If you’re fascinated by the tapestry of ancient Rome, you’ve likely encountered a pantheon of powerful gods and goddesses. Much like human society, the Roman divine world was structured around families, relationships, and legacies. Understanding these divine family trees offers a unique lens through which to explore the concept of “Roman Family Names,” not in the sense of surnames as we know them today, but as identifiers of lineage, power, and influence within their mythological framework.
Just as prominent Roman families like the Julii or the Cornelii shaped the course of history, the families of Roman gods dictated the narratives of myth and legend. Exploring these divine connections allows us to delve into the heart of Roman culture, beliefs, and the very essence of how they perceived the world.
Perhaps you’re already familiar with my illustrated explorations of mythology, like my book, Gods and Heroes, or the Roman God Family Tree poster. These projects delve into the intricate relationships of deities across various cultures. Now, let’s journey specifically into the Roman pantheon and uncover the stories behind their names and familial bonds.
You might notice some familiar faces if you’ve seen my Greek God Family Tree. There’s a compelling reason for this overlap. When the Romans encountered other cultures and their gods, they often interpreted them in two ways: either these foreign gods were simply Roman gods under different names, or they were distinct entities but somehow connected to the Roman divine family. As Roman culture absorbed Greek influences, a fascinating merging of Greek, Etruscan, and native Italian deities occurred. Distinguishing between figures like Athena (Greek) and Minerva (Roman) can become quite blurry, and often they are treated as different facets of the same goddess. While we’ll focus on the distinctly Roman aspects, some overlap is inevitable and, in fact, historically accurate.
TERRA
Primeval Goddess of Earth (Greek: Gaia)
Also known as Tellus, Terra embodies the primordial Earth Mother. In Roman times, she was frequently honored alongside Ceres, the goddess of agriculture and fertility. Rituals for Terra sometimes involved the sacrifice of a pregnant cow, a practice that, while jarring to modern sensibilities, reflected a different relationship with nature and sustenance in ancient Rome. Terra’s lineage is dramatic: she birthed Caelus (Sky) and then, in union with him, spawned monstrous offspring like the hundred-handed giants and Cyclopes. Caelus, repulsed by these children, imprisoned them within Terra herself, causing her immense pain. Driven by this suffering, Terra conspired with her Titan offspring to overthrow Caelus, famously castrating him.
Interestingly, Terra’s name, in its Latin form, became synonymous with the planet Earth itself, and is also used for satellites observing our world, highlighting her enduring connection to our planet in modern language.
CAELUS
Primeval God of the Sky (Greek: Uranus or Ouranos)
Sometimes referred to as Caelum, the origins of Caelus are debated. Some believe him to be a native Roman deity, while others see him as a Romanized version of the Greek Uranus. Regardless of his precise origin, Caelus inherited the myths associated with Ouranos, the Greek sky god who married his mother and suffered castration at the hands of his children. Alternative accounts suggest Caelus arose from primordial gods of air and day. While Caelus himself didn’t lend his name to a planet, his Greek counterpart, Uranus, did. When William Herschel discovered the seventh planet, he initially proposed “Georgium Sidus” (George’s Star) in honor of King George III. However, this name lacked international appeal. Johann Bode, a German astronomer, suggested “Uranus,” a name rooted in classical mythology that ultimately prevailed.
THEMIS
Titan Goddess of Divine Justice (Greek: Themis)
Themis embodies a concept of justice rooted in ancient Roman philosophical and cultural contexts, significantly removed from modern understandings. To grasp her essence, consider the generational gap between you and your grandparents, and then multiply that gap by twenty. This vast distance separates us from the worldview of those who revered Themis. In some narratives, Themis is presented as the mother of the Fates, figures who controlled destiny. In 1905, an astronomer mistakenly identified a tenth moon of Saturn and named it Themis. Though this moon proved nonexistent, the name was later applied to a group of asteroids, the largest of which also bears the name Themis, demonstrating the lasting influence of her name in celestial nomenclature.
