Creation myths

The earth didn't exist yet. Land, sea and air were so mixed that the earth was not solid, the sea was liquid, and the air was transparent. And over this formless mass reigned a careless deity named Chaos, and no one knew what it looked like, since there was no light yet. Chaos shared the throne with his wife, the dark goddess of the night named Nyx, whose black clothes and even blacker appearance could not disperse the surrounding darkness.
Time passed, and the couple got tired of power and called on their son Erebus (Darkness) to help them. The first thing he did was to overthrow his father and take his throne, and then, deciding that he needed a companion, he married his mother Nyx. Erebus and Nyx ruled together until their wonderful children Ether (Light) and Hemera (Day), united, overthrew them and appropriated power over the world.
And then for the first time illuminated Chaos revealed all its unsightly essence. Ether and Hemera carefully examined the disorder that reigned everywhere and, having seen the possibilities inherent in it, decided to turn it into a beautiful thing. However, they well understood the enormity of the task set before them and felt that they alone could not cope, and therefore they called for the help of Eros (Love), their own child. Together, they created Pontus (sea) and Gaia (Earth, Ge, or Terra), as the earth was then called.
At the beginning of its existence, the Earth was not at all as beautiful as it is now. No leafy trees swayed on the hills, no flowers grew in the valleys, no grass in the meadows, no birds fluttered in the air. The ground was bare; Silence and peace reigned everywhere. Eros was the first to notice this and, seizing his life-giving arrows, launched them into the cold chest of the earth. And then its brown surface was covered with luxurious greenery, colorful birds flew out of the leaves of the trees, a wide variety of animals appeared in the dense meadows, and in clear waters streams flashed fast fish. Life, joy and movement reigned everywhere.

Gaia, waking up from a dream, admired everything that Eros did for her adornment, and, deciding to complete and crown his works, she created Uranus (Sky).

Jupiter's helpers

Jupiter had his own assistants, among whom was Victory, or Nika, ready at any moment to fulfill his slightest desire, and it is said that Jupiter loved her so much that he always kept her image at hand.
The full-tongued goddess of glory, Fama, depicted with a trumpet in her hand, proclaimed at his request whatever he wanted, never wondering if it was true or not.
Sometimes, next to Jupiter, Fortune, the goddess of fortune, was depicted, who travels the world on a constantly revolving wheel, scattering her countless gifts with a careless hand and indifferently distributing her most merciful smiles. Another assistant of Zeus, Hebe (wife of Hercules), the goddess of youth, was always ready at his command to pour the nectar into the cups of the gods, which they drank, making toasts in each other's name.
But one day this beautiful goddess stumbled and fell and was deprived of her post. The father of the gods had to look for a replacement for her.
He took the form of an eagle and flew over the earth. But before he had time to fly far, he saw a young man on a nearby hill amazing beauty. Zeus immediately rushed down, grabbed the young man with his strong claws and carried him to Olympus, and here the kidnapped Ganymede, the son of the king of Troy, was instructed in detail about the duties that he was to fulfill in the future.

Birth of Minerva

Although the gods were immortal, they suffered from physical pain in the same way as mere mortals. One day, Jupiter had a terrible headache, and, hoping that the gods could tell how to get rid of the pain, he gathered everyone ancient greek gods on the Olympus. But the joint efforts to alleviate the suffering of Jupiter did not lead to anything, even the advice of Apollo, the god of medicine, turned out to be useless. Unwilling, or perhaps no longer able to endure this hellish pain, Jupiter asked one of his sons, Vulcan, to cut his head with an axe. The obedient god obeyed with vivacity, but before he could strike with an ax, Minerva appeared from the head of Jupiter - in her full growth, dressed in sparkling armor, with a sharp spear, singing a triumphant song of victory.
The gods gathered on Olympus trembled with fear of this unexpected guest, and at the same time a strong whirlwind swept over the sea and over land, announcing the appearance of the great goddess.
The goddess, who joined the inhabitants of Olympus, was destined to become the patroness of peace, defensive wars and female needlework, the embodiment of wisdom and drive away the gloomy deity named Stupidity, who until then ruled the world. Minerva, banishing her unattractive predecessor, quickly grabbed the scepter and immediately began to rule in her place.

