List of Roman deities

The Roman deities are the gods and goddesses worshipped by the ancient Romans. Many of these gods are well-known today because the Romans often linked them to gods from Greek stories. They mixed Greek myths and religious ways into their own culture. This happened in Roman writing, art, and everyday religious life all across the huge Roman Empire.

However, many of the Romans' original gods are still mysterious. We often only know their names and sometimes what they were in charge of, from old writings and inscriptions that are incomplete. This is especially true for the very old gods from the time when Rome was ruled by kings. These ancient gods were part of what is called the "religion of Numa," named after a wise king. Some of these early gods were similar to gods from Italic or Etruscan cultures.

As the Roman Empire grew, gods from other places within the empire were also worshipped. Romans gave these gods new meanings, matching them with Roman gods who had similar jobs or powers. This list starts with groups of gods as the Romans saw them, followed by an alphabetical list of many gods and examples of special titles used for different gods.

Collectives

The Romans sometimes talked about their gods as groups instead of naming each one. Some groups had a set number of gods, like the Camenae and Parcae. Other groups had no set number.

Varro divided the gods into three groups: heavenly gods, earth gods, and underworld gods. Heavenly gods had altars called altaria. Earth gods had altars called arae. Underworld gods had altars called foci, which were special fire pits or hearths. Often, people just talked about the gods above and the gods below.

There were also special groups of gods. The Archaic Triad included Jupiter, Mars, and Quirinus. The Capitoline Triad had Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. The Plebeian or Aventine Triad included Ceres, Liber, and Libera.

In 217 BC, there was a special event called a lectisternium, where gods were treated like guests at a dinner. The gods were seated on couches as if they were present. The twelve main gods were paired up, like Jupiter with Juno, Neptune with Minerva, and others.

Some gods were cared for by special priests called flamens. The major flamens looked after Jupiter, Mars, and Quirinus. Minor flamens cared for twelve other gods, including Carmentis, Ceres, and Flora.

Varro listed twenty main gods of Roman religion, such as Janus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury. He also listed gods from the Sabine people, like Feronia and Minerva, who were adopted by the Romans.

Alphabetical list

A

• Abundantia, goddess of abundance and prosperity.
• Acca Larentia, a diva honored during the Larentalia.
• Acis, god of the Acis River in Sicily.
• Aerecura, goddess possibly of Celtic origin, linked to the underworld and Proserpina.
• Aequitas, goddess of fairness.
• Aesculapius, god of health and medicine.
• Aeternitas, goddess of eternity.
• Agenoria, goddess of activity.
• Aion (Latin spelling Aeon), god of time, related to aevum or saeculum
• Aius Locutius, voice that warned Romans of the Gallic invasion.
• Alernus or Elernus (possibly Helernus), an old god near the Tiber river. He is named only by Ovid. The grove was the birthplace of the nymph Cardea, and sacred rites (sacra) were still held there in the time of Augustus. Alernus may have been a chthonic god. Dumézil thought he might be a god of beans.
• Angerona, goddess who eased pain and sorrow.
• Angitia, goddess linked to snakes and Medea.
• Anna Perenna, early goddess celebrated on March 15.
• Annona, goddess of the grain supply to the city of Rome.
• Antevorta, goddess of the future and one of the Camenae; also called Porrima.
• Apollo, god of poetry, music, and oracles. Twin brother of Diana and one of the Dii Consentes.
• Arimanius, an obscure Mithraic god.
• Aura, often plural Aurae, "the Breezes".
• Aurora, goddess of the dawn.
• Averruncus, a god who helped avoid trouble.

B

• Bacchus, god of wine, originally a title for the Greek Dionysus and linked to the Roman Liber.
• Bellona or Duellona, goddess of war.
• Bona Dea, the "women's goddess" linked to fertility, healing, and chastity.
• Bonus Eventus, god of "Good Outcome".
• Bubona, goddess of cattle.

C

• Caca, an old fire goddess and sister of Cacus.
• Cacus, an ancient god of fire, later seen as a giant.
• Caelus, god of the sky before Jupiter.
• Camenae, goddesses with roles in water, prophecy, and childbirth. There were four of them: Carmenta, Egeria, Antevorta, and Postvorta.
• Cardea, goddess of the hinge (cardo), linked to Carna (below)
• Carmenta, goddess of childbirth and prophecy, and leader of the Camenae.
• Carmentes, two goddesses of childbirth: Antevorta and Postvorta or Porrima.
• Carna, goddess who protected the health of the heart.
• Ceres, goddess of the harvest and mother of Proserpina, and one of the Dii Consentes. The Roman equivalent of Demeter.
• Clementia, goddess of forgiveness and mercy.
• Cloacina, goddess of Rome's sewers; linked to Venus.
• Concordia, goddess of agreement and harmony.
• Consus, god who protected grain storage.
• Cupid, god of love. The son of Venus, and equivalent to Greek Eros.
• Cura, goddess of care and concern.
• Cybele, an imported goddess often called Magna Mater.

