Praetorian Pantheon

To Rome

The Romans worship the same major gods as Greece but under their own names

Bellona

"Bellona", by Rembrandt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bellona was an Ancient Roman war goddess. She is believed to be one of the numinous gods of the Romans (without a particular mythology and possibly of Etruscan origin), and is supposed by many to have been the Romans' original war deity, predating the identification of Mars with Ares. She accompanied Mars into battle and is taken variously as his sister, wife or daughter. Her festival was celebrated on June 3. She is also (as at her temple in Ostia) syncreted with Magna Mater

Bellona's attribute is a sword and she is depicted wearing a helmet and armed with a spear and a torch.

Politically, all Senate meetings relating to foreign war were conducted in the Templum Bellonae (Temple of Bellona) on the Collis Capitolinus outside the pomerium.

Bellona's festival was celebrated on June 3.

Bona Dea

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bona Dea was the perpetually virginal goddess, associated with virginity and fertility in women. She was also associated with healing, with the sick being tended to in her temple garden with medicinal herbs. She was regarded with great reverence by lower-class citizens, slaves and women; who went to her seeking aid in sickness or for fertility.

Bona Dea was invoked for healing and for freedom from slavery; many of her worshippers were freed slaves and plebeians, and many were women seeking aid in sickness or for fertility.

She was worshipped in a temple on the Aventine Hill, but her secret rites were performed in the home of a prominent Roman magistrate. The rites were held on December 4, and only included women. Even paintings or drawings of men or male animals were forbidden, along with the words "wine" and "myrtle" because she had once been beaten by Faunus with a myrtle stick after she got drunk. The rites were conducted annually by the wife of the senior magistrate present in Rome and were assisted by the Vestal Virgins. Very little is known about the ceremony, but the worship seems to have been agricultural in origin. The most famous event to do with this festival was its desecration by Publius Clodius in 62 BC by secretly attending the ceremony at the house of the pontifex maximus, Julius Caesar. During the ensuing trial, Clodius' alibi was destroyed by Cicero, which caused the animosity that would define their relationship from then on.

Bona Dea is usually depicted sitting on a throne, holding a cornucopia. The snake is her attribute, a symbol of healing, and consecrated snakes were kept in her temple at Rome, indicating her phallic nature. Her image frequently occurred on ancient Roman coins.

Cardea

Cloacina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Roman mythology, Cloacina ("sewer" or "purifier" in archaic Latin) was the goddess who presided over the Cloaca Maxima, the system of sewers in Rome. The Cloaca Maxima was a sewer said to be begun by Tarquinius Priscus and finished by Tarquinius Superbus. Titus Tatius, who reigned with Romulus, erected a statue to her. She was originally derived from Etruscan mythology. As well as controlling sewers, she was also a protector of sexual intercourse in marriage. Regardless of her original source, she later became identified with Venus.

Worship

Cloacina was worshipped as an aspect of Venus at the small Shrine of Venus Cloacina, situated before the Basilica Aemilia on the Roman Forum and directly above the Cloaca Maxima. Some Roman coins had images of Cloacina or her shrine on them. Cloacina was also worshipped with rhymed prayer.

Consus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Roman mythology, the god Consus was the protector of grains and (subterranean) storage bins (silos), and as such was represented by a corn seed.

His altar was placed beneath the ground (or, according to other sources, simply covered with earth, which was swept off at his festival) near the Circus Maximus in Rome. Mule or horse races were the main event of the festival because the mule and the horse were Consus' sacred animals. Horses and mules were crowned with chaplets of flowers, and forbidden to work.

Shortly after his own festivals the ones for Ops, the Opiconsivia or Opalia, were held every August 25 and December 19, these being the periods respectively of the reaping and the seeding of crops.

