The ancient Greeks knew the planet as Phaethon (), meaning "shining one" or "blazing star." As supreme god of the Roman pantheon, Jupiter was the god of thunder, lightning and storms, and appropriately called the god of light and sky. The astronomical symbol for the planet, , is a stylized representation of the god's lightning bolt. The original Greek deity "Zeus" supplies the root "zeno-", used to form some Jupiter-related words, such as "zenographic".
Mythology
Jupiter
Jupiter | Mythology
To the Babylonians, this object represented their god Marduk. They used Jupiter's roughly 12-year orbit along the ecliptic to define the constellations of their zodiac The Romans called it "the star of Jupiter", as they believed it to be sacred to the principal god of Roman mythology. To the Babylonians it represented their god Marduk. To the Babylonians, this object represented their god Marduk.
what are the alternating dark and light bands in jupiter’s atmosphere called
user
Lightly colored "zones" and relatively dark "belts."
assistant
what is the atmosphere like in jupiter?
user
It is mostly made of molecular hydrogen and helium in roughly solar proportions; other chemical compounds are present only in small amounts and include methane, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and water.
assistant
how can you describe its structure vertically?
user
The atmosphere of Jupiter is classified into four layers, by increasing altitude: the troposphere, stratosphere, thermosphere and exosphere
assistant
what is the definition of the first mentioned layer?
user
The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, and is also where nearly all weather conditions take place.
assistant
what is the flow here like?
user
The flow of the atmosphere generally moves in a west to east direction.
assistant
are there different types of flow?
user
Yes, Zonal flow, Meridional flow and Atmospheric flow
assistant
how do you explain the first type of flow?
user
A zonal flow regime is the meteorological term meaning that the general flow pattern is west to east along the Earth's latitude lines, with weak shortwaves embedded in the flow
assistant
how is the third type of flow?
user
Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
assistant
what is the density of the last chemical compound found in the planet?
user
Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
assistant
what is the size of the aforesaid planet?
user
Jupiter's radius is about 1/10 the radius of the Sun
assistant
what is its importance in myth?
user
A dominant line of scholarship has held that Rome lacked a body of myths in its earliest period, or that this original mythology has been irrecoverably obscured by the influence of the Greek narrative tradition. After the influence of Greek culture on Roman culture, Latin literature and iconography reinterpreted the myths of Zeus in depictions and narratives of Jupiter. In the legendary history of Rome, Jupiter is often connected to kings and kingship.
Jupiter (mythology) | Myths and legends
The ancient Greeks knew the planet as Phaethon (), meaning "shining one" or "blazing star." As supreme god of the Roman pantheon, Jupiter was the god of thunder, lightning and storms, and appropriately called the god of light and sky. The astronomical symbol for the planet, , is a stylized representation of the god's lightning bolt. The original Greek deity "Zeus" supplies the root "zeno-", used to form some Jupiter-related words, such as "zenographic".
Jupiter | Mythology
Moreover, the initial particle "ve-" which the ancient supposed were part of his name is itself ambivalent as it may have both an accrescitive and diminutive value.
Jupiter (mythology) | Veiove
Even the majestic Jupiter, the ruler of the gods, was honored for the aid his rains might give to the farms and vineyards. In his more encompassing character he was considered, through his weapon of lightning, the director of human activity. Due to his widespread domain, the Romans regarded him as their protector in their military activities beyond the borders of their own community. Prominent in early times were the gods Mars and Quirinus, who were often identified with each other. Mars was a god of war; he was honored in March and October. Modern scholars see Quirinus as the patron of the armed community in time of peace.
Roman mythology | Religion and myth
Apart from being protectress of the arts and craft as Minerva Capta, who was brought from Falerii, Minerva's association to Jupiter and relevance to Roman state religion is mainly linked to the Palladium, a wooden statue of Athena that could move the eyes and wave the spear. It was stored in the "penus interior", inner penus of the "aedes Vestae", temple of Vesta and considered the most important among the "pignora imperii", pawns of dominion, empire. In Roman traditional lore it was brought from Troy by Aeneas. Scholars though think it was last taken to Rome in the third or second century BC.
Jupiter (mythology) | Jupiter and Minerva
A series of identical embossed gold plaques were recovered at Camiros in Rhodes; they date from the archaic period of Greek art in the seventh century, but the winged bee goddesses they depict must be far older. In "Prometheus Bound", attributed to the Athenian tragic playwright Aeschylus, a gadfly sent by Zeus's wife Hera pursues and torments his mistress Io, who has been transformed into a cow and is watched constantly by the hundred eyes of the herdsman Argus. Shakespeare alludes to the myth: "Io: Ah! Hah! Again the prick, the stab of gadfly-sting! O earth, earth, hide, the hollow shape—Argus—that evil thing—the hundred-eyed."
Insects in mythology | Gods and mortals
The three functions are interrelated with one another, overlapping to some extent; the sovereign function, although essentially religious in nature, is involved in many ways in areas pertaining to the other two. Therefore, Jupiter is the "magic player" in the founding of the Roman state and the fields of war, agricultural plenty, human fertility and wealth. This hypothesis has not found widespread support among scholars.
Jupiter (mythology) | Archaic Triad
In the soil of Arcadia the Pelasgians spring up from Ophion's teeth, scattered under the heel of Eurynome, who kicked the serpent from their home on Mount Olympus for his boast of having created all things. Eurynome, whose name means "wide wandering", sets male and female Titans for each wandering planet: Theia and Hyperion for the Sun; Phoebe and Atlas for the Moon; Metis and Coeus for Mercury; Tethys and Oceanus for Venus; Dione and Crius for Mars; Themis and Eurymedon for Jupiter; and Rhea and Cronus for Saturn.
The Greek Myths | Pelasgian creation myth
The two emblems were often combined to represent the god in the form of an eagle holding in its claws a thunderbolt, frequently seen on Greek and Roman coins. As the sky-god, he was a divine witness to oaths, the sacred trust on which justice and good government depend. Many of his functions were focused on the Capitoline Hill, where the citadel was located. In the Capitoline Triad, he was the central guardian of the state with Juno and Minerva. His sacred tree was the oak. The Romans regarded Jupiter as the equivalent of the Greek Zeus, and in Latin literature and Roman art, the myths and iconography of Zeus are adapted under the name "Iuppiter".
