Essay Similarities between Greek and Egyptian Mythologies

The ancient world was comprised of mysteries. There were no scientific explanations for the structure of the world, the existence of humans, or the meaning of life. To explain these dilemmas they turned to religion and mythology. However, as were often isolated geographically there was no universal answer to any of these questions, though many cultures many have derived similar solutions to certain questions, despite being separated by large physical distances, such as the Greeks and Egyptians. Although there are minor differences, Greek and Egyptian mythologies share many similarities. One parallel between Greek and Egyptian creation stories is that they both begin with a God or Gods being created from the universe. The creation of†¦show more content†¦In Greek and Egyptian mythologies, there is a supreme God. In Greek tradition this was Zeus, â€Å"Zeus was now King of all the gods and lived on Mount Olympus.† (Corsar, Reid Rooney, and Smith 9) In Egyptian mythology, this position was first held by Osiris, and the other deities herald him by saying â€Å"He lives, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, beloved of Ra, living forever! Heir of Geb, Osiris, beloved of the gods, Osiris, given life, endurance, joy, health, all happiness, like Ra!† (Kaster 81) After being murdered by Set, he became ruler of the Netherworld, and was replaced as King of Upper and Lower Egypt, by his son, Horus. The idea of a supreme deity is common in both Greek and Egyptian traditions. Some Greek deities can also be identified with Egyptian ones, in particular the Greek Dionysus and the Egyptian Osiris. They both preside over fertility, in addition to their other duties. Another similarity is that they are both twice-born. Dionysus was born first from Semele’s womb and then later from Zeuss thigh. Osiris was the son of Geb and Nut and was resurrected by Isis after being murdered by Set. (Livingston, Greek and Egyptian Religious Parallels) Other Gods and Goddesses that are similar include Horus and Apollo, Isis and Demeter, Hathor and Aphrodite, Neith and Athena and Bast and Artemis. (FOOTNOTE GREEK AND EGYPTIAN RELIGIOUS PARALLELS) There appears to be an overlap between many deities in Greek and Egyptian mythologies.Show MoreRelatedThe Myth Of The Universe1565 Words   |  7 Pageswere created (El-Asward, Garry, El-Shamy, 2005, p.24-31). A major similarity in each of the different creation stories is the idea of water as the elemental source of life . For example, in ancient Egypt a hill emerges from the waters in the beginning, ancient Mesopotamia describes water as the first element, and ancient Greece saw Chaos as the first element and out of Chaos arises Gaia (earth). Chaos is another commonality between each of the creation myths. 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