Comparison Essay

The Persians and Greeks built two of the most prosperous empires in history. Both nations are well-known for their influence on literature and more specifically mythology. Some scholars believe the origin of myths are the same and that justifies the similarities between the mythology of nations.
In the play Antigone by Sophocles, the guard declares he would walk through flames to prove his claims. And similarly in the Persian Epic "Shahname", when Sudabe, the queen of Iran, fakes a rape Siavash is forced to prove his iocence by riding through a colossal mountain of fire. In both Ancient Persi and Greece, people would either walk through flames or take an oath to Gods when testifying a claim.
There is a golden age in Persian mythology while Jamshid was on the throne. He builds an utopia in which there is no agony nor misery. This utopia is similar to the description of Olympus in the story of Odysse.
Before the expansion of Zoroastrianism, Persians were pagans like Greeks. The ancient Greeks believed in numerous gods and goddesses. For instance, in Hellenistic period Helios became identified as the god of sun. And Persians called their own god of the sun Mitra.
The similarities between these two ancient nations are significant. Thus might be the reason behind the origin of Persian and Greeks mythology, which provides the chance for scholars to research on the comparative mythology of the two nations.