Jupiter (mythology) | Introduction
The planet Jupiter has been known since ancient times. It is visible to the naked eye in the night sky and can occasionally be seen in the daytime when the Sun is low. To the Babylonians, this object represented their god Marduk. They used Jupiter's roughly 12-year orbit along the ecliptic to define the constellations of their zodiac. The Romans called it "the star of Jupiter" ("Iuppiter Stella"), as they believed it to be sacred to the principal god of Roman mythology, whose name comes from the Proto-Indo-European vocative compound *"Dyēu-pəter" (nominative: *"Dyēus-pətēr", meaning "Father Sky-God", or "Father Day-God"). In turn, Jupiter was the counterpart to the mythical Greek "Zeus" (Ζεύς), also referred to as "Dias" (Δίας), the planetary name of which is retained in modern Greek.
Jupiter | Mythology
During the Republican era, more fixed holidays on the Roman calendar were devoted to Jupiter than to any other deity.
Jupiter (mythology) | Festivals
In Greek and Roman religion, instead, the homonymous gods "*Diou-" and "Διϝ-" evolved into atmospheric deities; by their mastery of thunder and lightning, they expressed themselves and made their will known to the community. In Rome, Jupiter also sent signs to the leaders of the state in the form of auspices in addition to thunder. The art of augury was considered prestigious by ancient Romans; by sending his signs, Jupiter (the sovereign of heaven) communicates his advice to his terrestrial colleague: the king ("rex") or his successor magistrates. The encounter between the heavenly and political, legal aspects of the deity are well represented by the prerogatives, privileges, functions and taboos proper to his "flamen" (the "flamen Dialis" and his wife, the "flaminica Dialis").
Jupiter (mythology) | Jovian theology
For instance, the "flamen" may remove his clothes or "apex" (his pointed hat) only when under a roof, in order to avoid showing himself naked to the sky—that is, "as if under the eyes of Jupiter" as god of the heavens. Every time the Flaminica saw a lightning bolt or heard a clap of thunder (Jupiter's distinctive instrument), she was prohibited from carrying on with her normal routine until she placated the god. Some privileges of the "flamen" of Jupiter may reflect the regal nature of Jupiter: he had the use of the curule chair, and was the only priest "(sacerdos)" who was preceded by a lictor and had a seat in the senate.
Jupiter (mythology) | Flamen and Flaminica Dialis
This is also consistent with the etymology of "Summanus", deriving from "sub" and "mane" (the time before morning).
Jupiter (mythology) | Summanus
Plutarch gives a slightly different version of the story, writing that the cause of the miraculous drop of the shield was a plague and not linking it with the Roman "imperium".
Jupiter (mythology) | Numa
The concept of "di Penates" is more defined in Etruria: Arnobius (citing a Caesius) states that the Etruscan Penates were named Fortuna, Ceres, Genius Iovialis and Pales; according to Nigidius Figulus, they included those of Jupiter, of Neptune, of the infernal gods and of mortal men. According to Varro the Penates reside in the recesses of Heaven and are called "Consentes" and "Complices" by the Etruscans because they rise and set together, are twelve in number and their names are unknown, six male and six females and are the cousellors and masters of Jupiter. Martianus states they are always in agreement among themselves.
Jupiter (mythology) | Penates
On the southern top was to be found the most ancient sanctuary of the god: the shrine of "Iuppiter Feretrius" allegedly built by Romulus, restored by Augustus. The god here had no image and was represented by the sacred flintstone ("silex"). The most ancient known rites, those of the "spolia opima" and of the fetials which connect Jupiter with Mars and Quirinus are dedicated to "Iuppiter Feretrius" or "Iuppiter Lapis". The concept of the sky god was already overlapped with the ethical and political domain since this early time. According to Wissowa and Dumézil "Iuppiter Lapis" seems to be inseparable from "Iuppiter Feretrius" in whose tiny templet on the Capitol the stone was lodged.
Jupiter (mythology) | Major epithets
While these last gods seem to be the Penates of Jupiter, Jupiter himself along with Juno and Minerva is one of the Penates of man according to some authors. This complex concept is reflected in Martianus Capella's division of heaven, found in Book I of his "De Nuptiis Mercurii et Philologiae", which places the "Di Consentes Penates" in region I with the "Favores Opertanei"; "Ceres" and "Genius" in region V; "Pales" in region VI; "Favor" and "Genius" (again) in region VII; "Secundanus Pales", "Fortuna" and "Favor Pastor" in region XI. The disposition of these divine entities and their repetition in different locations may be due to the fact that "Penates" belonging to different categories (of Jupiter in region I, earthly or of mortal men in region V) are intended.
Jupiter (mythology) | Penates
This myth is also briefly referenced in Ovid's "Metamorphoses".
Botres | Introduction
The epithets of a Roman god indicate his theological qualities. The study of these epithets must consider their origins (the historical context of an epithet's source). Jupiter's most ancient attested forms of cult belong to the State cult: these include the mount cult (see section above note n. 22). In Rome this cult entailed the existence of particular sanctuaries the most important of which were located on "Mons Capitolinus" (earlier "Tarpeius"). The mount had two tops that were both destined to the discharge of acts of cult related to Jupiter. The northern and higher top was the "arx" and on it was located the observation place of the augurs "(auguraculum)" and to it headed the monthly procession of the "sacra Idulia".
Jupiter (mythology) | Major epithets
The relation of Jupiter to Janus is problematic. Varro defines Jupiter as the god who has "potestas" (power) over the forces by which anything happens in the world. Janus, however, has the privilege of being invoked first in rites, since in his power are the beginnings of things ("prima"), the appearance of Jupiter included.
Jupiter (mythology) | Janus
Along with "Terminus", " Iuventas" (also known as "Iuventus" and "Iuunta") represents an aspect of Jupiter (as the legend of her refusal to leave the Capitol Hill demonstrates. Her name has the same root as Juno (from "Iuu-", "young, youngster"); the ceremonial litter bearing the sacred goose of Juno Moneta stopped before her "sacellum" on the festival of the goddess. Later, she was identified with the Greek Hebe. The fact that Jupiter is related to the concept of youth is shown by his epithets "Puer", "Iuuentus" and "Ioviste" (interpreted as "the youngest" by some scholars). Dumézil noted the presence of the two minor sovereign deities Bagha and Aryaman beside the Vedic sovereign gods Varuna and Mitra (though more closely associated with Mitra); the couple would be reflected in Rome by "Terminus" and "Iuventas".
Jupiter (mythology) | Iuventas
The abstract personification Fides ("Faith, Trust") was one of the oldest gods associated with Jupiter. As guarantor of public faith, Fides had her temple on the Capitol (near that of Capitoline Jupiter).
Jupiter (mythology) | Fides
Jupiter is depicted as the twin of Juno in a statue at Praeneste that showed them nursed by Fortuna Primigenia. An inscription that is also from Praeneste, however, says that Fortuna Primigenia was Jupiter's first-born child. Jacqueline Champeaux sees this contradiction as the result of successive different cultural and religious phases, in which a wave of influence coming from the Hellenic world made Fortuna the daughter of Jupiter. The childhood of Zeus is an important theme in Greek religion, art and literature, but there are only rare (or dubious) depictions of Jupiter as a child.
