Roman Mythology: Top 20 Gods and Goddesses
These are the cream of the crop when it comes to Roman gods and goddesses. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most enduring members of the Roman pantheon.
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00:00He's journeyed across all of Asia, through India, and finally back to Rome,
00:05spreading the mysteries of the vine.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most enduring members of the Roman pantheon.
00:14The Romans? Mars? That is their god of war.
00:25The Greek gods and goddesses may predate the Roman era,
00:28but that doesn't necessarily mean that this pantheon is devoid of unique personalities.
00:32Janus is one such god, a symbol of new beginnings, of doorways into unique experiences.
00:38Bearing two faces, Janus is ever looking to the future and to the past.
00:42This could be translated as both metaphorical and literal,
00:46since openings of non-temple buildings in Rome were often named after Janus.
00:50The calendar year of January is named after this two-faced god.
00:54Meanwhile, a comparatively more recent example of his influence lies within the film distribution company Janus Films,
01:00a collaborator with the Criterion Collection.
01:02This company opened up the proverbial gates for arthouse cinema directors like Fellini,
01:07Kurosawa, and Antonioni to be exposed to a new audience.
01:17Many members of the Roman pantheon were adaptations of Greek gods and goddesses that were already in place.
01:22That said, nearly every mythological heritage features a personification of death,
01:27and Mors served this place for the Romans.
01:30Mors is essentially a take on the Greek god Thanatos,
01:33in that Mors doesn't necessarily preside over a domain, like Hades.
01:38Instead, Mors embodies this physical state within ancient Roman culture and art.
01:43The name of Mors also possesses a confusing gender identity,
01:47since it is female in origin yet usually depicted in a masculine form.
01:51This conflicts with poetic descriptions of Mors from artists like Seneca and Horace,
01:56who utilize female pronouns to describe her pale, ghostly appearance.
02:03This next goddess is something of a softball pick, since her name has endured so much into the modern day.
02:08Luna is, of course, the Roman goddess of the moon, a counterpoint to Sol, the sun god.
02:14There exist other members of the Roman pantheon that are associated with this celestial body, such as Diana and Juno,
02:19but Luna still stands as a unique figure from this period.
02:23The image of Luna riding her yoked chariot across the night sky is a powerful one,
02:27and indicative of just how memorable these mythological beings still can feel to our culture today.
02:37Flora is another somewhat obvious moniker on this list, that of the Roman goddess of flowers.
02:42This minor deity is just one of multiple members of the Roman pantheon that embody nature-based characteristics,
02:48with Flora celebrating specifically the fertility of springtime.
02:51This association with nature, as well as the sexualized celebration rituals that were often associated with her priesthood,
02:58have also made her popular with pagan sects.
03:00This modern day appreciation ensures that the cycle of rebirth associated with goddesses like Flora
03:05remains in the conversation for new age practitioners and historians.
03:11Ceres, goddess of agriculture, fertility, motherhood, and the earth.
03:15The worlds of both Roman and Greek mythology possess gods that run the gamut from major to minor.
03:21For example, there are a number of minor deities from Rome that are associated with agriculture,
03:26yet Ceres is so important that she is included among Rome's principal gods and goddesses.
03:31This earth mother is a member of the De Concentris, the twelve deity panel of Rome's most important mythological figures.
03:38The maturity of Ceres in her physical and artistic depictions underlines her matriarchal status,
03:43and she's largely considered analogous today to Demeter in Greece.
03:52The Roman god Faunus retains the word faun in his name,
03:55making it quite easy to make comparisons to films like Pan's Labyrinth with regard to his appearance.
04:03Faunus possesses a close association with the Greek god Pan,
04:07both of whom are sacred to shepherds and those who till the fields.
04:10Early historical depictions of Faunus actually eschewed physical similarities to this end,
04:15although comparatively more recent images of this god have blurred those lines.
04:19Indeed, later sculptures and paintings of Faunus even deign to include goat hindquarters to the god's design,
04:25forever connecting him to fertility, nature, and the wild plains.
04:31Juno, queen of the gods, goddess of marriage and childbirth.
