Lady Victoria Eclectic Pagan's blog: "The Roaming Roman"

Major Deities

    * Apollo - god of the sun, poetry, music, and oracles, and a Dii Consentes
    * Bona Dea - goddess of fertility, healing, virginity, and women. Also known as Fauna
    * Bacchus - god of wine and sensual pleasures, not considered a Dii Consentes by the Romans
    * Carmenta - goddess of childbirth and prophecy, and assigned a flamen minor. The leader of the Camenae.
    * Ceres - goddess of the harvest and mother of Proserpina, and a Dii Consentes, and assigned a flamen minor
    * Cybele - earth mother
    * Diana - goddess of the hunt, the moon, virginity, and childbirth, twin sister of Apollo and a Dii Consentes
    * Flora - goddess of flowers, and assigned a flamen minor
    * Fortuna - goddess of fortune
    * Janus - two-headed god of beginnings and endings and of doors
    * Juno - Queen of the Gods and goddess of matrimony, and a Dii Consentes
    * Jupiter - King of the Gods and the storm, air, and sky god, and a Dii Consentes, and assigned a flamen maior
    * Mars - god of war and father of Romulus, the founder of Rome, and a Dii Consentes, and assigned a flamen Maior
    * Mercury - messenger of the gods and bearer of souls to the underworld, and a Dii Consentes
    * Minerva - goddess of wisdom and war, and a Dii Consentes
    * Neptune - god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses, and a Dii Consentes
    * Ops - goddess of plenty
    * Pluto - Pluto a name given to him by the Romans from Greek myths, he is the King of the Dead, and of the underworld.
    * Pomona - goddess of fruit trees, and assigned a flamen minor.
    * Portunes - god of keys, doors, and livestock, he was assigned a flamen minor.
    * Proserpina - Queen of the Dead and a grain-goddess
    * Quirinus - Romulus, the founder of Rome, was deified as Quirinus after his death. Quirinus was a war god and a god of the Roman people and state, and was assigned a flamen maior.
    * Saturn - a titan, god of harvest and agriculture, the father of Jupiter, Neptune, Juno, and Pluto
    * Venus - goddess of love and beauty, mother of the hero Aeneas, and a Dii Consentes
    * Vesta - goddess of the hearth and the Roman state, and a Dii Consentes
    * Volturnus- god of water, was assigned a flamen minor.
    * Vulcan - god of the forge, fire, and blacksmiths, and a Dii Consentes, and assigned a flamen minor
    * Uranus- god of mother earth.He is the sky the ground and a gardian to all living creatres. also is a greek god

Minor Gods

A

    * Abeona - a goddess who protected children the first time they left their parents' home, safeguarding their first steps alone
    * Abundantia - goddess of good fortune, abundance, and prosperity
    * Acca Larentia - goddess of cornfields. A mythological figure who started out as mortal but was later deified.
    * Acis - river god near the Etna, son of Faunus and the nymph Symaethis
    * Adeona - goddess who protected children as they returned home
    * Aeolus - god of storms and winds,
    * Aera Cura - goddess associated with the underworld
    * Aequitas - goddess of fair trade and honest merchants
    * Aesculapius - god of health and medicine
    * Aeternitas - goddess and personification of eternity
    * Alemonia or Alemona - goddess responsible for nourishing the unborn child
    * Angerona - goddess who relieved men from pain and sorrow
    * Angita - early goddess of healing, magic and witchcraft. May be the same as Angitia
    * Angitia - goddess associated with snakes, later goddess and derived from Angita
    * Anna Perenna - early goddess of the "circle of the year", her festival was celebrated March 15
    * Antevorta - goddess of the future and one of the Camenae; also called Porrima
    * Arimanius - an underworld god derived from the Greek Areimanios.
    * Aurora - goddess of the dawn
    * Averna - goddess of the underworld. May be equivalent to Proserpina
    * Averruncus - god of childbirth. Averts calamity, whilst bringing good fortune.

B

    * Bellona or Duellona - war goddess
    * Bromius - god of wine. Later used as an epithet of Bacchus
    * Bubona - goddess of cattle

C

    * Caca - originally an ancient hearth goddess, later demoted to a minor figure in mythology and replaced by Vesta.
    * Cacus - originally an ancient god of fire, later demoted to a giant.
    * Caelus - god of the sky
    * Camenae - four goddesses with various attributes including fresh water, prophecy, and childbirth. There were four of them: Carmenta, Egeria, Antevorta, and Postvorta.
    * Candelifera - goddess of childbirth
    * Cardea - goddess of health, thresholds and after being assigned by Janus, door hinges and handles.
    * Carmenta - goddess of childbirth and prophecy
    * Carmentes - two goddesses of childbirth: Antevorta and Postvorta or Porrima, future and past.
    * Carna - goddess who presided over the heart and other organs
    * Cinxia - goddess of marriage
    * Clementia: goddess of forgiveness and mercy
    * Clitunno - god of the Clitunno River
    * Cloacina - goddess who presided over the system of sewers in Rome
    * Concordia: goddess of agreement, understanding, and marital harmony
    * Consus - chthonic god protecting grain storage
    * Convector - god who oversaw the bringing in of the crops from the field
    * Cuba - goddess of infants who was invoked by mothers to help their babies sleep
    * Cunina - the protectress of infants
    * Cura - goddess who created humans from clay
    * Cybele - a goddess of caverns and mountains, walls and fortresses, nature, wild animals
    * Cupid - Roman god of love. The son of Venus. Greek name is Eros

D

    * Dea Dia - goddess of growth
    * Dea Tacita (The Silent Goddess) - goddess of the dead; later equated with the earth goddess Larenta
    * Decima - minor goddess and one of the Parcae (Roman equivalent of the Moirae). The measurer of the thread of life, her Greek equivalent was Lachesis
    * Dei Lucrii - early gods of wealth, profit, commerce and trade. They were later subsumed by Mercury
    * Devera - goddess who ruled over the brooms used to purify temples in preparation for various worship services, sacrifices and celebrations
    * Deverra - goddess who protected midwives and women in labor
    * Diana - virgin goddess of the hunt
    * Diana Nemorensis - Local version of Diana
    * Dius Fidus - god of oaths, associated with Jupiter
    * Disciplina - personification of discipline
    * Discordia - goddess of discord. Greek equivalent is Eris
    * Dis Pater or Dispater - god of wealth and the underworld, later subsumed by Pluto and Jupiter
    * Domiduca - goddess of protecting children on the way back to their parents' home
    * Domiducus - goddess who brought brides to their husbands' houses.
    * Domitius or Domidius - god who kept wives in their husbands' homes

E

    * Edusa - goddess of nourishment who guarded over children as they learned to eat solid foods
    * Edesia - goddess of food who presided over banquets
    * Egeria - water nymph/goddess, later considered one the Camenae
    * Empanda - goddess of generosity and charity
    * Epona - protector of horses, donkeys, mules
    * Eventus Bonus - god of success in agriculture and commerce.