MONETA
Titan Goddess of Memory (Greek: Mnemosyne)
Moneta, in this context, is equivalent to the Greek Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory and mother of the Muses, the inspirers of arts and sciences. However, “Moneta” also served as a title for Juno, a major Roman goddess. Juno Moneta became associated with money, as coinage was minted in her temples. This association is why “moneta” became the root of numerous modern words for “money” or “coin” across various languages, including “money” in English and its cognates in Romance and Slavic languages, illustrating the enduring linguistic legacy of this Roman divine name.
HYPERION
Titan God of Light (Greek: Hyperion)
Hyperion’s primary significance lies in being the father of the sun god. He joined the Titans in their war against Jupiter and the Olympian gods, and subsequently shared their fate of banishment to Tartarus, the deepest abyss of the underworld. Hyperion’s name also graces a moon of Saturn, notable for its irregular shape and cratered surface. Furthermore, it has been adopted by various fictional characters, including several superheroes or superhero variants within the Marvel universe, showcasing the name’s continued resonance in popular culture.
THEIA
Titan Goddess of Heavenly Light (Greek: Theia)
“Heavenly Light” in Theia’s case refers to the bright, blue daytime sky, contrasting with overcast or nighttime skies. Intriguingly, Theia is also the name of a hypothetical planet theorized to have collided with Earth approximately 4.5 billion years ago. This collision is believed to have ejected debris that coalesced to form our Moon. If this theory holds true, then fragments of Theia are incorporated into both the Earth and the Moon, a cosmic merging that suggests we might be standing on remnants of this ancient celestial body.
CRIUS
Titan God of the Constellations (Greek: Krios)
Crius remains a relatively obscure figure in both Greek and Roman mythology. Historical texts offer little information about him beyond his status as a Titan.
SOL
God of the Sun (Greek: Helios)
Sol’s identity is somewhat fluid, sometimes conflated with gods like Janus and Apollo. It’s also suggested that Sol may represent two distinct, chronologically separate sun gods: Sol Indiges and Sol Invictus. However, he is most commonly identified with the Greek sun god Helios. Mythologically, Sol resides in a golden palace at the eastern edge of the world. Each day, adorned with a radiant crown, he drives his chariot across the sky. Upon reaching the western horizon, he sails back to his eastern palace in a golden cup, famously loaned to Hercules on one occasion. “Sol” is also the Latin term for the sun, reflecting the god’s direct association with this celestial body.
AURORA
Goddess of the Dawn (Greek: Eos)
Aurora’s role is to herald the arrival of Sol each morning, painting the sky with the colors of dawn. However, she is perhaps more renowned in mythology for her passionate nature, described as having an “unquenchable desire for handsome young men.” One notable tale involves her love for Tithonus, a Trojan prince. Aurora pleaded with Jupiter to grant him immortality, but she neglected to request eternal youth. As a result, Tithonus aged relentlessly, shrinking and wrinkling until he transformed into a cicada. Aurora’s name also designates one of the largest asteroids in the asteroid belt, further extending her celestial connections.
LUNA
Goddess of the Moon (Greek: Selene)
Luna is typically depicted as a beautiful woman crowned with a crescent moon, driving her chariot across the night sky. Appropriately, Luna is the Latin name for Earth’s Moon. Similar to Aurora’s tale, Luna also sought immortality for her lover from Jupiter. However, in Luna’s request, eternal youth was included alongside immortality. Her lover was granted eternal slumber in a cave on Mount Latmus, where Luna visited him nightly. This myth, alongside others involving Roman deities, raises questions about ancient Roman concepts of consent and relationships, particularly given Luna’s divine status and Jupiter’s apparent approval.
OCEANUS
Titan God of the Sea (Greek: Okeanos)
Oceanus was originally conceived as the god of the vast river believed by the Greeks to encircle the world. As geographical exploration debunked the existence of such a river, Oceanus’s dominion shifted to the Atlantic Ocean, while Poseidon assumed rulership over the more strategically important Mediterranean Sea.
TETHYS
Titan Goddess of Fresh Water (Greek: Tethys)
Tethys and Oceanus are considered the progenitors of countless water-related deities and beings, though only a fraction are typically named in mythological accounts. Neither Tethys nor Oceanus are central figures in many surviving myths. Tethys is also the name of a moon of Saturn, primarily composed of ice, linking her name to a celestial body in the outer solar system.
