12 Roman gods. Greek and Roman gods: what is the difference
Roman gods
In Rome, twelve great Olympians became Romans. The influence of Greek art and literature there was so great that the ancient Roman deities acquired features of similarity with the corresponding Greek gods, and then completely merged with them. Most of them, however, had Roman names: these are Jupiter (Zeus), Juno (Hera), Neptune (Poseidon), Vesta (Hestia), Mars (Ares), Minerva (Athena), Venus (Aphrodite), Mercury (Hermes) , Diana (Artemis), Vulcan or Mulkyber (Hephaestus), Ceres (Demeter).
Two of them have retained their Greek names: Apollo and Pluto; and the second of them was never called Hades in Rome. The god of wine, viticulture and winemaking Bacchus (but never Dionysus!) Also had a Latin name: Lieber.
It was quite easy for the Romans to adopt the Greek pantheon of gods, as their own gods were not sufficiently personified. The Romans had a deep religious feeling, but not too much imagination. They would never have been able to create images of the Olympians - each with lively, clearly defined features. Their gods, before they had to give way to the Greeks, they imagined rather vaguely, hardly more vividly than just "those who are above." They were called by a common, collective name: Numins (Numina), which in Latin means Forces or Will, perhaps Will-Force.
Until Greek literature and art made their way to Italy, the Romans had no need for beautiful, poetic gods. They were people of practice and were not very worried about "muses in wreaths of violets" or "lyrical Apollo, which extracts sweet melodies from his lyre," etc. They wanted to worship pragmatic gods. So, an important Power in their eyes was "the one who guards the cradle." Another such Power was "the one who disposes of children's food." Myths about them have never been formed. For the most part, no one even knew whether they were male or female. Simple acts of daily life were associated with them; these gods gave them a certain dignity, which could not be said of the Greek gods, with the exception of Demeter and Dionysus.
The most famous and revered of them were the Lars and Penates. Each Roman family had its own lar, the spirit of the ancestor, and several penates, the guardians of the hearth and the guardians of the household. These were the family's own gods, belonging only to her, her most important part, the protectors and patrons of the house. They were never offered prayers in temples; this was done only at home, where at each meal they were offered some portion of food. There were also public lars and penates, who performed the same functions in relation to the city as personal ones - to the family.
There were also many Will-Forces associated with housekeeping: for example, Termina, guardian of borders; Priapus, god-giver of fertility; Palee, patroness of livestock; Silvan, assistant to ploughmen and lumberjacks. Their list is quite extensive. Everything that was important for the management of the economy was in the conduct of some beneficial force, which was never given any particular form.
Saturn was one of these Will-Forces - patrons of sowers and crops, and his wife One acted as an assistant to the pickers. In a later era, Saturn began to be identified with the Greek Cronus and considered the father of Jupiter, the Greek Zeus. Thus, he was given personality traits; a number of myths were formed about him. In memory of the "golden age", when he ruled in Italy, every winter in Rome a holiday was held - Saturnalia. His idea was that the "golden age" would return to earth during the festivities. At this time, it was forbidden to declare war; slaves and masters dined at the same table; punishments were postponed; everyone gave each other gifts. In this way, the human brain supported the idea of the equality of people, of the time when everyone was at the same social level.
Initially, Janus was also one of these Will-Forces, more precisely, the "deity of good undertakings," which, of course, should also end well. Over time, he personified to a certain extent. The facades of his main temple in Rome faced east and west, that is, where the sun rises and where it sets; the temple had two doors, between which stood a statue of Janus with two faces: the old and the young. If Rome was at peace with its neighbors, both doors were closed. During the first seven hundred years of Rome's existence, they were closed only three times: during the reign of the good king Numa Pompilius, after the First Punic War in 241 BC. e. and during the reign of Emperor Augustus, when, according to Milton,
No thunder of wars, no clicks of battles
It was not heard in the sublunary world.
Naturally, the new year began with the month dedicated to Janus, that is, from January.
Faun was the grandson of Saturn. He represents something like the Greek Pan; he was a rather gruff, uncouth god. However, he also possessed a prophetic gift and appeared to people in a dream. Fauns became Roman satyrs.
Quirinus is the name of the deified Romulus, the founder of Rome (13).
Mana are the souls of the righteous in Hades. Sometimes they were considered divine and worshiped.
Lemurs or Larvas - the souls of sinners and villains; they were very much afraid.
Stones are originally very useful goddesses from a practical point of view, who took care of springs, reservoirs, etc., targeted diseases and predicted the future. With the arrival of the Greek gods in Rome, they were identified with completely non-pragmatic Muses, who patronized only art and science. According to one version, Egeria, who gave advice to Tsar Numa Pompilius, was such a Stone.
Lucina is sometimes seen as the Roman goddess of childbirth; however, this name is usually used as an epithet to the names of Juno or Diana.
Pomona and Vertumn were originally considered Will-Forces, patronizing horticulture and horticulture. Later they were personified and even a myth was formed about how they fell in love with each other.
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In ancient Rome, as in ancient Greece, religion consisted of the cults of various gods. At the same time, the Roman pantheon had many deities similar to the Greek ones. That is, here we can talk about borrowing. This happened because Greek mythology was more ancient than Roman. The Greeks created colonies on the territory of Italy, when Rome did not even think about greatness. The inhabitants of these colonies spread Greek culture and religion to nearby lands, and therefore the Romans became the successors of Greek traditions, but interpreted them taking into account local conditions.
The most significant and revered in ancient Rome was the so-called council of the gods, corresponding to the Olympic gods of ancient Greece. The father of Roman poetry, Quintus Ennius (239 - 169 BC) systematized the deities of Ancient Rome and introduced six men and six women to this council. He gave them their Greek equivalents. This list was later confirmed by the Roman historian Titus Livy (59 BC - 17 AD). Below is a list of this council of celestials, in parentheses are the Greek counterparts.
Jupiter(Zeus) - the king of the gods, the god of the sky and thunder, the son of Saturn and Opa. The main deity of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. The rulers of Rome took an oath to Jupiter and venerated him annually in September on the Capitol Hill. He was personified with law, order and justice. There were 2 temples in Rome dedicated to Jupiter. One was built in 294 BC. e., and the second was erected in 146 BC. e. This god was personified by an eagle and an oak tree. Juno was his wife and sister.