Fall of the Volcano

Once upon a time, Vulcan was strongly attached to his mother (Juno), in every possible way showed his love to her and even tried to console her when she suffered from the neglect of Jupiter. Once, deciding to punish Juno for another fit of jealousy, Jupiter chained her to a golden chain and hung her from the sky. But Vulcan, noticing this, pulled her back, and was about to release her from the chains, when Jupiter returned and, angry that he interfered in the affairs of his parents, cast him out of heaven.
The space between heaven and earth was so vast that Vulcan fell all day and all night, until finally he was on Mount Mosichl, on the island of Lemnos.
Of course, for any mortal, this fall would mean certain death, and even Vulcan did not come out of it unharmed. He broke his leg and since then began to limp, remaining crippled for life.
And though Vulkan had risked and suffered horribly to save his mother, she made no attempt to find out if he landed alive or shattered in the fall. Insulted by her indifference and ingratitude, Vulcan swore that he would never return to Olympus, and settled alone in Mount Etna, where, together with the Cyclops, he established a huge forge to make many cunning, useful things from metal, which was in abundance in the bowels of the earth.
Vulkan made himself two golden maids who supported him wherever he went.
Vulcan also created a golden throne with innumerable secret springs. When no one was sitting on it, it seemed like the most ordinary chair, but as soon as someone sank into it, the springs set in motion, and the throne locked the person sitting on it. The unfortunate man could neither get up nor escape the embrace of this golden monster.
When it was finished, Vulkan sent it off to his mother, who, delighted with its beauty and fine workmanship, sat proudly on top of it and found herself his prisoner. In vain did she try to get up, in vain did all the gods try to snatch her from the arms of the throne. Their combined efforts and all their cunning proved to be completely useless.
Finally, Mercury was sent to Vulcan, who most diplomatically asked him to honor Olympus with his high presence, but eloquence
the persuasiveness of Mercury could not force the god of fire to leave his sooty dwelling. The messenger of the gods was forced to go back and report the failure of his mission. Then the gods consulted and decided to send Bacchus, hoping that his method of persuasion would be more successful.
Taking with him a flask of his best wine, Bacchus appeared before Vulcan and offered him a refreshment. Vulkan, who was thirsty all the time from the heat, accepted the offered cup and drank until he was completely drunk. In this state, Bacchus brought him to Olympus, forced him to release the queen of heaven and ordered him to hug his father and ask for forgiveness.
And although Vulcan managed to regain the favor of the gods, he did not begin to live on Olympus, but preferred to return to his forge and continue his work.

It is extremely difficult to judge the ancient period of Roman mythology, since the sources date back to a later time (1st century BC - 4th century AD) and often contain false etymologies of the names of the gods and interpretations of their functions. For a long time, the opinion prevailed in science that the Romans initially lacked clear ideas about the gods as certain specific, individualized characters - there are impersonal harmful or beneficent forces in the world - numina, inherent in individual objects, living beings, actions. So, in the priestly books "Indigitaments" the deities of sowing, seed growth, flowering are listed. Ripening, harvesting ears, marriages, conception, development of the embryo. The birth of a child. His first cry, go for a walk. Homecomings, etc., whose names are formed from the names of individual acts. This opinion was supported by the uncertainty of the gender of the ancient deities, reflected in the presence of male and female incarnations in some of them, in the form of addressing the deity - "god or goddess", "husband or woman"; use in referring to the deity of the addition: and "or whatever name you wish to be called." Varro's testimony that the Romans in ancient times had only symbols of the gods (Jupiter - a stone, Mars - a spear, Vesta - fire, etc.), and various rites and rituals were interpreted as actions aimed at strengthening the beneficial effect and neutralizing the destructive effect of numin , also served as a justification for the fact that the very worldview of the Romans prevented the anthropomorphization of the gods in the creation of a mythological system. Assuming the relationship between the gods, their family and marriage relations. From the mass of numin, researchers singled out only the most ancient triad - Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus. With which, however, they did not associate any myths that appeared, in their opinion, only under the influence of Etruscan and especially Greek mythology: the Greeks brought their anthropomorphic gods and related myths to Rome, taught the Romans to build temples. Sculpt statues of gods. Distinguish the gods by their gender, age. Functions, positions in the hierarchy, render them more complex than primitive magical rites. Kuult. A number of modern researchers have questioned the theory of numinus. P. Boyance showed that the "Indigitaments" were not folk art, and the creation of priests - pontiffs (many of them were lawyers, and Roman lawyers are characterized by extreme detailing of phenomena and incidents); according to his observations, the term "numina" was always used by Roman authors and in inscriptions as "will", "strength", "majesty", the action of God (as well as the senate, emperor), and the Romans always (and in ancient times) had images gods (they are known in the form of primitive clay figurines thanks to excavations since the beginning of the first millennium BC). The sometimes attested uncertainty of the sex and name of the deities was due to the ambiguity of which of them should be addressed in a certain case (for example, during an earthquake, since it was not known who caused it), the unwillingness of the priests, for fear of abuse, to reveal the true name of the god, the fusion of a deity of the same sex with a similar and eponymous, but of a different sex, revered in the neighboring community. The presence of pairs of deities in Roman mythology can be explained by analogies with the peasant rites described by W. Manhardt, in which the spirits of vegetation, spring, harvest, etc. could be portrayed as a man, a woman, or in pairs. Gods with individual small functions, as G. Usener showed, were found among many other peoples (in particular, the Greeks), and, therefore, this is not some specificity of the Roman consciousness. Some authors have suggested the existence of a primitive mythology among the Romans, which subsequently died out. In the distant past of Rome, they searched for beliefs that gave rise to myths, similar to the beliefs of primitive peoples that were close in stages, dating back to Indo-European mythology, for a commonality that reflects the idea of ​​a three-term system of mythological functions: religious-priestly, military and economic, and hierarchical or conflict relationships between the gods.

