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Roman Gods


Jupiter	Juno	Mars	Venus	Minerva


Neptune	Ceres	Vulcan	Diana	Baachus


Mercury	Vesta	Household Spirits	Isis	Pan


Mithras

Jupiter	Jupiter is the king of the Roman gods. He has had many different names because he was adapted to fit the Roman's current needs. When the Roman Republic first appeared, he was Jupiter Lucetius. Jupiter Lucetius was the god of sun and moonlight. He also went by the names of Jupiter Elicius (god of wind, rain, storms, thunder, and lightning), Jupiter Dapalis (god of sowing), Jupiter Liber (god of creative forces), and Jupiter Terminus (god of boundary stones of fields). These incarnations of the god were caused by the fact that the early republic was very agricultural. As the Roman Republic turned into the Roman Empire, Jupiter became known as a militant god. He assumed names such as Jupitor Strator, Jupitor Feretrius, and Jupiter Victor(warrior gods), Jupiter Optimus Maximus (great god of the empire), Jupiter Conservator Orbis(protector of the empire), and Jupitor Conservator Ator Augustorum (protector of the emperor). His main temple, Capitolum Vetus, was located on the Capitoline Hill. Jupiter is often depicted as a bearded older man, probably to show that he is wise.
Apollo	Apollo was the son of Jupiter and Latona, and his twin sister was Diana. He was 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, and the god of truth. One of Apollo's more important daily tasks was to harness his chariot with four horses and drive the Sun across the sky. His tree was the laurel, the crow was his bird, and the dolphin was his animal.
Ceres	Ceres, daughter of Saturn and Rhea, wife-sister of Jupiter, and mother of Prosperpina. Ceres is the goddess of grain, growing plants and the love that a mother bears for her child. She is personified and celebrated by women in secret rituals at the festival of Ambarvalia, held during the month of May.
Diana	Diana is the mother of wild animals and forests, and the moon goddess. Oak groves are especially sacred to her. She is praised for her strength, athletic grace, beauty, and 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	Juno was the Queen of the Gods and Jupiter's wife. She was the protector of woman during childbirth, rearing, and their preparation for marriage. It was said that she was prsent and watching during all marriage ceremonies. The peacock and the goose were her sacred symbols. Juno protected the City of Rome when the Gauls attacked. Before the attack the sacred geese in the temple of Juno alerted the Romans of the pending danger. This warning gave the Romans the opportunity to attack and defeat the Gauls, therefore saving their city.
Mars	Mars was the consort of Rhea Sylvia and father of Romulus and Remus, and therefore the father of the Roman people. He was the Roman god of war, the beginning and ending of battles. Mars was the god of young men and their activities, primarily war. He was celebrated in March and October. His festival was called the Quinquartus. It was five days of celebration during the vernal equinox. Mars was the son of Juno and the father of the twins Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. The planet Mars was named after the god because its red color looked like blood
Mercury	Mercury was the Roman god of commerce. Merchants prayed to him in order to get good buisness. Mercury was the son of Jupiter and Maia. He was also the messenger of the gods. He used the characteristic winged sandals to help him get around faster. He was first worshipped in 495 B.C. when a temple was dedicated to him near Circus Maximus. He was often depicted with a money bag to indicate his work as god of commerce. He was also said to have had a caduceus and a winged helmet. His name comes from the Latin word "mercari". Mercari means having to do with deal or trade. His sacred animal was the chicken and he is sometimes depicted with it. His festival is celebrated on May 15
Minerva	Minerva the daughter of Jupiter and Juno. Considered to be the virgin goddess of warriors, poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, crafts, and inventor of music. Ovid called her the "goddess of a thousand works." The Romans celebrated her worship from March 19 to 23 during the Quinquatrus, the artisans' holiday. Minerva, Goddess of wisdom and learning, meditation, inventiveness, accomplishments, the arts, spinning and weaving, and commerce. Minerva was identified with Pallas Athene, bestower of victory, when Pompey the Great built her temple with the proceeds from his eastern campaigns. Minerva and Mars are honored Quinquatras, five days at the Spring equinox. But Minerva has many aspects, attributes, names and epithets. She had a strange birth. One day, Jupiter had a bad headache. Nothing