddesses of love and
fertility/reproduction.
In keeping with the apparent Norse acceptance of infidelity,
Freyia is much more a goddess of lust, being identified with sexual
freedom.
In this way she was almost identical to Aphrodite, as both were well-
known
for their numerous partners.

While one of Freyia's prized possessions was her famous necklace,
Aphrodite,
similarly, was renowned for her girdle. In many stories, both
goddesses
were asked to "lend" these adornments to others.

Because of her association with divination, Freyia has some of the
characteristics
which the Greeks assigned to Apollo.
FRIGG-- HERA

FRIGG

Frigg is the wife of Odin,and the goddess of marriage.
One of the things she was known for was weaving the clouds.
She was, like most of the female deities in Norse mythology, a fairly
minor player,
having no myths to herself. She is known to be the grieving mother of
Balder,
and she is the one who sends Hermod to attempt to get Balder back
from the underworld.




HERA

Hera is Zeus' wife and sister. She is the goddess and protector of
marriage
and takes special care of married women. Most of the stories
concerning
Hera have to do with her jealous revenge for Zeus' infidelities.
She once attempted a revolt against Zeus and gathered many gods to
help.
This revolt was unsuccessful and in the end Hera had to promise that
she would
never again attempt to rebel. However, she often was intrigued by
Zeus' plans and
was able to outwit him on many occasions.
Her sacred animals are the cow and the peacock. Her favourite
city is Argos.




DIRECT COMPARISON

Hera and Frigg are two very similar goddesses.
Both are the wives of the supreme gods of the respective religions,
and both are the goddess associated with marriage.
However, as in most of the Norse myths, Frigg plays a lesser role
because
she is female. This sets her apart from Hera. Hera had a fairly large
role
in the Greek myths, although most of her stories were about the same
thing:
the jealous revenge of Zeus' infidelities. This brings up an
interesting point.
Hera, being the goddess of marriage, is furious when people
(especially Zeus)
are adulterous. She takes many actions to try and stop these things
from happening
and if they do get by her, she does not make the lives of the
offspring from the
relationships easy. This is not the case, however, with Frigg.
Odin is often unfaithful, but there seems to be no reaction from
Frigg.
Frigg also does not seem to be in the position to either speak to
Odin about
these other relationships or to even have the slightest thoughts
about a revolt.
This seems to be a recurring theme: Norse goddesses are definitely in
an inferior position.
If a mythology is taken as a reflection of the society that worships
it,
that leads to the conclusion that the Norse women had less stature
than Greek women.
If this is the case, it is very sad, for the Norse culture was more
recent
and one would hope that things would have progressed rather than
regressed.
In studying ancient Greek societies, women were generally not treated
with anything
approaching equality with the men (with a notable exception, perhaps,
of Sparta).
Does this mean that it was even worse for the wives of the Vikings?
Was adultery condoned in the Norse society? It seems that it is in
the myths.
There were some instances in the Norse myths where people refused to
indulge in
extramarital affairs not because of their morals, but because they
only had love
for their husband/wife. They never said, "No I won't have realtions
with you, it's wrong!".
Odysseus did say things like this in his adventures. So it would seem
that adultery
was more condoned among the Norse and it wasn't by the Greeks.
GARM -- CERBERUS


GARM
Garm was a huge, gigantic dog that guarded the gates to Hel's realm.
He was the head of a pack of numerous dogs and wolves with this guard
function.


CERBERUS
Cerberus is a ferocious dog, given to Hades to guard the entrance to
the underworld.
Usually depicted as three-headed, Homer described him as having fifty
heads.
Sometimes he is described as having a serpent for a tail and dragons
on his back.
As the guard of the underworld, his function was to prevent the
living from entering,
and the dead souls from returning to the land of the living. Except
for one occasion,
he remains in the underworld, the one occasion being one of the
Labours of Heracles.

He is known to be the brother of the Hydra
(a nine-headed serpent, whose destruction was another of Heracles'
Labours)
and the Chimera
(a fire-breathing creature which is a mixture of a lion, a goat and a
serpent).


