Many Roman (and Greek) gods are familiar today, even if people do not realize their connection to Rome. A long list of English words have their roots in the gods' names. For example, the name of the god of war, Mars, led to the month of March, the planet Mars, and the word martial, which describes anything relating to war. Most of the planets in Earth's solar system are named for Roman gods. The word volcano comes from Vulcan, a Roman god who harnessed fire to make things for the other gods. The Romans thought Vulcan lived inside Mount Etna, a volcano in Sicily. The metal mercury is named for the god of the same name, who was a quick messenger for the other gods, as well as something of a trickster. People are sometimes called mercurial if they change their views quickly or are hard to pin down. Other examples include Fortuna, the goddess of luck, whose name appears in the English word fortune, and Juventas, the god of youth. His name is related to the Latin word for youth, juven-tus, and led to the English word juvenile.
Roman gods and myths have also appeared in Western art and literature throughout history. Many classic paintings, especially during the period of the Renaissance in Europe, show Roman gods and goddesses. One famous painting is The Birth of Venus, by Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510), which is often reproduced today on posters and cards. Many works by William Shakespeare, one of the greatest playwrights in the English language, make references to the Roman gods as a way of describing human behavior. From elementary school through college, students still read about the Greek and Roman gods and ancient and modern stories that refer to them.
Businesses also turn to the Roman myths, using the gods' names for their products. Some popular car models include Mercury, Saturn (the Roman version of Cronus, the father of the Olympians), and Aurora (the goddess of the dawn). Apollo has been used by several companies for their products, including a watchmaker and a computer company.
Most Roman rulers also held the position of pontifex maximus, or chief priest. As such, the emperor made sacrifices as offerings to the gods at important festivals.
The most important women in Rome’s religious life were the Vestal Virgins. Chosen as young girls, these daughters of patrician families pledged never to have sexual relations. The position was highly respected in Rome, and the government paid for all of the Vestal Virgins’ living expenses. They spent their time watching over several important religious sites. A virgin who broke her vow not to have sex was buried alive.
Magistrates, generals, and emperors often based their decisions on auspices, or signs that seemed to suggest the gods supported certain actions. Specially trained people known as augurs interpreted the flight of birds or studies the entrails (guts) of slaughtered animals to look for these signs. Ignoring a sign or showing disrespect to sacred items was considered bad luck. The historian Suetonius, in The Twelve Caesars, describes how a Roman admiral threw chickens into the sea when they refused to eat. The birds were sacred, and the admiral’s actions must have angered the gods, the Romans believed, since he lost his next battle.
Through the influence of the Greeks and Etruscans, the Romans began to anthropomorphize their spirits (give them human traits). Certain local gods were associated with similar Greek gods. The most important Roman gods corresponded to the major Greek gods said to live on Mount Olympus and known as the Olympians. The Roman god Jupiter, for example, who ruled everything above Earth, was identified with the most powerful Greek Olympian, Zeus. Venus, the goddess of love, was identified with the Greek goddess Aphrodite. A few gods had the same name in both Greek and Roman religions. The most important of these was Apollo, the god of the sun, who ruled over poetry, music, and medicine.
The roles of specific gods in human affairs sometimes changed over time. In the early days, the most important gods were associated with agriculture, since farming was so crucial to daily life. Both Jupiter and Mars started out this way: Jupiter provided the rain and light that made crops grow, while Mars watched over Roman crops and field animals. Eventually Jupiter was seen as god of specific cities, including Rome itself, and the god who ensured Rome’s triumphs in war. Mars also became associated with war, sharing the traits of the Greek war god, Ares.
There were also goddesses. Juno, Jupiter’s wife, was said to protect women, while Minerva was the goddess of wisdom. A god or goddess might have several roles and several names. Diana (originally an ancient Italian goddess of the forest) became the goddess of fertility, of virgin girls, and the moon. She was also known as Luna, the Latin word for moon, and Juno Lucina. When praying to a god, the Romans often said, “Hallowed be thy name, whatever name it is that you prefer,” (as quoted in Shelton). That way, if they forgot one of the names, they would not offend the god.
The gods also included real Romans who were deified. After his death, Julius Caesar was worshiped as a god, and Augustus and several emperors after him were also deified. In some parts of the eastern empire, provincials worshiped the emperors as gods while they were still alive. The Roman government did not encourage this, but it did not try to stop it either, because the practice helped strengthen loyalty to the empire in distant regions. In general, the Romans let conquered people worship any way they chose, as long as they did not deny the role of the official state religion and the accepted gods.
Winning Over a God
While fighting in foreign lands, the Romans sometimes asked their enemies' gods to give Rome aid. In return, the Romans promised to honor the foreign god by building temples and holding public games.
World History
