What are the differences between greek & northern europe mythology?

Question

What are the differences between greek & northern europe mythology?

Answer 1

Here's the basic difference between Greek and Northern European Mythology.  Hope this helps.   My answer obviously does neither justice, but it gives you a starting point.  For more information see Encyclopedia Mythica at http://www.pantheon.org/  and The Internet Sacred Text Archive at http://www.sacred-texts.com/

  

Northern European Mythology refers to "Teutonic Myth and Legend"  and the collective myths of the Scandinavians (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland). The main sources for Norse mythology, Indo-European in origin, are the Icelandic Eddas. The shaping of Norse mythology itself took place in Germanic Europe, including those elements of the myths which were current in Scandinavia in the millenium before that, and applies to the ancient religious conceptions and traditional tales of the "non-Celtic" northern peoples, whom Continental scholars prefer to call "Germanic" in the widest sense of the term. The myths varied in different districts and at different periods. Teutonic Mythology survives in its most concrete form in Scandinavian literature (Norse Mythology). On that account it has to be considered from the northern point of view, although much of it is clearly not of northern origin. Our principal sources of knowledge of this great Pagan religious system are the two Eddas of Iceland.  These Eddas are collections of mythical and heroic poems and stories.

God and Goddesses: Baldr, Borr,  Loki,  Odin, Ríg, Thor, Frigg,  Freyr, Freyja, Gullveig, Nerthus, Njord, Ullr

Famous Myths:   The word "saga", probably mean "What is told". Norse sagas are similar to epic, but usually refer to works compiled during medieval Iceland. Saga is usually a narrative, either in poems or prose, dealing with historical, legendary and mythical subjects, written in Old Norse.The Icelandic sagas can be divided into three different categories: Kings' Sagas, Family Sagas, and Heroic or Legendary Sagas. I have chosen to only to deal with the Heroic Sagas, which is often called fornaldar saga or "saga of antiquity". Heroic Sagas concentrated mainly on the Cycle of the Ring or the Nibelungen Cycle.

Creatures:   Giants, Elves, Dwarves

Places:   Asgard was one of the Nine Worlds created by Odin and his brothers, and it was the name of the home of Aesir gods and goddesses. Dozen or more palaces or halls were built within Asgard belonging to the gods, with Odin residing in great hall called Valaskjalf. Valhalla was another great hall belonging to Odin. The great wall around Asgard was built by the frost-giant, Hrimthurs. There was only one entrance to Asgard, known as Bifrost or "Rainbow Bridge", which was guarded by the god Heimdall.Valhalla was a great hall belonging to Odin, in Asgard, where heroes who had fallen in battle or some great adventure, wait for coming of the Ragnarök.

Heroes:  Valkyries,  Sigurd/Siegfried, warriors were known as the Einherjar



Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the Ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. Modern scholars refer to the myths and study them in an attempt to throw light on the religious and political institutions of Ancient Greece and on the Ancient Greek civilization.

Gods and Goddesses:   Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Hera, Aris, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes, Artemis, Hephaestus, Gaea, Uranus, Cronus, Rhea, Oceanus, Tethys, Hyperion, Mnemosyne, Themis, Iapetus, Coeus, Crius, Phoebe, Thea, Prometheus, Epimetheus, Atlas, Demeter, Persephone, Dionysus, Eros, Hebe, Eris, Helios, Thanatos, Pan, Nemesis, The Graces, The Muses, The Erinnyes, The Fates

Famous Myths: Creation of Man by Prometheus, Zeus's Lovers, Birth of Athena, The Wanderings of Dionysus, Theseus Adventures

Creatures:   Cyclopes, Hecatoncheires, Giants, Ash Tree Nymphs, Typhoeus, Cerberus, Sirens, Centaur, Medusa, Argus Panoptes, Chimaera, Echidna, Gorgons, Pegasus, Chrysaor

Places:   Mount Olympus, The Underworld, Tartarus

Heroes:   Perseus, Theseus, Bellerophon, Atlanta, Heracles, Meleager