French Riviera History

Table of the roman gods and goddesses

Table of the roman gods and goddesses

Roman God Sphere of Operation

Name

M/F

Misc. Data

Abundance

Copia

 

Abundance

Porus

 

Abundance

Volumnus

 

Action

Agenor

 

Aids in strenuous work; also healing

Strenia

Old Sabine goddess; temple on the Via Sacra; also oversees distribution of new year's gifts

Aids the weary

Fessonia

 

Boundaries

Terminus

Very old and important deity; his festival, the Terminalia, was in February; landowners sacrificed at the boundary stones of their property

Civic: spirit of the Palatine

Palatua

Identified with Pales

Civic: welfare of the state

Salus

 

Commerce, Weights, and Measures

Castor & Pollux

Greek imports but very important and ubiquitous

Communications; doors; the harbor

Portunus; Portumnus

Appears in the Aeneid

Council; good advice

Consus

 

Death

Tarpeia

 

Death: funerals

Larenta

 

Death: funerals

Libitina

Register of the dead is kept at her temples

Death: funerals

Naenia

Especially funerals of the aged

Death: power over life and death

Genita-Mana

Name means "Birth-Death"

Discord

Ate, Discordia

Daughter of Nox, goddess of evil, exiled from Olympus by Jove; sister of Nemesis, the Parcae, and Death

Disease

Verminus

Name means "wormy"

Disease: fever

Febris

 

Disease: stenches that produce illness: swamps and sewer

Mefitis

 

Disease: the itch

Scabies

 

Doors; beginnings and endings;

Janus

Major deity; see Terminus, Portunus

Emotion: Alarm

Pavor

Child of Mars

Emotion: dispels mental anguish

Volupia

 

Emotion: family harmony

Verplaca

Families reconciled at her temple on the Palatine

Emotion: fear

Pallor

Child of Mars

Emotion: inspiration

Stimula

 

Excrement

Caca

Ministered to by the Vestals

Fertility

Nerio

Consort of Mars; old Sabine goddess

Flowers

Flora

Gave magic flower to Juno so she could conceive Mars without a father; joyful Floralia in March w/ theater, games

Food

Edesia

 

Food: apples

Pomona

Entire month of September was sacred to her; festival participants decked out in flowers

Food: baking

Fornax

"Oven"; festival of the Fornacalia celebrated in February; also call the "Festival of the Stupid"

Food: beverages

Bibesia

 

Food: fruit, abundance of

Frutesca

 

Food: honey

Mellona

 

Food: the grindstone

Molae

Daughter of Mars; Worshipped by millers

Fraud and deception

Fraus

A young woman with hidden deformities and a snake's tail; daughter of Orcus and Nox

Healing

Caia Caecilia

Deified mortal princess Tanaquil

Healing

Meditrina

Sister of Hygeia, daughter of Aesculapius; restored health, whereas Hygeia preserved health; festival in October

Healing

Minerva Medica

Goddess of physicians; Greek Athena

Healing

Valentia

Umbrian town of Oriculum

Healing: especially of poison

Angitia

Sister of Circe and Medea; sacred grove on Lake Fuscinus where both poisonous snakes and medicinal herbs were found

Healing; prophecy; water: river god

Clitumnus

Umbrian

Highway bandits

Furrina

Festival at the end of June

Home: hinges

Cluerca or Carda

Originally a nymph and virgin huntress; fooled would-be suitors by sending them ahead of her into a cave and then disappearing; couldn't fool Janus who could see in both directions; he made her a goddess

Home: lintels

Limentinus

 

Home: thresholds

Forculus

 

Home: Weaving

Lina

 

Horses

Epona

 

Industry and Silence

Agenoria

 

Journeys

Adeona

 

Kindness, good will, the Etruscan federation

Voltumna

 

Landscape: groves

Nemestrinus

Mentioned only by Arbonius

Landscape: hills and downs

Collatina

 

Landscape: nature

Sylvanus

Frightening deity, sometimes beneficent

Landscape: old nature god

Picus

Son of Saturn; Father of Sylvanus; So beautiful all who saw him fell in love; "woodpecker"

Landscape: the earth

Tellumo

Very old god

Landscape: trees, orchards, woods

Feronia

Goddess who tames what is wild; frees slaves

Landscapes: the valleys

Vallonia

 

Lares, Mother of, wife of Mercury

Lara

Mother by Jupiter; an Etruscan goddess

Luck

Bonus Eventus

Affected single events, not the course of a life

Marriage

Jugatinus

Also mountain ridges

Marriage: brings the bride into the house

Domitius; Domidius

 

Marriage: courtship

Juga

 

Marriage: Honeymoon

Subigus

Tutelary god of the wedding night

Marriage: honeymoon; loosens the bride's girdle

Cinxia

 

Marriage: keeps the couple together

Manturnae

 

