The names of the legends of the ancient Romans. Myths and Traditions of Ancient Rome. The myth of Aphrodite's son Aeneas

It is somehow customary for everyone to combine the mythology of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. It seems, well, what else can be found among the Romans, who only knew what to give foreign gods new names? Zeus - Jupiter, Hera - Juno, Ares - Mars, Aphrodite - Venus, just remember, and that's it!

But this is just the tip of the iceberg, and you can try to dive even deeper.

Who told?

It is extremely difficult to judge the most ancient period of Roman mythology, because scientists have to rely on much later sources.

However, the priestly books "Indigita-cops" are quite famous. Official records of the life of the ancient Roman communities have been preserved, records of ancient Greek authors in response to events in Hesperia (as they called ancient Italy), hymns of the colleges of the Arval brothers, etc.

The main sources are considered to be the first treaties of Rome with other cities and states, records of the college of pontiffs (priests), as well as records of the main events of each year, which later became known as annals (lat. annus - year).

However, Virgil's Aeneid, Livy's history books, Ovid's Fasts, and the fourth book of Propertius are considered to be the main sources.

Cosmogony and gods

For a long time it was believed that Roman mythology at the initial stage of development was reduced to animism. The worship of the souls of the dead was due to the fear of their supernatural power, as well as the worship of animated natural phenomena. The Romans never started or finished business without securing the favor of the gods, without performing all the prescribed rites, without offering prayers and without making the necessary sacrifices.

It was believed that the Romans distinguished only benevolent or unfavorable non-personalized forces - numina (numina), and there were a great many of them: the deity of sowing and growth, flowering and marriage, harvest and conception, walk and return, etc., and their names were formed from the name of the action being performed.

Moreover, it was also believed that even the few personal gods that arose later did not have an anthropomorphic incarnation, but only symbols: for example, Jupiter is a stone, Mars is a spear, Vesta is fire.

In the primitive communal period, the cult of ancestors, revered in every clan, played a huge role: penates, patrons of the hearth and clan, and lares, patrons of the home, family and the entire community as a whole.

However, although the ancient cosmogony of the Romans still remains a mystery, gradually researchers began to find evidence that Roman mythology itself went through approximately all the same stages of development as that of other peoples in the primitive communal period.

The most ancient triad of deities was determined: Jupiter (who supplanted the original creator of the world, Janus) - the embodiment of religiosity and priesthood, Mars - a military hypostasis, Quirinus - an economic hypostasis.

Janus and Vesta guarded the doors and the family hearth, the Lares guarded the field and the house, Pale the pastures, Saturn the crops, Ceres the growth of cereals, Pomona the tree fruits, and Kone and Opa the harvest.

In addition, according to the conclusions of scientists, the Romans believed that people, as a clan, descended from sacred trees, oaks, and therefore groves were dedicated to each numina deity, where rituals were performed and sacrifices were made, and the trees themselves played a very important role in life. states. For example, sacrifices were made to the oak on the Capitoline Hill, and the withering of any fig tree, the tree under which, according to legend, the she-wolf fed the future founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, was perceived as an extremely formidable and unfavorable sign.

Since the cult of animals was highly developed, the interpretation of their behavior and the study of the sacrifices, or, more simply, fortune-telling, so common in ancient Rome, acquired great importance.

Justified ... by the state

What is the originality of Roman mythology in comparison with other mythological traditions?

If you think about it, it becomes obvious that most of the oldest myths about gods have not survived, they were gradually but steadily replaced by myths about heroes.

The very structure of Roman society, in which individual communities sought to unite into large urban conglomerates, in which politics played an increasingly important role every century, and the state became an intermediary between the citizen and the gods - this is the originality of Ancient Rome.

The myths that tell about heroes are a reflection of the deep mutual penetration of history and myth in the minds of the Romans. Human life is filled with divine presence, every moment of it a person is responsible for his actions.

And if they are done for the benefit of the community, then the gods are pleased with you.

Such are the myths of the Sabine women, Numa Pompilius, Lucretia, Scaevole, Coriolanus, and many others.

Of course, it cannot be denied that Roman culture constantly absorbed the culture of the peoples surrounding it. Yes, the Romans renamed and adopted almost the entire Greek pantheon, made many borrowings from the Etruscans and other peoples, but there was a very simple reason for this. Rome was a military state, constantly expanding its territories through conquest and assimilating the culture of the conquered peoples.

Roman heroic myth explained the past, justified the present, and directed the future. Despite some initial primitiveness, he made a person's life filled with meaning: serving the fatherland.

And what is the end?

The Roman religion, open and constantly changing under the influence from outside, simply could not develop a single concept of the end of the world.

Like any military state, Rome was doomed to a gradual decline and destruction, or to an indispensable transformation. Roman mythology, having gone through various stages of development - from the adoption of the Greek pantheon to the formation of the cult of the emperor, eventually became ... a certain basis for the victory of Christianity as a religion.

The myth of the Roman left-hander

In 509 BC. e. The Etruscan king Lare Porsenna declared war on Rome. A huge army invaded the territory of the country and approached the capital closer and closer. A little more - and Rome would have been taken by storm.

Then one of the young Roman patricians, Gaius Mucius Kord, decided to infiltrate the Etruscan camp and kill their king. Guy knew the Etruscan language and, dressed in the clothes of enemies, easily entered the camp, but could not understand which of those sitting at the main tent was King Porsenna. He could not ask, for fear of betraying himself.

Then the young man decided that the most elegantly dressed person was the enemy ruler. He attacked him and stabbed him with a dagger. But alas! It turned out to be just one of the king's courtiers, the biggest lover of outfits and jewelry.

Gaius Mucius was immediately arrested, but refused to answer questions. Then he was threatened with torture. Seeing a tripod with a blazing fire, the young man himself went up to it, put his right hand into the flame and silently, without making a sound, looked at Porsenna until his hand was charred.

Amazed by the courage and incredible stamina of the patrician, Porsenna exclaimed: "If all the Romans are so steadfast, then it is impossible to defeat them." He released Mucius, who from then on began to bear the nickname Scaevola (Lefty), and decided to start negotiations for a truce.

A A Neihardt

Legends and tales of ancient Rome

GODS. ANCIENT ITALIAN DEITIES

The mighty ruler of the sky, the personification of sunlight, thunderstorms, storms, throwing lightning bolts in anger, striking them rebellious to his divine will - such was the supreme lord of the gods Jupiter. His abode was on high mountains, from there he embraced the whole world with his eyes, the fate of individuals and nations depended on him.

Jupiter expressed his will with peals of thunder, a flash of lightning, the flight of birds (especially the appearance of an eagle dedicated to him); sometimes he sent prophetic dreams in which he revealed the future. The priests of the formidable god - the pontiffs performed especially solemn ceremonies in those places where lightning struck. This area was fenced off so that no one could pass through it and thus desecrate the sacred place. The earth was carefully collected and buried together with a piece of flint - a symbol of lightning. The priest erected an altar on this place and sacrificed a two-year-old sheep. Jupiter, a powerful protector, who gives victory and rich military booty, a grandiose temple was erected on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, where commanders, returning from victorious campaigns, brought the armor of defeated leaders and the most valuable treasures taken from enemies. Jupiter simultaneously patronized people and sanctified their relationships. He severely punished perjurers and violators of the customs of hospitality. In honor of this highest god of all ancient Latium, several times a year, general festivities were held - at the beginning of sowing and the end of the harvest, at the harvest of grapes. In Rome, the Capitoline and Great Games were held annually with equestrian competitions and athletic competitions. The most important days of the year, the ides[*] of each month, were dedicated to the greatest and far-sighted Jupiter, who governs the destinies of the world and people. The name of Jupiter was mentioned in every significant business, public or private. They swore in his name, and the oath was considered inviolable, for the quick to punish and irritable god inexorably punished the wicked. Since the main features of the Italian Jupiter were very similar to the image of Zeus, the supreme deity of the Greeks, elements of Greek mythology joined the Roman religion with the strengthening of the influence of Greek culture. And many legends connected with Zeus were transferred to Jupiter. His father began to be called Saturn, the god of crops, who first gave people food and ruled over them during the golden age, like the Greek Kronos. Thus, the wife of Saturn, the goddess of the rich harvest Ops, began to be considered the mother of Jupiter, and since when addressing the goddess it was prescribed to touch the earth, her image naturally merged with the image of the goddess Rhea, the wife of Kronos.

[* Days falling in the middle of the month (13th - 15th).]

Especially bright were the festivities in honor of Saturn and his wife Saturnalia, which began on December 17 after the end of the harvest and lasted seven days. During these festivities, people sought to resurrect the memory of the golden age of the reign of Saturn, when, according to the Roman poet Ovid, “spring was forever” and “the Earth brought harvest without plowing”, “safely living people tasted sweet peace”[*]. Indeed, during the days of Saturnalia, people spent their time in carefree fun, games, dances, feasts. They gave gifts to their loved ones and even freed slaves from work, seated them at the table and treated them, believing that they were paying tribute to the equality that once existed between people.

[* Publius Ovid Nason. Metamorphosis (Transformation).]

Janus was before Jupiter the deity of the sky and sunlight, who opened the heavenly gates and released the sun into the sky, and locked these gates at night. Then he gave up his place to the lord of the sky Jupiter, and he himself took no less honorable - the lord of all beginnings and beginnings in time. Under his patronage were all entrances and exits, be it the doors of a private house, the temple of the gods or the gates of the city walls. The name of Janus, invoked by the priests, began every day; the first month of the year and the first day of the year were also named after him[*] and celebrated in his honor. Sacrifices were made to the god Janus in the form of honey cakes, wine, fruits. People wished each other happiness, gave sweets as a symbol of the fact that the whole coming year would pass under the sign of a happy (and sweet) satisfaction of all desires. Quarrels and strife with shouting and noise were forbidden by law, so as not to overshadow the benevolent attitude of Janus, who, angry, could send down a bad year for everyone. On this significant day, the priests sacrificed a white bull to Janus in the presence of all officials and offered prayers for the well-being of the Roman state. The temple of Janus consisted of two large arches connected by transverse walls, with two gates facing each other. Inside was a statue of a god who had two faces facing in opposite directions (one to the past, the other to the future). Janus had a key in his hand, with which he unlocked and locked the gates of heaven. Since Janus was the god of time, counting days, months and years, the number 300 (Latin numerals = CCC) was inscribed on his right hand (on the fingers), and 65 (Latin numerals - LXV) on his left, which meant the number of days in a year. The temple of Janus played a special role in the military affairs of Ancient Rome[**]. When a decision was made to declare war on any state, the main person in the state, whether it be a king or a consul, unlocked the double doors of the temple with a key, and before the faces of Janus, under the arches, armed warriors went on a campaign, as well as young men who took up arms for the first time. Throughout the war, the gates of the temple stood open. When peace was concluded, the armed troops again passed in front of the statue of the god, returning from a victorious campaign, and the heavy double oak doors of the temple, decorated with gold and ivory, were again locked with a key.

[* Januaris is the Latin name from which the name of one of the winter months "January" is derived.]

[** The first temple to the god Janus was erected, according to legend, by King Numa Pomnelius (see p. 537). To the surprise of his contemporaries and descendants, his gates were closed for 43 years.]

