Questions tagged [roman]
For questions about Roman mythology and legends.
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What is the deal with Janus?
Is Janus the Roman deity a primordial being like Terra or something that came after (Titan/God)? Did he mingle with Jupiter and the others in the pantheon?
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Besides Apollo, no main Roman god shared the name of its Greek version -- why?
Was this deliberate or is it more than we decided upon the correspondence and the Romans did not see them necessarily as the exact same god?
If deliberate, did the Romans want to separate their ...
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What is the source of the idea that Medusa was a priestess of Athena?
Medusa is a monster in Greek mythology known for being associated in some way with the gods Poseidon and Athena. By Poseidon she conceived a pair of twin sons, namely the winged horse Pegasus and some ...
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What portals are there in mythologies?
I'd be interested to know about the mentions of portals in mythologies. By portals, I mean accesses/gates towards other locations, worlds, dimensions. I've found this notion several times but in my ...
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Was there a Roman festival where people dressed in skins?
In the middle of a discussion on different pagan Roman festivals, the Talmud in Tractate Avodah Zara 11b describes a certain Roman festival:
"Rav Yehuda says that Shmuel says: They have another ...
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Is it the Muses depicted on the façade of 100 Broadway, Manhattan?
The American Surety Building (also known as the Bank of Tokyo Building) is at 100 Broadway in Manhattan, in New York City. The building's façade is designed to look like the front of a Classical Greek ...
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Is there any pre-modern attestation for Telephassa being a daughter of Nephele by the River Nile?
In Greek mythology, Telephassa's claim to fame is that she is, going by the commonest version of the genealogy, the mother of Kadmos [Cadmus], who built the citadel of Thebes in Boiotia [Boeotia]; of ...
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Which specific ancient sources did NOT consider Kronus and Chronos to be the same being?
I’ve always heard that Kronus (Titan of the Harvest) and Chronos (God/Personification of Time) are often confused by modern people but were actually considered two distinct beings in Ancient Greece. ...
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In what ancient source, if any, does the infant Hermes disguise himself as Ares?
According to this Answer to a Question regarding whether the Greek messenger-god Hermes was born mortal or not, the Third Vatican Mythographer, a mediaeval Latin text, knows of a version of the ...
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Colosseum: religious significance of setting sun and moon?
While studying the geography of ancient Rome, and particular the position of the Colosseum, I noticed on a live webcam time-lapse replay of the Colosseum, that the full moon and sun settles over (or ...
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What would a Roman want to achieve with writing inscriptions and magical signs on bronze nails?
I was strolling through the Wikipedia page on bronze and found a picture of bronze nails from Roman times. Under the picture is a text saying
Roman bronze nails with magical signs and inscriptions, ...
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Greco-Roman stories of a mother losing her daughter?
I am looking for Greco-Roman stories of a mother losing her young daughter and the grief that takes place as a consequence of such. I am writing a play where a similar thing occurs and would like to ...
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Is there a binary index of interactions between mythical personages of classical antiquity?
In the context of Greek and Roman mythology, suppose I'm interested in finding whether two prominent mythical personages (deities, heroes or other figures) are related or not by some written narrative,...
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Identifying Greco-Roman Mythology reference in Krazy Kat Kartoon
Some months ago I answered a question over on the Literature SE. The question was about a Krazy Kat strip from 1936.
In the cartoon, Offisa Pupp takes a nap; he dreams that he meets Krazy and then ...
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What does Rome, Conquerors & Titans have in common?
I think something with Heracles, but I am unsure.
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An ancient source for the myth of Venus' creation of red roses?
I asked a question Literature SE a few days ago, trying to make sense of some of the references in an English poem by William Drummond of Hawthornden. One portion of the poem describes Venus/Aphrodite ...
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Is there a myth about someone who constantly creates their own demise?
Since this is certainly a common theme, I'm wondering if there is a myth about someone who ignorantly walks themselves repeatedly into ill-fate or their own misery. It would be like Sisyphus, but ...
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Tubal-cain (תּוּבַל קַיִן) and Vulcan
In Hebrew, "B" and "V" are the same letter (ב), so without the "Tu", Tubalcain (תּוּבַל קַיִן) and Vulcan are very similar names.
The French spelling is "Vulcain&...
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How were Nymphs born in Roman Mythology?
I am writing a poem set in ancient Rome and am seeking stories that regard the birth (or process of birthing) nymphs to allude to. I certainly well considered that nymphs are more represented as "...
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Were there cooks for the gods on Olympus in Greek(or Roman) Mythology
I am writing a play in which Greek mythology is a worshipful act and wanted to write that the gods decided to eat the humanly harvest rather than the food (ambrosia, the nectar) of Olympus.
Are ...
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What are the similarities and differences between Greek gods and Roman gods?
I've seen that sometimes gods in Greek mythology have different names than the gods in Roman mythology. I've also seen that they are basically the same god just with a different name. What makes Greek ...
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Does the cap of Hades keep one's accessories hidden?
In Greek mythology, Hades' magic cap or helmet renders its wearer invisible. The most famous user of this piece of equipment is Hades' nephew, the hero Perseus, while on his mission to slay the Gorgon ...
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Does Medusa's head turn one's clothing to stone together with its wearer?
Medusa and her two triplet Gorgon sisters, Sthenno and Euryale, are monsters from Greek and Roman mythology notorious for their ability to turn whoever looked upon them (or directly into their faces) ...
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Who or what is Vergil referring to when he mentions God/Divine Intelligence in the Georgics?
So, I'm reading the book IV of Virgil's Georgics and was puzzled by the "God" mentioned in the following lines (starting at line 219 of James Rhoades' translation)
Led by these tokens, and with ...