DIRECT COMPARISON

Perhaps in both these mythologies, the old saying "Beware of the dog"
is more appropriate than "Dog is man's best friend." Needless to say,
it is an obvious similarity that the guard to the underworld is a
canine.
In the case of the Norse, Garm is only one of many dogs;
to the Greeks it was one dog with many heads who was the sentry.
HEL -- HADES


HEL
Hel is the daughter of Loki and the giant, Angurboda.
She is the sister of Fenrir (Fenris-wolf) and Jormungand (Midgard
Serpent).
She is the goddess of the underworld. Her realm was Niflheim which
was often
referred to as Hel and her hall was called Elvidnir [Misery].
In her hall her table was called Hunger and her bed Disease.
She was described as half white and half black.


HADES
Hades is the brother of Zeus. After the overthrow of their father,
Cronus,
he drew lots with Zeus and Poseidon, another brother, for shares of
the world.
He won the worst draw and was made lord of the underworld, ruling
over the
dead. He is a greedy god who is greatly concerned with increasing the
number
of his subjects. Those whose calling in life increase the number of
dead
(such as warriors) are seen favorably. He is exceedingly disinclined
to allow
any of his subjects to leave his domain.

He is also the god of wealth, due to the precious metals mined from
the
earth. He has a helmet that makes him invisible. He rarely leaves the
underworld. He is unpitying and terrible, but not capricious. His
wife is
Persephone whom Hades abducted. He is the king of the dead but death
itself is another god, Thanatos.



DIRECT COMPARISON

The obvious congruence is that both were rulers of the underworld.
In Norse mythology, Hel was female while Hades is a male figure.
Typically, as a female she is not featured prominently in Norse myths.

One major difference between them is that Hades ruled over all who
died while Niflheim,
Hel's kingdom, was the destination of only those who died of old age
or disease;
those who died in battle travelled to another place after death.

Hades is a more important figure in Greek mythology than Hel in the
Norse
as he won lordship over one third of the "universe," although he is
not featured
too much either.

HERMOD -- HERMES


HERMOD
Hermod was the messenger of the gods. He rode to Hel's realm after
the death of Balder
to try and convince her to let Balder come back from the dead.
He was not a major figure in the myths, but had a distinct role.


HERMES
Hermes was the messenger god in Greek mythology.
He is the son of Zeus and Maia. He is the fastest of the gods.
He wears winged sandals, a winged hat, and carries a magic wand.
He is the god of thieves and of commerce. He is the guide for the
dead on their journey
to the underworld. He invented the lyre, the pipes, the musical
scale, astronomy,
weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the care of olive trees.

DIRECT COMPARISON

Hermes and Hermod have much in common.
Even their names are almost identical.
Both are the messengers of the gods.
It may seem, though, that Hermes had a larger role in the myths than
Hermod.

Besides their obvious similarities, there is one that is particularly
distinct.
Hermes has sometimes been called Psychopompos, which means bearer of
souls.
Some say that Hermes would escort the souls of the dead to the
underworld.
This also seems to be a characteristic of Hermod and the main reason
that Hermod
volunteers to go to the realm of the dead to get Balder back.
So what does this mean? What does a messenger god have to do with the
dead?
Maybe this goes back to the old saying "bearer of bad news." Being
the messenger
would often mean that they would bring the bad news of a death either
to the recipient
of the message or of someone they knew. So in this sense they would
be the bearer of the
dead souls.

As cited above, one of the most famous Norse stories is about
Hermod's trip
to the underworld in an attempt to retrieve Balder.
There is famous Greek story in which Zeus sends Hermes to the
underworld to try
and retrieve Persephone.


