Athena is often seen with her companion owl, while Saraswati is seen with a swan (hansa) or a peacock. He is founder of Zigverve. The king of heavens, according to Hindu mythology is Indra or Devendra. Kashyapa has given birth to majority of Indian mythological lineages including most of the gods, demons and other races. Now, the tale of birth of both of them is quite similar too. Quoted in "Indo-Greeks, Indo-Scythian and Indo-Parthian coins", Bopearachchi, p.19. Shiva, Skanda: How Hindu gods absorbed Iranian, Greek ideas Similarly, Kronos has also given birth to most of the Greek mythological lineages. When we take a look at Narada from Indian mythology, he is not much different from Hermes. It was this nature of birth that Athena became the goddess of wisdom and intelligence. Heracles killed man-eating Stymphalian birds with bronze beaks (sixth labor), very similar to Krishna killing Bakasura, a man-eating crane with sharp beaks. Poseidon is the god of rivers, sea, drought, earthquakes, and horses27. Both Hindu and Greek religion are very old religion known to mankind. I think that much of these similarities go back to common origins of the Greeks and Hindus to the Indo-Europeans or Aryans. The most obvious difference between Hindu gods and Greek gods is the sheer number of gods. What is the main belief of Protestantism, a movement that started in the 16th century? 6 similarities between Greek and Hindu mythology - Topcount But some believes are that Helios and Apollo are same9, while other believe them to be different and since Helios was a Titan, the title of God of Sun passed to Apollo after Titans defeat. Greek gods are anthropomorphic, whereas Hindu gods can have human and non-human forms. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. He is commonly shown to be holding a bow in his hands. His name may be related to that of the sky god Dyaus of the ancient Hindu Rigveda. They did extraordinary things, frequently with the assistance of Greek gods. There was Both of them slay a sea-monster: Indras opponent is the serpent Vritra; Zeus fights andvanquishes Typhon. A weaver named Arachne was transformed into the primary bug by the goddess Athena. Shiva- the ultimate destroyer. in hindi its called Jal, Neer or Pani. Most people would say that it is contradictory. Apollo is the god of Sun, light, music and prophesies8. These kings included: Demetrius, Eucradites, Appolodotus, Strato I, Strato II, Zoilus, Menander, and Dionysius. Was Lord Rama Right or Wrong? The Greeks are not far behind. Greek Mythology has an assortment of stories about their gods, saints, and the world. The water of the Yamuna became poisonous because of the snake. Messenger Source It has always been the prime function of mythology and rite to supply the symbols that carry the human spirit forward. Menander I, the "Saviour king", is documented to have converted to Buddhism, and is described in Buddhist texts as a great benefactor of the religion. Hindus have a goddess of wealth and prosperity, and she is Lakshmi. The third lord, Shivji, is the ultimate destroyer. 6 similarities between Greek and Hindu mythology. Their other parent was gods. On the other hand Saraswati is shown carrying a book, mala (rosary), water pot and veena (a musical instrument) in her fours hands. In German it is wasser. The point of time when bhakti fervour would have encountered the Hellenistic artistic tradition would then be around 100 BCE. All these depictions were shaped by a place that confounds unitary nationalist imaginations: Greater Gandhara. There are twelve primary Greek Gods. Especially, all the kings after Menander who are recorded to have ruled in Gandhara (apart from the little-known Demetrius III) display Buddhist symbolism in one form or another. Like Hermes, he also plays tricks on others triggering a bigger event making his role significant in a great many Indian stories. On some coin series of Antialcidas, the elephant holds the same relationship to Zeus and Nike as the Buddhist wheel on the coin of Menander II, tending to suggest a common meaning for both symbols. Their total population is said to number some thirty three million. Following hiscomrade Patrocluss death, Achilles pledges to kill Hector. 14 http://www.koausa.org/Gods/God10.html Indra is also god of rain, regent of the heavens, guardian of the east 31, ruler of cloud and skies32. The name Iranian is definitely related to the name Aryan. The coinage depict various Indian iconography: Krishna-Vasudeva, with his large wheel with six spokes (chakra) and conch (shanka), and his brother Sankarshan-Balarama, with his plough (hala) and pestle (masala), both early avatars of Vishnu. Thus Achilles lived and got invulnerability except for the heel. The asuras are the chief tormentors of the devas. Bhakti is a principle which evolved in the Bhagavata religious movement, and is said to have permeated Buddhism from about 100 BCE, and to have been a contributing factor to the representation of the Buddha in human form. Plutarch also presents Menander as an example of benevolent rule, and explains that upon his death, the honour of sharing his remains was claimed by the various cities under his rule, and they were enshrined in "monuments" (, probably stupas), in a parallel with the historic Buddha: "But when one Menander, who had reigned graciously over the Bactrians, died afterwards in the camp, the cities