Who did the Romans
worship?
The Romans believed in many gods and goddesses.
Some of our months are named after Roman gods.
Roman families had their own god or goddess. They
had a special place in the house where they placed
wine or presents for their god.
The Romans built temples to their gods and goddesses.
Jupiter – King of the
gods
Jupiter: god of the sky, he was the most
important god.
Thursday is his special day.
His weapon was the Thunderbolt (thunder
and lightning). All other gods were terrified
of him, although he was a little scared of
his wife Juno!
Juno – goddess of women
Juno was the wife of Jupiter and so queen of the gods.
She was the goddess of women and marriage.
The month June was named after her.
Mars – god of war
Mars was the god of war.
He was the son of Jupiter and Juno.
The month March was named after him.
Minerva – goddess of
wisdom
Minerva was the goddess of wisdom
and arts and crafts.
She had a strange birth. One day,
Jupiter had a bad headache. Nothing
would cure it. Eventually Vulcan, the
blacksmith, split open Jupiter's head.
Out jumped Minerva in armour with
shield and spear! Jupiter felt much
better afterwards.
Neptune – god of sea
Neptune was the god of the sea. He
carried a trident, which had three prongs.
Neptune was also the god of
earthquakes. He was called the
Earth-shaker!
Diana – goddess of the
moon and hunting
Diana was the goddess of the moon. Her
twin brother Apollo was the god of the sun.
Diana carried a bow and arrows.
She was the goddess of hunting.
Monday is her special day.
Mercury – messenger of
the gods
Mercury was the god of travellers.
He had a winged hat and sandals,
so he could fly.
He carried a staff with two snakes
winding round it.
He was also the god of thieves!
Wednesday is his special day.
Venus – goddess of love
and beauty
Venus was the goddesses
of love.
She was born in the sea
and first came to shore at
Cyprus, floating on a
scallop shell.
Friday is her special day.
Apollo – god of the sun
Apollo was the god of the sun.
Each day he drove his chariot of fiery
horses across the sky to give light to the
world.
He was also the god of healing, so sick
people prayed to him.
Sunday is his special day.
Cupid – god of love
Cupid was the mischievous little god of
love.
His weapon was a bow, and anyone hit by
one of his arrows fell madly in love.
Did the Celts worship the
Roman gods?
The Celts also believed in many god and
goddesses.
They held religious ceremonies in the forests.
Many Celtic and Roman gods were very similar.