LOKI



Loki is one of the giants, the enemies of the Norse gods.
He became a member of the Aesir (the gods) when Odin made Loki his
blood brother.
He is the god of fire, mischief, a trickster, and very cunning.
After causing the death of Balder, he was bound by the gods until the
Ragnarok
(the final battle or the twilight of the gods), at which time, he
will be freed.
Loki fathered Fenris, the wolf that is prophesied to kill Odin during
Ragnorok;
the Midgard Serpent, prophesied to kill Thor in the same battle; and
Hel


COMPARISON



As god of fire, Loki could be compared to Hephaestus, the Greek god
of fire.
One of the major stories about Loki is his exile from Asgard for
being indirectly
responsible for the death of Balder. This punishment was meted out by
Odin.
Similarly, Hephaestus was ejected from Mt. Olympus by Zeus over an
argument
about one of Zeus' favourites, Heracles. However, these two gods
cannot be considered
direct counterparts because Loki is a major figure in Norse
mythology,
while Hephaestus is a much more incidental figure in the myths of the
Greeks.

There are many symbols present in Norse myths.
The giants represent the powerful forces of nature for example.
One major symbol applies to Loki specifically.
This is fire, both in its good and bad sense.
Loki often helps out the gods (fire in the good sense).
Loki also sets the gods very far back -- even to death (the bad sense
of fire).
This would sum up Loki's character perfectly, as Loki was both good
and bad,
just like the fire he was the god of.




PROMETHEUS


The first obvious commonality between the two would be the
association with fire:
Loki being the god of fire, and Prometheus being the bringer of fire
to the humans.
Above I mentioned both the "good" and "bad" aspects of fire.
This can be applied to Prometheus' steakling of the fire from the
gods of Olympus.
Although the giving of fire to man aided humankind, and led to
technological advance,
the stealing of fire had reprecussions: It taught men to cheat and
steal,
and of course Zeus, in punishing man for Prometheus' actions,
ordered Hephaestus to create Pandora and her vase (not box).
So there were good and bad aspects of the stealing of Fire.

Another similarity that is quite obvious deals with Loki and
Prometheus' relationships
with the gods. As the giants were the enemies of the gods in Norse
mythology,
the Titans were the enemies of the Olympians in the Greek myths.
As mentioned eariler, Loki was a giant, but was admitted to the Aesir
by becoming
Odin's blood-brother. Prometheus was a Titan, but was admitted to
Olympus for remaining
neutral in the revolt of the Olympians against the Titans.
Both of these gods were adopted into the respective races almost as
to reward them,
but both would be regretted. Prometheus knew who would be responsible
for the death
of Zeus. This can be looked at in the same light as Loki's both
knowledge
and responsibilty of Odin's death, as he fathered the beast Fenris
who would kill him.
Another reason why the adoption of these two would be regretted was
the role
they would play in the harm and destruction of humanity.
Loki is a major palyer and provokes Ragnorok, the final battle that
will destroy everything
including the gods. Prometheus caused the creation of Pandora
therefore daming mankind.
However this was not enough punishment in the eyes of Zeus,
so he caused a flood that destroyed mankind. However it is equally
important to notice
that in both myths, humanity renews itself. Fire also plays a very
large role
in the destruction of the world in the Norse myths,
as Surtur engulfs the world in flame after the battle of Ragnarok.
Some would say that Prometheus' association of fire destroyed
mankind.
In Norse myths too, fire destroyed mankind.

Prometheus was also a trickster, as he stole cheated and lied.
His name means "forethought", and in a lot of ways this is muck like
Loki.
As mentioned above one of Loki's strong qualities was his ability to
out-wit the gods.
This too was a characteristic of Prometheus.
Neither acted capriciously, which set both of them apart from the
other gods
in their respective mythologies.

For indirectly causing the death of Balder,
Loki was bound in chains with a seprent above him dripping poison to
harm Loki.
Prometheus was likewise bound by the gods for his actions.
He was chained to a rock in the Caucasian mountains,
with a vulture to tear away at his liver all day long -- an endless
torture,
as his liver would grow back every night. Very similar as both were
chained to stone,
with an endless torture. Loki was not freed until the twilight of the
gods, or Ragnorok.
Prometheus was also released by Herakles, and immediatly had the
interaction with Zeus,
when he told him what would cause his death.
So both were freed, and immediatly became associated with the death
of the gods.

So these two adopted gods had characteristics that were very similar.