According to Dumézil, the specificity of Roman mythology lies in the fact that conflicts and harmony are reproduced at the "heroic" level in Roman legends, that is, they are transferred from the world of the gods to the world of heroes: the war of Romulus (religious and priestly function) and his ally Lucumon (military function) with Titus Tatius (economic function), the peace that followed it and the union of these heroes, and therefore all the components necessary for society, reflected in the legend about the division of society into three tribes - Ramnov (in honor of Romulus), Lucerov (in honor of Lukumon) , Tatiev (in honor of Titus Tatsia). Dumézil interprets most of the Roman gods and goddesses as belonging to one of the three social functions and elevates to the Indo-European basis a number of Roman rites (for example, a holiday in honor of Mater Matuta) and legends about ancient Roman heroes (for example, about the duel of Horatii and Curiatii, about Mucius Scaevol, whom he compares with the Scandinavian Freyr, about Horace Kokles, compared with Odin ). The positions of Dumézil, who rejected the opinion that the Romans were anti-mythological and showed how, under the influence of special circumstances, Roman mythology arose - as a reflection of earthly Rome in the heavenly sphere, despite no objections, has been accepted by many modern scientists. They began to assign a smaller role to Etruscan and even Greek influence, emphasizing the originality of the Roman religion, which arose as a result of synoikism of the communities, its political nature, due to the peculiarities of the Roman state as an intermediary between citizens and gods.

On the basis of the few extant sources (the hymns of the colleges of the Arval brothers and the Salii, the formulas pronounced by the head of the collegium of the fetials Pater Tatratus when declaring war and concluding peace and alliances, etc.), as well as individual references by later authors, it is permissible to believe that the beliefs of the Romans in the ancient period were similar to stages close beliefs of other peoples. Probably, there was once a myth about the creation of the world by Janus (then pushed aside by Jupiter), as well as a myth about the origin of people from oak, about their originally wild life and subsequent civilization by cultural heroes and or gods. The significance of the oak cult for the Romans (as well as for other Italics and for the Celts) was emphasized by Fraser, referring to the connection of the oak with Jupiter, with the kings of Alba and Rome, who embodied the spirit of the oak, with the spirit and nymph of the Oak, Virbius and Diana, who were combined in a sacred marriage, also how King Numa was combined with Enaria, close to Diana, in the sacred forest.

"Myths of the peoples of the world", a mythological encyclopedia in two volumes, ed. S.A. Tokareva, M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1982; volume II, pp. 380-384

Ancient Rome is not just the most powerful of the civilizations of antiquity, it is an entire era of world history and culture, lasting from the eighth century BC to the fifth century AD. This is the greatest state, in the period of its highest power, covering territories from the north of England to the north of Africa, from Gibraltar to Persian Gulf, was named after its main city - Rome. Once a small settlement of outcasts and renegades, founded by the legendary demigod Romulus on the banks of the Tiber River, Rome eventually turned into the most brilliant creation of the hands of a man of antiquity and, rightfully receiving the title of "Eternal City", became the heart of a vast empire. It is there, in the capital of the world, that one should look for the quintessence of Roman culture, for which, in fact, this book was written. Therefore, throughout the story, we will not be able to move far from the walls of the Eternal City.