God Janus, in addition, was considered the patron of roads and travelers. He was revered by the Italian sailors, who believed that it was he who taught people to build the first ships. There was also a belief that Janus reigned on earth even before Saturn and people owe all the skills of cultivating the land, knowledge of crafts and the calculation of time to this benevolent and fair deity. The wife of Janus was the water nymph Juturna, the patroness of springs, and their son Fone was revered as the god of fountains and springs gushing from the ground. In honor of Fons in October, festivities were held - fontinalia. The wells were surrounded by garlands of flowers, and wreaths were thrown into the springs. Therefore, Janus, the father of Fons, was credited with the creation of all rivers and streams.

The furious and indomitable god of war Mars was revered as the father of the great and warlike Roman people, whose fame began with the founder of the city of Rome - Romulus (Romulus with his twin brother Remus, according to legend, were the sons of Mars). Thanks to the patronage of the mighty god of war, the Romans won victories over neighboring tribes, and then other peoples. Mars had two nicknames - Mars Marching into battle (Gradivus) and Mars Spear-bearing (Quirinus). After the death of Romulus and his deification, the god Quirinus appeared, into whom Romulus turned, thus becoming the counterpart of Mars.

The trinity of gods - the patrons of military prowess and the guardians of the Roman state - Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus were dedicated to special sacrifices, they were called out for victory in battles. The third month of the year (March) was named after Mars, and in its first days equestrian competitions were held, since horses, the faithful support of a warrior in battle, were dedicated to the god Mars. On the first of March, in honor of the warlike god, there was a procession of his priests - the Salii, who moved with sacred dances and chants, striking shields with spears, one of which, according to legend, fell directly from the sky under King Numa Pompilius. The words of these hymns sung by the Salii were incomprehensible already to the priests themselves, which, of course, indicated the magical meaning of this rite, which, apparently, went back to ancient times. On this day, men gave gifts to their wives, and women - to slaves. The god of war had other, more peaceful duties; he embodied the productive forces of nature, male power and was revered as the god of spring. In addition, he was considered the guardian of fields and herds from pests and wolves. Therefore, farmers and shepherds made sacrifices to Mars, and a woodpecker and a wolf were dedicated to him. But, of course, his military power prevailed, and when the commander went on a campaign, he went to the temple of Mars and, shaking the sacred shield and the spear of God, turned to him, calling: "Watch, Mars!" The constant companions of Mars in battle were his wife Nerien (strength), Pallor (pallor) and Pa-thief (horror). The daughter or sister of Mars was the goddess of war Bellona (from the Latin word bellum - war). At the back wall of her temple, where the Roman rulers received foreign ambassadors or commanders returning from a campaign, there was a column, near which the priest - fetial performed the ceremony of declaring war. Since the Roman Mars and the Greek Ares were very similar, much of what was told in the Greek myths about Ares was transferred to Mars.

The divine wife of Jupiter, the queen of heaven, Juno, like him, who gives people favorable weather, thunderstorms, rains and harvests, bestowing success and victories, was also revered as the patroness of women, especially married ones. Juno was the guardian of marriage unions, an assistant in childbirth. She was also honored as the great goddess of fertility. The cult of Jupiter was in charge of the priest - flamin, and the cult of Juno - the wife of flamin (flaminica). Married women annually celebrated the first of March in honor of Juno, the so-called matronalia. With wreaths in their hands, they marched to the temple of Juno on the Esquiline Hill and, together with prayers for happiness in family life, sacrificed flowers to the goddess. At the same time, slaves also took part in the festival. Juno enjoyed great authority as a giver of reasonable advice. Not only ordinary people, but also statesmen turned to her in difficult times. On the Capitol Hill, a temple was erected to Juno Moneta (convincing). There was also the mint of the Roman state[*], which, according to legend, she provided patronage. The birds dedicated to Juno were the peacock and the geese. A well-known legend about the salvation of Rome during the invasion of the Gauls is associated with these geese. When in the 5th century BC. Rome was captured by the Gallic hordes that unexpectedly attacked it, the surviving Roman soldiers fortified themselves on the Capitoline Hill and severely starved, waiting for help from the allied troops. In order to inform the besieged of near help, it was necessary to get through the camp of the Gauls and overcome the sheer walls of the Capitoline fortress. This feat was a success for the Roman youth Cominius, who, with great risk and courage, carried out an inaccessible ascent. The Gauls noticed the place where Cominius managed to rise, and their leader Brennus announced that he promised a great reward to those soldiers who could capture the impregnable fortress. And now, under the cover of night darkness, the Gauls, moving from one horizontally turned shields of the warriors standing below to others, reached the top of the hill along this peculiar pyramid and killed the sleepy sentries. But when they began to advance further in order to capture the fortress with an unexpected throw, the hungry geese dedicated to Juno, who were at her temple, began to cackle loudly and woke up the Roman soldiers. They immediately rushed to the rising Gauls and threw them off the cliff. Falling, the Gauls destroyed the rows of the pyramid.

[* From this nickname of Juno came the common name of money - "coin".]

The first of the Romans, who rushed at the unexpectedly appeared Gauls, Mark Manlius, received from each of the soldiers a one-day portion of bread and wine.

The goddess who patronized the cities and the peaceful pursuits of their inhabitants was the daughter of Jupiter Minerva. Craftsmen, artists and sculptors, poets and musicians, doctors, teachers and skillful needlewomen enjoyed its special location. Festivities in honor of the beautiful and wise goddess were held in the second half of March, called quinquatria and lasted five days. On the first day of quinquatria, students were released from classes and brought their teachers a fee for learning. On this day, hostilities were interrupted, if they took place, and a common bloodless sacrifice took place with cakes, honey and oil. Then gladiatorial games were arranged, and on the last day, sacrifices were made to Minerva, in a special room for shoemakers, and a solemn consecration of pipes took place, which were under the special protection of the goddess, since the estate of trumpeters played a large role in city life, participating in solemn ceremonies, funerals and various ceremonies. The flutists, on the other hand, considered the small quinquatries in honor of Minerva, which were celebrated from June 13 and lasted for three days, as their main holidays. Minerva was part of the divine trinity, which, in addition to her, included Jupiter and Juno[*]. In their honor, a magnificent temple was erected on the Capitoline Hill, begun by the construction even under Tsar Tarquinius Proud. This temple, erected on a high pedestal, had three sanctuaries - Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. In the temple there was a statue of Jupiter, sculpted by the famous Etruscan sculptor Vulka from baked clay and covered with cinnabar[**]. The supreme god was depicted sitting on a throne, wearing a crown with a scepter and lightning in his hands. The temple burned down, set on fire by an intruder. After its restoration, a relief image of Rome was placed on the central tympanum, located on shields, and in front of it - a she-wolf feeding Romulus and Remus. On a gable roof covered with gilded copper, in the center was placed a quadriga [*] with Jupiter armed with lightning bolts and a scepter, to his left a statue of Minerva, and to his right Juno. On the edges of the roof are two seated eagles. Three disks on chains hung between the four middle columns (there were six columns in total on the facade).

[* Apparently, this was a direct borrowing from the Etruscans of their divine trinity: Tini (Jupiter), Uni (Juno) and Menrva (Minerva).]

[** Hence the ancient custom to cover the face of a victorious commander with red paint, for he was likened to Jupiter with clothes, regalia and face.]

[*** Chariot drawn by four horses.]

Near the Capitoline Hill was the sanctuary of the god Terminus, the patron of the boundary, boundary stones between land plots and the boundaries of the city and state. Sacred ceremonies for setting boundaries and boundary stones were introduced by King Numa Pompilius. A fire was lit in a hole dug for a boundary stone; a sacrificial animal was slaughtered over it so that its blood, flowing into the pit, would not extinguish the fire. There they poured honey, incense and wine, threw fruits and, finally, put a stone decorated with a wreath. On the day of the Terminalia festival, the owners of adjacent fields gathered at their boundary stones, decorating them with flowers, and sacrificed a cake, honey and wine to the god Terminus. Then a cheerful and friendly feast began. The most important incarnation of the god Terminus was the sacred stone, located at the Capitoline Temple.

The goddess - the patroness of animals, flowering fields, green groves and forests, where she sometimes hunted, was Diana. She was especially revered by the villagers, whom she facilitated hard work and helped in the treatment of diseases of people and animals.

King Servius Tullius erected the first temple of Diana on the Aventine Hill in Rome, and since this hill was inhabited by middle-class people or simply the poor, she became the patroness of the lower classes (plebeians and slaves). At the same time, she was revered as the goddess of the moon and the giver of light and life. Near the temple of Diana in Aricia, not far from Rome, healing springs beat, and the priests of the goddess successfully treated many diseases. A special hospital was even set up, where fans of Diana, who believed in her healing power, flocked in search of healing. Those who received help from the goddess brought her, in addition to the usual gifts, also images of body particles healed by her, made of clay. The very sanctuary of Diana of Aricia was located not far from a beautiful lake[*], surrounded by wooded mountains. Here, behind the temple, a grove grew green at the source of the nymph Egeria. Any fugitive slave or criminal could take refuge in this grove, but in order to get shelter, he had to become a priest of the goddess by picking a branch from a sacred tree. At the same time, he was obliged to engage in battle with the priest who guarded the sacred grove, and kill him in order to take the vacant place. This bloody rite undoubtedly retained the features of the primitive cult of Diana Nemorensis, who once demanded human sacrifices. He brought the cult of Roman Diana very close to the cult of the Greek Artemis in Tauris.

[* Modern Lake Nemi.]

Venus was the patroness of flowering gardens, the goddess of spring, fertility, growth and flowering of all the fruitful forces of nature. She was revered as a deity of a woman and as a benefactor of happy conjugal love on the Kalends (first days) of April, the month dedicated to Venus. In honor of the beautiful goddess, solemn sacrifices were made, prayers were offered to her for the prolongation of youth, beauty and for the achievement of marital happiness. According to legend, Venus (Aphrodite) was the mother of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who sailed from Troy to Italy, whose descendants founded Rome. Therefore, the Romans honored Venus as the progenitor of the Roman people. There were a great many of her sanctuaries and altars in Rome, but the most luxurious temple to Venus the Ancestor was built in the 1st century BC. BC e. Julius Caesar[*]. After all, the Yuliev clan originated from the son of Aeneas, Askania-Yul, who was the grandson of the goddess Venus herself. The symbols of the goddess were a dove and a hare (as a sign of fertility), from plants poppy, rose, myrtle were dedicated to her. The son of Venus, the god of love Cupid, the Romans revered in the same way as the Greeks - Eros.

[* Caesar, Gaius Julius (102 or 100 - 44 BC) - commander, statesman and dictator of Ancient Rome.]

The young goddess of blooming flowers, who rules over all living beings with the advent of spring, such was Flora in the view of the Romans. In honor of this goddess, the legendary Roman kings erected a temple, where the cult of Flora was led by a priest - flamen. Special festivities were established, which were called florals and lasted from April 28 to May 3. These days, the doors of all houses were decorated with flower garlands and wreaths, women in multi-colored colorful dresses (which was strictly prohibited on ordinary days), in fragrant wreaths indulged in merry dances and jokes. All the people at the festivities in honor of the beautiful and joy-giving goddess rejoiced and feasted. On one of the floral days, games and competitions were arranged.