NORNS -- THE FATES

THE NORNS

These maidens are sometimes considered giants,
but are usually depicted as three goddesses. They were said to visit
each being,
god or human, immediately after birth, to determine his or her
future.
While sometimes there are said to be many Norns, there are usually
three mentioned,
named, Urd (Fate) Skuld (Being) and Verdandi (Necessity).
They are associated with the Well of Fate.


THE FATES
The Fates are also known as the Moirae or Apparitioners.
These three females determine the lifespan of every individual.
It is questionable whether or not they were subject to Zeus' power as
they were sometimes
seen as being superior even to the gods. They were named Clotho (The
Spinner),
Lachesis (The Drawer of Lots) and Atropos (Inevitable).
Clotho presides at birth and spins out the thread of life,
Lachesis measures it and Atropos cuts it off.
In later stories they were described as three old women.


DIRECT COMPARISON

These are almost identical figures in the myths, in number, gender
and purpose,
even to the fact that in both mythologies, they can be considered to
be independent
of the gods. In fact, it is from the Norns that Odin learns of his
fate
-- being killed in battle with the wolf, Fenris.

While the Greek Fates are often visualized as being around a cauldron
or spinning wheel,
the Norns position themselves around a well.
This symbolizes the circle of life, a concept found in many
mythologies
beyond the Norse and Greek.
THOR


Thor is the son of Odin and a member of the Aesir, the name for the
collection of Norse gods.
He is the god of thunder and the main enemy of the giants. He would
smash their heads with his
mighty axe-hammer, Mjolnir. To wield this awesome weapon he needed
iron gloves and a belt of
strength. Mjolnir would return to Thor's hand after being thrown and
is symbolic of lightning.

This is a depiction of Thor's magical hammer, Mjolnir.

Thor rode around middle-earth in his wagon drawn by two goats.
His abode is Thruthheim [Land of Strength] and his hall, Bilskinir.
His wife is Sif.

Thor was very well-known for his quick and hot temper. This was often
vented on the giants,
the main enemies of the gods.

This is Thor fighting a clay giant

He was foremost of the gods to the common man, who would call on him
to
ensure fertility, and was widely worshiped. Hammer-shaped amulets
were popular,
the hammer being a symbol of Thor because it was his weapon, and were
worn about
the neck well into the Christianization of Scandinavia. There are
molds from that time
which contain both cross and hammer shapes, side by side. His name is
found in numerous
place names, and it was his statue which was central in the great
temple at Uppsala.
Our day of the week, Thursday, is named for him. Donar was an early
version of Thor among
the early Germans. The Anglo-Saxons worshiped a thunder god named
Thunor.


There doesn't seem to be a direct counterpart to this Norse god of
thunder.
However, some aspects of Thor can be found in some of the Greek gods.
The first one is the parallel with Zeus. Zeus is the god of lightning
and thunder.
Thor is also the god of thunder but he is not the ruler of the gods.
In some ways, though, he was the most important god to the Norse, in
the sense
that Thor was the most worshipped and liked god. Thor, in this
context,
could be compared to Athena. Athena was the most beloved goddess of
the Greeks.
This is quite interesting as Thor and Athena are very different.
Thor is basically a brute while Athena is a wise, strategic goddess.
She is reasonable and usually thinks her actions through. Thor
usually acts on impulse.
So, what does this say about the cultures which chose these two for
their favourites?
Were the Norse brutes themselves while the Greeks were more
civilized?
Were the Norse looking for a simplistic and impulsive god, who acted
much like they did,
while the Greeks were more strategic?

TYR -- ARES


TYR
Tyr is the Norse god of war. He is also known as being the bravest of
the gods.
This was exemplified when he put his right hand into Fenris the
wolf's mouth
when the gods were binding him with chains. Fenris then bit off Tyr's
right hand,
which is why Tyr is always depicted with one hand.
There is much debate about his left-handedness. In the Norse culture
the
right hand was given for a pledge, which could be why the right hand
was
placed in the wolf's mouth. It has also been noted, however, that the
offering of the right hand is to show that it is free of weapons. A
left-
handed person was sometimes considered evil because he could use a
weapon
with his left hand even though he shook with his right hand.
He was thought to be either the son of Odin, or of a giant.
Tyr had no myths all to himself, but he often accompanied Thor on
many journeys.
This may be why he was considered such a brave person.
Tyr was known by the Anglo-Saxons as Tiw or Tiu, and had Tuesday
named for him.