Juno(Hera) is the daughter of Saturn and Opa, the wife and sister of Jupiter, the queen of the gods. She was the mother of Mars and Vulcan. She was a defender of marriage, motherhood, family traditions. It is in her honor that the month of June is named. She was part of the Capitoline triad along with Jupiter and Minerva. There is a statue of this goddess in the Vatican. She is depicted in a helmet and shell. Not only mere mortals, but all the gods of Ancient Rome revered and respected Juno.
Neptune(Poseidon) - the god of the sea and fresh water. Brother of Jupiter and Pluto. The Romans also worshiped Neptune as the god of horses. He was the patron saint of horse racing. In Rome, one temple was erected to this god. It was located near the Flaminia circus in the southern part of the Champ de Mars. The circus had a small hippodrome. All these structures were built in 221 BC. e. Neptune is an extremely ancient deity. He was a domestic god even among the Etruscans, and then migrated to the Romans.
Ceres(Demeter) - the goddess of harvest, fertility, agriculture. She was a daughter of Saturn and Ope and a sister to Jupiter. She had an only daughter, Proserpine (goddess of the underworld) from her relationship with Jupiter. It was believed that Ceres could not see hungry children. This put her in a state of grief. Therefore, she always took care of orphans, surrounded them with care and attention. Every year in April there was a festival dedicated to this goddess. It lasted 7 days. She was also mentioned during marriages and ceremonies associated with the harvest.
Minerva(Athena) - goddess of wisdom, patroness of art, medicine, trade, military strategy. Often gladiator battles were held in her honor. She was considered a virgin. She was often depicted with an owl (Minerva's owl), which symbolized wisdom and knowledge. Long before the Romans, this goddess was worshiped by the Etruscans. Celebrations in her honor were held from March 19 to 23. This goddess was worshiped on the Esquiline Hill (one of the seven hills of Rome). The Temple of Minerva was erected there.
Apollo(Apollo) is one of the main gods of Greek and Roman mythology. This is the god of the sun, light, music, prophecy, healing, art, poetry. It should be said that the Romans in relation to this god took the traditions of the ancient Greeks as a basis and, practically, did not change them. Apparently they seemed extremely successful to them, and therefore they did not change anything, so as not to spoil the beautiful legends about this god.
Diana(Artemis) - the goddess of hunting, nature, fertility. She, like Minerva, was a virgin. In total, the gods of Ancient Rome had 3 goddesses who took a vow of celibacy - these are Diana, Minerva and Vesta. They were called maiden goddesses. Diana was the daughter of Jupiter and Latona, and was born with her twin brother Apollo. Since she patronized hunting, she wore a short tunic and hunting boots. She always had a bow, a quiver and a crescent-shaped diadem. The goddess was accompanied by deer or hunting dogs. The Temple of Diana in Rome was erected on the Aventine Hill.
Mars(Ares) - God of war, as well as protector of agricultural fields during the early Roman period. He was considered the second most important god (after Jupiter) in the Roman army. Unlike Ares, who was treated with disgust, Mars was respected and loved. Under the first Roman emperor Augustus, a temple to Mars was built in Rome. During the Roman Empire, this deity was considered the guarantor of military power and peace and was never mentioned as a conqueror.
Venus(Aphrodite) - the goddess of beauty, love, prosperity, victory, fertility and desires. The Roman people considered her to be their mother through the son of Aeneas. He survived the fall of Troy and fled to Italy. Julius Caesar claimed to be the ancestor of this goddess. Subsequently, in Europe, Venus became the most popular deity in Roman mythology. She was personified with sexuality and love. The symbols of Venus were a dove and a hare, and from plants a rose and a poppy. The planet Venus is named after this goddess.
Volcano(Hephaestus) - the god of fire and the patron saint of blacksmiths. He was often depicted with a blacksmith's hammer. This is one of the most ancient Roman deities. In Rome, there was a Vulcan temple or Vulcanal, built in the VIII century BC. e. at the site of the future Roman Forum at the foot of the Capitol Hill. A festival dedicated to the Volcano was celebrated every year in the second half of August. It was this god who forged lightning for Jupiter. He also made armor and weapons for other celestials. He set up his forge in the mouth of Mount Etna in Sicily. And golden women, whom God himself created, helped him in his work.
Mercury(Hermes) - the patron saint of trade, finance, eloquence, travel, good luck. He also acted as a guide of souls to the underworld. Son of Jupiter and Maya. In Rome, the temple to this god was located in a circus located between the Avetian and Palatine hills. It was built in 495 BC. e. A festival dedicated to this god took place in mid-May. But he was not as magnificent as for other gods, since Mercury was not considered one of the main deities of Rome. The planet Mercury was named in his honor.
Vesta(Hestia) is an extremely revered goddess among the ancient Romans. She was the sister of Jupiter and was identified with the goddess of the home and family hearth. In her temples, a sacred fire always burned, and the priestesses of the goddess - virgin vestals - supported it. It was a whole staff of women priestesses in ancient Rome, enjoying undeniable authority. They were taken from wealthy families and had to be celibate for 30 years. If one of the Vestals broke this oath, then such a woman was buried in the ground alive. Celebrations dedicated to this goddess were held annually from June 7 to 15.
There were many Roman gods. Lots of. In fact, the Roman pantheon of gods included the pantheon of gods of almost all peoples of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. As the Roman Empire grew, the Romans devoured not only territories, but also their heavenly patrons.
Unlike the Greeks, the Romans did not have a mythological storytelling story. However, they had a developed system of rituals and a rich set of legends about the founding of Rome. Of course, the basis of the Roman gods was either borrowed from the Greeks, or their gods and goddesses were tailored to the Greek cults. To this pantheon of gods were added nearby local gods and goddesses. Over time, the original religion of the ancient Romans was changed by the addition of numerous and often conflicting gods and traditions.
But the Romans should not be considered liberals in relation to religion and cults. In the Roman Empire, all gods could be worshiped, but the gods of Rome were in charge. In pagan culture, victory on the battlefield was won not only by the armies, but by the patron gods of this army. Thus, the gods of other cultures, as well as their worshipers, had to recognize the supremacy of the gods of the victorious tribe. Usually the pagans, having defeated and conquered their enemies, destroyed their temples and sanctuary. The gods are defeated, why should they pray. The Romans corrected this logic. Pray to your gods-losers, but accept our gods as supreme. If these peoples did not recognize the gods of Rome, then the Romans extremely brutally suppressed such currents.
