Gregory Flood's Roman Gods and Goddesses

Roman God Sphere of Operation

Name

M/F

Misc. Data

Abundance

Copia

F

Abundance

Porus

M

Abundance

Volumnus

M

Action

Agenor

M

Aids in strenuous work; also healing

Strenia

F

Old Sabine goddess; temple on the Via Sacra; also oversees distribution of new year's gifts

Aids the weary

Fessonia

F

Boundaries

Terminus

M

Very old and important deity; his festival, the Terminalia, was in February; landowners sacrificed at the boundary stones of their property

Civic: spirit of the Palatine

Palatua

F

Identified with Pales

Civic: welfare of the state

Salus

F

Commerce, Weights and Measures

Castor & Pollux

M

Greek imports but very important and ubiquitous

Communications; doors; the harbor

Portunus; Portumnus

M

Appears in the Aeneid

Council; good advice

Consus

M

Death

Tarpeia

F

Death: funerals

Larenta

F

Death: funerals

Libitina

F

Register of the dead is kept at her temples

Death: funerals

Naenia

F

Especially funerals of the aged

Death: power over life and death

Genita-Mana

F

Name means "Birth-Death"

Discord

Ate, Discordia

F

Daughter of Nox, goddess of evil, exiled from Olympus by Jove; sister of Nemesis, the Parcae and Death

Disease

Verminus

M

Name means "wormy"

Disease: fever

Febris

F

Disease: stenches that produce illness: swamps and sewer

Mefitis

F

Disease: the itch

Scabies

F

Doors; beginnings and endings;

Janus

M

Major deity; see Terminus, Portunus

Emotion: Alarm

Pavor

M

Child of Mars

Emotion: dispels mental anguish

Volupia

F

Emotion: family harmony

Verplaca

F

Families reconciled at her temple on the Palatine

Emotion: fear

Pallor

F

Child of Mars

Emotion: inspiration

Stimula

F

Excrement

Caca

F

Ministered to by the Vestals

Fertility

Nerio

F

Consort of Mars; old Sabine goddess

Flowers

Flora

F

Gave magic flower to Juno so she could conceive Mars without a father; joyful Floralia in March w/ theater, games

Food

Edesia

F

Food: apples

Pomona

F

Entire month of September was sacred to her; festival participants decked out in flowers

Food: baking

Fornax

F

"Oven"; festival of the Fornacalia celebrated in February; also call the "Festival of the Stupid"

Food: beverages

Bibesia

F

Food: fruit, abundance of

Frutesca

F

Food: honey

Mellona

F

Food: the grindstone

Molae

F

Daughter of Mars; Worshipped by millers

Fraud and deception

Fraus

F

A young woman with hidden deformities and a snake's tail; daughter of Orcus and Nox

Healing

Caia Caecilia

F

Deified mortal princess Tanaquil

Healing

Meditrina

F

Sister of Hygeia, daughter of Aesculapius; restored health, whereas Hygeia preserved health; festival in October

Healing

Minerva Medica

F

Goddess of physicians; Greek Athena

Healing

Valentia

F

Umbrian town of Oriculum

Healing: especially of poison

Angitia

F

Sister of Circe and Medea; sacred grove on Lake Fuscinus where both poisonous snakes and medicinal herbs were found

Healing; prophecy; water: river god

Clitumnus

M

Umbrian

Highway bandits

Furrina

F

Festival at the end of June

Home: hinges

Cluerca or Carda

F

Originally a nymph and virgin huntress; fooled would-be suitors by sending them ahead of her into a cave and then disappearing; couldn't fool Janus who could see in both directions; he made her a goddess

Home: lintels

Limentinus

M

Home: thresholds

Forculus

M

Home: Weaving

Lina

F

Horses

Epona

F

Industry and Silence

Agenoria

F

Journeys

Adeona

F

Kindness, good will, the Etruscan federation

Voltumna

F

Landscape: groves

Nemestrinus

M

Mentioned only by Arbonius

Landscape: hills and downs

Collatina

F

Landscape: nature

Sylvanus

M

Frightening deity, sometimes beneficent

Landscape: old nature god

Picus

M

Son of Saturn; Father of Sylvanus; So beautiful all who saw him fell in love; "woodpecker"

Landscape: the earth

Tellumo

F

Very old god

Landscape: trees, orchards, woods

Feronia

F

Goddess who tames what is wild; frees slaves

Landscapes: the valleys

Vallonia

F

Lares, Mother of, wife of Mercury

Lara

F

Mother by Jupiter; an Etruscan goddess

Luck

Bonus Eventus

F

Affected single events, not the course of a life

Marriage

Jugatinus

M

Also mountain ridges

Marriage: brings the bride into the house

Domitius; Domidius

M

Marriage: courtship

Juga

F

Marriage: Honeymoon

Subigus

M

Tutelary god of the wedding night

Marriage: honeymoon; loosens the bride's girdle

Cinxia

F

Marriage: keeps the couple together

Manturnae

F

Marriage: mutual Love and tenderness

Anteros

M

Mediator between gods and humans

Soranus

M

Health, purification,

savage, ecstatic rites

Money

Pecunia

F

Money: metal coins

Aesculanus

M

Monster

Cacus

M

Three-headed, fire-breathing monster killed by Hercules in fight over some of Geryon's cattle

