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0 / 30 Fotos
Jupiter
- The father of the gods, Jupiter was the god of the sky and thunder. In fact, his Latin name, luppiter, means "sky father." He was known for using his thunderbolts as a weapon.
© Getty Images
1 / 30 Fotos
Jupiter
- The ancient Romans believed that it was Jupiter who had made them a great people, as they had honored him more than any other civilization. For this reason, he was the patron god of Rome.
© Getty Images
2 / 30 Fotos
Saturn
- Father of Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Ceres, Vesta, and Juno, Saturn was known for having eaten five out of his six children. Luckily, Jupiter managed to save them all in some way.
© Getty Images
3 / 30 Fotos
Saturn
- Described as a god of time, generation, dissolution, abundance, and wealth, Saturn's mythological reign was depicted as a golden age of abundance and peace in Rome.
© Getty Images
4 / 30 Fotos
Juno
- Queen of the Roman gods and goddesses, Juno was the wife and sister of Jupiter and mother to Mars. She was the goddess of marriage and childbirth.
© Getty Images
5 / 30 Fotos
Juno
- Even if her central role was as the goddess of marriage, she also represented vitality, eternal youth, fertility, and was considered the protector of the community.
© Getty Images
6 / 30 Fotos
Mars
- Famously known as the Roman god of war, Mars was also guardian of agriculture and the embodiment of virility and aggression.
© Getty Images
7 / 30 Fotos
Mars
- Mars was the lover of Venus, and together their partnership represented love and war. He was also the father of Romulus, founder of Rome, and Remus.
© Getty Images
8 / 30 Fotos
Venus
- Possibly the best known of all the Roman deities, Venus was the goddess of love and beauty. She had two main lovers: Vulcan, her husband, and Mars.
© Getty Images
9 / 30 Fotos
Venus
- Also the goddess of victory and prostitution, it was believed that Venus was born from the foam of the sea after Saturn castrated Uranus and his blood fell to the sea.
© Getty Images
10 / 30 Fotos
Vulcan
- The Roman god of fire, volcanoes, metal work, and the forge, Vulcan made the weapons of the gods. Married to Venus, it was believed that Vulcan had a forge under Mount Etna, and whenever she was unfaithful the volcano would erupt.
© Getty Images
11 / 30 Fotos
Ceres
- Sister of Jupiter, Ceres was the goddess of agriculture, harvest, and fertility, as well as marriage and women.
© Getty Images
12 / 30 Fotos
Ceres
- Her role was so important that Romans believed that when she was unhappy, all crops would die. They believed that the cycle of seasons coincided with her moods, and the coldest months were when she was the saddest.
© Getty Images
13 / 30 Fotos
Neptune
- Brother of Jupiter, Pluto, Ceres, and Juno, Neptune was the Roman god of freshwater and the sea, along with earthquakes, hurricanes, and horses.
© Getty Images
14 / 30 Fotos
Neptune
- Neptune is typically depicted as an older man with a trident, often being pulled across the sea in a horse-drawn chariot.
© Getty Images
15 / 30 Fotos
Vesta
- The goddess of hearth, home, and domestic life, Vesta was daughter to Saturn and Ops, and sister to Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Ceres, and Pluto.
© Getty Images
16 / 30 Fotos
Vesta
- The cult of the Vestal Virgins, who guarded the perpetually burning flame protecting the city of Rome, was entirely dedicated to her. It was believed that if the flame went out, she'd get terribly angry and Rome would be left without protection.
© Getty Images
17 / 30 Fotos
Minerva
- Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom, arts, trade, and strategy. She's often depicted by an owl, which signifies wisdom and knowledge. At other times, she appears in art with an olive tree and a snake.
© Getty Images
18 / 30 Fotos
Minerva
- Minerva was born of the head of Jupiter after he swallowed her mother Metis, having been told that the child he had impregnated her with could be more powerful than he was. Metis created commotion by making armor and weapons for her daughter inside of Jupiter, and the god demanded that his head be split open to let them out.
© Getty Images
19 / 30 Fotos
Apollo
- Apollo is one of the most important gods in the Roman pantheon, as he covered a lot of bases, such as truth, prophecy, dance, and music.
