Divine Roles Across Cultures Matrix

Divine Roles Across Cultures Matrix

Title: Column A

Divinity Name: Gaea

Culture of Origin: Greek Column B

Divinity Name: Odin

Culture of Origin: Norse

1. How is this divinity portrayed? Describe the divinity's role within the myth.

Gaea is portrayed as the Great Mother Goddess. In her role as Mother Earth, early Greeks worshipped Gaea as an entity that birthed earth during the viable planting season and who sustained them during earth's slumber. Odin was a great and powerful God and held many roles within his deity and within his control. From being the God of the Wind to God of War to being father and ruler of all Gods as well as mortals. The ultimate All Father of All.

2. Is the divinity male or female? What function does this gender play?

Gaea is definitely female and idolized for her ability to give birth to plants and living things every year much as a woman would give birth to her child. Early Greeks recognized the parallel of the "birthing", therefore the initial creation myth of the ancient Greeks were a mother/female dominated society. When one thinks of Nordic culture, you think of a male dominated society and it was from its early inception and creation. Odin so sought the knowledge of the world that he sacrificed an eye to gain a single drink from the spring of knowledge and understanding.

3. Within the myth of origin, how does this divinity compare with other divinities? How does this divinity interact with or compare to divinities of the same gender and to divinities of the opposite gender?

Gaea created the earth and its surrounding infrastructure, so with her gift or ability, she further created the rest of the world. Her son, Uranus, ruler of the Sky also becomes her husband and it is their lineage and offspring that creates the second generation of Giants, Titans and Cyclopes, etc. As far as Odin, there is no comparison; he was after all the Father of All. To me, he reminds me of a Viking strong and muscular with pelts of fur covering his shoulders and loins. He was intimidating and a ruler to be reckoned with. Odin was a warrior and had that warrior mentality.

4. What are the divinity's attributes, such as divine powers or characteristics? What objects does the divinity possess, such as a weapon or animal, that assist him or her?

Gaea was, if nothing else, omnipotent, in that, she alone birth her son and subsequent husband, Uranus. She also birthed the seas and the mountains. Gaea was also a great craftswoman, having crafted the very flint/sickle Cronus (a Titan) used to kill his father. Odin, I believe, was an honorable and fair ruler. He gave up an eye to gain knowledge and understanding, which speaks volumes to his character; Two ravens (thought & memory) perched upon his shoulders would fly out daily at dawn to keep him informed as to what they heard and saw.

5. Identify one character from contemporary culture that shares characteristics of each divinity and explain why you chose each character. What real-life ideals does this divine role represent? How attainable are these ideals? I think Gaea, as the only female head of creation, was the moral and