Venus the Progenitor. The Romans had a special relationship with this goddess (who over time began to be considered a similarity to the Greek Aphrodite). Once upon a time she was just the patroness of spring and the awakening of the spring forces of nature. But there were other goddesses here, for example, Flora, no less popular than Venus. But when the Romans began to trace their family from the Trojan hero Aeneas, the position of Venus became special: after all, Aphrodite-Venus was his mother, and therefore the ancestor of the Roman people. So Venus took a very honorable place among the Roman gods and began to be called Venus Genetrix (“Progenitor”).

Venus — goddess of love. As the goddess of awakening nature, she began to patronize any awakening of forces, including the power of love. Here, according to the Romans, she was helped by her winged son, armed with a bow and arrow - Cupid or Cupid (Greek Eros). The very name of Venus began to be used by the Romans as a substitute for the word “love.” The power of Venus, the Romans believed, fills the whole world: without it, not a single living creature is born, it alone makes everyone want to procreate, without it there is no joy and beauty in the world, it pleases people with peaceful peace.

Nicknames of Venus. But if we thought that Venus is only the goddess of love, we would make a big mistake. Venus also assisted the Romans during the war, so she was honored as Venus Victorious; she was also revered as Bald Venus - such an unusual nickname was a reminder of how, during one of the wars, Roman women circumcised their long hair so that they could be woven into ropes for military weapons. Venus was also the goddess of luck, in this case called Venus Felix (“Happy”). This luck came in different forms: a politician or a commander could receive it in his public affairs, or he could ordinary people in your daily activities and entertainment. For example, dice players believed that Venus Felix brought them winnings. Therefore, the best throw, when all the dice were sixes, was called “Venus” (the worst, when only ones were rolled, was called “dog”).

"Father" Mars. Mars roughly corresponds to the Greek Ares, but there are perhaps more differences between them than similarities. Among the Greeks, Ares was considered the most violent and bloodthirsty of the gods; they feared him, revered him, but did not love him. Mars was not so bloodthirsty, and besides, he was considered the father of Romulus and Remus, the founders Eternal City. Therefore, the descendants of Romulus respectfully called him “father.”

Patron of spring. Once upon a time, Mars was a completely peaceful god, and farmers prayed to him that he would ward off crop shortages, hunger, disease, and bad weather from them and would send growth to the cereals growing in the fields, offspring for livestock, health and prosperity for people. Spring was under the auspices of Mars, and the first month of the year ancient times, when the year had not yet begun in January, was dedicated to him and bore his name - March. Traces of this beginning remain to this day. The names of the months September, October, November and December translated into Russian mean “seventh”, “eighth”, “ninth” and “tenth”; It’s easy to be sure that these will be their numbers if you count them not from January, but from March.

Military defender of Rome. So, Mars was the protector of people and the land on which they lived from evil natural forces. But the threat lurked not only in natural phenomena, but also in people, in neighbors who constantly encroached on the lands of Rome. Therefore, Mars gradually became the military defender of Rome, and then took under his protection all the wars waged by his Roman descendants. The Romans prayed to him for good luck before leaving for war, and when they returned with another victory, in gratitude for it they sacrificed part of their booty to him. It is not surprising, therefore, that the main holidays in honor of Mars fell in March, the time when military campaigns began, and in October, the time when military activity ceased until the following spring.

Temple of Mars and its weapons. His spear and twelve sacred shields were kept in the temple of Mars. They said that during the reign of the second Roman king Numa Pompilius, one such shield fell from the sky directly into his hands. The king announced that this weapon was revealed to save the city from the plague that was raging at that time and that it must be protected so that it does not fall into the wrong hands. The skilled craftsman Veturius Mamurius made eleven more of the same shields, so that not a single thief could distinguish a real shield from a fake.

"Dancers." The guardians and guardians of these shields were the Salii priests (their name translated means “dancers”). Once a year, on March 1, the Salii, dressed in purple clothes, belted with a copper belt, with a copper helmet on their heads, taking these shields, walk around the city along its city limits - the pomerium, performing their dance, which is accompanied by blows of swords on the shields. This dance was simple, in three counts, and symbolized that the Romans were ready for military action, their military forces had awakened from hibernation.

