III.

THE PANTHEONS AND THEIR COUNTERPARTS

ROMAN GODS/ GODDESSES

Background:

The mythology of the Romans is influenced by that of the Italic peoples and
eventually by that of Proto-Indo-Europe. Greek mythology, which existed during the
protohistory of Rome, and later creative Roman authors' imitations of Greek literary models
are both major influences on Roman mythology.

The rich mythology of the Romans had a profound impact on Western culture and
still does today. Many Roman myths, particularly those that deal with the gods, have Greek
counterparts. Yet, Roman mythology also included stories that were particular to this culture,
most notably those relating to the creation of Rome. Not just in the writings of the ancient
authors but also in many works of art from the Roman era, the mythology of Rome has
endured to the present day.

1. Saturn- also known as Cronus (Greek Counterpart);

 He is the Roman deity of seeds, harvest, sowing, and agriculture.
 Saturn, who is seen as the most complex deity in Roman religion, is also known as the
god of abundance and fortune.
 Saturn was the first king of the gods,and he was also known as the god of time.
 He is frequently portrayed as an aged man with curly hair and a long, white beard.
 Saturn was associated with fertility, strength, and justice since he was in control
throughout the Golden Age. Saturn was an impartial judge who believed that all people
were created equal.
 The parents of Saturn are Caelus (Ouranus) and Tellus (Gaia). While Caelus was the
most important deity of the day, he was also a dictator. Therefore, Saturn was persuaded
by Tellus to rebel against his father, and as a result, he succeeded Caelus as the supreme
ruler of the cosmos.When Ops (Rhea) and Saturn got married, Saturn ingested Ops'
offspring in order to maintain his own reign. Only Jupiter (Zeus) was able to escape
Saturn's stomach. A rebellion against Saturn arises, led by Jupiter, and the son usurps his
father in the same way that Saturn had done to Caelus.
 SYMBOLS: Sickle, Cloak

2. Jupiter- also known as Zeus (Greek Counterpart);

 The Roman deity of the skies, thunder, and storms.
 Jupiter was in charge of all rules and laws and the Roman King of Gods.
 He is also known as the head of the gods, the sky god, the guardian of Rome, and the
deity of oaths and covenants.
 He was married to his sister, Juno
 Many of his characteristics and titles are linked to his roles as the sky deity, such as
Rainer, Thunderer, Lightning God, Gatherer of Clouds, and Giver of Fair Winds.
 SYMBOLS: lightning bolt, eagle

3. Juno- also known as Hera (Greek Counterpart);

 Queen of the Roman Gods
 The Roman women's and childbirth protection goddess.
 She is also regarded as the Roman goddess of marriage, family, and childbirth.
 She is Jupiter's wife and sister, the supreme Roman deity.
 Compared to Hera who shows no mercy to those who wrong her, Juno is a much more
loving goddess, full of grace, and non-violence.
 Juno was the mother of two children, Mars and Vulcan.
SYMBOLS: Cow, Peacock

4. Neptune - also known as Poseidon (Greek Counterpart)

 The god of the sea, horses, and earthquakes, is sometimes portrayed with his trident in
hand, commanding a chariot of horses or sea creatures.
 He is well-known for his three-pronged trident, and according to one Roman tale, he
precipitated a major flood.
 Originally, Neptune, also known as Neptunus, was believed to be the god of fresh water
rather than salty sea water.
 SYMBOLS: Trident, Horse, Dolphin

5. Ceres - also known as Demeter (Greek Counterpart)

 The goddess of grain and fertility in general on Earth.

 Proserpina (Greek: Persephone) is the name of the daughter born from Ceres' union with
Jupiter (Zeus).
 Proserpina and Ceres both symbolized the fertility of the earth; Proserpina stood for the
seed and Ceres for the grain in bloom when a difference was made.
 She was the deity of agriculture and the crop and is frequently seen holding a
cornucopia of fruits and vegetables or with crops like barley and wheat.
 Ceres was also in charge of the earth's fertility and the cycle of birth and death.
 Ceres is frequently depicted with flowing robes, a scepter, and a basket of different fruits
and flowers. She has lovely blonde or blondish brown hair and is decked out in a garland
made of ripe corn.
 SYMBOLS: Flowers, Fruits, Corn

6. Diana- also known as Artemis (Greek Counterpart)

 She was a hunting goddess and the sister of Apollo. She is commonly associated with the
deity in charge of a celestial body, just like her brother.
 The moon in her case; the sun in her brother's. Despite being a virgin goddess, she helped
with childbirth. She hunted, but she could also protect the animals. Her surname is a
combination of the Greek words diviana, dium, and dius, which mean "the shining one,"
"sky," and "daylight," respectively.
 Diana was revered as a fertility goddess, assisting women during pregnancy and
childbirth. Diana was thought to be capable of assisting a woman in easily and
safely giving birth. She was also related to moon worship.
 SYMBOLS: Bow and Arrow, Deer, Hunting dogs, and the crescent moon.

7. Apollo- the Roman deity of the sun and agriculture.

 He is considered one of the most Hellenic Roman gods, as he and his Greek counterpart
share the same name. Apollo was an appealing mythological name for manned space
missions because of his grandeur as a sun god.
 Roman God of sun, music, prophecy, healing, and dance.
 Apollo was a Roman god who influenced music, poetry, and artistic creativity.
 Apollo, as a lawgiver and healer, brought order to humanity and was also the root of all
medical expertise.
 He was revered as an agricultural god, protecting farm animals and crops from
diseases and wild animals. He was thus known as Nomios, which means "herdsman,"
and Lyceius, because he contrasted the lykoi, or wolves.
 The name Phoebus, which means "bright," associated Apollos with sun worship, and the
title Alexikakos referred to him as the "Averter of Evil."
 SYMBOLS: lyre, the sacrificial tripod, the laurel tree branch, the navel stone, and the
stone amulet.

