ROMAN
MYTHOLOGY
A Brief Overview of the Major
Gods and Goddesses
FAMILY TREE
JUPITER
 Greek Name: Zeus
 Parents: Saturn and Ops (Cronos and Rhea)
 Symbols: Lightning Bolt (gift from the Cyclops).
Eagle (symbol of power).
Aegis (shield).
Oak Tree.
 Domain: God of the Heavens. King of gods and mortals. Weather God.
JUPITER - MYTHS
 Jupiter overthrew his father and went to war with the Titans.
 We learned about this when we talked about Saturnalia.
 Callisto – turns her and her child into bears. They become associated
with the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
JUPITER - MYTHS
 Had three wives (many mistresses) and several children:
 Titan Metis  Minerva
 Themis  Three Seasons, Three Fates
 Juno  Mars and Vulcan
 Ceres  Proserpina
 Leto  Apollo and Diana
 Maia  Mercury
 Affairs with mortal women (children are Heroes, not gods):
 Leda  Helen and Pollux
 Semele  Bacchus (exception to the “not Gods” rule)
 Alcmene  Hercules
JUPITER
JUNO
 Greek Name: Hera
 Parents: Saturn and Ops (Cronos and Rhea)
 Symbols: Peacock
Cow
Called “Cow-Eyed” or “Big-Eyed”
 Domain: Queen of gods and mortals. Goddess of marriage and
childbirth (ironic!!!).
JUNO - MYTHS
 Jealous of Jupiter’s many mistresses and their children.
 Tries to kill Hercules.
 Hates the Trojans and Aeneas.
 Constant rivalry with Venus.
 Curses Echo for lying tricking her to protect Jupiter’s mistresses.
JUNO - MYTHS
 Had several children with Jupiter:
 Mars (God of War)
 Hebe (Goddess of Youth)
 Eileithyia (Goddess of Childbirth)
 Vulcan (God of Metal-Working) – some myths say she had him on her own.
 She liked to punish the women that Zeus had an affair with.
JUNO
NEPTUNE
 Greek Name: Poseidon
 Parents: Saturn and Ops (Cronos and Rhea)
 Symbols: Trident (3-pronged spear)
Horse
 Domain: God of the Sea (“Earth-Shaker). God of Earthquakes.
Hippios (Horse-God). God of storm and calm.
NEPTUNE - MYTHS
 Created the horse and other sea animals.
 Contest with Athena for the city of Athens.
 King Minos and the minotaur.
 Sent King Minos and bull  Minotaur
NEPTUNE - MYTHS
 Married to Amphitrite  Triton (Ariel’s dad)
 Had many affairs with other goddesses and mortal women. Had LOTS
of children:
 Venus
 Ceres
 Vesta
 Affair with Medusa  Pegasus.
 Father of the Cyclops.
 ANGRY at Odysseus!!!
NEPTUNE
PLUTO
 Greek Name: Hades
 Parents: Saturn and Ops (Cronos and Rhea)
 Symbols: Invisibility Helmet.
Scepter (ruler of the Underworld).
Grain (fertility). Rooster (fertility).
Cerberus (three-headed dog).
 Domain: God of the Underworld. God of the Dead. God of Wealth.
PLUTO - MYTHS
 Rape of Prosperina – takes her to the Underworld to be his Queen.
 This myth explains why we have different seasons.
 Orpheus and Eurydice – Eurydice is taken to the Underworld.
Orpheus sings for Hades to get his wife back. On their way out of the
Underworld, he loses her forever.
 Brothers Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto drew lots to see who would rule
the Sky/Earth, the Sea, and the Underworld.
PLUTO
MINERVA
 Greek Name: Athena
 Parents: Jupiter and (Metis)
 Symbols: Aegis (shield)
Owl (called “Owl-Eyed”).
Olive Tree.
Nike (winged-victory)
 Domain: Patron Goddess of the city of Athens. Goddess of wisdom, crafts,
and agriculture, and war. Helper of Heroes. Virgin Goddess (1 of 3).
MINERVA - MYTHS
 Sprung fully-grown and armed from Jupiter’s head.
 He swallowed his pregnant wife Metis.
 One day he got a terrible headache and either Mercury or Vulcan cracked his head open
with an axe and Minerva popped out.
 Because of her birth, Minerva claims to have no mother.
 Contest with Neptune for the city of Athens. She won because she
brought them an olive tree.
 Spinning contest with Arachne.
 Arachne boasted that she could weave a tapestry better than Athena could.
 Minerva turned Arachne into a spider.
MINERVA
APOLLO
 Greek Name: Apollo (easy, huh!)
 Parents: Jupiter and Leto (twin brother of Diana)
 Symbols: Sun.
Lyre.
Dolphin and Crow.
Laurel Tree.
Bow & Arrow.
 Domain: God of medicine, music, archery, prophecy. God of light and truth.
Romans associated him with the Sun God (Helios).
APOLLO - MYTHS
 Kills the Python.
 Temple at Delphi – many people went there to get prophecies from his
priestesses.
 Cupid hits him with an arrow to make him fall in love with Daphne. She
turns into a Laurel Tree (which then becomes his symbol).
 Cassandra – he cursed her for not marrying him.
APOLLO
DIANA
 Greek Name: Artemis
 Parents: Jupiter and Leto (twin sister of Apollo)
 Symbols: Moon.
All animals are sacred to her (especially deer and baby animals).
Silver Bow & Arrow.
 Domain: Goddess of the hunt, archery, chastity, childbirth. Romans
associated her with the Moon Goddess (Selene). Virgin Goddess (2 of 3).
DIANA - MYTHS
 Acteon – watches her bathe so she turns him into a stag and his own
dogs hunt and kill him.
 Niobe – she boasts that she has 14 children, while Leto only has 2.
