Major Roman Gods and Goddesses

Question 1

Jupiter

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Function:

Answer 1

Zeus.

The most powerful of all, Zeus was god of the sky and the king of Olympus. His temper affected the weather, and he threw thunderbolts when he was unhappy. He was married to Hera but had many other lovers. His symbols include the oak and the thunderbolt.

Member of the Roman triad

Question 2

Neptune

Greek:

Function:

Answer 2

Poseidon.

He was god of the sea. He was the most powerful god except for his brother, Zeus. He lived in a beautiful palace under the sea and caused earthquakes** when he was in a temper. His **symbols include the horse and the trident (a three-pronged pitchfork).

Question 3

Pluto/Dis

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Function:

Answer 3

Hades/Pluto

Hades was king of the dead. He lived in the underworld, the heavily guarded land where he ruled over the dead. He was the brother of Zeus.

Also the “Wealth Giver” because his realm contained precious minerals* and other *treasures.

Question 4

Juno

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Function:

Answer 4

Hera.

Sister and wife of Zeus. Goddess of marriage and domesticity.

Member of the Roman triad

Question 5

Vesta

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Answer 5

Hestia.

Goddess of the hearth. Vestal Virgins were charged with the sacred duty of keeping alight the Eternal flame signifying the Roman state.

Question 6

Ceres

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Answer 6

Demeter

Sister of Zeus, goddess of agricultural fertility. Closely associated with her dauhter Persephone.

Question 7

Minerva

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Answer 7

Athena

She was the goddess of wisdom. Daughter of Zeus. She was also skilled in the art of war. As an Italian goddess she is most associated with crafts and trade guilds.

Member of the Roman triad

Question 8

Venus

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Function:

Answer 8

Aphrodite.

Goddes of love and beauty.** Roman goddess most often associated with gardens and flowers. Mother of Aeneas. the mythological _Trojan founder of Latium. _**

Question 9

Mars

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Function:

Answer 9

Ares.

Son of Zeus and Hera, he is the personification of male aggression and the fighting spirit, an unpopular god in Greece but highly respected in Rome, where he was identified with Mars, an Italian god of agriculture and war.

Question 10

Mercury

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Function:

Answer 10

Hermes.

Son of Zeus and Maia, primarily his father’s messenger, as well as guide of dead souls, and patron of travelers, merchants, highwaymen, gamblers, and thieves

Question 11

Apollo

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Function:

Answer 11

Apollo

Son of Zeus and Leto, the radiant god of light, mu- sic, prophecy, and the arts. His most famous shrine was at Delphi, where his priestess, the Pythia, proclaimed the divine will. His son, Asclepius, the first physician, was patron of the healing arts.

Question 12

Diana

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Function:

Answer 12

Artemis.

Daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister of Apollo. Virgin Goddess of wildlife and the hunt. Although her arrows can inflict pains of childbirth, she champions women’s societies, such as the Amazons.

Question 13

Vulcan

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Function:

Answer 13

Hephaestus

Son of Hera. He was god of fire and the forge, the master of metalcraft who built the Olympians’ palace. He was married to Aphrodite (Venus)

Question 14

Liber

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Answer 14

Dionysus.

Son of Zeus and Semele, and god of the vine that produces wine, he was a male fertility figure who represented* a great variety of *natural forces,* including the *vegetative cycle of life, growth, death, and rebirth, and the conflicting power of human passions.

He is also called Bacchus and his worhsip was prohibited at Rome in 186 BC

Question 15

Aesculapius

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Answer 15

Asclepius.

Son of Apollo and Coronis, the Greek founder** and patron _of medicine. _**When his skills brought the dead back to life, Zeus killed him with a thunderbolt.

Question 16

Cupid

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Answer 16

Eros.

God of love. The son of Aphrodite and Ares. Always _portrayes as a child. _

Question 17

Proserpina

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Answer 17

Persephone.

Daughter of Zeus and Demeter, personifies grain harvest. When Hades kidnapped her, Demeter, her mother and the goddess of the fertility of the soil, fell into such grief that the gods ordered Persephone’s return to the daylight world for most of the year.

Question 18

Quirinus/Romulus

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Function:

Answer 18

Quirinus/Romulus

Roman warrior god identifie with Romulus after the latter’s death. Son of Mars and Rhea Silvia and founder of Rome.

Question 19

Magna Mater

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Answer 19

Cybele.

Asiatic mother goddess whom the Greeks identified with Rhea, the mother of the Olympians. Cult transfered to Rome during the Second Punic War.