JAPETUS
Titan God of Mortality (Greek: Iapetos)
Japetus (or Iapetus, both spellings are used) is primarily significant as the father of Prometheus, a pivotal figure in mythology. Iapetus also lends his name to a strikingly bi-colored moon of Saturn, one hemisphere dark and the other bright, making it visually distinct.
PLEIONE
Water Nymph (Greek: Pleione)
Pleione is one of the myriad daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. Her inclusion in genealogies often stems from her role as the grandmother of a more prominent god, highlighting the interconnectedness of divine lineages.
ATLAS
Bearer of the Heavens (Greek: Atlas)
The iconic image of Atlas supporting a celestial sphere is widely recognized. Statues depicting Atlas often show him bearing the world, but mythologically, his burden was the heavens, the celestial vault. Atlas’s name is also given to a small moon of Saturn, continuing the celestial naming convention associated with many of these deities.
PROMETHEUS
God of Forethought (Greek: Prometheus)
Prometheus is credited with creating humanity and is renowned for his acts of defiance and benevolence towards humankind. His most famous deed is stealing fire from the gods and gifting it to humans, an act of profound significance. As punishment, Jupiter chained Prometheus to a mountain where an eagle perpetually devoured his liver, which regenerated daily, ensuring eternal torment. This punishment continued until the hero Hercules intervened and freed Prometheus. His name has resonated through history, attached to numerous books, films, video games, a moon of Saturn, a volcano on another Saturnian moon, and even a NASA project for nuclear-powered spacecraft (though initially intended for Jupiter, not Saturn).
EPIMETHEUS
God of Afterthought and Excuses (Greek: Epimetheus)
Epimetheus is often portrayed as the less intelligent brother of Prometheus, characterized by his impulsivity and lack of foresight. In the creation myth, the brothers were tasked with distributing traits to animals and humans. Epimetheus allegedly bestowed all advantageous attributes to animals, leaving humans vulnerable. This prompted Prometheus to steal fire for humanity to compensate for Epimetheus’s oversight. Later, Jupiter sent Pandora, the first woman, to Epimetheus as a gift, despite Prometheus’s warnings. Pandora’s jar (often mislabeled as a box) unleashed plagues and miseries upon humanity when opened, forever associating Epimetheus with negative consequences. Like his brother, Epimetheus also names a small moon orbiting Saturn.
SATURN
Titan God of Time (Greek: Kronos)
Saturn is the Titan who castrated his father, Caelus, and subsequently ruled as king of the gods until his own son, Jupiter, overthrew him. Saturn’s worship is deeply rooted in Roman history, appearing in some of the earliest Roman records. His major festival, Saturnalia, was a week-long celebration around the winter solstice, marked by revelry, feasting, gift-giving, and social inversions, where, according to some accounts, masters served their slaves. Saturn’s name is also associated with the planet Saturn, a video game console, a defunct car brand, and the Saturn class rockets used by NASA for lunar missions in the 1960s and 70s.
OPIS
Titan Goddess of Fertility and Wealth (Greek: Rhea)
Opis, wife of Saturn, faced a grim prophecy that one of her children would dethrone him. To prevent this, Saturn devoured each of their children at birth. However, when Opis gave birth to Jupiter, Terra intervened, helping Opis deceive Saturn by substituting a rock swaddled like a baby for the infant Jupiter. Saturn consumed the rock, unknowingly sparing Jupiter. Jupiter was raised in secret and, upon reaching adulthood, liberated his siblings from Saturn’s stomach and waged war against the Titans, ultimately overthrowing his father.
POLUS
Titan God of Intellect (Greek: Koios, or Coeus)
Polus, another Titan, has a limited presence in mythological narratives. He is primarily known as one of the Titans who suffered imprisonment in the underworld following their defeat by the Olympian gods.
