ROMAN MYTHOLOGY

- The ancient Romans, like many contemporary cultures tended to regard their

mythical heritage as being supported by history rather than legends, with the
primary themes being politics, morality, and heroism.
- The myths that the Romans possessed were typically imported because they
weren't myth-makers.
- Similar to the practical and unimaginative Romans themselves, the gods of Rome
were utilitarian.
- Gods were supposed to serve and protect humans, and when they didn't, people
stopped worshiping them.
- In the third century B.C., the Romans acquired the Greek deities. As time went on,
these deities were distilled to suit the Roman religion.
SATURN The God of Time (Equivalent of Greek Kronos)
- During the 'lost' Golden Age, which embodied the concord between peace,
harmony, stability, and prosperity, Saturn (Saturnus in Latin) was considered as
the ruler of the earth.
- Saturn’s story replicates the lore of Cronus in Greek mythology,
- Saturn is reborn into the god of time, who goes on to create the genealogy of
other Roman gods, including being the father of Jupiter, the most important
ancient Roman deity.
- Saturn also bore many similarities with the Greek goddess Demeter, wherein he
was venerated as the god of sowing (or seed), agriculture, wealth, generation,
and even renewal.
- Romans possibly merged the aspects of time and nature, thus leading to the
epitomizing of revitalization and regeneration via the entity of Saturn.
- he is also celebrated in the most famous of Roman festivals – the Saturnalia,
during which people took part in general revelry, carnivals, parties, and role-
reversals

JUPITER – The God of Sky and Thunder (Equivalent of Greek Zeus)

- As the most important god among the Roman deities, Jupiter (Iupiter in Latin)
was represented as a bearded male figure who personified the light, thunder, and
sky. Jupiter also served as a proxy for the divine being in charge of guarding the
Roman state and its rules.
- Jupiter was one of the personalized deities of the Etruscan kings, who later made
way into the triad of gods (consisting of Jupiter, Mars, and Quirinus – the
deified Romulus) worshipped by the ‘first’ citizens of the Roman state.
- by the time of the Roman Republic, Jupiter was regarded as the highest of the
divine entities who watched over the Romans – and thus was venerated as
Jupiter Optimus Maximus, the Best and Greatest.
- The high status enjoyed by Jupiter, often perceived as the equivalent of Greek
Zeus,was mirrored by the impressive Temple of Jupiter erected on the
Capitoline Hill (possibly by circa 509 BC).
- Roman warlords and later generals led their triumphal processions to the temple
after securing noteworthy victories, thus outlining Jupiter’s personification as
one of the major Roman gods of violence and courage.
- And on the other hand, Jupiter was also regarded as the patron of politics, oaths,
treaties, laws, and possibly even sports – since the chief games of Ludi Romani,
were observed in his honor.
JUNO – The Queen of Gods (Equivalent of Greek Hera)
- She was the wife of Jupiter – the chief among the Roman gods, Juno was thus
the queen of the ancient Roman deities, who was given the title of Regina. And,
- In the
- mythological genealogy, she was also the daughter of Saturn (which in turn also
made her the sister of Jupiter) and the mother of various other Roman gods like
Mars, Vulcan, and Juventas.
- she was also considered as an esteemed member of the Capitoline Triad (Juno
Capitolina) that replaced the earlier so-named Archaic Triad, and her place of
worship was possibly centered on the Quirinal Hill in Rome.
- when it comes to her attributes, Juno has been often likened to Hera, the queen
of the ancient Greek pantheon of gods.
- the Roman goddess does share some of her Greek-counterpart’s divine qualities,
the entity of Juno is far older than the Roman occupation of the Greek
peninsula, which further led to ‘counter’ Hellenic influence on the Italian
peninsula.
- the first of foremost role of Juno was that of the protector of the state, and by
extension of that role, Juno was also perceived as a deity who presided over all
the matters of women, ranging from childbirth to legal statuses.
- Interestingly enough, she was often depicted wearing a goatskin while carrying
a spear and shield, thus also signifying the possible influence of Athena. In any
case, Juno’s own festival was known as Matronalia, while the day celebrated
her son Mar’s birthday, husbands were actually expected to give their wives
gifts during the occasion.
NEPTUNE – The God of Seas (Equivalent of Greek Poseidon)
- He is brother of Jupiter, Neptune (Neptunus in Latin) was the god of both
freshwater and the sea in the ancient Roman pantheo, while Neptune was long
considered as one of the major Roman gods (along with his female counterpart,
Salacia) of freshwater springs and inland water bodies – possibly by virtue of
the entity’s Indo-European origins, his specific association with the sea was
probably the result of the deity’s identification with the Greek mythological
counterpart of Poseidon, by circa 399 BC.
- associations, Neptune was often depicted like Poseidon with his characteristic
trident, especially in the artworks of North Africa.
- In addition, Neptune was revered as Neptunus Equester, the patron god of horse
racing, in Roman mythology, just like his Greek counterpart.
MINERVA – The Goddess of Wisdom and Arts (Equivalent of Greek Athena)