The body of historical and cultural information about Rome is colossal, under the same cover you will find only short review Roman beliefs and legends. Roman culture is specific and interesting in that, having absorbed and absorbed the customs and mores of the conquered peoples for centuries, it retained its own core and its own unique spirit under all these layers. We intended to acquaint the reader, who had not previously come into contact with this era, with the pantheon of Roman gods and the beliefs of the Romans, with the logic and ethics of Roman spiritual culture, with the most famous or characteristic legends and traditions of Rome, when we selected stories for this book. Everything written below is a presentation of the works of famous ancient authors, commented on as necessary with the involvement of the works of famous historians and, for ease of perception, is divided into completed essays and sections. We hope that this book will be only the first step on a long journey of your acquaintance with the majestic and harsh era of Ancient Rome.

When selecting plots for further narration, we tried, firstly, to dwell only on what could really interest the modern reader, and secondly, to focus on key points in understanding Roman life: thinking, behavior, mores and customs of people of that era. It seemed important to us and the need to properly, from the standpoint of that distant time, reveal well-known plots that were later repeatedly used in world culture.

The first section of our book is entirely devoted to the characterization and evolution of Roman beliefs, the relationship of the Romans with the gods and spirits of the vast pantheon. In the second and third sections, a corpus of the most famous, curious and characteristic Roman legends and traditions is collected, correlated with the canvas historical events. The last section covers a short, but probably the most illuminated period of Roman history - the age of the first emperors, where we, to the best of our ability, analyze episodes that may already be known to the reader, filling them with important details and comments that allow a more objective look at the heroes and the era. .

We hope that the inquisitive reader, open to everything new, will benefit from this book. interesting information, extraordinary observations and, of course, many hours of fascinating reading.

On the way to the temple. Artist L. Alma-Tadema

Pantheon and Beliefs of Ancient Rome

About Roman mythology

Before starting a story about Roman myths, a few words should be said about the essence of ancient Roman mythology as such. Often we perceive Roman mythology as borrowed from the Greeks, which is hardly true. In fact, the ancient Roman religion is very distinctive and all the Greek influence on it is rather late, although impressive. The Roman pantheon is extremely extensive and complex in its composition and functions of the deities included in it, while various aspects of beliefs permeated all areas of the life of the ancient Romans.

Roman religion developed over many centuries as the Roman state grew, from a small city to a vast empire. Let's try briefly and superficially to understand the various aspects of the formation of the classical Roman pantheon - the one with which we are most likely familiar from Greek mythology.

The most ancient objects of religious veneration among the Romans were spirits - the patrons of the family, whose cult is older than the city of Rome itself. The Romans themselves believed that the veneration of these spirits came to Rome from Lavinium and Alba Longa, the more ancient cities of Italy. Such patron spirits include mana - the shadows of the dead, protecting their family after death, the household deities of penates and lares. Penates, lares and manes did not have their own names, were not personified and were revered by the Romans as a kind of nameless multitude. They will be discussed in more detail in the relevant sections.

The cult of the patrons of the family had, of course, a private, family character. Often the patron of the clan was a certain legendary ancestor, for example, the Juliev clan honored Yul, the son of Aeneas, in this capacity. With the formation of the state and the loss of the significance of the tribal organization, some tribal gods began to be revered within the whole state, changing the functions attributed to them. There is an opinion, for example, that the cult of the Faun, the merry god - the patron of shepherds, originally belonged to the Fabius and Quinctilius families.

Like most of the ancient peoples known to us, the Romans also deified streams and springs. Like penates and lares, these forces were represented by the Romans as an unnamed multitude of spirits. The Romans revered a group of such water spirits under the name "stones". The legendary Roman king Numa Pompilius dedicated a spring in Rome to the Kamens, in their honor small bronze chapels were built in the groves, where water and milk were sacrificed. Their analogues in some way were the Greek nymphs, and later the stones were identified with the Greek muses, the goddesses of the arts and sciences.

The most important starting point for the formation of the classical Roman pantheon are the so-called agrarian cults: rituals and beliefs associated with agriculture and cattle breeding. Many of the most important gods of the Roman pantheon, which received other functions in the future, originate precisely from agrarian cults. So, for example, Mars, the god of war in the classical era, in ancient times was considered the god of fertilization, the patron of agriculture and cattle breeding; Venus, later identified with the Greek Aphrodite and turned into the goddess of love and beauty, was originally the deity of gardening and viticulture.