Marriage: mutual Love and tenderness

Anteros

 

Mediator between gods and humans

Soranus

Health, purification,

savage, ecstatic rites

Money

Pecunia

 

Money: metal coins

Aesculanus

 

Monster

Cacus

Three-headed, fire-breathing monster killed by Hercules in fight over some of Geryon's cattle

Monster

Volta

Volsciian monster; depicted in Etruscan art as daemonic entity with wolf's head

Moon

Luna

 

Night

Noctornus

Perhaps same as Vesper or Nox

Numbers

Numeria

 

Nymph

Carmenta

Mother of the Camenae; aka Postverta

Nymph

Egeria

A Camena

Oaths

Fidius Dius; Sanctus Saber; Semipater

 

Oaths

Semo Sancus

Old Latin deity; see Fides in Virtues & Personifications

Openings of roads and towns

Panda

 

Persuasion

Suadela

 

Pleasure: Beauty

Hora

 

Pleasure: Coition

Perfica

 

Pleasure: Laziness

Mercia

 

Pleasure: Leisure and Repose

Vacuna

Festival in December

Pleasure: Lust

Libentina

 

Pleasure: Night life

Comus

 

Pleasure: Sensuality

Voluptas

 

Prayer

Peta

 

Protectress of things purified by ritual

Lua

Wife of Saturn

Protects from enemies, drives them away

Pellonia

 

Protects from evil, envy, black magic, demons, illness

Fascinus

 

Punishment

Poena

 

Reputation, rumor

Fama

A troublesome goddess, mixes truth and falsehood

Sewers

Cloacina

"The Purifier"

Silence (or change)

Muta / Tacita

 

Singing

Camoena

 

Slavery: freedom and manumission

Libertas

Cats are dear to her

Stars: Morning star

Lucifer

M/F

 

Thieves and Impostors

Laverna

Had an altar and sanctuary grove on the Aventine where thieves hid and prayed to her for the appearance of honesty

Time: the cycling year

Anna Perenna

Ovid tells of how she was go-between when Mars wooed Nerio; substituted herself, an old crone, for Nerio at the assignation; festival on Ides of March at which people drank as many glasses of wine as years they wished to live

Time: the future

Antevorta

 

Time: the month of March

Mamurius Veturius

"The old man of March," expelled during the March festival

Time: the past

Postvorta

 

Time: the seasons; ruler of trade and produce

Vertumnus

Connection to the seasons may be spurious; husband of Pomona; festival in October

Time: winter solstice; also suffering and silence

Angerona

 

Tolerance and Mercy

Clementia

 

Travel: Protects ocean voyagers; also goddess of the dawn; aids in childbirth

Mater Mutata

Matralia (summer solstice) in July where women acted out the role of the goddess

Underworld

Veiovis; Vediovis

Not really like Pluto

Underworld: Ghosts

Mania

Grandmother of Ghosts; probably Etruscan; sacrificed to with poppy heads and garlic

Underworld; protected internal organs; white magic; protected the exterior of houses

Carna

also protected the state; quelled evil or traitorous thoughts; a virgin deified after Janus violated her; festival in June when bacon and beans were consumed

Unknown

Hersilia

Sabine wife of Romulus, deified by Juno

Unknown

Falacer

Deified Italic hero; had an established priesthood and temple in Rome; absolutely nothing is known about him

Unknown

Feretris

 

Unknown

Lapis

?

"Stone"

Unknown

Larenta

May have been the she-wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus; may have been goddess of prostitutes

Virginity

Daphne

 

Voice, disembodied

Aius Locutius

?

Divine voice that warned Rome that the Gauls were attacking; chapel and altar on the Via Nova

Voice, disembodied

Canens

Wife of Picus, mother of Faunus; after Circe transformed Picus into a woodpecker, Canens called his name until she wasted away to just a voice

War; sister of Mars

Bellona

Carried a whip; snakes for hair; initiated war by pitching a spear into the enemy country; temple had no doors; spear thrown over the column of war; priests mutilated selves, offered blood; festival in June w/ races between boys and men

Water

Neverita

Wife of Neptune

Water: Albula, a sulfurous river; a grove goddess residing in a spring at Tibur

Albunea

Prophetic; Varro calls her a sibyl; "the white"

Water: hot springs of Abona

Abonius

 

Water: ocean deeps

Salacia

Wife of Neptune

Water: ocean shallows

Venelia

Wife of Neptune

Water: springs

Fons

Her festival, the Fontinalia, in October when the springs begin to flow again after the summer heat

Water: springs

Juturna

A Camena; lover of Janus

Water: the Tiber

Volturnus

aka Tiberinus

Weather: lightning

Fulgora

 

Weather: Nocturnal thunderstorms

Summanus

 

Women: menstruation

Fluonia

 

Women: protects virginity

Pertunda

 

Youth, young men of Rome

Juventas