ARES

Ares is one of the few sons that Zeus and Hera had.
It is important to note that Ares was disliked by both parents.
He is the Greek god of war. Ares is considered murderous and
bloodstained but,
also a coward. He was never very popular in myth, and he was
constantly outwitted by Athena.
He was sent to trial for raping a daughter of Poseidon.
He seemed to love the brutal aspects and the carnage of war.
Ares, except for when he is on the battlefield,
is usually displayed in myths as being Aphrodite's lover.
He seemed hot-tempered and fell quickly to jealousy.
It is thought that the golden boar that killed Adonis was actually
Ares in disguise,
acting on his jealousy. His bird is the vulture. His animal is the
dog.


DIRECT COMPARISON

The main similarity between Tyr and Ares is their specific area: war.
Both are gods of war, and the same kind of war: battle and impulsive
attack.
Barely any strategy comes into play with these two gods.
However, while these two seem like the logical parallel for each
other,
in fact it seems that they are almost opposites. The main distinction
is that Tyr
is very well-known for his bravery (the story of the loss of his
hand). In this light,
Ares is the opposite. He is known for being cowardly and unliked.
Tyr was very well-liked by the Norse even to the point of having
Tuesday named for him.
This goes back to the point that it seems that the Norse were
fighters,
but not in the strategic sense, and liked this type of god. The
Greeks,
on the other hand, really liked the strategic gods, and disliked the
impulsive ones.

It seems that Ares would fit in perfectly with the Norse gods.
He has many of the typical characteristics of the Norse gods.
Ares could be one of the best examples to show the differences that
must have been present
between the two societies. Ares is basically a Norse-style god in
Greek myths.
And not only is he displayed as being unliked and not a "good" god,
as Athena was,
he was barely worshipped. This shows what the Greeks were looking for
in the gods
they liked and worshipped. However, had Ares appeared in the Norse
myths,
he would have been brave, valiant and great. This is seen in the
acclaim both Tyr and Thor
received from the society that worshipped them.
So it would prove that the Norsemen wanted this type of god.


ULL -- ARTEMIS


ULL
Ull is the goddess of archery and the hunt and according to some
she is also the patron goddess of skiers and the snowshoe.
Her weapon is a longbow made out of yew. She lived in Ydal (Yew
Dales.)
She was called upon for help in duels. She was the daughter (or step-
daughter)
of Thor and Sif (or Ovandrill, depending on the source).
Her name, which means glorious, is a part of many place names,
therefore,
she is considered to be an ancient goddess who was widely worshipped.
It is believed that at one time she was one of the highest gods.


ARTEMIS

Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and childbirth.
She is the twin sister of Apollo.
She is the daughter of the Titan, Leto, and Zeus.
Artemis, like her brother Apollo, possessed a wide range of divine
attributes.
She was a virgin and very protective of her chastity. She was also
famous for her wrath.
This was usually displayed when someone tried to seduce her.
Artemis is also known as the goddess of the moon, as her brother is
the god of the sun.



DIRECT COMPARISON

Artemis is the goddess of the moon, and of the hunt.
Ull is also identified with hunting, but not the moon. Both
mythologies,
interestingly enough, identified females for the deity associated
with hunting.
But again, Ull is not a major player in the Norse myths, especially
in comparison
with Artemis, who had a fairly lage role.
Ull is not known as being a virgin, but she is known for her vengeful
thoughts.
This is displayed in her constant hatred for Loki,
for killing her father even after they had made a truce.
This is in many ways a lot like Artemis and her wrath.
She would not forgive anyone that tried to seduce her.

Both of these goddesses were symbolized by a longbow.
Ull was also known for skiing and snowshoeing.
It is not a surprise that Artemis was not identified with these,
as there just isn't a lot of snow in Greece.

