Ancient mythology is the realm of spanning cultures, civilizations, and tales that humans follow. There is a diversity of gods, goddesses, legends, and monstrous creatures that have created epic narratives and classic tales that evoke self-reflection. Some beliefs in mythology lead us to feel connected to our roots and our gods. As we all know, we live in a world where there are many religions, and according to their religions, there are different mythological tales and stories.

There are some mythological gods that we celebrate, according to our religions. From Zeus of Greek mythology, Shiva of Hindu mythology, and Anansi of Akan mythology, there are various mythology stories that are the literature knowledge of these periods.

1. Zeus

Zeus is the Greek mythological god of ancient Greece and the god of even the gods. He is the son of the titans Cronus and Rhea, who were the prior gods of the Greek people and also the leaders of Mount Olympus before Zeus. The titan Cronus swallowed all their children because he was afraid of his powers and strength. He was afraid that one of his children would kill or expel him from Mount Olympus. Even though Zeus managed to survive after her mother helped him, when he grew up, he expelled Cronus from Mount Olympus.

Notwithstanding, Zeus was the ideal and supreme deity of the cosmos, who always helped their workers and pilgrims. He was an extremely powerful and potent leader who was portrayed as a heavy-bearded man with lightning bolts in his hands and wearing a crown. Every symbolism signifies him as the ideal king and divine presence in Greek mythology. He had multiple affairs with other mortal women and goddesses, even though he had two wives named Metis and Hera. Due to his multiple affairs with other figures, he had powerful and divine children with different figures who created history in Greek mythology. Some of the famous children of Zeus include

1. Athena: Athena was the important and prior goddess of Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Zeus and Goddess Metis and represented their immense power because they both were extremely powerful and ideal kings and queens of the ancient Greeks. Athena is the ruler and protector of the city of Athens.
2. Apollo and Artemis: Apollo and Artemis were both twins and children of God Zeus and Goddess Leto. They both made a remarkable impact in ancient Greece, as many famous myths and stories include their bravery and strength.
3. Dionysus: Dionysus was the god of wine and fertility and the son of God Zeus and mortal woman Semele.

2. Odin

Odin is the ideal king of Norse mythology and the god of the Norse pantheon. He is the powerful and potent god of Norse mythology, who is portrayed with long-bearded, brimmed hats and spears in his hands. He symbolizes the power, war, wisdom, poetry, and death of the Norse people. Odin is the ruler of Asgard and even the god and leader of the Aesir gods. The famous tales where he sacrificed his own eyes for the sake of knowledge and learning. Odin was married to Frigg, who is the queen of the Aesir gods. Frigg is the primary and most respected goddess of the ancient Norse and the wife of the Greatest Odin.

Despite being married to Frigg, he had various romantic encounters with other divine and mortal creatures. The famous children of Odin include:

1. Thor: Thor is the famous son of Odin, who is portrayed as a lightning bolt in his hands and a god of immense power and strength. He is the protector and helper of both human and divine creatures.
2. Baldr: Baldr is the son of Odin and the god of purity and beauty in ancient Norse. He was killed from his blind brother, Hoor, accidentally.
3. Vali: Vali is the son of Odin and god of rebirth who was born from his union with Rindr, a jotunn, and grew up into adulthood in just one day and took revenge from Hoor, who killed his half brother Baldr.
4. Hoor: Hoor is the son of Odin, the god of winter and darkness, who was blind. He killed his brother Baldr under Loki’s influence.
5. Vioarr: Vioarr is one of the sons of Odin and the god of revenge and retribution. He is portrayed as wearing sturdy boots and leather crap.

3. Shiva

Shiva is the god of Hindu mythology and the supreme deity of all the universe. He is an all-mighty god and protector of Hinduism, also known as ‘Mahadeva.’ In Hinduism, Dev means god or divine creature, so Shiva was known as ‘Mahadev’ as he was the supreme god of even the gods. Shiva is included in the historical trinity called “Trimurti,” along with Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer and transformer.

Shiva is the realm that transforms people’s lives into easier and smoother ones. He is usually portrayed as the third eye in the forehead as a representative of insight and wisdom, the snake in the neck as a symbol of the head of death, and a sacred river flowing from his zatha [hair]. Mount Kailash in the Himalayas is the habitat of Lord Shiva, as he is the creature who represents the natural being and lives among the celestial beings.

Lord Shiva had one wife named “Parvati,” who was the power and nature itself. Goddess Parvati was all-mighty nature itself, like air, water, sky, and land. She is often depicted as ‘Adhi Shakti,” which means the half power and controller of the world, and the other half is Mahadeva. Lord Shiva and Parvati had two sons named Karthikeya and Ganesh. They both play an important role in Hindu mythology as the protectors of good people and the destroyers of evil ones.

Shiva is given various epithets from which he has helped the universe in his different roles. The temples of Shiva are spread across India, and the most famous temples are in the south of India and the central part of India. The famous temple in Ujjain is one of the famous temples of Lord Shiva.