would cure it. Eventually Vulcan split open Jupiter's head. Out jumped Minerva in armour with shield and spear! Jupiter felt much better afterwards. Don't try this at home. Minerva was the goddess of arts and crafts. She was particularly good at weaving. Once a woman called Arachne wove a beautiful picture. Minerva tried to find something wrong with it. When she couldn't, she tore it up and turned Arachne into a spider. The spider still weaves beautiful webs. Minerva helped the hero Perseus to kill the gorgon Medusa, who was a monster with snakes instead of hair. Anyone who looked at a gorgon turned to stone! But Minerva told Perseus to look at Medusa's reflection in a polished shield. That way he could cut the head off without looking directly at the gorgon. He gave the head to Minerva, who put it on her shield, so it would turn her enemies to stone.
Neptune	Neptune is the god of the sea. He is the son of Saturn, whom he helped to overthrow, and the brother of Jupiter and Pluto. His festival is celebrated on July 23. God of all the fresh water (from rivers, springs, etc.) and of equestrian accomplishments. Equated to the Greek Poseidon, He is also the God of the sea. He had temples in the Circus Flaminius and later on the Campus Martius. His festival, the Neptunalia is celebrated on July 23. But Neptunus has many aspects, attributes, names and epithets. Neptune was called earth-shaker, because he was also the god of earthquakes
Pluto	Pluto is the Roman god of the underworld. He chose this realm after he and his two brothers overthrew their father and divided up the world. He was first thought to be a fierce and cruel god who didn't listen to prayers and didn't care about sacrifices. The later cults stressed the milder aspects of the god. He was later believed to be the one that puts precious metals and other treasures in the earth. He is also known to have carried off Ceres' daughter, Prosperpine, who was the maiden of spring. She had been playing in the fields with her nymphs when the earth opened up and out shot Pluto out of the ground in his chariot. He grabbed her and returned to the Underworld. Thereafter, she was the goddess of the dead. But she refused to eat the food of the dead while she was there. Meanwhile, her mother Ceres was mourning for her and searching everywhere for her. The earth produced no crops, since Ceres was the goddess of agriculture. Zeus finally had to give in to her demands to bring Prosperpine back to her. But right before Prosperpine left the Underworld, she ate a few pomegrenate seeds, part of the food of the dead. Thus, she had to return to the Underworld. But the gods did not want mankind to starve because of Ceres' grief, so they allowed Prosperpine to live with her mother part of the year, but for the rest of the year she had to return to the Underworld. This is how we get seasons. When Prosperpine comes, then comes spring. When she leaves, warmth also leaves the earth - meaning that winter has arrived.
Saturn	Saturn was Jupiter's father. He was king of the gods and sky before Jupiter and his brothers, Neptune and Pluto, decided to fight the power of their father and overthrow him. They divided up the world. Jupiter ruled the Earth and the sky, Pluto ruled the underworld, and Neptune ruled the sea. After he was dethroned, he fled to Italy and ruled there during what is known as the Golden Age, a time of peace and prosperity. The Golden Age is restored every year for 7 days starting December 17, during his festival, known as Saturnalia. During this time everyone is happy and treated well. Saturn had other children besides Jupiter, Pluto, and Neptune. His other children were Juno(goddess of marriage) and Ceres(goddess of the grain). Saturn was an ancient Italian deity. It was attempted to identify him with the Grecian god Cronos, and fabled that after his dethronement by Jupiter he fled to Italy, where he reigned during what was called the Golden Age. In memory of his beneficent dominion, the feast of Saturnalia was held every year in the winter season. Then all public business was suspended, declarations of war and criminal executions were postponed, friends made presents to one another, and the slaves were indulged with great liberties. A feast was given them at which they sat at table, while their masters served them, to show the natural equality of men, and that all things belonged equally to all, in the reign of Saturn. Faunus,* the grandson of Saturn, was worshipped as the god of fields and shepherds, and also as a prophetic god. His name in the plural, Fauns, expressed a class of gamesome deities, like the Satyrs of the Greeks.
