Hinduism

toc By Christos Achilleoudis and Eric Horn

Main Points

 * Greek and Hindu gods have many powers.
 * Greek and Hindu gods hierarchal order.
 * Greek and Hindu gods have human interactions.
 * Greek and Hindu mythology have many similarities.
 * Greek and Hindu mythology also have differences.

= **Greek Mythology** = Greek mythology is based on its many gods through hierarchy, power, and human interactions. First of all, the Greek gods follow a strict hierarchical order. For example, there are three main gods: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Zeus is the lord of the sky and king of all the other gods including Poseidon and Hades. Zeus makes the rules for the other gods and humans alike. Another huge part of Greek mythology is the gods’ powers and special weapons. Zeus has the thunderbolt, Poseidon has a trident, and Hades has the Cap of Invisibility. In addition, all gods have the power to transmute. Transmutation is also one of the main methods that gods use to interact with humans. For instance, Zeus once took the form of Alcmene’s husband and together they produced Hercules. Since Hercules was half-man and half-god, he was classified as a demi-god. This is also what gave him his immense strength which he used to kill monsters and demons and to protect the regular people. Additionally, when the Greek gods were being attacked, Hercules helped by defeating the Gigantes (the tremendously powerful giants that almost overthrew Olympus). Overall, this passage shows that the Greek gods had hierarchy, powers and interacted with humans.

= **Hindu Mythology** = Like Greek mythology, Hindu mythology is a polytheistic religion that has many different gods. Three important aspects of Hindu mythology are hierarchy, power, and human interactions. When it comes to hierarchies, Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu are the three main gods and parts of Brahman (the supreme spirit). These three gods rule over the rest of the other deities. In addition, most gods have their own jobs of life. Brahma is the creator of life, Vishnu is the protector and the preserver of the world and Shiva is the destroyer of the world. Another big part of Hindu mythology is the gods’ powers. All the gods have transmutation and most have their own special weapons. For example, Shiva has a trident, Brahma has no weapon, and Vishnu has the //Gada//(a mace) and also has the //Sudarshana// (an extremely sharp discus). Lastly, the Hindu gods interact or help people through their transmutations or avatars (a descendant of a god coming from heaven to earth). For instance, Krishna is one of Vishnu’s most important avatars. Krishna killed countless evil kings to establish dharma (balance) in the world. All the points above show how Hindu mythology is organized by hierarchy, powers and human interactions. =Hindu Mythology vs. Greek Mythology=
 * = Hindu God's weapons ||= Greek God's weapons ||
 * = Vishnu (Gada and Sudarshana) ||= Zeus (Thunderbolt ||
 * = Shiva (Trident) ||= Poseidon (Trident) ||
 * = Brahma (none) ||= Hades (Cap of Invisibility) ||

Hindu and Greek mythology are remarkably similar, yet different through hierarchy, power, and human interactions. One of the main similarities of Hindu and Greek mythology is its hierarchy. For example, both of these polytheistic belief systems have one god that rules overall the other gods. In Greek mythology this is Zeus and in Hindu mythology it is Vishnu. Another similarity between Greek and Hindu mythology is the gods’ powers. For example, in both religions the gods usually have special weapons. Zeus has the thunderbolt and Vishnu has the //Gada// and the //Sudarshana//. On the other hand, Poseidon and Shiva both have a trident as their weapon. In addition, all gods in both Greek and Hindu mythology have transmutation as one of their powers. Lastly, Greek and Hindu mythology are different through human interactions. For instance, The Greek gods had many affairs with humans and created many demi-gods. In times of war, the Greek gods would use their demi-god children as soldiers. In contrast, the Hindu gods only sent avatars to guide humans into the right direction and also to slay beasts. In other words the Hindu gods protected the humans with their avatars as apposed to Greek gods who procreated with humans and used the demi-gods for protection. All in all, Greek and Hindu mythology are extremely similar through hierarchy and power, but also different through human interactions. =Bibliography=

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