F

    * Fabulinus - god of children, the god responsible for teaching children to speak.
    * Facunditas - god of the harvest.
    * Falacer - obscure god. He was assigned a Flamen Minore.
    * Fama - goddess of fame and rumor.
    * Fauna - a miess of vegetation. Also a title of other vegetative goddesses such as Bona Dea, Ops, and Terra.
    * Faunus - god of flocks.
    * Faustitas - god who protected herd and livestock.
    * Febris - goddess who protected people against fevers and malaria.
    * Felicitas - goddess of good luck and success.
    * Ferentina - patron goddess of the city Ferentinum, Latium, protector of the Latin commonwealth.
    * Feronia - rural goddess of woods and fountains.
    * Fides - goddess of loyalty.
    * Flora - goddess of flowers and the season of spring.
    * Fontus - god of wells and springs.
    * Fornax - goddess of bread and baking.
    * Fortuna - goddess of luck, usually good luck. Also the goddess of fate.
    * Fraus - goddess of treachery. Her Greek equivalent was Apate.
    * Fulgora - personification of lightning.
    * Furrina - goddess whose functions are mostly unknown; may be associated with water. One source claims she was a goddess of robbers and thieves. She was assigned a Flamen Minore. Name could also be Furina.


G

    * Glycon - snake god. His cult originated in Macedonia.
    * Gratiae - Roman term for the Charites or Graces

H

    * Hercules - god of strength
    * Hermus - a river god with a sanctuary at Sardis
    * Herulus or Erelus - god of the darkness of Hades
    * Hespera - goddess of dusk
    * Hippona - goddess of horses
    * Honos - god of military honours, chivalry and as once source claims, military justice
    * Hora - Quirinus' wife

I

    * Imporcitor - god responsible for the harrowing of the fields. Minor attendant of Ceres
    * Indiges - the deified Aeneas
    * Insitor - god responsible for the sowing of crops
    * Intercidona - minor goddess of childbirth; invoked to keep evil spirits away from the child; symbolised by a cleaver
    * Inuus - god of fertility and sexual intercourse, protector of livestock
    * Invidia - goddess of envy or jealousy
    * Iris - goddess of the rainbow

J

    * Justitia - goddess of justice
    * Juturna- goddess of fountains, wells, and springs
    * Juventas - goddess of youth

L

    * Lactanus or Lactans - god that made the crops prosper or "yield milk"
    * Larentina - goddess of death
    * Lares - household gods
    * Laverna - patroness of thieves, con men and charlatans
    * Levana - goddess of newborn babies
    * Liber - a god of fertility, assimilated with Dionysus
    * Libera - a goddess of the earth.
    * Liberalitas - goddess or personification of generosity
    * Libertas - goddess of freedom
    * Libitina - goddess of death, corpses and funerals (also Naenia)
    * Lima - goddess of thresholds
    * Lua - goddess to whom soldiers sacrificed captured weapons
    * Lucina - goddess of childbirth
    * Luna - goddess of the moon
    * Lupercus - god of shepherds; a name for the Greek god Pan.

M

    * Mana Genita - goddess who presided over burials, mother or leader of the manes
    * Manes - the souls of the dead; came to be seen as household deities
    * Mania - goddess of the dead and ruler of the underworld, wife of Mantus. Not to be confused with the Greek figure of the same name.
    * Mantus - god of the dead and ruler of the underworld, husband of Mania.
    * Mater Matuta - goddess of dawn and childbirth; also seen as patroness of mariners
    * Mefitis or Mephitis - goddess and personification of poisonous gases and volcanic vapours.
    * Mellona or Mellonia - goddess of bees and beekeeping
    * Messor - minor agricultural god concerned with the growth and harvesting of crops; attendant of Ceres.
    * Minerva - goddess of crafts and wisdom
    * Mithras - god worshipped in the Roman empire; popular with soldiers
    * Moneta - minor goddess of prosperity; the spirit of the mint. Also used as an epithet of Juno
    * Mors - personification of death and equivalent of the Greek Thanatos.
    * Morta - minor goddess of death and one of the Parcae (Roman equivalent of the Moirae). The cutter of the thread of life, her Greek equivalent was Atropos.
    * Murtia or Murcia ("Of the Myrtle")- a little-known goddess who was associated with the myrtle, and in other sources was called a goddess of sloth and laziness. Later equated with Venus in the form of Venus Murcia.
    * Muta - goddess of silence.
    * Mutinus Mutunus - god of fertility; equivalent of the Greek Priapus

N

    * Naenia - goddess of funerals (also Libitina)
    * Necessitas - goddess of destiny, the Roman equivalent of Ananke
    * Nehalennia - Celtic goddess who protected of travelers, especially seagoing travelers
    * Nemesis - goddess of revenge
    * Nemestrinus - god of woods and forests
    * Nerio - ancient war goddess and the personification of valor
    * Nixi - goddesses of childbirth, called upon to protect women in labour
    * Nodutus - god who made knots in stalks of wheat
    * Nona - minor goddess, one of the Parcae (Roman equivalent of the Moirae). The spinner of the thread of life, her Greek equivalent was Clotho.
    * Nox - goddess of night, derived from the Greek Nyx.