1. Mahadeva: Mahadeva means the “supreme god and even the god of the gods.” The Great God of the Universe and Hinduism.
2. Nataraja: Nataraja means “Lord of Dance,” and his own famous dance form is called “Tandav.” From this form, he signifies a creature and destroyer of the universe.
3. Rudra: Rudra means the “Lord of Storms” and the ultimate power and roaring wind of the whole universe.
4. Shankara: Shankara means the ” Lord of Happiness” and the happiness and bliss giver to his universe.
5. Bholenath: Bholenath means the ” Lord of the simple heart and innocent” and is often depicted as the simple and kind-hearted lord who doesn’t create inequality between good and evil.
6. Neelkanth: Neelkanth refers to a blue throat; Neel means blue, and Kanth means throat. There is a famous Hindu myth where Lord Shiva swallowed a poison called ‘halahal’ to save the world from this poison. He drank that, and his throat was filled with a poison called halahal.

Although there are thousands of names, Shiva has been given the form he came in to protect the people. All across India, Shiva is worshipped by his different names and epithets. He is the all-mighty creature and transformer of the world. He didn’t have any encounters with any other mortals or divines; he always loved and respected Goddess Parvati in life.

4. Ra

Ra is the god of Egyptian mythology and an important god of the Egyptian people. He was representative of the sun and light in the world and the lives of people. In Egyptian mythology, Ra is known as the sun god and symbolizes the light and warmth in the lives of people. His portrayal includes a human body but a bird’s head, which is a falcon, and a falcon is a sun-associated bird. As he is totally associated with the sun, he wears a solar disk on his head, which represents that he is the protector and sovereign of the world.

One of the most important myths is that during the day he travels around to bring light and warmth, and during the night he travels in the underworld in his boat to bring peace and all the human existence in the world. Ra had various consorts and wives who played an important role in supporting and being companions to the god Ra.

The most significant and respected wife is named Hathor, goddess of cows or cow goddess, and she symbolizes love, beauty, and music. Isis is another goddess and wife of Ra, who played an important role as her companion. She was the goddess of motherhood and magic. The third goddess and wife of Ra includes Nut, who was the goddess of sky and earth, and she played a prior role in Ra’s journey from the Sun’s god across the sky.

5. Amaterasu

Amaterasu is a prominent deity and goddess in Japanese mythology. She is the goddess of the sun and universe and is believed to be the god of Shinto religions. The various Japanese mythological stories portray that she was the divine goddess and that her light was the solution to maintaining life on earth and in the universe. One of the famous Japanese myths is that the goddess taught us the importance of light and explained how day and night happen and why the sun disappears.

Long years ago, in Japanese culture, some gods and goddesses were called kami, and Amaterasu was one of the kami and goddesses who represented the sun and warmth on earth. She had a brother named Susanoo, the storm god, whose behavior was so chaotic and destructive that it provoked Goddess Amaterasu. The goddess decided that she would hide in a cave named Ama-no-Iwato in order to teach a lesson to her brother and represent a story to all creatures.

After Amaterasu packed herself into a cave, the world turned into darkness with no light and no crops growing, and almost everything just stopped. So the other kami [gods] decided that they would bring back Amaterasu in order to maintain life in the universe and heavens. The other plan came from the clever goddess or kami, Ame-no-Uzume, who started to dance in front of the cave where Amaterasu was hiding. Amaterasu was curious about what was actually happening outside my cave.

In order to know, she peeked out of the cave, and when she peeked outside, she saw herself in the mirror, which was placed in accordance with Kam Ame-no-Uzume. When Amaterasu came out to have a clear view of herself, the cave was sealed. This moral says that destructive behavior is not tolerated in order to maintain an important task.

6. Athena

Athena is the god of Greek mythology and is associated with war and wisdom. She is the all-mighty protector of the ancient Greeks and is always portrayed as the leader and protector of the city of Athens. Athena is the daughter of the Supreme God Zeus and Metis (the first wife of Zeus). Athena’s birth is one of the greatest myths of ancient Greece, as she was born from the head of the father Zeus. Zeus, the thunder god, feared from his wife’s strength that she would give birth to a strong figure, so he tricked her by transforming her into a fly and then swallowed her.

Despite this, Athena was born from the head of Zeus after Zeus suffered from a major headache, and his brother Hephaestus split his head in half with the help of Axe. Athena was the most powerful daughter of Zeus, who was the protector and ruler of the city of Athens. She is involved in many famous myths about ancient Greece. Various cults and temples were dedicated to Athena in ancient and modern times.

There was a battle between Poseidon and Athena to become the leaders of the city of Athens, where she gifted the olive tree for prosperity and peace for the people. Poseidon gifted seawater to the people of Athens, and eventually, the people of Athens chose Athena as their queen and leader. She incorporated various Greek heroes and creatures for the peace and protection of Greek mythology. Athena was one of the single goddesses with no romantic affair or lore with any god or mortal. She is often portrayed as wearing an aegis and a spear in her hands.

7. Final Thoughts

Although the universe has a diversity of gods and goddesses who are all-mighty and the realm controllers of the universe, gods and goddesses made us believe in them and the work of the universe is handled by them. Different people believe in different stories and myths according to their religions. For every religion, the desired god is the god they worship and accept. Even though it is proven that they ruled and controlled the universe a thousand years ago, God and Goddess are creatures and destroyers of the world.

Last Updated on April 27, 2024 by rahuldey