Tellura, mother earth, was one of the oldest Italic goddesses. She personified that fertile land on which everything grows, everything that a person needs for existence. She was considered the mistress of earthquakes and the ruler of the living and the dead. According to legend, the first servant of Tellura (she was also called the "Bright Goddess") was the wife of the shepherd Faustula (who found and raised the twins Romulus and Remus), whose name was Akka Larentia. She had 12 of her sons, and they all helped their mother with sacrifices in honor of the goddess Tellura. When one of the brothers died, Romulus took his place. Having become the Roman king, Romulus established a priestly college of 12 people, which was called the college of Arval brothers (from the Latin word arvum - arable, field). Once a year, a solemn rite of sacrifice was performed to the "Bright Goddess" so that she would send down a good harvest on the fields of Roman farmers. The time of this festival, which usually fell on the second half of May, before the onset of the harvest, was announced in advance by the head of the Arval brothers. The ritual was observed very strictly, since the slightest violation could bring displeasure to the goddess and, consequently, a threat to the harvest. The whole ceremony lasted three days. On the first and last day, the priests gathered in the city, in the house of the head of the Arval brothers. In ceremonial clothes, they offered sacrifice to Tellura with wine and incense. Then there was a ceremony of blessing the loaves topped with bay leaves, and the ears of the past and new crops. A little later, a common meal of the priests was arranged with joint prayers and libations of wine on the altar of Tellura. At the end of the ceremony, its participants with wishes of happiness brought roses to each other. On the second day, the holiday was transferred to the sacred grove of the "Light Goddess", where her temple and a building with a banquet hall for sacred meals were located. Early in the morning, the head of the college brought a cleansing sacrifice - two pigs and one heifer. In the afternoon, having put on crowns of ears of corn, with their heads covered, they all went to the grove, where they sacrificed a fat sheep, incense and wine. Then a libation was made, and the Arval brothers went to the nearest field for ears, cut them off and passed them on, shifting from their left hand to their right. This procedure was repeated twice, after which it was done with bread, which the priests, having entered the temple, distributed among themselves. Having locked the temple and removed all strangers from there, the Arval brothers began the sacred dance, singing a hymn, the words of which they themselves were already incomprehensible. And since it was difficult to remember them, and a mistake threatened the wrath of the goddess, then everyone had special liturgical records, which they strictly followed. Of course, these were ancient spells about sending down the harvest, turned to the earth.

The goddess of the harvest, the patroness of fertility - Ceres was deeply revered by Roman farmers. In honor of her, solemn cerealia festivities were held, starting on April 11 or 12 and lasting 8 days. The ceralia were especially zealously observed by the lower classes - the plebeians. They dressed up in white clothes (unlike ordinary workers), decorated themselves with wreaths, and after solemn sacrifices (offered pigs, fruits, honeycombs), they had fun racing in the circus for eight days. The Roman people held festive meals at their place, inviting all those passing by to propitiate Ceres, who gives hearty food. Gradually, the cult of the goddess Ceres merged with the cult of the "Light Goddess" (Tellura) and the Greek Demeter, but the festival of Cerealia, with its fun and wide hospitality, was preserved.

Bacchus is the patron god of vineyards, winemaking and wine, revered under the name of Liber[*]. His wife was the goddess Libera, who helped winegrowers and winemakers. The holiday in honor of this married couple was celebrated on March 17 and was called liberals. In the cities on this day, in addition to solemn sacrifices, theatrical performances were arranged, and in the countryside it was marked by cheerful processions, jokes, dances and feasts with an abundance of libations to Bacchus-Liber, who frees a person from all sorts of worries with his wonderful drink, and his kind and beautiful wife Liber. During liberalism, sacrifices were also made to the goddess Ceres. The sanctuary of Liber and Libera was placed in the temple of Ceres. The cult of Bacchus-Liber was very close to the cult of the Greek Dionysus.

[* Liber is Latin for "free". Apparently, this name contained an allusion to some freedom and licentiousness of the festivities held in honor of Bacchus.]

Vertumnus and Pomona

Vertumn was the god of the change of seasons and the transformations that occur with earthly fruits - first they bloom, then ripen and, finally, fall from the branches bent under their weight. Vertumn sent down on the earth the flowering of spring, the summer harvest and the abundance of autumn fruits. But the young and industrious goddess Pomona carefully took care of fruit trees, especially apple trees. She managed to cut dry branches in all the gardens, graft new cuttings, and water drying trees with clear water. Busy with her chores, she did not notice at all how such field and forest deities as Pik [*], who lived in a grove near the Aventine Hill, and Silvanus, as well as playful satyrs, tried to attract her attention. But most of all, the god Vertumn was captivated by the young beauty of Pomona. Using his gift of reincarnation, he began to appear to Pomona in a variety of guises - from a warrior to a fisherman and a simple gardener, offering her his love, but no one could take possession of Pomona's heart and even for a moment distract her from her beloved business. Vertumn decided to influence the stubborn one with the power of someone else's convictions. Turning into a decrepit old woman, he came to Pomona and, while she offered fresh fruit to the respected guest, began to convince her in a rattling old voice to marry the glorious god Vertumn. Pomona resolutely refused, citing the fact that she had never seen a god and could not judge his merits. Then Vertumnus appeared before the embarrassed Pomona in all the splendor of his beauty. His curls shone with gold, his eyes burned with love. In one hand the young man held a garden knife, in the other - a full basket of fragrant fruits. Captivated by the beautiful god, the young Pomona agreed to become his wife. United forever, they passionately continued to take care of the prosperity and freshness of the fruitful gardens of the Italian land. The Romans deeply revered this young divine couple. The Temple of Vertumnus was erected on the Aventine Hill, while Pomona had her own priest, the flamen. When the fruits began to ripen, gardeners made sacrifices to these gods, and on August 13 a festival took place in honor of Vertumnus and his beautiful wife.

[* Deity of fields and forests, possessing the gift of divination. Peak rejected the love of the sorceress Kirka (Circe), and as punishment she turned him into a woodpecker, which the Romans considered to be a bird.]

Faun was a kind, cheerful and active god of forests, groves and fields. He vigilantly guarded the shepherd's flocks from predators, for which the shepherds revered him under the name of the god Luperk (protector from wolves)[*] and for his propitiation they sacrificed goats and goats. Every year on February 15, all of Rome celebrated the sacred lupercalia, established, according to legend, by Romulus and Remus, who in infancy were fed by a she-wolf and themselves grew up among shepherds. The sanctuary of the Faun - Lupercal - was located at the grotto on the Palatine Hill, in which the babies Romulus and Remus were found by a shepherd. The celebration of lupercalia began with the sacrifice of goats and goats, and two young men stood near the altar, to whose foreheads the priests - luperki touched a sacrificial knife covered with blood and immediately erased these bloody stripes with goat hair soaked in milk. At the same time, the young men had to laugh. Having finished the rite of sacrifice and the sacred feast, the priests, having cut loincloths from the skins of the sacrificed goats - aprons and belts, which were called februa [**], ran out of the Lupercal with shouts and noise and rushed around the Palatine Hill, striking all the oncoming belts. It was an ancient cleansing and redemptive rite, and the Romans willingly exposed themselves to the blows of sacred belts, as if removing from them all the filth that had accumulated over the year. Women who wished to preserve marital happiness, peace in the family and increase in the family, tried without fail to get hit by a goat's belt and went out to meet the running luperki. Loving and honoring the god Faun, located to them, the Roman farmers and shepherds also celebrated faunalia, which were celebrated on December 5 in the open air. The sacrifices, which consisted of wine, milk and slaughtered goats, ended with a cheerful feast, in which the cheerful and kind Faun himself symbolically took part. On this day, cattle were allowed to roam the fields and forests without shepherds, arable animals rested, and slaves were allowed to have fun in the meadows and crossroads. Although the Faun was a benevolent deity, but sometimes he liked to have fun and scare a person who wandered into the depths of the forest and disturbed his peace. He liked to whisper all sorts of terrible stories to the sleeping ones. To those to whom he was favorable, the Faun communicated his predictions with a special rustle of leaves. After all, Faun was the son of the god Peak and inherited a prophetic gift from him. If a person wanted to get an answer to the questions that tormented him, he had to, without fear, being in a sacred grove, lie on the skin of a sacrificed sheep and receive the Faun's prophecy in a dream.

[* "Wolf" is Latin for "lupus".]

[** Hence the name of the month - february (February).]

Very close to the god Faun was Silvan, who was revered as the patron god of the forest. He, like the Faun, protected the herds grazing in the forests, and loved the simple shepherd's flute. His constant companion was a dog - a faithful assistant to the shepherds. Silvan also had the gift of prophecy, and sometimes from the depths of the forest a loud and fearsome voice of the god was heard, foreshadowing important events. Only men were allowed to the festivities in honor of the god Silvanus. It was strictly forbidden for women.

Under the patronage of the goddess Faun were fields, forests and gardens, which she generously endowed with fertility, being the wife of the god Faun and sharing his cares with him. Under the name of the "Good Goddess" (Bona Dea), she showed special favor to women who celebrated two solemn holidays in her honor. One of them took place on the first of May in the temple of the goddess, located on the Aventine Hill, where crowds of Roman women flocked to honor their high patroness and offer her customary sacrifices. The second celebration fell on the first days of December and celebrated in the house of one of the highest officials (consul or praetor). The men had to leave the house for the whole night. The sacraments of the ceremony were led by the priestesses of the goddess Vesta and the hostess of the house where the service was performed. Only women could be present, and they so sacredly kept the secrets of this rite that until now no one has been able to figure out what exactly happened there. It was only known that the tent where the image of the goddess stood was decorated with vines, sacred earth was poured at the feet of the statue, and all sacrifices were accompanied by music and the singing of hymns. In the history of this cult, only a single case is known when a young man tried to enter the house where the sacrament took place, dressing in a woman's dress and posing as a musician. The deceit was exposed by the maids, and the culprit was accused of sacrilege[*].

[* This audacity was allowed by the young Roman aristocrat Clodius, who bribed one of the servants in the house of Julius Caesar, where the sacrament in honor of the "Good Goddess" took place. Clodius was charged with impiety, and a wave of indignation broke out about this. Then Julius Caesar divorced his wife. He was asked why he did it, because she was not to blame for anything. Caesar responded with a phrase that has become a proverb: "I did it because Caesar's wife should be beyond suspicion."]

The goddess of the hearth and the fire that burned in it, Vesta was revered as the patroness of the state, and the fire that burned in her temple was considered eternal and inextinguishable. He was the embodiment of the greatest goddess, so there was no statue of her in the temple. In the innermost place of the temple, called "Pen" (Pentralia), sacred objects were kept, among which were penates of the images of the patron gods, brought, according to legend, by the hero Aeneas from the destroyed Troy. Only the high priest, the great pontiff, and the vestals, the priestesses of the goddess Vesta, knew about these items.

The main duty of the Vestals (there were six of them) was to maintain an unquenchable flame in the temple of the goddess. The priestesses were chosen very carefully, from good families, without physical defects. The great pontiff himself selected six girls from 6 to 10 years old out of 20 chosen by lot. They entered the training of the senior Vestals for ten years, first passing the ceremony of initiation to Vesta. They cut off their hair, which they hung as a sacrifice to the goddess on a sacred tree, then dressed in white clothes and called the name Amata, which was added to their own. After studying for ten years, the young priestesses began their duties, which they were to perform over the next decade. The most serious offense of the vestal was "defiling the fire of Vesta" - the violation of her vow of chastity. The culprit was punished with a terrible death - she was buried alive in the ground. Near the Collin Gate, near the city wall, a small cellar was dug in an earthen rampart, where they descended along earthen steps. In this cellar they made a bed, put a lighted lamp and left a small supply of food - bread, water, a jug of milk and a little butter. This was done in order not to offend the goddess by starving the sacred person of her priestess. The Vestal Virgin, who broke her vow, was placed in complete silence in a stretcher tightly closed and tied with leather straps. Even her voice could not be heard from there. The whole city was plunged into deep sadness. When the stretcher reached the place of confinement, the straps were untied. The great pontiff offered prayers, raising his hands to heaven before the execution of the terrible sentence, then led the vestal, wrapped from head to toe in a veil, from the stretcher to the fatal steps, straight to the grave. The doomed woman silently descended, and the hole was closed, covering it with earth.

