by PrincessNike

Created on: March 13, 2007   Last Updated: May 08, 2007

Roman gods include the "12 Olympians," personal gods, and place gods. Roman gods are often identified with corresponding Greek gods, but in truth they did not all start out that way. For instance, Venus was originally a goddess of flora, not love. It was only through the process of assimilation that the Roman gods took on the attributes of foreign gods. The Romans embraced other cultures' ideas, and made them their own, even when those ideas were about religion.

The twelve Olympians are:

1. Jupiter. Compared to the Greek Zeus, he is the Father god and the Sky god.
2. Juno. Jupiter's wife. Goddess of married women and mothers, her Greek counterpart is Hera.
3. Neptune. God of the Seas, like the Greek god Poseidon. Brother of Jupiter.
4. Pluto. God of the Underworld. Brother of Jupiter. Similar to the Greek god Hades.
5. Vulcan. Maimed God of the Forge. Husband to Venus. His Greek counterpart is Hephaestus.
6. Vesta. Goddess of the Hearth. Jupiter's sister. The Vestal Virgins were her priestesses. Similar to the Greek Hestia.
7. Venus. Goddess of Love. The Greek is Aphrodite.
8. Mars. God of War. Son of Jupiter and Juno. Identified with the Greek god Ares.
9. Minerva. Goddess of Wisdom. Daughter of Jupiter. Conflated with the Greek goddess Athena.
10. Mercury. Messenger god. Shown with the Caduceus staff and winged sandals. Son of Jupiter. His Greek counterpart is Hermes.
11. Apollo. God of the Sun, of Prophecy, and of Music. Jupiter's son, Diana's twin.
12. Diana (Greek Artemis.) Goddess of the Hunt and of the Moon. Jupiter's daughter and Apollo's sister.

In addition, other important gods in the Roman Pantheon included:
-Ceres (Demeter.) The goddess of Grain. Jupiter's sister.
-Bacchus (Dionysus.) The God of Wine. Son of Zeus by a human princess.
-Prosepine (Persephone.) Daughter of Ceres, wife of Hades. Goddess of Spring.

Each Roman family had personal family gods (actually ancestors), which were called Lares. And every home had a god of their hearth: these were called Penates.

The Romans also worshiped gods of places, especially Springs. Some sanctuaries dedicated to springs went back to Etruscan times. There were also gods who were personifications of places or nations: for instance, Roma, the goddess of Rome.

Learn more about this author, PrincessNike.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.