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What do we know about the Roman goddesses Adeona and Abeona?
I've been trying to research the roles of the goddesses Adeona (or Adiona) and Abeona in Roman mythology, but am having great difficulty finding primary sources, such as the texts of Roman myths and ...
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Did the Romans and Greeks worship the sun as their sun god?
Did the Romans and Greeks worship the sun as their sun god, or was their sun god distinct from the astronomical sun?
Can the same be said about the moon and the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, ...
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Why did the Romans name the planets after their gods?
Why did the Romans name the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn after their gods? Or did they consider these planets those gods?
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Was Plutus the son of Pluto and Proserpina?
There are so many different answers to the "Who were Hades/Pluto and Persephone/Prosperina children?" question that I'm not sure if they even had children together at all anymore.
One person ...
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What is the connection between Poseidon and horses?
Since Poseidon is well known as the god of the God of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses? What is the connection between Poseidon and horses?
As a god of the sea the storms and earthquakes part ...
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What is the source of the story of the immaculate conception of Mars?
Kersey Graves discusses the immaculate conception of Mars:
In Malcolm's "History of Persia" the author tells us that "Zoroaster was born of an immaculate conception by a ray from the Divine Reason....
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Why were metamorphoses so popular with ancient writers?
A brief search revealed five books by Greek and Roman writers on the subject of metamorphosis myths:
"Metamorphoses" by Ovid
"Metamorphoseon Synagoge" by Antoninus Liberalis
"Metamorphoses (aka The ...
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School in the Sky?
I'm looking for references to schools in the sky. Was there a school that the Greek gods attended? A university frequented by the Norse pantheon? An academy in Tian? I'd love any pointers you've ...
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Zeus' Lightning Bolt
Did Zeus'/Iupiters' lightning bolt ever attain it's own personal name, or did the Greeks and Romans only ever use generic words for thunder and lightning?
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What is the relationship between Thor and storms?
We all know Þórr means thunder and that Mjǫllnir may possibly mean lightning, however, in all the texts I've read, there isn't a single mention (or at least not a relevant one) of a connection between ...
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Please help identify creature/character on necklace!
I have this necklace that I bought at antique shop long ago and I’ve had no luck with identifying what the creature may be. Does this happen to look familiar to anyone?
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Greek or Roman equivalent of Bible
Wondering if there are any documents that document the Greek or Roman mythologies in a way similar to the bible, in that it acts as a comprehensive resource for all the knowledge about it. Maybe ...
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Are there Evil Sybils or Diviners in Greco-Roman Tradition?
In the Judeo-Christian tradition there are people of Divine Insight who do evil, such as the Diviner Balaam.
I'm wondering if there are Greco-Roman examples like this, especially regarding the ...
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What is this symbol on my necklace?
I bought this pendant in Italy around 10 years ago, I think from Rome.
I’ve always been curious as to what the bird with the sun above it (etched onto the red glossy background) represents. I was a ...
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When was a pair of Greek and Roman gods first identified?
There is a canonical correspondence between some Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, for example Ares and Mars.
However, these two were originally different deities and quite different in nature.
My ...
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What deities did only one city/state recognize?
In research of past questions, I came across Eleos. Eleos is the personified daemon (lesser/inferior god) of piety, mercy, clemency (leniency), and compassion. She was always depicted as a young woman ...
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Who kept the Cumaean Sybil in a jar (ampulla)?
I have previously asked a question about the Virgin of Cumae, or the Cumaean Sybil, so the info will, for the most part, just be a memorize and type deal.
The Virgin of Cumae was a priestess with the ...
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Did Hephaestus and Aphrodite get divorced?
I come across every now and then that the smith god and the love goddess got a divorce. But to contrast that, I read they are still together in Roman myths and times. Though I also have contrast to ...
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Did Greeks bow to their gods?
Is there an instance in which a Greek (or related, Roman, Trojan...) would bow to a god if they appeared? I would think not.
Iliad
Athena appears to Achilles, did not bow.
Athena appears to Odysseus,...
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If the Trojans had a different language than the Achaeans, does this mean they spoke the same as Queen Dido?
I have previously asked if the Trojans called the gods by their Greek names (Athena, Demeter...) or their Roman names (Minerva, Ceres...). I was told they had their own language and the two sides had ...
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Is the Cumaean Sybil known by any other name?
Warning- Extremely deep in Greek/Roman myth.
The Virgin of Cumae, or the Cumaean Sybil, was a priestess with the gift of prophecy. She would write her prophecies on oak leaves an arrange them. But, ...
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Was Saturn a person or god among the early Romans?
I've been very perplexed over the confusing matter regarding Saturn and how he was viewed by the early Romans. Some say he was a just king who ruled the Romans in a golden age, succeeding Janus. ...
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Did the Trojans worship the gods by their Greek or Roman names?
In the Iliad by Homer(and relating stories by him about the Trojan War), all the god's names are Greek. But in the Aeneid by Virgil, a story that takes place immediately during and after the fall of ...
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Why were the lungs left inside the mummy of Herakleides, instead of the heart?
In ancient Egyptian mummies, the heart was the only organ that stayed in the body. This was because the heart would be weighed against the feather of Ma'at in the Hall of Two Truths.
The Romano-...
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What is the symbolism behind Psyche's tasks?
The taskmaster in the story of Cupid and Psyche was Cupid's mother, the love goddess Venus or Aphrodite. Venus had never liked Psyche, so the opportunity of putting her to a series of tests gave Venus ...
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What sources describe the rivers of the Underworld?
Many stories about the Greco-Roman Underworld mention the rivers flowing through it: the Styx, the Acheron, the Lethe, the Pyriphlegethon, the Cocytus, the Eridanus, and sometimes others.
Sources ...
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