MYTHOLOGY

ELE Syllabus Entry

Apollo Diana Mars Pluto

Bacchus Janus Mercury Venus
Ceres Juno Minerva Vesta
Cupid Jupiter Neptune Vulcan

SECTION CONTENTS

The Roman Deities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Reference Chart for the Roman Deities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Quis Sum? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Mythology Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

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 MYTHOLOGY

The Roman Deities

upiter was the king of the Roman gods. He ruled over Mt. Olympus as well as the heavens
J and earth. When angered, he made the heavens roar with thunder as he threw his lightning
bolts. His constant companion and messenger was Mercury, and his foremost wife was Juno.
Another name for Jupiter is Jove. The oak was his tree and the eagle, his bird. The largest
planet in our solar system is named after him.

uno, the wife of Jupiter, was the queen of the gods. She was also the goddess associated
J with marriage and childbirth. Her favorite animals were the cow and the peacock. Her eyes
were green, and because of her jealous nature, we associate the term “green-eyed” with her
envy. Her special messenger was Iris, the rainbow. The month of June gets its nam e from her.

eptune, a brother of Jupiter, was the ruler of the oceans and seas. He is often pictured
N riding the waves with the horses he created and carrying his three-pronged spear, the
trident. His son, Triton, was a merman who blew on a conch shell. Neptune was also said to
make earthquakes by driving his trident into the ground. Another large planet in our solar
system is named after him.

eres, a sister of Jupiter, was the goddess of grain, agriculture, and nature. She is often
C shown carrying a sheaf of wheat or a bouquet of flowers. According to Roman myth, the
seasons of the year are the result of her daughter’s kidnapping and stay in the Underworld.
From Ceres’ name we get the word “cereal” which refers to grain products and breakfast food.

luto, the other brother of Jupiter, was the ruler of the Underworld, the place where all spirits
P go after death. He is usually pictured carrying his two-pronged spear, the bident, and
accompanied by his three-headed dog, Cerberus. Pluto was also the wealthiest god and was
known to the Romans also as Dis (Wealth). The darkest and most remote planet is named after
him.

esta was the shy and quiet sister of Jupiter. Her realm was the family hearth and fireplace.
V While her other brothers and sisters had many escapades, she did not engage in playful
activities. In her temple in Rome, there was a constant fire burning. This fire was tended by her
special priestesses, the Vestal Virgins.

enus, the goddess of love and beauty, had no parents, but rose out of the sea. She was
V credited with being the m other of Cupid and of Aeneas, the Trojan hero who began the
Roman race. Her special symbols were the swan, the dove, and the myrtle tree. Venus was
said to have a strong personality and was especially close to the war god Mars. The bright
planet next to Earth bears her name.

upid, the son of Venus, was the god of love. Mischievous in nature, he was armed with a
C bow and special gold and lead arrows. Whenever he wished, he could hit someone with
a gold arrow to produce a feeling of love, or he could hit that same person with a lead arrow
to produce the opposite effect. Cupid is often pictured with wings and is most often seen
around Valentine’s Day.

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The Roman Deities (continued)

ars, the Roman god of war, was the son of Jupiter and Juno. His constant companions
M were Strife and Discord, and he was often described as being angry. He is portrayed in
art with his favorite animals, the vulture and the dog, or riding on his splendid war chariot.
According to legend, Mars was the father of Romulus and Remus, the twin boys who founded
Rome. The angry red planet neighboring Earth and the third month of the year are named for
him.

ulcan was the other son of Jupiter and Juno. Described as being the ugliest of the deities,
V he was lame from a fall suffered in his youth. Despite his outward appearance, Vulcan was
a skilled blacksm ith who forged thunderbolts for Zeus, armor and weapons for heroes, and
intricate adornments of metal. For this reason, his symbols were fire and the hammer and anvil
of the forge. The word “volcano” comes from his name.

pollo, the handsomest of the gods, was associated with light, the sun, truth, prophecy, and
A music. This multi-talented deity would drive the sun chariot during the day and charm the
inhabitants of Mt. Olympus with his music at night. He had a twin sister, Diana, and a special
oracle at Delphi, the Sibyl, who foretold the future. His symbols included the lyre, the laurel
tree, and the raven.