An exception was made only for the Jews. They were allowed to pray to the one God of Abraham, not recognizing the gods of Rome. But the Jews have always lived in a special way and the Romans avoided communication with this people. You could understand them. The Romans believed that their guests had to come with gifts not only for the owners of the house, but also for the genius of the house, i.e. his patron. Those who came to the house without bringing a gift to the patron deity could incur the wrath of the genius on the owner and his family. Well, on the part of the Jews, it is clear that it was a sin against God alone to make a sacrifice to some kind of brownie. Naturally, the same logic extended to the entire empire. Religious misunderstandings between cultures have certainly led to mutual fear and hatred. Therefore, the foundations of European anti-Semitism lie long before the advent of Christianity.
Speaking of Christians. The same logic of anti-Judaism has befallen Christians. But if the Jews did not want to especially communicate with the outside world, then the Christians of course carried their sermon to all the peoples of the empire and therefore undermined all the religious foundations of society. This explains the rare but very cruel persecutions against Christians.
| Atlantis | Dyatlov Pass | Waverly Hills Sanatorium | Rome |
| London | Masada | Herculaneum | Nessebar |
| Hilt | Adrianov Val | Antonin's wall | Scara Bray |
| Parthenon | Mycenae | Olympia | Karnak |
| The Pyramid of Cheops | Troy | Tower of babel | Machu Picchu |
| Coliseum | Chichen Itza | Teotihuacan | the great Wall of China |
| Side | Stonehenge | Jerusalem | Petra |
Lineage of Greek and Roman gods
The main deities of ancient Rome
| Name | Origin | Original title | Description |
| Apollo | Greece | Apollo | Apollo was one of the most important of the Olympic deities. Son of Zeus and Leto, brother of Artemis, Apollo was revered as the god of light and sun, truth and prophecy, medicine, archery, music and poetry. One of the most important temples of the city of Pompeii stood at the Forum of the city. |
| Asclepius | Greece | Asclepius | Ancient Roman god of medicine and healing in ancient Greece. Father Hygieia and Panacea. Asclepius represented the healing aspect of medicine. The rod of Asclepius was depicted in the form of a staff with intertwined snakes. Until now, this symbol remains a symbol of medicine. |
| Bacchus | Greece | Dionysus | Ancient roman b og Dionysus was one of the twelve Olympians, the main gods of ancient Greece. He was the most cheerful and revered god since he was the god of wine and intoxication. For the Romans, he was also the divine patron of agriculture and theater. |
| Ceres | Greece | Demeter | Ceres-Demeter was the Roman goddess of the harvest and maternal love. Daughter of Saturn and Opis, sister of Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Juno and Veritas. Ceres was a trinity with two other gods associated with agriculture, Lieber and Libera. |
| Amur | Greece | Eros | Ancient roman b og love and beauty. Son of Venus and Mars. Cupid's strength should have been even greater than that of his mother, since he ruled over the dead, sea creatures and gods on Olympus. |
| Quirin | Sabinyan | Quirin was originally a deity of the Sabine tribe. The cult of this god was brought to Rome by Sabine settlers who settled on the Quirinal Hill. Quirin was originally a god of war, similar to Mars. At a later time, he identified with Romulus, the first Roman king. In the early period of the history of the Roman state, Quirinus, along with Jupiter and Mars, was part of the triad of the main Roman gods, each of which had its own High Priest. The feast of the god Quirin - Quirinalia - was held on February 17. | |
| Cybele | Phrygia | Cybele | Great mother (Magna mater in Latin), goddess of caves and mountains, walls and fortresses, nature and wild animals. |
| Diana | Greece | Artemis | Ancient roman b fire of hunting, moon, fertility and procreation, animals and woodlands. Daughter of Jupiter and Latona and sister of Apollo, Diana completed the trinity of Roman deities with Egeria, the nymph of water, and Virbius, the god of the forest. |
| Faunus or Faun | Greece | Pan | One of the oldest Roman deities, he was the legendary king of the Latins who came with his people from Arcadia. Faun was the horned god of the wilderness of the forest, plains and fields. In Roman literature, he was equated with the Greek god Pan. |
| Hercules | Greece | Hercules | Ancient roman b og victory and business venture. He was identified with the Etruscan hero Hercules. The Greek version says that Hercules was the son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene and lived the life of a mortal until his death, when he was elevated to the host of the gods. The Romans accepted the myths of Hercules, including his twelve labors, essentially unchanged, but added anecdotal details of their own writing. |
| Isis | Egypt | Isis | Ancient roman b fire of the earth. The cult originated in the Nile Delta and gradually spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshiped as a goddess of nature and magic and was the patron saint of various groups, including slaves, sinners, virgins, aristocrats, and the wealthy. In Pompeii, a small but beautiful temple was dedicated to her. |
| Janus | Etruria | Ani (possibly) | Ancient roman b o gates, doors, beginning and end. Janus was usually depicted with two heads facing in opposite directions, and was one of the few Roman gods that had no analogues in other cultures. The month of January was named after him because it was the beginning of something new. |
| Juno | Greece | Hera | Roman queen of the gods and protector of the Roman state. Daughter of Saturn and Opis, sister and wife of Jupiter, sister of Neptune, Pluto, Ceres and Veritas. Juno was also the mother of Juventas, Mars and Vulcan. The month of June was named after her. |
| Jupiter | Greece | Zeus | The king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. As the patron deity of ancient Rome, he ruled over law and order. The son of Saturn and Opis, he was also the brother of Neptune, Pluto, Veritas, Ceres and Juno (also became his wife). Jupiter was revered as part of the Capitoline Triad along with Juno and Minerva. The Temple of Jupiter was the most important religious building in the Forum of Pompeii and the entire city. In Roman mythology, he negotiated with Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, to establish the principles of the Roman religion, such as offering or sacrifice. |
| Mars | Greece | Ares | Ancient roman b og war and the most famous of the war gods. Son of Juno and Jupiter, husband of Bellona, and lover of Venus, he was also the legendary father of Romulus, the founder of Rome. Originally god of fertility, agriculture and protector of livestock. The month of March was named after him. |