Jupiter (mythology) | Birth
In the Greek-influenced tradition, Jupiter was the brother of Neptune and Pluto, the Roman equivalents of Poseidon and Hades respectively. Each presided over one of the three realms of the universe: sky, the waters, and the underworld. The Italic Diespiter was also a sky god who manifested himself in the daylight, usually identified with Jupiter. Tinia is usually regarded as his Etruscan counterpart.
Jupiter (mythology) | Introduction
Jupiter () is the traditional ruling planet of Sagittarius and Pisces and it is exalted in Cancer. In classical Roman mythology, Jupiter is the ruler of the gods and their guardian and protector, and his symbol is the thunderbolt. The Romans believed that Jupiter granted them supremacy because they had honored him more than any other people had. Jupiter was "the fount of the auspices upon which the relationship of the city with the gods rested." He personified the divine authority of Rome's highest offices, internal organization, and external relations. His image in the Republican and Imperial Capitol bore regalia associated with Rome's ancient kings and the highest consular and Imperial honours.
Planets in astrology | Jupiter
This myth is believed to originate from the ancient Illyrian era when it was believed that three gods divided themselves into heaven (E Bukura e Qiellit), ocean (E Bukura e Detit) and underworld (E Bukura e Dheut).
E Bukura e Qiellit | History
Some epithets describe a particular aspect of the god, or one of his functions:
Jupiter (mythology) | Epithets denoting functionality
The name of the god was also adopted as the name of the planet Jupiter; the adjective "jovial" originally described those born under the planet of Jupiter (reputed to be jolly, optimistic, and buoyant in temperament).
Jupiter (mythology) | Name and epithets
Jupiter (from or "Iuppiter" , from Proto-Italic "day, sky" + "father", thus "sky father"), also known as Jove (gen. "Iovis" ), is the god of the sky and thunder and king of the gods in Ancient Roman religion and mythology. Jupiter was the chief deity of Roman state religion throughout the Republican and Imperial eras, until Christianity became the dominant religion of the Empire. In Roman mythology, he negotiates with Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, to establish principles of Roman religion such as offering, or sacrifice. Jupiter is usually thought to have originated as an aerial god. His identifying implement is the thunderbolt and his primary sacred animal is the eagle, which held precedence over other birds in the taking of auspices and became one of the most common symbols of the Roman army (see Aquila).
Jupiter (mythology) | Introduction
The divine couple received from Greece its matrimonial implications, thence bestowing on Juno the role of tutelary goddess of marriage ("Iuno Pronuba"). The couple itself though cannot be reduced to a Greek apport. The association of Juno and Jupiter is of the most ancient Latin theology. Praeneste offers a glimpse into original Latin mythology: the local goddess Fortuna is represented as milking two infants, one male and one female, namely Jove (Jupiter) and Juno. It seems fairly safe to assume that from the earliest times they were identified by their own proper names and since they got them they were never changed through the course of history: they were called Jupiter and Juno.
Jupiter (mythology) | Juno and Fortuna
"Dius Fidius" is considered a theonym for Jupiter, and sometimes a separate entity also known in Rome as Semo Sancus Dius Fidius. Wissowa argued that while Jupiter is the god of the "Fides Publica Populi Romani" as "Iuppiter Lapis" (by whom important oaths are sworn), Dius Fidius is a deity established for everyday use and was charged with the protection of good faith in private affairs. Dius Fidius would thus correspond to "Zeus Pistios". The association with Jupiter may be a matter of divine relation; some scholars see him as a form of Hercules. Both Jupiter and Dius Fidius were wardens of oaths and wielders of lightning bolts; both required an opening in the roof of their temples.
Jupiter (mythology) | Dius Fidius
Other regulations concern his ritual purity and his separation from the military function; he was forbidden to ride a horse or see the army outside the sacred boundary of Rome "(pomerium)." Although he served the god who embodied the sanctity of the oath, it was not religiously permissible "(fas)" for the Dialis to swear an oath. He could not have contacts with anything dead or connected with death: corpses, funerals, funeral fires, raw meat. This set of restrictions reflects the fulness of life and absolute freedom that are features of Jupiter.
Jupiter (mythology) | Flamen and Flaminica Dialis
in a way and with the features proper to a king. Sovereignty is expressed through the two aspects of absolute, magic power (epitomised and represented by the Vedic god Varuna) and lawful right (by the Vedic god Mitra). However, sovereignty permits action in every field; otherwise, it would lose its essential quality. As a further proof, Dumézil cites the story of Tullus Hostilius (the most belligerent of the Roman kings), who was killed by Jupiter with a lightning bolt (indicating that he did not enjoy the god's favour). Varro's definition of Jupiter as the god who has under his jurisdiction the full expression of every being ("penes Iovem sunt summa") reflects the sovereign nature of the god, as opposed to the jurisdiction of Janus (god of passages and change) on their beginning ("penes Ianum sunt prima").
Jupiter (mythology) | Jovian theology
Georg Wissowa stressed Jupiter's uniqueness as the only case among Indo-European religions in which the original god preserved his name, his identity and his prerogatives. In this view, Jupiter is the god of heaven and retains his identification with the sky among the Latin poets (his name is used as a synonym for "sky".) In this respect, he differs from his Greek equivalent Zeus (who is considered a personal god, warden and dispenser of skylight). His name reflects this idea; it is a derivative of the Indo-European word for "bright, shining sky". His residence is found atop the hills of Rome and of mountains in general; as a result, his cult is present in Rome and throughout Italy at upper elevations.
Jupiter (mythology) | Jovian theology
The fetials were a college of 20 men devoted to the religious administration of international affairs of state. Their task was to preserve and apply the fetial law "(ius fetiale)", a complex set of procedures aimed at ensuring the protection of the gods in Rome's relations with foreign states. Iuppiter Lapis is the god under whose protection they act, and whom the chief fetial "(pater patratus)" invokes in the rite concluding a treaty. If a declaration of war ensues, the fetial calls upon Jupiter and Quirinus, the heavenly, earthly and chthonic gods as witnesses of any potential violation of the "ius".
Jupiter (mythology) | Fetials
The Romans considered the Penates as the gods to whom they owed their own existence. As noted by Wissowa "Penates" is an adjective, meaning "those of or from the "penus"" the innermost part, most hidden recess; Dumézil though refuses Wissowa's interpretation of "penus" as the storeroom of a household. As a nation the Romans honoured the "Penates publici": Dionysius calls them "Trojan gods" as they were absorbed into the Trojan legend. They had a temple in Rome at the foot of the Velian Hill, near the Palatine, in which they were represented as a couple of male youth. They were honoured every year by the new consuls before entering office at Lavinium, because the Romans believed the Penates of that town were identical to their own.
