Roman Mythology Essay, Research Paper
Roman Mythology
The ancient Greek and ancient Roman religion was the belief in gods.
They had similar beliefs, but also vast differences. They came from each other
and gave their people a form of morality. It was composed of many meaningful
gods and goddesses that all played a part in the everyday life of the average
Roman and Greek person of that time.
They believed in something called polytheism. It is the belief of many
gods; each given a personality, function, relationship to each other through
family, and to be the subject of many myths and legends that were to be told for
many of years to come. They were to become the basis for a religion that would
last for hundreds of years and would yield thousands of followers to believe in
the made stories of these enchanted people or gods as they were called. (
Grolier)
The Roman mythology was to consist of twelve to thirteen main gods.
Each having a function in the life of the everyday Roman that would require some
sort of worshipping. The Roman gods were taken from the beliefs of the Greek
gods. They are directly descended from their neighboring religion. The Roman
mythology consisted of the high god Jupiter, his wife and sister Juno, son
Vulcan, son Mercury, daughter Diana, daughter Venus, son Mars, daughter Minerva,
son Apollo, sister Vesta, brother Pluto, brother Neptune, and Janus.(www, hunt)
Jupiter was the ruler of the gods. He is also known as Zeus to the
Greeks. He became ruler of the gods through him drawing that lot from his
brothers after they overthrew the Titans. He was the god of sky and rain. He
was the keeper of the thunderbolt which he hurled at anyone that displeased.
That is how he is portrayed through the Greeks, but through the Romans; he was
still the ruler of the gods and used his thunderbolts. They portrayed as the
lord of life and death and he never visited mankind on earth.(www. hunt)
Neptune was the god of the sea. This is the lot he drew from his
brothers. He was worshipped mostly by seaman. He was the creator of the horse
and the user of his three-pronged spear, the trident. It could shake the
ground and break any object at will, but in his Roman sense he was still the god
of the sea. It only took longer for him to be noticed as it. He started out as
a minor deity of the water, but his importance increased as the number of seamen
increased. (www. hunt)
Pluto the god of the underworld. This is the lot he drew from his
brothers. He is one of the greediest of the gods and is always looking for more
ruling subjects. He is the god of wealth also because of all the precious
metals mined from the earth. He is also the king of the dead and married to his
abducted queen Persephone in the Greek mythology. (www. hunt)
Vesta was the goddess of the hearth and the symbol of the home. She was
the watcher of households and family activities. She is a virgin goddess and
plays no parts in myths. She is known as Hestia in the Greek religion. (www.
hunt)
Juno was the goddess of marriage and the protectress of women. She was
the queen of the heavens. She was the wife and sister to Jupiter.(Grolier) In
Greek mythology She was all and the same. She was forced into marrying
Zeus(Jupiter) because he raped her. To hide her shame she married him.(www.
hunt)
Mars was the god of war, agriculture, and of the state. He appeared in
three different ways: Mars Sylvanus, the god of vegetation; Mars Gradivus, the
god of war; and Mars Quirinius, the god of state. (Grolier) In Greek mythology
he was also considered the god of war, but not of the others. He was disliked
by his parents and was a coward.
Apollo was the god of music, healing and truth. He was the player of
the golden lyre, shooter of the silver arrows, teacher of medicine to mankind,
and god that could not tell a lie. He was the also the carrier of the Sun
across the sky by his chariot of winged horses. He was represented in the same
way in both the Roman and Greek religions. (www. hunt)
Minerva is the goddess of wisdom, art and craft, and war. She was a
deity of the dawn. She was originally said to be the daughter of the giant
Palla, but was later said to have sprung from the forehead of Jupiter fully
armed and grown. (Grolier) That is said in both religions, but in the Greek
religion she is the goddess of the city, handicrafts, and agriculture. She is
the inventor of the bridle, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow,
the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She represented reason, wisdom, and purity.
Venus was the carrier of four things in the Roman religion as: Venus
Felix; bringer of luck; Venus Victrix, bringer of victory; Venus Verticordia,
protector of female chastity; and Venus Libentina, patroness of sensual pleasure.