Consus also became a god associated with secret conferences, perhaps due to a common misinterpretation of his name. The Latins (Romans) associated Consus' name with consilium ("councils, synagogues, assemblies; place where councils assemble"). This word should not be confused with "counsel" ("advice"). It in fact expresses the idea of "sitting together" (consentes), "being together" (con-sum) or perhaps "called together, conclaimed" (con-calare). The connection of Consus with these secret councils is attested by Servius (En. 8:636): Consus autem deus est consiliorum ("Consus is however the god of councils").

As such, it seems that Consus was a member of the council of the Di Consentes ("Council of the Gods") formed by six gods and six goddesses which assembled in order to assist Jupiter in making great decisions such as destroying Troy or Atlantis with a Flood, etc.. This tradition is due to the Etruscans, but is also widely attested in Greece as well, for instance, in Homer. It has to do with the Twelve Olympians of the Greek myths, and their twelve gods are the same as the ones of the Romans.

Consus was often called Neptunus Equestris ("Equestrian Neptune"). So, his connection with the Greek Poseidon (Neptune) can hardly be denied. Poseidon was also associated with horses and horse racing, a connection which is reminiscent of Atlantis (founded by Poseidon) and its magnificent hippodromes described by Plato in his Critias. According to tradition, it was in the course of the Consualia and its horse races that the Romans kidnapped the Sabine women which they married in order to found their own nation.

Diana * ~

Dispater

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dis Pater, or Dispater, was a Roman and Celtic god of the underworld, later subsumed by Pluto or Jupiter. Originally a chthonic god of riches, fertile agricultural land, and underground mineral wealth, he was later commonly equated with the Roman deities Pluto and Orcus, becoming an underworld deity.

Dis Pater was commonly shortened to simply Dis. This name has since become an alternate name for the underworld or a part of the underworld, such as the Dis of The Divine Comedy.

Etymology

Dis Pater was originally a god of wealth, much like the Greek god Pluto (from Greek Plouto-n, meaning "wealthy"), who was later equated with Dis Pater. Dis is contracted from the Latin dives ("rich"), and pater is Latin for "father", the literal meaning of Dis Pater being "Wealthy Father" or "Father of Riches".

Julius Caesar writes in Commentarii de Bello Gallico that the Gauls considered Dis Pater to be an ancestor. This may in part be due to confusion between Dis Pater and the Proto-Indo-European deity Dyeus, who was addressed as Dyeu Phter ("Sky Father"). This name is also the likely origin of the name of many Indo-European gods, including Zeus and Jupiter, though its relationship with Dis Pater may be in part coincidental.

Mythology

Like Pluto, Dis Pater eventually became associated with death and the underworld because the mined wealth of the earth—gems and precious metals—was considered in the domain of the Greco-Roman underworld. As a result, Dis Pater was over time conflated with the Roman gods Pluto (originally an epithet of the Greek god Hades) and Orcus.

In being conflated with Pluto, Dis Pater took on some of the Greek mythological attributes of Pluto/Hades, being one of the three sons of Saturn (Greek: Cronus) and Ops (Greek: Rhea), along with Jupiter and Neptune. He ruled the underworld and the dead beside his wife, Proserpina (Greek: Persephone).[1] In literature, Dis Pater was commonly used as a symbolic and poetic way of referring to death itself.

Worship

When Dis Pater was in the underworld, only oaths and curses could reach him, and people invoked him by striking the earth with their hands. Black sheep were sacrificed to him, and those who performed the sacrifice averted their faces. Dis Pater, like his Greek equivalent, Hades, had little or no real cult following, and so there are few statues of him.

In 249 BC and 207 BC, the Roman Senate ordained special festivals to appease Dis Pater and Proserpina. Every hundred years, a festival was celebrated in his name. According to legend, a round marble altar, Ara Ditis Patris et Proserpinae (Latin: "Altar of Dis Pater and Proserpina"), was miraculously discovered by the servants of a Sabine called Valesius, the ancestor of the first consul. The servants were digging in the Tarentum on the edge of the Campus Martius to lay foundations following instructions given to Valesius's children in dreams, when they found the altar 20 ft. (6.09 m) underground. Valesius reburied the altar after three days of games. Sacrifices were offered to this altar during the Ludi Saeculares or Ludi Tarentini. It may have been uncovered for each occasion of the games, to be reburied afterwards, a clearly chthonic tradition of worship. It was rediscovered in 1886–87 beneath the Corso Vittorio Emanuele in Rome.

