In this world, there are many mythologies that people follow or worship. But in all those mythologies a few are more famous. The reasons for their fame were because of books, comics, and mainly movies. Some of these few mythologies are Hindu mythology, Greek mythology, and Norse mythology. And there are a few that are lesser known such as Chinese mythology, Roman mythology, etc.
Throughout human history, people have created and worshipped gods and goddesses to explain the mysteries of the universe and to seek their blessings for a better life. Greek mythology and Hindu mythology are two of the most well-known and revered mythologies in the world. While there are many similarities between these mythologies, they also have distinct differences in their pantheons of gods and their beliefs about the role of divinity in human life.
In this article, we are talking about the similarities between two famous mythologies of the world. One is Hindu mythology and the other one is Greek mythology. Similarities of Greek gods vs Hindu gods. There are many resemblances or similarities between these two mythologies.
Greek Gods Vs Hindu Gods
Origin and Creation Myths
In Hindu mythology, the origins of the universe are explained through the concept of Brahma, the ultimate reality and source of all existence. According to the Hindu creation myth, Brahma created the universe by speaking the syllable "Om," which manifested as the sound and vibration that give rise to the universe.
The creation story also includes the god Brahma, who is believed to have emerged from a lotus flower that grew from the navel of the god Vishnu. Brahma is credited with creating the world and all living beings and is often depicted with four faces representing the four Vedas, the ancient Hindu texts.
Whereas, in Greek mythology, the story of the primordial chaos, known as the void or the abyss, from which the first gods emerged. The first god, Gaia (the earth), gave birth to Uranus (the sky), who became her consort. Together they gave birth to the Titans, the giants, and the Cyclopes. The Titan Cronus eventually overthrew his father Uranus and became the king of the gods, but he too was eventually overthrown by his son Zeus.
Both Greek Gods vs Hindu Gods creation myths involve a hierarchy of gods and the emergence of the universe from chaos. However, the Hindu myth emphasizes the concept of Brahma as the ultimate reality and source of all existence, while the Greek myth focuses more on the interplay between the gods and their struggles for power.
Similarities between Greek Gods vs Hindu Gods
Indra and Zeus
The first similarity between Greek Gods vs Hindu Gods is the god of gods. Both the mythologies have the god of gods. The best and most interesting part is both of them are the gods of thunder. Not only their powers but their weapons these two are also almost the same. The Hindu god Indra stays at Mount Meru, whereas, the Greek god Zeus stays at Mount Olympus.
The Greek god Zeus is the god of the sky, and he has control over weather phenomena related to the sky and air like storms, tempests, darkness, thunders, lightning and rain. The Hindu god Indra is also the god of rain, regent of the heavens, guardian of the east, and ruler of clouds and skies. The weapon of Zeus is the thunderbolt and Indra has also the same weapon with the same power known as Vajra.
Zeus's parents are Kronos and Rhea, while Indra's parents are Kashyapa and Aditi. Both their parents had a great impact on these mythologies. Apart from their parents, both Greek gods vs Hindu gods fought with a similar types of demons or monsters. Zeus and Indra slay a sea monster. Indra defeated a serpent Vritra; Zeus fought and vanquishes Typhon.
Poseidon and Varuna
The next comparison between Greek Gods vs Hindu Gods is Poseidon and Varuna. Varuna and Poseidon both are prominent gods in their respective cultures. Poseidon is a major Olympian god in Greek mythology. Similarly, Varuna is also a major Hindu god in Hindu mythology. Poseidon is the god of rivers, seas, drought, earthquakes, and horses. Varuna is the god of water, aquatic animals, and oceans.
Poseidon rides a chariot with horses or hippocampi, while Varuna is seen with a chariot of swans or crocodiles. Both of them have their dwelling inside the seas. Similar to Zeus and Indra, Poseidon and Varuna also share similarities with their parents. Kashyapa gave birth to many Hindu gods and in the same way, Kronos gave birth to many Greek gods.
Hades and Yama
The third similarity between Greek gods vs Hindu gods is the god of death. In Greek mythology, Hades is the king of the Underworld, the god of death, and the dead. While in Indian mythology, Yama is the ruler of hell (Naraka), the god of death. Both Yama and Hades are said to bring judgement to the departed souls and accordingly send them to their respective afterlife.
Good souls are sent to Swarag in Hindu mythology or Elysium in Greek mythology. While the bad souls are sent to Narak in Hindu mythology or Tartarus in Greek mythology. Hades is the master of Cerberus (three-headed dog), while the gates of Narak are guarded by two insatiable dogs with four eyes and wide nostrils. One strange fact between Greek gods vs Hindu gods is both Yama and Hades are called Pluto in Roman mythology.