iana, the twin sister of Apollo, was the goddess of the moon, the hunt, and wild animals.
D She drove the moon chariot at night just as her brother drove the sun chariot during the
day. Although she was associated with hunting, she was also the protectress of wild animals.
If ever she witnessed any cruelty to her beasts, her revenge was severe. Her symbols were a
white stag and a bow and arrow.

ercury, Jupiter’s companion and messenger, was the quickest and trickiest of the Roman
M deities. Most often he is depicted wearing winged sandals and a winged cap and
carrying the caduceus (a winged staff encircled by two snakes). Aside from being the
messenger to Jupiter, Mercury was associated with both businessmen and thieves. He also
guided souls to the Underworld. The quick-moving planet closest to the sun is named for him.

inerva was the goddess of wisdom, crafts and strategic war. According to myth, she was
M born out of Jupiter’s head and was the favorite of his children. Her symbols were the owl
(a bird often called “wise”) and war armor, including the aegis (breastplate) of Jupiter. When
she was not fighting, she wove tapestries to adorn Mt. Olympus.

acchus was the Roman deity associated with grapes and wine, essential products in
B ancient Rome. He is often pictured with his tutor, Silenus. His symbols were grapes and the
thyrsus (a staff with a pine cone on top and encircled by ivy). Many parties were given in
Bacchus’ honor.

anus was the two-faced Roman deity associated with doorways and beginnings. Because
Jof his two faces, he could look both forward and backward at the same time. The first
month of the year is named after him.

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 MYTHOLOGY

Reference Chart for the Roman Deities

DEITY REALM(S) SYMBOL(S)

Apollo sun, music, prophecy lyre, raven, laurel tree, sun chariot

Bacchus wine grapes, thyrsus

Ceres agriculture, nature wheat, corn

Cupid love bow and arrow

Diana moon, wild animals, hunting stag, bow and arrow

Janus doorways, beginnings two faces

Juno marriage peacock, cow

Jupiter heavens and earth thuderbolt, oak, eagle

Mars war war chariot

Mercury messenger, thieves, business winged shoes and helmet, caduceus

Minerva wisdom, crafts, strategic war aegis, owl

Neptune seas, earthquakes trident, horses

Pluto Underworld, wealth bident, Cerberus (3-headed dog)

Venus beauty, love dove, swan

Vesta hearth, home fire

Vulcan blacksmith hammer & anvil, fire

In addition to the mythological deities,

the Romans also worshipped the household deities the Lares and Penates.

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Quis sum?
Identify the Roman deity who might have spoken each of the following lines.
Use the word bank below to help.

______________________ 1. Sum deus solis et musicae.

______________________ 2. Sum dea belli et sapientiae.

______________________ 3. Habeo duos facies.

______________________ 4. Sum rex deorum.

______________________ 5. Sum rex maris.

______________________ 6. Sum dea agriculturae et naturae.

______________________ 7. Sum dea lunae et animalium.

______________________ 8. Sum deus belli.

______________________ 9. Sum dea amoris.

______________________ 10. Sum dea ignis et domus.

______________________ 11. Sum deus vini.

______________________ 12. Sum nuntius deorum.

______________________ 13. Sum deus amoris.

______________________ 14. Facio tela deorum.

______________________ 15. Sum rex Orci.

______________________ 16. Sum regina deorum.

amor = love facio = I make rex = king

bellum = war habeo = I have sapientia = wisdom
dea = goddess nuntius = messenger telum = weapon
deus = god Orcus = Underworld vinum = wine
facies = face regina = queen

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Mythology Review
Using the grid below, have students play “Fill the Card” in pairs. Have Student #1 say a deity’s
name and student #2 will mark his/her symbol/realm. Then Student #2 will say a name and
Student #1 will mark his/her card. After succeeding in this manner, students can reverse the
process, pointing to the symbol and naming the correct deity. As an alternative, have students
cut out the grid and repaste the squares randomly on a piece of construction paper and have
the entire class play BINGO.

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 MYTHOLOGY

MYTHOLOGY ANSWER KEY

p. 97 Q uis S um ?

1. Ap ollo
2. Minerva
3. Janus
4. Jupiter
5. Neptune
6. Ceres
7. Diana
8. Mars
9. Venus
10. Vesta
11. Bacchus
12. Mercu ry
13. Cu pid
14. Vulcan
15. Pluto
16. Juno

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