indeed by common consent celebrated his funerals; but coming to a contest about his relics, they were difficultly at last brought to this agreement, that his ashes being distributed, everyone should carry away an equal share, and they should all erect monuments to him. 10 strange similarity between Hindu and Greek's religious - Detechter Rhea is the mother of Gods including prominent gods like Zeus and Poseidon and also the goddess of female fertility, motherhood and generation. The first known statues of the Buddha are also very realistic and Hellenistic in style and are more consistent with the pre-50 BCE artistic level seen on coins. Hindu and Greek mythology: How similar they are - Speaking Tree Lately you have been resting as much Kishor Kumar is a blogger, writer, entrepreneur, enthusiast learner, and occasional web designer. Varuna is the name of the Hindu god of the oceans. Hinduism has its three Supreme Gods - Brahma (The Creator), Vishnu (The Protector), and Shiva (The Destroyer). Seeing such a similarity between Greek and Roman gods, I was wondering if there was a connection between the names of Zeus and Jupiter, but that quickly seemed a lost cause. Greek Hinduism: From Fighting Indian Gods to Worshipping Them I give it to the Hindus just for the coolness factor. In order to avert this fate, he begins to swallow each one of his children as soon as they are born. We at The Better India want to showcase everything that is working in this country. Hindi Video ft. @IqlipseNova BigBrainco. In Indian mythology Narada is considered as the first Indian postman/journalist/messenger. Rhea secretly gives birth to Zeus and arranges for him to be brought up in exile. Godess Saraswati sprang out from the mouth of Lord Brahma dressed in white carrying a scared book and a veena in her hands. 7 http://bibhudev.blogspot.in/2014/03/hercules-and-balarama-symbolic-and.html Itll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. Especially in relations with Ladies, Hindu gods respect women, there isnt any instance of savagery with women in Hindu mythology. All rights reserved, Hindu And Greek Mythology: How Similar They Are, REMEMBERING SATYAJIT RAY ON HIS JAYANTI: HAIKU INSPIRED BY WORKS AND WISDOM, MICRO-POEMS IN HINDI ON LET GO, LET LIVE, PURE MIND, UNDERSTAND WHAT-IS BEFORE TREADING THE PATH TOWARD WHAT-OUGHT-TO-BE OR THE TRUTH: HAIKU AND QUOTE, pravrttim ca nivrttim ca karyakarye bhayabhaye, HINDI MICRO-POEMS ON BEING MEDIUM, VIRTUOUS AND EQUANIMOUS. Zeus is the god of sky, and has control over weather phenomenon related to sky and air like storms, tempests, darkness, thunders, lightening and rain30. The word for father in Latin is pater. Hindu Mythology vs. Greek Mythology on emaze Yes, Roy. In Hindu mythology the Gods are a separate population inhabiting some part of the Cosmos outside the earth's atmosphere. Thus, their domains are nearly overlapping. Altogether, the conversion of Menander I to Buddhism suggested by the Milinda Panha seems to have triggered the use of Buddhist symbolism in one form or another on the coinage of close to half of the kings who succeeded him. Haphaestus is their God of design and manufacture. Likewise, the supreme gods of Greek mythology are also three - Zeus (The Lord of the Skies), Poseidon (The Lord of the Seas) and Hades (The Lord of the Underworld). Read more at her bio page. Uplifting stories, positive impact, and updates delivered straight into your inbox. Ancient Egyptian deities; Mesopotamian deities; Ancient Greek deities; Ancient Meitei deities; Ancient Roman deities; Norse deities; Hindu deities. Want to save this article for later? Hindu And Greek Mythology: Similarity Of Background. Also, he is known to travel real fast and show up almost anywhere. The impact and effect of the Greek Gods on the Greek society were substantially broader, but on the other hand, For the situation of Hindu Gods, such effects and impact are restricted to one specific Vishnu. 16 http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Haides.html Greek gods are anthropomorphic, whereas Hindu gods can have human and non-human forms. Devdutt Pattanaik's new book, Olympus an Indian Retelling of the Greek Myths, neatly and with somewhat unpronounceable names, turns the tables on the usual re-tellings, by giving us a beloved foreign mythology in his trademark style. According to this perspective, the actual depiction of the Buddha would be a later phenomenon, usually dated to the 1st century CE, emerging from the sponsorship of the Indo-Scythians, Indo-Parthians and Kushans and executed by Greek, and, later, Indian and possibly Roman artists. Both of their mothers were river goddesses while father were kingsRiver goddess Thetis and King Peleus22 of Achilles and River Ganga and King Shantanu of Bhishma23. Hercules in his eighth labor captured man-eating Mares of Diomedes, which is a little similar to the legend of Krishna defeating a demon Kesi, who took the form of fire breathing horse. Herakles here clearly refers to Hari Krishna, who was born in Mathura (Methora). In Indian Mythology, in spite of all the other Gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwar are considered to the three most important Gods. However, whichever the culture it might be and how different they may seem from the other, there are always some similarities that make us wonder if all the cultures are branches of the same tree.