To a large extent complex composition The Roman pantheon was generated by the diversity of groups that made up the Roman community: it included Latin, Sabine and Etruscan tribes. Each tribe, each clan brought their deities to the Roman pantheon. Over time, the Roman state grew, and when its territory included new lands, the Roman pantheon acquired new gods from all over Italy.

It should be noted that ancient Roman mythology, in comparison with Greek, is rather poor in vivid images of the gods and memorable myths about their deeds. We have already mentioned the veneration of nameless multitudes of spirits, and the cults of such deities as Peace, Hope, Valor, Justice were also widespread. These abstract concepts were practically impersonal, they cannot even be considered real personifications. Nevertheless, sacrifices were made in their honor and temples were built.

It is curious that some of the ancient Roman gods did not have a specific gender, for example ancient deity shepherds Pales is mentioned as both a god and a goddess. Often the priests themselves were not sure what gender the deity belongs to, and turned to him "sive deus, sive dea" - "either a god or a goddess."

Ancient Roman mythology in its classical version is closely connected with ancient Greek. The Romans completely borrowed many mythological images and plots from the Greeks, the sculptural images of the gods were made according to Greek models. But Greek myths began to penetrate Rome only in the youth of the 6th - early 5th century BC. e. And in more ancient times, the Romans had a different, original idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe gods.

Jupiter was the god of the sky, daylight and thunderstorms, Saturn was the god of harvest, Juno was the goddess of marriage and motherhood, Mars was the god of war, Minerva was the goddess of crafts and art, Venus was the goddess of gardens and orchards, Cupid was the god of love, Vulcan was fire, Diana is the goddess of vegetation.

Gods of Rome

The ancient Romans believed that every object and phenomenon - regardless of its significance - has a special patron god.

In the Roman pantheon, there was a god of sowing and a god of seed growth, a god of the birth of a child, a god of his first cry, a god of going out for a walk, a god of returning home, and so on. The Christian writer Augustine the Blessed wrote about the Roman gods who guarded the doors of the house: They (the Romans) placed here as many as three gods: the wings were given under the care of Forculus, the loops - the goddess Cordea, and the threshold - the god Limect. Apparently, this Forkul did not know how to guard the loops and the threshold at the same time.

Unlike most ancient peoples, the Romans rarely depicted their gods and did not create myths about them - about their birth and family ties, relationships with each other and with people, quarrels and love affairs.

Polish writer Jan Parandowski, author of the popular book " Mythology", writes: " This absence of legends, in which we now see a certain lack of creative imagination, was considered by the ancients as the dignity of the Romans, who were reputed to be the most religious people. (...) This religion (...) did not have myths that discredit the honor and dignity of the gods.

The Romans consciously refused to give their gods any appearance and character. Often even their gender and name were left undefined. In prayers, the deity was addressed as follows: Are you a god or a goddess, are you a man or a woman, and if they still called God by name, then they added: “ or whatever other name you wish to be called.

However, some scholars believe that such impersonal worship of the gods was cultivated by the priests, and traditional myths were widespread among the people, but they did not reach our time.

There is an assumption that once the Romans had a myth about the creation of the world by the god Janus. His name means " doors», « gates».

He was the god of entry and exit, as well as any beginning, the new year, the beginning of the war, the first day of the month, the birth of the man Janus was depicted with keys, three hundred and sixty-five fingers (according to the number of days in a year) and with two faces, meaning that one face is turned to the past, the other to the future.

The Romans, like all ancient peoples, deified the forces of nature, worshiped trees and springs, animals and birds. Of the trees, most of all they revered the oak and the fig tree, among the animals - the wolf, among the birds - the eagle and the woodpecker.

Faun was considered the god of fields, forests and pastures, the patron of animals, whose cult was associated with the cult of the wolf. lupus" - Means" wolf"). On this festival, a goat was sacrificed to the Faun, and then the Luperki priests ran around the sanctuary, waving belts cut from the skin of the sacrificial goat and whipping women passing by, which was supposed to ensure their fertility. The faun was especially revered by the shepherds, as he helped protect the herd from wolves.