Jupiter (mythology) | Penates
Macrobius writes this issued from his Samothracian mystery beliefs.
Jupiter (mythology) | Tarquin the Elder
Now this has the form of a myth, but really signifies a declination of the bodies moving in the heavens around the earth, and a great conflagration of things upon the earth, which recurs after long intervals.""
Timaeus (dialogue) | Introduction
"Favor(es)" may be the Etruscan masculine equivalent of "Fortuna".
Jupiter (mythology) | Penates
The Ides (the midpoint of the month, with a full moon) was sacred to Jupiter, because on that day heavenly light shone day and night. Some (or all) Ides were "Feriae Iovis", sacred to Jupiter. On the Ides, a white lamb ("ovis idulis") was led along Rome's Sacred Way to the Capitoline Citadel and sacrificed to him. Jupiter's two "epula Iovis" festivals fell on the Ides, as did his temple foundation rites as "Optimus Maximus", "Victor", "Invictus" and (possibly) "Stator".
Jupiter (mythology) | Ides
The Romans believed that Jupiter granted them supremacy because they had honoured him more than any other people had. Jupiter was "the fount of the auspices upon which the relationship of the city with the gods rested." He personified the divine authority of Rome's highest offices, internal organization, and external relations. His image in the Republican and Imperial Capitol bore regalia associated with Rome's ancient kings and the highest consular and Imperial honours. The consuls swore their oath of office in Jupiter's name, and honoured him on the annual "feriae" of the Capitol in September. To thank him for his help (and to secure his continued support), they offered him a white ox "(bos mas)" with gilded horns.
Jupiter (mythology) | Role in the state
"Myths of origin" or "creation myths" represent an attempt to explain the beginnings of the universe in human language. The most widely accepted version at the time, although a philosophical account of the beginning of things, is reported by Hesiod, in his "Theogony". He begins with Chaos, a yawning nothingness. Out of the void emerged Gaia (the Earth) and some other primary divine beings: Eros (Love), the Abyss (the Tartarus), and the Erebus. Without male assistance, Gaia gave birth to Uranus (the Sky) who then fertilized her. From that union were born first the Titans—six males: Coeus, Crius, Cronus, Hyperion, Iapetus, and Oceanus; and six females: Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Rhea, Theia, Themis, and Tethys.
Greek mythology | Origins of the world and the gods
Jupiter was served by the patrician Flamen Dialis, the highest-ranking member of the "flamines," a college of fifteen priests in the official public cult of Rome, each of whom was devoted to a particular deity. His wife, the Flaminica Dialis, had her own duties, and presided over the sacrifice of a ram to Jupiter on each of the "nundinae", the "market" days of a calendar cycle, comparable to a week. The couple were required to marry by the exclusive patrician ritual "confarreatio", which included a sacrifice of spelt bread to Jupiter Farreus (from "far", "wheat, grain"). The office of Flamen Dialis was circumscribed by several unique ritual prohibitions, some of which shed light on the sovereign nature of the god himself.
Jupiter (mythology) | Flamen and Flaminica Dialis
Another most ancient epithet is "Lucetius": although the Ancients, followed by some modern scholars such as Wissowa, interpreted it as referring to sunlight, the "carmen Saliare" shows that it refers to lightning. A further confirmation of this interpretation is provided by the sacred meaning of lightning which is reflected in the sensitivity of the "flaminica Dialis" to the phenomenon. To the same atmospheric complex belongs the epithet "Elicius": while the ancient erudites thought it was connected to lightning, it is in fact related to the opening of the rervoirs of rain, as is testified by the ceremony of the "Nudipedalia", meant to propitiate rainfall and devoted to Jupiter.
Jupiter (mythology) | Major epithets
In the ensuing battle, Jupiter crushes the titans and giants, burying them under mountains. Pluto captures Discord and War (""Arrêtez, monstres, arrêtez""). The gods celebrate Jupiter's victory (Chorus: ""Triomphe, ô Jupiter! redoutable vainqueur""), but he says he intends to share the glory and will divide responsibility for the universe with his brothers: he will rule over the heavens, Neptune over the seas, and Pluto over the Underworld. Flora, the gods and the different peoples of the earth celebrate the peace (Air: ""Ah! que la paix nous promet de douceurs"") as Spring reawakens. They express gratitude for their happiness to Jupiter (Chorus: ""Heureux vainqueur, le ciel, la terre et l'onde"").
Naïs | Prologue: "L'accord des dieux"
Some epithets of Jupiter indicate his association with a particular place. Epithets found in the provinces of the Roman Empire may identify Jupiter with a local deity or site (see syncretism). In addition, many of the epithets of Zeus can be found applied to Jupiter, by "interpretatio romana". Thus, since the hero Trophonius (from Lebadea in Boeotia) is called Zeus Trophonius, this can be represented in English (as it would be in Latin) as Jupiter Trophonius. Similarly, the Greek cult of Zeus Meilichios appears in Pompeii as Jupiter Meilichius. Except in representing actual cults in Italy, this is largely 19th-century usage; modern works distinguish Jupiter from Zeus.
Jupiter (mythology) | Syncretic or geographical epithets
Through his identification with the Hephaestus of Greek mythology, Vulcan came to be considered as the manufacturer of art, arms, iron, jewelry, and armor for various gods and heroes, including the lightning bolts of Jupiter. He was the son of Jupiter and Juno, and the husband of Maia and Aphrodite (Venus). His smithy was believed to be situated underneath Mount Etna in Sicily. As the son of Jupiter, the king of the gods, and Juno, the queen of the gods, Vulcan should have been quite handsome, but baby Vulcan was small and ugly with a red, bawling face. Juno was so horrified that she hurled the tiny baby off the top of Mount Olympus.
Vulcan (mythology) | Greek myths of Hephaestus
In Roman mythology, Jupiter (the king of the gods) lusts after a young woman named Callisto, a nymph of Diana. Juno, Jupiter's jealous wife, discovers that Callisto has a son named Arcas, and believes it is by Jupiter. Juno then transforms the beautiful Callisto into a bear so she no longer attracts Jupiter. Callisto, while in bear form, later encounters her son Arcas. Arcas almost shoots the bear, but to avert the tragedy, Jupiter turns Arcas into a bear too and puts them both in the sky, forming Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Callisto is Ursa Major and her son, Arcas, is Ursa Minor.
