All about history book of myths and legends. ( PDFDrive )

THE PENATES

Like the Lares, the Penates (also known as “the

inner ones”) were a pair of gods who protected

Roman households. They were usually depicted

as youths, and their statues were present in every

Roman home.The name “Penates” has the same root

as the word “penetralia”, which means pantry, and

hence they became gods of the table and the larder.

When a Roman family sat down to a meal, the head

of the household ofered some of the food to the

Penates before the family members themselves were

served. It was said that the Penates were

originally Trojan deities, and that Aeneas

brought them to central Italy when he

came to settle there. Eventually,

they became the guardian

deities of Rome.

GUARDIAN DEITIES

The Dioscuri

Pairs of deities were

dear to the Romans. The

divine twins Castor and

Pollux, also known as

the Dioscuri, were

revered as protectors

of soldiers and sailors.

God of the pantry

The Penates were the patron gods of the storeroom

and the household. In some Roman homes, it was the

custom to move their statues from the home shrine to

the dining table when the family were about to eat.

Household shrine

The Lares were

household gods who

were worshipped at

home shrines and at the

hearth. They were often

depicted as dancing

youths with a horn

cup and a bowl, and

accompanied by

symbolic serpents.

Winged Genius with torch

Alighting on the house or on the

marriage-bed of young men, the

winged Genius was a guardian

spirit. It was said to be the

protector of Roman menfolk.

Serpent symbol

Many Roman dwellings were home to

harmless snakes who quietly came and

went. Consequently, serpents in general

became symbols of the Genius.

THE GENIUS

The Romans believed that every man was helped all
through his life by a Genius, a kind of guardian angel
who looked after his interests and took the form of a
winged figure or a man holding a cornucopia (horn
of plenty). Men made oferings to their Genius on their
birthdays, and when they enjoyed good fortune, they
ofered wine, incense, or flowers. A man’s Genius presided
over his house and his marriage, ensuring his health and
his ability to father children. Men, ancestors, households,
specific places, and even the city of Rome itself were all
said to possess their own Genius, but women were under
the protection of Junones, who served the goddess Juno.

THE LARES

The Romans worshipped several kinds of spirits called
Lares on special days and major family occasions. Some
of these were malevolent spirits who haunted crossroads
and had to be pacified with oferings, while others were
kinder rural spirits who brought good crops. Perhaps the
most widely worshipped Lares were the benevolent twin
gods who protected Roman households. They were the
sons of Mania, the goddess of madness, and Mercury, the
messenger of the gods, but they also had a close link
with Diana, the goddess of the hunt. The Lares were said
to borrow Diana’s hounds and use them to chase away
any thieves or criminals who might threaten any of the
households where they were worshipped. Besides having
statues of the Lares in the home, Romans also hung an
image of Mania at their front doors to ward of evildoers.
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