Roman Gods are often divided into different groups according to function or history of worship. For example, the Di Conserentes presided over procreation. However, the most important group is the Dii Consentes, who are the Roman equivalent of the Greek Olympians.
DII CONSENTES
These are the twelve major Gods who watch over Roman life. Six Gods are male, while Six are female. They are lead by the Capitoline Triad, who guide the Roman affairs of State. These Gods are the Roman Ones who are most identified with the Greek Olympians. (Apollo and Ceres are adopted from the Greeks.)
Jupiter (Iuppiter): King, Sky
Juno (Iuno): Queen, Roman State
Minerva: Wisdom, Learning
Neptune (Neptunus): Water, the Seas
Mars (Mavis): War, Defense
Venus: Spring, Love
Apollo: Sun, Prophesy
Diana: Moon, Wild Places
Vulcan (Volcanus): Raging Fire
Vesta: Hearth and Home
Mercury (Mercurius): Commerce
Ceres: Agriculture
DII INDIGITES
These are the old Italic Gods. They include nature deities, river gods, and deified heroes. Anna Perenna, Faunus, Fornax, Liber, and Terminus are among the Dii Indigites.
DII NOVENSILES
These are the foreign deities adopted by the Roman State. Priests were allowed to establish temples to Them in Rome. They include Apollo and Ceres of the Dii Consentes, Dionysius, also known as Baccus, and Cybele (the Magna Mater).
DI INFERI (Dii Inferi)
These Gods of the Earth are associated with the underworld. The ruler of the Di Inferi is Dis Pater, Father of Riches and God of Death. Faunus, Februus, and Mania (the mother of the Lares, and a Goddess of death) are often included with the Di Inferi. In ADF rituals, the Di Inferi could be considered the Outsiders. Romans held the Ludi Taurei every five years to honor Them.
DIVI
This is the Cult of the Emperors began by Augustus who deified Julius Caesar, his great-uncle. Later, the Senate deified several emperors. Other emperors added themselves, their family and friends to the Divi.
DOMESTIC DEITIES
The Lares are the guardian spirits. Ovid refers to them as the ‘night watchers’. There are various kinds of Lares, who guard crossroads, homes, and other places. They include the Penates, who guard the storehouses. The ancestors are called Di Parentes.
References:
Adkins, Lesley and Roy, “Dictionary of Roman Religion”, Oxford University Press, 1996.
Scheid, John, An Introduction to Roman Religion, Indiana University Press, 2003.
Turcan, Robert, The Gods of Ancient Rome: Religion in Everyday Life from Archaic to Imperial Times, Edinburgh University Press, 2001.
Warrior, Valerie, Roman Religion: A Source Book, Focus Publishing, 2002.
