Mythology

Roman Gods

apollo_daphneApollo

Greek name:  Apollo

Responsibilities:
Medicine, sun, archery

Apollo was

–  the only Roman god who was essentially identical to his Greek counterpart

–  not a prominent god for the Romans, but the emperor, Augustus, dedicated a major temple to him in 28 B.C.

ceresCeres

Greek name: 
Demeter

Responsibilities:
Grain

Ceres was

–   an Etruscan goddess of obscure origins worshipped from the earliest times in Rome

–   worshipped with Liber (Bacchus) and Libera in a group called the Eleusinian Triad

English derivative:
Cereal

dianaDiana

Greek name:
Artemis

Responsibilities:
Childbirth, moon

Diana was

–   worshipped in a very ancient cult and commonly worshipped in wooded areas

–   sometimes associated with the underworld (as Hecate)

junoJuno

Greek name: 
Hera

Responsibilities:
Marriage and childbirth

Juno was

–   not originally associated with Jupiter

–   an independent Italian deity associated with all aspects of female life

English derivative:
June

jupiterJupiter

Greek name:
Zeus

Other name:
Jove

Responsibilities:
Sky

Jupiter was

–   worshipped along with Juno and Minerva in a group called the Capitoline Triad

English derivative:
Jovial

liberLiber

Greek name:
Dionysos

Other name:
Bacchus

Responsibilities:
Wine, fertility

Liber was

–   the Italian god associated with fertility, especially of the vine

–   worshipped with Ceres and his partner, Libera, in a group called the Eleusinian Triad

–   not associated with the ecstatic aspects of Dionysos’ worship

marsMars

Greek name:
Ares

Responsibilities:
Agriculture, war

Animal:
Wolf, woodpecker

Mars was

–   originally an important god of agriculture, associated with spring and regeneration

–   later associated with war for the Romans

–   much more important to the Romans than Ares was to the Greeks

English derivative:
Martial (arts, law), March

mercury_bronzeMercury

Greek name:
Hermes

Responsibilities:
Trade and profit

Mercury was

–   a protector of businessmen

–   associated with messengers and music through his connection with Hermes

English derivative:
Mercurial

Minerva

Greek name:
Athena

Responsibilities:
Activities involving mental skill and handicrafts

Minerva was

–   worshipped by the Etruscans and later by the Romans

–   her cult appears first in Rome as part of the Capitoline Triad with Jupiter and Juno

–   perhaps associated early on with war and fertility

–   associated with craftsmen, authors, painters, school children

neptuneNeptune

Greek name:
Poseidon

Responsibilities:
Sea

plutoPluto

Greek name:
Hades

Responsibilities:
Death and the underworld

venusVenus

Greek name:
Aphrodite

Responsibilities:
Love, fertility in nature

Venus was

–  originally a minor Italian fertility goddess connected with gardens (rather than with fertility in animals and humans)

–   probably also originally connected with luck and favor

–   mother of the great Roman hero, Aeneas

English derivative:
Venereal

vesta2Vesta

Greek name:
Hestia

Responsibilities:
Hearth, family life

Vesta was

–   much more important to the Romans than Hestia was to the Greeks

–   worshipped at Rome in a round temple (symbolic of the hearth) with no cult image

–   served in temple by the Vestal Virgins

The Vestal Virgins were six girls, usually from noble families, chosen between the ages of 6 and 10 years old, who served for thirty years.  They took a vow of chastity for the duration of their service, and the penalty for breaking it was death by being buried alive.

vulcan3Vulcan

Greek name:
Hephaistos

Responsibilities:
Fire

Vulcan was

–   more important to the Romans than Hephaistos was to the Greeks

–   associated initially with destructive fire, and later (through his association with Hephaistos) also with fire for creative purposes

English derivative: 
Volcano, vulcanize

Additional Gods for the Romans

januscoinJanus

Image:
Often pictured with two heads facing in opposite directions

Responsibilities:
Perhaps a god of beginnings; probably associated with water

Janus was

–   an ancient god who was so important he was named first in prayers

–   especially connected with bridges and, later, with doorways

–   worshipped in Rome at five different shrines, all at river crossings

–   worshipped at a temple in the Roman Forum whose gates were open during wartime and closed in peacetime – this, perhaps, reflects the breaking of bridges (opening of rivers) to protect the city when it was threatened?

–   his name became a common noun (a janus) which meant “a crossing-place with a roadway”

English derivative:
January

larsLares

Responsibilities:
Protectors of the household

Lares were

– originally guardians of farm-lands and crossroads

– since food that fell on the floor was burned for the Lares, they also are also identified with ghosts by some scholars

penatesPenates

Responsibilities:
Household gods symbolic of the continuing life of the family and, later, of the Roman state; their name comes from the Latin word for “cupboard, food.”

saturnstSaturn

Greek name:
Kronos/Ouranos

Responsibilities:
Ruled in the generation before Zeus

Saturn was

–     an Etruscan god of obscure origins worshipped from the earliest times in Rome

–     the ruling god during the Golden Age (remember the Ovid creation story?)

–     worshipped in a winter festival called the Saturnalia

This festival was probably originally a celebration of winter sowing.  During the festival, slaves were given the right of free speech and were served at a feast by their masters, a remembrance of the Golden Age when all men were equal.

English derivative:
Saturnine

 

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