Ursa Major | Greco-Roman tradition
The divine couple received from Greece its matrimonial implications, thence bestowing on Juno the role of tutelary goddess of marriage ("Iuno Pronuba"). The association of Juno and Jupiter is of the most ancient Latin theology. Praeneste offers a glimpse into original Latin mythology: the local goddess Fortuna is represented as nursing two infants, one male and one female, namely Jove (Jupiter) and Juno. It seems fairly safe to assume that from the earliest times they were identified by their own proper names and since they got them they were never changed through the course of history: they were called Jupiter and Juno.
Juno (mythology) | Juno and Jupiter
Due to being sons of the north wind they were supernaturally gifted in different ways (depending on changes in the story from being passed down through generations and cultures) either being as fast as the wind or able to fly, having wings either on their feet or backs, depending on the myth.* According to Ovid's “Metamorphoses” their divine status showed in manhood when they sprouted wings on their backs. They were Argonauts and played a particularly vital role in the rescue of Phineus from the harpies. They succeeded in driving the monsters away but did not kill them, at a request from the goddess of the rainbow, Iris, who promised that Phineas would not be bothered by the harpies again.
Boreads | Mythology
Jupiter assumed atmospheric qualities; he is the wielder of lightning and the master of weather. However, Wissowa acknowledges that Jupiter is not merely a naturalistic, heavenly, supreme deity; he is in continual communication with man by means of thunder, lightning and the flight of birds (his auspices). Through his vigilant watch he is also the guardian of public oaths and compacts and the guarantor of good faith in the State cult. The Jovian cult was common to the Italic people under the names "Iove", "Diove" (Latin) and "Iuve", "Diuve" (Oscan, in Umbrian only "Iuve", "Iupater" in the Iguvine Tables). Wissowa considered Jupiter also a god of war and agriculture, in addition to his political role as guarantor of good faith (public and private) as "Iuppiter Lapis" and "Dius Fidius", respectively.
Jupiter (mythology) | Jovian theology
"Rumach" Etruscan for Roman). However many scholars have argued that the name of Rome, "Ruma", meant in fact woman's breast. Diva Rumina, as Augustine testifies in the cited passage, was the goddess of suckling babies: she was venerated near the "ficus ruminalis" and was offered only libations of milk. Here moreover Augustine cites the verses devoted to Jupiter by Quintus Valerius Soranus, while hypothesising "Iuno" (more adept in his view as a breastfeeder), i.e. Rumina instead of Ruminus, might be nothing else than "Iuppiter": ""Iuppiter omnipotens regum rerumque deumque Progenitor genetrixque deum..."". In Dumézil's opinion "Farreus" should be understood as related to the rite of the "confarreatio" the most sacred form of marriage, the name of which is due to the spelt cake eaten by the spouses, rather than surmising an agricultural quality of the god: the epithet means the god was the guarantor of the effects of the ceremony, to which the presence of his flamen is necessary and that he can interrupt with a clap of thunder.
Jupiter (mythology) | Major epithets
Aryaman is the god of young soldiers. The function of "Iuventas" is to protect the "iuvenes" (the "novi togati" of the year, who are required to offer a sacrifice to Jupiter on the Capitol) and the Roman soldiers (a function later attributed to Juno). King Servius Tullius, in reforming the Roman social organisation, required that every adolescent offer a coin to the goddess of youth upon entering adulthood. In Dumézil's analysis, the function of "Iuventas" (the personification of youth), was to control the entrance of young men into society and protect them until they reach the age of "iuvenes" or "iuniores" (i.e.
Jupiter (mythology) | Iuventas
In his book "The Comparison of Romulus with Theseus" Plutarch describes how the Athenians uncovered the body of Theseus, which was "of more than ordinary size". The kneecaps of Ajax were exactly the size of a discus for the boy's pentathlon, wrote Pausanias. A boy's discus was about twelve centimeters in diameter, while a normal adult patella is around five centimeters, suggesting Ajax may have been around 14 feet (~4.3 meters) tall. The Cyclopes, are also compared to giants due to their huge size (Polyphemus, son of Poseidon and Thoosa, and nemesis of Odysseus, comes to mind). The Elder Cyclopes were the children of Gaia and Uranus where they later made Zeus' Master Thunderbolt, Poseidon's Trident, and Hades' Helm of Darkness during the Titanomachy.
Giant | Greek
The story has, over the years, been retold in books, encyclopedias, and journals. Compilers have, however, often omitted reference to classical sources. For instance the first edition of John Lemprière's "Bibliotheca Classica", an early encyclopaedia of mythological figures, provides no reference for the story. In the updated 1839 edition three references are given. These are to Pliny the Elder's "Natural History", Pedanius Dioscorides' "De Materia Medica" and Hesychius of Alexandria's "Lexicon". On inspection, however, Pliny makes absolutely no reference to Acantha, Dioscorides refers only to the plant and Hesychius simply explains what the word means. A number of latter compilers have similarly not cited classical references when retelling the myth.
Acantha | Origin of the myth
Sacrificial victims ("hostiae") offered to Jupiter were the ox (castrated bull), the lamb (on the Ides, the "ovis idulis") and the wether (castrated male goat or ram) (on the Ides of January). The animals were required to be white. The question of the lamb's gender is unresolved; while a lamb is generally male, for the vintage-opening festival the flamen Dialis sacrificed a ewe. This rule seems to have had many exceptions, as the sacrifice of a ram on the Nundinae by the "flaminica Dialis" demonstrates. During one of the crises of the Punic Wars, Jupiter was offered every animal born that year.
Jupiter (mythology) | Sacrifices
The numerous epithets of Jupiter indicate the importance and variety of the god's cult in ancient Roman religion.
Epithets of Jupiter | Introduction
For the second version, "measurement" was added in section 5 (see italics): "I saw how the forms of love might be maintained with a beloved person but with the love "in fact measured and" disciplined, because you have to survive." Towards the end of the same section, in the sentence starting "Moonless Mercury rotating three times while circling the sun twice; an old arrangement, not as satisfying as the old one, for once" the comparison in the second version is replaced by "not as satisfying as what they used to tell us – that it rotated once and it circled the sun." (2nd version, 1982)
The Moons of Jupiter (short story) | Publication history
He can then declare war within 33 days. The action of the fetials falls under Jupiter's jurisdiction as the divine defender of good faith. Several emblems of the fetial office pertain to Jupiter. The "silex" was the stone used for the fetial sacrifice, housed in the Temple of Iuppiter Feretrius, as was their sceptre. Sacred herbs "(sagmina)", sometimes identified as vervain, had to be taken from the nearby citadel "(arx)" for their ritual use.