"Mars, wake up." But it was necessary to awaken not only the military power of people, but also Mars itself. Before setting off on a campaign, the commander set in motion the sacred shields and spear hanging on the wall in the temple of Mars, exclaiming at the same time: “Mars, awaken!” Everything that happened later in the war was connected with the name of Mars. The gods Pavor (“Horror”) and Pallor (“Fear”) who accompanied him made the enemy’s spirit tremble, and Virtus (“Valor”) and Chonos (“Honor”) inspired the Romans to exploits. Gloria (“Glory”) circled above their army, and after the battle, the warriors who distinguished themselves in it received awards as if from Mars himself.

Field of Mars. An undeveloped space in Rome, the Campus Martius, was dedicated to Mars. This was the only place in the city where a person was not prohibited from being armed. Therefore, for a long time here, Roman youths competed in their ability to wield weapons, military reviews took place here, the army went on a campaign from here, and the rite of purification of the Roman people was held here once every five years. And every year, on the day of the Equirium holiday (February 28 and March 14), the Romans gathered on the Campus Martius became spectators of horse racing. Large sizes The Champs de Mars allowed many competitions to take place at the same time, so everyone could find a spectacle there to suit their taste, and it was always full of people.

Diana — patroness of the Latins. The Roman goddess Diana is very similar to the Greek Artemis, with whom she was identified. She was also depicted as a young maiden surrounded by animals and was revered as the patroness of forests, animals, an assistant to women during childbirth, and a healer. Once upon a time, Diana was the patroness of a union of Latin tribes, and when Rome became the head of this union, a temple was built for her in Rome. Captive Latins who did not submit to Rome and were converted into slaves often came here. The anniversary of the founding of the temple was considered their holiday, the holiday of slaves. In the temple of Diana there hung cow horns of extraordinary size, and the following story was told about them.

An extraordinary chick. One man from the Sabine tribe neighboring Rome once gave birth to a heifer of extraordinary appearance and size. The soothsayers told him that the city whose citizen would sacrifice this heifer to Diana would rule over all tribes. Delighted by this prophecy, the Sabine drove the heifer to the Roman temple of Diana, placed it in front of the altar and was ready to make the sacrifice. Then the Roman priest, who had heard both about the miraculous animal and about the prediction, exclaimed: “How? Are you going to perform a sacrifice without bathing in running water? The gods will not accept your sacrifice! The embarrassed Sabine went to the Tiber to bathe, and the Roman quickly performed a sacrifice, thereby ensuring dominance of his city. As a memory of this cunning and as a sign of this dominance, the horns of an extraordinary heifer hung in the temple.

Three roads, three worlds. The Romans also revered Diana at the crossroads of three roads, calling her Trivia (“Three-Road”). These three roads symbolized her power over the three worlds, heaven, earth and the underworld. But perhaps the most unusual thing was the veneration of Diana of Aricia, in Aricia near Rome. Here, on the shore of the lake, was sacred grove a goddess who served as a refuge for runaway slaves and criminals. A person hiding in a grove could become a priest of Diana of Aricia, the “king of the forest,” but for this it was necessary to pluck a branch from a sacred tree. The difficulty was that the “king of the forest” already existed, and he would not have given up this branch so easily. You had to disrupt it by defeating your predecessor, and then wait painfully for a new, stronger alien to take away both the power in this grove and your life.

Volcano — master of fire. This god was originally the master of fire, both beneficial for people and destructive, both earthly and heavenly. The fire of Vulcan produces fires during which entire cities burn out, but the same god can also protect from fire. Therefore, although there were no temples to Vulcan within the city limits of Rome, an altar was built for him on a special area near the forum, which was called the Vulcanal. The holiday in honor of Vulcan (Vulcanalia) was celebrated on August 23, and on this day, according to tradition, live fish were sacrificed to God - creatures associated with water, the element that is opposite to fire and can tame it.

God of blacksmiths. Over time, when crafts began to develop in Rome, Vulcan became the god of blacksmiths and became like the Greek Hephaestus. His images also became similar to the images of Hephaestus - a bearded man in the clothes of a craftsman, with a hammer, an anvil and tongs. The forge of Vulcan, as the Romans believed, was underground, and if fire and smoke erupted from the top of the mountain, it meant that a god was working in it. Therefore, all fire-breathing mountains began to be called by the name of this god - volcanoes, and their eruptions were also attributed to his activity.