Apollo and Artemis killed all her children as punishment.
DIANA
MERCURY
 Greek Name: Hermes
 Parents: Jupiter and Maia
 Symbols: Winged Shoes and Hat.
Caduceus (Staff with Two Serpents).
 Domain: Messenger of the Gods. God of Travellers and Crossroads.
God of Thieves. Trickster God. Guides dead souls to Hades.
MERCURY - MYTHS
 On his first day, he stole Apollo’s herd of cattle. Apollo gets angry at
him. Zeus demands that Hermes give something to Apollo in
repayment.
 Lyre – he invented the lyre and gave it to Apollo.
 Rescued the infant Bacchus.
 Took Eurydice from Orpheus and led her to Hades.
MERCURY
VENUS
 Greek Name: Aphrodite
 Parents: Ouranos OR Jupiter and Dione
 Symbols: Golden Belt.
Dove and Swan.
Myrtle Tree.
 Domain: Goddess of Love and Beauty. Very Beautiful.
VENUS - MYTHS
 Two different myths about her birth:
 Homer’s Iliad: daughter of Zeus and Dione.
 Hesiod’s Theogeny: Ouranos was castrated and his genitals fell into the sea. She was
born from the foam that was created.
 Won the golden apple that started the Trojan War.
VENUS - MYTHS
 Married to Vulcan (unhappy marriage – she was beautiful, he was ugly).
 Affair with Trojan Anchises  Aeneas.
 Affairs with many beautiful men, including Adonis.
 Had a longstanding and not-very-secret affair with Mars  Cupid,
Deimos, Phobus.
 Vulcan caught them and made fools of them.
VENUS
MARS
 Greek Name: Ares
 Parents: Jupiter and Juno
 Symbols: Armor (helmet, spear, sword, shield).
Vulture and Wolf/Dog.
 Domain: God of War (brutal). Handsome, but not very bright. Romans
also viewed him as an Agricultural God.
MARS - MYTHS
 Had a longstanding and not-very-secret affair with Venus  Cupid,
Deimos, Phobus.
 Vulcan caught them and made fools of them.
 Father of Romulus and Remus.
MARS
VULCAN
 Greek Name: Hephaestus
 Parents: Juno and (Jupiter)
 Symbols: Fire.
Hammer.
 Domain: God of Fire and Metalworking. Blacksmith. Very Ugly.
VULCAN - MYTHS
 Thrown out of Heaven by Juno because he was ugly and lame. Jupiter
brought him back.
 Unhappy marriage with Venus.
 Golden Net – he knew Venus and Mars were having an affair, so he
created an invisible golden net to catch them in the act. All the gods
laughed at Venus and Mars.
VULCAN
VESTA
 Greek Name: Hestia
 Parents: Saturn and Ops (Cronos and Rhea)
 Symbols: Hearth (Fireplace).
 Domain: Goddess of the Hearth and Home. Virgin Goddess (3 of 3).
Very important goddess to the Romans.
VESTA - MYTHS
 Each city had a hearth to get fire. Each home had a hearth as well.
 Vestal Virgins – Priestesses who vowed to remain virgins for 30 years. If
they broke their vow, they were buried alive (kind of a big deal).
VESTA
CERES
 Greek Name: Demeter
 Parents: Saturn and Ops (Cronos and Rhea)
 Symbols: Corn, Wheat, Grain.
Crane.
 Domain: Goddess of Grain, Harvest, Agriculture.
CERES - MYTHS
 Rape of Proserpina – She is so sad when Pluto kidnaps her daughter
that nothing will grow while she is gone (explains the different seasons).
CERES
PROSERPINA
 Greek Name: Persephone
 Parents: Jupiter and Ceres
 Symbols: Pomegranate (fertility).
Torch.
Crown (Queen of the Underworld).
 Domain: Goddess of the Underworld / Queen of the Dead.
PROSERPINA - MYTHS
 Rape of Proserpina: Pluto abducted her to the Underworld. He tricked
her into eating a pomegranate so she would be forced to stay there.
 Ceres and Pluto made a deal:
 2/3 of the year she would stay on Earth with her mother (crops grow).
 1/3 of the year she would stay in the Underworld with Pluto (no crops grow).
 This myth explains the different seasons.
PROSERPINA
BACCHUS
 Greek Name: Dionysus
 Parents: Jupiter and Semele
 Symbols: Grapes and Grape Vines.
Wine.
Fawn Skin.
Staff with Ivy Leaves and Pinecones.
 Domain: God of Grapes and Wine. God of Intoxication and Revelry. God
of the Wilderness of Nature.
BACCHUS - MYTHS
 Called “Twice-Born” – His mother Semele was incinerated by a lightning
bolt. Zeus took the baby and sewed him into his thigh to be born.
 Because Semele was mortal, not everyone considered him to be a god.
 Often accompanied by Meanads / Bacchants and Satyrs (1/2 man/goat).
 Had wild and crazy rituals called orgia.
BACCHUS - MYTHS
 Kidnapped by Pirates – They didn’t believe that he was a god. He
turned them into Dolphins.
 Pentheus, Agave and the Women of Thebes – Agave and the women
were participating in Bacchus’ rituals. Pentheus was spying on them, so
they tore him apart & ate him.
 Daughters of Minyas – didn’t participate in his rituals so he turned them
into bats.
Moral of These Stories – DON’T underestimate Bacchus.
BACCHUS - MYTHS
 King Midas – He discovered Silenus (Bacchus’ BFF) and returned him to
Bacchus.
 Bacchus rewarded him by giving him the gift of the Golden Touch.
 Ariadne – Theseus abandoned her on an island. Bacchus fell in love with
her and made her immortal.
BACCHUS
BACCHUS