© Getty Images
20 / 30 Fotos
Apollo
- Perhaps most importantly, he's the god of sun and light. Also, Apollo was one of only a few Roman gods who kept the same name as his Greek counterpart.
© Getty Images
21 / 30 Fotos
Diana
- One of the most important deities, Diana was the goddess of hunting, as well as of nature, birth, and the moon. Daughter of Jupiter and twin of Apollo, she was also the goddess of lower classes and slaves.
© Getty Images
22 / 30 Fotos
Diana
- According to legend, Diana was the one who brought out the moon every night, and the moon's size would depend on her mood. The smaller the moon, the moodier Diana was.
© Getty Images
23 / 30 Fotos
Mercury
- Mercury was the god of profit, trade, eloquence, communication, travel, trickery, and thieves. And on top of that, he also guided souls to the underworld.
© Getty Images
24 / 30 Fotos
Janus
- Janus was the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, and endings. He’s usually depicted with two faces, one facing the past and the other facing the future.
© Getty Images
25 / 30 Fotos
Bacchus
- The god of winemaking, festivity, and fertility, Bacchus also represented insanity. Basically, it seemed to be all about partying when it came to Bacchus.
© Getty Images
26 / 30 Fotos
Bacchus
- Due to his lifestyle, the Romans even called him Liber, meaning freedom. Bacchus was also known as a patron god of the plebeians, or regular people of the Roman Empire.
© Getty Images
27 / 30 Fotos
Voluptas
- The daughter of Cupid and Psyche, Voluptas was the goddess of sensual pleasure. In fact, her name means "pleasure" and "bliss" in Latin.
© Getty Images
28 / 30 Fotos
Somnus
- The god and personification of sleep, Somnus resided in the underworld. He was the brother of Death, and the father of the Somnia, which were shapes that appeared in peoples' dreams. Sources: (National Geographic) (History Hit)
© Getty Images
29 / 30 Fotos
© Shutterstock
0 / 30 Fotos
Jupiter
- The father of the gods, Jupiter was the god of the sky and thunder. In fact, his Latin name, luppiter, means "sky father." He was known for using his thunderbolts as a weapon.
© Getty Images
1 / 30 Fotos
Jupiter
- The ancient Romans believed that it was Jupiter who had made them a great people, as they had honored him more than any other civilization. For this reason, he was the patron god of Rome.
© Getty Images
2 / 30 Fotos
Saturn
- Father of Jupiter, Neptune, Pluto, Ceres, Vesta, and Juno, Saturn was known for having eaten five out of his six children. Luckily, Jupiter managed to save them all in some way.
© Getty Images
3 / 30 Fotos
Saturn
- Described as a god of time, generation, dissolution, abundance, and wealth, Saturn's mythological reign was depicted as a golden age of abundance and peace in Rome.
© Getty Images
4 / 30 Fotos
Juno
- Queen of the Roman gods and goddesses, Juno was the wife and sister of Jupiter and mother to Mars. She was the goddess of marriage and childbirth.
© Getty Images
5 / 30 Fotos
Juno
- Even if her central role was as the goddess of marriage, she also represented vitality, eternal youth, fertility, and was considered the protector of the community.
© Getty Images
6 / 30 Fotos
Mars
- Famously known as the Roman god of war, Mars was also guardian of agriculture and the embodiment of virility and aggression.
© Getty Images
7 / 30 Fotos
Mars
- Mars was the lover of Venus, and together their partnership represented love and war. He was also the father of Romulus, founder of Rome, and Remus.
© Getty Images
8 / 30 Fotos
Venus
- Possibly the best known of all the Roman deities, Venus was the goddess of love and beauty. She had two main lovers: Vulcan, her husband, and Mars.
© Getty Images
9 / 30 Fotos
Venus
- Also the goddess of victory and prostitution, it was believed that Venus was born from the foam of the sea after Saturn castrated Uranus and his blood fell to the sea.
© Getty Images
10 / 30 Fotos
Vulcan
- The Roman god of fire, volcanoes, metal work, and the forge, Vulcan made the weapons of the gods. Married to Venus, it was believed that Vulcan had a forge under Mount Etna, and whenever she was unfaithful the volcano would erupt.
© Getty Images
11 / 30 Fotos
Ceres
- Sister of Jupiter, Ceres was the goddess of agriculture, harvest, and fertility, as well as marriage and women.