(Grolier) In Greek mythology as Aphrodite, she was the goddess of love, desire,
and beauty. She is also said to have a magic girdle that makes anyone she
wishes to desire her. (www. hunt)
Mercury was the messenger of the Roman gods. He darted around quickly
with his winged shoes and hat. He was also the god of merchants, science,
astronomy, thieves, travelers, vagabonds, and of cleverness. (Grolier) In Greek
mythology he is also the god of thieves and messenger of the gods. He guides
the dead to the underworld and was the inventor of the lyre, pipes, musical
scale, astronomy, weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the carer of the
olive trees. (www. hunt)
Diana was at first a minor deity of the forest and woodland, but was
later known as a great hunter, patron of women, and the goddess of the moon.
(Grolier) In Greek mythology Artemis is also the hunter of the Greek gods.
She is the protector of the young, goddess of the moon, goddess of chastity, and
the overlooker of childbirth even though she was a virgin goddess. (www. hunt)
Vulcan was the god of fire and was recommended by the other gods to also
prevent fires. He was ugly and lame and married to the ever pretty goddess
Venus, but she was unfaithful and involved in many affairs. He was married to
Venus only because she felt sorry for his ugliness. (Grolier) In Greek
mythology he was the god of fire and forge and was the smith and armorer of the
gods. He used volcanoes to produce his weapons and armor. He is also the god
of smiths and weavers. He is also married to Aphrodite. He is still ugly and
lame, but is the kindest and the peace lover of the group. There are many rumors
to his lameness. He was either flung from Mount Olympus because Hera was upset
with his ugliness and broke his legs as he fell into the sea or he was flung off
the mountain as he took Hera’s side in an argument with Zeus. (www. hunt)
Janus was the god that was not represented in Greek mythology. He was
the god of entrances, coming and going, doorways, bridges, ferries, harbors, and
boundaries. Janus was also the doorkeeper of heaven. He was said to be the
supreme god, but was later said to be second to Jupiter. In Greek mythology
Poseidon was second in charge. He was asked for blessings before the beginning
of the day, month, week, and year. He was said to of have two faces that faced
each way to see the coming and the going which symbolized how much he knew about
the present and the past. (www janus)
At this time another religion was up and coming. It was Christianity.
It was unaccepted by the Roman government. They met without permission which
was a major violation of the of the old laws of the Roman government. (Crowell,
193)
In the Jewish religion, it was the same game for them too. The fact
that they represented only one god and should be worshipping more. So they got
treated as a whole with the Christians since both of their religions were the
same in the eyes of the Roman government. So when one of them got persecuted
then one of the other would feel the same way too. (Arnott, 288-9)
The old religion started to lose its touch and Christianity was
beginning to gain in popularity. It was easily understood and its teaching of
mercy, gentleness, kind-loving, and charity towards others even if they were
your enemies. It brought upon a knew look on life. It taught them self-
discipline, care for the rejected, and the belief in the seriousness of sins.
It taught of faith in one God and the expectation of life after death causing
the grasp of the religion to come easy to people. This later took over the Roman
society and became the official religion of Rome. (Cowell, 193-4)
In all and all the mythology of both Romans and Greeks was surprising
similar, but in ways they were very much apart. The Greeks were very much
involved in their religion with stories, myths, legends, and in depth
descriptions of their personality and physical appearance. They all lived the
life that is dreamed of by many, but not achieved by much. They all expressed
something with their powers and their ability of ruling over normal mankind.
The Romans had nothing to do with any of this. Their religion wasn’t as serious
as of that of the Greeks. They did not have the mystical life like that of the
Greeks, but rather they were represented in statues and worshipped at certain
times of the year. This all could not make their time of worship last, but it
was rather the end of a great time of religious beliefs. It was the end of a
legacy to some and the beginning of the new to others. The age had to come to
an end, but it never ended in the lives of some. So today in its own way it
plays its part, it is just how in is thought about in the eyes of society and
accepted by the people of the day.
The ancient Greek and ancient Roman religion was the belief in
gods. They had similar beliefs, but also vast differences. They came from each
other and gave their people a form of morality. It was composed of many
meaningful gods and goddesses that all played a part in the everyday life of the
average Roman and Greek person of that time.