O

    * Obarator - minor god of agriculture. Responsible for overseeing the top-dressing of crops.
    * Occator - minor agricultural god responsible for the growth and harvesting of the crops; attendant of Ceres.
    * Orchadis - minor god responsible for the olive groves; attendant of Ceres.
    * Ops - goddess of fertility (more properly Opis)
    * Orbona - goddess of children, especially orphans. She granted new children to those who had become childless
    * Orcus - a god of the underworld and punisher of broken oaths

P

    * Palatua - obscure goddess who guarded the Palatine Hill. She was assigned a Flamen Minore.
    * Pales - deity of shepherds, flocks and livestock
    * Parcae - personifications of destiny (Nona, Decima, and Morta)
    * Partula or Parca - goddess of childbirth; determined the length of pregnancy.
    * Patalena - goddess of flowers
    * Paventia - goddess who comforted frightened children
    * Pax - goddess of peace; equivalent of Greek Eirene.
    * Penates or Di Penates - household gods
    * Picumnus - minor god of fertility, agriculture, matrimony, infants and children
    * Pietas - goddess of duty; personification of the Roman virtue pietas.
    * Pilumnus - minor guardian god, concerned with the protection of infants at birth
    * Poena - goddess of punishment
    * Pomona - goddess of fruit trees, gardens and orchards
    * Porus - god and personification of plenty
    * Porrima - goddess of the future. Also called *Antevorta. One of the Carmentes or the Camenae
    * Postverta - goddess of the past and one of the two Carmentes (other being Porrima)
    * Potina - goddess of children's drinks
    * Priapus - localised god of the shade; worship derived from the Greek Priapus
    * Promitor - minor agricultural god, responsible for the growth and harvesting of crops; attendant of Ceres.
    * Prorsa Postverta - goddess of women in labor
    * Proserpina - goddess of springtime
    * Providentia - goddess of forethought
    * Pudicita - goddess and personification of chastity, one of the Roman virtues. Her Greek equivalent was Aidôs.
    * Puta - goddess of pruning vines and bushes

Q

    * Quiritis - goddess of motherhood. Originally Sabine or pre-Roman, she was later equated with Juno.

Posieden-God of the Sea

R

    * Redarator - minor god of agriculture, associated with the second ploughing
    * Robigalia
    * Robigo or Robiga - goddess of blight, who protected crops from disease. Sister of Robigus
    * Robigus - god of blight, who protected crops from disease. Brother of Robigo.
    * Roma - personification of the Roman state
    * Rumina - goddess who protected breastfeeding mothers (also known as Diva Rumina)
    * Runcina - minor goddess of agriculture, associated with reaping and weeding.
    * Rusina - protector of the fields or farmland (also known as Rurina)
    * Rusor - a minor agricultural god and attendant of Ceres

S

    * Salus - goddess of the public welfare of the Roman people; came to be equated with the Greek Hygieia
    * Sancus - god of loyalty, honesty, and oaths
    * Sarritor or Saritor - minor god of agriculture, god of hoeing and weeding
    * Securita or Securitas - goddess of security, especially the security of the Roman empire
    * Semonia - goddess of sowing
    * Sentia - goddess who oversaw children's mental development
    * Silvanus - minor god of woodlands and forests
    * Sol Invictus - sun god
    * Somnus - god of sleep; equates with the Greek Hypnos.
    * Soranus - a god lated subsumed by Apollo in the form Apollo Soranus.
    * Sors - god of luck
    * Spes - goddess of hope
    * Spiniensis - minor agricultural god; prayed to when removing thorny bushes
    * Stata Mater - goddess who protected against fires. Sometimes equated with Vesta
    * Statanus - god also known as Statulinus or Statilinus. Presided over the child's first attempt to stand up. Along with his wife Statina protected the childred as they left home for the first time and returned.
    * Statina - goddess who, along with her husband Statanus protected the childred as they left home for the first time and returned.
    * Sterquilinus ("manure") - god of fertilisation. Also known as Stercutus , Sterculius , Straculius , Struculius,
    * Strenua or Strenia - goddess of strength and endurance
    * Suadela- goddess of persuasion
    * Summanus - god of nocturnal thunder

T

    * Tempestes - goddess of storms
    * Terra or Tellus - goddess of the earth and land
    * Terminus - the rustic god of boundaries
    * Tiberinus - river god; deity of the Tiber river.
    * Tibertus - god of the river Anio, a tributary of the Tiber
    * Tranquillitas - goddess of peace and tranquility
    * Trivia - goddess of magic

U

    * Ubertas - minor agricultural god, associated with prosperity
    * Unxia - minor goddess of marriage, concerned with anointing the bridegroom's door

V

    * Vacuna - ancient goddess who protected the farmers' sheep and was later identified with Nike-Goddess of Victory and worshipped as a war-goddess.
    * Vagitanus - minor god of children, guardian of the infant's first cry at birth
    * Vediovus or Veiovis - obscure god, a sort of anti-Jupiter. May be a god of the underworld
    * Venti - the winds, equivalent to the Greek Anemoi. North wind: Aquilo(n) or Septentrio; South wind: Auster; East wind: Vulturnus; West wind: Favonius; North west wind: Caurus or Corus.
    * Veritas - goddess and personification of the Roman virtue of veritas or truth.
    * Verminus - god of cattle worms
    * Vertumnus, Vortumnus or Vertimnus - god of the seasons, and of gardens and fruit trees
    * Vervactor - minor agricultural god, deity of the first ploughing
    * Vesta: virgin goddess of the hearth, home, and family
    * Vica Pota - goddess of victory and competitions
    * Victoria: goddess of victory
    * Viduus - god who separated soul and body after death
    * Virbius - a forest god, the reborn Hippolytus
    * Viriplaca - goddess of marital strife
    * Virtus - god or goddess of military strength, personification of the Roman virtue of virtus
    * Volumna - goddess of nurseries
    * Volturnus - god of the waters
    * Voluptas - goddess of pleasure

1. Elissa Dido was born in Phoenicia, which was part of which modern-day country?

Lebanon

The Phoenicians originated from the Mediterranean coast of present-day Lebanon. Major Phoenician cities included Tyre, Sidon and Byblos.

