Jupiter is the main god of Roman mythology , so it is not strange that they gave their name to the planet that shows the brightest in many of its phases. Jupiter is also, after the Sun, the largest of the stars of the solar system and now we know that the oldest of them. Join us to meet the God Jupiter and find out some curiosities of Zeus of Roman mythology.
The God Jupiter
He god Jupiter He was the dean of the Roman gods. In both the republican and the imperial era, religion was a matter of state and Jupiter was the main deity.
10 Curiosities of the Zeus of Roman mythology
1. The name of the god Jupiter it means "father of light".
2. According to Roman mythology the second king of Rome , Numa Pompilio, established with the god Jupiter the principles of the religion of Rome and everything that had to do with the offerings and sacrifices.
3. The eagle, which was the sacred animal of Jupiter, became the main emblem of the Roman legions.
4. His other emblem, the lightning, combined with the eagle, gave rise to one of the most common representations of the god in coins and emblems: an eagle that holds a ray between its claws.
5. As god of heaven, he was put as a witness in the oaths because of the sacredness of these depended both justice and good government. The Roman consuls made their oath to Jupiter.
6. He was part of the two capitol triads (The Capitoline Hill is where its functions were centered). The first triad was formed by Jupiter with Quirino and Mars and the second again with Jupiter, but with Minerva and Juno.
7. His sacred tree was oak.
8. The supreme priest of Jupiter was a patrician who received the title of "Flamen Dialis" and had a host of rituals, obligations and privileges. His wife the "Flaminica Dialis" also had his duties with the god, such as offering a ram in sacrifice on market days.
9. The "augures publici" were priests officials who officially interpreted the will of Jupiter. They were very important personages since the state authority emanated from the God Jupiter.
10. The sacrifices or "hosts" that were offered to Jupiter must be of white animals. In general sheep, oxen or rams.
Differences between the god Jupiter and Zeus
There are practically no differences between the god Jupiter of the Romans and Zeus. The names of their parents and consort are different but they represent the same deities: Cronos and Rea they are transformed into Saturn and Ops and Hera into Juno. Your brothers Hades Y Poseidon they are called in the Roman mythology Pluto and Neptune. Lightning is the weapon used by both gods and as protectors of the human race, men invoke them to get their favors.
The myth of birth only differs in that Saturn devoured his children because he had promised his brother Titan as a condition for governing, not because he feared being replaced by them as Cronus. Saturn also had not eaten his other sons, Pluto and Neptune, but it was Jupiter who fought first against Titan and then with his own father to get to rule the heavens.
Perhaps the main difference has more to do with the use of these figures by the civilizations that worshiped them than with important dissimilarities among the gods. Jupiter, unlike Zeus, was much more used by Roman rulers for political and civic issues, as it was considered that many of the the laws emanated from him as authority and supreme mind .
Jupiter unlike Zeus It has many other names: Jove, Luppiter, Lovis and Diespiter. The Greeks had many myths about the childhood of Zeus, however the Romans almost did not adopt any of them. The first years of Jupiter did not interest them, only their divine presence as an adult and celestial authority.
Importance and use of the god Jupiter in ancient Rome
As we have commented, Jupiter it was an institution within the Roman Empire that went beyond the purely religious factor. The Roman consuls during the Republic directed their prayers to him when they began their mandate, but with the Empire lost some strength since the cult to the emperor was instituted, by which some governors were attributed virtues of the god Jupiter or they turned him into their protective god in a personal capacity.
The Romans believed that their supremacy over other peoples came from the fact that they had honored Jupiter much more than any other nation. His main temple was on Capitoline Hill and there he was revered as Jupiter Optimus Maximus . Near this temple were the "Jupiter's stone" which is where the oaths were made.
The ancient Romans dedicated a lot of festivities to honor Jupiter. Among them the vinalias, the meditrinalias, the idus when they coincided with a full moon, etc.
Myths of the god Jupiter
According to the majority of historians the Roman mythology lacked at the beginning of myths or those that had were forgotten when adopting the rich Greek mythology and in the case of the god Jupiter completely assumed the myths of Zeus.
Some myths of Jupiter alone refer to Roman governors and emperors who according to these legends were directly appointed by the god. This is the case of the myth of Tarquino the Elder.
Tarquino He was the fifth king of Rome according to tradition, but the true founder of the city according to the current historians. From his hand the city became a city with sewage, monuments, forums, streets and authentic houses to replace the cabins. He was a great urban planner and planner, although an authoritarian, bellicose and self-centered governor.
The myth tells that Tarquino, that had become governor of Tarquinia, was directed from that city, that was to about 45 km. from the current Rome, to the conquest of more territories. Suddenly an eagle appeared in the sky, descended it took off the hat, it gave several returns with him on his head and returned to deposit it in her. His wife Tanáquil interpreted this fact as the confirmation that he was going to be king and by the quadrant of the sky from which the bird rushed and the fact that he took the hat that is the garment that covers the noblest part of the human being , Jupiter himself I had designated him. Tarquino was the introducer of the Capitoline Triad in Rome.
Did you know these curiosities of the god Jupiter ? Do you know more stories about the Zeus of Roman mythology? Share them with us!
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