They believed in something called polytheism. It is the belief of many
gods; each given a personality, function, relationship to each other through
family, and to be the subject of many myths and legends that were to be told for
many of years to come. They were to become the basis for a religion that would
last for hundreds of years and would yield thousands of followers to believe in
the made stories of these enchanted people or gods as they were called. (
Grolier)
The Roman mythology was to consist of twelve to thirteen main gods.
Each having a function in the life of the everyday Roman that would require some
sort of worshipping. The Roman gods were taken from the beliefs of the Greek
gods. They are directly descended from their neighboring religion. The Roman
mythology consisted of the high god Jupiter, his wife and sister Juno, son
Vulcan, son Mercury, daughter Diana, daughter Venus, son Mars, daughter Minerva,
son Apollo, sister Vesta, brother Pluto, brother Neptune, and Janus.(www, hunt)
Jupiter was the ruler of the gods. He is also known as Zeus to the
Greeks. He became ruler of the gods through him drawing that lot from his
brothers after they overthrew the Titans. He was the god of sky and rain. He
was the keeper of the thunderbolt which he hurled at anyone that displeased.
That is how he is portrayed through the Greeks, but through the Romans; he was
still the ruler of the gods and used his thunderbolts. They portrayed as the
lord of life and death and he never visited mankind on earth.(www. hunt)
Neptune was the god of the sea. This is the lot he drew from his
brothers. He was worshipped mostly by seaman. He was the creator of the horse
and the user of his three-pronged spear, the trident. It could shake the
ground and break any object at will, but in his Roman sense he was still the god
of the sea. It only took longer for him to be noticed as it. He started out as
a minor deity of the water, but his importance increased as the number of seamen
increased. (www. hunt)
Pluto the god of the underworld. This is the lot he drew from his
brothers. He is one of the greediest of the gods and is always looking for more
ruling subjects. He is the god of wealth also because of all the precious
metals mined from the earth. He is also the king of the dead and married to his
abducted queen Persephone in the Greek mythology. (www. hunt)
Vesta was the goddess of the hearth and the symbol of the home. She was
the watcher of households and family activities. She is a virgin goddess and
plays no parts in myths. She is known as Hestia in the Greek religion. (www.
hunt)
Juno was the goddess of marriage and the protectress of women. She was
the queen of the heavens. She was the wife and sister to Jupiter.(Grolier) In
Greek mythology She was all and the same. She was forced into marrying
Zeus(Jupiter) because he raped her. To hide her shame she married him.(www.
hunt)
Mars was the god of war, agriculture, and of the state. He appeared in
three different ways: Mars Sylvanus, the god of vegetation; Mars Gradivus, the
god of war; and Mars Quirinius, the god of state. (Grolier) In Greek mythology
he was also considered the god of war, but not of the others. He was disliked
by his parents and was a coward.
Apollo was the god of music, healing and truth. He was the player of
the golden lyre, shooter of the silver arrows, teacher of medicine to mankind,
and god that could not tell a lie. He was the also the carrier of the Sun
across the sky by his chariot of winged horses. He was represented in the same
way in both the Roman and Greek religions. (www. hunt)
Minerva is the goddess of wisdom, art and craft, and war. She was a
deity of the dawn. She was originally said to be the daughter of the giant
Palla, but was later said to have sprung from the forehead of Jupiter fully
armed and grown. (Grolier) That is said in both religions, but in the Greek
religion she is the goddess of the city, handicrafts, and agriculture. She is
the inventor of the bridle, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow,
the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She represented reason, wisdom, and purity.
Venus was the carrier of four things in the Roman religion as: Venus
Felix; bringer of luck; Venus Victrix, bringer of victory; Venus Verticordia,
protector of female chastity; and Venus Libentina, patroness of sensual pleasure.