2. Dido was the daughter of Belus, king of Tyre. What was the name of her brother?

Pygmalion

Pygmalion assassinated Elissa Dido's husband, Acherbas (referred to as Sychaeus by Virgil). According to legend, Acherbas appeared to Elissa in a dream and provided her with a ship in which she could flee Tyre and start a new life away from her brother.

3. Dido is credited with founding which city?

Carthage

Elissa Dido and her entourage crossed the Mediterranean and settled on the shores of modern-day Tunisia. They called their new city Carthage from the Phoenician words 'Qart-Haddasht', meaning 'New Land.'

4. Dido made a deal with King Iarbus of Libya - he promised her as much land as she could cover with the hide of a bull. Dido cut up the bull's hide into very thin pieces which she then sewed into a long thread. Therefore, she was able to mark out a much bigger area of land than the king had expected. What is the name of this hill today?

Byrsa

The word Byrsa means 'ox hide.' However, some people believe that it refers to the Phoenician word 'borsa' which means citadel or fortress.

5. Which of these is closest to the date when Carthage is believed to have been founded?

814 BC

The colonization of Carthage, and the neighbouring territories of the western Mediterranean, gave rise to the powerful Phoenician Punic ports. All Phoenician people along the western Mediterranean become known as Carthaginians.

6. Almost 1000 years after the death of the real Elissa Dido, her story was told in an epic poem called 'The Aeneid', written by which Roman poet?

Virgil

Virgil's 'Aeneid' is considered to be the most influential work of literature to be found in ancient Rome.

7. What is the name of the hero in 'The Aeneid'?

Aeneas

The poem tells the story of the Greek hero Aeneas, son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Aeneas was shipwrecked on the coast of Africa following his escape from the Trojan War. Here he met Dido, queen of Carthage, with whom he fell in love.

8. According to the Greek Timaeus, King Iarbus threatened to destroy Carthage if Dido refused to marry him. Unwilling to marry him, Dido committed suicide. How did she kill herself?

Threw herself onto a funeral pyre

According to this legend, Dido was hailed as a heroine for her decision to take her own life rather than marry the king and betray the memory of her husband. However, according to Virgil and Ovid, there is no evidence that this actually occurred.

9. Virgil's version of the story differs from the original legend in several ways. According to Virgil, why does Dido take her own life?

Her lover Aeneas leaves her to go to Italy

Jupiter ordered Aeneas to leave Carthage and continue his voyage to Italy, where his descendents founded Rome.

10. What happened to Dido after her death in "The Aeneid"?

The goddess Iris took her soul to the underworld

As Dido died, she cursed Aeneas and vowed that a great hero would arise to avenge her death. According to Virgil, the curse came true with the Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome, and the 'avenger' referred to the Carthaginian general, Hannibal.

1. Who was raped by her brother-in-law and afterward had her tongue cut out?

Philomela

Tereus and Procne married, although their marriage was ill-omened. Tereus went to fetch Procne's sister Philomela for a visit and ended up raping her. He cut out her tongue and imprisoned her so that she would tell no one what he had done. Finally, she wove a tapestry showing her troubles and sent it to her sister at the palace. She and her sister plotted revenge and finally fed Tereus his own son on a platter.

2. Which king of Athens had a purple lock of hair?

Nisus

Nisus was fighting a war against Minos, the king of Crete. His daughter, Scylla (no relation to the monster) fell in love with Minos and cut off her father's purple lock of hair and gave it to him. Since an ancient prophesy had predicted that if the purple lock of hair was cut off, the city would fall, Minos won the war. He did, however, reject Scylla afterwards and, in her despair, she tried to kill herself but was turned into a bird

3. Which wife of Cephalus doubted his fidelity and was killed by his spear?

Procris

Cephalus, on the advice of Eos, disguised himself in order to test the fidelity of his wife. He returned to the palace and offered her large sums of money to sleep with him. When she hesitated, he revealed himself and accused her of being unfaithful. She, in her anger, ran off to join Diana's band of nymphs. Cephalus begged her forgiveness and she enventually returned to him, bringing with her a hunting dog and a spear that never missed. One day he was hunting and called out to the wind, which he named Aura, to lie with him. Procris misunderstood him and thought Aura was a woman. She followed him, hoping to catch them together, but when he heard her hiding behind a bush, he unleashed his spear, thinking she was a dangerous animal. He found out too late that it was his beloved wife that he killed.

4. Which nephew of Daedalus was murdered by him?

Perdix

Daedalus became angry that his nephew, Perdix, was more clever than he, so he ended up throwing him off a building. The gods turned Perdix into a partridge, an animal which is said to remember its human death and avoid high places.

5. Who was the daughter of Chiron who was transformed for singing the truth?

Ocyrhoe

Ocyrhoe sang a song which prophesied events about the future, including the fate of her wise father. The gods didn't like their actions being revealed, so they turned her into a horse.

6. Which lover of Apollo and mother of Aescalapius was killed by him?

Coronis

The raven came to Apollo with the news of Coronis's unfaithfulness. The Deadly Archer flew into such a rage that he slew Coronis where she stood. She then died, but not before revealing her pregnancy with his child. Apollo managed to save Aescalapius and gave him to Chiron to raise. He also turned the raven from white to black for bringing the bad news, one of the first "shoot the messenger" stories.

7. Which king was torn apart by his own mother, Agave, for not recognizing Bacchus as a god?

Pentheus

Pentheus refused to allow his people to worship the newly arrived deity, Bacchus, who happened to be his cousin. Bacchus, angered, made the disrespectful ruler's mother and aunts think that Pentheus was a wild boar. They then tore him apart with their bare hands, holding up his head as a trophy.

8. Which man was sent madness by Juno and killed his own son?

Athamas

Athamas, the husband of Ino, was sent madness by one of the Furies who was given instructions by Juno. Ino had been bragging about her stepson and nephew, Bacchus, a son of Juppiter. Juno hated all the sons of Juppiter that weren't born from her, so she decided to punish Ino. After Athamas had killed one of their sons, Ino and the other one, Melicerta, jumped into the sea and were turned into sea deities.