| Mercury | Greece | Hermes | Messenger of the gods and bearer of souls to the underworld. In addition, he was the god of trade, profit, and commerce. Mercury was depicted with winged boots and a hat, carrying a staff-caduceus with two intertwined snakes, a gift from Apollo to Hermes-Mercury. |
| Minerva | Greece | Athena | Ancient roman b fire of wisdom and war. The daughter of Jupiter, she was also the goddess of trade and commerce, arts and crafts, medicine and school. She is one of the few gods and goddesses who did not fall in love and kept her virginity. Sometimes she was called Pallas Athena or Parthena, that is, "virginity". The most famous temple dedicated to her was the Parthenon in Athens. |
| Miter | Persia | Miter | Perhaps Mithra was the sun god. Several inscriptions describe him as "Deus Sol Invictus" (the unconquered sun god). Little is known about the beliefs of the Mithra cult, but it is certain that it was popular. Many of the temples of Mithras were hidden underground and therefore perfectly preserved as they escaped plunder. What happened in these temples and why they were so secret is still a matter of controversy. |
| Neptune | Etruria Greece |
Nefuns Poseidon |
Ancient roman b og the sea. Son of Saturn and Opis and brother of Jupiter, Pluto, Juno, Ceres and Veritas. In Rome, however, Neptune was more regarded as the god of horses and racing, and was known as Neptune the Equester (in the Flaminia circus, there was a temple sanctuary dedicated to him). |
| Description | Greece | Rhea | Ancient roman b fire of wealth, abundance and prosperity. Sister and wife of Saturn, mother of Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Juno, Ceres and Veritas. Often referred to as "Mother of the Gods". |
| Pluto | Greece | Hades | Ancient roman b o the underworld and its riches. The son of Saturn and Opis, he was also the brother of Neptune, Pluto, Veritas, Ceres and Juno. In addition, he was the god of the dead, the mortally sick, and those who were wounded in battle. |
| Saturn | Greece | Crown | Ancient roman b og harvest and agriculture. Husband Opis, father of Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Juno, Ceres and Veritas. Saturday was named after him. |
| Venus | Greece | Aphrodite | Ancient roman b fire of love, beauty and fertility. Originally the cult was based on the Etruscan goddess of vegetation and gardens, over time she became more closely associated with the Greek goddess Aphrodite. |
| Vesta | Italy, Greece | Hestia | Ancient Roman and Greek goddess of the hearth, home and family. Little is known about the cult of the goddess herself. The fire of Vesta was guarded in Rome by special chosen priestesses, the Vestals, who were supposed to observe absolute chastity for 30 years. If they broke their vows, they were buried alive so as not to incur the wrath of the gods on the whole city. |
| Volcano | Greece | Hephaestus | Ancient Roman god of blacksmithing, fire and blacksmiths. He was the son of Jupiter and Juno, and the husband of Maya and Venus. His forge, believed by the ancients, was located under Mount Etna in Sicily. The inhabitants of Pompeii did not know that Mount Vesuvius was a volcano, otherwise they could have found a blacksmith there. Vulcanarium - a holiday that celebrated the gratitude of people to the god Vulcan was celebrated on August 23, that is, one day before the eruption. This played a cruel joke on the citizens. Many believed that this is a good sign from God and therefore there is nothing to be afraid of. The Vulcanalia Festival, which is celebrated on 23 August every year, was held during the height of the summer heat. During the festival, bonfires were made in honor of God, and live fish or small animals were thrown into them so that God could use them instead of people |
Triads of ancient Roman gods
Archaic Triad of ancient Roman gods: Jupiter, Mars, Quirinus.
Capitoline Triad of ancient Roman gods: Jupiter, Juno, Minerva
Plebeian or Aventist triad of ancient Roman gods: Ceres, Lieber, Libera, dated 493 BC.
Lesser Roman Gods
Abundantia, the divine personification of abundance and prosperity. also known as Abundia, Gabona, Fulla - the ancient Roman goddess of abundance, a companion of Ceres. She was portrayed as a woman pouring gold from a cornucopia. Her image was captured only on coins. No altars or temples were erected in honor of Abundantia. She was one of the incarnations of virtues in religious propaganda, which forced the emperor to serve as the guarantor of the conditions of the "golden age". Thus, Abundantia appears in art, cult and literature, but does not have mythology as such. It may have survived in one form or another in Roman Gaul and medieval France.
Akka Larentia, a mythical woman, later an ancient Roman goddess, in the pantheon of Roman mythology. It is believed that she is the first priestess of the goddess Tellus, the wife of the shepherd Faustula, the nurse of Romulus and Remus, the mother of twelve sons, of whom Romulus formed the priestly college of the Arval brothers. This religious group annually made a cleansing tour of the territory of Rome, accompanied by sacrifices and a three-day ritual holiday. Larentalia was celebrated on December 23rd.
Akis, god of the Akis river in Sicily. The tale of the love between Akis and the sea nymph Galatea appears in Ovid's Metamorphoses. There, the jealous Cyclops Polyphemus, who also loves Galatea, bumped into them while they were in each other's arms. He killed his opponent with a boulder. His destructive passion leads nowhere. Galatea transforms Akis into a river spirit, as immortal as she is. This episode became the subject of poems, operas, paintings, and statues during the Renaissance and beyond.
Aion(Latin: Aeon), Hellenistic - the Greek god of cyclic or unlimited time in ancient Greek mythology and theocosmogony. This deity is the personification of eternity.
Aiy Lokutsy, the divine voice that warned the Romans of the imminent Gallic invasion. According to Roman mythology, in 364 from the founding of Rome, the goros warned the Romans. He called to the inhabitants of Rome on one of the Roman streets, Gia nova. But they did not listen to the voice. The Senones, one of the Gali tribes, devastated the city. Offended by inattention to the deity, a temple was erected on that street.
Alernus or Elernus(possibly Helernus), an archaic ancient Roman god whose sacred grove (lucus) was near the Tiber River. The deity is mentioned only by Ovid. The grove was the birthplace of the nymph Kranea, and, despite the relative obscurity of the god, the state priests performed sacred rites (sacra) there during the reign of Emperor Augustus. Alernus may have been a chthonic god if the black bull was the correct sacrificial offering to him, since dark sacrifices were offered to the gods of the underworld. Dumézil wanted to make him the bean god.
Ananke, "Inevitability, fate, need, necessity" - in ancient Greek mythology, the deity of necessity, inevitability, personification of fate, fate and predetermination from above. She was revered in the Orphic beliefs. Ananka is close to Adrastea and Dike.
