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The names of the gods and goddesses of Greece come from root words that mean the same as their personifications.

Example: Ares comes from the same root as "are"which means bane, curse or ruination (all ideas associated with the horrors of warfare, which Ares represented). His Roman name, Mars, seems to come from the same root as the ancient Greek "marnamai" which means to wage battle against. Many Greek gods also had the epithet Areios to personify a warrior aspect of themselves.

The myths work the same way. The story of Apollo and Daphne isn't about why Apollo favored the Laurel Tree and thus why it was used in offerings to him, but rather about why the morning Dew (Daphne) disappeared when the sun (Apollo/Helios) rose in the sky.

So, the names of the gods indicate what they represent.

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13y ago

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