Apollo/Helios and Surya
Apollo is the sun god in Greek mythology, while Surya is the sun god in Hindu mythology. Although the title of the sun god in Greek mythology is also shared by Helios. Some stories say that Helios and Apollo both are the same. While others believe them to be different and since Helios was a Titan, the title of God of the Sun passed to Apollo after Titan's defeat
One interesting fact between Helios and Apollo is both used to fly a golden chariot which is driven by steeds. Whereas in Hindu mythology, Surya also has two other names, Aditya or Bhanu. Similar to Apollo/Helios, Surya also flies a chariot with seven horses.
Athena and Saraswati
Another comparison between Greek Gods vs Hindu Gods is about the goddess of wisdom. In Greek mythology, Athena is the goddess of wisdom, skills, war, arts, industry, justice, etc. On the other hand, Saraswati is the goddess of wisdom, learning, music and arts. Athena is often seen with her companion owl, while goddess Saraswati is seen with a swan or a peacock.
The most interesting fact about these goddesses is their mode of birth. Athena sprang out fully grown in full body armour when Hephaestus split open Lord Zeus's skill on the suggestion of Hermes to relieve his headache. Goddess Saraswati sprang out from the mouth of Lord Brahma dressed in white carrying a sacred book and a veena in her hands.
Hercules and Krishna/Balarama
This similarity between Greek gods vs Hindu gods is not a comparison but a theory. The legend of Heracles is a result of Krishna's legend incorporated into Greek mythology. During the reign of Chandragupta Maurya, Megasthenes, a Greek ambassador visited India. During this time, Megasthenes studied Indian culture, he took back the legend of Krishna which due to the language barrier got converted to the legend of Hercules.
In Hindu mythology, Balarama is often referred to as a person with enormous strength. While Hercules also refers to great strength. The Greek goddess Hera unknowingly tried to breastfeed Hercules, but as soon she knew of his identity she withdrew. While, on the other hand, a demon Putana was sent by Kamsa to kill Krishna. Putana tried to breastfeed him with poisonous breasts but was killed by Krishna.
Hercules defeated a multiple-headed serpent named Hydra, similarly, Krishna also defeated a multiple-headed serpent named Kaliya Nag. Likewise, Hercules killed a man-eating Stymphalian bird with bronze beaks. In the same way, Krishna also killed a man-eating crane with sharp beaks named Bakasura. Hercules wrestled and captured a Cretan Bull, whereas Krishna also wrestled and killed a demon called Arishta.
Similarly, in the same way, both Greek gods vs Hindu gods, Hercules and Krishna killed an earth-born giant. Hercules killed Antaeus by holding him in the air and squeezing the breath out of him. In the same way, Krishna killed a demon Trinavarta by strangling him to death while in the air.
Achilles and Bhishma
This similarity is not about the gods of both mythologies. But they played an important role in one of the greatest wars in both mythologies. These wars are nothing but the great Mahabharata war and the Trojan war. You may even think that many mighty heroes participated in both wars. But who are those now we are talking about? They are none other than the mighty Bhishma and the great Achilles.
The first similarity between these two heroes is both of their mothers are river goddesses and their fathers were kings. The parents of Achilles are River goddess Thetis and King Peleus. While the parents of Bhishma were River goddess Ganga and King Shantanu. Coming to the tales about their birth is quite similar too.
Thetis had six sons before Achilles, and in her attempt to make them immortal, she burned them in a fire. Unfortunately, those six children died in that process. When Thetis is doing the same with Achilles, Peleus arrived in time and saved him by holding him by the heel. Thus Achilles lived and got invulnerability except for the heel. However, another version of the story says that Thetis dipped Achilles in River Styx to make him immortal. Later, Peleus left Thetis after knowing her doings.
Similarly, in Hindu mythology, Ganga dipped all her children before Bhishma. Ganga forced Shantanu to take a vow that he would never question her actions. If Shantanu questioned her actions, Ganga will leave Shantanu. Likewise, River goddess Ganga dipped all her children in the river. When she is about to dip Bhishma, Shantanu stopped Ganga from doing. Later, Ganga left Shantanu because he has broken the vow.
Later in his life, Bhishma gained a blessing from his father that he could only die when he wished to die. The main reason for this is that Bhishma gave up his claim to the throne so that his stepbrothers can take up the throne. Thus this blessing made Bhishma invulnerable like Achilles. Despite their near invulnerability, they both died as heroes in their respective Trojan and Mahabharata wars.
Conclusion
In the end, there are many similarities between Greek Gods vs Hindu Gods like Hermes and Narada, Eros and Manmadha, Rhea and Aditi, Sita and Persephone, Saptarishis and Seven sisters, Jatayu & Sampati and Icarus & Daedalus, etc.