PHOEBE
Titan Goddess of Intellect (Greek: Phoebe)
Phoebe’s primary claim to fame is being the grandmother of Apollo and Diana. Her name is also shared with a well-known character from the television show Friends, a connection I’ve previously mentioned in relation to the Greek God Family Tree.
JUNO
Queen of the Gods (Greek: Hera)
Juno holds a prominent position in Roman mythology as the patron goddess of Rome, forming the Capitoline Triad with her husband, Jupiter, and his daughter, Minerva. Like her Greek counterpart Hera, Juno is associated with women, marriage, and childbirth. Her myths often revolve around her vengeance against the women who were objects of Jupiter’s infidelities. However, Juno also encompasses roles related to war and governance. A myth recounts Juno’s attempt to prevent the founding of Rome due to a prophecy that it would destroy Carthage, a city-state she favored. Despite Juno’s efforts, Rome was founded and ultimately did destroy Carthage centuries later. Juno is also the name of an asteroid.
JUPITER
King of the Gods (Greek: Zeus)
Jupiter reigned as the supreme god in the Roman pantheon throughout Roman history, from its early kingdom days to its republic and empire eras, until Christianity replaced traditional Roman religion. Romans attributed their expansion and success to Jupiter’s favor and diligently sought to maintain his goodwill through grand temples, sacrifices, and constant praise. His most significant title, Jupiter Optimus Maximus, translates to “Jupiter Best and Greatest.” Jupiter’s extensive list of offspring with various goddesses and mortals is often attributed to both his (and Zeus’s) legendary amorousness and to diplomatic interpretations of inter-cultural divine relationships. In the ancient world, understanding the relationships between different cultures’ gods was crucial, sometimes leading to the assimilation of gods as different names for the same deity, or through narratives of interdivine interactions, including unions. The Greeks particularly favored the latter, especially concerning Zeus. Some interpretations suggest Jupiter/Zeus myths served as a form of ancient entertainment, akin to pornography. Jupiter is also the name of the largest planet in our solar system.
MAIA
Mother of Mercury (Greek: Maia)
Maia, a daughter of Atlas, sought solitude in a cave to avoid divine attention. However, Jupiter pursued her, and their union resulted in the birth of Mercury.
SEMELE
Mother of Bacchus (Greek: Semele)
Semele, a priestess, became the secret lover of Jupiter. When Jupiter’s wife, Juno, discovered the affair, she disguised herself as an elderly woman, befriended Semele, and cunningly manipulated her into asking Jupiter to grant her a wish. Jupiter, bound by an oath, had to agree. Semele, influenced by Juno, requested to see Jupiter in his full divine glory. Jupiter, knowing the mortal Semele could not withstand his true form, reluctantly complied. Semele perished, but Jupiter rescued their unborn child, Bacchus, by sewing him into his thigh until he was ready to be born. Semele is also the name of an asteroid.
LATONA
Mother of Diana and Apollo (Greek: Leto)
Latona also attracted Jupiter’s attention, resulting in her pregnancy. Juno, in her jealousy, cursed Latona, forbidding her from giving birth on mainland, island, or any land under the sun. Eventually, Latona found refuge in a cave on a floating island and, with the islanders’ consent, gave birth to twins, Diana and Apollo. Latona is also the name of a minor planet, and Leto is a larger asteroid, both reflecting her mythological associations with celestial bodies.
CERES
Goddess of Agriculture (Greek: Demeter)
Ceres is an ancient Roman goddess, with worship dating back to at least the 7th century BCE. Some etymological connections link her name to the word “cereal.” Her most famous myth, adapted from the Greek Demeter, is associated with Proserpina (Persephone), detailed below. Ceres holds the unique distinction of being both an asteroid and a dwarf planet, a dual classification in celestial terms.
MINERVA
Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy (Greek: Athena)
While many Roman gods exhibit a more martial character than their Greek counterparts, Minerva is an exception. Both Minerva and Athena are goddesses of strategic warfare and wisdom, but Minerva’s worship emphasized intellect, craftsmanship, and healing more prominently. The myth of Minerva’s birth is striking: Jupiter, after impregnating Metis, feared a prophecy that the child would overthrow him, as he had overthrown Saturn, and Saturn had overthrown Caelus. To prevent this, Jupiter swallowed Metis. Later, Jupiter suffered an intense headache. Unable to bear the pain, he commanded Vulcan, the smith-god, to cleave his head open to relieve the pressure. From Jupiter’s split head emerged Minerva, fully grown, armed, and armored. Minerva, like many other deities in this pantheon, is also the name of an asteroid.