Anzherona, Roman goddess who freed people from pain and sorrow.
Angitia, Roman goddess associated with snakes and Medea.
Anna Perenna, an early Roman goddess of the "circle of the year", her feast day was celebrated on 15 March
Annona, the divine personification of the grain delivery to Rome.
Anteworth, Roman goddess of the future and one of the Camenae; also called Porrima.
Ahrimanius, a little known god, part of the cult of Mithra.
Aura, often used in the plural Aura, "Breeze."
Aurora, Roman goddess of dawn.
Averrunck, Roman god, merciful to avert calamity.
Bellona or Duellona, Roman goddess of war.
Bona Di, "female goddess" with functions related to fertility, healing and chastity.
Bonus Eventus, Eventus, originally the Roman god of the harvest, and later the divine personification of Good Result.
Bubona, Roman goddess of cattle.
Genius, faithful spirit or divine patron of each person
Graces or Charites (among the Greeks) are three goddesses of fun and joy of life, the personification of grace and attractiveness.
Hermaphroditus, an androgynous Greek god whose mythology was imported into Latin literature.
Gonos, the divine personification of honor.
Mountain, wife of Quirin.
Dea Dia, Roman goddess of growth.
Dea Tacitus ("Silent Goddess"), Roman goddess of the dead; later equated to the earthly goddess Larente.
Decimus, one of the three Parcs, or goddesses of Fate, in ancient Roman mythology. She measures how long the thread of the life of each individual person will be with the help of her staff. She is also the goddess of childbirth. In ancient Greek mythology, it corresponds to moira Lachesis. Together with Nona and Morta, they control the metaphorical thread of life.
Devera or Deverra, the Roman goddess who ruled with brooms used to cleanse temples in preparation for various services, sacrifices and celebrations; she protected midwives and women in labor.
Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt, moon, virginity and childbirth, twin sister of Apollo and one of the Council of the Gods.
Diana Nemorensis, local version of Diana. Roman equivalent of Artemis (Greek goddess)
Discordia, the personification of discord and strife. Roman equivalent of Eris (Greek goddess)
Dyus Phidias, the Roman god of oaths, is associated with Jupiter.
Di inferi, a Roman deity associated with death and the underworld.
Discipline, personification of the discipline.
Dist Pater or Dispater was the Roman god of the underworld, later belonging to Pluto or Hades. Initially, he was the chthonic god of wealth, fertile agricultural land and underground mineral wealth, later he was equated with the Roman deities Pluto and Orcus, becoming the deity of the underworld.
Indigi, deified by Aeneas.
Intercidona, minor Roman goddess of childbirth; designed to keep evil spirits from the child; symbolized by a wood splitter.
Inuus, Roman god of fertility and sexual intercourse, protector of livestock.
Invidia, Roman goddess of envy and wrongdoing.
Kaka, the archaic Roman goddess of fire and "proto-Vesta"; sister of Kakusa.
Cacus, originally an ancient god of fire, later considered a giant.
Stones, Roman goddesses with various attributes, including the patroness of fresh water, prophecy, and childbirth. There were four of them: Carmenta, Egeria, Anteworth and Postworth.
Cardea, the ancient Roman goddess of door locks (kryuchev - lat. Cardines) and the keeper of the house. Her holiday was June 1, this date was determined by Junius Brutus, one of the first consuls of Rome and one of the founders of the Roman republic after the expulsion of the Roman kings. Kardea identified by Ovid with Karna (below)
Carmenta, Roman goddess of childbirth and prophecy, and appointed a fiery minor. Leader Kamen (above).
Carmen, two goddesses of childbirth: Anteworth and Postworth or Porrim, future and past.
Karna, the Roman goddess who kept the heart and other internal organs healthy.
Clementia, Roman goddess of forgiveness and mercy.
Cloacina, the Roman goddess who ruled the sewage system in Rome; identified with Venus.
Concordia, Roman goddess of harmony, understanding and marital harmony.
Consus, a chthonic god who protects the storage of grain.
Kura, the personification of care and concern, which, according to one source, created people from clay.
Cybele - Anatolian mother goddess; she may have had an early Neolithic predecessor whose figurine was found at Chatalhöyuk. Several such images have been found. She is the only known goddess of Phrygia and was probably her state deity. Her Phrygian cult was adopted and adapted by the Greek colonists of Asia Minor and spread to mainland Greece and its more distant western colonies around the 6th century BC.
Laras, everyday Roman gods. The Romans built altars in honor of the deities who guard the home and family. Coming to the family, friends were supposed to bring a gift to the laram patrons of the house. An insult to these gods could draw the wrath of the entire family. For Jews and later Christians, offering gifts to such idols was not acceptable. This, of course, led to friction and persecution, which initially led to the emergence of European anti-Semitism, and later to the persecution of Christians.
Laverne, patroness of thieves, crooks and charlatans.
Latona, Roman goddess of light.
Lemurs, the malevolent dead.
Levana, the Roman goddess of the ritual through which fathers accepted newborn children as their own.
Letum, the personification of death.
Lieber, Roman god of male fertility, viticulture and freedom, assimilated with Roman Bacchus and Greek Dionysus.
Libera, the female equivalent of Libera, assimilated with the Roman Proserpine and the Greek Persephone.
Liberalitas, Roman goddess or personification of generosity.
Libertas, Roman goddess or personification of freedom.
Libitina, Roman goddess of death, corpses and burial.
Lua, the Roman goddess to whom the soldiers sacrificed captured weapons, probably the consort of Saturn.
Lucifer, Roman god of the morning star
Lucina, Roman goddess of childbirth, but is often described as an aspect of Juno.
Moon, Roman goddess of the moon.
Lupercus, Roman god of shepherds and wolves; as the god of Lupercalia, his identity is unclear, but sometimes he is identified with the Greek god Pan.
Lymph, often multiple lymphs, is a Roman aquatic deity assimilated by Greek nymphs.
Mana Genita, goddess of child mortality
Mana, the souls of the dead, who came to be regarded as household deities.
Mania, the consort of the Etruscan freshwater god Mantus, and may have been identified with the shadow Mater Larum; not to be confused with Greek manias.
Mantus, Etruscan god of the dead and ruler of the underworld.
Mater Matuta, goddess of dawn and childbirth, patroness of sailors.
Meditrina, the goddess of healing, is introduced to account for the Meditrinalia festival.