04:34Every king needs a queen, and for the Romans, the name of that exalted goddess was Juno.
04:39This consort to Jupiter was the patron saint of Rome herself,
04:43and gave birth to fellow gods Mars, Vulcan, Juventus, Bellona, and Lucina.
04:48Juno wasn't just considered a wife and mother, however, but also a goddess of politics and battle.
04:54She was a counselor, and also a protector of Roman women.
04:57Juno's Greek counterpart is Hera,
04:59and her reputation was equally feared and respected as any other names throughout the Roman pantheon.
05:13It's quite easy sometimes to simplify how the Romans adapted the personality traits of the Greek gods into their own folktales and stories.
05:20The image of Vulcan doesn't feel, on the surface, to be much different from Hephaestus, his Greek counterpart.
05:27Both gods are blacksmiths, creating weapons and armor in their great forges.
05:31Vulcan is also the god of fire itself, a deity of dangerous volcanoes and barren deserts.
05:37This god also shares certain physical similarities to Hephaestus,
05:40in that both are often depicted as bearded and bearing a smith's hammer.
05:44However, Vulcan doesn't appear to retain the physical disabilities, nor the marked ugliness of his Greek parallel.
05:52Diana, a.k.a. Diana Nemerensis, goddess of the hunt, wild animals, fertility, and the moon.
05:59The origin story of Diana Nemerensis, a.k.a. Diana of the Wood,
06:03was ushered into Roman mythology from this nature goddess' mirror image from Greece, Artemis.
06:08Both heavenly ladies are goddesses of the hunt, nature, and fertility.
06:12Both are warriors, possess a strong independent streak, and make fearsome enemies for those who cross their paths.
06:18Additionally, there are other minor deities that are often incorporated under the larger banner of Diana,
06:24including Luna and Sibylle.
06:25This is due to Diana's association with the moon, menstruation, and womanhood.
06:30Artemis and Diana certainly possess many similarities,
06:33but this Roman goddess' persona has also endured today,
06:37and her name is often mentioned whenever these myths come up in conversation.
06:42Apollo, god of oracles, healing, music and arts, light, and knowledge.
06:46The legacy of Apollo is similar to that of his sister Diana,
06:50in that large amounts of his Greek history were adapted when he moved to Rome.
06:56In fact, the Roman Apollo was considered to be one and the same from the Greeks,
07:00an inherited deity, if you will.
07:02This god was a seer and a prophet, a light giver and muse for both law and the arts.
07:08Apollo was considered a musician, poet and doctor, healing the sick and injured.
07:20Yet his wrath could also incur disease for those who fell out of his favor.
07:24Additionally, one of Apollo's many offspring was Asclepius, the patron saint of medicine and doctors.
07:31Number 10. Mercury, the messenger god, god of travelers, thieves and commerce.
07:46Mercury's duty as messenger of the gods carried over from his Greek counterpart Hermes,
07:51but his Roman incarnation further developed his role as patron god of travelers,
07:56financial gain, providence, and more.
07:58That's a pretty wide range of responsibilities.
08:01In the ancient poem Fasti by Ovid, Mercury is tasked with bringing the nymph Lorenda to the underworld,
08:06though Mercury, also a god of trickery, gets a bit sidetracked, and the two have sex.
08:11What a reputation.
08:12Mercury is depicted wearing a winged hat and shoes.
08:15Look familiar? They should.
08:17They were adopted by DC's The Flash, who's based on this Roman god.
08:21And in a blur of motion, police scientist Barry Allen becomes the Flash, world's fastest human.
08:29Mercury's speed also inspired Ford to name a division of premium cars after him.
08:34Well, a guy's gotta get places.
08:36Number 9. Bacchus, god of wine, agriculture, ecstasy, and theater.
08:41It's a wondrous addition to Bacchus, to a full drink.
08:46Bacchus!
08:47Bacchus!
08:48Bacchus!
08:49Bacchus!
08:50If there's one Roman god you'd want to party with, it's definitely Bacchus.
08:53The complete Roman equivalent of the Greek Dionysus, he's best known as the god of wine.