For other offenses, the young Vestal Virgins were mercilessly flogged, and if the sacred fire of some negligent priestess died out, then the great pontiff himself scourged her. The extinguished fire on the hearth of Vesta was considered a bad omen for the state, and it could only be rekindled by rubbing wood sticks, which testified to the deep antiquity of the rite, because in this way fire was mined in primitive times. After serving for ten years, the Vestal Virgins had to devote another ten years to the upbringing and education of newly adopted girls. Thus, for thirty years, the Vestal Virgins served their goddess. After that, they had the right to return to their home and even get married. But for the most part, the Vestals remained at the temple, since they occupied an extremely honorable position in Rome. When they were driving down the street, everyone had to give way to them. Their testimony in court was decisive. Insulting a vestal was punishable by death. If the vestal met a criminal condemned to execution, then the execution was canceled. Statues were erected to especially respected Vestal Virgins who rendered any important services[*]. The eldest among them was called the chief vestal and led all the others. In Rome, every year on June 9, festivities were celebrated in honor of the goddess - the guardian of the state and the family hearth. They were called vestals and were accompanied by rituals and sacrifices, consisting of year-old heifers, fruits, wine, water and oil. Vesta was a symbol that united Roman citizens into one big family around a common hearth. Because the cult of this goddess was so important in the life of the Roman state. While the fire of Vesta burned in her sanctuary and sacred relics were kept in her temple, Rome, guarded by these shrines, was strong and powerful.

[* Several similar statues were found, and although their faces are damaged, all the details of the clothes and headdresses of these priestesses are perfectly preserved.]

The veneration of the god Vulcan by the Romans is also connected with the state cult of fire and hearth. There was no temple of Vulcan in the city itself, but in the center of Rome, on a hill above the forum, there was a sacred platform, the so-called vulcanal, where, as if at a state hearth, meetings of the senate were held. All the temples of Vulcan, as a deity associated with fire and fires, were outside the city walls. Vulcan, like the Greek god Hephaestus, was a skilled blacksmith, patron of artisans and jewelers. His wife was the beautiful goddess Venus. The festivities held in honor of Vulcan took place on August 23rd and were marked by sacrifices and romps in the great circus. The volcano was also revered as the god of underground fire, which always threatened with eruptions. It was believed that his divine forge was located in the depths of Mount Etna in Sicily, where he was assisted in his work by the giant Cyclopes.

Penates, lares, mana

With the veneration of the hearth, the cult of the Penates was also associated - good household gods who guarded the unity and well-being of each family. Their images were usually placed in a closed cabinet near the hearth, where all family members gathered. With joyful events in the family, thanksgiving sacrifices were made to the Penates. The guardians of the house were lares, good spirits who never left the house, unlike penates, which could be taken with them when moving to another place. The lares were also kept near the hearth in a special locker-lararia, the doors of which were opened during family holidays so that the lares could take part in the common fun and meal. Before them, food and drink were placed in a special dish, and on birthdays, members of their family were decorated with flowers. When a son put on a man's toga for the first time, he would dedicate his child's amulet - the bull[*] to the laram, while making libations and prayers. Upon entering her husband's house, the newlywed would certainly make a sacrifice to the Lares, under whose patronage she acted. Lares guarded all family members both on travels and on military campaigns. It was only necessary not to forget about the sacrifices. In addition to domestic lares, the lares of the Roman state were especially revered, embodying the spirits of ancient heroes - Romulus, Remus, Titus Tatius, who were considered the founders and defenders of the city of Rome. Akka Larentia, who raised Romulus and Remus with her husband, was also ranked among the Lares. On the solemn feast of Larental, celebrated on December 23, a funeral sacrifice was specially brought to her. In addition, since the chapels of the Lares guarding the inhabitants of the streets stood at the crossroads, they were also honored, their altars were decorated with flowers on the feast of the capitals, libations were made with wine and oil. At the same time, the poor of the Roman quarters had a lot of fun, looking at the performances of comedians and acrobats, athletic competitions and taking part in entertainment in honor of the good Lares.

[* Bulla is a golden round medallion-ball, in which there was an amulet. It was worn around the neck by all free-born Roman boys.]

Mans were also good patrons of the family, but the souls of dead ancestors were embodied in them. They were propitiated with libations of water, wine and milk, and on February 21 a common feast - February and a solemn meal in honor of the dead ancestors.

The Manes lived in the underworld, and on the Palatine Hill there was a deep pit, covered with a stone, which was called mundus. It was the sacred abode of the mans. It was opened three times a year to perform solemn ceremonies to propitiate the gods-mans. Sacrifices were made - wine, water, milk, the blood of black sheep, bulls and pigs. At the time when the festivities were held in honor of the mans, the temples of all other gods were closed, wedding ceremonies were forbidden. The whole state offered prayers to beneficent and benevolent mans.

But not only the good spirits of the dead were supposed to make sacrifices. The evil and vengeful spirits of dead bad people not only tormented themselves. but they also took out their suffering on the living. At night, these evil spirits, called larves, left the underworld and pursued those whom they considered their enemies, tormenting them with nightmares and terrible visions. The Romans also called them lemurs[*]. During the days of the Lemurians, the festival of the dead, which was celebrated for three days or, rather, nights (May 9, 11 and 13), in order to propitiate the evil spirits roaming the earth in droves at that time, the head of each family had to perform the same ancient rite. Exactly at midnight, he got up, barefoot went around all the rooms and went out the threshold. Having washed himself with spring water, the owner threw black beans over his shoulder nine times, without looking back, repeating each time: "I give you these beans and redeem myself and my loved ones with these beans." It was believed that lemurs follow him and willingly eat the sacrificial beans. Then the head of the house was again washed with water and, in order to drive the lemurs away from the house, he struck one copper basin against another, repeating a request nine times for the evil spirits to leave his dwelling. This rite, repeated three times without any changes, testified to the fact that many primitive magical features were preserved in Roman religion.

[* Lemurs are scary ghosts that appear as skeletons or vampires and suck blood from living people.]

Geniuses and youths

Each Roman had his own genius - a deity who accompanied him throughout his life - from the cradle to the grave, prompting a person to those actions that he performed on the path of life. Therefore, on the day of his birth, every Roman brought sacrifices to his genius - flowers, fruits, incense and libations. All significant events in life were celebrated with a sacrifice to a genius. The Romans feasted with friends, wanting to bring joy to the genius. After the death of a man, his genius remained on earth, staying near his grave. The same role in the life of Roman women was played by their junos - female geniuses. There were geniuses under whose patronage the state, the city and even individual localities were located. Usually, a beautiful snake was considered a genius of the area, to which ripe beautiful fruits were sacrificed.

In addition to the genius, the child in infancy was surrounded by caring gods and goddesses. Some helped the newborn to make the first cry, others guarded the cradle, taught to drink, eat, move, speak, leave the house and come back. The life of nature was considered in the same way - that's why the Romans had so many gods and goddesses who seemed to care about the same thing - that the grain be thrown into the ground, that the cereals rise, sprout and be harvested, so that they blossomed flowers, fruits of garden trees were tied, vineyards bore fruit. The whole world for the Roman was filled with deities, with whom he constantly encountered and whom he had to please in order for his life to proceed safely. To do this, it was necessary to know exactly which deity and how to turn to, so that instead of the expected mercy, one would not receive punishment. It was practically impossible to memorize all these establishments, the order of offering sacrifices and saying prayers, and therefore it was necessary to turn to the priests, who knew the rules of communication with the deity. Priests and priestesses of various gods - pontiffs, flamens, fetials, luperci, salii, vestals, Arval brothers, augurs[*], haruspex[**] played a huge role in the public and private life of the Romans. They knew exactly the formulas of prayers, everything that should be done and promised to God in order to get what they want from him. The main thing in relation to the deity was the strict observance of the prescribed rituals, fidelity, piety and observance of the prohibitions imposed by the gods. Carefully observing all the conditions prescribed by the deity, the believing Roman expected an equally scrupulous fulfillment of what he asked from the god. All this was reminiscent of a business agreement between the one who prays and God. At the same time, the worshiper had to indicate exactly what he was sacrificing so that the gods would not misunderstand him. So, for example, when making a libation, one should say: “Take this wine that I bring you,” so that the deity would not think that he was promised all the wine in the cellar of the worshiper. When offering a prayer, the Roman covered his head with a cloak in order to better concentrate and comply with all formalities. And even when addressing Jupiter, the most important deity of the Romans, well known to everyone, the most prudent petitioners were careful, using the following formula: "Mighty Jupiter, or how to call you by another name, the one that you like more ..." Thus, the entire Roman religion was reduced to strictly elaborated rituals and sacred formulas, which could only be known to people who were specially engaged in this, that is, priests. They took upon themselves the interpretation of magic spells and rituals that came from ancient times and were preserved in the religion of the Romans.

[* Priests who predicted the future by the flight of birds and their attitude to sacred food.]

[** Priests who foretold the future from the entrails of animals, interpreting the secret meaning of lightning strikes according to their location and color. Especially famous were the haruspices from Etruria, which was generally the cradle of all sorts of superstitions and magical rites that passed into Roman beliefs.]

HEROES AND LEGENDS

[Based on the poem of the Roman poet Publius Maron Virgil (1st century BC) "Aeneid" and "Roman history from the founding of the city" by Titus Livy (59 BC - 17 AD) .]

The powerful and beautiful wife of the Thunderer Jupiter, the goddess Juno, has long hated the Trojans for the indelible insult inflicted on her by Prince Paris: he awarded the golden apple not to her, the mistress of the gods, but to the goddess Venus. In addition to this insult, Juno knew about the prediction that promised her beloved city of Carthage, rich and glorious for its valor, which she herself patronized, death from the descendants of the Trojans who escaped from Troy destroyed by the Greeks. And besides, the Trojan Aeneas, who became the head of the surviving inhabitants of Troy, was the son of Venus, who shamed Juno in the dispute of the goddesses for the title of the most beautiful. Overwhelmed by the desire to avenge old grievances and prevent future ones, the goddess Juno rushed to the island of Aeolia, the homeland of clouds and fogs. There, in a vast cave, the king of the winds, Eolus, held in heavy chains "internecine winds and thunderous storms." She began to ask Eol to unleash the winds and sink the ships of the Trojans in a terrible storm. Eol obediently complied with the request of the great goddess. He struck the wall of a huge cave of winds with his trident, and all of them rushed into the open sea with a roar and howl, raising waves high, pushing them against each other, catching menacing clouds from everywhere, circling and scattering the ships of the Trojans like miserable chips. Aeneas, horrified, watched his comrades in arms perish, how the Trojan ships disappeared one after another in the seething abyss. Occasionally, drowning swimmers, torn sails, and shipboards appeared on the surface of the waves. And all this was absorbed by the sea abyss without a trace. Three ships were thrown into the shallows by a huge wave, and fragments of oars, masts and corpses of Trojans were covered with sand, three were thrown onto coastal rocks. The ruler of the seas, Neptune, disturbed by a furious storm that broke out without his knowledge, having risen to the surface and saw the ships of Aeneas scattered over the waves, realized that these were the intrigues of Juno. With a powerful blow of the trident, he tamed the fury of the waves and the frenzy of the winds, and with a formidable cry: "Here I am!" - ordered them to immediately return to the cave to Eol. Neptune himself, racing through the waves in a chariot drawn by hippocampi[*], calmed the agitated surface of the sea, with his trident removed the ships that had settled in them from the rocks, carefully moved the rest from the shallows and ordered the waves to drive the Trojan ships to the coast of Africa. Here stood the magnificent city of Carthage, founded by Queen Dido, who fled from Sidon[**], where she suffered a heavy grief - her beloved husband Sychey was treacherously killed near the altar by her own brother. The Trojans, led by Aeneas, landed on the shore, warmly greeted by the inhabitants of Carthage. The beautiful Dido hospitably opened the doors of her magnificent palace for them.

