Roman mythology
Roman mythology, the
mythological beliefs of the people of
Ancient Rome, can be considered as having two parts. One part, largely later and literary, consists of whole-cloth borrowings from
Greek mythology. The other, largely early and cultic, functioned in very different ways from its Greek counterpart.
The Romans had no sequential narratives about their gods comparable to the
Titanomachy or the seduction of
Zeus by
Hera until their poets began to borrow from Greek models in the later part of the Roman Republic.
What the Romans did have, however, were:
*a highly developed system of rituals, priestly colleges, and "clusters" of related gods.
*a rich set of historical myths about the foundation and rise of their city involving human actors, with occasional divine interventions.
Early mythology about the gods
The Roman model involved a very different way of defining and thinking about the gods than we are familiar with from Greece. For example, if one were to ask a Greek about
Demeter, he might reply with the well-known story of her grief at the rape of
Persephone by
Hades.
An archaic Roman, by contrast, would tell you that
Ceres had an official priest called a flamen, who was junior to the
flamens of
Jupiter,
Mars, and
Quirinus, but senior to the flamens of
Flora and
Pomona. He might tell you that she was grouped in a triad with two other agricultural gods,
Liber and
Libera. And he might even be able to rattle off all of the minor gods with specialized functions who attended her: Sarritor (weeding), Messor (harvesting), Convector (carting), Conditor (storing), Insitor (sowing), and dozens more.
Thus the archaic Roman "mythology", at least concerning the gods, was made up not of narratives, but rather of interlocking and complex interrelations between and among gods and humans.
The original
religion of the early Romans was modified by the addition of numerous and conflicting beliefs in later times, and by the assimilation of a vast amount of
Greek mythology. We know what little we do about early Roman religion not through contemporary accounts, but from later writers who sought to salvage old traditions from the desuetude into which they were falling, such as the
1st century BC scholar
Marcus Terentius Varro. Other classical writers, such as the poet
Ovid in his
Fasti (Calendar), were strongly influenced by
Hellenistic models, and in their works they frequently employed Greek beliefs to fill gaps in the Roman tradition.
Early mythology about Roman history
In contrast to the dearth of narrative material about the gods, the Romans had a rich panoply of legends about the foundation and early growth of their own city. In addition to these largely home-grown traditions, material from Greek heroic legend was grafted onto this native stock at an early date, rendering
Aeneas, for example, an ancestor of
Romulus and Remus.
The
Aeneid and the first few books of
Livy are the best extant sources for this human mythology.
The Roman
ritual practice of the official priesthoods clearly distinguishes two classes of gods, the
di indigetes and the
de novensides or
novensiles. The
indigetes were the original gods of the Roman state (see
List of Di Indigetes), and their names and nature are indicated by the titles of the earliest priests and by the fixed festivals of the calendar; 30 such gods were honored with special festivals. The
novensides were later divinities whose cults were introduced to the city in the historical period, usually at a known date and in response to a specific crisis or felt need. Early Roman divinities included, in addition to the
di indigetes, a host of so-called specialist gods whose names were invoked in the carrying out of various activities, such as harvesting. Fragments of old ritual accompanying such acts as plowing or sowing reveal that at every stage of the operation a separate deity was invoked, the name of each deity being regularly derived from the verb for the operation. Such divinities may be grouped under the general term of attendant, or auxiliary, gods, who were invoked along with the greater deities. Early Roman cult was not so much a polytheism as a polydemonism: the worshipers' concepts of the invoked beings consisted of little more than their names and functions, and the being's
numen, or "power", manifested itself in highly specialized ways.
The character of the
indigetes and their festivals show that the early Romans were not only members of an agricultural community but also were fond of fighting and much engaged in war. The gods represented distinctly the practical needs of daily life, as felt by the Roman community to which they belonged. They were scrupulously accorded the rites and offerings considered proper. Thus,
Janus and
Vesta guarded the door and hearth, the
Lares protected the field and house, Pales the pasture,
Saturn the sowing,
Ceres the growth of the grain, Pomona the fruit, and Consus and Ops the harvest. Even the majestic
Jupiter, the ruler of the gods, was honored for the aid his rains might give to the farms and vineyards. In his more encompassing character he was considered, through his weapon of lightning, the director of human activity and, by his widespread domain, the protector of the Romans in their military activities beyond the borders of their own community. Prominent in early times were the gods
Mars and
Quirinus, who were often identified with each other. Mars was a god of young men and their activities, especially war; he was honored in March and October. Quirinus is thought by modern scholars to have been the patron of the armed community in time of peace.