God Mercury

God Mercury. The name of this god comes from Latin word"Merks" is a product. From this alone it is clear that we're talking about about a deity associated with trade. Indeed, Roman Mercury (identified with the Greek Hermes) was primarily the god of trade and merchants. Mercury gave traders profit, he took care of their safety, he could indicate treasures buried in the ground. The symbol of this side of Mercury's activity was the wallet with which he was often depicted. In gratitude for all this, the merchants gave a tenth of their income to the Temple of Mercury, and with this money a public treat was organized in August.

Holidays of Mercury. The holiday in honor of Mercury, celebrated on May 15, was especially revered by traders. On this day, they scooped up water from the source of Mercury near the Cape Gate, and then, dipping a palm branch into this water, sprinkled their goods, turning to Mercury with the following prayer: “Wash away my former treachery, wash away the false speeches that I spoke! If I swore falsely, hoping that my lies would not be heard by the great gods, may the swift winds dispel all my lies! May the door to my deceptions be opened wide today, and may the gods not care about my oaths! Give me a good profit and help me thoroughly deceive the buyer!”

In addition to trade, Mercury patronized secret knowledge and was considered the founder and patron of the secret science of alchemy, with the help of which they tried to turn various substances into gold. Such Mercury was revered with the epithets “knowing”, “wise”. The Roman Mercury also borrowed some of its functions from the Greek Hermes, like whom he began to be considered the messenger of the gods and the guide of the souls of the dead to the underworld.

God Neptune. It is generally believed that the Roman Neptune, like the Greek Poseidon, is the god of the seas. This is both true and false. So - because after identification with the Greek god, Neptune really received the seas into his knowledge; not so - because initially it was not connected with the sea. This is understandable: among the Greek sailors, Poseidon was the brother of Zeus himself, as powerful as the Father of gods and people, and very revered, since it depended on him whether the voyage would be successful.

But the Romans were a land people! The expanses of the sea interested them very little, but the patron god of all moisture and protector from drought was important. This god was Neptune. He especially patronized springs and other flowing water, which feeds fields, animals, and people themselves. Neptunalia, the holiday of Neptune, was celebrated on July 23, when the summer heat is especially intense, streams dry up, and fields wither without moisture. On this day, they prayed to God to send saving water and revive drying plants to life.

As the god of the seas, Neptune is formidable and indomitable. He has the power to send a storm, he can stop it; the winds raging at sea immediately calm down upon hearing his menacing cry: “Here I am!”

Fons and Fontanalia. Many other gods were associated with Neptune, one way or another related to moisture. Thus, the goddesses of the springs were the stones, and all the springs were in charge of the god Fons, in whose honor on October 13, when the springs began to come to life again after the summer heat, the Fontanalia holiday was celebrated. The wife of Neptune was considered the goddess Salacia, whose name can be translated as “Movement of the Sea,” all ports, both river and sea, were in charge of the god Portunus, and each river had its own separate god.

However, Neptune was not only the god of moisture. Like the Greek Poseidon, he was considered the patron saint of horses, which is where his epithet “equestrian” comes from. Equestrian Neptune was considered the patron saint of horsemen, and horse races were held in Rome in his honor. They were first introduced by Romulus, and it was during this holiday that the famous abduction of the Sabine women took place.

The kind and courteous goddess Venus was a symbol of fertility, sacred alliances and most importantly - love. Her life was full of turmoil and dark events, but this did not stop her from giving birth to a beautiful son, whose descendants were the founders of famous city Rome.

Goddess Venus - who is she?

According to legend, the goddess Venus (in Greek mythology Aphrodite) personified beauty, love, carnal desires and fertility. She was present at every wedding and kept family happiness already married. She helped to restrain resentment and grief, taught patience and gave many children. It was believed that external beauty of a person is the turning of the gaze of a good goddess on him. In addition, Venus, the goddess of love, was a conductor between the worlds of gods and people, and her additional purposes were:

1. Support of the Roman right in wars and battles.
2. Helping slutty girls find their happiness.
3. Directing people to build temples to appeal to the gods.

What does the goddess Venus look like?

The Roman people knew exactly what Venus looked like and its beauty. Her appearance is depicted in many scriptures and architectural buildings, sculptures with its outlines were found. A young beauty with long and luxuriant hair, pale skin and a round face. Her constant companions were a hare and a dove - symbols of spring and peace. The most famous work painting - Botticelli's painting "The Birth of Venus". Great artist offers her vision of the goddess of beauty, love and fertility.

