Divine Lineage in Mythology
by KalinHow exactly are we related to the Gods? Is it a completely spiritual matter or is it something more? Is it more tangible and even traceable through our mythology and our genes? I believe so, and this can be extrapolated from Vedic, Greek, Roman and Norse myth. For other branches, such as the Slavs, it can be inferred, considering their common Proto-Indo-European ancestor, that they too had a myth about the Gods being the progenitors of their people and that they too saw them as ancestors. The best documented however are the Greek, Roman, Vedic and Germanic myths of divine progenitors and subsequent bloodlines and tribes descending from them.
In Germania, Tacitus claims that the Germans celebrate an Earth born God named Tuisto whose son Mannus is the progenitor of three Germanic tribes: the Istaevones, Ingaevones and Irminones. This is further backed up by the Ynglings, an ancient Scandinavian royal dynasty who claim ancestry from Yngvi, a legendary ancestor of the Ingaevones who is thought to be the God Freyr. He is sometimes called Yngvi-Freyr. The name, or rather title, Freyr actually means 'Lord' and the name Yngvi appears to be an older name for Freyr. This suggests Freyr is the God of Kings or the God of Lords.
The fair-haired son of Odin's race,
Who fled before fierce Tunne's face,
Has perished by the demon-beast
Who roams the forests of the East.
The hero's breast met the full brunt
Of the wild bull's shaggy front;
The hero's heart's asunder torn
By the fell Jotun's spear-like horn.
From the The Ynglingatal Saga
Notice in this section from the Ynglingtal Saga it says, "The fair haired son of Odin's race", implying a physical or racial relation.
The story of Romulus and Remus is probably the best myth of divine lineage in Europe and one of the most interesting. Romulus and Remus are born to a woman named Rhea Silvia in Alba Longa, punished by King Amulius to be a Vestal Virgin as to not produce an heir. Despite this she conceived the twins with the God Mars in a sacred grove dedicated to him. They were both sent down the river Tiber to die by King Amulius who perceived them as a threat to his rule, considering their mother's father was the former king, Numitor. They came to a stop down the River at what we now call Rome, saved by Tiberinus, the God of the Tiber river. Tiberinus then gave Romulus and Remus to the She-Wolf as she had lost her cubs. The twins were eventually adopted by a shepherd named Faustulus and grew up unaware of their identities but had natural leadership skills. Their identities were found out as young adults when they became involved in disputes between their grandfather Numitor and King Amulius, they then joined forces with their grandfather and he was reinstated as king. When figuring out where to build their city, Romulus and Remus got into a dispute and this eventually culminated in Remus being killed, either by Romulus himself or his supporters. Romulus proceeded as the first King of Rome and founded all of its institutions.
The Hindu tale of the Vaivasvata Manu, the son of Vaivasvata and the progenitor of humanity, is also a very relevant tale. His descendants were the progenitors of the Lunar and Solar dynasties. He was the king of (the Kingdom) of Dravida and was saved by Matsya, an avatar of Vishnu, from the great deluge that destroyed quite literally everything. Manu, his family and the Seven Sages repopulated the Earth. This bears a strange resemblance to other flood myths such as the Gilgamesh flood myth and the flood in Genesis:
"And Manu was endowed with great wisdom and devoted to virtue. And he became the progenitor of a line. And in Manu's race have been born all human beings, who have, therefore, been called Manavas. And it is of Manu that all men including Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Sudras, and others have been descended, and are therefore all called Manavas." (Mahabharata Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section LXXV, p.183)
Comparisons can be made in many places. One example being the names of the God Mannus and Manu being quite similar which in this context seems like more than a coincidence. The succession of father - son - three sons seen in the myth of Tuisto is seen in other Indo-European areas and it's theorized that the essential traits of the myth originated in Proto-Indo-European society around 2,000 BCE. The story of Romulus and Remus is also slightly reminiscent of the Proto-Indo-European creation myth of Manu and Yemo with the sacrifice or killing of one brother. My answer to the question posed in the introduction is based on all the examples of divine lineages and progenitors in Europe. I have reached the conclusion that we are direct descendants of the Gods in a both physical and spiritual sense. Not to say that these deities are just people deified, but our (actual) Gods as well as our ancestors.
Thank you for reading.