At the head of the earliest
pantheon were the triad Jupiter, Mars, and Quirinus (whose three priests, or
flamens, were of the highest order), and Janus and Vesta. These gods in early times had little individuality, and their personal histories lacked marriages and genealogies. Unlike the gods of the Greeks, they were not considered to function in the manner of mortals, and thus not many accounts of their activities exist. This older worship was associated with
Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, who was believed to have had as his consort and adviser the Roman goddess of fountains and childbirth,
Egeria, who is often identified as a
nymph in later literary sources. New elements were added at a relatively early date, however. To the royal house of the Tarquins was ascribed by legend the establishment of the great
Capitoline triad, Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, which assumed the supreme place in Roman religion. Other additions were the worship of Diana on the
Aventine Hill and the introduction of the
Sibylline books, prophecies of world history, which, according to legend, were purchased by Tarquin in the late
6th century BC from the Cumaean Sibyl.
The absorption of neighboring local gods took place as the Roman state conquered the surrounding territory. The Romans commonly granted the local gods of the conquered territory the same honors as the earlier gods who had been regarded as peculiar to the Roman state. In many instances the newly acquired deities were formally invited to take up their abode in new sanctuaries at Rome. In
203 BC, the cult object embodying
Cybele was removed from Phrygian Pessinos and ceremoniously welcomed to Rome. Moreover, the growth of the city attracted foreigners, who were allowed to continue the worship of their own gods. In this way
Mithras came to Rome and his popularity in the legions spread his cult as far afield as Britain. In addition to
Castor and Pollux, the conquered settlements in
Italy seem to have contributed to the Roman pantheon Diana, Minerva, Hercules, Venus, and other deities of lesser rank, some of whom were Italic divinities, others originally derived from the Greek culture of
Magna Graecia. The important Roman deities were eventually identified with the more
anthropomorphic Greek gods and goddesses, and assumed many of their attributes and myths.
Image: Statue of Apollo.jpg|Apollo, God of the sun, dancing, music and festivities Image:Bacchusbycaravaggio.jpeg|Bacchus, God of WineImage:Ceres statue.jpg|Ceres, Goddess of the EarthImage:Cupidon.jpg|Cupid, God of LoveImage:DianaLouvre.jpg|Diana, Goddess of The Moon and HuntingImage:ADurerFortunaengraving.jpg|Fortuna, Goddess of FortuneImage:Janus-Vatican.JPG|Janus, God of doorsImage:Denarius-Julia Soaemias-RIC 0237.jpg|Juno, Queen of The GodsImage:IngresJupiterAndThetis.jpg|Jupiter, King of The GodsImage:Mini-Roman Bronze Mars.jpg|Mars, God of WarImage:Rome Mercury Relief.jpg|Mercury, Messenger GodImage:Minerva statue Cherbourg.jpg|Minerva, Goddess of WisdomImage:Neptune amphitrite mosaic.jpg|Neptune, God of The Sea, and His WifeImage:Statue Of Venus.jpg|Venus, Goddess of LoveImage:Maia, Goddess of GrowthImage:Hades (Greek Mythology).jpg|Pluto, King of the underworldImage:Proserpine, Queen of the underworldImage:Quirinus, God of defense & the stateImage:Goya - Saturno devorando a su hijo.jpg|Saturn, God of agriculture
Image:Vesta, Goddess of hearthImage:Diego Velasquez, The Forge of Vulcan.jpg|Vulcan, God of smithing*
Arria*
Greek mythology*
Greek religion*
List of Di Indigetes*
List of films based on Greco-Roman mythology*
How to pronounce classical Greek and Latin names in English*
Mythology of same-sex love*
Roman/Greek equivalency in mythology*
Roman religion*
Temple (Roman)*http://www.romansonline.com
*
Timeless Myths - Classical Mythology* Alan Cameron
Greek Mythography in the Roman World (2005) OUP, Oxford (reviewed by T P Wiseman in
Times Literary Supplement 13 May 2005 page 29)