Husband of the goddess Venus

The peace-loving goddess Venus gave birth to her only son from the patron in warlike affairs and his name was Mars. He was the complete opposite of the beautiful girl. Outwardly, Venus's lover was not very handsome, unlike her other admirers, but this did not stop them from starting a family and giving the Romans the beautiful archer Eros. The playful and flirtatious beauty easily pacified the wild ardor of her husband, and even living with such a purpose, he was affectionate and gentle with his beloved.

Children of Venus

There was one in her destiny only child Eros. He was excellent with arrows and bows and became the founder of the great city of Rome. Therefore, many peoples consider her to be the ancestor of the city’s population. The son of Venus was able to be remembered by his ancestors for the following actions:

• sailing from Troy to Italy;
• the founder of dozens of temples dedicated to the name of his mother;
• birth of Julius Caesar.

He was a kind and peace-loving child. He spent all his childhood and youth next to his mother, and it was very difficult for them to part when the boy decided to go to people. Mars was even jealous of his beloved, since she took away from him the time that he could spend with his wife. There is even a painting painted on this topic, which depicts the whole family. The husband's look is very sad there, because the wife was only taking care of the child, forgetting about her responsibilities as a wife.

What talents does the goddess Venus give?

The Romans were well aware of the talents the goddess Venus gave to her daughters. Every girl dreamed of her patronage, because in return she could receive a love of art, artistic abilities, and the ability to draw beautifully. She could bestow the talent of softly managing people, eloquence and flirtatiousness. It was believed that if Venus became the patroness of a girl, then she would definitely have many admirers and proposals for union.

Goddess of love and beauty Venus - myths

The myth of the birth of the goddess was the most beloved among the inhabitants of Rome, and they gladly told it to their children and grandchildren. It was believed that the goddess was born from sea foam and was so fragile and tender that she attracted the attention of ocean nymphs. They took her to their coral reef caves and raised her there as my own daughter. When ancient greek venus grew up and learned to take care of herself, the nymphs decided to hand her over to the gods.

Raising her to the surface of the sea, they entrusted her care to Zephyr, a light southern wind, to carry her to the island of Cyprus. There she was met by four Horas, daughters of Jupiter and the goddess of justice. Everyone who saw her would rather bow their heads before the beauty of Venus and accompany her to Olympus. Her own throne was waiting for her there, and when she sat down in it, the other gods could not hide their admiration. All the gods offered her their hand and heart, but she rejected them, wanting to be free and live for herself.

The similarity of the plots of Greek and Roman mythology, despite the fact that the same heroes are called differently, often introduces confusion into the stories themselves. Therefore, I will tell you about today’s heroes with information taken from the Greco-Roman mythology website.

Mars (Greek Ares) is the unloved son of Jupiter-Zeus and Juno-Hera, the god of war, treacherous, treacherous, war for the sake of war, in contrast to Pallas Athena - the goddess of fair and just war.
Roman Venus (aka Greek Aphrodite) is the goddess of love and beauty.
Aphrodite's husband is Vulcan (aka Hephaestus) - the most skilled master in the blacksmith's craft and the ugliest among the gods. Lame-footed Vulcan worked at the anvils in his forge and did not feel much attraction to his wife, finding true satisfaction in working with a hammer at a flaming forge.

Diego Velázquez The Forge of Vulcan 1630 Museo del Prado

Frans Floris Venus at Vulcan's Forge 1560-64.

Paolo Veronese Vulcan and Venus 1560-61 Fresco Villa Barbaro, Maser.

Jan Brueghel the Elder Venus at the Forge of Vulcan (An Allegory of Fire) 1606-23.

Palma Giovane Venus and Cupid at Vulcan's Forge 1610

Jan van Kessel I Venus at the Forge of Vulcan 1662

Georg Raphael Donner Venus in Vulcan's Workshop 1730

Sigismund Christian Hubert Goetze Venus Visits Vulcan 1909

Francesco Albani Summer Venus in Vulcan's Forge 1616-17.

