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Tuesday 13 October 2015

Ancient Greek and Roman Gods


As the Roman Empire expanded, it assimilated elements of the cultures it conquered. In religion this process has been called interpretatio Romana, or the Roman understanding. When Roman and Greek culture mixed after the Romans conquered ancient Greece in the 3rd century bc, ancient Roman gods and goddesses became associated with those of the Greek civilization. The table lists some of the main gods and goddesses and the roles they played in both Greek and Roman mythology.




Greek Name
Roman Name
Role in Mythology


Aphrodite
Venus
Goddess of beauty and sexual desire (Roman mythology: Goddess of gardens and fields)
Apollo
Apollo
God of prophecy, medicine, and archery (late Greek/Roman mythology: God of the sun)
Ares
Mars
God of War
Artemis
Diana
Goddess of the hunt (late Greek/Roman mythology: Goddess of moon)
Asclepius
Aesculapius
God of medicine
Athena
Minerva
Goddess of arts and crafts, and war; Helper of heroes (late Greek/Roman mythology: Goddess of wisdom)
Cronus
Saturn
God of the sky; Ruler of the Titans (Roman mythology: God of agriculture)
Demeter
Ceres
Goddess of grain
Dionysus
Bacchus
God of wine and vegetation
Eros
Cupid
God of love
Gaea
Terra
Mother Earth
Hephaestus
Vulcan
God of fire; Blacksmith of the gods
Hera
Juno
Goddess of marriage and childbirth; Protector of married women; Queen of the gods
Hermes
Mercury
Messenger of the gods; Protector of travelers, thieves, and merchants
Hestia
Vesta
Guardian of the home
Hypnos
Somnus
God of sleep
Hades
Pluto
God of the underworld; Lord of the dead
Poseidon
Neptune
God of the sea and earthquakes
Rhea
Ops
Wife of Cronus/Saturn; Mother Goddess
Uranus
Uranus
God of the sky; Father of the Titans
Zeus
Jupiter
Ruler of the gods

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