FERTILITY DEITIESGuardians of the fruit
After their union, Pomona
and Vertumnus nurtured the
trees together, thus ensuring
a bountiful harvest of fruit.Cybele
The nature goddess
Cybele usually rode
a chariot drawn by
lions, which were
symbolic of her
complete dominion
over the powerful
forces of nature.Cybele’s attributes
Since Cybele was also the goddess
of fertility, the pomegranate, the
horn of plenty (cornucopia), and
the amphora were her special
attributes. The cymbals and the
tambourine were played at the
frenzied dances during her festival.Armed dance of the Corybantes
The worshippers of Cybele were
known as the Corybantes. They used
to dance ecstatically to music in her
honour, sometimes slashing one
another with their swords.Faunus
After his encounter with Hercules
and Omphale, Faunus preferred his
devotees to worship him naked.Hercules and Omphale
Omphale was a queen from
Lydia who was deeply in
love with Hercules.THE GREAT MOTHER
The Great Mother was also known as Bona Dea (“the
good goddess”). She was variously identified with Ops,
Fauna, and the nature goddess Cybele. Some say she was
the mother of Faunus (see right), and was a modest, shy
deity who had the gift of prophecy, but would tell her
predictions only to women. It is believed that she began
life as a mortal. She drank a lot of wine one day and got
drunk. When Faunus saw the state she was in, he was
enraged and killed her, after which she became an
immortal and a special guardian of Rome. But in the
form of Cybele she was more a goddess of sexuality.FAUNUS
Faunus was worshipped as the patron of agriculture
and the protector of shepherds. One day he saw
Hercules (the Greek hero Heracles) with Omphale,
his mistress. Faunus fell passionately in love with
Omphale and decided to follow the couple. When
Hercules and Omphale took shelter for the night in
a cave, Faunus crept in after them and, when all
was still, slid in quietly beside Omphale.
When he touched her he was astounded
to feel a hairy chest and strong arms –
the couple had swapped clothes for the
night. Hercules pushed him from the
bed and the pair burst out laughing.POMONA AND
VERTUMNUS
Pomona, a beautiful nymph who was also a skilled
gardener, was the goddess of fruit trees. Vertumnus
was a deity who presided over all kinds of change,
including the turning seasons and the transformation
from blossom to fruit. Vertumnus was attracted to
Pomona when he saw her pruning her trees and,
as the god of change, he decided
to transform himself into many
diferent shapes to woo her. But
no matter what disguise he
chose, Pomona would not
have him. When he showed
his true self, however, she fell
in love with him.Pomegranate Tambourine Amphora
Horn of plenty Cymbals59