The important fact is that it seems that both are powerful women
characters.
This is especially important in the case of Ull because of the usual
lesser
status of female figures women in Norse myths.
However, to reinforce the dominance of males, in some of the sources,
Ull was displayed as being male. It may have been too problematical
for the Norse
to have a deity that was both powerful and female.

STORIES


THE NORSE CREATION MYTH

The Norse believed that at the beginning of time there was Niflheim
which was an icy region,
Muspell which was a fiery region and a large void called Ginnungagap.
Over time the fires and sparks of Muspell warmed the frozen vapours
of Niflheim,
condensed them into water and they started to drip.
The drips collected in Ginnungagap and two gigantic beings were
formed
-- Ymir a frost giant and a huge cow called Audumla.
Ymir drank Audumla's milk and grew bigger and stronger.
One night while he was asleep, Ymir sweated.
From the sweat from the soles of his feet a six-headed troll
appeared.
A male and a female frost giant grew from the sweat of his armpits.
The cow was licking the salty ice and gradually a new creature came
into being.
The first day hair appeared; on the second, a head; and on the third
the body
of a new giant, called Buri. Buri's sons and grandsons became the
gods, not giants.
Odin led all of his kin against Ymir and killed him.
He dragged Ymir's enormous body into Gunnungagap.
His flesh became the earth, his blood the sea, his bones the
mountains,
his hair the trees and his teeth became stones.
Odin and the others discovered worms in the earth and turned them
into
dwarves and dark elves. The gods also discovered light elves.
The blood (sea) drowned all of frost giants except two who started
a new race of giants from which came all warlocks, enchanters and
witches.
Odin set Ymir's skull over earth as the sky.
He put the brains around the sky and called them clouds.
Sparks from Muspell formed stars. Ymir's eyebrows were turned into
land called Midgard.
The first two humans were created from trees -- a man from an ash, a
woman from an elm.
The gods then departed by the bridge to Asgard.
There were nine worlds: Niflheim (mist and dead), Muspell (fire),
Midgard (humans), Jotunheim (frost giants), Alfheim (light elves),
Nidavellir (dwarves), Svatalfheim (dark elves), Vanaheim (Vanir
gods),
Asgard (Aesir).
Above all the worlds was a wondrous tree, Yggdrasil, the world tree.


THE GREEK CREATION MYTH

Chaos was the first thing to exist.
He is sometimes called the oldest of the gods, but is also described
as a shapeless void.
From him sprang Ge (or Gaia), Tartarus, Eros, Erebus, and Nyx
(Night).
Ge brought forth Uranos, the sky and then the mountains and the sea.
She had intercourse with her son, Uranos, to produce the first divine
races (the Titans).
Uranos didn't like his offspring and forced them back into Ge.
Ge was enraged by this and she persuaded Chronos,
the youngest of her children, to castrate Uranos during the next
intercourse between
Ge and Uranos. Uranos died and Chronos became ruler of heaven. s.
Chronos feared his children and so after his wife/sister, Rhea, gave
birth,
he ate the children.

DIRECT COMPARISON

In both mythologies there was a void at the beginning.
In the Norse stories Gunnungagap, the void, was the eventual source
of life.
In the Greek creation myth, Chaos, a shapeless void,
was all there was at the beginning and from him sprang all other
creations.
In both stories, the first gods revolted against their father or
grandfather
and by overthrowing him became the ruler of the worlds.
In both, humanity was formed from nature rather than through descent
from the gods.
It is interesting that there was a great deal of detail about the
formation
of earth in the Norse myth and many more types of beings than just
gods and humans.