(Grolier) In Greek mythology as Aphrodite, she was the goddess of love, desire,
and beauty. She is also said to have a magic girdle that makes anyone she
wishes to desire her. (www. hunt)
Mercury was the messenger of the Roman gods. He darted around quickly
with his winged shoes and hat. He was also the god of merchants, science,
astronomy, thieves, travelers, vagabonds, an
mythology he is also the god of thieves and messenger of the gods. He guides
the dead to the underworld and was the inventor of the lyre, pipes, musical
scale, astronomy, weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the carer of the
olive trees. (www. hunt)
Diana was at first a minor deity of the forest and woodland, but was
later known as a great hunter, patron of women, and the goddess of the moon.
(Grolier) In Greek mythology Artemis is also the hunter of the Greek gods.
She is the protector of the young, goddess of the moon, goddess of chastity, and
the overlooker of childbirth even though she was a virgin goddess. (www. hunt)
Vulcan was the god of fire and was recommended by the other gods to also
prevent fires. He was ugly and lame and married to the ever pretty goddess
Venus, but she was unfaithful and involved in many affairs. He was married to
Venus only because she felt sorry for his ugliness. (Grolier) In Greek
mythology he was the god of fire and forge and was the smith and armorer of the
gods. He used volcanoes to produce his weapons and armor. He is also the god
of smiths and weavers. He is also married to Aphrodite. He is still ugly and
lame, but is the kindest and the peace lover of the group. There are many rumors
to his lameness. He was either flung from Mount Olympus because Hera was upset
with his ugliness and broke his legs as he fell into the sea or he was flung off
the mountain as he took Hera’s side in an argument with Zeus. (www. hunt)
Janus was the god that was not represented in Greek mythology. He was
the god of entrances, coming and going, doorways, bridges, ferries, harbors, and
boundaries. Janus was also the doorkeeper of heaven. He was said to be the
supreme god, but was later said to be second to Jupiter. In Greek mythology
Poseidon was second in charge. He was asked for blessings before the beginning
of the day, month, week, and year. He was said to of have two faces that faced
each way to see the coming and the going which symbolized how much he knew about
the present and the past. (www janus)
At this time another religion was up and coming. It was Christianity.
It was unaccepted by the Roman government. They met without permission which
was a major violation of the of the old laws of the Roman government. (Crowell,
193)
In the Jewish religion, it was the same game for them too. The fact
that they represented only one god and should be worshipping more. So they got
treated as a whole with the Christians since both of their religions were the
same in the eyes of the Roman government. So when one of them got persecuted
then one of the other would feel the same way too. (Arnott, 288-9)
The old religion started to lose its touch and Christianity was
beginning to gain in popularity. It was easily understood and its teaching of
mercy, gentleness, kind-loving, and charity towards others even if they were
your enemies. It brought upon a knew look on life. It taught them self-
discipline, care for the rejected, and the belief in the seriousness of sins.
It taught of faith in one God and the expectation of life after death causing
the grasp of the religion to come easy to people. This later took over the Roman
society and became the official religion of Rome. (Cowell, 193-4)
In all and all the mythology of both Romans and Greeks was surprising
similar, but in ways they were very much apart. The Greeks were very much
involved in their religion with stories, myths, legends, and in depth
descriptions of their personality and physical appearance. They all lived the
life that is dreamed of by many, but not achieved by much. They all expressed
something with their powers and their ability of ruling over normal mankind.
The Romans had nothing to do with any of this. Their religion wasn’t as serious
as of that of the Greeks. They did not have the mystical life like that of the
Greeks, but rather they were represented in statues and worshipped at certain
times of the year. This all could not make their time of worship last, but it
was rather the end of a great time of religious beliefs. It was the end of a
legacy to some and the beginning of the new to others. The age had to come to
an end, but it never ended in the lives of some. So today in its own way it
plays its part, it is just how in is thought about in the eyes of society and
accepted by the people of the day.
The ancient Greek and ancient Roman religion was the belief in
gods. They had similar beliefs, but also vast differences. They came from each
other and gave their people a form of morality. It was composed of many
meaningful gods and goddesses that all played a part in the everyday life of the
average Roman and Greek person of that time.
