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Intro to Mythology > CH. 10 - Roman Myths, Gods, and Goddesses > Flashcards

CH. 10 - Roman Myths, Gods, and Goddesses Flashcards

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Mythology flashcards
1
Q

greek titans/primordial gods and their roman counterparts

A

Ouranus - Caelus
Gaea - Terra
Kronos - Saturn
Rhea - Ops

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2
Q

olympian gods Roman counterparts

A

Zeus - Jupiter
Hera - Juno
Hestia - Vesta
Athena - Minerva
Demeter - Ceres
Artemis - Diana
Aphrodite - Venus
Ares - Mars
Hermes - Mercury
Poseidon - Neptune
Hephaestus - Vulcan
Apollo - Apollo
Dionysus - Bacchus
Hades - Pluto

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3
Q

Janus

A
  • the god that presides over beginnings
  • we preserve his name in the month that starts the year
  • was connected to water so there were 5 shines in Rome dedicated to him, all near water crossings
  • he was intimately connected with the boundaries of Rome, which you would need to cross the Tiber river to get to Rome
  • was the god of coming in and coming out, and therefore doors, entrances and archways
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3
Q

Janus as a noun

A

a janus
- Cicero defined as a “crossing-place with a roadway”

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4
Q

Portunus

A

another form of Janus
- god of harbours (which are the entrances to land from seas) and ferries
- he helped the winners of the boat race in the Aeneid

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5
Q

Mars vs Ares

A
  • Mars is much more important in myths than Ares was
  • was an agricultural deity associated with spring, the time of regeneration and birth (shown by the use of Mars in March)
  • became a war god as Romans went from farmers to more war centered society
  • associated with the wolf and the woodpecker
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6
Q

how was Mars born

A

Flora gave a Juno a magical flower whos touch allowed her to conceive mars with no father

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7
Q

Bellona

A
  • the war goddess
  • was often identified with the greek personification of war named Enyo
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8
Q

Jupiter

A

ju = sky piter = father
- his temple was located on capitoline hill where he was worshiped as Jupiter Optimus Maximus (Best Greatest)
- as a sky god, it was said Jupiter directly influenced daily roman life

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9
Q

Capitoline Triad

A

the temple on the Capitoline hill was shared by Jupiter, Juno (cheif itialian godess of women) and Minerva (fertility goddess and war goddess who was principally worshiped as the patroness of handicraft and wisdom)
- these three deities form the capitoline triad

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10
Q

Numa

A
  • the second king of Rome
  • was said that Jupiter personally gave him the instructions for how to give Jupiter a sacrifice while you were being honoured (Big honour)
  • he captured two forest divinities (Picus and Faunus) and compelled them how to summon Jupiter
  • when Jupiter came, he asked which objects were necessary for the rite (instead of a human sacrifice, which was the original)
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11
Q

Jupiters sacrificial ritual

A

a head of an onion, a hair and a fish have to be sacrificed
- was a head (of an onion) of a man (a har) and a life (of a fish)

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12
Q

Ancile

A
  • a figure 8 shaped shield which Jupiter dropped from the heavens to give to Numa
  • Numa made 11 more just like it so no one would know which one is the original (made by Mamurius)
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13
Q

Juno

A
  • a deity who presided over every aspect of life of women, wife and sister to Jupiter
  • was especially associated with marriage and (as Juno Lucina) childbirth
  • festival day for Juno Lucina, the Matronalia (mothers day) was celebrated on March 1st as a spring festival, when all nature was being renewed
  • was also worshipped as Juno Moneta (moneta means adviser in latin)
  • was also worshiped as Juno Regina (queen Juno)
  • plays a prevalent role in opposing the fated success of Aeneas
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14
Q

Minerva

A
  • may have been a war godess as she shared a war festival (the Quinquatrus) with Mars
  • Mars consort Nerio, was often identified with Minerva
  • her cheif importance to the romans was as the goddess of all activities involving intellectual skill
  • she was the patroness of craftspeople and skilled workers
  • also the goddess of school children
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15
Q

Deities of Fire

A

Vesta, Vulcan and Cacus
- Vesta and Vulcan (Vulcanus) were the two concerned with fire
- Vesta was the goddess of the hearth
- Vulcan was the cheif italian fire god, more important than Hephaestus, he was the god of destructive fire as opposed to his greek counterpart which was the god of industrial, creative fire
- Cacus was also a fire god who was killed by Herculesc after he stole the cattle of Geryon