9. Which spurned suitor and uncle of Andromeda started a battle at her wedding feast?

Phineus

Phineus, the brother of Cepheus - father of Andromeda -, was originally to wed Andromeda, but it was called off when it was demanded that she be sacrificed to a sea monster. Perseus saved her life in return for her hand in marriage and it was granted to him by Cepheus. At their wedding banquet, Phineus started a battle in which Perseus was vastly outnumbered, but still won, with the help of Medusa's head.

10. Which satyr challenged Apollo to a pipe-playing contest and lost?

Marsyas

Marsyas had the arrogance to challenge Apollo to a pipe-playing contest. He lost to Apollo's superior skills and the sun god flayed him alive. The earth took pity on the suffering creature and turned him into the river Marsyas.

11. Which king dishonored Ceres by cutting down one of her sacred trees?

Erisychthon

Erisychthon cut down a sacred grove of Ceres and thus angered the earth goddess. She responded by sending Famine to him, so that he would always be hungry and never fulfilled. He ran out of money buying food, so he sold his daughter for more. Neptune took pity on her and gave her the ability to change shapes so she was able to escape. Erisychthon ended up selling her again and again, in different forms.

12. Which river-god lost a battle to Hercules for the hand of Deianira?

Acheolus

Acheolus and Hercules both wished to wed the beautiful Deianira and Hercules suggested they duel for it. Achelous agreed and turned into a bull to defeat Hercules, but Hercules ended up pulling off one of his horns. This turned into the cornucopia, which forever after produced unlimited food.

13. Who was the aging father of Jason whom Medea helped to become young again?

Aeson

Medea, an accomplished witch, agreed to heal the aging father of Jason and make him a young man again. She emptied the king's blood of his veins and put a potion in its place. The king regained his former youth, much to the happiness of Jason. She then told the daughters of Pelias that she could do the same for their father, and they believed her. She even demonstrated to them the process by turning an old ram into a young lamb again. They drained Pelias's blood of his veins, but Medea didn't fill them with the potion, so he died. She then fled, only to discover that Jason was to marry another woman. Filled with rage, she killed his bride-to-be and her two sons that were fathered by him.

14. Which helper of Ceres helped replant the world after she starved it because of Proserpina's abduction?

Triptolemus

When Triptolemus was staying in the palace of Lynchus, the greedy king attempted to kill him. Ceres would not allow him to do this, so she turned him into the lynx that still bears his name. This story was the last in the song of the Muses in their contest against the Pierides. The daughters of Pierus refused to admit defeat and were turned into magpies, doomed to chatter forever.

15. Which evil sister of Herse and Pandaros dishonored both Minerva and Mercury?

Aglaurous

Minerva entrusted the care of a child to three sisters: Herse, Pandaros, and Aglauros. The child was put in a box and the sisters forbidden to open it under any circumstances. Herse and Pandaros were faithful to the orders, but the wicked Aglauros opened it anyway. This angered Minerva and she plotted her revenge. Later, Mercury fell in love with Herse and demanded of Aglauros that he be able to see her. She asked for money and he agreed, and with this Minerva saw her chance. She asked envy to visit Aglauros and make her envy her sister's love with Mercury. When Mercury returned, Aglauros refused him entry because she couldn't stand to see them happy together. Mercury turned her into a statue, black because of her wickedness, for her disrespect.

16. Which woman, after being raped by Neptune, requested to be turned into a man and Neptune granted this request?

Caenis

Caenis wished to be a man so that no one could ever rape her again. As well as granting this request, Neptune made her invulnerable to attack. Thus, Caenis became Caeneus, a brave and steadfast warrior. He helped fight off the centaurs at the wedding of Pirithous, but was eventually buried under a pile of rocks. Some stories say that he emerged as a golden bird.

17. Who was the princess of Troy who was sacrificed to appease the ghost of Achilles?

Polyxena

The Greeks led Polyxena to the tomb of Achilles, where his ghost demanded that she be sacrificed. She complied to these wishes with such a regal grace that the Greeks wept as they killed her. Her death was one of the factors that led to her mother, Hecuba, going mad.

18. Which mournful youth was turned into the cypress tree?

Cyparissus

Cyparissus loved a particular deer and often used to walk with it in the woods. One day, when he was hunting, he accidentely killed it and felt intense guilt and sorrow. He begged Apollo to let him mourrn forever for his dearest friend. Apollo granted his wish and turned into a cypress tree, which even today is a sign of mourning.

19. Who was the young woman who fell in love with her own brother?

Byblis

Byblis fell in love with her brother, Caunus, although he knew nothing of her passion for him. She debated with herself the morality of her love, and decided that she must tell him or kill herself. Caunus was disgusted by her inappropriate feelings and sailed off for a new city. She wept so much for him that she was turned into a spring.

20. Which young woman was raised as a man and fell in love with her bethrothed, a girl named Ianthe?

Iphis

Iphis's father, Ligdus, said that they were too poor to raise a girl, and that the child could only survive if it was a boy. His wife, Telethusa, desperately wanted to keep her little girl, so she told her husband that Iphis was a boy and raised her as one. When she was of an appropriate age, Ligdus betrothed her to a girl named Ianthe. Iphis fell in love with Ianthe, but realized that only a as a boy could she express her love. Isis felt pity for the doomed girl and turned her into a boy, so that Iphis and Ianthe were able to marry.

21. Which woman fell in love with her father and slept with him in disguise?

Myrrha

Myrrha loved her father Cinyras, but not in the way a daughter is supposed to love a father. She felt intense guilt over her feelings and tried to hang herself, but her faithful nurse stopped her. The nurse came up with a plan to fulfill Myrrha's feelings and told Cinyras that a young lady was smitten wih him. He was anxious to meet her and Myrrha came to him wearing a mask. She lay with him for several nights until he removed her mask and discovered, to his horror, her true identity. She ran from him and wandered for nine months, carrying his child. Finally, after she prayed for death, she was turned into a myrrh tree. Illythia delivered the baby, Adonis, from the trunk of the tree.