Giorgio Vasari Vulcan's Forge 1567-68 Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

Bartholomaeus Spranger Venus and Vulcan 1610

Brothers Le Nain Venus at the Forge of Vulcan 1641

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Venus and Vulcan 1762-66 Fresco Halberdiers" Room, Palacio Real, Madrid

François Boucher The Visit of Venus to Vulcan 1754 Wallace Collection, London

The goddess of love, however, was much less interested in the outstanding abilities of her husband than in the courageous beauty of Mars (aka Ares), the god of war. And one fine day she became his mistress. The madness of war combined with the madness of love, and nothing good could be expected from this. From their connection, Deimos (Horror) and Phobos (Fear), eternal companions of wars, were born. Also from this connection, the god of love Eros was born, who always accompanies Aphrodite and sends love experiences to people along with his arrows, and Harmony.

Sandro Botticelli Venus and Mars circa 1445-1510

Nicolas Poussin Mars and Venus 1626-28

Having learned about his wife’s relationship from the all-seeing Helios, the legal husband of Venus - Aphrodite, Vulcan decided to punish the unfaithful woman in his own way. Frustrated and offended, he forged a very thin, invisible to the eye, but very strong net and fitted it to the bed. This is where the unlucky lovers got caught.
During a date, Venus and Mars found themselves trapped, and then Hephaestus appeared and began to laugh at the sight of the lovers floundering in the net. The peals of his laughter were heard on the ground, and mortals could mistake them for thunder. The gods came running.
- Look, Jupiter (aka Zeus)! - Vulcan-Hephaestus shouted. - This is how I punish infidelity.
The goddesses giggled, pointing their fingers at those caught, the gods also cheered, although many of them themselves would not mind taking the place of Mars - Ares.
Freed by Vulcan at the request of Neptune (aka Poseidon), the lovers immediately parted. Mars rushed off to Thrace, where he immediately ignited a new bloody war, and Venus-Aphrodite - to Crete in Paphos, where she was bathed and rubbed with imperishable oil of charita.

Homer, in the eighth canto of the Odyssey, tells how Venus cheated on her husband Vulcan with the young god of war, Mars. But the lovers were caught in the net by a jealous husband and exposed to the ridicule of the convened gods.

Tintoretto Venus, Mars, and Vulcan 1551 Alte Pinakothek, Munich

Maerten van Heemskerck Vulcan Showing the Gods His Net with Mars and Venus. 1536-40

Diego Velázquez Mars 1639-41 Museo del Prado

Like other gods, Venus - Aphrodite patronizes heroes, but this patronage extends only to the sphere of love. Aphrodite tries to intervene in the military events near Troy, being a principled defender of the Trojans. She tries to take the Trojan hero Aeneas, her son from her beloved Anchises, out of the battle, and before the battle she asks her husband Vulcan-Hephaestus to forge a sword for Aeneas.
In Rome, the Greek Aphrodite was revered under the name of Venus and was considered the ancestor of the Romans through her son, the Trojan Aeneas, the father of Yulus, the legendary ancestor of the Julius family, to which Julius Caesar belonged. Therefore, Venus - “the mother of Aeneas” - is the constant patroness of Aeneas, not only at Troy, but mainly after his arrival in Italy, and is especially glorified during the era of the Principate of Augustus.

>> Venus - Goddess of love, spring and fertility

Venus - Goddess of love, spring and fertility

Divine, beautiful, eternally youthful Venus (in Latin Venus) at the beginning of the formation of the Roman pantheon was considered the goddess of Spring, the life-giving spring beginning, when everything in nature comes to life, begins to grow again, the goddess of a lush blooming spring garden. Afterwards they began to compare her with the Greek Aphrodite. So, gradually, Venus acquired many of the qualities and attributes inherent in Venus, and became the Goddess of Love and Beauty familiar to us. Also, the Roman people consider Venus to be their foremother, the roots of this confidence again go back to the identification of Venus and Aphrodite. According to ancient mythology, Aeneas, the son of Aphrodite, as everyone knows, the descendants of Aeneas, who miraculously escaped from Troy burning at the behest of Agamemnon, founded Rome. It is not difficult to draw a parallel, this is another underlying factors special veneration of Venus by the Romans. One of the most famous architectural masterpieces of the Roman era in honor of Venus is the Sicilian Temple. Her eternal companions and symbols are the hare and the dove; the plant world placed the rose, poppy and myrtle at the disposal of Venus.

