The Greek Gods

Roman mythology , or the mythological thoughts and beliefs of the Ancient Romans is a subject that is very interesting to read about. Many of the Roman gods and goddesses were also some of those which the Greek also worshiped. The names of these gods and goddesses may have been spelled differently because of the difference in their language but the mythical gods were the same. The adoption of the Greek gods into the Roman beliefs did not happen until later part of the Roman Republic. The Greek had their own system which included their rituals, colleges (religious), and list of related gods. They have historical myths which involved the humans and also the intervention of the gods and goddesses.

The stories that the Romans told about their gods and goddesses might differ from those told by the Greeks. They were the same god or goddess but they would each country tell their own thoughts on the god in question. The myths of the Roman gods and goddesses was about the interlocking relationships between the gods and the humans. Much of the early information about Roman mythology comes from the scholar Marcus Terentius Varro, from the1st century B. C.. Other writers who contributed to this was the poet, Ovid.

Many mythical Greek names were integrated into the Roman history and myths. Some of the gods and goddesses which were mentioned both in the Greek myths and the Roman myths were:

Roman Name: Greek Name: Discription:

Jupiter, Jove Zeus Lord of the Sky, other Gods, Thunder, Rain & Clouds

Vesta Hestia Goddess of Hearth, Home, & Fertility

Neptune Poseidon God of the Sea

Pluto Hades, Polydectes God of the Underworld & precious Metals

Apollo Phoebus Apollo God of Sun, Truth, Music, and Healing

Venus Aphrodite Goddess of Love and Beauty

Cupid, Amor Eros God of Love

This is just a few of the many gods and goddesses which were worshiped by both the Romans and the Greeks. The Romans had two classes of gods. They had the di indigetes and the di novensides, or novensiles. The original gods were the di indigetes. There were thirty of these gods who were worshiped at the festivals. The novensides were the later gods whose cults became known to the city. There were also a bunch of specialist gods who were named according to their various tasks they ruled over. There were gods named for each task at hand such as, fertility, flocks, earth, harvest, corn, vine, wine, merriment, commerce and market, wild animals, hunter, medicine, mischief, cattle, boundaries, flowers, pleasure, magic, revenge, dreams, victory, winds, dawn, childbirth, and much more. Much like the Greek gods, there seemed to be a god and/or goddess for just about everything that existed in the universe and everything associated with human feelings and lives.