Faun was close to Silvan - the god of the forest and wildlife. His name comes from the word " Silvia» - « forest". Silvanus had no official cult, but was very popular among the people, especially among peasants and slaves. He was thanked for healing from illness, for unexpected good luck, for liberation from slavery. Silvanus was depicted in peasant clothes, he was accompanied by a goat and a dog.

Fone was the god of water sources. On his holiday - the fountain - the wells were decorated with flowers, and flower garlands were thrown into the springs. Fone, like Silvanus, was a deity of the common people: his servants, according to tradition, were recruited from slaves. The goddess Pomona patronized the ripening tree fruits; a sacred grove was dedicated to her.

The god of all kinds of changes - the change of seasons, the stages of ripening of fruits, the mood swings of a person - was Vertumn.

Among the gods that are directly related to the life and activities of man, the brothers Pilumn and Pikumn are known - the patrons of marriage and birth. In addition, it was believed that Pilumn invented the pestle for crushing grain, and Pikumn taught people to fertilize the fields with manure (his other name is Sterkulin, which means "dung").

Fortune was also originally the patroness of birth, later she was revered as the goddess of fate, happiness and good luck. Fortune was depicted standing on a ball or wheel - a symbol of the instability of happiness.

The Romans enjoyed special reverence for numerous deities who patronized the hearth. His main patroness was the goddess Vesta. The entrance to the house was dedicated to her (hence " lobby"). In the temple of Vesta, a fire was constantly burning on the altar, which was extinguished on the first day of each year and immediately rekindled by rubbing the sacred wood. From this fire, a fire was lit in the hearths of all Roman curia - associations of several patrician - privileged - clans.

The unquenchable fire in the temple was supported by the priestesses of Vesta - Vestal Virgins. They were chosen from young girls and had to serve the goddess for thirty years: the first decade they were trained in service, the second - they served, the third - they taught young vestals.

During these thirty years, the vestals had to observe chastity, violating the ban were walled up alive in the dungeon. At the end of the service, the priestess of Vesta could marry, but it was believed that the Vestal wife would bring misfortune to the house.

The hearth was also patronized by special deities - lares, they were in each house. Lares were asked for help at the most important events in the family: before marriage, during childbirth, in the event of the death of one of the household members. Lara monitored the observance of the correct relationships in the family, protected the slaves from the unjust wrath of the owners.

Lars also patronized good neighborly relations. Their sanctuaries were placed at the crossroads with as many entrances as there were dwellings located around this crossroads.

The worshipers of the Lares were slaves.

Lares are sometimes identified with penates. The Penates were also the guardians of the hearth, but they were mainly in charge of food supplies.

Just like Lares, each family had its penates. But, in addition, there were penates of the entire Roman people. According to legend, the image of these penates was brought from Troy by Aeneas, the founder of the Roman state. The image of the state penates was kept in the temple of Vesta, and only vestals and special priests could approach it. In addition to lares and penates, each person had his own patron spirit: men - geniuses, women - junos. (Unlike the goddess Juno, the patroness of all women, the juno spirit patronized only one) Geniuses and junos of dead people became manas - benevolent deities in which the souls of ancestors were revered. But if a person died a violent death or did not receive a proper burial, then his patron spirit could turn into an evil lemur (the prototype of later vampires).

A large place in the life of the ancient Romans was occupied by various divination and prophecy.

Fortune-telling was done by special priests - augurs, who interpreted the will of the gods in numerous ways by the flight of birds, by the entrails of animals, by thunder and lightning, etc.

There is a legend about the prophetess Sibyl, who could predict a thousand years in advance. She wrote her prophecies on palm leaves and compiled them into nine books. The Sibyl offered to buy these books to the Roman king Tarquinius, but he refused, wanting the prophetess to reduce the price. Then the Sibyl burned six books in front of Tarquinius, and he, without haggling, bought the remaining three.

In Rome, in the temple of Jupiter, three books of prophecies were actually kept, which were called the Sibylline Books. They were used until the 5th century AD.

At the heart of the worldview of the ancient Romans lay the idea that the gods ordained Rome to rule over the world. This contributed to the emergence of the cult of Rome itself and the formation of the so-called " Roman myth”, reflecting the legendary Roman history. Plots « Roman myth" researchers divided into three groups. The first is connected with the foundation of the Roman state by the legendary hero Aeneas, the second - with the emergence of Rome itself and the so-called "time of the kings."

