Myths : some Greek and Oriental types

Abstract

Although the hero stands out in mythology as typically Greek and not Oriental, one can trace some common elements in the Greek hero and Gilgamesh, Etana and Adapa of Mesopotamia. One can also see similarities in various concepts through Greek mythology and Hebrew sources, such as the serpent, the garden with its tree of life, the omphalos of the world, and the Underworld with its river. Egypt and India share with Greece the concepts of life after death, the Sphinx and allegorical myth. Anatolian and Near East influences upon Greece are much greater than Egyptian and Indian, and these concern anthropomorphism, the serpent, the Underworld, fertility and death. In addition, one notes cosmogonical and theogonical similarities in these countries, which include the deluge and the succession of gods in three generations. Individual gods and heroes share common traits and incidents.