Roman Gods and Goddesses

The Romans believed a lot in different Gods and Goddesses, which is quite obvious from the Roman Mythology! There is a unique mixture of various cultures when it comes to the emergence of Roman Gods and Goddesses. The entire collection of the Roman Gods is known as the Pantheon. There is a great influence of Latin and Greek culture as they too had pantheons (Greek Gods and Goddesses) of their own. This is the reason why the Roman and Greek Gods are generally one God with different names.

Some Famous Roman Gods and Goddesses

The Romans had a God or Goddess for every possible power or trait that existed in the world. The Romans have a God for war, for love, for peace, for wealth... and so on. Roman mythology shows evidence of how strongly the Romans believed and prayed to these Gods and Goddesses for their well-being and prosperity. Some of them, are mentioned as under.

Mars (Ares in Greek)
Mars is the famous Roman God of war! He is also known to be the God of terror, anger, courage, revenge and therefore, is worshiped as a Military God. Mars is the son of the Roman God and Goddess Jupiter and Juno! In fact, Mars was also known as the father of Rome as he was the father of Romulus who founded Rome! The Romans celebrated this festivals of mars in the month of March and October.

Apollo
Apollo is the God of Sun, music, medicine, truth and light. He is the son of Jupiter and Leto and is known to drive the Sun across the sky daily with the help of his 4 horses ridden chariot! The Apollo is also an archer and plays a golden Iyre. The crow is known to be his bird, the dolphin is said to be his animal and the laurel tree is known to be his tree.

Jupiter (Zeus in Greek)
Jupiter is known to be the ruler of Roman God. He is considered to be the mos powerful God of sky, thunder and lightening! Being the patron God of Rome, the Romans made his temple as the official place wherein the business affairs and religious sacrifices took place! Jupiter is the son of Roman God Saturn.

Juno (Hera in Greek)
Juno is the sister as well as the wife of the ruler of Roman Gods, Jupiter and is therefore known as the Queen of Gods. She is the Goddess who protects the Roman state and guards the Roman Empire's finances! The month name 'June' is named after this Roman Goddess and her major festivals named Matronalia and Nonae Caprotinae are celebrated in the month of March and July. Juno is also the mother of Mars, Vulcan, and Juventas.

Vulcan (Hephaestus in Greek)
Vulcan is the God of fire, craftsmanship and blacksmiths. It is said that the forge of Vulcan is situated under Mount Etna where this God of fire forges weapons for heroes and Gods.

Venus (Aphrodite in Greek)
Venus is the Goddess of love and beauty. She was also known as the Goddess of gardens and vineyards. Vinalia Rustica was observed in her honor on August 18. There is another festival in her honor, known as Veneralia, which is celebrated on April 11 and on April 23, a festival named Vinalia Priora was celebrated for the opening of her temples.

Neptune (Poseidon in Greek)
Neptune is the Roman God of Sea and the Horses. He is also the brother of the Roman Gods Pluto, Jupiter and Juno. Neptune is also the owner of the trident and his festival called Neptunalia was celebrated on July 23.

Ceres (Demeter in Greek)
Ceres is known to be the Roman Corn Goddess. She is the Goddess of crops, agriculture, grains, civilization and the mother's love for her child. The daughter of Saturn and Ops, Ceres is the goddess which protects a woman, marriage and motherhood as she is worshiped for fertility. Her festival is known as Cerealia.

Mercury (Hermes in Greek)
Mercury is the Roman God of profits, merchants, trade and travelers. The attribute or the symbol is Mercury is a staff with two snakes which are interlinked, known as the Caduceus, and a purse to depict his inter relation of commerce and trade. His festival called the Mercuralia was celebrated on May 15 wherein the Roman merchants went to his well near the Porta Capena and sprinkled their heads and merchandise with water from the well.

Minerva (Athena in Greek)
She was the Goddess of wisdom, learning and arts with an owl as her symbol. She was the daughter of Jupiter and also the one who protected industry and education. Her main festival is known as the Quinquatria, celebrated from March 19 to March 23.

Diana (Artemis in Greek)
Diana was the Roman Goddess of hunting and she is also famously known as the Moon Goddess. Diana is known for her athletic grace, beauty, courage, strength and her hunting skills. As a huntress, she always possesses a bow and an arrow and is accompanied by a hunting dog.

Bacchus (Dionysus in Greek)
He was one of the most popular Roman God of wine, partying and ecstasy. Bacchus is the son of Jupiter and is the Roman God who inspires people to worship joyfully and in ecstasy. He is also known as the God of truth and sensual pleasures.

Vesta (Hestia in Greek)
Vesta was the Roman Goddess of fire, hearth and home. The temple of Vesta always had a burning flame which was considered as the 'hearth of Rome'. The priests had to make sure that the flame never went out and always kept burning. Vesta was the daughter of Saturn and Ops. Her festival known as the Vestalia was celebrated on June 7 and the ass was considered to be her sacred animal.

The Romans believed that these Gods and Goddesses had the power to influence their lives to a great extent, and therefore they worshiped them for their well-being. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I did researching about the subject. To conclude, I would like to say what the Roman God Bacchus encouraged - Enjoy yourself! :)