In addition to being considered the ancestor of the Gauls, Dis Pater was sometimes identified with the Sabine god Soranus. In southern Germany and the Balkans, Dis Pater had a Celtic goddess, Aericura, as a consort. Dis Pater was rarely associated with foreign deities in the shortened form of his name, Dis.

Felicitas

goddess of good luck

Fides

goddess of honesty

Flora

especially worshiped by courtesans

Janus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Roman mythology, Janus (or Ianus) was the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings and endings. His most prominent remnants in modern culture are his namesakes: the month of January, which begins the new year. He is most often depicted as having two faces or heads, facing in opposite directions. Janus is one of the few major deities in Roman mythology that does not have a Greek origin or counterpart.

Myths

His ability to see both forwards and backwards at the same time aided him in his pursuit of the nymph Cardea to whom he gave power over door hinges as a reward for her favours.

Other myths

Janus was supposed to have shared a kingdom with Camese in Latium. They had many children, including Tiberinus.

When Romulus and his men kidnapped the Sabine women, Janus caused a volcanic hot spring to erupt, resulting in the would-be attackers being buried alive in the deathly hot, brutal water and ash mixture of the rushing hot volcanic springs, that killed, burned or disfigured many of Romulus' men. Romulus was in awe of the god's power (Later on, however, Sabine and Rome became allies) In honor of this, the doors to his temples were kept open during war so that Janus himself might easily watch this happen. The doors and gates were closed in ceremony when peace was concluded.

Libitina

goddess who watched over funerals

Lucina

goddess of childbirth; similar to the Republican goddess Eileithyia

Luna

The Roman moon goddess, Luna, had a temple on the Aventine Hill. It was built in the sixth century BC, but was destroyed in the Great Fire of Rome during Nero's reign. There was also a temple dedicated to Luna Noctiluca ("Luna that shines by night") on the Palatine Hill. There were festivals in honor of Luna on March 31, August 24 and August 29.

Ops

goddess of the harvest

Mars

Mars, painting by Diego Velazquez.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mars was the Roman warrior god, the son of Juno and Jupiter, husband of Bellona, and the lover of Venus. He was the most prominent of the military gods that were worshipped by the Roman legions. The martial Romans considered him second in importance only to Jupiter. His festivals were held in March (named for him) and October.

As the word Mars has no Indo-European derivation, it is most likely the Latinised form of the agricultural Etruscan god Maris. Initially Mars was a Roman god of fertility and vegetation and a protector of cattle, fields and boundaries. In the second century BCE, the conservative Cato the Elder advised "For your cattle, for them to be healthy, make this sacrifice to Mars Silvanus... If you want, you make this sacrifice each year". Mars later became associated with battle as the growing Roman Empire began to expand, and he came to be identified with the Greek god Ares. Unlike his Greek counterpart, Mars was generally revered and rivaled Jupiter as the most honoured god. He was also the tutelary god of the city of Rome. As he was regarded as the legendary father of Rome's founder, Romulus, it was believed that all Romans were descendants of Mars.

Roleplaying

Originally Posted by

Kain Darkwind of the Dicefreaks forums.

