The ancient Romans had a very rich mythology, and although most of them were received from their neighbors and predecessors - the Greeks, it still determined the rich history of the Roman people.
Over the course of about twelve centuries of ancient Roman civilization, religion gradually developed from home-grown pantheistic animism. Over time, new names of the gods of Roman mythology appeared.
Beliefs began to include the Greek pantheon, other cults, and the practice of worshiping the Emperor. This continued until the adoption of Christianity. That is why the names of the Roman and Greek gods correspond to mythological characters with the same characteristics.
Religion of Rome
Throughout its history, the concept of numen, an all-pervading divinity or spirituality, permeates Roman religious philosophy.
However, like many pagan beliefs, success in life was determined by good relations with the gods. Their maintenance included both prayer and sacrifice in exchange for material gain.
The Roman gods performed various functions corresponding to one or another aspect of life. In Lazio, the region of Italy where Rome was founded, there were many gods, including the Etruscans and the Sabines.
Main pantheon
Gods and goddesses were grouped in different ways. There were twenty and twelve main representatives of the Roman pantheon. Despite the fact that a group of 12 gods was borrowed from the Greeks, it was of pre-Hellenic origin, probably rooted in the religion of the Lycian and Hittite peoples.
Gilded statues adorned the central forum of Rome. Six gods and six goddesses were sometimes united in pairs - a man and a woman. List of Roman gods in pairs: Jupiter-Juno, Neptune-Minerva, Mars-Venus, Apollon-Diana, Volcano-Vesta and Mercury-Ceres.
Pantheon development
As the territory of the empire grew, new names of the Roman gods appeared. The Pantheon expanded and included the cults of newly conquered and neighboring peoples. Provided that they fit into Roman culture. For example, the Romans' acquaintance with Hellenic culture and the subsequent conquest by the Romans of the city-states of Macedonia and Greece forced the Romans to adopt many Greek myths, as well as combine Greek deities with their own.
The list of names of Roman gods and goddesses is as follows.
Jupiter
King of the gods, son of Saturn, brother of Neptune, Pluto and Juno (also her husband). He is the god of heaven and thunder, the patron saint of Rome.
Among all the names of the Roman gods, he takes first place. Jupiter was the king of heaven and earth and all Olympic celestials. He was also known as the god of justice. He was named the chief among all at a special meeting that followed after the overthrow of Saturn and the Titans.
Jupiter granted Neptune power over the sea, and his brother Pluto - over the underworld. Jupiter’s wife was Juno, who was very jealous of the fact that he paid much attention to other goddesses and women.
Juno
In the religion of the ancient Romans, this is the main goddess, who is the female counterpart of Jupiter, very similar to the Greek Hera, with whom she was identified. Together with Jupiter and Minerva, she was a member of the Capitoline triad of deities, traditionally represented by Etruscan kings. Juno was associated with all aspects of women's lives, especially with the family.
Minerva
Born from the head of Jupiter. Goddess of wisdom, art, commerce and strategy. It is a Roman version of Athena. She is the goddess of wisdom, courage, justice, military strategy, arts and crafts and many other things. Her mother is Metis, one of the first titans. This is one of the most amazing characters in Roman mythology: she is evil, arrogant, petty, jealous and vengeful, that is, she has all the worst qualities of a person.
Neptune
The brother of Jupiter, Pluto and Juno, the god of fresh water and the sea, earthquakes, hurricanes and horses, is often depicted with his trident.
It was first mentioned in Roman mythology in connection with water around 399 BC. e. He is often portrayed as an elderly man with a long beard. Neptune is sometimes seen next to fish and other marine creatures. He is also associated with horse racing: this is due to his early images, where he is shown riding on a sea in a chariot drawn by horses.
Venus
The mother of the Roman people, the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, sex, desire and prosperity, the patroness of wine.
At first it was connected with fields and gardens. And later the Romans began to identify her with the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite.
Apparently, in Rome in the early times she was not worshiped, since in ancient records there is no mention of her. This is confirmed by the absence of any holiday in honor of her in the ancient Roman calendar and the absence of a flame (a special priest).
Mars
The son of Juno, the god of war and the keeper of agriculture, the embodiment of courage and aggression, the father of Romulus, the founder of Rome. The literature is a reflection of physical aggression and the violent aspect of war.
Apollo
Archer, the son of Jupiter and Latona, the twin of Diana, the god of music, healing, light and truth. Apollo is one of the few Roman gods who retained the same name as its Greek counterpart.
Emperor Constantine is said to have had a vision related to Apollo. He continued to use it as one of his key symbols until the adoption of Christianity.
Diana
The daughter of Jupiter and Latona, the twin of Apollo, the goddess of hunting, the moon and birth. Like Artemis in Greece, Diana is the goddess of the hunt. She was born on the island of Delos with her twin brother Apollo, the god of light.
Although Diana was mainly associated with hunting, she was also revered as the goddess of forests, children and childbirth, fertility, chastity, the moon and wild animals. Her fans believed that she could talk with forest animals and even control their actions. Most often, she is depicted with a bow in her hands and a quiver with arrows on her shoulder.
Volcano
Roman god, whose father was Jupiter, and his mother was Juno. It was believed that with such parents he should have been pretty handsome. However, as a child, the Volcano was very small and ugly. He had a red, distorted face. Juno was so frightened by his sight that she threw him from the top of Mount Olympus when he was a child. According to legend, he fell into the sea. Hitting the water, he broke his leg, which did not heal to the end. Therefore, when walking, the Volcano was lame. The sea nymph Thetis found him, took him to his underwater house and raised him as her own son.
Vesta
The daughter of Saturn and Ops, the goddess of the hearth, home and family. She was on the list of Roman gods (12 great) and was the daughter of Kronos and Rhea. According to the generally accepted tradition, she was the firstborn daughter of Rhea, therefore she was the first of the children whom Kronos swallowed.
Mercury
The son of Maya and Jupiter, the god of profit, commerce, eloquence, communication, travel, deception and thieves, a guide of dead souls to the underworld.
He was the smartest of the Olympic gods and served as a messenger for everyone else. He controlled wealth, fortune, trade, fertility and theft.
Among his personal favorite commercial pursuits was the corn trade. As a deity of athletes, he defended gyms and stadiums.
Despite his virtuous qualities, Mercury was also a dangerous enemy, deceiver and thief. He was also revered as the god of sleep.
Ceres
It can also be found among the names of the Roman gods. The Eternal Mother, the daughter of Saturn and Opsa, was responsible for agriculture, grain, women, motherhood and marriage.
Ceres was the Roman goddess of agriculture, grain, and the love that a mother carries for her child. She was the daughter of Saturn and Ops, the sister of Jupiter and the mother of Proserpine. Ceres was a kind and benevolent goddess for the Romans, and they had the general expression “suitable for Ceres,” which signified splendor.
She was loved for serving humanity, for giving people a harvest as rewards for cultivating the soil. Ceres, known in Greece as Demeter, was the goddess of the harvest, and she was credited with the fact that she taught people how to grow, store and cook grain and corn. It was believed that she was responsible for the fertility of the land.