MERCURY
Messenger of the Gods (Greek: Hermes)
Mercury is the god of travel, commerce, diplomacy, and thievery, instantly recognizable by his winged hat and sandals. He is renowned as the most mischievous prankster among the Roman gods. Even as an infant, he stole Apollo’s cattle, cleverly disguising their tracks with makeshift booties. Apollo, the god of prophecy, tracked him down and, in a resolution, traded the cattle for a musical instrument Mercury invented: the lyre, a precursor to the harp. Mercury is also the name of the planet closest to the sun and the name of America’s first human spaceflight program in the late 1950s, Project Mercury.
PENELOPE
Nymph (Greek: Penelopeia)
Penelope is a minor figure, so insignificant that she apparently lacks even asteroid namesake.
BACCHUS
God of Wine and Parties (Greek: Dionysus)
Bacchus embodies the Roman spirit of revelry and unrestrained celebration. His festivals, particularly the Bacchanalia, were far from sedate toga parties, but rather resembled ancient Rome’s version of Burning Man – characterized by music, dance, intoxication, and ecstatic experiences. The Bacchanalia became so excessive that the Roman Senate enacted laws to control them, under penalty of death. Some historical interpretations suggest that the accounts of Bacchanalia’s excesses were exaggerated and that the senatorial crackdown might have been more about religious control during turbulent times than solely about curbing wild parties. Bacchus appears to be an amalgamation of the Greek Dionysus and a Roman wine and fertility god named Liber Pater (“Free Father”). Bacchus is also an asteroid with a notably eccentric orbit that crosses Venus’s orbit.
APOLLO
God of Prophecy (Greek: Apollo)
Apollo is the god of prophecy, possessing profound knowledge of the future. He is the source of oracular pronouncements and divine insight. Apollo is a complex figure, associated with both healing and disease, destruction and redemption, purification and plague. Mythologically, a significant period of his youth was spent in exile on Earth, working as a shepherd for a mortal king. He developed a strong bond with the king, assisting him in marriage and bestowing immortality as a wedding gift (though with a condition: others had to willingly sacrifice their lifespans to extend his). Ironically, it was the king’s wife who ultimately died to save him. Proserpina, moved by this sacrifice, restored her to life. Apollo’s name is associated with an asteroid, an asteroid group, a lunar crater (though Apollo missions did not land there), and NASA’s Apollo program, which successfully landed humans on the Moon.
DIANA
Goddess of the Hunt (Greek: Artemis)
Diana’s birth was marked by her immediate assistance in delivering her twin brother, Apollo. The arduous week-long labor led Diana to vow perpetual virginity. She is depicted as a huntress, roaming forests with a retinue of virgin nymphs. Diana is a composite figure, drawing from various goddesses of the ancient world, including moon goddesses, woodland deities, and potentially a goddess associated with human sacrifice. Her worship persisted throughout the Roman era, although she was often perceived as a foreign import. Diana is also an asteroid, in keeping with the celestial naming theme.
VULCAN
God of Fire and Metalworking (Greek: Hephaistos)
Vulcan’s birth was marred by deformity, leading his own mother to cast him out of Olympus. However, Vulcan exacted revenge. He crafted a magical chair that trapped his mother upon sitting. He refused to release her until Bacchus intoxicated him to the point of compliance. Vulcan’s annual festival, Vulcanalia, involved Romans celebrating him by ritually throwing animals into bonfires. Vulcan was also hypothesized to be the name of a planet located between Mercury and the Sun, proposed to explain anomalies in Mercury’s orbit. This hypothetical planet proved nonexistent; Mercury’s orbit was correctly predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity, rendering Vulcan’s planetary namesake a scientific footnote.
