The 12 Roman Gods. Origins, Legends and Myths

Today we are going to review the most important and well known Roman Gods. Many of them are equivalent to the Greek gods.

jupiter - Roman Gods
Jupiter / Zeus

Roman Gods

The Roman gods fulfilled different functions corresponding to various aspects of life. There were many gods in Latium, the region of Italy where Rome was founded, some of which were Italic, Etruscan and Sabine. In Roman belief, the immortal gods ruled heaven, earth and the underworld.

During the approximately 12 centuries of ancient Roman civilization, religion developed from a local, pantheistic animism, which was incorporated into the early institutions of the city.

The most important Roman gods

As the Republic and the Empire progressed, Roman religion absorbed the Greek Gods pantheon, included foreign cults and adopted the practice of Emperor worship, before finally adopting Christianity in the last years of the Empire. We show you the most important Roman gods of the religion below.

1.- Jupiter (Zeus)

King of the gods; son of Saturn, brother of Neptune, Pluto and Juno (also her husband); god of the sky and thunder; patron god of Rome.

Jupiter
Jupiter

2.- Juno (Hera)

Queen of the gods; wife and sister of Jupiter, daughter of Saturn, sister of Neptune and Pluto, mother of Juventus, Mars and Vulcan; protector of the women of Rome; patron goddess of Rome.

Juno
Juno

3.- Minerva (Athena)

Born from the head of Jupiter after impregnating her sister Metis, she tore her daughter from her womb and ate her; goddess of wisdom, arts, commerce and strategy.

Minerva
Minerva

4.- Neptune (Poseidon)

Brother of Jupiter, Pluto and Juno; god of fresh water and the sea, earthquakes, hurricanes and horses; often represented with his trident. The Mediterranean and the Near East were only one part of a much larger and interconnected ancient world. Professor Michael Scott speaks of the immense age of the Silk Road and its importance to Imperial Rome.

Neptune
Neptune

5.- Venus (Aphrodite)

Mother of the Roman people; goddess of love, beauty, fertility, sex, desire and prosperity; patroness of wine.

Venus
Venus

6.- Mars (Ares)

Son of Juno (without Jupiter); god of war; guardian of agriculture; incarnation of virility and aggression; father of Romulus – founder of Rome.

Mars
Mars

7.- Apollo (Apollo)

The Archer; son of Jupiter and Latona; twin of Diana; god of music, healing, light and truth. Apollo is one of the few Roman gods who kept the same name as his Greek counterpart. Emperor Constantine is said to have had a vision of Apollo. He continued to use him as one of his key symbols until his Christian conversion.

Apollo - Roman Gods
Apollo

8.- Diana (Artemis)

Daughter of Jupiter and Latona; twin of Apollo; goddess of hunting, the moon and birth.

Diana - Roman Gods
Diana

9.- Vulcan (Hephaestus)

God of fire, volcanoes, metallurgy and forging; maker of the weapons of the gods.

Vulcan
Vulcan

10.- Vesta (Hestia)

The sacred fire of the Vestal Virgins (all women and the only full-time priesthood of Rome); daughter of Saturn and Ops; goddess of the hearth, home and family.

Vesta - Roman Gods
Vesta

11.- Mercury (Hermes)

Son of Maia and Jupiter; god of profit, commerce, eloquence, communication, travel, deceit and thieves; guide of dead souls to the underworld.

Mercury - Roman Gods
Mercury

12.- Ceres (Demeter)

The Eternal Mother; daughter of Saturn and Ops; goddess of agriculture, grain, women, motherhood and marriage; the lawgiver.

Ceres - Roman Gods
Ceres

Conclusion

Although by some deeply religious standards, the Ancient Romans approached spirituality and faith differently than most modern believers. Throughout their history, the concept of numen, an omnipresent divinity or spirituality, permeates Roman religious philosophy in each of the Roman gods we described above.

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