Greek Myths

Ritual Use of Spices/Myrrh:

In the Bible, women (Mary Magdalene, Salome, Joanna) prepare aromatic spices to anoint Jesus' body, fulfilling a respectful burial custom to honor the dead.
Greek traditions, particularly the Adonia festival (rituals honoring Adonis), women performed funeral rites for the dead god, which included burning myrrh, using spices, and tending to small "gardens" to symbolize death and resurrection.
Devotion and Remembrance: In both narratives, the preparation of spices is a profoundly emotional act of devotion, loyalty, and mourning performed by women following a beloved, divine, or semi-divine figure.

In the Bible, the spices are a final, loving act for a friend and teacher whom they did not yet expect to rise again (showing their humanity).

In Greek myth, the rituals for Adonis specifically act out his death and subsequent return to life, serving as an agricultural fertility symbol.

Context: The Biblical account is rooted in 1st-century Jewish burial laws (prohibited on the Sabbath)
Greek stories are mythological, often involving nymphs or goddesses
(like Artemis- the moon female cycle) who are intimately connected with herbs and nature.

Aristaeus: Son of Apollo and Cyrene, he is credited with teaching humanity about cattle-breeding, cheesemaking, beekeeping, and the cultivation of olive trees and medicinal herbs. Biblical Samson is also connected with bees.
Aphrodite: Known for associating with and creating herbs like rose and myrtle in her gardens. Queen Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah (Esther 2:7), meaning "myrtle". The myrtle (a fragrant, evergreen shrub) symbolizes peace, prosperity, and God’s restoration, famously appearing in Zechariah’s vision of the "man among the myrtles" and Isaiah’s prophecy of renewal.
Demeter: As goddess of the harvest, she is associated with herbs and vegetation. Mint was particularly cherished by her. Jesus criticized the Pharisees for meticulously tithing small garden herbs like mint, dill, and rue, while neglecting "weightier matters of the law" such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Gospels of Matthew (23:23) and Luke (11:42)
Artemis: Associated with the herb Mugwort (Artemisia), which is named after her. John the Baptist in medieval European tradition, where it was often called "St. John’s Plant" or Cingulum Sancti Johannis (St. John's Girdle). According to legend, he wore a girdle (belt) of mugwort while in the wilderness for protection.
Apollo: Known as a god of medicine and healing, he is closely connected to many medicinal herbs.
Antheia: Goddess of gardens, blossoms, and vegetation

Greco-Roman astronomy, the planet Venus appearing at dawn was called Lucifer (Latin) or Phosphorus/Eosphoros (Greek), son of Eos (goddess of dawn

Gilgamesh is a "demigod" (part-divine, part-human), similar to Heracles (Hercules) or Achilles, endowed with incredible strength, engaging in monstrous battles, and showing intense grief.
The Loss of a Companion: Similar to how Achilles mourns Patroclus, Gilgamesh’s profound grief for his companion Enkidu—who dies as punishment from the gods—is a central, emotional parallel to Greek heroic tragedies.
Divine Intervention: Like Greek gods, Mesopotamian gods are moody, interpersonal, and interfere with human lives, using mortals as pawns or punishing them for arrogance.
The Quest for Immortality: Similar to the dangerous journeys in the Odyssey, Gilgamesh travels to the ends of the earth to find the secret of eternal life, only to learn that immortality is for gods alone, a frequent theme in Greek stories.
Shared Motifs: Both traditions share motifs like the "hero's descent into the underworld" (Jenseitsfahrt) and the "sacrificial bull" (similar to the Cretan Bull in the labors of Theseus)

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