[* Hippocampi are water horses from Neptune's team, with a fish tail and webbed feet instead of front legs with hooves.]

[** City in Phenicia.]

At a feast arranged in honor of the surviving Trojans, at the request of Dido, Aeneas began to talk about the capture of Troy by the Greeks thanks to the cunning of King Odysseus, the destruction of the ancient stronghold of the Trojans, and his flight from the city engulfed in fire at the command of the shadow of Hector, who appeared to Aeneas in a prophetic dream on the night of the insidious attack of the Greeks on the sleeping Trojans. The shadow of Hector ordered Aeneas to save the Trojan penates from the enemies and bring out of the city his father, the aged Anchises and the little son Askania-Yul[*]. Aeneas passionately painted to the excited Dido a terrible picture of a night battle in a city captured by enemies. Aeneas woke up from groans and the ringing of weapons that he heard through a dream. Having climbed onto the roof of the house, he understood the meaning of the destructive gift of the Danaans (Greeks), and also understood the terrible meaning of his dream. Seized with rage, Aeneas gathered young soldiers around him and rushed at their head to a detachment of Greeks. Having exterminated the enemies, the Trojans put on the armor of the Greeks and destroyed many, misled by this cunning. However, the fire flared up more and more, the streets were covered with blood, the corpses lay on the steps of temples, on the doorsteps of houses. Crying, cries for help, clash of weapons, cries of women and children - what could be worse! The flames of the conflagration, pulling out bloody scenes of murder and violence from the darkness of the night, aggravated the horror and confusion of the survivors. Aeneas, throwing on a lion's skin, put on the shoulders of his father Anchises, who did not have the strength to walk, took little Ascanius by the hand. Together with his wife Creusa and several servants, he made his way to the gate and left the dying city. When they all reached the temple of Ceres, which stood far away on a hill, Aeneas noticed that Creusa was not among them. In desperation, leaving his companions in a safe place, he again made his way to Troy. There Aeneas saw a terrible picture of complete defeat. Both his own dwelling and Priam's palace were sacked and set on fire by the Greeks. Women and children stood humbly, waiting for their fate, in the temple of Juno were stacked treasures looted by the Greeks in sanctuaries and palaces. Wandering among the burnt ruins, Aeneas tirelessly called on Creusa, hoping that she would respond. He decided that his wife got lost in the dark or simply fell behind on the way. Suddenly, the shadow of his wife appeared before Aeneas and quietly asked not to grieve for her, since the gods destined for him a kingdom in a foreign land, and his wife should be of a royal family. Creusa, looking at Aeneas with tenderness, bequeathed to him the care of her little son. Aeneas tried in vain to hold her in his arms; it dissipated in the air like a light mist.

[* The name Yul is not accidental, since he was considered the founder of the Julius family, to which the Roman emperor Octavian Augustus belonged, whose divine origin was sung by Virgil in his poem.]

Ancient Roman mythology in its classical version is closely connected with ancient Greek. The Romans completely borrowed many mythological images and plots from the Greeks, the sculptural images of the gods were made according to Greek models. But Greek myths began to penetrate Rome only at the end of the 6th - beginning of the 5th century BC. e. And in more ancient times, the Romans had a different, original idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe gods.

Jupiter was the god of the sky, daylight and thunderstorms, Saturn was the god of harvest, Juno was the goddess of marriage and motherhood, Mars was the god of war, Minerva was the goddess of crafts and art, Venus was the goddess of gardens and orchards, Cupid was the god of love, Vulcan was fire, Diana is the goddess of vegetation.

The ancient Romans believed that every object and phenomenon - regardless of its significance - has a special patron god.

In the Roman pantheon, there was a god of sowing and a god of seed growth, a god of the birth of a child, a god of his first cry, a god of going out for a walk, a god of returning home, and so on. The Christian writer Augustine the Blessed wrote about the Roman gods who guarded the doors of the house: “They (the Romans) placed as many as three gods here: the doors were given under the care of Forculus, the hinges - the goddess Cordea, and the threshold - the god Limekt. Apparently, this Forkul did not know how to guard the hinges and the threshold at the same time.

Unlike most ancient peoples, the Romans rarely depicted their gods and did not create myths about them - about their birth and family ties, relationships with each other and with people, quarrels and love affairs.

The Polish writer Jan Parandowski, author of the popular book Mythology, writes: “This absence of legends, in which we now see a certain lack of creative imagination, was considered by the ancients as the virtue of the Romans, who were reputed to be the most religious people. (…) This religion (…) had no myths discrediting the honor and dignity of the gods.

The Romans consciously refused to give their gods any appearance and character. Often even their gender and name were left undefined. In prayers, the deity was addressed as follows: “Are you a god or a goddess, are you a man or a woman,” and if they nevertheless called the god by name, they added: “or whatever other name you wish to be called.”

However, some scholars believe that such impersonal worship of the gods was cultivated by the priests, and traditional myths were widespread among the people, but they did not reach our time.

There is an assumption that once the Romans had a myth about the creation of the world by the god Janus. His name means "doors", "gates".

He was the god of entry and exit, as well as any beginning, the new year, the beginning of the war, the first day of the month, the birth of the man Janus was depicted with keys, three hundred and sixty-five fingers (according to the number of days in a year) and with two faces, it meant that one face is turned to the past, the other to the future.

The Romans, like all ancient peoples, deified the forces of nature, worshiped trees and springs, animals and birds. Of the trees, most of all they revered the oak and the fig tree, among the animals - the wolf, among the birds - the eagle and the woodpecker.

Faun, whose cult was associated with the cult of the wolf, was considered the god of fields, forests and pastures, the patron saint of animals. At this festival, a goat was sacrificed to the Faun, and then the Luperk priests ran around the sanctuary, waving belts cut from the skin of the sacrificial goat and whipping women passing by, which was supposed to ensure their fertility. The faun was especially revered by the shepherds, as he helped protect the herd from wolves.

Silvan, the god of the forest and wildlife, was close to the Faun. His name comes from the word "silva" - "forest". Silvanus had no official cult, but was very popular among the people, especially among peasants and slaves. He was thanked for healing from illness, for unexpected good luck, for liberation from slavery. Silvanus was depicted in peasant clothes, he was accompanied by a goat and a dog.

Fone was the god of water sources. On his holiday - the fountain - the wells were decorated with flowers, and flower garlands were thrown into the springs. Fone, like Silvanus, was a deity of the common people: his servants, according to tradition, were recruited from slaves. The goddess Pomona patronized the ripening tree fruits; a sacred grove was dedicated to her.

The god of all kinds of changes - the change of seasons, the stages of ripening of fruits, the mood swings of a person - was Vertumn.

Among the gods that are directly related to the life and activities of man, the brothers Pilumn and Pikumn are known - the patrons of marriage and birth. In addition, it was believed that Pilumn invented the pestle for crushing grain, and Pikumn taught people to fertilize the fields with manure (his other name is Sterkulin, which means "dung").

Fortune was also originally the patroness of birth, later she was revered as the goddess of fate, happiness and good luck. Fortune was depicted standing on a ball or wheel - a symbol of the instability of happiness.

The Romans enjoyed special reverence for numerous deities who patronized the hearth. His main patroness was the goddess Vesta. The entrance to the house was dedicated to her (hence the “lobby”). In the temple of Vesta, a fire was constantly burning on the altar, which was extinguished on the first day of each year and immediately rekindled by rubbing the sacred wood. From this fire, a fire was lit in the hearths of all Roman curia - associations of several patrician - privileged - clans.

The unquenchable fire in the temple was supported by the priestesses of Vesta - Vestal Virgins. They were chosen from young girls and had to serve the goddess for thirty years: the first decade they were trained in service, the second - they served, the third - they taught young vestals.

During these thirty years, the vestals had to observe chastity, violating the ban were walled up alive in the dungeon. At the end of the service, the priestess of Vesta could marry, but it was believed that the Vestal wife would bring misfortune to the house.

The hearth was also patronized by special deities - lares, they were in each house. Lares were asked for help at the most important events in the family: before marriage, during childbirth, in the event of the death of one of the household members. Lara monitored the observance of the correct relationships in the family, protected the slaves from the unjust wrath of the owners.

Lars also patronized good neighborly relations. Their sanctuaries were placed at the crossroads with as many entrances as there were dwellings located around this crossroads.

The worshipers of the Lares were slaves.

Lares are sometimes identified with penates. The Penates were also the guardians of the hearth, but they were mainly in charge of food supplies.

Just like Lares, each family had its penates. But, in addition, there were penates of the entire Roman people. According to legend, the image of these penates was brought from Troy by Aeneas, the founder of the Roman state. The image of the state penates was kept in the temple of Vesta, and only vestals and special priests could approach it. In addition to lares and penates, each person had his own patron spirit: men - a genius, women - a juno. (Unlike the goddess Juno, the patroness of all women, the Juno spirit patronized only one) Geniuses and junos of dead people became manas - benevolent deities, in which the souls of ancestors were revered. But if a person died a violent death or did not receive a proper burial, then his patron spirit could turn into an evil lemur (the prototype of later vampires).

A large place in the life of the ancient Romans was occupied by various divination and prophecy.

Fortune-telling was done by special priests - augurs, who interpreted the will of the gods in numerous ways by the flight of birds, by the entrails of animals, by thunder and lightning, etc.

There is a legend about the prophetess Sibyl, who could predict a thousand years in advance. She wrote her prophecies on palm leaves and compiled them into nine books. The Sibyl offered to buy these books to the Roman king Tarquinius, but he refused, wanting the prophetess to reduce the price. Then the Sibyl burned six books in front of Tarquinius, and he, without haggling, bought the remaining three.

In Rome, in the temple of Jupiter, three books of prophecies were actually kept, which were called the Sibylline Books. They were used until the 5th century AD.

At the heart of the worldview of the ancient Romans lay the idea that the gods ordained Rome to rule over the world. This contributed to the emergence of the cult of Rome itself and the formation of the so-called "Roman myth", reflecting the legendary Roman history. The plots of the "Roman myth" are divided into three groups by researchers. The first is connected with the foundation of the Roman state by the legendary hero Aeneas, the second - with the emergence of Rome itself and the so-called "time of the kings."

