- Interpretatio graeca
"Interpretatio graeca" is a
Latin term for the common tendency ofancient Greek writers to equate foreign divinities to members of their own pantheon.Herodotus , for example, refers to theancient Egypt ian godsAmon ,Osiris andPtah as "Zeus ", "Dionysus " and "Hephaestus ", respectively.Roman version
The equivalent Roman practice was called "interpretatio romana". The first use of this phrase was by
Tacitus in his "Germania" ( [http://la.wikisource.org/wiki/Germania#43 ch. 43] ), in which he reports on asacred grove of theNaharvali , saying "Praesidet sacerdos muliebri ornatu, sed deos interpretatione Romana Castorem Pollucemque memorant" ('a priest presides in woman's dress, but in the interpretation of the Romans, they worship the godsCastor and Pollux '). Elsewhere ( [http://la.wikisource.org/wiki/Germania#9 ch. 9] ) he says that the chief gods of the ancient Germans wereHercules and Mercury—referring toThor andOdin respectively.Fact|date=July 2008Rome assumes the Greek gods
Roman culture owed much to the ancient Greeks. The
Etruscans had already incorporated some Greek gods and used a version of the Greek alphabet. The Greek colonies founded in southern Italy from the eighth century BCE contributed much to the young city, and later, when the Romans conquered theHellenistic world, they adopted a new wave of Greek beliefs and practices. (See "Romans and Greeks " for details.) Where the two mythologies shared an origin, the interpretations came naturally;Zeus and Jupiter, for example, were both derived fromDyeus of the Proto-Indo-European pantheon. Elsewhere the fit was less precise, and the Roman god might add attributes borrowed from the Greek, but remain distinct: Mars retained his Latin association with agriculture and fertility alongside his warlike attributes and, quite unlike the fearsome GreekAres , was a benevolent and widely-revered cult figure.Some "Di Indigetes" (native Roman gods), such as Janus and Terminus, had no Greek equivalent and so retained an independent tradition; a few, like
Bona Dea , did the same despite sharing attributes with a Greek figure (in this caseArtemis ). Others, like the twelve assistants of Ceres, became mere adjuncts to imported Greek deities (hereDemeter ).Rome and the gods of the empire
The Romans interpreted Celtic and
Near East ern gods as Roman deities with equal facility.Cernunnos andLugh were identified with Mercury,Nodens to Mars as healer and protector,Sulis toMinerva , and the Anatolian storm god with his double-headed axe becameJupiter Dolichenus , a favorite cult figure among soldiers.Even the Jewish invocation of
Yahweh Sabaoth may have been identified withSabazius .Where the Romans had no equivalent figure, they did not hesitate to add foreign deities to their pantheon. Sometimes they would change the name: when
Cybele was adopted from thePhrygians (the Greeks had previously interpreted her as Rhea), she was called "Magna Mater deorum Idaea ". Sometimes they would not:Apollo was called "Apollo" in both Greek and Latin.Greco-Roman equivalences
Roman mythology was strongly influenced byGreek mythology andEtruscan mythology . The following is a list of most credited cult equivalences between the respective systems. Note however that many mythographers dismiss both the equivalences made in ancient times and those proposed by modern scholars.Fact|date=November 2007Greek Greek (Anglicized) Roman Roman (Anglicized) Etruscan Άδωνις Adonis Atunis Αμφιτρίτη Amphitrite Salacia Aνάγκη Ananke Necessitas Άνεμοι Anemoi Venti "Winds" Aφροδίτη Aphrodite Venus Turan Απόλλων ("Apollōn") /
Φοίβος ("Phoibos")Apollo /Phoebus Apollo / Phoebus Aplu Άρης Ares Mars Maris Άρτεμις Artemis Diana Artume Ασκληπιός ("Asklēpios") Asclepius Aesculapius / Veiovis Αθηνά Athena / AtheneMinerva Menrva Άτροπος Atropos Morta Leinth Βορέας Boreas Aquilo / Aquilon Andas Χάριτες ("Kharites") Charites Gratiae "Graces" Χάρων ("Kharōn") Charon Charon Charun Χλωρίς ("Khlōris") Chloris Flora Κλωθώ ("Klōthō") Clotho Nona Κρόνος ("Kronos") Cronus Saturnus Saturn Κυβέλη ("Kubelē") Cybele Magna Mater Δημήτηρ Demeter Ceres Διόνυσος ("Diōnusos") /
Βάκχος ("Bakkhos")Dionysus / BacchusLiber / BacchusFufluns Ενυώ Enyo Bellona Ηώς Eos Aurora / Matuta Thesan Ερινύες Erinyes Dirae / Furiae "Furies" Έρις Eris Discordia Έρως Eros Cupido / Amor Cupid Εύρος ("Euros") Eurus Vulturnus Γαία Gaia / Gaea Terra / Tellus Galanthis / GalinthiasGalinthis Άδης ("Hadēs") /
Πλούτων ("Plouton")Hades / PlutoDis Pater / Pluto / OrcusAita Ήβη Hebe Iuventas Juventas Εκάτη ("Hekatē") Hecate Trivia Ήλιος Helios Sol Aplu Ήφαιστος ("Hḗphaistos") Hephaestus Vulcanus Vulcan Sethlans Ήρα Hera Iuno Juno Uni Ηρακλής ("Hēraklē̂s") Heracles Hercules Hercle Ερμής Hermes Mercurius Mercury Turms Έσπερος ("Hesperos") Hesperus Vesper Εστία Hestia Vesta Υγεία Hygeia Salus Ύπνος Hypnos Somnus Ειρήνη ("Eirēnē") Irene Pax Ianus Janus Ani Λάχεσις ("Lakhesis") Lachesis Decima Λητώ Leto Latona Μοίραι ("Moirai") Moirae / MoeraeParcae / Fatae "Fates" Μούσαι ("Mousai") Musae Camenae " Muse s"Νίκη Nike Victoria Νότος ("Notos") Notus Auster Νυξ ("Nuks") Nyx Nox Οδυσσεύς Odysseus Ulixes / Ulysses Uthuze Παλαίμων ("Palaimōn") Palaemon Portunes Πάν Pan Faunus Silvanus Selvans Περσεφόνη Persephone Proserpina Φήμη Pheme Fama Φωσφόρος ("Phōsphoros") Phosphorus Vesper Ποσειδών Poseidon Neptunus Neptune Nethuns Πρίαπος ("Priapos") Priapus Mutinus Mutunus Ρέα Rhea Magna Mater / Ops
("See Cybele, above")Σάτυροι ("Saturoi") / Πάνες " Satyr s" / Panes
("See Pan, above")Fauni " Faun s"Σελήνη Selene Luna Σεμέλη Semele Stimula Semla θάνατος Thanatos Mors Leinth, Charun Θέμις Themis Iustitia Justitia Τύχη ("Tukhe") Tyche Fortuna Nortia Ουρανός ("Ouranos") Uranus Caelus Vertumnus Voltumna Ζέφυρος ("Zephuros") Zephyrus / " Zephyr "Favonius Ζεύς Zeus Iuppiter / Iovis Jupiter / Jove Tinia Interpretatio germanica
"Interpretatio germanica" is the equivalent practice among the Germanic peoples seen, for example, in the names of the
days of the week . Much like the "interpretatio romana" with regard to the "interpretatio graeca", this was no independent practice, but rather an inversion of the Roman interpretation of Germanic gods followingGermanic christianization .Fact|date=September 2008ee also
*
Greek mythology
*Roman mythology
*Syncretism External links
* [http://www.maryjones.us/jce/interpretatio.html Essay on "interpretatio romana"]
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