They believed in something called polytheism. It is the belief of many
gods; each given a personality, function, relationship to each other through
family, and to be the subject of many myths and legends that were to be told for
many of years to come. They were to become the basis for a religion that would
last for hundreds of years and would yield thousands of followers to believe in
the made stories of these enchanted people or gods as they were called. (
Grolier)
The Roman mythology was to consist of twelve to thirteen main gods.
Each having a function in the life of the everyday Roman that would require some
sort of worshipping. The Roman gods were taken from the beliefs of the Greek
gods. They are directly descended from their neighboring religion. The Roman
mythology consisted of the high god Jupiter, his wife and sister Juno, son
Vulcan, son Mercury, daughter Diana, daughter Venus, son Mars, daughter Minerva,
son Apollo, sister Vesta, brother Pluto, brother Neptune, and Janus.(www, hunt)
Jupiter was the ruler of the gods. He is also known as Zeus to the
Greeks. He became ruler of the gods through him drawing that lot from his
brothers after they overthrew the Titans. He was the god of sky and rain. He
was the keeper of the thunderbolt which he hurled at anyone that displeased.
That is how he is portrayed through the Greeks, but through the Romans; he was
still the ruler of the gods and used his thunderbolts. They portrayed as the
lord of life and death and he never visited mankind on earth.(www. hunt)
Neptune was the god of the sea. This is the lot he drew from his
brothers. He was worshipped mostly by seaman. He was the creator of the horse
and the user of his three-pronged spear, the trident. It could shake the
ground and break any object at will, but in his Roman sense he was still the god
of the sea. It only took longer for him to be noticed as it. He started out as
a minor deity of the water, but his importance increased as the number of seamen
increased. (www. hunt)
Pluto the god of the underworld. This is the lot he drew from his
brothers. He is one of the greediest of the gods and is always looking for more
ruling subjects. He is the god of wealth also because of all the precious
metals mined from the earth. He is also the king of the dead and married to his
abducted queen Persephone in the Greek mythology. (www. hunt)
Vesta was the goddess of the hearth and the symbol of the home. She was
the watcher of households and family activities. She is a virgin goddess and
plays no parts in myths. She is known as Hestia in the Greek religion. (www.
hunt)
Juno was the goddess of marriage and the protectress of women. She was
the queen of the heavens. She was the wife and sister to Jupiter.(Grolier) In
Greek mythology She was all and the same. She was forced into marrying
Zeus(Jupiter) because he raped her. To hide her shame she married him.(www.
hunt)
Mars was the god of war, agriculture, and of the state. He appeared in
three different ways: Mars Sylvanus, the god of vegetation; Mars Gradivus, the
god of war; and Mars Quirinius, the god of state. (Grolier) In Greek mythology
he was also considered the god of war, but not of the others. He was disliked
by his parents and was a coward.
Apollo was the god of music, healing and truth. He was the player of
the golden lyre, shooter of the silver arrows, teacher of medicine to mankind,
and god that could not tell a lie. He was the also the carrier of the Sun
across the sky by his chariot of winged horses. He was represented in the same
way in both the Roman and Greek religions. (www. hunt)
Minerva is the goddess of wisdom, art and craft, and war. She was a
deity of the dawn. She was originally said to be the daughter of the giant
Palla, but was later said to have sprung from the forehead of Jupiter fully
armed and grown. (Grolier) That is said in both religions, but in the Greek
religion she is the goddess of the city, handicrafts, and agriculture. She is
the inventor of the bridle, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow,
the yoke, the ship, and the chariot. She represented reason, wisdom, and purity.
Venus was the carrier of four things in the Roman religion as: Venus
Felix; bringer of luck; Venus Victrix, bringer of victory; Venus Verticordia,
protector of female chastity; and Venus Libentina, patroness of sensual pleasure.
(Grolier) In Greek mythology as Aphrodite, she was the goddess of love, desire,
and beauty. She is also said to have a magic girdle that makes anyone she
wishes to desire her. (www. hunt)
Mercury was the messenger of the Roman gods. He darted around quickly
with his winged shoes and hat. He was also the god of merchants, science,
astronomy, thieves, travelers, vagabonds, and of cleverness. (Grolier) In Greek
mythology he is also the god of thieves and messenger of the gods. He guides
the dead to the underworld and was the inventor of the lyre, pipes, musical
scale, astronomy, weights and measures, boxing, gymnastics, and the carer of the
olive trees. (www. hunt)
Diana was at first a minor deity of the forest and woodland, but was
later known as a great hunter, patron of women, and the goddess of the moon.