Venus	Venus was born in the sea and first came to shore at Cyprus, floating on a scallop shell. There was a Golden Apple with "For the Fairest" written on the side. Venus, Juno and Minerva all wanted it. They decided to let a man, Paris, judge between them. They were all so beautiful that he couldn't make his mind up. So Juno said she would make him powerful. Minerva said she would make him wise. Venus offered him Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. He chose Venus, and Helen. Unfortunately Helen was married to someone else, and when Paris carried her off to his home at Troy, her husband came with his allies to get her back. Paris and all his family were killed and Troy was destroyed. She was married to Vulcan, the lame god of the forge, and mother of Cupid, Hymen, Priapus and Aeneas.
Vesta	One of the most popular and mysterious goddesses of the Roman pantheon. Vesta is the goddess of the hearth, equated with the Greek Hestia. There is not much known of her origin, except that she was at first only worshipped in Roman homes, a personal cult. Her cult eventually evolved to a state cult. One myth tells that her service was set up by king Numa Pompilius (715-673 BC). In her temple on the Palatine Hill, the sacred fire of the Roman state burned, which was maintained by the Vestal Virgins. At the start of the new Roman year, March 1, the fire was renewed. The sacred fire burned until 394 AD. Vesta's temple was situated on the Forum Romanum and was built in the third century BC. None of her temples, however, contained a statue of the goddess. Her festival is the Vestalia, which was observed from June 7 - 15. On the first day of this festival, the 'penus Vestae', the inner sanctum of the Vesta temple which was kept closed the entire year, was opened for women who came to bring offerings bare-footed. The temple was ritually cleansed on the last day. The donkey is Vesta's sacred animal, whose braying supposedly kept the lascivious Priapus away. Vesta is portrayed as a stern woman, wearing a long dress and with her head covered. Her right hand rests against her side and in her left hand she holds a scepter. She is also the gentlest of all gods. She is known for giving up her seat at Olympus so that Bacchus could reign on Olympus. She disapproved of all the fighting on Mount Olympus.
Vulcan	Vulcan was the son of Jupiter and Juno, the husband of Venus. God of fire and volcanoes, and the manufacturer of art, arms and armor for gods and heroes. He was the husband of Venus, and, although Venus was not always loyal to him. he remained loyal to Venus. Once, he made Jupiter angry, and Jupiter threw him off of Mount Olympus. Vulcan fell to Earth and broke both legs, which made him lame.
	Abeona is a goddess who protects travellers and the city of Rome. She also watches over children taking their first steps, and those who are leaving home for the first time.
	Abnoba is a goddess of hunting and fertility. When the Romans incorporated her into their pantheon they associated her with Diana
	Abundita is a goddess of Farms
	Acca Larentia is a goddess worshipped in Rome since very early in its history. She became the she-wolf that succled Romulus and Remus. Acca Larentia's main festival, the Larentalia, was held on/around December 23rd. Another Larentia in Roman mythology was known as the city's most beautiful prostitute
	Addephagia is the goddess of Good Cheer and Hospitality. In art, Addephagia appears as a smiling matron surrounded by symbols of eating and drink
	Aericura is a mother goddess, and a goddess of the underworld. She was worshipped in the Balkans along with Dis Pater
	Aesculapius is the god of healing. He was incorporated into the Roman pantheon directly from Greece, where he is known as Asklepios. His festival was held on the Kalends of January (January 1st).
	Aesus is a fire god. He was a late addition to the Roman pantheon, coming to Roman from the Druids
	Aetna is a mountain goddess
	Aius Locutius, whose name means "announcing speaker", has an altar in Rome
	Alemona is the goddess who guards children before they are born
	Alisonus is the patron deity of Alesia
	Ancamna is the lover of Mars Lenus and of Mars Smertrius. She was first worshipped by the Treveri.
	Angerona is the goddess of the Secret Sorrow. She can bring relief from worry and pain. Her shrine was in the temple of Volupia. Angerona's rites were celebrated on December 21st (the winter solstice) and were known as the Angeronalia or the Divalia. The Roman Angerona is based on an earlier Etruscan goddess also named Angerona. In art, Angerona appears as a woman with her mouth closed and her index finger across her lips
	Anna Perenna is the mysterious goddess and personification of the yearly cycle. Her festival took place on the first full moon of the year (around mid-March).
	Antevorta is the goddess of The Future, Childbirth, and the Ailments of Women

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