22. Whom did the Lycian peasants prevent from drinking water?

Latona

Latona, after giving birth to Apollo and Diana, was extremely thirsty and wandered into the province of Lycia. She tried to drink from a stream and the Lycian peasants didn't let her. They even stirred up the mud in the bottom of the stream so it would be polluted. For their arrogance, she turned them into frogs, forever to swim in the murky waters of streams and lakes.

23. Whom was Arethusa pursued by?

Alpheus

Arethusa was a water nymph and a huntress of Diana. One day, Alpheus, a stream, fell in love with her, but she wanted nothing to do with him. When he was pursuing her, she begged Diana for help, and the goddess turned her into a river. Arethusa tells this story to Ceres after helping her locate Proserpina.

24. Which youth was killed by a discus and turned into a flower?

Hyacinthus

Hyacinthus was Apollo's good friend and they loved each other dearly. One day they decided to have a discus throwing contest. When Apollo threw his discus, it flew high into the clouds and Hyacinthus ran to retrieve it. It hit him on his way back to earth, and he died almost instantly. Apollo, grieving the loss of his dear friend, turned him into the hyacinth flower, whose petals forever spell the Greek word for alas.

25. Who was the arrogant mortal who attempted to feed human flesh to Jove and was turned into a wolf for his crimes?

Lycaon

Lycaon was a king of Arcadia who tested Jove when he visited his palace. He did not believe that Jove was really a god, so he served him human flesh and also tried to kill him. Jove was angered by Lycaon's arrogance, so he turned him into a wolf.

1. Where did Aeneas first go on his Mediterranean travels to find his new homeland?

Antandrus

Aeneas traveled by land to Antandrus where he and his men spent a year building their fleet.

2. Whom did Aeneas carry on his back as they escaped from Troy?

His father, Anchises

Ascanius was also known as 'Julus.'

3. After Aeneas built his ships, where was his first stop?

Delos

Aeneas had to pass through Delos, north of Crete, before he sailed to the other ports of call.

4. Scylla and Charybdis were located near what island?

Sicily

Actually, these two 'nautical obstacles' are thought to have been in the channel between Sicily and Italy.

5. Who was the Queen of Carthage?

Dido

Dido was also known by the name 'Elissa.'

6. On what continent is Carthage located?

Africa

Carthage is a port city on the northeast coast of Africa. Aeneas stayed in Carthage for one year.

7. Where did Aeneas go immediately after he left Carthage?

Sicily

Aeneas went to the town of Drepanum on the northwest coast of Sicily. He had been there one other time -- before he landed in Africa.

8. How many years did it take Aeneas to find his new homeland of Italy?

10

One of these years was spent building his fleet, and another of these years was spent in Africa.

9. Where did Aeneas' father die?

Sicily

10. Who was the prophetess who helped Aeneas on his travels?

The sibyl of Cumae

The sibyl lived in a cave in the town of Cumae, near Naples.

1. Who is the goddess that protects children the first time they leave their parents' home?

Abeona

The Latin prefix "Ab" means "away from." Cuba is the goddess who protects infants. Pales is the patron goddess of shepherds. Lucina is the goddess of childbirth.

2. Who is the early Goddess of cows and horses?

Bubona

She was an early goddess who was later replaced by the Gallic Goddess Epona after the Romans invaded Britain. Equa is a Latin word meaning, "mare." Diana is the virgin huntress goddess of the moon.

3. Who is the goddess that protects children when they return to their parents' home for the first time?

Adeona

It sounds an awful lot like Abeona. This time, "Ad" means "towards."

4. Who is a Goddess of witchcraft and healing?
Angita

Don't confuse her with Angitia, who is a snake goddess. Cura is the goddess who made people from clay. Alemonia feeds unborn children.

5. Copia is the goddess of what?

Plenty

A cornucopia in a horn of plenty. Cornu means "horn" or "trumpet." Rusina is the goddess of the fields. Justitia is the goddess of justice. Empanda is the personification of generosity.

6. Which Goddess is also know as the "Dea Tacita" or "The Silent Goddess?"

Larenta

Her festival is called Laurentalia and is on December 23. Morta is the goddess of death and is one of the Fates. Suadela is the goddess of persuasion. Nerio is one of Mars's consorts.

7. Which goddess's festival was only open to women who were in their first marriage.

Matuta

The festival is on June 11. She is the goddess of dawn. Juno is the queen of the gods. Conjugialis is a Latin word meaning, "marriage." Matrona is a Latin word meaning, "married woman."

8. Hersilia was made a Goddess along with her famous husband after his death. Who was her husband?

Romulus

He and his brother Remus were raised by a wolf and founded Rome. After his death, he was called Quirinus.

9. Who is the goddess that watched over the pruning of vines and trees?

Puta

Eriene is the Greek name for Pax, the goddess of peace. Pamona is the goddess of fruit tress. Flora is the goddess of blossoming flowers of spring.

10. Postverta is the Goddess of what?

The past

"Post" means "after." Naenia is the goddess of funerals. Pax is the personification of peace. Pamona is the goddess of fruit trees.

1. Who was Diana's Greek counterpart?

Artemis

Hecate was sometimes said to be the same as Artemis but they were different at the beginning. Hecate was the goddess of witchcraft and crossroads. Aphrodite was the goddess of love. Iris was the messenger of Hera.

2. What type of tree was sacred to Diana?

Oak

Oaks were also sacred to Zeus, the king of the Greek gods.

3. What day was Diana's festival held on?

3th August

This was the day King Servius Tullius dedicated a shrine on Aventine Hill to her.

4. When Actaeon saw Diana bathing naked, she forgave him.

False

When Actaeon saw her bathing she turned him into a stag and set his own hunting dogs on his trail!

5. Which goddess did Diana supplant when she became a moon goddess?

Luna

Hecate and Artemis were both Greek moon goddesses of different phases and Aah was the Egyptian moon goddess.

6. Who were Diana's parents?

Jupiter and Latona

Jupiter and Latona were the Roman names for Zeus and one of his many girlfriends. Hades and Persephone didn't have any children. Geb and Nut were the Egyptian deities of the sky and earth.