Mephitis, goddess and personification of poisonous gases and volcanic fumes.
Mellons or Mellonia, the goddess of the bees and beekeeping.
Mena or Mene, goddess of fertility and menstruation.
Mole, daughter of Mars, probably the goddess of grain grinding.
Coin, minor goddess of memory, equivalent to the Greek Mnemosyne. Also used as an epithet for Juno.
Morse, the personification of death and the Greek equivalent of Thanatos.
Morta, petty goddess of death and one of the Parque (Roman equivalent of Moirey). The thread cutter of life, its Greek equivalent was Atropos.
Murcia or Murtia, a little-known goddess who was associated with myrtle, and in other sources was called the goddess of laziness (both interpretations arising from the false etymologies of her name). Later equated to Venus in the form of Venus of Murcia.
Mutunus Tutunus, phallic god.
Naenia, goddess of funeral lamentation.
Nascio, the personification of the act of birth.
Nemesis, goddess of vengeance (Greek).
Nerio, the ancient goddess of war and the personification of valor. The consort of Mars.
Nevitita, goddess and associated with Consus and Neptune in the Etruscan-Roman zodiac by Martian Capella, but little known.
Nixie, also di nixie, goddess of childbirth.
Nona, an insignificant goddess. Spins the thread of life, its Greek equivalent was Clotho.
Nortia is a Roman goddess taken from the Etruscan pantheon, a goddess of fate from the city of Volsinii, where a nail was driven into the wall of the main temple as part of the New Year's ceremony.
Knox, goddess of the night, derived from the Greek Nyct.
Ops or Opis, goddess of resources or wealth.
Orcus, god of the underworld and punisher of broken oaths.
Palatua, a little-known goddess who guarded the Palatine Hill.
Pales, deity of shepherds and cattle.
Park, three destinies.
Pax, goddess of peace; the Greek equivalent of Eiren.
Penates or Di-penates, household gods.
Pikumen, minor god of fertility, agriculture, marriage, babies and children.
Picus, an Italian woodpecker god with divination abilities.
Pietas, goddess of duty; the personification of Roman virtue.
Pillum, the small guardian god, was concerned with protecting babies at birth.
Poena, goddess of punishment.
Pomona, goddess of fruit trees, orchards and orchards.
Porrima, goddess of the future. Also called Antevortra.
Portunus, god of keys, doors and cattle, was assigned a fiery minor.
Postvert or Prorsa Postvert, goddess of childbirth and the past, one of the two Carments.
Priapus, the adopted phallic guardian.
Proserpine, Queen of the Dead and Goddess of the Grain, Roman equivalent of the Greek Persephone.
Providence, goddess of foresight.
Puditzia, goddess and personification of chastity, one of the Roman virtues. Its Greek equivalent was Aydos.
Falacer, was an ancient Italian god. Some historians tend to consider him an epithet of Jupiter, since phalandum, according to Festus, was an Etruscan word meaning "heaven."
Fama, Roman goddess of fame and rumor.
Faskin, a phallic Roman god who protected against invidia (envy) and the evil eye.
Fauna, Roman goddess of prophecy, but possibly the name of other goddesses such as Maya.
Faun, Roman god of the flocks.
Faustitas, the Roman goddess who protected the herd and livestock.
Fevrus or Fevruus, the Roman god of Etruscan origin, after whom the month of February was named. Fevruus, whose name means "purifier", was the god of purification. For the Etruscans, Fevrus was also the god of wealth (money / gold) and death, both associated with the underworld in the same natural way as with the more famous Roman god Pluto.
Febris, "Fever", Roman goddess who can cause or prevent fever and malaria.
Fecunditas, the Roman embodiment of fertility.
Felicitas, the personification of good luck and success.
Ferentina, Roman patron goddess of the city of Ferentina, latium, defender of the Latin commonwealth.
Ferunia, a Roman goddess associated with the desert, plebeians, freedmen, and freedom in a general sense.
Fidesz, the epitome of loyalty.
Flore, Roman goddess of flowers.
Fornax - In the ancient Roman religion, Fornax was the divine personification of the furnace (fornax). Her feast, Fornakalia, was celebrated on 17 February among the thirty curiae, the most ancient sections of the city, made by Romulus from the original three tribes of Rome. Fornakalia was the second of two festivals associated with the curia, and the other was Fordicidia on 19 April.
Fontus or Fonse, Roman god of wells and springs.
Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck.
Fufluns, Roman god of wine, natural growth and health. It was adopted from the Etruscan religion.
Fulgora, the personification of lightning.
Furrina, a Roman goddess whose functions are largely unknown.
Celus, Roman god of the sky before Jupiter.
Ceres, Roman goddess of the harvest and mother of Proserpine and one of the Council of the Gods. The Roman equivalent of Demeter.
Erikyure, a Roman goddess, possibly of Celtic origin, associated with the underworld and identified with Proserpine.
Equitas, the divine personification of justice.
Aesculapius, the Roman equivalent of Asclepius, god of health and medicine.
Eternitas, goddess and personification of eternity.
Egeria, a water nymph or goddess, later considered part of the Kamen.
Empanda or Panda, a Roman goddess whose temple was never closed to those in need.
Epona, Gallo-Roman goddess of horses and horsemanship, commonly regarded as a Celtic deity.
Edesia, the Roman food goddess who presides over banquets.
Justice, Roman goddess of justice
Yuturna, Roman goddess of fountains, wells and springs.
Juventas, Roman goddess of youth.
Janus, the two-faced or two-headed Roman god of the beginning and end, and the god of doors.
In my opinion, the civilization of Ancient Rome was the most magnificent of all in the ancient era. Therefore, it was always surprising for me that the Romans could not create their own pantheon of gods (although they had them), but almost completely borrowed it from the Greece they conquered.
However, in fairness, it should be noted that the Romans borrowed the gods not only from the Greeks, but from all the peoples with whom they entered into one relationship or another. The cults, which are very popular in Rome, can serve as proof of this. Mithras
- deities of Indo-Iranian origin, Sumerian-Akkadian Ishtar
(Astarte), and itself Christianity
, which at the beginning of the IV century became the official religion of the Roman Empire, was borrowed by the Romans from the conquered Judea.
But still, before the Christianization of Rome, the basis of the Roman pantheon was precisely greek olympic gods , only renamed by them.