Birth of Venus

Venus, quod ad omnes veniat, the famous Roman saying: “Venus - because she comes to everything.” The thinker Marcus Tulius Cicero used this saying in his work “On the Nature of the Gods” to substantiate his vision of the origin of the name Venus. There are many assumptions about the etymology of the name Venus. In many Roman phraseological units, the name of Venus could be used as a synonym for any fruit, that which the earth gave birth to and gave; this allegory is associated with the very first definition of Venus as the Goddess of Spring and blooming gardens. One of the common literal translations of the name Venus is “Grace of the Gods,” isn’t that right? If you delve into linguistics and look for roots in distant history, you can find sources for the word in Sanskrit, in which vanas will mean desire, vanita - beloved. Both words are ideally suited to become the etymological roots of the name Venus. Let us not forget the later Roman word vinia - mercy of the gods, which has already been discussed. All hypotheses are worthy, with logical justification and an invariable subtle taste of femininity, charm and romance, philologists cannot give preference to one theory, so the question of the origin of the name Venus is still open, the mysterious goddess is in no hurry to reveal all her mysteries to the curious.

Not only the story about the possible origin of the name is interesting, but also the constant epithets for Venus, traditional for Roman and then European culture: merciful, purifying, bald. Extra in semantic series bald ? No! This epithet speaks of Venus as the patroness of the women of Rome, who, for the sake of their husbands’ victory over the Gauls, cut their hair to make strings for bows and ropes for catapults. The classical idea of ​​Venus in any form of art as the goddess of passion and love, hence the widespread opinion that among the admirers of the passionate goddess there were mostly young people: only Venus could share their enthusiastic admiration for their beloved women and help them find the way to their hearts. The Romans also feared Venus as merciless towards those who reject love and do not want to reckon with great power great feeling.

The Romans were true craftsmen, whose skill has not been disputed to this day, in creating statues. It is no secret that many examples of magnificent sculptures have survived to this day, one of the first among them being statues of Venus. The Paris Louvre has a priceless specimen - the Venus de Milo. Second birth, so to speak, found in the Renaissance, firstly, in Europe at that time there was a general fascination and revival (hence the Renaissance) of the ancient heritage, and secondly, the image of Venus has always been considered a classic of the nude female body, to which the state of nakedness only adds naturalness and beauty, is in a sense a necessary manifestation of feelings. It is worth noting that even Puritan Britain did not condemn only the image of Venus for nudity. Thus, since the time of the unlimited power of Rome, the name Venus has become a common noun for all images of a beautiful naked female body.

The myth about birth of the goddess Venus . In the tradition of the Roman mythological code, Venus is the daughter of Jupiter and Dione, the beautiful child of the love union of the supreme god and the goddess of moisture. Greek myths represent Venus-Aphrodite, born from the snow-white foam of the sea. Most likely, you have more often encountered the second version of the origin of Venus; it is more often found on book pages and artists’ canvases, and certainly everyone knows the brilliant masterpiece of Sandro Botticelli.

Rituals associated with the worship of Venus were worn in Ancient Rome unusually sensual and at the same time festive character. During the days of her veneration, a beautiful marble statue was placed in a chariot made in the shape of a sea shell. Harnessed to this marvelous cart were white doves, the favorite birds of the goddess and a symbol of her divine mercy. Along the procession, the Romans gave Venus lush wreaths of flowers, not forgetting to include roses, poppies and mitres in the compositions, and jewelry, most often made of pearls, to match her skin. Young people, passionate and temperamental, always walked at the head of the procession, their presence especially pleased the goddess, since they gave themselves over to love and passion with truly Venusian madness. Most often, Venus appears before the eyes of admiring spectators naked or wearing clothes called the “belt of Venus,” which only adds charm and femininity to the naked figure of the beautiful goddess. The “Venus belt” was a common clothing option among Roman women of different social statuses, since feminine unites both women of noble origin and commoners, and Venus gives them endless love and beauty.

Among the many talents of the goddess, the Romans highlighted Venus’s ability to command animals; such a fragile goddess is able to pacify even an angry lion. The consort of Venus is Vulcan, the god of fire, the all-consuming raging flame and the patron of blacksmiths. Vulcan is a serious, even gloomy god, he is lame in one leg. Venus is the complete opposite of her husband - flirtatious, playful, capricious, fast and frivolous. Despite their differences, they understand and complement each other perfectly; Vulcan always gives his greatest jewelry creations to his wife to decorate the already most beautiful goddess in the Roman pantheon. Venus is windy, so while her husband Vulcan is busy at the forge, she gives her love to other men, especially since her “Venus Belt” is endowed with magical property- to generate a passion for Venus in every man. Venus forever conquered the warlike Mars, from the union with which Cupid was born, the eternal little celestial archer, striking with arrows of love without a miss. Among the victories of Venus are also Adonis and Anchises - the father of Aeneas. One day, the masterful and proud Juno asked Venus for her witchcraft belt in order to return the favor of Jupiter.

