Smart Satan or baseless mythology?

What strange images and myths did the Greeks have about people who lived in far off lands? Do such myths still exist?

These were two questions posed before my class as part of a discussion on the rise of global media. The class discussion began with the understanding that in the olden days, ordinary lay people did not travel much, but were curious about the world around them. The few 'adventurers' who did travel came back with interesting stories, which passed down through oral culture with the occasional tinge of exaggeration. Over the years imagination got the better of people and myths were created. The Greeks came up with some of the most fascinating mythology of all time.

In order to do a little background research into what would later amalgamate into an interestin theory, I googled Greek gods and conducted a very rough parallel study between them and the Roman gods. I'm still a little stumped by what I came across.

I began with the understanding that although The Greek and the Roman civilizations began much after the Jewish and the Mesopotamian civilizations, they created the understanding of their Gods from within their own cultures. It is generally percieved that the Greek gods could also have had their origins from the preceding Egyptian or Phoenician civilizations. However, the understanding and naming of Greek gods took place much before the birth of Christ or the dawn of Christianity as we know it. Keeping this in mind, I continued drawing parallels between the understanding of deities in the Greek and the Roman regimes. That's when I came across this site: http://www.purplehell.com/riddletools/g-list.htm

Here are some interesting observations:

1. 
   
   The Greeks could have come up with any fictional name for their gods, or even adapted the names of these gods from preceding cultures. Therefore the names such as Zeus, or Ares didn't make much of a difference to me.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   I came down the list of names until I saw the name Aphrodite: the Goddess of Love and Beauty. Interesting to note that her Roman equivalent was Venus (now percieved as a planet that is presently referred to as the bright and morning star).
   
   
   
3. 
   
   I immediately hit the Ctrl+F button to check for any parallels with any other god named Venus. Here's what I found: Greek god named Hesperus who is considered the "Evening Star" and the personification of Venus (personification of the bright and morning star). Even more interesting was that the equivalent in the Roman god was called Vesper also known as Lux-Ferre or Lucifer!!
   
   
   
4. 
   
   Quite stunned by the fact that the Romans had named a god after what we know to be Satan, i ran a search for the alternate name of Hesperus, which is Phosphorus. Here's what I found: Phosphorus: also known as Phosphor: the "Light bearer" "god that brings in the day". Light-bearer??? Before my mind could resolve the question my eyes hit the Roman equivalent of the Greek god. The Roman god was named "Lucifer"- straight out..
   
   
   
5. 
   
   Its rather interesting to notice how Lucifer was worshipped by the Romans as the "Light-bringer", "Star that brings in the day", "personification of the planet Venus", which in turn was "Goddess of Love"
   
   
   

Interestin eh? I haven't drawn any conclusions yet, but i'm open to viewpoints...