Let's look at those gods who were worshiped by the Romans, in order to make sure once again that they are all, as they say, "made in Greece" .
JUPITER (aka ZEUS in Greek mythology)
The supreme deity who presided over the council of the gods. God of the sky, who sent rain, thunder and lightning. In Rome, in the Temple of Jupiter, the consuls were sworn in and the first session of the Senate of the coming year was held.
PLUTO (Hades)
God of the kingdom of the dead, keeper of underground riches, brother of Jupiter.
NEPTUNE (POSEIDON)
God of the seas, brother of Jupiter and Pluto.
VOLCANO (HEPHESTUS)
God of fire and patron of blacksmithing. The Romans believed that he was the one who forged weapons to other gods and heroes in the forge located inside the Etna volcano in Sicily. By the way, the lightning of Jupiter (Zeus) is also his work.
MARS (ARES)
Initially, in ancient Italy, he was the god of fertility (in his honor the first month of the old Roman year was named March), after identification with Ares, he was the god of war.
MINERVA (ATHENA)
Goddess of wisdom, useful discoveries and inventions, patroness of warriors, artisans, doctors, teachers, sculptors and musicians.
MERCURY (HERMES)
God of commerce, cunning and cunning. He was also considered the patron saint of various faces of crooks, thieves and crooks. In combination, he is the messenger of the gods and the guide of the souls of the dead to the kingdom of Pluto.
CERERA (DEMETRA)
Goddess of harvest and fertility, patroness of orphaned children.
DIANA (ARTEMIS)
Goddess of the hunt, flora and fauna. She was considered the patroness of prisoners, plebeians and slaves, therefore in Rome she was popular among the lower strata of the population.
FEB (APOLLO)
God of light, patron of arts, healer. One of the most revered gods in Rome (Emperor Octavian Augustus declared him his patron saint).
VENUS (APHRODITE)
Originally - the goddess of blooming gardens, spring. After identification with Aphrodite - the goddess of love.
BACHUS (DIONYSUS, VAKKH)
God of winemaking. (The Romans, however, had their own plebeian god of wine - Lieber ). Bacchus is full of fun, drunkenness, all kinds of debauchery and madness. In 186 BC. the Senate even issued a special decree against orgies, many of the participants in the orgies were executed. But the ogrians in honor of Bacchus (bacchanalia) continued, despite all the prohibitions up to the Christianization of Rome.
Actually, bacchanalia and other orgy holidays in Rome were commonplace, and participation in them was almost mandatory, since it was believed that all the gods of the Roman pantheon participated in them, which means that refusal to participate in an orgy was blasphemy - an insult to the gods.
Of course, here are not all the deities worshiped by the Romans, but only the main personalities of the Roman (and in fact, Greek) pantheon. But even this, I think, is quite enough for you to draw certain conclusions (in the comments to the post, please).
Thank you for attention.
Sergey Vorobyov.
Deities of the ancient Romans
The city of Rome was founded in the 8th century. BC e. tribe latinas, who lived first in Central Italy, the region that received the name Ancient Latium. According to the Roman historian Terentius Varro, this happened on April 21, 753 BC. e. And already in the VI century. BC e. the territorial expansion of the Romans begins at the expense of others latinas and neighboring tribes.
Traditionally, the history of the Roman state is divided into several periods, each of which in its own way reflects the formation of the religious views of the Romans and is associated with special processes of the development of the cult, which, in turn, is directly related to the change in the ancient Romans' assessment of the world around them, their rethinking of their relationship with the gods and their place in this world.
The early period - the so-called royal (VIII-VI centuries BC) - is associated with the rise of Rome, the strengthening of its importance in Central Italy and the strengthening of the position of the Latins. The period of the Republic (VI-I centuries BC) was associated with the growth of the Roman state and the aggravation of social contradictions in Roman society. It is divided into two parts, the border between which were the Punic warriors. This was the time of the confrontation between Rome and Carthage and the period of the conquest of the Hellenistic East, when the influence on the Roman culture of various cults of the conquered peoples becomes noticeable.
The era of the early Empire (1st century BC - 3rd century AD), when the place of Rome in the relationship of peoples, both included in the empire and retained independence, was clearly defined. During this period, the Roman state reached the peak of its power, the cult of the emperors took shape and the crisis of the ancient religious system was outlined.
Finally, the era of the late Empire (IV-V centuries AD), characterized by an acute crisis of power, the decomposition of the foundations that strengthen the power of the deified emperor, and at the same time the growing influence of monotheistic tendencies in the world outlook of Roman citizens. It was during this period that the formation of Christianity was completed, which radically changed the appearance of Rome and led to the creation of a universal, perceived idea of a single God-savior, close and understandable to everyone.
Territory of Ancient Latium
Little is known about the most ancient beliefs of the Italic tribes, and the interpretation of the corresponding archaeological data depends in part on the authors' general points of view on the ethnic composition of the ancient population of Italy, in particular on the ratio of Indo-Europeans and the non-Indo-European population that preceded them. But, no matter how the question of the attitude of the found cults to one or another ethnic group is resolved, it is important that in ancient Italy both traces of the cult of mother goddesses (figurines depicting them) and symbols of the sun (a wheel with rays and a cross) were found.
The cult of the heavenly, solar and military god (or the heroized leader) also includes the one found on the territory of the tribe vestin"The rider from Capestrin" - a god in military clothes, a helmet and with a halo around his head. The cult of animals and the remnants of totemism are attested both by figurines and the names of tribes such as gypins(from h? rpus- "wolf"), piena(from picus- "woodpecker"), bovnaps(from bos- "bull").
At the same time, the names of other tribes came from the names of the gods: from Mars– mars and mamertypes, from One– oski, from Vesta– vostiny, from Volcano– wolski. Obviously, this also includes the Arician Diana with her sanctuary on Lake Nema, a typical goddess of fertility, forests, "mistress of animals" with her dead and resurrected mortal lover Virbiy, subsequently identified with the Greek Hippolytus, trampled by horses, resurrected Asclepius by request Artemis and carried by her to the forest, where he was worshiped as a ministerial deity.
Jupiter
Veneration of the Sun, apparently, later did not play a big role. According to tradition, only the Aurelian family had the Sun as its god - Sol. He is associated with the Sabines, since the Aurelias were of the Sabine family. The existence of the cult of the Sun in ancient Italy is evidenced by the custom of the augurs, members of one of the priestly colleges, to orient themselves to the east and south - for example, the circular movement during prayers from right to left imitated the movement of the sun.