The famous German historian Oskar Jaeger wrote: Later Roman writers exaggerate in their stories about the "time of the kings" (753-510 BC) the importance of a tiny state to the extreme. (...) Much in these stories is bright and attractive. In fact, in relation to these first centuries of Rome, it is possible to establish only very few events, and the development of the political and public life Rome can only be traced in the most general terms.

Tradition names the names of seven successive Roman kings. Although some of them may have had historical prototypes, they are mostly mythological figures, gods take part in the legends about them.

Romulus - the legendary founder of Rome and the first of the Roman kings - was the son of the god Mars, and after his death he himself began to be revered in the form of the god Quirinus. Another king, Numa Pompilius, was married to the nymph of the stream Egeria and, on her advice, introduced most of the religious institutions of Rome. The penultimate of the seven kings, Servius Tullius, to whom state reforms are attributed, uniting the patricians and plebeians into a single Roman people and aimed at giving every Roman the opportunity to advance due to personal merit, and not origin, was the son of a lara and beloved of the goddess Fortune.

The third group of plots "Roman myth" associated with the establishment and early stage of the existence of the Roman Republic. These tales tell of heroes sacrificing themselves for the glory and prosperity of Rome. The Romans regarded such self-sacrifice not only as a manifestation of patriotism, but also as the fulfillment of the will of the gods, who destined Rome to dominate the world.

Therefore, most researchers classify the legends about the valiant Romans not as historical legends, but as myths. Over time, Greek culture began to penetrate into Rome, including Greek mythology. Many primordially Roman deities were identified with the Greek Olympian gods: Jupiter - with Zeus, Juno - with Hera, Minerva - with Athena, Vulcan - with Hephaestus, Diana - with Artemis, Cupid - with Eros, Venus - with Aphrodite.

Roman poets began to create works on the subjects of Greek mythology, sculptors to make copies of the famous Greek sculptures depicting the gods.

Jan Parandovsky writes: “Under youth, all Greek mythology moved to Rome. (...) The clumsy Roman gods came to life, united in married couples, accepted as their own, all Greek legends. Greek mythology filled the void that blew from the harsh Roman religion.

In the youth of the 1st century BC. e. V political life There was a coup in Rome, the republic was replaced by an empire. Emperors began to identify themselves with gods, and empresses with goddesses. Soon emperors began to be deified officially. The first Roman god-emperor was Julius Caesar (100-44 BC). " Roman myth, glorifying the republic, at that time was pushed into the background.

The Roman Empire fought numerous and usually victorious wars. Under her rule, she united a vast territory. But conquering and conquering various peoples, the Romans absorbed their culture, including religious beliefs and mythology.

In the youth of the messengers, a myriad of gods of various origins entered the Roman pantheon, the religion of the ancient Romans lost its integrity and originality and after a while was replaced by Christianity. Rome became the first center of the Christian world.

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Myths of Ancient Rome Updated: October 21, 2017 By: admin

Everyone is somehow accustomed to uniting mythology Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. It seems, well, what else can be found among the Romans, who only knew what to give foreign gods new names? Zeus - Jupiter, Hera - Juno, Ares - Mars, Aphrodite - Venus, just remember, and that's it!

But this is just the tip of the iceberg, and you can try to dive even deeper.

Who told?

It is extremely difficult to judge the most ancient period of Roman mythology, because scientists have to rely on much later sources.

However, the priestly books "Indigita-cops" are quite famous. Official records of the life of ancient Roman communities have been preserved, records of ancient Greek authors in response to events in Hesperia (as they called ancient Italy), hymns of the colleges of the Arval brothers, etc.

The main sources are considered to be the first treaties of Rome with other cities and states, records of the college of pontiffs (priests), as well as records of the main events of each year, which later became known as annals (lat. annus - year).

However, Virgil's Aeneid, Livy's history books, Ovid's Fasts, and the fourth book of Propertius are considered to be the main sources.

Cosmogony and gods

For a long time it was believed that Roman mythology at the initial stage of development was reduced to animism. The worship of the souls of the dead was due to the fear of their supernatural power, as well as the worship of the animate natural phenomena. The Romans never started or finished business without securing the favor of the gods, without performing all the prescribed rites, without offering prayers and without making the necessary sacrifices.

It was believed that the Romans distinguished only benevolent or unfavorable non-personalized forces - numina (numina), and there were a great many of them: the deity of sowing and growth, flowering and marriage, harvest and conception, walk and return, etc., and their names were formed from the name of the action being performed.

