My introduction to Greek mythology was thanks to the Percy Jackson series. That is when I developed a liking for Greek mythology. I started reading and researching more. The more I read the more I sensed a familiarity. Except that it was not in the Greek context. The stories that I had heard about the Hindu Gods and Goddesses, during festivals sounded somewhat similar to what I was reading. I dug deeper. And I learnt that there are quite a few similarities between Greek mythology and Hindu mythology.
The king of heavens, according to Hindu mythology is Indra or Devendra. While in Greek mythology it is Zeus. From their character traits to their weapons, the similarities are too many to ignore. They are both god of gods, have the same weapons – the thunderbolt – and also both reside on mountains.
While our very own Karn is a skilled warrior who fought the Battle of Kurukshetra, Greek mythology has its Achilles who fought valiantly in the Trojan War. What is amusing is that they both had impenetrable armours, armours that made them invincible.
While we have the Holy Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar, the Greeks have their own Holy Trinity of Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. Amusing, isn’t it?
It doesn’t end there. We have The Saptarishis or The Seven Sages. They have The Pleiades or The Seven Sisters. And don’t be surprised if I tell you that both are a cluster of stars.
We have Yama. They have Hades. We have Jatayu, they have Icarus. We have Narada, they have Hermes.
Like in Hindu mythology, Greek mythology has a god or a goddess for everything. It is interesting to think of how the myths have travelled and how cultures were influenced. It only strengthens my notion of the fact that as humans we belong to every land.