(Grolier) In Greek mythology Artemis is also the hunter of the Greek gods.
She is the protector of the young, goddess of the moon, goddess of chastity, and
the overlooker of childbirth even though she was a virgin goddess. (www. hunt)
Vulcan was the god of fire and was recommended by the other gods to also
prevent fires. He was ugly and lame and married to the ever pretty goddess
Venus, but she was unfaithful and involved in many affairs. He was married to
Venus only because she felt sorry for his ugliness. (Grolier) In Greek
mythology he was the god of fire and forge and was the smith and armorer of the
gods. He used volcanoes to produce his weapons and armor. He is also the god
of smiths and weavers. He is also married to Aphrodite. He is still ugly and
lame, but is the kindest and the peace lover of the group. There are many rumors
to his lameness. He was either flung from Mount Olympus because Hera was upset
with his ugliness and broke his legs as he fell into the sea or he was flung off
the mountain as he took Hera’s side in an argument with Zeus. (www. hunt)
Janus was the god that was not represented in Greek mythology. He was
the god of entrances, coming and going, doorways, bridges, ferries, harbors, and
boundaries. Janus was also the doorkeeper of heaven. He was said to be the
supreme god, but was later said to be second to Jupiter. In Greek mythology
Poseidon was second in charge. He was asked for blessings before the beginning
of the day, month, week, and year. He was said to of have two faces that faced
each way to see the coming and the going which symbolized how much he knew about
the present and the past. (www janus)
At this time another religion was up and coming. It was Christianity.
It was unaccepted by the Roman government. They met without permission which
was a major violation of the of the old laws of the Roman government. (Crowell,
193)
In the Jewish religion, it was the same game for them too. The fact
that they represented only one god and should be worshipping more. So they got
treated as a whole with the Christians since both of their religions were the
same in the eyes of the Roman government. So when one of them got persecuted
then one of the other would feel the same way too. (Arnott, 288-9)
The old religion started to lose its touch and Christianity was
beginning to gain in popularity. It was easily understood and its teaching of
mercy, gentleness, kind-loving, and charity towards others even if they were
your enemies. It brought upon a knew look on life. It taught them self-
discipline, care for the rejected, and the belief in the seriousness of sins.
It taught of faith in one God and the expectation of life after death causing
the grasp of the religion to come easy to people. This later took over the Roman
society and became the official religion of Rome. (Cowell, 193-4)
In all and all the mythology of both Romans and Greeks was surprising
similar, but in ways they were very much apart. The Greeks were very much
involved in their religion with stories, myths, legends, and in depth
descriptions of their personality and physical appearance. They all lived the
life that is dreamed of by many, but not achieved by much. They all expressed
something with their powers and their ability of ruling over normal mankind.
The Romans had nothing to do with any of this. Their religion wasn’t as serious
as of that of the Greeks. They did not have the mystical life like that of the
Greeks, but rather they were represented in statues and worshipped at certain
times of the year. This all could not make their time of worship last, but it
was rather the end of a great time of religious beliefs. It was the end of a
legacy to some and the beginning of the new to others. The age had to come to
an end, but it never ended in the lives of some. So today in its own way it
plays its part, it is just how in is thought about in the eyes of society and
accepted by the people of the day.
The ancient Greek and ancient Roman religion was the belief in gods.
They had similar beliefs, but also vast differences. They came from each other
and gave their people a form of morality. It was composed of many meaningful
gods and goddesses that all played a part in the everyday life of the average
Roman and Greek person of that time.
They believed in something called polytheism. It is the belief of many
gods; each given a personality, function, relationship to each other through
family, and to be the subject of many myths and legends that were to be told for
many of years to come. They were to become the basis for a religion that would
last for hundreds of years and would yield thousands of followers to believe in
the made stories of these enchanted people or gods