08:58The fact that the ancient Romans had a god specifically for wine
09:02makes us think that they were probably pretty awesome and definitely had their priorities in order.
09:06This is just the first stop of the no-holds-barred Bacchanalia.
09:11The Romans took their worship of Bacchus to the next level by holding a festival in the god's honor called Bacchanalia,
09:17which, from what we can tell, was just a giant orgy.
09:20And his penchant for staging elaborate private Bacchanalia,
09:24replete with extravagant scenery and costumes not seen since the reign of Caligula.
09:30The festival was considered so debaucherous that the government basically tried to ban it across all of Italy in 186 BC.
09:36Sorry, guys, you know the rules. No fun allowed.
09:39Come on, you pansy! I'm thirsty. I want me some Tennessee lupi juice!
09:49Honestly, Cupid has always kind of creeped us out.
09:52You'll definitely recognize this chubby, winged, naked baby as one of the symbols of Valentine's Day
09:57and thus a mainstay in popular culture.
09:59It is I, Cupid, god of love.
10:07Oh, baby, this is gonna be a happy, happy Valentine's Day.
10:12In myths, he plays a comparatively small role,
10:15whose purpose is mostly to stir up trouble by piercing someone with an arrow and putting them under his lustful spell.
10:21Cupid has managed to surface in modern media from the Santa Claus 2 and 3
10:25to the one-season ABC flop Cupid starring Jeremy Piven.
10:28It's a Valentine's Day conspiracy.
10:30I don't blow my own horn, so I end up on wrapping paper looking like a fat, winged baby.
10:35There you go, look at that, huh?
10:37He thinks he's Cupid?
10:39You'd think the god of erotic love and desire would have a little more street cred.
10:43Maybe putting some pants on would help.
10:46That little rascal stole all of Cupid's arrows and went on a shooting spree.
10:50I'm talking about baby bliss, you know.
10:53Saturn, god of time and agriculture.
11:06Another god, another awesome festival.
11:09Near the end of December, Romans celebrated Saturnalia in honor of Saturn.
11:13It was a joyous time when gifts were exchanged and slaves were given temporary freedoms.
11:18Hey, Sheldon, are you and Leonard putting up a Christmas tree?
11:20No, because we don't celebrate the ancient pagan festival of Saturnalia.
11:24The festival actually shares a lot of similarities with the Western tradition of Christmas,
11:29and its placement near the end of the calendar year meant that Saturn came to be connected
11:33with the passage of time and particularly the shift to the new year.
11:36Christmas has its roots in the pagan festival of Saturnalia,
11:41which is traditionally celebrated by intoxication, naked singing,
11:46and the consumption of human-shaped biscuits.
11:48Even today, our calendars bear his name in the form of Saturday,
11:51and the planet Saturn also demonstrates his lasting influence.
11:55But like his Greek counterpart Kronos, Saturn's relationship with his children was less than perfect,
12:00since he had a tendency to, you know, eat them.
12:06Whereas the Greek god of death Hades was basically the most diabolical guy around,
12:10Pluto was actually a revered and respected Roman god, seen as a pitiable figure.
12:15Hades provoked fear, but Pluto was worshipped as the god of wealth and abundance,
12:20especially of the Earth and its crops.
12:22Given that the underworld was located below the soil, he came to be responsible for that as well.
12:27Unlike his brother Jupiter, who procreated excessively,
12:30Pluto was never said to have any children, and was monogamous with his wife Proserpina.
12:35Of course, Christianity later drew associations between Pluto and the devil,
12:39but it seems like he may just have been one seriously misunderstood dude.
12:43And show unto us, I beseech you, the gods of the underworld!
12:52How about Minerva, after the Roman goddess of wisdom?
12:56Not enough commercial appeal.
12:58Minerva's beginnings were, well, strange.
13:01After the god Jupiter impregnated the titaness Metis,
13:04Jupiter remembered a prophecy saying that one of his offspring would usurp him.
13:08Logically, he ate the pregnant Metis and hoped for the best.
13:11After suffering from terrible headaches,
13:13he got one of his buddies to split his head open and out came a fully-formed and armed Minerva.