D

• Dea Dia, goddess of growth.

• Dea Tacita ("The Silent Goddess"), a goddess of the dead; later linked to the earth goddess Larenta.

• Dea Tertiana and Dea Quartana, goddess of fevers. Presumably sisters of Dea Febris.

• Decima, minor goddess and one of the Parcae. The measurer of life, her Greek equivalent was Lachesis.

• Devera or Deverra, goddess who purified temples; she protected midwives and women in labor.

• Diana, goddess of the hunt, the moon, virginity, and childbirth, sister of Apollo and one of the Dii Consentes.

• Diana Nemorensis, local version of Diana. The Roman equivalent of Artemis.

• Discordia, goddess of discord and strife. The Roman equivalent of Eris.

• Dius Fidius, god of oaths, linked to Jupiter.

• Di inferi, gods linked to death and the underworld.

• Disciplina, goddess of discipline.

• Dis Pater or Dispater, god of wealth and the underworld; perhaps a translation of Greek Plouton (Pluto).

E

• Egeria, water nymph or goddess, later one of the Camenae.
• Empanda or Panda, a goddess whose temple was always open to those in need.
• Epona, Gallo-Roman goddess of horses, likely of Celtic origin.

F

• Falacer, obscure god. He was given a minor flamen.
• Fama, goddess of fame and rumor.
• Fascinus, god who protected from envy and the evil eye.
• Fauna, goddess of prophecy, or perhaps a title of other goddesses such as Maia.
• Faunus, god of flocks.
• Faustitas, goddess who protected herds and livestock.
• Febris, goddess of fevers, with power to cause or prevent fevers.
• Februus, god for whom February was named; linked to purification
• Fecunditas, goddess of fertility.
• Felicitas, goddess of good luck and success.
• Ferentina, patron goddess of the city Ferentinum, protector of the Latin people.
• Feronia, goddess of wilderness, freedom, and liberty. She was also linked to the Underworld.
• Fides, goddess of loyalty.
• Flora, goddess of flowers, given a flamine minor.
• Fornax, goddess who explained the Fornacalia, "Oven Festival."
• Fontus or Fons, god of wells and springs.
• Fortuna, goddess of fortune.
• Fufluns, god of wine, growth and health. He came from Etruscan religion.
• Fulgora, goddess of lightning.
• Furrina, goddess whose roles are mostly unknown, but once important enough to have a flamine.

G

• Genius, the protective spirit of each person
• Gratiae, Roman name for the Charites or Graces.

H

• Hercules, god of strength, based on the Greek hero Heracles but with a Roman character.
• Hermaphroditus, an androgynous Greek god brought into Latin stories.
• Honos, goddess of honor.
• Hora, the wife of Quirinus.

I

• Indiges, the deified Aeneas.
• Intercidona, minor goddess of childbirth; called upon to keep evil spirits away.
• Inuus, god of fertility and protector of livestock.
• Invidia, goddess of envy and wrongdoing.

J

• Janus, two-headed god of beginnings and endings and of doors.
• Juno, Queen of the gods, goddess of marriage, and one of the Dii Consentes. Equivalent to Greek Hera.
• Jupiter, King of the gods, god of storms, lightning, sky, and one of the Dii Consentes; given a flamine maior. Equivalent to Greek Zeus.
• Justitia, goddess of justice.
• Juturna, goddess of fountains, wells, and springs.
• Juventas, goddess of youth.

L

• Lares, household gods.
• Latona, goddess of light.
• Laverna, goddess of thieves, con men and tricksters.
• Lemures, the restless dead.
• Levana, goddess of the ceremony that welcomed newborns.
• Letum, goddess of death.^{[citation needed]}
• Liber, a god of fertility, wine and freedom, linked to Roman Bacchus and Greek Dionysus.
• Libera, Liber's female partner, linked to Roman Proserpina and Greek Persephone.
• Liberalitas, goddess of generosity.
• Libertas, goddess of freedom.
• Libitina, goddess of death, bodies and funerals.
• Lua, goddess to whom soldiers gave captured weapons, perhaps a partner of Saturn.
• Lucina, goddess of childbirth, but often seen as part of Juno.
• Luna, goddess of the moon.
• Lupercus, god of shepherds and wolves; as the god of the Lupercalia, his identity is unclear, but he is sometimes linked to the Greek god Pan.
• Lympha, often plural lymphae, water gods linked to the Greek nymphs.