Monster

Volta

M

Volsciian monster; depicted in Etruscan art as daemonic entity with wolf's head

Moon

Luna

F

Night

Noctornus

M

Perhaps same as Vesper or Nox

Numbers

Numeria

F

Nymph

Carmenta

F

Mother of the Camenae; aka Postverta

Nymph

Egeria

F

A Camena

Oaths

Fidius Dius; Sanctus Saber; Semipater

M

Oaths

Semo Sancus

M

Old Latin deity; see Fides in Virtues & Personifications

Openings of roads and towns

Panda

F

Persuasion

Suadela

F

Pleasure: Beauty

Hora

F

Pleasure: Coition

Perfica

F

Pleasure: Laziness

Mercia

F

Pleasure: Leisure and Repose

Vacuna

F

Festival in December

Pleasure: Lust

Libentina

F

Pleasure: Night life

Comus

M

Pleasure: Sensuality

Voluptas

F

Prayer

Peta

F

Protectress of things purified by ritual

Lua

F

Wife of Saturn

Protects from enemies, drives them away

Pellonia

F

Protects from evil, envy, black magic, demons, illness

Fascinus

M

Punishment

Poena

F

Reputation, rumor

Fama

F

A troublesome goddess, mixes truth and falsehood

Sewers

Cloacina

F

"The Purifier"

Silence (or change)

Muta / Tacita

F

Singing

Camoena

F

Slavery: freedom and manumission

Libertas

F

Cats are dear to her

Stars: Morning star

Lucifer

M/F

Thieves and Impostors

Laverna

F

Had an altar and sanctuary grove on the Aventine where thieves hid and prayed to her for the appearance of honesty

Time: the cycling year

Anna Perenna

F

Ovid tells of how she was go-between when Mars wooed Nerio; substituted herself, an old crone, for Nerio at the assignation; festival on Ides of March at which people drank as many glasses of wine as years they wished to live

Time: the future

Antevorta

F

Time: the month of March

Mamurius Veturius

M

"The old man of March," expelled during the March festival

Time: the past

Postvorta

F

Time: the seasons; ruler of trade and produce

Vertumnus

M

Connection to the seasons may be spurious; husband of Pomona; festival in October

Time: winter solstice; also suffering and silence

Angerona

F

Tolerance and Mercy

Clementia

F

Travel: Protects ocean voyagers; also goddess of the dawn; aids in childbirth

Mater Mutata

F

Matralia (summer solstice) in July where women acted out the role of the goddess

Underworld

Veiovis; Vediovis

M

Not really like Pluto

Underworld: Ghosts

Mania

F

Grandmother of Ghosts; probably Etruscan; sacrificed to with poppy heads and garlic

Underworld; protected internal organs; white magic; protected the exterior of houses

Carna

F

also protected the state; quelled evil or traitorous thoughts; a virgin deified after Janus violated her; festival in June when bacon and beans were consumed

Unknown

Hersilia

F

Sabine wife of Romulus, deified by Juno

Unknown

Falacer

M

Deified Italic hero; had an established priesthood and temple in Rome; absolutely nothing is known about him

Unknown

Feretris

M

Unknown

Lapis

?

"Stone"

Unknown

Larenta

F

May have been the she-wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus; may have been goddess of prostitutes

Virginity

Daphne

F

Voice, disembodied

Aius Locutius

?

Divine voice that warned Rome that the Gauls were attacking; chapel and altar on the Via Nova

Voice, disembodied

Canens

F

Wife of Picus, mother of Faunus; after Circe transformed Picus into a woodpecker, Canens called his name until she wasted away to just a voice

War; sister of Mars

Bellona

F

Carried a whip; snakes for hair; initiated war by pitching a spear into the enemy country; temple had no doors; spear thrown over the column of war; priests mutilated selves, offered blood; festival in June w/ races between boys and men

Water

Neverita

F

Wife of Neptune

Water: Albula, a sulfurous river; a grove goddess residing in a spring at Tibur

Albunea

F

Prophetic; Varro calls her a sibyl; "the white"

Water: hot springs of Abona

Abonius

M

Water: ocean deeps

Salacia

F

Wife of Neptune

Water: ocean shallows

Venelia

F

Wife of Neptune

Water: springs

Fons

F

Her festival, the Fontinalia, in October when the springs begin to flow again after the summer heat

Water: springs

Juturna

F

A Camena; lover of Janus

Water: the Tiber

Volturnus

M

aka Tiberinus

Weather: lightning

Fulgora

F

Weather: Nocturnal thunderstorms

Summanus

M

Women: menstruation

Fluonia

F

Women: protects virginity

Pertunda

F

Youth, young men of Rome

Juventas

M