13:19Clearly, this chick was hardcore.
13:21Minerva has become a symbol of academia,
13:23and is featured in the seals and emblems of many educational institutions.
13:27Fans of the Harry Potter series will surely see the connection to education
13:31in the character of the wise and stern Professor Minerva McGonagall,
13:34who was named after the goddess.
13:36Your skills, after all, are legend.
13:42It comes from Mars, the god of war.
13:48And it means little warrior.
13:51Remember how it was Jupiter who gave birth to Minerva and not, you know, her mother?
13:55Well, Jupiter's wife Juno, not Minerva's mother Metis,
13:59yes, Jupiter was a player,
14:00decided to get back at Jupiter for stealing her role in childbirth and having Minerva alone.
14:05The myth tells of a magical flower that let her conceive without the help of a man.
14:09And the result of this little experiment? Mars.
14:12Like Pluto, Mars is the more likable version of his Greek counterpart Ares.
14:17Though Mars is the god of war,
14:19he is not a violent or aggressive figure,
14:21but rather someone who uses warfare as a means to achieve peace.
14:25The Romans believed that sword belonged to Mars, their god of war.
14:29We all know the legend, thank you.
14:31We were told it as children.
14:35Who are you?
14:36I'm Venus, daughter of Jupiter, goddess of love.
14:38In Botticelli's famous painting, The Birth of Venus,
14:41we see the myth of Venus's inception depicted in all its glory.
14:45The painting may be beautiful, but the story is not.
14:48As legend goes, Saturn castrated his father, Calus,
14:52and threw his genitalia into the sea.
14:54And from the horror and gore came something truly beautiful.
14:58This alluring goddess.
15:00At least he wasn't a Roman god. Those guys are jerks.
15:02Her connection to the Roman people is perhaps closer than any other figure on this list,
15:07as her son, Aeneas, brought the surviving Trojans over to Italy to establish Rome.
15:12In today's pop culture, the image of Venus still represents the ideals of female beauty,
15:17and is even used in marketing feminine hygiene products.
15:20Now there's a razor that swirls and swerves as every blade adjusts to your curves.
15:25Venus Swirl.
15:29That's a statue of Neptune, god of water.
15:31Believe it or not, Neptune, ruler of the deep blue, had humble beginnings.
15:36He started off as a god of smaller bodies of water like rivers and lakes.
15:40I'm Neptune, god of the sea. I sink ships and conjure up storms.
15:45No, you're not. I am. And you know nothing of my work.
15:48Before he took over as head honcho, it was Portunus or Fortunus who were to be sacrificed to
15:53and credited for any triumphs at sea.
15:55But by the first century BC, Neptune had solidified his place.
15:59The navy is ever assembled.
16:01Old Neptune, shake thy hoary locks.
16:04Fifty-eight ships are underway, of every tonnage and firing range.
16:08Of all the gods on our list, this brother of Jupiter and Pluto definitely makes the most impressive entrance.
16:14Rolling in on a chariot pulled by water horses while brandishing his trident.
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16:34Number 1. Jupiter, God of Thunder and King of the Gods.
16:38In the Roman myth, Jupiter, the god, drew a veil of clouds around him to hide his mischief.
16:43Until Christianity was adopted by the Roman Empire, Jupiter was their number one deity.
16:48He was an omnipotent and all-encompassing god whose domain covered all aspects of life,
16:53from government to religion.
16:55In fact, an entire class of priests was devoted to making sure Jupiter was receiving proper sacrifice,
17:02something the Romans believed would earn them favor with the god.
17:05The incestuous relationship Jupiter had with his sister wife, Juno, was carried over from their Greek counterparts.
17:11Though their relationship was probably more complicated because Jupiter had trouble keeping it in his toga.
17:16Despite these shortcomings, Jupiter is the most powerful and epic of all the gods,
17:21earning him the title of King of the Gods and the King of this list.
17:25Hail Jupiter! Give me victory.
17:28Who's your favorite Roman god or goddess?
17:30Let us know in the comments.
17:32The curtain descends. Everything ends too soon.
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