M

• Mana Genita, goddess of child death
• Manes, the spirits of the dead who became household gods.
• Mania, partner of the Etruscan underworld god Mantus, and perhaps linked to the dark Mater Larum; not to be confused with the Greek Maniae.
• Mantus, an Etruscan god of the dead and ruler of the underworld.
• Mars, god of war and father of Romulus, founder of Rome; one of the Archaic Triad given a flamine maior; lover of Venus; one of the Dii Consentes. Greek equivalent is Ares.
• Mater Matuta, goddess of dawn and childbirth, patron of sailors.
• Meditrina, goddess of healing, linked to the festival of Meditrinalia.
• Mefitis or Mephitis, goddess of poisonous gases and volcanic vapors.
• Mellona or Mellonia, goddess of bees and bee-keeping.
• Mena or Mene, goddess of fertility and menstruation.
• Mercury, messenger of the gods and guide of souls, and one of the Dii Consentes. Roman version of the Greek god Hermes.
• Minerva, goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, industry and trade, and one of the Dii Consentes. Roman version of the Greek goddess Athena.
• Mithras, god worshipped in the Roman empire; popular with soldiers.
• Molae, daughters of Mars, probably gods of grain grinding.
• Moneta, minor goddess of memory, equivalent to the Greek Mnemosyne. Also a title of Juno.
• Mors, goddess of death and equivalent of the Greek Thanatos.
• Morta, minor goddess of death and one of the Parcae. The cutter of life, her Greek equivalent was Atropos.
• Murcia or Murtia, a little-known goddess linked to myrtle, or called a goddess of laziness (both from false etymologies of her name). Later linked to Venus as Venus Murcia.
• Mutunus Tutunus, a god.

N

• Naenia, goddess of funeral mourning.
• Nascio, goddess of the act of birth.
• Necessitas, goddess of destiny, the Roman version of Ananke.
• Nemesis, goddess of revenge (Greek), adopted as an Imperial goddess of punishment.
• Neptune, god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses, and one of the Dii Consentes. Greek equivalent is Poseidon.
• Nerio, ancient war goddess and symbol of bravery. The partner of Mars.
• Neverita, thought to be a goddess, linked with Consus and Neptune in the Etrusco-Roman zodiac of Martianus Capella but otherwise unknown.
• Nixi, also di nixi, dii nixi, or Nixae, goddesses of childbirth.
• Nona, minor goddess, one of the Parcae. The starter of life, her Greek equivalent was Clotho.
• Nortia a Roman-adopted Etruscan goddess of fate, destiny, and chance from the city of Volsinii, where a nail was driven into a wall of her temple each new year.
• Nox, goddess of night, based on the Greek Nyx.

O

• Ops or Opis, goddess of resources or plenty.
• Orcus, a god of the underworld and punisher of broken promises.

P

• Palatua, obscure goddess who guarded the Palatine Hill. She was given a flamine minor.
• Pales, goddess of shepherds, flocks and livestock.
• Panda, see Empanda.
• Parcae, the three fates.
• Pax, goddess of peace; equivalent of Greek Eirene.

• Penates or Di Penates, household gods.
• Picumnus, minor god of fertility, agriculture, marriage, infants and children.
• Picus, Italic woodpecker god with powers of prophecy.
• Pietas, goddess of duty; symbol of the Roman virtue pietas.
• Pilumnus, minor guardian god, who protected infants at birth.
• Pluto, Greek Plouton, a name for the ruler of the dead used in mystery religions and Greek philosophy, sometimes used in Latin stories and linked to Dis pater or Orcus.
• Pomona, goddess of fruit trees, gardens and orchards; given a flamine minor.
• Porrima, goddess of the future. Also called Antevorta. One of the Carmentes and the Camenae.
• Portunus, god of keys, doors, and livestock, he was given a flamine minor.
• Postverta or Prorsa Postverta, goddess of childbirth and the past, one of the two Carmentes (other being Porrima).
• Priapus, guardian of gardens, originally Greek.
• Proserpina, Queen of the Dead, goddess of spring and a grain-goddess, the Roman version of the Greek Persephone.
• Providentia, goddess of forethought.
• Pudicitia, goddess and symbol of chastity, one of the Roman virtues. Her Greek version was Aidôs.

Q

• Querquetulanae, nymphs of the oak.
• Quirinus, Sabine god linked to Mars; Romulus, founder of Rome, became Quirinus after death. Quirinus was a war god and god of the Roman people and state, and was given a flamine maior; he was one of the Archaic Triad gods.
• Quiritis, goddess of motherhood. Originally Sabine or pre-Roman, she was later linked to Juno.

R

• Robigo or Robigus, a god or goddess who represented grain disease and protected crops.
• Roma, symbol of the Roman state.
• Rumina, goddess who protected nursing mothers.

