Sebastian Giraldo
Prof. Thurmond
MYTH
12 November, 2014
Comparing and Contrasting: The almighty gods, Odin and Zeus Norse and Greek mythology, both some of the most divine and complex mythologies in todays world. Being that they are rich in story, we have learned a lot about their mighty gods and amazing worlds. Norse and Greek mythology share a lot similarities, as well as differences. Their biggest gods, Odin and Zeus are great to compare and contrast, being that they share some of the same Supreme Deity traits and abilities.
Odin was born from Bor, along with his two brothers Vili and Ve. He would go on to become the most powerful of the three due to his immense knowledge. Odin was known…show more content… Zeus is from Greek mythology, while Odin is from Norse mythology. They both also look distinctively similar in appearance, having white beards and a large, powerful, muscular build. They both used thunder many times, Zeus more than Odin. Both are feared by mostly everyone that knows of their greatness. There are more differences than similarities between these mighty gods. Odin didn't interact with humans as much as Zeus did. Zeus was known to interact with humans often, even having sexual encounters with the woman. Odin was loyal to his wife Frigg while Zeus was disloyal to his wife Hera. Zeus punished Prometheus for giving fire to humans much like Odin punished Loki for causing Baldr’s death. Zeus also seemed to be more arrogant and big headed than Odin. For example, his punishment to Prometheus was strictly because he did not want humans to have fire so they could cook their meat so he punished prometheus for going against his word. Odin on the other hand punished Loki because he purposely caused Baldr’s horrendous death. Another difference to point out is that Zeus powers were lighting and thunder in contrast to Odin’s powers which were related to wisdom and magic. Zeus is also the king of all the Greek gods while Odin is viewed as a major god in Norse mythology. Zeus also slated his own father to gain power, Odin did not. Zeus was also the god of the heavens. Odin is more associated with war, victory and death as well as hunting and