- A Roman deity of varying avenues – ranging from wisdom, poetry, medicine to

art, crafts and commerce, Minerva was aptly called the ‘goddess of thousand
works’ by Ovid.
- Roman mythology claims that Minerva emerged from Jupiter's forehead after
being sucked up by the supreme deity. his mother is a Metis. Interestingly, the
epic story claims that Jupiter's odd deed was motivated by his fear of a prophecy
that Metis' offspring would one day challenge his authority in the pantheon.
- Minerva was also considered as the patron of war, more specifically strategic
warfare – though this attribute was possibly a later addition in 2nd century BC,
which made Minera the equivalent of the Greek goddess Athena.

MARS – The God of War (Equivalent of Greek Ares)

- the second in importance after Jupiter in the pantheon of Roman gods, is Mars
he was the deity of war (and possibly agriculture).
- Mars was arguably far more complex when it came to his martial attributes.
- Mars was perceived as a more composed and judicious entity who took up the
role of the protector of Rome and its way of life. He was also venerated as the
defender of the city and state borders, and all these aspects suggest how the
embodiment of warfare was central to the collective consciousness of the
Romans.
- Mars being portrayed as the father of the legendary founders of Rome –
Romulus and Remus.
- the month of March (named after him, derived from Latin Martius) was reserved
for the beginning of military campaigns, while also corresponding to many of
the festivals of Mars.
- the altar of Mars in Campus Martius (Field of Mars) was uniquely dedicated to
the god of war by the seemingly peace-loving Numa, the legendary second king
of Rome.
VENUS – The Goddess of Beauty and Love (Equivalent of Greek Aphrodite)
- The ancient Roman deity of beauty, love, desire, and sex, Venus is often
perceived as the equivalent of the Greek goddess Aphrodite.
- like in the case of some of the earlier mentioned Roman gods, Venus as a divine
entity possibly epitomized more aspects than her Greek counterpart – since she
was also regarded as the goddess of victory and fertility (and possibly even
prostitution).
- the Latin word venus also meant "sexual love" or "sexual desire" because it was
the personification of the notions of beauty, sex, and desire that made up the
core of her qualities.
- her illicit love affair with Mars produced the twins Timor (Phobos in Greek) and
Metus (Deimos in Greek), the personifications of fear and terror respectively,
Concordia (Harmonia in Greek), the goddess of harmony and concord, and
Cupids (Erotes in Greek), the famed winged deities of love.