The famous German historian Oskar Jaeger wrote: “Later Roman writers exaggerate in their stories about the “time of the kings” (753-510 BC) the significance of a tiny state to the extreme. (...) Much in these stories is bright and attractive. In fact, in relation to these first centuries of Rome, it is possible to establish only very few events, and the development of the political and social life of Rome can only be traced in the most general terms.

Tradition names the names of seven successive Roman kings. Although some of them may have had historical prototypes, they are mostly mythological figures, gods take part in the legends about them.

Romulus - the legendary founder of Rome and the first of the Roman kings - was the son of the god Mars, and after his death he himself began to be revered in the form of the god Quirinus. Another king, Numa Pompilius, was married to the nymph of the stream Egeria and, on her advice, introduced most of the religious institutions of Rome. The penultimate of the seven kings, Servius Tullius, to whom state reforms are attributed, uniting the patricians and plebeians into a single Roman people and aimed at giving every Roman the opportunity to advance due to personal merit, and not origin, was the son of a lara and beloved of the goddess Fortuna.

The third group of plots of the "Roman myth" is connected with the establishment and early stage of the existence of the Roman Republic. These tales tell of heroes sacrificing themselves for the glory and prosperity of Rome. The Romans regarded such self-sacrifice not only as a manifestation of patriotism, but also as the fulfillment of the will of the gods, who destined Rome to dominate the world.

Therefore, most researchers classify the legends about the valiant Romans not as historical legends, but as myths. Over time, Greek culture began to penetrate into Rome, including Greek mythology. Many primordially Roman deities were identified with the Greek Olympian gods: Jupiter - with Zeus, Juno - with Hera, Minerva - with Athena, Vulcan - with Hephaestus, Diana - with Artemis, Cupid - with Eros, Venus - with Aphrodite.

Roman poets began to create works on the subjects of Greek mythology, sculptors to make copies of the famous Greek sculptures depicting the gods.

Jan Parandovsky writes: “In the end, all Greek mythology moved to Rome. (...) The clumsy Roman gods came to life, united in married couples, accepted as their own, all Greek legends. Greek mythology filled the void that blew from the harsh Roman religion.

At the end of the 1st century BC. e. in the political life of Rome there was a coup, the republic was replaced by an empire. Emperors began to identify themselves with gods, and empresses with goddesses. Soon emperors began to be deified officially. The first Roman god-emperor was Julius Caesar (100-44 BC). The "Roman myth", glorifying the republic, was pushed into the background at that time.

The Roman Empire fought numerous and usually victorious wars. Under her rule, she united a vast territory. But conquering and conquering various peoples, the Romans absorbed their culture, including religious beliefs and mythology.

In the end, a myriad of gods of various origins entered the Roman pantheon, the religion of the ancient Romans lost its integrity and originality and after a while was replaced by Christianity. Rome became the first center of the Christian world.

43. Wanderings of Aeneas

Aeneas is the hero of Greek and Roman mythology, the legendary founder of the Roman state.

At the turn of the VI-V centuries BC. e. Greek legends about Aeneas penetrated the Apennine Peninsula, where they merged with local legends. The legend of Aeneas acquired its final form in the poem "Aeneid", written in the second half of the 1st century BC. e. the great Roman poet Virgil. The mother of Aeneas was the goddess of love Aphrodite (in the Roman version - Venus), and the father was the Trojan Anchis, a descendant of the Phrygian king Dardanus, the son of Zeus himself.

Until the age of five, Aeneas was raised by nymphs, and then sent to Troy to his father. As an adult, Aeneas took part in the Trojan War. Homer in the Iliad names Aeneas among the most glorious Trojan heroes. When the victorious Greeks broke into Troy, Aeneas decided to fight to the last breath, but the gods appeared to him and ordered him to leave the doomed city in order to go in search of a new homeland, where he was destined to become the founder of a great state.

Aeneas obeyed the will of the gods and fled from the burning Troy, taking with him his wife Creusa, the young son of Ascanius, and carrying his old father on his back.

Aeneas, having safely passed the enemy detachments, got out of the city wall, but then he saw that Creusa was not with him. Aeneas hid the old man and the boy in a ravine, and he returned to Troy. But in vain he called his wife, running through the streets full of enemy soldiers, in vain he searched for Creusa near the burnt home. Creusa was no longer alive.

Suddenly, her shadow appeared before Aeneas and said prophetic words:

...you can't take Creusa away from here. (…) You will be in exile for a long time, roam the water expanses of the seas. Ido Hesperia you will reach the earth. (…) Happiness to you and the kingdom, and the royal family of the spouse There are prepared...

Filled with tears, Aeneas tried to hold the shadow of Creusa, but she slipped out of his hands and melted into the air.

Returning to the ravine where Anchises and Ascanius remained, Aeneas was surprised to find there, besides them, many other Trojans, men and women, who also managed to escape from the city. They all decided to go with Aeneas in search of a new homeland.

The Trojans unanimously undertook the construction of twenty ships. Soon, having looked for the last time at Troy lying in ruins, they set sail from their native shores and set off on an unknown path.

Old Anchises advised Aeneas to entrust himself to the will of fate and sail where the fair wind carries the ship. After some time, the ships of Aeneas sailed to Thrace. The Trojans went ashore, confident that they were destined to settle here.

Aeneas founded the city and named it after himself - Aenead. Wanting to make a sacrifice to the gods, he went to the nearest hill to break green branches to decorate the altar. But as soon as he began to break off the bush, drops of blood appeared on the breaks of the branches. Aeneas was frightened, but continued his work.

"Oh, Aeneas! Don't disturb me in my grave!"

Aeneas asked, trembling:

“I am Prince Polydorus, son of the Trojan king Priam. My father sent me to Thrace to protect me from the dangers of war, but the local king was seduced by the gold that I brought with me and murdered me villainously.

Aeneas returned to his companions and told them what he had seen and heard. The Trojans unanimously decided to leave the shore where the villainous murder had been committed and look for another place to settle. They solemnly honored the memory of Polydor, having performed the prescribed rites, raised the sails and set sail again.

This time, the Trojan ships stopped near the island of Delos, where the oracle of Apollo was located.

Aeneas prayed to God, then asked: “Oh, wise Apollo! Where should we sail? Where can we find shelter? As a sign that God heard him, the leaves of the laurel rustled in the sacred grove, the walls of the temple trembled, and a menacing rumble came from the ground. The Trojans fell on their faces, and a mysterious voice said:

... the one that for the first time from the tribe of ancestors The earth gave birth to you - the same joyful abundance Will welcome you back.

The Trojans thanked Apollo, but they did not know where to look for the land of their ancestors.

Old Anchises said: “Listen to me, noble Trojans! I heard from my grandfather that our distant ancestors in those ancient times, when there was still a desert valley on the site of Troy, arrived there from the island of Crete. Let us send our ships to Crete!” Filled with hope, the Trojans set out on their journey and landed on Crete three days later. They seemed to have reached the goal of their wanderings. The island was beautiful, its land fertile. The Trojans built the city, plowed the fields and sowed them with grain, Aeneas made laws.

But suddenly there was a drought, and then the plague began. The barely sprouted crops withered, people began to die from a terrible disease.

Aeneas was in despair. He wanted to return to Delos and pray to Apollo for deliverance from the disaster, but then in a dream the Penates appeared to him - the gods of his hearth - and said: “You misunderstood the words of the oracle. Your ancestral home, noble Aeneas, is not the island of Crete, but the Italian land, which is otherwise called Hesperia. Your distant ancestor was born there - the son of Zeus Dardanus.

Such a clear indication pleased Aeneas, and the Trojans set off again.

But now the sea became restless, and soon a storm raged at all. For three days, the ships of Aeneas were carried by the sea, and then washed up on the shores of the Strofadsky Islands, which were inhabited by monstrous harpies - birds of prey with female heads.

Aeneas and his companions went ashore, lit a fire and prepared food for themselves. But before they had time to start eating, the harpies swooped down in a cloud and devoured everything without a trace.

Then one of the harpies sat down on a ledge of a rock and shouted ominously: "When you get to blessed Italy, then there will be such a famine that you will gnaw at the tables on which the food lay."

Flapping its wings, the harpy flew away, and the blood of the Trojans froze in horror in their veins.

Struck by a gloomy prophecy, they raised the sails and hastened to leave the Strofadsky Islands. Aeneas sent his ships to the coast of Epirus, where the wise soothsayer Helen lived, and asked him: “Is it true that we are threatened with an unprecedented famine?” Gehlen replied: “The gods did not reveal this to me. But I know that after many trials you will reach the Italian land and find your homeland, happiness and glory there.

The Trojans roamed the sea for a long time, experienced many adventures, overcame many dangers. Once they got into a fierce storm and were forced to stop to repair ships on the coast of Libya, not far from the city of Carthage.

In Carthage, the beautiful queen Dido ruled. She was a widow, but continued to be faithful to her deceased husband. Aeneas and his companions appeared before the queen. And then the mother of Aeneas, Venus, surrounded him with a bright radiance and endowed him with such a brilliant beauty that Dido, once looking at him, could no longer look away. Dido invited the Trojans to her palace, arranged a sumptuous feast for them, and asked Aeneas to recount his adventures. While Aeneas was telling his story, his son, little Ascanius, was sitting on Dido's lap. In Askania's hands, a golden arrow came from somewhere, and he, playing, pricked the queen against the very heart. It was Cupid's arrow, which Venus imperceptibly slipped to the child - and Dido fell in love with Aeneas. Aeneas spent six months in Carthage, enjoying the love of the beautiful queen. Dido invited him to become her husband and king of Carthage. But then the gods sent their messenger, Mercury, to Aeneas.

Mercury said: “Alas, Aeneas! You forgot your purpose. But if you are ready to give up your own glory, then think about your son Ascanius. You must leave Italian lands to him as a legacy, his descendants are destined to become kings of a great state! Aeneas was ashamed and began to get ready for the road. The Trojans began to prepare the ships for sailing. Dido, seeing these preparations, realized that Aeneas would soon leave her, and began to beg him.

If I deserved anything good, there was something You are sweet in me, above me and the dying house Take pity when there is still room for requests, change your mind!

But Aeneas replied:

Never those services that count In a speech, you could have done a lot, I, the queen, will not deny () Stop torturing me and yourself with your reproaches! It is not of my own free will that I am sailing to Italy.

Dido learned that the gods command Aeneas to continue on his way. The queen asked him to wait at least a little so that she could get used to the thought of separation, and the kind-hearted Aeneas was already ready to give in, but the gods strengthened his spirit: just as the wind cannot crush a mighty oak, so Dido’s tears could not shake Aeneas’s determination, and he continued fees.

Everything around the queen was dressed in darkness. When she made a sacrifice to the gods, the sacred wine seemed to her blood, at night Dido heard the cries of an owl, reminiscent of a funeral song, and in a dream her late husband appeared to her and called to him.

Finally the day of parting came. As soon as dawn broke, the Trojans set sail from Carthage. Dido realized that from now on life would be only suffering for her, and decided to die. She ordered a high funeral pyre to be laid on the seashore, decorated it with flowers and fresh greenery, climbed on it - and pierced herself with a sword.

Aeneas saw from his ship a reflection of fire and black smoke rising to the sky ...