On this Thread

Mars

Divine Rank: 15
Domains: Law, Plant, Protection, Strength, War
Medium Outsider (Divine)
Hit Dice: 40d10 + 600 (1,000 hp)
Initiative: +17 (always first)
Speed: 60 ft. (50 ft. in armor)
Armor Class: 94 (+20 armor, +10 deflection, +9 Dex, +15 divine, +22 natural, +8 shield), touch 52, flat-footed 85, combat 90
Base Attack/Combat: +40/+71
Attack: Longsword +91 melee (1d8 + 40 /17-20/x3) or divine blast +64 ranged touch (25d12) or javelin +79 ranged (1d6 + 28 /19-20)
Full Attack: 4 longswords +91 melee (1d8 + 40 /17-20/x3) and shield +91/+86/+81/+76 melee (1d8 + 32 /19-20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Alter reality, blast, divine aura, shield, spell-like abilities, tactics
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 30/greater epic, damage reduction 15/-, immunity to cold, fast healing 35, resistance to electricity 40 and fire 40, spell resistance 55
Saves: Fort +58, Ref +40, Will +54
Abilities: Str 42, Dex 28, Con 40, Int 33, Wis 32, Cha 31
Skills: Climb +84, Craft (armor) +42, Craft (weapons) +42, Diplomacy +68, Disguise +45, Handle Animal +68, Intimidate +68, Knowledge (engineering) +69, Knowledge (geography) +50, Knowledge (history) +50, Knowledge (the planes) +50, Knowledge (religion) +50, Perception +69, Profession (engineer) +69, Ride +67, Sense Motive +69, Survival +69, Swim +84
Feats: Cleave, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Defensive Combat Training, Diehard, Endurance, Great Cleave, Great Fortitude, Greater Two Weapon Fighting, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Shield Bash, Improved Two Weapon Fighting, Iron Will, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Ride-by Attack, Shield Master, Shield Slam, Shield Specialization, Shield Ward, Spirited Charge, Trample, Two Weapon Fighting
Epic Feats: Epic Endurance, Epic Fortitude, Epic Will, Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting, Superior Initiative
Salient Divine Abilities: Alter Form, Alter Reality, Alter Size, Divine Blast, Divine Blessing (Constitution), Divine Blessing (Strength), Divine Fast Healing, Divine Fighter, Divine Marshal, Divine Might, Divine Right, Divine Shield, Divine Weapon Mastery, Divine Weapon Supremacy (sword), Supreme Initiative
Environment: Olympus
Organization: Solitary (unique)
Challenge Rating: 41
Treasure: Possessions
Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Alter Reality (Ex): As a one round action, Mars can duplicate the effects of a 24th level spell or lower. (Caster level 15th, DC 55) He can duplicate the effects of his domain spells as a standard action, and they have a caster level of 40th.

Blast: 13/day as a standard action, Mars can unleash a divine blast dealing 25d12 damage.

Divine Aura: Will DC 55 negates, 1500 ft. radius. In addition, Mars provides his marshal benefits to all allies within range of his divine aura. Both auras have a +25 bonus. Mars may select any minor and major aura to be active.

Shield: 18/day as an immediate action, Mars can create a personal shield that withstands up to 150 points of damage. This shield ignores damage that Ares would not be harmed by due to immunities or resistances.

Spell-like Abilities: At will – greater plane shift, greater teleport. Caster level 55th.

Tactics (Ex): 10/day, Mars can grant any and all allies within range of his divine aura an immediate move or standard action.

Possessions: +5 adamantine longsword, +5 banded armor of heavy fortification, +5 tower shield of arrow deflection, +2 javelin, +2 dagger

Pales

goddess who watched over pastures

Penates

gods who presided over the welfare of the family

Pomona

goddess of fruits and fertility

Portunus

god of harbors

Priapus

god of fertility

Quirinus

god of war

Silvanus

god of nature and the woods

Terminus

god of boundaries

Vertumnus

god who had the power to change his shape

Vesta

Foriegn Gods

The Praectoreans have several Gods from other nations

Attis male partner of the goddess Cybele; although human, he is included here because his myth forms a significant part of the cult of Cybele

Cybele

Great mother goddess originally from The Amazons lands

Isis

A goddess from The kingdom of the Sun whose cult becoming popular

Mithras

God of soldiers and armies, who was originally from Troy known to his followers as the "lord of light"

Sol Invictus

Trojan god introduced to Practorians by the emperor

More Details to follow

To Rome

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