7. What race was Diana patron of?

Amazons

These warrior women worshipped Diana because of her strength, agility, ruthlessness, and her prowess in hunting. Kemet was the original name for Egypt.
   
8. In AD380, Diana's temple was rededicated to another religious woman figurehead. Who was it?

Mary

Many images of the Virgin Mary have the same posture as Diana. Her hands are also held palm downwards to give blessings.

9. Which sign of the Zodiac was Diana associated with?

Sagittarius

Sagittarius is a fire sign, Pisces is a water sign, Libra is an air sign and Virgo is an earth sign.

10. Diana is Latin. What does it mean?

Goddess

Diana was the main goddess of the Amazons and that is where her name comes from.

1. They are the Roman goddesses of fate, similar to the Greek Moirae (Fates). Originally there was only one of them, a goddess of birth. The three are also called Tria Fata.

The Parcae

They include Decima, Nona and Morta. The oringinal one, Parca, derives her name from parere ('create, give birth') but later it is associated with pars (Greek: moira, 'part') and thus analogous with the three Greek Moirae.

2. She is the Roman goddess of the new year. In the class-struggle between the patricians and plebeians she chose the side of the plebeians.

Anna Perenna

Her festival was celebrated on March 15. The Romans give various explanations to the origin or her name, amnis perennis ('eternal stream'): 1, she is a river {nymph;} 2, her name is derived from annis {('year');} 3, she is a moon-goddess of the running year. She is also equated with Anna, the sister of Dido, who is received in Latium by Aeneas, but drowns herself in a river.

3. Magna Mater is equated with which Greek character?

Rhea

The Roman name for the Phrygian goddess Cybele, and also an appellation of Rhea. The full name is Magna Mater Deorum Idaea (Great Mother of the Gods), who was worshipped on Mount Ida. The cult spread through Greece from the 6th to 4th century, and was introduced in Rome in 205 BC.

4. How many members of the Consentes Dii are there?

12

The twelve major gods of the Roman pantheon, identified with the Greek Olympians. Six gods, six goddesses, they are: Jupiter and Juno, Neptune and Minerva, Apollo and Diana, Mars and Venus, Vulcan and Vesta, and Mercury and Ceres. Their statues could be found in the hall of the Consentes Dii at the Forum Romanum.

5. The Roman god of death and the underworld, either a terrible god or a gentle one. He is the god of oaths and punisher of perjurers. He is identical to the Greek Hades, both the god and his domains. OFTEN CONFUSED with Pluto.

Orcus

Pluto was in fact the Roman god of the underworld and the judge of the dead: most of the Greek stories about Hades are attributed to Pluto, but in fact Orcus is the character who is, by position, considered identical. Dis Pater is the Roman ruler of the underworld and fortune, similar to Hades. Egestes is the personification of poverty (Virgil mentions him as a demon of the underworld). Mors is the personified Roman god of death.

6. Cura is the goddess attributed with what?

The creation of man

Cura is a goddess who first fashioned humans from clay.

7. Sors is the Roman god of...?

Luck

Very little is know of him, as the goddess Fortuna (good fortune) is the more popular diety in this area.

8. Geminus is an epithet for whom?

Janus

It means 'Double', referring to his two faces. Janus is the god of gates and doors, beginnings and endings - hence represented with a double-faced head, each looking in opposite directions.

9. The Romans equate Diana with the Greek Artemis, and her brother Apollo with the Greek Apollo. What is the Roman name for the Greek Titan Leto, who is mother to Artemis and Apollo?

Latona

Luna is the personified goddess of the {moon;} Letum is a monster in the underworld (his name means {'death');} and Laverna is the goddess of unlawfully obtained profits - therefore a goddess of thieves, imposters and frauds.

10. Nox is the Roman god of...

Night

The Roman personification of the night, as mentioned in Virgil V, 721.

11. Who is the Roman goddess of truth?

Veritas

She is a daughter of Saturn. Her name is used in one of the most famous Latin quotations: 'In vino veritas' ('The truth is in wine'), therefore a drunk person tells the truth.

12. In Roman mythology, she is the personified deity of crossroads. She was represented with three faces, and sometimes identified with the Greek Hecate.

Trivia

Her name is derived from the Latin trivium ('meeting of three roads'). Once upon a time her name stood for the choice between equally important things, and only in recent times became identified with (considered) useless information!

13. She is the Roman goddess with whose help small children learn to eat.

Edusa

Paventia is the goddess who protects children against sudden {fright;} Potina is the goddess associated with the first drink of children (or children's {potions);} and Abeona protects children when they leave the parental house for the first time.

14. Her brother is the sun, and her sister the moon. Four of her sons are the four winds). According to one myth, her tears cause the dew as she flies across the sky weeping for one of her sons who was killed. She is also certainly not the most brilliant goddess as she asked Jupiter to grant one of her husbands immortality, but forgot to ask for everlasting youth (as a result, her husband soon became aged). Who is she?

Aurora

Aurora is the personification of the dawn, the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Eos. She is seen as a lovely woman who flies across the sky announcing the arrival of the sun. Aurora is not one of the better-known {goddesses;} however, Shakespeare refers to her in Romeo and Juliet.

15. The Romans were nothing if not very specific about their deities. Who ruled over door-handles?

Carna

A nymph who lived at the site where in later times the city of Rome would be built. The god Janus fell in love with her and gave her power over door-handles.

16. Sentia is the goddess of what?

Awareness

Specifically, she is the Roman goddess who brings about a young child's first awareness. We derive the word 'sentient' from her name, often used to describe animals or creatures who have awareness of themselves (sentient beings).

17. The name Alipes is used in reference to which major god?

Mercury

Alipes ('with the winged feet') refers to the shoes worn by the messenger of the gods, the Talaria (winged sandals).

18. Mens is the goddess of?

The mind

Goddess of mind and consciousness, her festival was observed on May 8. Her name gives title to the group Mensa, for people with extremely high IQ's.

19. The Larvae are...?

Spirits of deceased family members.