A few days later, the Trojans stopped where the Tiber River flows into the sea, and decided to rest on the shore. They settled down under a tall oak and began to dine on vegetables and wheat cakes. To make it more convenient to eat, the Trojans put vegetables on cakes, and after eating the vegetables, they ate the cakes themselves. Little Ascanius exclaimed. “Look! We ate the tables where the food lay!” And it became clear to everyone that the prophecy had been fulfilled and that the Trojans had finally reached Italy, which would become their new homeland. The Italian lands were ruled by the son of the forest god Faun, a king named Latin. He had a daughter, Lavinia, who was betrothed to Turna, the leader of the neighboring Rutul tribe.

One day, Latinus made a sacrifice to the gods under a high laurel. Lavinia stood next to the sacrificial fire. And suddenly the flame engulfed the girl, but did not cause her any harm, and on the head of Lavinia a crown flashed.

At night, his father Faun appeared in a dream to Latinus and ordered him to marry Lavinia to a stranger who would soon arrive on Italian soil.

This stranger turned out to be Aeneas. Latin gave him a daughter, and Aeneas began to rule Italy with Latin.

But the former fiance of Lavinia, Turnus, wanting to return the bride, began a war with Aeneas, which was not inferior in scale to the Trojan. If the history of Aeneas' search for Italy is compared with the Odyssey, then the description of his war with Turnn is called the "Roman Iliad".

In the end, Aeneas killed Turnus in a duel, but he himself went missing. According to one version, he drowned in the river, a friend - was taken by the gods to heaven.

Aeneas was succeeded by his son Ascanius (in Italy he received the Latin name Yul). Ascanius founded the city of Alba Longa, which became the capital of Italy.

The descendants of Aeneas ruled there for many centuries, until the city of Rome became the successor of Alba Longa.

44. THE FOUNDATION OF ROME

The king of Alba Longa, Procas Silvius, had two sons - the elder Numitor and the younger Amulius. Numitor was supposed to inherit his father's throne, but as soon as Procas Silvius died, Amulius plotted and forced his brother to abdicate.

Amulius became king, and Numitor became his subject. But there was no rest for the usurper tsar. He was afraid that the son of Numitor, having matured, would overthrow him from the throne and return the kingdom to his father. Amulius called his nephew to hunt - and killed him.

However, having committed this crime, Amulius did not find peace. Numitor is survived by a daughter, Rhea Sylvia. She grew up beautiful, suitors began to woo her, and Amulius thought that if Rhea Silvia marries and gives birth to a son, he will become the legitimate heir to his grandfather and lay claim to the throne.

Amulius decided to make sure that Rhea Silvia never married. Unmarried, according to custom, were to remain vestals - priestesses of the goddess Vesta. The goddess herself chose priestesses for herself. She showed a sign to special priests, and they interpreted the will of the goddess and announced it to the people.

Amulius threatened the priests to declare Rhea Sylvia the chosen one of Vesta, and the girl became a vestal, taking a vow of chastity.

But the gods have prepared a different fate for her.

The Temple of Vesta stood on a hill. One day, Rhea Silvia went down to the Tiber to collect water for a temple sacrifice. When she was returning, a strong thunderstorm broke out, and the girl took refuge from her in a cave. Suddenly, in a flash of lightning, under the peals of thunder, the god of war Mars appeared in front of her in sparkling armor. He said to the shocked girl: “Rejoice, noble Rhea Sylvia! The gods have ordained you to be my wife."

A year later, Rhea Silvia gave birth to two twin boys. And although she solemnly swore that the father of her sons was the great Mars and, having become his wife, she fulfilled the will of the gods, Amulius ordered to do with Rhea Sylvia as they usually did with Vestals who violated their vow of chastity. The unfortunate woman was immured in a dungeon, and she died there. Amulius ordered the newborn twins to be drowned in the Tiber.

It was spring, the waters of the Tiber rose high and flooded the banks. The servants of Amulius, to whom he entrusted the evil deed, took pity on the innocent babies and, instead of throwing them into the river, they put them in an oak trough and let him into the creek formed on the shore.

As soon as the royal servants left, the water began to subside. Soon the Tiber returned to its banks, and the trough in which the babies were lying turned out to be in a dry place, under a tall fig tree.

Not far from this fig tree was a she-wolf's lair. She had just whelped and fed her wolf cubs. Suddenly, the plaintive cry of human cubs reached her ears. The she-wolf got out of the den, found the crying twins and, seeing that they were as small and helpless as her cubs, began to come to them every day and feed them with her milk.

One day, when Rhea Silvia's sons were suckling a she-wolf, a shepherd named Faustul passed by. He saw the she-wolf feeding the twins and thought: “The wild beast took pity on these children, so shouldn’t I, a man, take pity on them?” When the twins were full and the she-wolf ran away, the shepherd took the boys in his arms and carried them to his hut.

The day before, Faustul's wife was relieved of her burden, but the child, barely born, died. The shepherd said to his wife: "The gods took our son, but sent us two others." These kind people guessed that the twins were the sons of Rhea Sylvia, condemned to death by a cruel king, they left them and began to pass them off as their children. The twins were named Romulus and Remus.

Years passed. Romulus and Remus led a peaceful life as shepherds, grazing their flocks with their named father. When they became adults, Faustul said to them: “I and my wife love you like our sons, but the time has come to tell you the truth: your father is the great Mars, and your mother is Rhea Sylvia, daughter of Numitor, the legitimate king of Alba Longa, overthrown by his cruel brother."

Having learned about their royal origin, Romulus and Remus decided to go to Alba Longa in order to punish the usurper and restore the justice he had violated.

Saying goodbye to those whom they previously considered parents, the brothers went to Numitor. He at first sight recognized in the twins the sons of Rhea Sylvia, his grandchildren. Romulus and Remus said to their grandfather: "Give us weapons and people loyal to you, and we will avenge Amulius for all his crimes."

At the head of a small detachment given to them by Numitor, the brothers broke into the royal palace. The confused guards could not detain them, Amulius tried to flee, but was killed.

Romulus and Remus proclaimed their grandfather, old Numitor, king, and the people of Alba Longa joyfully welcomed him as their rightful ruler.

Numitor asked Romulus and Remus. "What do you want as a reward?" The brothers replied: “Give us the lands along the banks of the Tiber, where we almost died as children, but were saved by a good she-wolf and a generous shepherd.”

Numitor fulfilled the desire of the brothers and sent with them those inhabitants of Alba Longa who wanted to move to a new place. The brothers chose seven hills to build the future capital on them, but then a dispute arose between them, whose name to call her - Romulus or Remus, and which of them would become king there.

Finally they decided: "Let the gods judge us."

The brothers climbed two hills and began to wait for a sign. It was not long to wait: the flapping of wings was heard in the sky - and six kites flew over the head of Remus, and twelve kites flew over the head of Romulus. And everyone who saw it shouted: “Romulus was chosen by the gods! Twice as many birds flew over it.”

Romulus harnessed two oxen to the plow and plowed a deep furrow, the border of the future city.

The wounded Rem mockingly said: “You erected mighty fortifications!” - and stepped over the furrow.

Then Romulus fell into great anger, drew his sword - and struck his brother in the heart. Remus fell dead, and Romulus said: "So be everyone who invades my city by force!" The city was named after Romulus - Roma. In Russia it is called Rome.

In the 1st century BC e. Roman mathematician and astrologer Tarucius tried to calculate the exact date of the founding of Rome based on the position of the stars. He did it - April 23, 753 BC. e.

The legend of Romulus and Remus was described by the Roman writer Diocles, the author of the first book on the founding of Rome, who lived, presumably, in the 3rd century BC. e. The famous Greek historian of the 1st century A.D. Plutarch wrote about this book: “Some consider it a work of a fabulous, mythical nature. Nevertheless, there is no reason not to trust her, seeing what fate does, and taking into account that Rome would never have been so powerful if there had not been a will from above, a will for which there is (...) nothing impossible " .

45. THE RAPE OF THE SABINE WOMEN

Rome was an impregnable fortress, and the Romans were a harsh and warlike people. They jealously guarded their land, but most of them had neither wives nor children, and therefore the city had no future.

The king of Rome, Romulus, equipped an embassy to neighboring nations in order to marry brides for the Romans, but the neighbors did not trust the Romans, considered them strangers who had come from nowhere, and no one agreed to give them their daughters as wives.

Then Romulus decided to resort to cunning. He arranged sports games in Rome and invited the Sabines, a mountain tribe whose women were famous for their beauty, to them. The Sabines accepted the invitation and came to Rome. Many brought their wives, daughters and sisters with them.

Romulus warned the Romans to take a closer look at the girls, and each would outline for himself the one that he liked best.

When the games were in full swing and the Sabines, not noticing anything around, followed what was happening in the arena, Romulus gave the agreed sign, taking off and putting on his purple cloak again. At this sign, the Romans picked up the Sabine women in their arms and rushed to run. (It is believed that it was then that the custom that still exists, according to which the husband brings the newlywed into his house in his arms, arose.) The girls screamed and resisted, the Sabines, stunned by surprise, tried to recapture them from the kidnappers, but could not and were forced to return home, leaving their daughters and sisters in Rome.

Wanting to comply with generally accepted moral rules, the Romans tried to kidnap only unmarried girls, but among them, by chance, was one husband's wife, Hersilia, whom Romulus himself took as his wife.

Romulus addressed the kidnapped Sabine women with a speech, explaining to them that violence was a necessary measure, and assured that, having settled in the houses of the Romans, they would enjoy honor and universal respect, and the Romans would become good husbands to them. The kidnapped resigned themselves to their fate and agreed to marry the kidnappers.

The Romans began to establish family life, the Sabine women, as befits good wives, gave birth to children and kept house.

But the Sabines, having lost their daughters and sisters, felt insulted. The Sabine king Titus Tatius gathered an army and went to war against the Romans. The onslaught of the Sabines was so powerful and swift that the Romans had to retreat and take cover behind the walls of Rome.

The Roman army was led by the commander Spirius Tarpeus, who had a daughter, Tarpeia. Once Tarpeya saw the Sabine king Titus Tatius from the city wall. The girl was struck by the beauty and article of the enemy commander and fell in love with him so much that she decided to betray her city.

Rome celebrated the anniversary of its founding, and on that day a truce was declared. Tarpeia, taking advantage of the opportunity to leave the city, went to the enemy camp and handed over the keys to Rome to Titus Tatius.

Titus Tatius considered Tarpey's act unseemly and ordered her to be executed, but nevertheless took advantage of her betrayal - and the Sabines entered Rome.

A bloody battle began. The Sabine women watched in horror as their husbands fought their fathers and brothers, weeping and wringing their hands. But the wife of Romulus Hersilia exclaimed: “This is not the time to indulge in despair! We must stop the bloodshed!” The women loosened their hair as a sign of mourning and, taking small children in their arms, rushed between the combatants.

Plutarch wrote: “From all sides appeared those who fled with screams and cries, through weapons and corpses to their husbands and fathers, like frenzied, kidnapped daughters of the Sabines, (...) they called the most gentle names either the Sabines or the Romans.” The Sabine women shouted: “Stop! Better turn your wrath against us, for we are the cause of discord!” Opponents were confused - and lowered their weapons.

And the women already greeted their fathers and brothers, held out their children to them, the Sabines took their grandchildren and nephews in their arms.

The stern Romans were moved, seeing the universal joy, and both peoples concluded eternal peace between themselves.

46. ​​BROTHERS HORATIO

After the death of Romulus, six kings were replaced on the Roman throne. This ancient period in the history of Rome, according to tradition, is called "royal", although most historians consider both the kings themselves and the stories about their reign to be legends, only to some extent reflecting the real processes of the formation of the Roman state.