ZEUS -- ODIN


ZEUS


Zeus is the ruler of the Greek gods.
He is the son of Cronos and Rhea, in fact the only son of these two
to survive to adulthood.
Zeus had been hidden by Rhea so that Cronos would not swallow him
like he had
all of his other offspring; he had been warned that one of his
children would
eventually overthrow him. Rhea sent Zeus to the island of Crete where
he was raised.
Zeus eventually killed his father. After he killed Cronos,
he restored life to his brothers and sisters.
He then drew lots with his brothers Poseidon and Hades to see who
would become ruler
of the various parts of the universe. Zeus won the draw and became
the supreme ruler
of the gods. He is lord of the sky, the rain god. His weapon is a
thunderbolt,
made for him by the Cyclopes under the direction of Hephaestus,
which he hurls at those who displease him. He married a succession of
spouses
with whom he had many children including:
Athena, The Fates, Ares, Apollo, Artemis, and Hermes.
His last, and most well-known wife is Hera but he is
famous for his many affairs.



ODIN

Odin is the leader of the Norse gods and has a myriad of names
including Allfather,
Ygg, Bolverk (evil doer), and Grimnir.
He also has many functions within the myths including being a god of
war,
poetry, wisdom, and death. However, he is not considered the "main"
god
of each of these functions.


Odin's symbol is his magical spear named Grungir which never misses
its mark.
He also owns a magic ring called Draupnir which can create nine of
itself every night.
It was this ring that Odin laid on his son Balder's funeral pyre and
which Balder
returned to Odin from the underworld. Odin also has two wolves,
Geri and Freki, and two ravens, Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory).
He sends his ravens out every day to gather knowledge for him.

Odin was destined to die at Ragnarok; Fenris-Wolf swallowed him.
Knowing
his fate, he still chose to embrace it and do battle, showing the true
warrior ethic. He is the god of warriors and kings, not the common
man.
Among his children are:Thor, Hermod, and Balder.
He is married to Frigg, the goddess of marriage.



DIRECT COMPARISON


The first obvious similarity between Zeus and Odin is in their
appearance.
Both are very large men, but they are not depicted as fat men.
Both look very powerful and foreboding. They also are both shown as
having beards.
A beard represents manliness, in a very basic way as facial hair is
something that
every man can have. In this sense the beard as a signature feature of
these gods brings
in a sense of attachment to the people within the societies that
worshipped them.
If they had a different signature feature, for example wings, this
would remove
the gods from the common man. The beard is something ordinary people
can relate to.
It may also be of note that the stereotypical view of Vikings and
Norsemen almost
always includes beards on the men. Maybe they were trying to emulate
their head god
or maybe the god was "created" in the image of the ordinary man.

Zeus and Odin were respective rulers over the gods in their
mythologies.
Zeus was known for upholding the law and social order. In fact, one
of his titles was
Zeus Horkios which literally means "the Guarantor of Oaths."
This is quite similar ot Odin's recording of all the laws, contracts
and agreements
onto his spear which he was bound to uphold. They both had their
palaces in the sky
to some extent.Mt. Olympus was very high
(in the mythologies; the real Mt. Olympus is a mountain, but not very
high.)
It is also important to note that when the three brothers (Zeus,
Poseidon, and Hades)
were deciding which part of the world each would get, Zeus chose the
sky.
There are many stories of Zeus looking down from Mt. Olympus into the
lives of other men.
This is also the case with Odin. He could watch other people, gods
and mortals alike,
from his throne Hlidskialf in Asgard, Asgard being the palace in the
sky where the gods met.
So there are distinct similarities between Asgard and Mt. Olympus:
both were in the sky, both allowed for the observation of the rest of
the world,
both were the meeting place for the gods in their respective
mythologies.

The actions of the two gods are very important to look at as well.
Zeus is well-known for going off into the world of mortals and trying
to have "relations"
with the mortals. Often times he would change shape in order to
accomplish this.
He took such forms as a bull, swan, golden shower, and a quail, for
example.
This shape-shifting was also a typical action of Odin.
He changed himself into animals occasionally, such as a snake or an
eagle.
(Interestingly, Zeus is often depicted as an eagle!) But, more often
than not,
Odin changed himself into "The Wanderer." In this form he was known
to wear a long
grey cloak and a wide brimmed hat that covered or cast shadows over
his missing eye.
In this form he attempted, on many occasions, to have "relations,"
often spawning offspring.
There is one story of Odin and Rind where Odin must change his shape
multiple times
to meet the needs of Rind who he is wooing. He transforms from
captain of her father's army
to a smith to a warrior and finally is accepted into her arms only
after taking his
natural form as a god.