Jupiter (mythology) | Fetials
(Moreau: “At the foot of the throne, Death and Sorrow form the tragic basis of Human Life, and not far from them, under the aegis of the eagle of Jupiter, the great Pan, symbol of Earth, bows his sorrowful brow, mourning his slavery and exile, while at his feet is piled the somber phalanx of the monsters of Erebus and Night….”) Jupiter's right foot rests on a snake biting its own tail. A frightful Hecate, with her "polos" and crescent moon, appears in the lower left corner. Among the other figures are a three-headed demon and several winged, angelic figures.
Jupiter and Semele | Description
When Hieron of Syracuse presented a golden statuette of the goddess to Rome, the Senate had it placed in the temple of Capitoline Jupiter among the greatest (and most sacred) deities. Although Victoria played a significant role in the religious ideology of the late Republic and the Empire, she is undocumented in earlier times. A function similar to hers may have been played by the little-known Vica Pota.
Jupiter (mythology) | Victoria
When Hercules awoke and made to leave, the remaining herd made plaintive noises towards the cave, and a single cow lowed in reply.
Cacus | Mythology
So, for example, the extrasolar planet HD 209458 b has a mass of , while Kappa Andromedae b has a mass of . Theoretical models indicate that if Jupiter had much more mass than it does at present, it would shrink. For small changes in mass, the radius would not change appreciably, and above about (1.6 Jupiter masses) the interior would become so much more compressed under the increased pressure that its volume would "decrease" despite the increasing amount of matter. As a result, Jupiter is thought to have about as large a diameter as a planet of its composition and evolutionary history can achieve.
Jupiter | Mass and size
The agricultural ones include "Opitulus", "Almus", "Ruminus", "Frugifer", "Farreus", "Pecunia", "Dapalis", "Epulo". Augustine gives an explanation of the ones he lists which should reflect Varro's: "Opitulus" because he brings "opem" (means, relief) to the needy, "Almus" because he nourishes everything, "Ruminus" because he nourishes the living beings by breastfeeding them, "Pecunia" because everything belongs to him. Dumézil maintains the cult usage of these epithets is not documented and that the epithet Ruminus, as Wissowa and Latte remarked, may not have the meaning given by Augustine but it should be understood as part of a series including "Rumina", " Ruminalis ficus", "Iuppiter Ruminus", which bears the name of Rome itself with an Etruscan vocalism preserved in inscriptions, series that would be preserved in the sacred language (cf.
Jupiter (mythology) | Major epithets
D. Sabbatucci has stressed the feature of bearer of instability and antithesis to cosmic order of the god, who threatens the kingly power of Jupiter as "Stator" and "Centumpeda" and whose presence occurs side by side to Janus' on January 1, but also his function of helper to the growth of the young Jupiter. In 1858 Ludwig Preller suggested that Veiovis may be the sinister double of Jupiter. In fact, the god (under the name "Vetis") is placed in the last case (number 16) of the outer rim of the Piacenza Liver—before "Cilens" (Nocturnus), who ends (or begins in the Etruscan vision) the disposition of the gods.
Jupiter (mythology) | Veiove
The myth does not appear in the "Thesaurus Linguae Latinae", a volume which includes every Latin word, including proper names. The "Thesaurus Linguae Graecae", a similarly comprehensive source containing a complete repository of Ancient Greek texts from Homer through to A.D. 200, is also absent the myth. The story is not present in either the "Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae", a work praised for its breadth and quality, or "Der Neue Pauly", an encyclopaedia considered an unparalleled masterpiece of classical German scholarship.
Acantha | Origin of the myth
A giant animal in mythology is unusually large, either for their species or in relation to humans. The term "giant" carries some ambiguity, however in mythology definitions of what constitutes 'large' vary, with definitions ranging from 40 kg to 250 kg. At the upper, they may be further subdivided into small (250–500 kg), medium (500–1,000 kg) and large (over 1,000 kg). Megafauna often form one of the mythemes of a story. The narrative may revolve around a real animal or a primordial archetype of a gigantic creature, such as a dragon or the Midgard snake.
List of megafauna in mythology and folklore | Introduction
Juventas and Terminus were the gods who, according to legend, refused to leave their sites on the Capitol when the construction of the temple of Jupiter was undertaken. Therefore, they had to be reserved a "sacellum" within the new temple. Their stubbornness was considered a good omen; it would guarantee youth, stability and safety to Rome on its site. This legend is generally thought by scholars to indicate their strict connection with Jupiter. An inscription found near Ravenna reads "Iuppiter Ter.", indicating that Terminus is an aspect of Jupiter. Terminus is the god of boundaries (public and private), as he is portrayed in literature.
Jupiter (mythology) | Terminus
"Myths are narrative patterns that give significance to our existence." (p 15) "As long as our world and society remain... empty of myths, which express beliefs and moral goals, there will be depression... and suicide." (p 21) "In such directionless states as we find ourselves near the end of the twentieth century, it is not surprising that frantic people flock to the new cults, or resurrect the old ones, seeking answers to their anxiety and longing for relief from their guilt or depressions, longing for something to fill the vacuum of their lives." (p 22) Max Muller, writing in 1873, states "Depend upon it, there is mythology now as there was in the time of Homer, only we do not perceive it, because we ourselves live in the very shadow of it, and because we all shrink from the full meridian light of truth." Myths are dramatic representations of the human condition.
The Cry for Myth | What is a myth?
The Archaic Triad is a hypothetical theological structure (or system) consisting of the gods Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus. It was first described by Wissowa, and the concept was developed further by Dumézil. The three-function hypothesis of Indo-European society advanced by Dumézil holds that in prehistory, society was divided into three classes (priests, warriors and craftsmen) which had as their religious counterparts the divine figures of the sovereign god, the warrior god and the civil god. The sovereign function (embodied by Jupiter) entailed omnipotence; thence, a domain extended over every aspect of nature and life. The colour relating to the sovereign function is white.
Jupiter (mythology) | Archaic Triad
The ante-Nicene Christian writer Lactantius routinely uses the Latin theonyms Caelus, Saturn, and Jupiter to refer to the three divine hypostases of the Neoplatonic school of Plotinus: the First God (Caelus), Intellect (Saturn), and Soul, son of the Intelligible (Jupiter).
Caelus | Myth and allegory
He is also considered to be the unbearded Jupiter. The dates of his festivals support the same conclusion: they fall on January 1, March 7 and May 21, the first date being the recurrence of the Agonalia, dedicated to Janus and celebrated by the king with the sacrifice of a ram. The nature of the sacrifice is debated; Gellius states "capra", a female goat, although some scholars posit a ram. This sacrifice occurred "rito humano", which may mean "with the rite appropriate for human sacrifice". Gellius concludes by stating that this god is one of those who receive sacrifices so as to persuade them to refrain from causing harm.
