Greek Theogony: The Origin Of Greek Mythology

Religion is defined as the collection of beliefs revolving around a superhuman power, usually centered around a particular god or gods. Both the Greek and Hindu were polytheistic and had a plethora of gods. The Hindu have over 330 million gods while the Greek had 12 major gods and hundreds of lesser gods. Unlike the Greeks, the Hindu religion contains various religious texts dictating the rules and rituals that a person had to live by. Despite their many differences, early Greek religion is similar to early Hindu religion in that it has many gods who are involved in people’s everyday life. It is impossible to determine the origin of the Hindu religion, however, there are many theories of the creation of Hinduism. One of the myths surrounding …show more content…
There is no single founder or book. Hinduism contains complex philosophies and beliefs that are centered around being in harmony with one’s self. The Origin of the Greek Mythology is much more detailed than that of Hinduism. The poem Theogony by Hesiod gives a complete myth on the creation of the Greeks. In the poem, Chaos is said to be the origin of everything. Chaos is a void that is the source of everything. Both the gods and universe emerged from Chaos. From Chaos came five deities, Gaea (mother Earth), Tartarus (underworld), Erebus (darkness), Eros (love), and Nyx (night). Erebus and Nyx had their own children: Phos (light), Hemera (day), Doom, Death, Misery, Discord, and Deceit. Gaea gave birth to Uranus (sky) who later became Gaea’s husband. With Uranus, Gaea gave birth to the three Cyclopes, three Hecatoncheires, and twelve Titans. Fed up with the cruel treatment at the hands of his father, Cronus plotted with is mother, Gaea, to overthrow Uranus. As a result, Cronus became the next ruler. Fearing a prophecy from Gaea and Uranus that said Cronus would be overthrown by his son, he got rid of all of his wife, Rhea’s, children. Rhea was angered by this and when her sixth child was on the way she hid from Cronus and gave birth to Zeus. Zeus created a plot to …show more content…
In Hinduism, the Vedas are recognized as “sacred revelations” and the people are bound to a specific caste system that has been placed upon them. The Hindu religion is also based on the devotion to a single God or gods. Devotion towards these gods is carried out in the form of rituals and practices. Hindus believed that these gods were supreme beings that had control everything. The gods of Hinduism are seen as both transcendent and immanent meaning that they are directly involved in the lives of the people. In Hinduism, the law of karma is seen as a metaphysical law deals with cause and effect. The actions of a person determines what kind of life they will live and what kind of life they will live after they are reincarnated. One creates their own path and destiny through their actions and thoughts. By leading a righteous path a person can lessen the negative effects that the law of karma can have upon them. The main goal of Hinduism is for someone to become one with brahman, the eternal reality. Along with karma, the hindu people also believe in the ideas of samsara and moksha. Samsara is the wheel of life where a person continues to be reborn through reincarnation. Moksha is the release from the wheel of life and becoming one with the brahman. Karma plays a role in samsara and moksha because the law of karma is what decides what a person will be reborn as on the wheel of life. If someone lives a life