This raises one important difference between the two:
the attitudes of the two respective wives of the gods, Hera and
Frigg.
Hera is well-known for her jealous and vengeful reactions to Zeus
actions.
However, Frigg does not have the same reaction. To see the
development of this thought,
see the wives' page.

Another commonality of the two gods is their interaction with
mortals.
In both their visiting and aiding of these mortals Zeus and Odin
identified certain people
that they considered great and offered them their assistance.
This supports the theory that these mythologies, because they were
serving generally
less-advanced societies (industrially, socially and intellectually),
created gods who would come down and physically interact with
mortals,
gave the gods a sense of tangibility to the society. At this point
could a society
have been able to accept a flawless, omnipotent being, especially one
on a cosmic level,
rather than a physical level? If a god could come to a man and
physically aid him,
that would be an incentive to believe and worship.

Both of these gods have a specific symbol of power.
Zeus has his lighting bolt, and Odin has his spear.
Both of these items have a somewhat negative interpretation.
Lighting is a destructive force and a spear is a weapon used to kill.
In our society, gods are usually displayed to have a very positive
light surrounding
them and a weapon may seem strange to us as a symbol of a god.
We must also see that the gods both used their respective weapons by
throwing them.
Maybe this is the beginning of the thoughts of a cosmic entity
-- the gods did not have to be physically there, but could project
their intentions
from afar. The fact that both of these symbols were destructive in
one form or another
raises a few questions: Were these cultures looking for a destructive
god?
Were they still at a state that a primitive personification of man
was desired as a god?
Were these societies looking at chaos and destruction as being more
important in the society
than order? It may be that the fear that they invoke will have people
thinking that they can
be punished, and if they are punished it will not be a simple slap on
the wrist,
but rather a spear or lightning bolt hurled at them.
So I believe that this fear was used when the myths were being
originally fashioned
so that one would be intimidated to believe and worship.
One last thing to be considered about these two gods, and their
manliness,
is that both of them were very fertile.
They were both fathers to many offspring,
thus spreading their wonderful qualities around to other beings.
What I think these societies needed was a powerful man, one who was
warlike,
strong, large, intimidating and prolific.
This was they type of god that one in those times could fear and
respect,
and therefore worship fairly easily.

CONCLUSION


In the samples I chose to illustrate,
there are a number of parallels between the Greek and Norse
mythologies.
Some deities, for example, are very similar, even though not
identical.
A major difference, however, I believe, was caused by the very
different
environments in which the two cultures developed.

The land and climate in which the Norsemen lived was much harsher
than that of the Greeks.
Life was difficult compared to the gentler climate of Greece and its
more abundant sources
of food. With a milder climate, agriculture was not as tenuous, from
one year to the next,
as it would have been in northern Scandinavia. It would seem that the
Norse myths
reflect this harshness, with characters and tales that embody this
arduous life.

There are not the same nuances about music and many of the arts in
the Norse legends,
as people would have had a lot less leisure time to develop these
pursuits,
being consumed with sustenance.

Most of the Norse gods were war-like in nature; while the Greeks had
deities who affected
war, it was certainly not to the same extent as the Norse.
Again this was because the Greek culture had developed somewhat
beyond that of the Vikings,
where accomplishments in war were not the only things to be pursued
and admired.

The Greeks definitely gave more importance to females than did the
Norse.
Although the Poetic Edda states that goddesses are of the same
importance as gods,
this is not borne out by a review of the Norse myths.

In this treatment, I have not been able to research in great detail
the societies
which developed these mythologies; a thorough study of them would,
I believe, lead to more evidence that the differences in the
societies resulted
in the variances in the mythologies. By the same token,
it would be interesting to determine, in greater detail,
to what extent the similarities in the societies led to the parallels
in the myths,
or what evidence there is that the stories and characters in Norse
mythology were "borrowed"
from the Greeks and/or Romans.