Roman gods

Jack J. Cullo
Latin 1
Professur Cian

The Roman empire is a vast empire that span across three continents: Africa,
Asia, and Europe over many centuries. The success of the Roman empire was its
ability to adapt to other culture. When the romans conquer other lands, they would
build temples of their main god and the new cultures gods. The roman believed that
there are many god for many things and that depending on the culture they have
different names. Romans main gods have many parallels to the well-known Greeks
gods who were created seven hundred years before.
Greek gods were either originate by themselves or based off Egyptian gods
who society had them before Greece; while roman mythology is heavily borrowed
from Greece. The twelve main gods of Greece and Rome are the same but with
different names and traits. Greek gods names are more well-known Zeus,
Poseidon, and Hades while their counterparts are well known for a different reason
the planets were named after them Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto. In Greek mythology
the gods are depicted as strong and beautiful but in roman mythology their traits do
not matter, and usually deepens on the eye of the beholder on what the gods look
like. ( )
Greeks use Mythology to give lesson and to why and how the earth was
created and the reasons on why things are the way that they are. This show that
Greek mythology teaches and bring Greece closer to the gods. Rome on the other
hand dose not focus on the stories and lesson, for they focus on appealing to the
gods and asking for powers. Rome does not have faith they have the opposite fear;
they know the power of the gods and perform rituals and sacrifices in hopes of
getting the gods on their side in roman mythology cunning emperors use this fear
and the fact their ae many demigods in Greek mythological. To convince the general
public they equal to the gods. This achieve two things for the roman empire it

invokes fear into the people towards the emperor and allows some special taxes to
be giving in aid of the emperor. ( )
The afterlife belief of the Greeks and romans are very different. The romans
believe if they did good and they contribute to the community they will earns a spot
among the gods in Mount Olympus. The romans also believe if it does not make to
demigod status then its soul remain alive and perform it day to day task as it would
if it was living. The purpose of a tomb was to give the sprit a home it has tool and
accessories the sprit would use when he was alive. They also believed they had
emotion and in order to keep a sprit form haunting you had to show it respect and
keep it content. Greeks on the other hand believe most soul goes to the netherworld
and only those chosen by gods are grant immortality. ( )
Vulcan is the roman god of fire especially the fires of volcanos and
metalworks; his Greek counterpart is Hephaestus god of fire and blacksmiths.
Vulcan was the son of the king and queen of the roman gods Jupiter god of thunder,
and Juno goddess of womens and fertility. Vulcan is in the council of gods. Symbols
that the roman people would associate with Vulcan are fire, hammer, axe, tongs,
donkey and quail. Vulcan was worship to keep villages and crops away from fire and
he was also worshiped to enable people of Rome to yield the power of fire in warfare
and industry.
When Vulcan was born, he was disformed making him the only ugly god, this
disgusted Juno so much she threw Vulcan out of Olympus. Vulcan fell for last a one
whole day and night. He landed in the sea and as a result of the fall he broke his
leg. This left his leg lame forever. He was a found by a group of sea nymphs who
then along with Theist, a minor god of water natured and raised Vulcan. While

walking across the seashore he found coal. Every day he would bring coal into the
underwater grotto he lived in and built a fire to watch. After countless days of
building the fire Vulcan learn the skills of craft and
smith. With his new learn skill, Vulcan created a beautiful Perl necklace, which he
gave to Thetis as a token of his gratitude and affection.
Thetis went to a party on Mount Olympus, and wore her beautiful necklace.
During the dance, Juno caught a glimpse of the necklace and instantly fell in love
with it. Juno interrogate Thetis on origins of the necklace and was outraged to find
out was the son she disowned. Juno pleaded Vulcan to come back to Mount Olympus
but he refused. Instead he gave her a gift. The gift was a golden chair emblemed
with exotic jewels and pearls. Vulcan was still bitter towards his mother so he made
the chair a trap. When Juno sat down on the chair she became instantly trapped by
indestructible chains. Juno was trapped for three whole days when Jupiter finally
came to her rescue. Jupiter bargains with Vulcan if he let go of his mother, Juno,
Jupiter in exchange gave Vulcan Venus to be his wife. This was an offer even the
most stubborn of man could not resist for Venus was the goddess of beauty. Vulcan
return to Mount Olympus, with his beautiful wife.
Vulcan became the handy man of Mount Olympus. He built and design
weapons and jewelry, and helped the gods of Olympus. When Jupiter had a
headache, Vulcan did the most logical thing, he grabbed his axe and spit an opening
in Jupiter head. Releasing the goddess of wisdom Minerva who he tried to court but
was instantly denied. Vulcan made many weapons for the gods such Jupiter,
lightning bolt, Plutos helmet, Neptunes triton, and cupids famous love and repulse
arrows. Vulcan Greek counterpart, Hephaestus, was even more inventive he creates

golden slaves with their own thought process, truly a remarkable achievement. He
also made a throne for each of the twelve gods.
Vulcan is not much of a ladys man. He is the only ugly god ever exist, and he
always hard at work. His love, the ever-beautiful Venus did not share the same love.
Marriage was also just a status quote and not a very good one at that. Venus love
was for another, Mars god of war. While Mars and Venus secretly had an intimidate
moment, Vulcan trapped with a golden net. He then paraded through Mount
Olympus belittling the unloyal couple. Rumors spread across the roman empire that
every time a volcano erupted it was because Vulcan was angry towards Venus for
cheating on him.