An unchanging tradition of any Roman holiday organized in honor of Venus was huge amount fresh flowers. The priests always appeared in magnificent clothes. rich floral wreaths that symbolized eternal spring. The Venetians believe that their city is named after the goddess, so every year in the spring they throw a ring into the sea, as if concluding the marriage of the city of Venice and the Goddess Venus.

Not only the Earth can boast of having names in honor of Venus, the second planet of the solar system, mysterious morning star also bears her divine name - .

The name of the Scythian "Aphrodite Urania" (heavenly goddess of love) should be read as ARTIMPASA. With this reading, the root “art” appears in it, “artem” - the same as in the name greek goddess ARTEMIS. But... Artemis isn't Aphrodite, is she?

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The fact is that in some Indo-European languages there is an alternation of the type “slave - arb” (cf. “work” and “arbeit”), “rod...

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King Servius Tullius erected the first temple of Diana on the Aventine Hill in Rome, and since this hill was inhabited by people of average income or simply the poor, she became the patroness of the lower classes (plebeians and slaves). At the same time, she was revered as a goddess...

Aphrodite (“foam-born”), in Greek mythology, the goddess of beauty and love that permeates the whole world. According to one version, the goddess was born from the blood of Uranus, castrated by the titan Kronos: the blood fell into the sea, forming foam (in Greek - aphros).

Aphrodite was not only the patroness of love, as reported by the author of the poem “On the Nature of Things,” Titus Lucretius Carus, but also the goddess of fertility, eternal spring and life. According to legend, she usually appeared surrounded by her usual companions - nymphs, ors and harites. IN...

Navratri holiday.

The Divine Mother is worshiped during the nine and nights of Navratri. She is worshiped in three forms - as Durga, as Lakshmi and as Saraswati.

During the first three days of Navratri, the emphasis is on removing the grosser, superficial obstacles with the help of Goddess Durga.

The human heart is polluted by anger, greed, hatred, passion, pride, jealousy. This must be cleansed first of all. It is Durga, sitting on the tiger, who enters the heart of a person and destroys...

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The Indian name of the goddess Yanzhima is Saraswati. In ancient times, the Saraswati River was revered in India.

The bright river Saraswati, flowing from mountain peaks, has long given clarity to people’s feelings and thoughts. And on its banks many found refuge for quiet reflection and offering prayers. Later she ascended to heaven, taking the form of the eternally young goddess Saraswati. On...

The first mentions of eshata pragmata (“last things”) can be found already in Zosimus of Panopolitan (IV century) and Pseudo-Democritus (VI century) (It was about him that Thomas Mann wrote in “The Magic Mountain” that “it began with him”) the invasion of irrational fermentative material into the world of rationally useful ideas for the improvement of humanity").

And, if the first speaks about this in passing (“...the last things appear at the end of time,” then the second discusses this more extensively in his treatise “Imut”: “Time is not a thing...

Indian mythology describes a time when evil forces fought with the good ones, and these battles took place quite actively, i.e. with thousands of victims, victims on both sides. The book “Devi Mahatmya” tells about this.

This treatise describes the Goddess (Devi). The Goddess in Hinduism is Shakti, the Power and Desire of God Almighty. It is She, according to Hinduism, who destroys all evil in the world. She is called differently, reflecting Her versatility - Mahamaya, Kali, Durga, Devi, Lolita...

Durga (“hard-to-reach”), in Hindu mythology, one of the formidable incarnations of Devi or Parvati, the wife of Shiva, who acted as a warrior goddess, protector of the gods and world order from demons. One of her main feats was the destruction of the buffalo demon Mahisha, who expelled the gods from heaven to earth, in a bloody duel.

The goddess was usually depicted with ten arms, seated on a lion or tiger, with weapons and attributes of different gods: with the trident of Shiva, the disc of Vishnu, the bow of Vayu, the spear of Agni, the club of Indra...

They found a rooster, whose crowing heralds the dawn, and made a mirror decorated with precious stones.

At their request, the goddess Ame no Uzume danced on an inverted vat, and it resembled...