The most important ROMAN GODDESSES of MYTHOLOGY

All the great ancient cultures had a series of beliefs to explain the world, these being the so-called mythologies, in which the different stories related to the gods marked people's lives. To talk about the main female deities of one of the most influential mythologies in this lesson from a PROFESSOR we are going to talk about the most important Roman goddesses.

When talking about Roman mythology we must bear in mind that it was very different in its beginnings than in its later stages, since at the beginning they were a series of beliefs related to the rituals performed by the Etruscans and it was not until later times that the most recognized gods appeared, being a consequence of the influence of greek mythology and the need to explain the origin of the territory.

The late arrival of many of the Roman beliefs can be observed in the oldest Roman texts, since many of the historians of the first times did not speak about the creation or on many of the most important gods, demonstrating that it was later and due to the influence of other cultures that Roman mythology achieved to flourish.

It should be taken into account that, although the arrival of the Roman gods happened with the already advanced civilization, all of them were iincluded in the history of the origins of the city, so it is normal to see their appearance in myths based on situations in which the Romans still did not believe in these deities.

The great Greek influence made the vast majority of Roman gods were taken from Greek mythology, although in most cases with a name change and sometimes with certain differences on its attributes. Even so, it must be taken into account that the importance of the gods was not the same in both cultures, there being much more important goddesses in Greece than in Rome and vice versa.

To continue with the lesson about the most important Roman goddesses we must talk about the main roman female deities, making special reference to those whose attributes were essential to Roman life, and explaining those that were more relevant than their Greek counterparts.

Diana

The Roman goddess equivalent to Artemis, was the goddess of the hunt, the moon and virginity. She was especially respected by Roman women, with many tributes to her person being quite common, especially those related to the protection of children, due to the relationship between infants and young Romans.

Minerva

The Roman goddess equivalent to Athena, was goddess of wisdom and protector of Rome. Even though she was a very important goddess for the Romans, her cult was not as great as the one who surrendered in Greece, where it was common for her to be the chief goddess of some of the major cities helenas. A clear example is that her role as goddess of war was less in Greece, due in part to the great influence of Mars in Roman culture.

Vesta

One of the most important Roman goddesses, being the representative of fire and being related to the vestals, which were women recruited when they were children to maintain the flame of the temple of Vesta. Much of her importance in the history of Roman mythology is due to her relationship with the founding of Rome, since it is said that she protected the mother of Romulus and Remus.

Venus

The goddess of love, fertility, sex and prostitutionher, she being the counterpart of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. She was a very important goddess for the Romans, as shown for example that Julius Caesar took her as his protector. It should be taken into account that love at that time was not as we know it today, since it was more related to eroticism than to romantic love.

Juno

The most important female goddesses for the Romans, being the protector of the family, motherhood and women. Even with all the representations of her make it seem that she should also be considered as a warrior goddess, there are several images of her armed. The great importance of the Roman family makes Juno far more important and respected in Rome than she ever was in Ancient Greece.

To conclude this lesson on the most important Roman goddesses, we must talk about some Roman deities that still do not belong to the highest part of the Roman pantheon. they have a great influence. Some of the great Roman goddesses are the following:

• FortuneShe: she was the Roman goddess of luck, both good and bad, although she was always more associated with good luck so she was a very beloved goddess.
• Victory: The goddess who represented victory and triumph, which is why she was a very beloved goddess for the Roman armies.
• Ceres: One of the goddesses who were part of the high dome of the Roman deities, she being the goddess of vegetation and crops.
• Fides: The goddess of fidelity united to the word that the Romans gave when making a promise to another person.
• Cybele: A goddess of Anatolian origin who represented the Mother Earth, her presence in the Roman pantheon shows that this mythology did not take only characters from Greek mythology.
• Bellona: Wife of Mars and like him goddess of war.