16
Q

Cult of Vesta

A

with fire being the symbol of life, there was a hearth within the temple of vesta in Roman forum which was tended to by the six priestesses of Vesta, also known as the Vestal Virgins
- they were daughters of noble familes that started their service right before their 10th bday and were released after 40yrs of service, or even longer
- the Vestals were treated with the highest honour in rome
- cult of vesta was said to have been founded by Numa
-

17
Q

Saturn

A
  • an ancient god of Etruscan origin, agricultural deity
  • his festival, the Saturnalia, was celebrated on december 12th
  • slaves were usually allowed to speak during this festival
  • identified with Kronos and was said to have ruled over the golden age
18
Q

Ceres, Liber and Liberia

A

THE ELEUSIAN TRIAD, ALL ARE AGRICULTURAL DEITIES
- Ceres was identified with Demeter
- Liber with Dionysus
- Liberia with Kore (Persephone)
- The temple of Cees, Liber and Liberia was on the Aventine hill and was an important political and commercial centre

19
Q

Venus

A
  • goddess of fertility, protectress of gardens
  • her temple is called the Venus Obsequens (Venus who is favorable)
  • she gained status during the Lectisternium, a festival where te statues of gods were laid on couches, 2 to a couch
  • she was laid with Mars, thus gained in status as Mars is a prevalent roman god
  • the theatre Venus Vectrix (Bringer of victory) was the first permanent stone theater built in Rome and links her with Julius Ceasar, her connection with Troy led to her importance in the Aeneid as the mother of Aeneas
20
Q

Italian water gods

A
  • water gods are extremely important to italian farmers
  • each river and spring had its own deity who needed to be propriated by offerings
21
Q

Tiberinus

A
  • the god of the river tiber
  • most important rover god
  • propriated each May by 27 straw dummies (called Argei) were thrown into the river from the Pons Sublicius (the wooden bridge of the early city of rome)
  • this eremony was attended by the pontifices (priests of the state religion) and the vestal virgins
22
Q

Neptune

A
  • originally a freshwater deity
  • festival occured in July where the hot itallian summers where the driest
23
Q

Portunus

A
  • originally god of gates, but later the god of harbours
  • also a freshwater divinity
24
Q

Diana and her cult

A
  • was worshiped in the town of Aricia with a cult that was established by members of the Latin League in the 6th century
  • Aricia is near lake Nemi (also known as Diana’s Mirror), which is why she is associated with the moon as it reflects in lake Nemi’s waters
  • Diana was concerned with the life of women, specifically childbirth
  • she was often associated with Lucina, who brought babies into the light
  • through Artemis, Diana acquired her association with the Hunt
25
Q

Triple function of Diana

A
  • as Artemis, mistress of the hunt
  • as Lucina, goddess of childbirth
  • as Hecate, goddess of the underworld
26
Q

Mercury

A
  • was worshiped in early Rome as a god of trading and profit
  • temple stood on Circus Maximus
  • god of commerce and gain
  • as he became more associated with Hermes, he acquired Hermes’ other functions, musician, messenger of Jupiter, and escorting dead to the underworld
27
Q

Charun

A
  • very different from his greek counterpart
  • guards the entry to the underworld with a hammer and is shown with pointy ears, snakes around his arms, and a blueish coloration symbolizing decay and death
28
Q

Tuculcha

A

roman demon with no roman counterpart

29
Q

Libitina

A

ancient itallian goddess of funerals and burial
- her names was later used by romans as synonymous with Death, and undertakers were known as Libitinarii

30
Q

Roman Underworld counterpartq

A

the underworld is typically called Orcus (sometimes personalized as a god) and is ruled by Dis Pater, whos name (dis= dives=wealth) is the equivalent of the Greek Plouton, which the romans adopted and latinized as Pluto
- Dis Pater and Proserpina ruled

31
Q

The Lares

A
  • divinities often linked with the Penates (deities protecting the household)
  • they have been identified with spirits of the ancestors and were originally household spirits who could bring prosperity and happiness to farmers and their farms
  • basically kindly spirits protecting the household
  • a farmer would hang a wollen doll in the shrine for each free member of his household and a ball of wool for each slave. This acts as a purification ritual, objects acting as substitutes for human lives
32
Q

the Genius

A

represented the creative power of a man
- more generally associated with the continued well-being of the family

33
Q

Apollo

A

the only one of the main greek gods that didn’t change his name
- he arrived originally as the result of pestilence
- originally worshiped as Apollo Medicus (The healer)

34
Q

Asclepius

A
  • greek god of healing

Intro to Mythology (11 decks)

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