8. Minerva- also known as Athena (Greek Counterpart)

 Minerva was the Roman goddess of science and knowledge. As part of the Capitoline
Triad, she was revered and worshiped alongside Jupiter and Juno.
 Minerva was the Goddess of wisdom and crafts.
 She was in charge of many areas involving art and deep thought. She was revered as the
goddess of "all activities requiring mental skill," including science, medicine, wisdom,
handcrafted items, skilled professions, and trade. She was later regarded as a goddess of
war.
 The Roman Goddess of wisdom is depicted in full battle dress with a coat of mail, a
helmet and a spear.
 She was credited with inventing Roman numerals as well as a wide variety of musical
instruments. The Etruscans, who called her Menerva or Menvra, may have introduced
her to Italy. Her hair was said to be golden.
 SYMBOLS: Owl, Spider, Olive Tree

9. Mars- also known as Ares (Greek Counterpart)

 He was the protector of the Roman state and the Caesars, as well as the god of war
and death.
 In Roman religion and mythology, he was regarded as a primary god, second only to
Jupiter, the supreme god. He was a major Roman god and the personification of one of
the universe's two most powerful forces: death (the other being love).
 Before the Roman Empire became a military power, Mars was an agricultural god who
celebrated the spring season and the triumph of life forces over the severe winter.
As a result, he was revered as a god of agrarian prosperity and fertility. He is usually
shown wearing armor and wielding a spear. His reproductive organs are visible in some
depictions, symbolizing manliness.
 SYMBOLS: Wolf, Spear,Woodpecker, Horses

10. Venus- also known as Aphrodite (Greek Counterpart)

 Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility.

 She is the daughter of Jupiter, the Roman mythological god's king, and she wedded
Vulcan, a member of the 12 Olympian gods as well as the god of fire and the forge.
 Venus, based on the Roman poet Ovid, was the goddess of beauty, wealth, and fame.
 Venus' husband was Vulcan, the god of fire and the forge. Her son Aeneas fled Troy to
Italy, according to legend.
 She was the most beautiful goddess from the Roman pantheon.
 SYMBOLS: Rose, Myrtle, Scallop shell, Dove, Dolphins

11. Vulcan- also known as Hephaestus (Greek Counterpart)

 Roman god of fire and metallurgic world.

 Is the Roman deity of fire and the forge, is the fabled creator of crafting and
metalwork.
 Vulcan, one of the twelve Olympians, is the husband of Venus (Aphrodite) and the son
of Jupiter (Zeus) and Juno (Hera).
 With the help of the one-eyed giant Cyclops, he created Zeus' thunderbolts, Hercules'
tools, and Achilles' armor.
 Vulcan is a symbol of the metal industry.
 He forged weapons and equipment for the other Roman deities, and his forge fires were
said to be the driving force behind violent volcanic eruptions.
 SYMBOLS: Anvil, Hammer, Tongs

12. Mercury- also known as Hermes (Greek Counterpart)

 The Roman god Mercury was the deity of translators and interpreters.
 Roman god of shopkeepers, profit, merchants, travelers, transporters of goods,
thieves, and tricksters.
 He was among the most clever of the deities of ancient Rome and served as their
messenger.
 He was in charge of commerce, wealth, fertility, and theft. The corn trade was one of
his personal favorite commercial activities.
 He was also the god of eloquence and the manual arts. He guarded gymnasiums and
stadiums as the deity of athletes.
 Mercury was a good man who also happened to be a truly awful antagonist, a trickster,
and a robber.
 He was worshiped as a god of slumber and was in charge of transporting the souls of the
dead to the underworld.
 SYMBOLS: Winged cap and sandals, Tortoise, Rooster

13. Bacchus- also known as Dionysus (Greek Counterpart)

 Bacchus was the god of wine and agriculture, as well as fertility, theater, pleasure, and
festivity.
 He was depicted as a deity of trees and the forest, and he was regularly mentioned to aid
in the development of orchards.
 Bacchus was the deity that bestowed the gifts of inebriation and altered states
upon humanity.
 SYMBOLS: Wine, Ivy,Vine

14. Pluto - also known as Hades (Greek Counterpart)

 He was the son of Cronus and Rhea, and the youngest brother of Zeus and Poseidon.
 Roman god of the underworld.
 He was the ruler of that subterranean region called Erebus, which was inhabited by the
shades or spirits of the dead, and also by those dethroned and exiled deities who had
been vanquished by Zeus and his allies.
 Hades, the grim and gloomy monarch of this lower world, was the successor of
Erebus, that ancient primeval divinity after whom these realms were called.
 Pluto was also the god of wealth because diamonds and other jewels come from
underground.
 SYMBOLS: Cerberus, Helm or Cap, Cornucopia

15. Vesta- also known as Hestia (Greek Counterpart)

 Her presence was symbolized by the sacred fire that burned at her temple.
 Vesta is the Roman goddess of the hearth. The hearth is the stone floor surrounding a
furnace or fireplace. This was important to the Romans, because sources of fire for
cooking, lighting, and heating homes were not easy to acquire.
 Vesta was seen to protect everything that was most important to people's survival.
 Her power extends over altars and hearths, and therefore all prayers and all sacrifices
end with this goddess, because she is the guardian of the innermost things. Closely
related to this function are the Penates or household gods.
 Vesta was a beautiful goddess who caught the attention of gods Neptune and Apollo. As
Vesta did not want to marry and was a peacekeeper by nature, she asked Jupiter if he
would grant her permission to remain an eternal virgin. Jupiter granted this request, so
Vesta focused herself on tending the fire and keeping the home.
 SYMBOLS: Donkey, Hearth and its fire