These malignant spirits dwell throughout the house and frighten the inhabitants. People tried to reconcile or avert the Larvae with strange ceremonies which took place on May 9, 11, and 13, called the 'Feast of the Lemures'. The master of the house usually performed these ceremonies either by offering black beans to the spirits or chasing them away by making a lot of noise. Their counterparts are the Lares, friendly and beneficent house spirits.

20. Africus, Aquilo, Auster, Corus, and Favonius are the Roman gods of?

The winds

Not content with 4 winds, the Romans had to have 5: Africus is the southwestern wind, Aquilo the North wind, Auster the south wind (which brought fogs and rain or sultry heat), Corus the north-northwest wind, and Favonius the western wind (the herald of spring).

1. For what element of childbirth did the Romans not have a goddess?

Caesarian section

It would be some time before Julius Caesar, after whom the procedure is named, would be born by Caesarian section. Partula was goddess of childbirth, Prorsa the goddess of births occurring head-first and Postverba the goddess of the breech birth. They also had Rumina, goddess of breast-feeding, and Vagitanus, who oversaw a baby's first cry.

2. Contrary to what one may think (given the sound of the name), Puta was not the deity of prostitutes. Over what did Puta have dominion?

Pruning

Obarator oversaw ploughing, while the busy Sarritor was patron of both hoeing and weeding.

3. Janus, the god of Beginnings, had what distinguishing physical characteristic?

He had two faces

Vulcan, god of blacksmiths (Hephaestus in Greek myth) was lame. A little-known branch of English known as 'Janus words' deals with the very few individual words in the language which can mean opposite things, such as 'sanction' ('restrict' and 'permit') and 'cleave' ('adhere' and 'separate').

4. Which goddess dealt with flowers?

Flora

Indeed she did, hence fauna and...

5. What area was Convector's primary responsibility?

Binding sheaves

Binding sheaves means to make bundles of grain stalks following the harvest.

6. Nuo and Numina were two of the most important deities. Both of their names derive from Latin words or phrases - 'Numina' means 'divine power'; what does 'Nuo' mean, literally?

I nod

The god Nuo existed to grant assent or dissent to human actions.

7. What was/were the dominion(s) of Robigus?

Blight and mildew

Robigus was also sometimes known as Robigo.

8. The Romans doted on several gods who effectively 'babysat' their children. Whcih of the following is not one of them?

Hestia - watched over a child seated before the fire

Hestia, which is in fact the Greek name of the Romans' Vesta, goddess of the hearth, was far too busy being worshipped by virgins to do anything as mundane as child-rearing. Vesta is a later goddess stolen from the Greek tradition and is terribly grand.

9. What name was given collectively to the minor gods of the store cupboard?

Penates

The Penates were rather like house elves.
   
10. What was the name of the goddess of shepherds and their flocks?

Pales

Not all early Roman gods' names are obvious. 'Marino' is a breed of sheep whose wool, particularly that of the ram, is highly prized. Sheep belong to the 'ovine' family, which word is Latinate in origin. Pasturus, of course, I made up from 'pasture'. Pales' festival falls on April 21.

Just a little Q & A about what one thinks they know...

1. Who was the biological mother of Romulus and Remus?

Rhea Silvia

Rhea Silvia was the daughter of Numitor. Rhea was made a priestess by her uncle, Amulius, so she couldn't have children. However, the Roman god of war named Mars fell in love with her and Rhea gave birth to twin boys.

2. Why were Romulus and Remus thrown into the Tiber river as babies?

So their great-uncle would think they were dead

The twins' great-uncle Amulius didn't want to be overthrown so he sent one of his soldiers to slaughter the boys. The soldier couldn't, so he put them into a homemade cradle and set them afloat on the river Tiber. Amilius thought that the boys were dead.

3. What kind of animal found Romulus and Remus on the bank of the Tiber river?

Wolf

A female wolf found on the boys on the bank of the Tiber river and instead of killing them for food the wolf took them back to her pack and fed them as she did her other cubs. A woodpecker also helped feed the boys.

4. Romulus and Remus were found and named by a man named Faustulus who worked for the king. What the occupation of Faustulus?

Shepherd

Faustulus found the boys with the female wolf and took them home to live with him and his wife, Acca Larentia. Faustulus and his wife named the boys Romulus and Remus.

5. When they were teenagers, one was captured by their grandfather's men. Which one?

Remus

Remus was captured by Numitor's men after he was caught sacrificing some of the king's sheep. Numitor's men took Remus to Numitor to be punished. After questioning Remus, Numitor realized it was the grandson he thought had been killed. When Romulus went after his brother, the twin boys great-uncle Amalius, the man who had sent them be killed, was murdered in the war. The kingdom was given back to their grandfather, Numitor.

6. To decide where a new city would be built, of what bird did Romulus and Remus bet each other they could count more?

Eagle or vultures

After defeating their great-uncle and giving the land back to their grandfather, Romulus and Remus set off to build their own city. When they couldn't decide where the city should be built, they bet each that they could count more eagles than the other. Romulus won the bet by spotting twelve eagles, while Remus spotted six.

7. Romulus and Remus ended up building their own cities.

True

Romulus decided to build at the spot where the female wolf found them when they were babies, but Remus wanted to build it on the Aventine Hill. Since neither could agree, they both decided to build their own cities.

8. For what reason did Romulus kill his twin brother, Remus?

Remus jumped over the trench at Romulus' new city

While building their individual cities, Remus jumped over the trench that was protecting Romulus' city to prove that an enemy could get to his brother's city. In his anger, Romulus took an axe and killed his brother. The city that Remus had built became Romulus' city.

9. What name did Romulus give his city?

Rome

Romulus named the city he had built after himself. The people that came to the city were mainly thieves. Romulus brought women over from another city so they could marry the male citizens. He then divided the citizens into groups and gave them each land on the seven hills that were in his new city named Rome.

10. When Romulus had been carried away into the sky, what was the name of the god he became?

Quirinus

One day out of nowhere Romulus was seen ascending into the sky. The people of Rome built a temple in the place where he was standing when he ascended and named the place Quirinal Hill after their new god.