DIANA – The Goddess of Hunt and The Moon (Equivalent of Greek Artemis)
- A female deity characterizing the hunt, wildlands, nature, and the moon among
the ancient Roman gods, Diana was also regarded as an entity who was
antithetically the
virgin goddess of childbirth and women.
- she belonged to the triad of female Roman goddesses (along with Minerva and
Vesta) who were maidens; and the mythical narrative often portrayed her as the
twin sister of Apollo and daughter of Jupiter.
- as was virgin Diana’s paradoxical connection to childbirth, the goddess also
embodied other seemingly conflicting aspects, ranging from the purity and
serenity of woods and wildlands to the unpredictable and ever-changing nature
of the moon.
- She was occasionally regarded as one of the Roman deities of the underworld of
the dead, making her the Roman counterpart to the Greek goddess Hecate.
VULCAN – The God of Fire and Metallurgy (Equivalent of Greek Hephaistos)
- Vulcan was considered as the Roman god of fire (including volcanoes),
metallurgy, and forges.
- Regarding the latter, it was thought that Sicily's Mount Aetna was dedicated to
Vulcan's personal forge.
- the oldest sanctuary of Vulcan, known as the Vulcanal (or Volcanal) was
probably situated at the foot of the Capitoline Hill, and this site revealed a Greek
pottery fragment (dated to circa 6th century BC) that possibly depicted
Hephaestus (or Hephaistos), the Greek god of fire and metalworking.
- Vulcan was most likely one of the first Roman gods to be associated with an
ancient Greek counterpart.
- the Romans celebrated Vulcanalia, the festival of Vulcan, at a time in the year
(in August) when the crops and grains had the greatest chance of catching fire
from the heat.
VESTA – The Goddess of Domesticity (Equivalent of Greek Hestia)
- The daughter of Saturn and sister of Jupiter, Vesta was paradoxically considered
as the oldest and youngest of Roman gods, since she was the first to be
swallowed by Saturn (or Greek equivalent Cronus) and last to be released from
the ‘confines’ of her father.
- she rejected the advances of other divine suitors like Apollo and Neptune
instead, she appealed to Jupiter to allow her to remain a virgin.
- Thus Vesta came to be associated as the Roman goddess of the hearth, home,
and domestic scope – and her Greek equivalent was Hestia, the ancient entity
representing domesticity, family, and architecture.
MERCURY – The God of Wealth (Equivalent of Greek Hermes)
- One of the relatively ‘later’ ancient Roman gods, Mercury was possibly the
composite of various earlier di indigites (indigenous Roman gods) who
represented wealth and trade.
- Mercury (Mercurius in Latin, possibly derived from merx or ‘merchandise’) was
considered as the Roman deity of commerce and financial gains, whose
attributes also stretched to various other avenues like communication,
divination, eloquence, thievery, and gymnastics.
- Mercury was often equated to his ancient Greek counterpart Hermes (the
messenger god), which resulted in his depiction with apparels like the winged
sandals (talaria) and a winged hat (petasos).
- Mercury was also one of the Roman gods whose aspects played a syncretic
influence in the worship of kindred deities from other ancient societies.
- Mercury might have been equated to the Celtic god Lugus, who in spite of being
the god of light, also bore aspects that symbolized trade and commerce. By
 virtue of the same cultural trait, Tacitus mentioned how Mercury also the chief
god of the Germanic people, possibly being the equivalent of native Wotan.

CERES – The Goddess of Agriculture (Equivalent of Greek Demeter)

- A female entity representing agriculture, crops, fertility and mother
relationships, Ceres was venerated as a kind and benevolent deity among the
ancient Roman gods.
- Ceres was regarded the daughter of Saturn and the sister of Jupiter in
mythology, but the main focus of her worship and veneration was on the bond
between Ceres and her own daughter Proserpine.
- there was an ancient Roman festival of Cerealia that was held for 7 days in April
in honor of Ceres.
- On the occation people used to tie blazing torches to the tails of foxes, who were
then ceremoniously let loose into the expansive space later known as Circus
Maximus – as a symbolic punishment for the creatures’ yearly forays into
Roman croplands that were sacred to Ceres.
BACCHUS – The God of Wine and Revelry (Equivalent of Greek Dionysus)
- While the aforementioned Apollo maintained his compatible name in the
pantheons of Greek and Roman gods, Bacchus was a straight-up Romanized
equivalent of the Greek god Dionysus. To that end, Bacchus could be perceived
as a latent ‘copy’ of Dionysus, thus being associated
- Bacchus was the Roman god of both wine and winemaking, while also
embodying the fascinating (and rather mysterious) aspects of ritual madness and
religious ecstacy.
- Bacchus was later associated with the indigenous entity of Liber Pater (‘the free
Father’), one of the Roman gods of viticulture and wine, fertility, and freedom.
During his festival (Liberalia – which later merged with bacchanalian practices),
the feast marked the coming-of-age of the Roman teenagers who crossed the
threshold of 14 or 15 years. And in an interesting ritual, the teenager as a mark
of his new-found manhood had to place a lock of hair from the first shave of his
stubble inside a bulla (pendant) on an altar.