Roman Gods
| Major
Gods of the Roman Pantheon (Dii Consentes) |
| Deity |
Origin |
Description |
| Apollo |
Greek
(Apollo) |
Apollo is the son
of Jupiter and Leto, and the twin brother of Diana . He is the god of music,
playing a golden lyre. The Archer, far shooting with a silver bow. The god
of healing who taught man medicine. The god of light. The god of truth,
who can not speak a lie. One of Apollo's more important daily tasks is to
harness his chariot with four horses an drive the Sun across the sky. He
is famous for his oracle at Delphi. People traveled to it from all over
the Greek world to divine the future. His tree was the laurel. The crow
his bird. The dolphin his animal. |
| Ceres |
Greek
(Demeter) |
Corn Goddess. Eternal
Mother. the Sorrowing Mother. Grain Mother. Goddess of agriculture, grain,
crops, initiation, civilization, lawgiver and the love a mother bears for
her child. Protectress of women, motherhood, marriage. Daughter of Saturn
and Ops. She and her daughter Proserpine were the counterparts of the Greek
goddesses Demeter and Persephone. Her worship involved fertility rites and
rites for the dead, and her chief festival was the Cerealia. |
| Diana |
Greek
(Artemis) |
Fertility Goddess.
Moon Goddess. Huntress Goddess. Triple Goddess- Lunar Virgin, Mother of
Creatures, the Huntress or Destroyer. Goddess of nature, fertility, childbirth,
wildwood, moon, forests, animals, mountains, woods, and women. Goddess of
the hunt. In Roman art Diana usually appears as a huntress with bow and
arrow, along with a hunting dog or a stag. Both a virgin goddess and an
earth goddess, she was identified with the Greek Artemis. She is praised
for her strength, athletic grace, beauty and her hunting skills. With two
other deities she made up a trinity: Egeria the water nymph (her servant
and assistant midwife), and Virbius (the woodland god). |
| Juno |
Greek
(Hera) |
Queen of the Gods.
Jupiters wife and sister, sister to Neptune and Pluto, daughter of Saturn,
mother of Juventas, Mars, and Vulcan. Protectress of the Roman state. She
was the guardian of the Empire's finances and considered the Matron Goddess
of all Rome. The Matronalia, her major festival is March 1-2. Her other
festival, on July 7-8, was called Nonae Caprotinae ("The Nones of the Wild
Fig"). The month of June was named after her. |
| Jupiter |
Greek
(Zeus) |
Ruler of the Gods.
He is the god of Sky, Lightning and Thunder. He is the son of Saturn and
brother of Neptune, Pluto and Juno, who is also his wife. His attribute
is the lightning bolt and his symbol the eagle, who is also his messenger.
He was also considered the Patron god of Rome, and his temple was the official
place of state business and sacrifices. |
| Mars |
Greek
(Ares) |
God of war, spring,
growth in nature, agriculture, terror, anger, revenge, courage and fertility.
Protector of cattle. The son of Jupiter and Juno, he was the god of war.
Mars was regarded as the father of the Roman people because he was the father
of Romulus, the legendary founder of Rome, and husband to Bellona. He was
the most prominent of the military gods that were worshipped by the Roman
legions. The martial Romans considered him second in importance only to
Jupiter. His festivals were held in March (named for him) and October. |
| Mercury
|
Greek
(Hermes) |
God of Trade, Profit,
Merchants and Travellers. His main festival, the Mercuralia, was celebrated
on May 15 and on this day the merchants sprinkled their heads and their
merchandise with water from his well near the Porta Capena. The symbols
of Mercury are the caduceus (a staff with two intertwined snakes) and a
purse (a symbol of his connection with commerce). |
| Minerva |
Greek (Athena)
Etruscan (Menrva)
|
Goddess of Wisdom,
Learning, the Arts, Sciences, Medicine, Dyeing, Trade, and of War. Daughter
of Jupiter, protectress of commerce, industry and education. Honored at
the spring equinox with her main festival, March 19 - 23, called the Quinquatria.
On June 13 the minor Quinquatrus was observed. |
| Neptune
|
Greek
(Poseidon) |
God of the Sea.
Brother of Jupiter, Pluto and Juno. The God and patron of Horses and Horse
Racing as Neptune Equester. Neptunalia was celebrated on July 23. The trident
is Neptune's attribute. |
| Venus |
Greek
(Aphrodite) |
Originally a Goddess
of Gardens and Vinyards, Venus became the major deity of love and beauty
after the influx of Greek deities. On August 18 the Vinalia Rustica was
observed. A second festival, that of the Veneralia, was celebrated on April
1 in honor of Venus Verticordia, who later became the protector against
vice. On April 23 a festival, the Vinalia Priora, celebrated the opening
of one of her temples. |
| Vesta |
Greek
(Hestia) |
Goddess of the Fire
(both sacred and domestic) and the Hearth. Daughter of Saturn and Ops. Her
sacred animal was the ass. Patroness of bakers. Her chief festival was the
Vestalia on June 7. One of the most worshipped of the Roman deities. |
| Vulcan |
Greek
(Hephaestus) |
God of Fire, Blacksmiths
and Craftsmanship. His forge is located beneath Mount Etna. It is here that
he, together with his helpers, forges weapons for Gods and heroes. Closely
associated with Bona Dea with whom he shared the Volcanalia, observed on
August 23. |
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Did you know? The Romans had many gods and goddesses. Most of these were the same ones that the ancient Greeks worshipped, except that they had different names.
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