Moreover, it was also believed that even the few personal gods that arose later did not have an anthropomorphic incarnation, but only symbols: for example, Jupiter is a stone, Mars is a spear, Vesta is fire.

In the primitive communal period, the cult of ancestors, revered in every clan, played a huge role: penates, patrons of the hearth and clan, and lares, patrons of the home, family and the entire community as a whole.

However, although the ancient cosmogony of the Romans still remains a mystery, gradually researchers began to find evidence that Roman mythology itself went through approximately all the same stages of development as that of other peoples in the primitive communal period.

The most ancient triad of deities was determined: Jupiter (who supplanted the original creator of the world, Janus) - the embodiment of religiosity and priesthood, Mars - a military hypostasis, Quirinus - an economic hypostasis.

Janus and Vesta guarded the doors and the family hearth, the Lares guarded the field and the house, Pale the pastures, Saturn the crops, Ceres the growth of cereals, Pomona the tree fruits, and Kone and Opa the harvest.

In addition, according to the conclusions of scientists, the Romans believed that people, as a clan, descended from sacred trees, oaks, and therefore each numina deity was dedicated to groves, where rituals were performed and sacrifices were made, and the trees themselves played a very important role in life. states. For example, sacrifices were made to the oak on the Capitoline Hill, and the withering of any fig tree, the tree under which, according to legend, the she-wolf fed the future founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, was perceived as an extremely formidable and unfavorable sign.

Since the cult of animals was highly developed, the interpretation of their behavior and the study of the sacrifices, or, more simply, fortune-telling, so common in ancient Rome, acquired great importance.

Justified ... by the state

What is the originality of Roman mythology in comparison with other mythological traditions?

If you think about it, it becomes obvious that most of the oldest myths about gods have not survived, they were gradually but steadily replaced by myths about heroes.

The very structure of Roman society, in which individual communities sought to unite into large urban conglomerates, in which politics played an increasingly important role every century, and the state became an intermediary between the citizen and the gods - this is the originality of Ancient Rome.

The myths that tell about heroes are a reflection of the deep mutual penetration of history and myth in the minds of the Romans. Human life is filled with divine presence, every moment of it a person is responsible for his actions.

And if they are done for the benefit of the community, then the gods are pleased with you.

Such are the myths of the Sabine women, Numa Pompilius, Lucretia, Scaevole, Coriolanus, and many others.

Of course, it cannot be denied that Roman culture constantly absorbed the culture of the peoples surrounding it. Yes, the Romans renamed and adopted almost the entire Greek pantheon, made many borrowings from the Etruscans and other peoples, but there was a very simple reason for this. Rome was a military state, constantly expanding its territories through conquest and assimilating the culture of the conquered peoples.

Roman heroic myth explained the past, justified the present, and directed the future. Despite some initial primitiveness, he made a person's life filled with meaning: serving the fatherland.

And what is the end?

The Roman religion, open and constantly changing under the influence from outside, simply could not develop a single concept of the end of the world.

Like any military state, Rome was doomed to a gradual decline and destruction, or to an indispensable transformation. Roman mythology, having gone through various stages of development - from the adoption of the Greek pantheon to the formation of the cult of the emperor, eventually became ... a certain basis for the victory of Christianity as a religion.

The myth of the Roman left-hander

In 509 BC. e. The Etruscan king Lare Porsenna declared war on Rome. A huge army invaded the territory of the country and approached the capital closer and closer. A little more - and Rome would have been taken by storm.

Then one of the young Roman patricians, Gaius Mucius Kord, decided to infiltrate the Etruscan camp and kill their king. Guy knew the Etruscan language and, dressed in the clothes of enemies, easily entered the camp, but could not understand which of those sitting at the main tent was King Porsenna. He could not ask, for fear of betraying himself.

Then the young man decided that the most elegantly dressed person was the enemy ruler. He attacked him and stabbed him with a dagger. But alas! It turned out to be just one of the king's courtiers, the biggest lover of outfits and jewelry.

Gaius Mucius was immediately arrested, but refused to answer questions. Then he was threatened with torture. Seeing a tripod with a blazing fire, the young man himself went up to it, laid right hand into the flames and silently, without uttering a sound, looked at Porsenna until his hand was charred.

Amazed by the courage and incredible stamina of the patrician, Porsenna exclaimed: "If all the Romans are so steadfast, then it is impossible to defeat them." He released Mucius, who from then on began to bear the nickname Scaevola (Lefty), and decided to start negotiations for a truce.