MARS
God of War (Greek: Ares)
While the Greek Ares is often portrayed as brutish and unintelligent, the Roman Mars is a more nuanced figure. Although identified with Ares, Mars embodies strength and cleverness, valor in both war and peace, a more complete embodiment of masculine ideals than Ares. His symbol, the Spear of Mars, has become the symbol for the male gender. Mars held immense importance in Roman religion, second only to Jupiter, and was revered as the father of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. Despite his prominence, Mars has surprisingly few distinct myths in Roman lore, with many narratives being adopted from Ares. Mars is also the fourth planet from the sun and a prime candidate for past life beyond Earth.
VENUS
Goddess of Love (Greek: Aphrodite)
Venus’s Latin name signifies “sexual desire,” aptly reflecting her domains: love, sex, beauty, and seduction. She is also considered an ancestor of Romulus and Remus, though the genealogical distance is significant. Venus’s birth myth, involving her emergence from sea foam generated by Caelus’s severed genitals cast into the ocean, is particularly striking. Sandro Botticelli’s famous painting The Birth of Venus captures this moment, though subtly omitting the less-than-romantic origins of the sea foam. Venus is also the name of the second planet from the sun. The five planets closest to the sun (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter) have been known since antiquity, and Venus retains her Roman name due to ancient tradition.
FAUNUS
Horned God of the Forest (Greek: Pan)
Faunus may be one of the oldest deities in this pantheon, potentially predating Rome by millennia. He was a god of untamed nature – forests, plains, and fields. Unlike some Roman gods, Faunus did not fully merge with his Greek counterpart, Pan, although he adopted Pan’s characteristic horns, showcasing a blend of indigenous and adopted traits.
PROSERPINA
Goddess of the Underworld (Greek: Persephone)
Proserpina is best known for her abduction by Pluto and subsequent marriage to him. Jupiter sanctioned Pluto’s desire to marry Proserpina, but instead of seeking her consent, Pluto violently seized her from the surface world and carried her to the underworld. Proserpina’s mother, Ceres, distraught over her daughter’s disappearance, searched the world for her. When Sol, the sun god, revealed Pluto’s actions, Ceres, in her grief, ceased her agricultural duties and wandered the earth as a grieving crone. Ceres’s withdrawal caused plants to wither and famine to threaten, endangering humanity and, consequently, the gods’ sustenance through sacrifices. Jupiter intervened, compelling Pluto to return Proserpina. However, before her release, Pluto tricked Proserpina into eating pomegranate seeds, binding her to the underworld for a portion of each year. Proserpina’s cyclical return to and departure from the surface world became the mythic explanation for the seasons: her arrival in spring brings blooming vegetation, while her descent into winter causes plants to wither. Proserpina is also an asteroid.
PLUTO
God of the Underworld (Greek: Hades)
Pluto presides over the Roman underworld and the spirits of the deceased. While sharing myths with his Greek counterpart, Hades, Pluto is often depicted as less grim and menacing. This distinction may reflect a broader shift in Greek and Roman views of the afterlife. Early Greek conceptions of the underworld were of a bleak, monotonous existence, but over time, evolved to include notions of punishment and reward, culminating in the Elysian Fields, a paradise reserved for heroes. Pluto is also the name of a celestial body beyond Neptune, once classified as a planet but now designated a dwarf planet.
PAVOR and FORMIDO
Gods of Pain and Terror (Greek: Phobos and Deimos)
Pavor and Formido are lesser deities, often recognized as the impish minions of Hades in Disney’s Hercules movie, though in mythology they are attendants of Mars. They accompanied Mars into battle, alongside Bellona (Greek: Enyo) and Discordia (Greek: Eris), goddesses representing war and strife. While Pavor and Formido lack astrological namesakes, their Greek counterparts, Phobos and Deimos, are the names of Mars’s two moons.
CUPID
God of Love (Greek: Eros)
Cupid’s parentage varies in myths. Some depict him as the son of Mars and Venus, as represented here, while others portray him as an ancient primordial god predating most other deities. Cupid rarely features in independent myths, primarily appearing as Venus’s companion in Roman art. Cupid is also the name of a small, recently discovered moon of Uranus. Eros, Cupid’s Greek name, is the name of an asteroid, which NASA’s NEAR Shoemaker probe photographed in 1998 and which bears a crater named Cupid.