Jupiter (mythology) | Veiove
Jupiter's mass is 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined—this is so massive that its barycenter with the Sun lies above the Sun's surface at 1.068 solar radii from the Sun's center. Jupiter is much larger than Earth and considerably less dense: its volume is that of about 1,321 Earths, but it is only 318 times as massive. Jupiter's radius is about 1/10 the radius of the Sun, and its mass is 0.001 times the mass of the Sun, so the densities of the two bodies are similar. A "Jupiter mass" ( or ) is often used as a unit to describe masses of other objects, particularly extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs.
Jupiter | Mass and size
Dumézil maintains that Jupiter is not himself a god of war and agriculture, although his actions and interest may extend to these spheres of human endeavour. His view is based on the methodological assumption that the chief criterion for studying a god's nature is not to consider his field of action, but the quality, method and features of his action. Consequently, the analysis of the type of action performed by Jupiter in the domains in which he operates indicates that Jupiter is a sovereign god who may act in the field of politics (as well as agriculture and war) in his capacity as such, i.e.
Jupiter (mythology) | Jovian theology
In astronomy, the planet Saturn is named after the Roman deity. It is the outermost of the Classical planets (the astronomical planets that are visible with the naked eye).
Cronus | Roman mythology and later culture
In the Neoplatonist philosophy and religion of Late Antiquity, the Olympian gods were sometimes considered to number 12 based on their spheres of influence. For example, according to Sallustius, "Jupiter, Neptune, and Vulcan fabricate the world; Ceres, Juno, and Diana animate it; Mercury, Venus, and Apollo harmonize it; and, lastly, Vesta, Minerva, and Mars preside over it with a guarding power." The multitude of other gods, in this belief system, subsist within the primary gods, and Sallustius taught that Bacchus subsisted in Jupiter. In the Orphic tradition, a saying was supposedly given by an oracle of Apollo that stated "Zeus, Hades, [and] Helios-Dionysus" were "three gods in one godhead." This statement apparently conflated Dionysus not only with Hades, but also his father Zeus, and implied a particularly close identification with the sun-god Helios.
Dionysus | Late Antiquity
Like the quest for the Golden Fleece ("Argonautica") or the Trojan War that took place the following generation, the Calydonian Hunt is one of the nodes in which much Greek myth comes together. Both Homer and Hesiod and their listeners were aware of the details of this myth, but no surviving complete account exists: some papyrus fragments found at Oxyrhynchus are all that survive of Stesichorus' telling; the myth repertory called "Bibliotheke" ("The Library") contains the gist of the tale, and before that was compiled the Roman poet Ovid told the story in some colorful detail in his "Metamorphoses".
Calydonian Boar | Importance in Greek mythology and art
and the ritual of the "lapis manalis", the stone which was brought into the city through the "Porta Capena" and carried around in times of drought, which was named "Aquaelicium". Other early epithets connected with the atmospheric quality of Jupiter are "Pluvius", "Imbricius", "Tempestas", "Tonitrualis", "tempestatium divinarum potens", "Serenator", "Serenus" and, referred to lightning, "Fulgur", "Fulgur Fulmen", later as nomen agentis "Fulgurator", "Fulminator": the high antiquity of the cult is testified by the neutre form "Fulgur" and the use of the term for the "bidental", the lightning well dug on the spot hit by a lightning bolt. A group of epithets has been interpreted by Wissowa (and his followers) as a reflection of the agricultural or warring nature of the god, some of which are also in the list of eleven preserved by Augustine.
Jupiter (mythology) | Major epithets
For small changes in mass, the radius would not change appreciably, but above about (1.6 Jupiter masses) the interior would become so much more compressed under the increased pressure that its volume would "decrease" despite the increasing amount of matter. As a result, Jupiter is thought to have about as large a diameter as a planet of its composition and evolutionary history can achieve. The process of further shrinkage with increasing mass would continue until appreciable stellar ignition was achieved, as in high-mass brown dwarfs having around 50 Jupiter masses. Jupiter would need to be about 75 times as massive to fuse hydrogen and become a star.
Jupiter mass | Context and implications
The planet is a large hot Jupiter, about 1.49 times the radius of Jupiter and approximately 1.03 times as massive, based on ground observations of the star. Its large size is due to its low density combined with the intense heating of its parent star causing the outer layers of the atmosphere to bloat.
CoRoT-1b | Characteristics
Augustine. He devotes one full chapter of his "De Civitate Dei" to mocking the inconsistencies inherent in the theological definition of the two entitites: since Salacia would denote the nether part of the sea, he wonders how could it be possible that she be also the retreating waves, as waves are a phenomenon of the surface of the sea. Elsewhere he writes that Venilia would be the "hope that comes", one of the aspects or powers of the all encompassing Jupiter understood as "anima mundi". Servius in his commentary to the Aeneid also writes about Salacia and Venilia in various passages, e.g.
Neptune (mythology) | Paredrae
He says that Jupiter (Zeus) originally was a (mortal) king of Crete—a concept of Euhemerus—and Dionysos was his son. Dionysos was murdered, and then cannibalized. Only his heart was salvaged by Athena. A statue of gypsum (the same substance the Titans used to disguise themselves) was then made to look like Dionysos, and the heart placed within. The Orphic theogonies include:
Orphism (religion) | Mythology
Early Roman divinities included a host of "specialist gods" whose names were invoked in the carrying out of various specific activities. Fragments of old ritual accompanying such acts as plowing or sowing reveal that at every stage of the operation a separate deity was invoked, the name of each deity being regularly derived from the verb for the operation. Tutelary deities were particularly important in ancient Rome. Thus, Janus and Vesta guarded the door and hearth, the Lares protected the field and house, Pales the pasture, Saturn the sowing, Ceres the growth of the grain, Pomona the fruit, and Consus and Ops the harvest.
Roman mythology | Religion and myth
These gods were the most ancient deities of every Latin town. Praeneste preserved divine filiation and infancy as the sovereign god and his paredra Juno have a mother who is the primordial goddess Fortuna Primigenia. Many terracotta statuettes have been discovered which represent a woman with a child: one of them represents exactly the scene described by Cicero of a woman with two children of different sex who touch her breast. Two of the votive inscriptions to Fortuna associate her and Jupiter: " Fortunae Iovi puero..." and "Fortunae Iovis puero..." In 1882 though R. Mowat published an inscription in which Fortuna is called "daughter of Jupiter", raising new questions and opening new perspectives in the theology of Latin gods.