© Getty Images
12 / 30 Fotos
Ceres
- Her role was so important that Romans believed that when she was unhappy, all crops would die. They believed that the cycle of seasons coincided with her moods, and the coldest months were when she was the saddest.
© Getty Images
13 / 30 Fotos
Neptune
- Brother of Jupiter, Pluto, Ceres, and Juno, Neptune was the Roman god of freshwater and the sea, along with earthquakes, hurricanes, and horses.
© Getty Images
14 / 30 Fotos
Neptune
- Neptune is typically depicted as an older man with a trident, often being pulled across the sea in a horse-drawn chariot.
© Getty Images
15 / 30 Fotos
Vesta
- The goddess of hearth, home, and domestic life, Vesta was daughter to Saturn and Ops, and sister to Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Ceres, and Pluto.
© Getty Images
16 / 30 Fotos
Vesta
- The cult of the Vestal Virgins, who guarded the perpetually burning flame protecting the city of Rome, was entirely dedicated to her. It was believed that if the flame went out, she'd get terribly angry and Rome would be left without protection.
© Getty Images
17 / 30 Fotos
Minerva
- Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom, arts, trade, and strategy. She's often depicted by an owl, which signifies wisdom and knowledge. At other times, she appears in art with an olive tree and a snake.
© Getty Images
18 / 30 Fotos
Minerva
- Minerva was born of the head of Jupiter after he swallowed her mother Metis, having been told that the child he had impregnated her with could be more powerful than he was. Metis created commotion by making armor and weapons for her daughter inside of Jupiter, and the god demanded that his head be split open to let them out.
© Getty Images
19 / 30 Fotos
Apollo
- Apollo is one of the most important gods in the Roman pantheon, as he covered a lot of bases, such as truth, prophecy, dance, and music.
© Getty Images
20 / 30 Fotos
Apollo
- Perhaps most importantly, he's the god of sun and light. Also, Apollo was one of only a few Roman gods who kept the same name as his Greek counterpart.
© Getty Images
21 / 30 Fotos
Diana
- One of the most important deities, Diana was the goddess of hunting, as well as of nature, birth, and the moon. Daughter of Jupiter and twin of Apollo, she was also the goddess of lower classes and slaves.
© Getty Images
22 / 30 Fotos
Diana
- According to legend, Diana was the one who brought out the moon every night, and the moon's size would depend on her mood. The smaller the moon, the moodier Diana was.
© Getty Images
23 / 30 Fotos
Mercury
- Mercury was the god of profit, trade, eloquence, communication, travel, trickery, and thieves. And on top of that, he also guided souls to the underworld.
© Getty Images
24 / 30 Fotos
Janus
- Janus was the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, and endings. He’s usually depicted with two faces, one facing the past and the other facing the future.
© Getty Images
25 / 30 Fotos
Bacchus
- The god of winemaking, festivity, and fertility, Bacchus also represented insanity. Basically, it seemed to be all about partying when it came to Bacchus.
© Getty Images
26 / 30 Fotos
Bacchus
- Due to his lifestyle, the Romans even called him Liber, meaning freedom. Bacchus was also known as a patron god of the plebeians, or regular people of the Roman Empire.
© Getty Images
27 / 30 Fotos
Voluptas
- The daughter of Cupid and Psyche, Voluptas was the goddess of sensual pleasure. In fact, her name means "pleasure" and "bliss" in Latin.
© Getty Images
28 / 30 Fotos
Somnus
- The god and personification of sleep, Somnus resided in the underworld. He was the brother of Death, and the father of the Somnia, which were shapes that appeared in peoples' dreams. Sources: (National Geographic) (History Hit)
© Getty Images
29 / 30 Fotos
Who were the most influential Roman gods and goddesses?
Discover the divine deities of the ancient Romans
© Shutterstock
Influenced by the ancient Greeks, the Roman Empire was a primarily polytheistic civilization, meaning the people recognized and worshiped deities. Despite the presence of monotheistic religions within the Empire, such as Judaism and early Christianity, Romans strongly honored multiple gods and goddesses that they believed helped shape the events of people’s lives on a daily basis.
And just who were these deities? Want to find out who the most influential Roman gods and goddesses were? Then click through this gallery.
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