Roman Gods

Major Gods of the Roman Pantheon (Dii Consentes)

Deity Origin Description
Apollo Greek (Apollo)
Apollo is the son of Jupiter and Leto, and the twin
brother of Diana . He is 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. The god of truth, who
can not speak a lie. One of Apollo's more
important daily tasks is to harness his chariot
with four horses an drive the Sun across the sky.
He is famous for his oracle at Delphi. People
traveled to it from all over the Greek world to
divine the future. His tree was the laurel. The
crow his bird. The dolphin his animal.
Ceres
Greek
(Demeter)
Corn Goddess. Eternal Mother. the Sorrowing
Mother. Grain Mother. Goddess of agriculture,
grain, crops, initiation, civilization, lawgiver and
the love a mother bears for her child. Protectress
of women, motherhood, marriage. Daughter of
Saturn and Ops. She and her daughter
Proserpine were the counterparts of the Greek
goddesses Demeter and Persephone. Her
worship involved fertility rites and rites for the
dead, and her chief festival was the Cerealia.
Diana
Greek
(Artemis)
Fertility Goddess. Moon Goddess. Huntress
Goddess. Triple Goddess- Lunar Virgin, Mother
of Creatures, the Huntress or Destroyer.
Goddess of nature, fertility, childbirth, wildwood,
moon, forests, animals, mountains, woods, and
women. Goddess of the hunt. In Roman art
Diana usually appears as a huntress with bow
and arrow, along with a hunting dog or a stag.
Both a virgin goddess and an earth goddess, she
was identified with the Greek Artemis. She is
praised for her strength, athletic grace, beauty
and her 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 Greek (Hera)
Queen of the Gods. Jupiters wife and sister,
sister to Neptune and Pluto, daughter of Saturn,
mother of Juventas, Mars, and Vulcan.
Protectress of the Roman state. She was the
guardian of the Empire's finances and considered
the Matron Goddess of all Rome. The Matronalia,
her major festival is March 1-2. Her other festival,
on July 7-8, was called Nonae Caprotinae ("The
Nones of the Wild Fig"). The month of June was
named after her.
Jupiter Greek (Zeus)
Ruler of the Gods. He is the god of Sky,
Lightning and Thunder. He is the son of Saturn
and brother of Neptune, Pluto and Juno, who is
also his wife. His attribute is the lightning bolt and
his symbol the eagle, who is also his messenger.
He was also considered the Patron god of Rome,
and his temple was the official place of state
business and sacrifices.
Mars Greek (Ares)
God of war, spring, growth in nature, agriculture,
terror, anger, revenge, courage and fertility.
Protector of cattle. The son of Jupiter and Juno,
he was the god of war. Mars was regarded as the
father of the Roman people because he was the
father of Romulus, the legendary founder of
Rome, and husband to Bellona. He was the most
prominent of the military gods that were
worshipped by the Roman legions. The martial
Romans considered him second in importance
only to Jupiter. His festivals were held in March
(named for him) and October.
Mercury
Greek
(Hermes)
God of Trade, Profit, Merchants and Travellers.
His main festival, the Mercuralia, was celebrated
on May 15 and on this day the merchants
sprinkled their heads and their merchandise with
water from his well near the Porta Capena. The
symbols of Mercury are the caduceus (a staff
with two intertwined snakes) and a purse (a
symbol of his connection with commerce).
Minerva
Greek (Athena)
Etruscan
(Menrva)
Goddess of Wisdom, Learning, the Arts,
Sciences, Medicine, Dyeing, Trade, and of War.
Daughter of Jupiter, protectress of commerce,
industry and education. Honored at the spring
equinox with her main festival, March 19 - 23,
called the Quinquatria. On June 13 the minor
Quinquatrus was observed.
Neptune
Greek
(Poseidon)
God of the Sea. Brother of Jupiter, Pluto and
Juno. The God and patron of Horses and Horse
Racing as Neptune Equester. Neptunalia was
celebrated on July 23. The trident is Neptune's
attribute.
Venus
Greek
(Aphrodite)
Originally a Goddess of Gardens and Vinyards,
Venus became the major deity of love and
beauty after the influx of Greek deities. On
August 18 the Vinalia Rustica was observed. A
second festival, that of the Veneralia, was
celebrated on April 1 in honor of Venus
Verticordia, who later became the protector
against vice. On April 23 a festival, the Vinalia
Priora, celebrated the opening of one of her
temples.
Vesta Greek (Hestia)
Goddess of the Fire (both sacred and domestic)
and the Hearth. Daughter of Saturn and Ops. Her
sacred animal was the ass. Patroness of bakers.
Her chief festival was the Vestalia on June 7.
One of the most worshipped of the Roman
deities.
Vulcan
Greek
(Hephaestus)
God of Fire, Blacksmiths and Craftsmanship. His
forge is located beneath Mount Etna. It is here
that he, together with his helpers, forges
weapons for Gods and heroes. Closely
associated with Bona Dea with whom he shared
the Volcanalia, observed on August 23.