S

• Salacia, goddess of seawater, partner of Neptune. Linked to the Greek Amphitrite.
• Salus, goddess of the safety of the Roman people; later linked to the Greek Hygieia.
• Sancus, god of loyalty, honesty, and promises.
• Saturn, a titan, god of harvest and farming, father of Jupiter, Neptune, Juno, and Pluto.
• Scotus, god of darkness (Di inferi); brother of Terra, partner of Nox and opposite Dis. Greek Erebos; deep shadow and one of the primordial deities.
• Securitas, goddess of safety, especially for the Roman empire.
• Senectus, god of old age. His Greek version is Geras.
• Silvanus, god of forests and woods.
• Sol/Sol Invictus, sun god.
• Somnus, god of sleep; linked to the Greek Hypnos.
• Soranus, a god later absorbed by Apollo as Apollo Soranus. An Underworld god.
• Sors, god of luck.
• Spes, goddess of hope.
• Stata Mater, goddess who stopped fires. Sometimes linked to Vesta.
• Sterquilinus ("Manure"), god of fertilizer. Also known as Stercutus, Sterculius, Straculius, Struculius.
• Suadela, goddess of persuasion, her Greek version was Peitho.
• Summanus, god of nighttime thunder.
• Sulis Minerva, a mix of the Celtic goddess Sulis and Minerva

T

• Talasius, a god of marriage
• Tellumo or Tellurus, male partner of Tellus.
• Tempestas, a goddess of storms or sudden weather, often plural as the Tempestates
• Terra Mater or Tellus, goddess of the earth and land. The Greek version is Gaea, mother of titans, partner of Caelus (Uranus).
• Terminus, the country god of borders.
• Tiberinus, river god; god of the Tiber river.
• Tibertus, god of the river Anio, a tributary of the Tiber.
• Tranquillitas, goddess of peace and calm.
• Trivia, goddess of crossroads and magic, linked to Hecate.

V

• Vacuna, ancient Sabine goddess of rest after harvest who protected farmers' sheep; later linked to Nike and worshipped as a war goddess.
• Vagitanus, or Vaticanus, opens the newborn's mouth for its first cry.
• Vediovus or Veiovis, obscure god, a sort of opposite of Jupiter, as his name means. May be a god of the underworld.
• Venilia or Venelia, sea goddess, partner of Neptune or Faunus.^{[citation needed]}
• Venti, the winds, equivalent to the Greek Anemoi: North wind Aquilo(n) or Septentrio (Greek Boreas); South wind Auster (Greek Notus); East wind Vulturnus (Eurus); West wind Favonius (Zephyrus); Northwest wind Caurus or Corus (see minor winds).
• Venus, goddess of love, beauty, and gardens; mother of the hero Aeneas; one of the Dii Consentes.
• Veritas, goddess and symbol of the Roman virtue of veritas or truth.
• Verminus, god of cattle worms.
• Vertumnus, Vortumnus or Vertimnus, god of the seasons, and of gardens and fruit trees.
• Vesta, goddess of the hearth, the Roman state, and the sacred fire; one of the Dii Consentes.
• Vica Pota, goddess of victory and contests.
• Victoria, goddess of victory.
• Viduus, god who separated the soul and body after death.
• Virbius, a forest god, the reborn Hippolytus.
• Virtus, god or goddess of military strength, symbol of the Roman virtue of virtus.
• Volturnus, god of water, given a flamine minor. Not to be confused with Vulturnus.
• Voluptas, goddess of pleasure.
• Vulcan, god of the forge, fire, and blacksmiths, partner of Venus, and one of the Dii Consentes, given a flamine minor.

Titles and honorifics

Special names and titles could be used for many gods, goddesses, and even important people.

The title Augustus was first given to Octavian to show his important role. After he passed away, this title was used for leaders who came after him and also for smaller local gods, like the Lares Augusti.

The title Augusta was the feminine version, used for important women linked to the empire, including Roman Empresses. The first to carry this title was Livia, wife of Octavian. The name was also given to many goddesses.

The word Bonus or Bona means “good” and was used in names like Bona Fortuna (“Good Luck”) or Bona Mens (“Good Thinking”).

The title Caelestis means “Heavenly” and was used for goddesses who represented powerful ideas. One example is the goddess Isis, who was called Regina Caeli, meaning “Queen of Heaven."

The title Invictus means “Unconquered” and was used for powerful gods such as Jupiter, Mars, and Hercules.

Goddesses could be called Mater, meaning “Mother,” to show their important roles, like Terra Mater (Mother Earth). Gods could be called Pater, meaning “Father,” to show their leadership, like Jupiter.