For the connection of the Sun and Jupiter indicate the usual symbol of the Sun, a wheel placed in the temple of Jupiter, and the fact that the priest, when offering a sacrifice, held a circle in his hand, and both the wheel and the circle were symbols of a union sealed by an oath. The same is indicated by the radiant crown, which, according to the testimony of the Roman poet Virgil, worn by the king Latin in the famous poem "Aeneid".
The basis of the most ancient layer of Roman religion is the divine pantheon and mythology, which have experienced the strongest influence of Greek beliefs. On the other hand, the abundance of autochthonous deities and archaic, sometimes mysterious rituals make it possible to guess the true Indo-European heritage of the Romans, interpreted in the spirit of “historicization”.
Bacchus, god of winemaking, at the foot of Vesuvius
For example, the description of the war between the Romans and the Sabines in the book Tita Libya(64 or 59 BC - 17 AD) corresponds to purely mythological episodes among other Indo-European peoples. The researcher J. Dumézil noted the presence of the Indo-European threefold ideology in the most ancient Roman triad: Jupiter(supreme power), Mars(military function), Quirin(function of breadwinner and instigator).
The very foundation of Rome was already religious in nature. For the worship of local deities, a circle within the city was designated, marked with stones and called pomery(pomerius). The Field of Mars, on which every five years a cleansing sacrifice of a bull, a wild boar and a ram was performed, was located outside this sacred zone, where there was a categorical ban on the exercise of military power.
Deities of a later origin, even the most important ones such as Juno Regina- placed outside measured, mainly on the Aventine Hill (an exception was made for the temple Castor, erected inside the courtyard by the dictator Aulus Postumius in the V century. BC BC). Archaic deities of Pomeria often have strange names, functions and appearance - the goddess of the vernal equinox Angeron, goddess of married women Matuta other.
Meanwhile, the traditional beliefs of the Romans did not remain unchanged. Ancient triad Jupiter– Mars– Quirin, reinforced Two-faced Janus and goddess Vestoy, even in the tsarist era, the Tarquinians are replaced by a new triad: Jupiter-Optimus Maximus, Juno, Minerva. To these gods, corresponding to the Greek Zeus, Hera and Athena, now statues are being erected. During the III century. BC e., the era of wars with Carthage for domination in the Mediterranean, the final Hellenization of the Roman religion took place.
The home cult, the center of which was the family hearth, consisted of animal sacrifices, the laying on of food and flowers as a gift to the ancestors - laram and penates, as well as the patron spirit of the house. The wedding was celebrated in a dwelling under the auspices of female deities (Tellus, Ceres). Later, Juno will become the guarantor of the family union. Twice a year, the souls of the dead were commemorated in the city - may and and lemurs, who returned to earth and ate the food laid on their graves.
Warlike Mars
Often the concept is used to refer to deities "genius". This word was used in the singular or plural. The genius was considered the spirit-protector of each individual person. The marriage bed was under the special protection of the genius. But besides this, geniuses were the keepers of certain places and objects. Their symbol was a snake, and later their images received a human form.
Curiously, as the husband had his own genius, so the wife had her juno, a kind of female genius. Not only individuals and places, but also families, cities and nations had their own geniuses.
Hearth Keeper Vesta
At the same time, foreign influences have always been very strong. The Romans borrowed from the Etruscans Menrwu (to Minerva), goddess of reason and arts. The elaborated religious Greek concepts, merging with related images or completely displacing pale Roman ideas, in the end completely subordinated Roman mythology to themselves. Jupiter merged with Zeus, Juno- from Hero, Volcano- from Hephaestus, Diana- from Artemis etc. The Greeks brought to Rome not only their anthropomorphic gods and related myths, but also taught the Romans to build temples, sculpt statues of gods, distinguish between gods by gender, age, function, position in the hierarchy, created a more complex cult than primitive magic rites ...
The least clear and probably the most difficult is the origin of the image of the main Roman god of the classical era - Jupiter. Apparently, at its core, this is the personified shining sky, or Heaven-Father, an image parallel to Sanskrit and Greek. But this hardly allows us to consider him just an ancient Indo-European deity. The Romans also used his name as a common noun, meaning just heaven. Jupiter was also revered as the god of thunderstorms.
One of the most ancient gods, whose cult was introduced, perhaps by the legendary founder of Rome Romulus, was Janus bifrons("Double-faced") or geminus("double"). His temple, located near the central square - Of the Forum- was unlocked during the war and was closed during the peace. Janus was considered the god of doors and, in general, all beginnings.
The god Mars was at first, apparently, the patron saint of agriculture among the Sabines, but over time he turned into the god of war and was identified with the Greek Ares. Perhaps this happened because the inhabitants of Rome had to extract the land by force of arms, recapturing from their neighbors. The warlike properties of Mars became all the more important, the more place war occupied in the lives of the Romans themselves. Its sacred animals were the soothsayer-woodpecker (picus) and the wolf. The month March was dedicated to Mars in the calendar.
S. Bye. Diana
The cult of the goddess Vesta was very important among the Romans. Vesta, as a goddess of both home and social centers, was given a central place both in the religion of the family and in the cult of the state. She was the main goddess of the house, and the whole life of the family was under her patronage. But the public good in the state was also considered to be associated with serving it.
Lararium in the house of the Vettii in Pompeii is decorated with the image of the genius of the place (in the center). 1st century n. e.
An ominous omen for the state was the extinction of the goddess's sacred fire. If such a misfortune happened, then the negligent priestess - the vestal - was severely punished, and the fire had to be obtained again in an ancient way, through drilling a fruit tree or, perhaps, from the sun's rays. The Vestals prayed for the good of the Roman people, therefore they themselves and the cult they were in charge were under special supervision. pontifex maximus- the high priest, the head of the Roman cult.
Thus, Vesta belonged to the main deities of the Romans; she really was Vesta mother (Vesta-mater), because the most important cult gods in Rome were called fathers and mothers. At the same time, Vesta was a virgin goddess, and it is known that chastity was the main duty of the Vestals. Those who broke this vow were buried alive.
According to the researcher S.A. Tokarev, whatever the origin of individual images of the Roman gods, their cult, as the Roman state was formed and expanded, took the form characteristic of ancient societies - the veneration of the patron gods of the polis.