Aditi Dey

B.Tech Biotech
2nd Semester

A Comparison Between Greek and

Hindu Mythology
Our past makes us who we are. And an integral part of that past is our culture and mythology.
The very aspect of mythology has a certain appeal to it. Some people may believe in it, some
people may not. However, one thing is for certain; there certainly is no ignoring it.
The common understanding is that every cultural group, every ‘race’ so to speak has it’s own
mythology which is completely unique and one a kind. If one were to sit down and closely
look, one would see that actually, most of the mythologies of the world intertwine and are
somehow inspired and connected to one another. The following is an attempt to bring to light
a comparison between the two most epic mythologies in the history of mankind. It just could
be, that they’re part of the same bigger picture.

Starting off, let us look at the abode of the Gods in both the cultural homes. In the Greek
myths, the Gods live in a palace on the mountain Olympus. Drawing a parallel to this, in
Hindu myths, the Devas live in ‘Amravati’. In both cases, we see that the Gods are held to be
residing at a geographically higher level than the common man. This shows the immense
respect both cultures have for their divine authorities.
Coming to the Gods themselves, we see an interesting parallel here. Both Hindu and Greek
mythology are centered on three main Gods that are the designated leaders. Just like we have
our Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva, they have Zeus, Hades and Poseidon who respectively rule
the heavens, the underworld and the seas. Curiously, Indra, the Hindu king of the Gods, is but
a caricature and is often depicted in stories as vengeful and petulant. Zeus, in contrast, is all-
powerful and feared by all his subjects. The delegation of Death is another common feature in
both mythologies. In Greek myths, the God of Death is Hades who carries souls from the
living world to the underworld. In Hindu folklore, the god Yama performs an uncannily
similar function, carrying departed souls to the afterlife after their death. Additionally, The
hounds of hell, Sharvara is Yama’s dog, and in Greek mythology, Cerberus is depicted
accompanying Hades. They guard the gates of their respective netherworlds.
The heroes and demigods in both cultures also have surprising similarities. For instance,
before the Kurukshetra War, Arjun is reluctant to fight. Before the Trojan War, Achilles is
reluctant to fight. Both, however, are extremely skilled warriors and heroes and do
ultimately take part in war. During these wars, both lose men who they deeply loved.
Following his son Abhimanyu’s death, Arjuna pledges to kill Jayadratha and similarly,
following his comrade Patroclus’s death, Achilles pledges to kill Hector. Another similarity
drawn from the Greek hero Achilles is his cause of death. Achilles was killed with an arrow
to his heel, which was the only vulnerable part of his body. This incident is exactly the same s
the death of Krishna, who was also killed by an arrow, which struck his heel. Talking about
Krishna; the feats of the Greek hero Hercules remind many of Krishna, as does his name,
‘Hari-Kula-Kesha’ which means ‘leader of the Hari clan.’

Another common demigod is the mischievous angel, which goes around making people fall in
love. Not only does such a character exist in both mythologies, but also their modus operandi
is also similar. The gods of love and desire, both Kamadeva (also known as Manmatha) and
Cupid shoot arrows into the hearts of unsuspecting people to make them fall in love. The
story of Icarus and Daedalus is probably one of the most told stories. Icarus was the son of
Daedalus who flew too close to the sun and as a result, his wings got burnt and he fell down
back to Earth. Interestingly, this story has a parallel in the Indian Mythology as well. Just like
them, we have the story of Jatayu and Sampati.

One day when they were flying high in the sky, Jatayu went too close to the sun, so Sampati,
in order to save Jatayu, went after him. Although he did save Jatayu, in the process, his own
wings got burnt because of the heat of the sun and he fell straight to the ground just like
Icarus.
Along with these tales, the Greek epic of a husband sailing across the sea to bring back his
wife Helen, back from Troy is strikingly similar to the story of Ram rescuing Sita from
Lanka. Another incident, which is strikingly similar in both mythologies, is the story of
Achilles and Bhishma. In the Iliad, Thetis, the sea Goddess, mother of Achilles, does
everything she can to prevent her son from embarking on the journey to Troy, because she
knows he will die before its walls. At his death, she comes in a wave to take her son’s body
deep into the sea before he could be cremated. In the Mahabharata, Ganga, the river Goddess,
gives birth to Bhishma, who goes on to die in the great war of his age. And on his fall, too, his
remains are returned to his mother. In both epics, a Goddess of water sires the most valiant
and powerful hero of the age.

So perhaps it’s not surprising that our myths are similar. But some of the parallels are so
striking that one cannot help but wonder whether maybe, just maybe, these stories came down
from a common ancestor before they branched out into their respective versions. The human
race has been on this planet for a long time now. What divides us today are mere political
boundaries. Going back before these boundaries existed, one could easily entertain the
possibility that perhaps, once upon a time, mankind did live together sharing ideas and culture
in harmony.