Studying the mythology of the Roman Empire, it was easy to get confused among the names and family ties of numerous deities. The situation was complicated when the Romans, having conquered another territory, added to their own pantheon of deities worshiped by the conquered people. New gods were often given Roman names, and it became difficult to figure out which of them was who. For example, the supreme Greek and Roman gods Zeus and Jupiter are identified in mythology, but they have different origins and spheres of influence.
Pantheon of the Gods in the Roman Empire
The troops of the Romans conquered many countries, including Greece. But unlike other nations, the Greeks were able to conquer their invaders on a cultural level. First of all, the religion of the Romans underwent Hellenistic influence.
Over time, the Greek deities were merged with the Roman and renamed. So, Zeus the Thunderer became the supreme god of the Romans named Jupiter.
Ancient mythology mentions that with the development of the cult of this deity, more and more "duties" were attributed to him. Like the Greeks, among the Romans, the wife of Jupiter was his own sister - the goddess of motherhood and matrimony Juno (Hera). From this marriage, the gods Mars (father of the founders of Rome, the twins Romulus and Remus) and Vulcan (Hephaestus) were born.
Jupiter had brothers gods Pluto (Hades), Neptune (Poseidon) and sister-goddess Tsetser (Demeter, gave birth to his daughter Proserpine), Vesta (Hestia). Despite their equal origin, these gods obeyed Jupiter. There was also a whole host of other smaller deities like stones (muses), graces (harita), bacchanas (maenads), fauns and others.
The Supreme Deity of the Ancient Greeks - Zeus
In Greek mythology, the supreme deity was Zeus the Thunderer.
His father was the powerful titan Kronos and his sister Rhea. The Titan was afraid that one of the offspring would overthrow him from the throne. Therefore, as soon as Rhea gave birth to a child, he swallowed it. However, his third son, Zeus, was saved by his mother, and when he grew up, he rebelled against his father and saved his brothers and sisters, swallowed by him. Teaming up with the Cyclopes, Hecatonheirs and some titans, the children of Kronos toppled their father and his supporters, taking control of the world in their hands.
Initially, Zeus intended to rule everything himself, but the older brothers Poseidon and Hades that he saved also had the right to power. Then, with the help of the lot, the brothers-gods divided the spheres of influence among themselves: Poseidon received the seas and oceans, Hades - the underworld, and Zeus - the sky and the earth. Although the sons of Kronos were equal, Zeus was still revered by the supreme deity, although sometimes they rebelled against him.
Despite the fact that Zeus was the strongest among the gods, he was not omniscient and omnipotent. Like people, he depended on fate, was its keeper and executor, but not sovereign. Zeus was revered by the Greeks as the most powerful and noble of the gods. Usually he was portrayed as a proud muscular bearded man. An integral attribute of this deity was lightning, and the eagle and oak were symbols.
It is generally accepted that earlier Zeus was also revered in India under the name of Dyaus, and later was "borrowed" by the Greeks. At first Zeus was considered the god of weather and celestial phenomena and was completely unlike a person. However, with the development of mythology, he began to look more like a man, and they began to ascribe to him typical human traits, deeds, and also a pedigree.
Roman mythology: Jupiter
The cult of the king of the gods and people of Ancient Rome Jupiter existed even among the Latins.
It is believed that initially it was a cult of the Etruscan god Tin. Later it was renamed Jupiter. Unfortunately, information about his cult at the dawn of the Roman Empire was practically not preserved, but it is reliably known that this deity did not have parents. With the development of the empire, its culture and mythology developed. Jupiter began to be identified with the Greek Zeus, and by analogy he created a pedigree: his father is the god of agriculture Saturn, whom he overthrew, and his mother is the goddess of the harvest of Opah.
The responsibilities of Jupiter was much wider than that of Zeus. He not only controlled the weather and ruled all creatures in the world, but was also the god of war, granting victory. The Romans believed that they were the "favorites" of Jupiter, so they manage to conquer more and more lands. The cult of Jupiter was incredibly widespread in Rome, temples were built and generous sacrifices were made to him. Also, in the beginning of autumn, grand festivities dedicated to this deity were held every year.
After the advent of Christianity in the Roman Empire, the cult of Jupiter, like other gods, was abolished. However, for a long time the Romans secretly revered this deity.
With the advent of the so-called “popular religion, ” when Christianity began to adjust pagan beliefs and rites, Jupiter became identified with the Prophet Elijah.
Differences between Roman and Greek supreme deities
Roman mythology borrowed a lot from Greek. Jupiter, meanwhile, although it was identified with Zeus, was different from it.
First of all, he is a more strict and serious god. So, for example, Zeus often liked to fly away from his duties, and almost the majority of Greek myths speak of his love affairs. Jupiter, although he was also not averse to having fun with a beautiful goddess or woman, did not devote so much time to this. Instead, Jupiter was keen on war. The sphere of influence of the supreme deity included duties that the Greeks performed of the war gods Athena Pallas and Ares.
If the Greeks Zeus controlled lightning and thunder, then the Romans Jupiter was also the deity of both heavenly bodies. In addition, Jupiter was considered the god of the crop, especially supportive of winegrowers.
