Mythology
Romulus and Remus
Roman mythology begins with the myth of Romulus and Remus, the two brothers whose story tells the tale of the founding of Rome. They are the sons of Rhea Silvia and Mars. However Rhea was a Vestal Virgin, meaning that she would remain celibate for her lifetime. So when Rhea gave birth it became clear that she had not kept her oath. So King Amulius sentanced her and her children to death, but the King did not want to kill a mother and her children so he put Rhea in jail and had a servent take the children to be killed by the elements. The servent took pity on the children and put them in a basket and set them afloat on the Tiber River. The basket got caught in the roots of a tree near the base of the Palatine Hill and they were found by a she-wolf (lupa, -ae, f.) who raised them with the help of a woodpecker (picus, -i, m.).
Later they were found by a shepherd, Faustulus, and his wife, Acca Larentia. Romulus and Remus then became shepards. One day their flock ran into King Aumulius' flock and they got into a fight and were captured. Romulus managed to escaped. Together they then killed the King. The town wanted them to be their kings but they decided to create their own kingdom; however they could not decide on a location. Remus wanted to build on Aventine Hill but Romulus wanted to build on Palatine Hill so they agreed to use augury (prophecy using birds to see what decision the gods favor) to decide.
Remus saw 6 birds and Romulus saw 12, so Romulus said that he won, but Remus said that since he saw his 6 birds quicker that he had won. They continued to argue so Romulus built a wall around his hill. Remus mocked him and jumped over the wall which made Romulus angry and so he killed his brother. Romulus then founded Roma, named after himself.
Gods and Goddesses
Roman Name: Apollo
Greek Name: Apollo
God of light, prophecy, inspiration, poetry, the arts, and medicine.
Symbolized by the sun, a lyre, swans and mice.
Myths:
Birth of Apollo - Apollo and his twin sister Diana are the children of Latona and Jupiter. When Juno, Jupiter's wife and sister, heard that Latona was pregnant she tried to make sure that Latona would not have a place to birth the twins. Eventually Latona settled on the island Delos where she gave birth. Later on while she was travelling the giant, Tityos tried abducting her but Apollo saved Latona by killing Tityos with arrows.
Apollo and Daphne - Apollo fell in love with Daphne, who was a Naiad nymph but she was not interested in Apollo. He rentlessly persued her and she grew tired and called for help from Terra, the goddess of the Earth. Terra took pity on her and transformed her into a laurel tree.
Roman Name: Ceres
Greek Name: Demeter
Goddess of fertility, agriculture, nature, and the seasons.
Symbolized by the poppy, wheat, torch, cornucopia, and pigs.
Myths:
Ceres and Proserpina - Ceres had a daughter Proserpina who was beautiful and Pluto the God of the underworld thought so too. One day Pluto kidnapped her and brought her to the underworld, where Proserpina ate food which meant she would have to stay in the underworld for eternity. Proserpina's father Jupiter made a deal that she would leave the underworld every spring and that's when Ceres would have all the flowers and crops come to life, but at the end of her stay, Ceres would be so upset that all of the crops would die. This myth shows the changing of the seasons.
Roman Name: Bacchus
Greek Name: Dionysus
God of wine, celebrations, and ecstasy.
Symbolized by the grapevine, ivy, a cup, tigers, panthers, leopards, dolphins, goats, and pinecones.
Myths:
He was ripped apart by Titans after Juno got mad that Jupiter had an affair with Bacchus' mother Semele. Semele was burnt to a crisp after making a deal with Jupiter and seeing him in his true godly form.
Roman Name: Diana
Greek Name: Artemis
Goddess of the hunt, virginity, archery, the moon, and all animals.
Symbolized by the moon, deers, hounds, a she-bear, cypress trees, and bow and arrows.
Myths:
Birth of Diana - The daughter of Jupiter and Latona, and her brother is Apollo. After her mother Leto gave birth to her she helped deliver her brother, making her the protector of childbirth.
Roman Name: Juno
Greek Name: Hera
Queen of the gods, Goddess of marriage and family
Most common symbols are peacocks, and cows.
Myths:
She is the sister and the wife of Jupiter. Juno was one of the three original Deities. She is also the mother of Mars and Vulcan.
Roman Name: Jupiter
Greek Name: Zeus
King of the Gods and the ruler of Olympus.
Symbolized by the thunderbolt, eagles, and oak trees.
Myths:
Jupiter overthrew his father Saturn who had swallowed all of Jupiter’s siblings. He’s the father of Mercury, Venus, Proserpine, Apollo, and Diana.
Roman Name: Mars
Greek Name: Ares
God of war and violence.
Symbolized by a spear, shield, boars, serpents, vultures and dogs.
Myths:
Mars and Venus - Although Venus was ordered to marry Vulcan by Jupiter, she and Mars had a love affair since the moment they met. Mars and Venus have had five children together since they started their affair. Four boys: Eros, Anteros, Deimos, Phobos; and a daughter: Harmonia.
Roman Name: Mercury
Greek Name: Hermes
God of commerce, thieves, eloquence and streets, the messenger of the Gods.
Symbolized by a caduceus, winged sandals, a cap, a stork, and tortoise.
Myths:
Son of Jupiter and Maia. Escorts the souls of the dead to Hades. He is the messenger of Jupiter and wears winged sandals and a winged hat.
Roman Name: Minerva
Greek Name: Athena
Goddess of wisdom, reason, intelligent activity, literature, handicrafts and science, strategic warfare.
Symbolized by an owl and an olive tree.
Myths:
Minerva and Arachne - A woman named Arachne boasted that her weaving skills were better than those of the goddess Minerva. So Minerva challenged her to a competition. Minerva ended up winning and turned Arachne into a spider to punish her for boasting.
Roman Name: Neptune
Greek Name: Poseidon
God of seas, earthquakes, and tidal waves.
Symbolized most often by a trident, but also horses, bulls and dolphins.
Myths:
His siblings were Pluto, Jupiter, Vesta, Juno, and Ceres. After helping defeat Saturn; Jupiter divided the three realms of th euniverse, Neptune taking the sea, Pluto the Underworld and Jupiter the heavens and the Earth.
Roman Name: Pluto
Greek Name: Hades
God of the underworld.
Symbolized by black horses and a black chariot
Myth:
Pluto and Proserpina - Pluto abducted the beautiful Proserpina so she could become his wife. Pluto then tricked Proserpina into eating a pomegranate seed which made it so she would have to stay in the Underworld for eternity. Jupiter made a deal between Ceres and Pluto: Pluto would have Proserpina for 6 months out of the year and Ceres the other 6.
Roman Name: Vesta
Greek Name: Hestia
Goddess of the hearth and the family.
Symbolized by the hearth and its fire.
Myths:
Vesta was granted by Jupiter to be a virgin for eternity.
Roman Name: Vulcan
Greek Name: Hephaestus
God of fire and the forge and the blacksmith and craftsman of the Gods.
Symbolized by fire, anvils, axes, donkeys, hammers, tongs, and quails.
Myths:
Vulcan was thrown from Olympus by Jupiter, which accounts for his deformities. He also creates things for the Gods and Goddesses such as Venus' girtle.
