Ancient Rome’s religion | 9 strange Gods in the mythology
Introduction
Like many contemporary cultures, the ancient Romans tended to view their mythological tradition as being borne by history rather than legends, with the central themes related to politics, morality, and heroism. And since we are talking about history, while a perceptible scope of the ancient Roman gods and religion had its roots in native Italic traditions, a significant part of the institution (before Christianity) was inspired by the Greek mythology, partially fueled by the proximity of the Greek colonies in both Italy and Sicily (and later absorption of mainland Greece into the Roman Republic).
Contents
Saturn – The God of Time (Equivalent of Greek Kronos)
Jupiter – The God of Sky and Thunder (Equivalent of Greek Zeus)
Juno – The Queen of Gods (Equivalent of Greek Hera)
Neptune – The God of Seas (Equivalent of Greek Poseidon)
Minerva – The Goddess of Wisdom and Arts (Equivalent of Greek Athena)
Mars – The God of War (Equivalent of Greek Ares)
Venus – The Goddess of Beauty and Love (Equivalent of Greek Aphrodite)
Apollo – The God of Light and Prophecy (Similar to Greek Apollo)
Diana – The Goddess of Hunt and The Moon (Equivalent of Greek Artemis)
Vulcan – The God of Fire and Metallurgy (Equivalent of Greek Hephaistos)
Vesta – The Goddess of Domesticity (Equivalent of Greek Hestia)
Mercury – The God of Wealth (Equivalent of Greek Hermes)
Ceres – The Goddess of Agriculture (Equivalent of Greek Demeter)
Bacchus – The God of Wine and Revelry (Equivalent of Greek Dionysus)
Honorable Mention – Mithras: The ‘Syncretic’ God
Family Tree of Roman Gods and Goddesses –
Saturn – The God of Time (Equivalent of Greek Kronos)
Alluding to a primeval deity among the ancient Roman gods, Saturn (Saturnus in Latin) was regarded as the ruler of the earth during the ‘lost’ Golden Age that epitomized the balance between peace, harmony, stability, and prosperity. Essentially, Saturn’s story replicates the lore of Cronus in Greek mythology, thus making Saturn the god of time, who in turn proceeds to create the genealogy of other Roman gods, including being the father of Jupiter – the most important ancient Roman deity (discussed in the next entry). According to 1st century BC Stoic philosopher Quintus Lucilius Balbus (as noted by Cicero in his book De Natura Deorum or ‘On the Nature of the Gods’)
Jupiter – The God of Sky and Thunder (Equivalent of Greek Zeus)
Interestingly enough, when it comes to history, 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. And 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.
Juno – The Queen of Gods (Equivalent of Greek Hera)
Regarded as 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. 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. More importantly, 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.
Neptune – The God of Seas (Equivalent of Greek Poseidon)
Regarded as the brother of Jupiter, Neptune (Neptunus in Latin) was the god of both freshwater and the sea in the ancient Roman pantheon. Interestingly enough, 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.
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. When it comes to the genealogy of Roman gods, Minerva was said to come out from Jupiter’s forehead after the supreme god swallowed her mother Metis. Interestingly enough, according to the mythic narrative, Jupiter committed such a bizarre act in the first place out of fear of a prophecy that Metis‘ child would one day challenge his order in the pantheon.
Mars – The God of War (Equivalent of Greek Ares)
Considered as the second in importance after Jupiter in the pantheon of Roman gods, Mars was the deity of war (and possibly agriculture). And while the aspect of military conflict often brings out the inevitable comparison with his ancient Greek equivalent Ares, Mars was arguably far more complex when it came to his martial attributes.
In essence, as opposed to the sheer impulsiveness and chaotic nature of warfare, 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.
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. However, 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).
In any case, it was the embodiment of the concepts of beauty, sex, and desire that formed the core of her attributes, so much so that the Latin noun venus also meant ‘sexual love’ or sexual desire.
Apollo – The God of Light and Prophecy (Similar to Greek Apollo)
Hailed as one of the most important of Olympian deities when it came to the pantheons of both ancient Greek and Roman gods, Apollo, the archetype of the beardless, youthful being (kouros), was considered as the divine entity of light, music, prophecy, poetry, medicine and even archery. Now interestingly enough, Apollo can be counted among the rare Roman gods who had directly originated from the Greek mythology (thus having no Roman equivalent), with the cult centers of the entity in Delphi and Delos being in existence since 8th century BC.
Diana – The Goddess of Hunt and The Moon (Equivalent of Greek Artemis)
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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. In essence, 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.
And while she is often equated to her Greek counterpart Artemis, the origins of Diana probably harked back to an indigenous Italic (or older Indo-European) entity. Ist century BC Stoic philosopher Quintus Lucilius Balbus (noted by Cicero in his book De Natura Deorum or ‘On the Nature of the Gods’), discussed –