HIMERUS
God of Desire (Greek: Himeros)
In some myths, Cupid has a brother, Himerus, representing unrequited love. Himerus lacks celestial namesakes but is commemorated by a crater on the asteroid Eros, continuing the theme of naming Eros’s craters after famous lovers.
RHEA SILVIA
Mother of the Founders of Rome (No Greek Equivalent)
Rhea Silvia is a figure unique to Roman mythology, lacking a Greek counterpart. She was the daughter of King Numitor. Numitor’s brother, Amulius, usurped the throne, murdered Numitor’s son, and forced Rhea Silvia to become a Vestal Virgin, a priestess sworn to celibacy, to prevent her from producing potential heirs. However, Rhea Silvia became pregnant with twins, claiming Mars as their father. Roman sources are ambiguous about whether she genuinely believed this divine paternity. Amulius imprisoned Rhea Silvia and ordered the twins’ deaths. Instead, a servant set them adrift on the Tiber River, where they were rescued and nursed by a she-wolf (an animal sacred to Mars) and raised by a shepherd family. Rhea Silvia was rescued by Tiberinus, the god of the Tiber River, who took her as his wife. Sylvia is also the name of an asteroid, orbited by two smaller asteroids named Romulus and Remus. The she-wolf episode is immortalized in a statue depicting a she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus, a symbol of Rome’s legendary origins.
JANUS
God of Transitions (No Greek Equivalent)
Janus is a uniquely Roman deity, without a direct Greek equivalent. He is the god of beginnings, endings, doorways, and gates, embodying transitions and liminal spaces. Every shrine to Janus in Rome overlooked a waterway and contained gates that were opened during wartime and (ideally) closed in times of peace, though peace was infrequent. Janus’s parentage is inconsistent: some accounts depict him as uncreated, others as offspring of primordial deities, and some as son of Caelus and Trivia, a goddess associated with crossroads and witchcraft. Janus is also the name of a small moon of Saturn and a crater on Io, a moon of Jupiter.
ROMULUS and REMUS
Founders of Rome (No Greek Equivalent)
Romulus and Remus, after their she-wolf upbringing, grew up as shepherds. A conflict with shepherds of King Amulius led to Remus’s capture. Romulus rallied a shepherd army, rescued Remus, and killed King Amulius. The twins then decided to found their own city. Disagreements arose over the city’s location, leading them to rely on augury – interpreting omens through birdwatching – to decide. Disputes continued over the augury results. Romulus began building walls on his chosen hill; Remus mocked these walls. In the ensuing conflict, Romulus killed Remus. Romulus founded Rome on April 21, 753 BCE, marking the city’s legendary founding date.
NEPTUNE
God of the Sea (Greek: Poseidon)
By modern standards, Neptune/Poseidon is often depicted as volatile and aggressive. He is a god of untamed power, known for his quick temper and acts of violence against women. While Jupiter also engaged in sexual violence, his actions are often portrayed with a more cartoonish or disguised element. Neptune’s actions are frequently more directly forceful. Neptune and Poseidon merged in Roman mythology so thoroughly that pre-merger details about Neptune are scarce. Unlike Poseidon, Neptune lacked association with horses. Neptune is also the name of a planet.
VESTA
Goddess of the Hearth (Greek: Hestia)
Vesta is the virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and family, often represented as fire itself rather than in human form. Her priestesses, the Vestal Virgins, swore oaths of celibacy. Vesta is also the name of one of the largest asteroids in the solar system, comparable in size to Poland.
This exploration of Roman gods and their intricate family relationships offers a glimpse into the rich tapestry of Roman mythology. If you’ve enjoyed this journey, you might find my other god family trees equally captivating: Greek, Egyptian, Norse, and Hindu. For a more comprehensive and visually rich exploration of mythological figures, consider checking out my book, Gods and Heroes.
~Korwin