Jupiter (mythology) | Juno and Fortuna
Moreover, Jupiter promised that at the sunrise of the following day he would give to Numa and the Roman people pawns of the "imperium". The following day, after throwing three lightning bolts across a clear sky, Jupiter sent down from heaven a shield. Since this shield had no angles, Numa named it "ancile"; because in it resided the fate of the "imperium", he had many copies made of it to disguise the real one. He asked the smith Mamurius Veturius to make the copies, and gave them to the Salii. As his only reward, Mamurius expressed the wish that his name be sung in the last of their "carmina".
Jupiter (mythology) | Numa
In the Classical era, Sallustius (4th century AD) categorised mythology into five types: The theological are those myths which use no bodily form but contemplate the very essence of the gods: e.g., Cronus swallowing his children. Since divinity is intellectual, and all intellect returns into itself, this myth expresses in allegory the essence of divinity. Myths may be regarded physically when they express the activities of gods in the world.
Polytheism | Religion and mythology
The Etruscan-influenced Capitoline Triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva later became central to official religion, replacing the Archaic Triad – an unusual example within Indo-European religion of a supreme triad formed of two female deities and only one male. The cult of Diana became established on the Aventine Hill, but the most famous Roman manifestation of this goddess may be Diana Nemorensis, owing to the attention paid to her cult by J.G. Frazer in the mythographical classic "The Golden Bough". The gods represented distinctly the practical needs of daily life, and Ancient Romans scrupulously accorded them the appropriate rites and offerings.
Roman mythology | Religion and myth
The most important myths are:
Easter Island | Mythology
Pausanias described the myth around the foundation of the temple, as well as its religious significance to the worship of Asclepius in the 2nd century:
Temple of Asclepius, Epidaurus | Myth and history
Caelus substituted for Uranus in Latin versions of the myth of Saturn (Cronus) castrating his heavenly father, from whose severed genitals, cast upon the sea, the goddess Venus (Aphrodite) was born. In his work "On the Nature of the Gods", Cicero presents a Stoic allegory of the myth in which the castration signifies "that the highest heavenly aether, that seed-fire which generates all things, did not require the equivalent of human genitals to proceed in its generative work." For Macrobius, the severing marks off Chaos from fixed and measured Time (Saturn) as determined by the revolving Heavens (Caelum). The "semina rerum" ("seeds" of things that exist physically) come from Caelum and are the elements which create the world.
Caelus | Myth and allegory
When it was first formed, Jupiter was much hotter and was about twice its current diameter.
Jupiter | Mass and size
Now, this has the form of a myth, but really signifies a declination of the bodies moving in the heavens around the earth, and a great conflagration of things upon the earth, which recurs after long intervals."
Phaethon | Plato's "Timaeus"
The myth of Cronus castrating Uranus parallels the "Song of Kumarbi", where Anu (the heavens) is castrated by Kumarbi. In the "Song of Ullikummi", Teshub uses the "sickle with which heaven and earth had once been separated" to defeat the monster Ullikummi, establishing that the "castration" of the heavens by means of a sickle was part of a creation myth, in origin a cut creating an opening or gap between heaven (imagined as a dome of stone) and earth enabling the beginning of time ("chronos") and human history. A theory debated in the 19th century, and sometimes still offered somewhat apologetically, holds that "Κρόνος" is related to "horned", assuming a Semitic derivation from "qrn".
Cronus | From the Renaissance to the present
probably referring to the "Lar Familiaris". Mutunus Tutunus had his shrine at the foot of the Velian Hill near those of the Di Penates and of Vica Pota, who were among the most ancient gods of the Roman community of according to Wissowa.
Jupiter (mythology) | Genius
The Ancient later viewed them as entities separate from Jupiter. The terms are similar in etymology and semantics ("dies", "daylight" and "Dius", "daytime sky"), but differ linguistically. Wissowa considers the epithet "Dianus" noteworthy. "Dieus" is the etymological equivalent of ancient Greece's "Zeus" and of the Teutonics' "Ziu" (genitive "Ziewes"). The Indo-European deity is the god from which the names and partially the theology of Jupiter, Zeus and the Indo-Aryan Vedic Dyaus Pita derive or have developed. The Roman practice of swearing by Jove to witness an oath in law courts is the origin of the expression "by Jove!"—archaic, but still in use.
Jupiter (mythology) | Name and epithets
The Capitoline Triad was introduced to Rome by the Tarquins. Dumézil thinks it might have been an Etruscan (or local) creation based on Vitruvius' treatise on architecture, in which the three deities are associated as the most important. It is possible that the Etruscans paid particular attention to Menrva (Minerva) as a goddess of destiny, in addition to the royal couple Uni (Juno) and Tinia (Jupiter). In Rome, Minerva later assumed a military aspect under the influence of Athena Pallas (Polias). Dumézil argues that with the advent of the Republic, Jupiter became the only king of Rome, no longer merely the first of the great gods.
Jupiter (mythology) | Capitoline Triad
In a few cases, a female divinity mates with a mortal man, as in the "Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite", where the goddess lies with Anchises to produce Aeneas. The second type (tales of punishment) involves the appropriation or invention of some important cultural artifact, as when Prometheus steals fire from the gods, when Tantalus steals nectar and ambrosia from Zeus' table and gives it to his subjects—revealing to them the secrets of the gods, when Prometheus or Lycaon invents sacrifice, when Demeter teaches agriculture and the Mysteries to Triptolemus, or when Marsyas invents the aulos and enters into a musical contest with Apollo.
Greek mythology | Age of gods and mortals
Ovid in his "Fasti" has Janus say that he is the original Chaos and also the first era of the world, which got organised only afterwards. He preserves a tutelary function on this universe as the gatekeeper of Heaven. His nature, qualities and role are reflected in the myth of him being the first to reign in Latium, on the banks of the Tiber, and there receiving the god Saturn, in the age when the Earth could still bear gods. The theology of Janus is also presented in the carmen Saliare. According to Johannes Lydus the Etruscans called him Heaven.
Juno (mythology) | Juno and Janus
In the 5th century BC, the "triumphator" Camillus was sent into exile after he drove a chariot with a team of four white horses "(quadriga)"—an honour reserved for Jupiter himself. When Marcus Manlius, whose defense of the Capitol against the invading Gauls had earned him the name "Capitolinus", was accused of regal pretensions, he was executed as a traitor by being cast from the Tarpeian Rock. His house on the Capitoline Hill was razed, and it was decreed that no patrician should ever be allowed to live there. Capitoline Jupiter found himself in a delicate position: he represented a continuity of royal power from the Regal period, and conferred power on the magistrates who paid their respects to him; at the same time he embodied that which was now forbidden, abhorred, and scorned.
Jupiter (mythology) | Role in the state