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The Roman Gods had great influence in every sphere of society. From entreating divine inspiration at the highest levels of government to performing rituals honoring tutelary deities who assisted with the practical needs of everyday life, worship was a foundation of Roman existence.
The most ancient gods of the Greeks, born at the beginning of the cosmos. The Greek primordial gods were the first beings to populate the cosmos and gave birth to all the subsequent gods, creatures, and mortals of Greek mythology. Two of these primordial gods, Gaia and Uranus, were the parents of the Titans and the grandparents of the Olympians.
Japanese gods and goddesses include everyone from powerful creator gods to minor, localized kami. Particularly notable is the sun goddess Amaterasu, held to be the divine ancestor of the first emperor of Japan, a lineage that remains unbroken into the current day.
Nereus, the “Old Man of the Sea,” was a minor sea god. Nereus was the son of the primordial gods Pontus and Gaia. He lived deep beneath the waves with his wife Doris and his daughters, the fifty enchanting Nereids. Known for his gentleness and wisdom, Nereus possessed several important abilities, such as the gift of prophecy and the power ...
Iris is a messenger of the gods in some Roman literature, though usually the role is assigned to Mercury (the Roman counterpart of Hermes). In the Aeneid of Virgil (70–19 BCE), an elegant Iris comes to collect a lock of the dead Dido’s hair for the afterlife (4.693–705), and also serves as Juno’s messenger elsewhere (5.606, 9.2–19).
The master of metallurgy and handicraft, Vulcan was the Roman god of fire and forge, as well as the patron of artisans and smiths. Known as the ugliest of the gods, Vulcan suffered from lameness in one leg due to an injury he sustained as a child. The patron of craftsmen was exceedingly crafty himself and used his guile to marry Venus, the ...
The foremost of the Roman chthonic (“subterranean”) deities, Pluto was god of the dead and lord of the underworld. A figure of enormous dread and terrible might, Pluto dispensed luck and controlled the fates of all mortals. As commander of the subterranean realms, he was the master of ores, metals, and the precious stones found within them.
Eris appears in Roman literature under the name Discordia, the Latin word for “strife.” Like the Greeks, the Romans often associated Eris with war and bloodshed, as in the works of Virgil (70–19 BCE), Ovid (43 BCE–17/18 CE), Statius (ca. 45/50–ca. 96 CE), and Valerius Flaccus (first century CE).
Liber (also known as Liber Pater or Bacchus) was the Roman god of fertility and wine, identified from an early period with the Greek god Dionysus. He was worshipped alongside Ceres and Libera on the Aventine Hill in Rome. Liber, like the Greek Dionysus, represented the more unrestrained aspects of life.
Naiads sometimes appear in Roman literature—for instance, in the poems of Ovid (43 BCE–17/18 CE)—though usually only as minor or background characters. Other Additional information on the Naiads, including their role in works that are now lost, can be found in texts, reference works, and commentaries produced during the Byzantine and ...