The third king after Romulus was Tullus Hostilius. He is credited with subordinating Rome to ancient Alba Longa.

The rulers of Alba Longa jealously followed the rise of Rome, and the Romans, conscious of their own strength and believing in the glorious future of their city, treated the old capital with disdain. Between the two cities, with varying success, there was a long war for supremacy in the Italian lands.

Finally, Tullus Hostilius and the king of Alba Longa, whose name the legend does not name, decided to end the war by arranging a duel between the best warriors of Rome and Alba Longa, and depending on its outcome, forever establish the superiority of one city over another.

To participate in the duel, the Romans chose three twin brothers from the glorious family of Horatii. Among the Albanians, they found worthy opponents - three young men from the Curiaci family. They were the same age as the Horatii and also twin brothers.

Horace and Curiatii knew each other from childhood, they were bound by bonds of friendship, the sister of the Horatii was the bride of one of the Curiatii. But Horace, as true Romans, obeying the dictates of duty, rejected friendly and kindred feelings and were determined to defend the glory of Rome at any cost.

In the face of both troops - Roman and Alban - the opponents converged on the battlefield, three against three.

Tullus Hostilius and the Alban king gave a sign, and the duel began. Horatii and Curiatii were equally strong and courageous, but happiness leaned towards the side of the Albanians: the two Horatii brothers, pierced by swords, fell, and the last of them, F.A. Bruni fought one against three. The Albans, already confident in victory, rejoiced, the Romans in despair expected that the last Horace was about to die and Rome would have to submit to Alba Longa.

But Horace, seeing that now the honor and glory of his native city depended on him alone, fought with triple courage and threw three of his opponents to the ground lifeless.

Horace returned in triumph to Rome. He walked ahead of the troops, and in front of him they carried his trophies - weapons, armor and cloaks of the defeated curiatii. The Romans stood along the streets and greeted the hero with joyful cries.

Suddenly a girl ran out of the crowd. It was the sister of the Horatii, the bride of one of the Curiatii. Her hair was loose as a sign of mourning, she sobbed and wringed her hands, and when she saw the bloody cloak of her fiancé among the trophies of her brother, she screamed loudly. The girl called the deceased affectionate names and cursed her brother who killed him.

Horace exclaimed: “Come to your senses, sister! You mourn the enemy of Roman glory!” The girl replied: “It would be better if Rome lost its glory than my beloved died!” Then Horace drew his sword, still wet with blood, and plunged it into his sister's chest. The girl fell lifeless, and Horace continued his triumphal procession.

Under Roman law, killing any free Roman was punishable by death. The murdered girl was a Roman, and the court sentenced Horace to death.

But all the Romans unanimously rebelled against the verdict, and the judges, obeying public opinion, pardoned Horace. Since then, the laws of Rome have affirmed the right of Roman citizens to appeal to the popular assembly with an appeal against a court decision.

As a sign of cleansing from sin, Horace passed under a log fixed over the road. Subsequently, in the Horatian family for a long time there was a tradition of annual sacrifice to Juno, performed in an area called "Sister log". Some researchers believe that the legend of the murdered sister arose only in order to explain this tradition, which came from nowhere.

47. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC

The last of the legendary Roman kings was Tarquinius, nicknamed the Proud. According to legend, it was his despotism and cruelty that led to the collapse of royal power in Rome.

Tarquinius was married to the daughter of the previous king, Servius Tullius, and decided to seize power by force, overthrowing his father-in-law from the throne, Tarquinia's wife participated in the conspiracy.

Once, when Servius Tullius was sitting in the Senate, conspirators broke in, led by Tarquinius, who had previously dressed in royal clothes. He gave a sign to his accomplices - and the old king was killed. Tarquinius ordered his body to be thrown out into the street.

Tarquinius' wife hurried to the Senate to congratulate her husband on his successful seizure of power. Near the building of the Senate, the horses harnessed to her chariot stopped: in their path lay the corpse of Servius Tullius. But the wife of Tarquinia ordered the coachman to drive - and moved over the corpse of her father.

The shocked Romans called this street Villainous.

Tarquinius was distinguished by arrogance, was unjust and ruled Rome despotically. Remembering how he himself came to the throne, Tarquinius constantly feared a conspiracy and brutally cracked down on anyone who incurred his suspicions.

Once, at his command, the noble Roman Mark Junius was executed along with his eldest son. But the youngest son of the executed, Lucius, still quite a child, Tarquinius spared and raised along with his sons.

However, as Lucius grew older, Tarquinius began to fear him. Meanwhile, Lucius, in order not to suffer the fate of his father and older brother, pretended to be weak-minded and even received the nickname "Brutus", which means "fool".

However, Tarquinius was increasingly overcome by unkind forebodings. He wanted to address the famous Oracle of Delphi with a question about the future fate of power in Rome, but, not daring to leave Rome even for a short time, he sent his sons to Delphi. They were accompanied by Lucius Junius.

Appearing before the oracle, the young men asked who would have power in Rome. The oracle replied: “To the one of you who kisses his mother first.”

The sons of Tarquinius took the oracle's answer literally and hurried home.

Lucius, knowing that the oracle usually speaks allegorically, pretended to stumble, fall and kiss the earth - the mother of all living things.

Some time later, the eldest son of Tarquinius was inflamed with an unholy passion for the wife of a noble Roman, the beautiful and virtuous Lucretia. Knowing that her husband was not at home, he appeared under the guise of a guest and seized Lucrezia by force.

The rapist was sure that the woman would not want publicity and his crime would remain hidden. But the noble Lucretia called her husband, as well as her father, and, asking to bring two faithful family friends as witnesses, Lucretia herself announced her shame. Lucrezia said: “My body is defiled, but my soul is innocent. I do not recognize my sin, but I do not release myself from punishment. Let no one, having lost honor, live, referring to the example of Lucretia! And she plunged the dagger into her heart.

One of the witnesses to this was Lucius Junius. While her husband and father wept over the unfortunate body, Lucius removed a bloody dagger from her wound and swore on it that Lucretia would be avenged.

The news of the crime of the Tarquinian son and the death of the noble Lucretia quickly spread throughout the city. The cup of patience of the Romans overflowed, and they rebelled.

Lucius Julius led the uprising.

Tarquinius and his family were expelled, and a republic was proclaimed in Rome.

From now on, the Roman people decided to elect two consuls annually, entrusting them with the supreme power over Rome.

The first consuls were Lucius Junius and Lucretia's husband Callatinus.

48. TALES OF THE VALIANT ROMANS

The Romans highly valued personal prowess and the ability to sacrifice oneself for the sake of the fatherland. The legendary times of the first years of the Roman Republic gave rise to legends about heroes who became an ideal for many generations of Romans and European peoples who inherited their culture.

Tsar Tarquinius, being expelled by the Roman people, did not accept the loss of power. He made an alliance with the Etruscan king Porsena and started a war against the Roman Republic.

Porsena brought a large, strong army to the aid of Tarquinia.

The approaches to Rome were protected by a natural barrier - a wide, full-flowing Tiber. The only bridge across the river was guarded by a detachment of Roman soldiers.

Seeing a whole army heading for the bridge, the Roman detachment faltered and was ready to retreat under the protection of the city walls.

And only one of the warriors, named Horace Cocles, did not lose courage. He blocked the way for his comrades who were ready to flee and exclaimed: “Stop! We have many enemies before us, but we will not let them enter Rome. We are too few to defend the bridge, so let's destroy it so the enemy can't use it!" And he was the first to rush to cut the piles of the bridge. Others followed suit.

But the enemies were already very close. Then Horace Cocles and two of his comrades came out to meet them and stood shoulder to shoulder. The three of them repelled the enemy onslaught while the rest of the warriors destroyed the bridge. When it was almost destroyed, Horace Cocles ordered two comrades to move to another, safe, shore - and he was left alone.

He shouted, addressing the Porsena warriors: “Pitiful slaves! You are obedient to the arrogant king and you do not know the sweetness of freedom! We have tasted it, and we will not allow anyone to take away this priceless gift from us! At this time, the bridge behind Horace Cocles collapsed, and he was cut off from the city by a stream of water. Porsena's warriors raised their bows, and a cloud of arrows flew at the brave hero. But Horace Cocles jumped into the water, swam unharmed across the Tiber and joined his squad.

In memory of the feat of Horace Cocles, his statue was subsequently erected in Rome.

Porsena realized that he would not succeed in taking Rome by storm, and began a long siege. Enemies surrounded the city from all sides. In Rome, food supplies began to come to an end; the Romans were threatened with famine.

Then a noble Roman youth named Gaius Mucius decided to sneak into the enemy camp and kill Porsena, believing that the army, left without a leader, would lift the siege.

Gaius Mucius appeared before the Senate and announced his decision. The fathers of the city approved of his bold plan, and when this became known in the city, three hundred Roman youths swore that if Gaius Mucius could not fulfill his plan and died, then all of them - one by one - would repeat his attempt until one of them will not kill Porsena and save Rome.

Under the cover of darkness, Gaius Mucius swam across the Tiber and found himself in the camp of enemies. Morning has come. Revival reigned in the army of Porsena: on this day, the soldiers were supposed to receive a salary. Gaius Mucius, not noticed by anyone, mingled with the crowd and, together with everyone, went to where Porsena and the military treasurer had already begun to issue money to the soldiers.

Gaius Mucius did not know Porsena by sight and mistook the treasurer for him - a man with a majestic posture and in rich clothes. Approaching the treasurer closely, Gaius Mucius drew his sword - and hit him in the heart.

Gaius Mucius was immediately seized and disarmed. The brave young man appeared before Porsena, he was not afraid of death and only regretted that blind fate sent his sword past the intended target.

Porsena asked Gaius Mucius who he was and by whom he had been sent.

Gaius Mucius replied: “I am a Roman citizen and have come here to kill you. If not for my unfortunate mistake, you would already be dead.

Porsena, wishing to frighten Gaius Mucius with a cruel execution, ordered a fire to be lit.

But when the fire flared up, Gaius Mucius stretched out his right hand and fearlessly put it into the flame.

He said to the king: “See how little those who defend their freedom value their bodies. I will die, but others will come to replace me. Neither death nor torment will frighten us, and, in the end, you will be destroyed, arrogant king! Shocked, Porsena ordered Gaius Mucius to be dragged away from the fire and said: “You have treated yourself more cruelly than I would have done. Even though you are my enemy, I am ready to praise your courage!” Porsena released Gaius Mucius, and soon lifted the siege of Rome and made peace with the Romans. Tarquinius, having lost the support of an ally, was forced to abandon further struggle against the Roman Republic and died in exile.

Gaius Mucius, who lost his right hand, received the nickname Scaevola, which means "left-handed". This nickname became a generic name, and many generations of the descendants of Gaius Mucius bore it with pride.

Rome flourished.

But one day a huge abyss suddenly opened up in its central square. Every day it grew larger and larger, threatening to engulf the entire city.

The soothsayers announced that the Romans would save Rome if they threw their main property into the abyss.

The Romans took all the gold and silver that was in the city to the abyss and threw it down, but the abyss continued to grow.

Then a brave young man named Curtius exclaimed: “The main asset of Rome is the valiant Romans!” He donned battle armor, took up a weapon, mounted a horse and threw himself into the abyss.

Its edges immediately closed, swallowing the valiant Curtius.

So Roman valor again saved Rome.

49. Cupid and Psyche

The story of Cupid and Psyche is of Greek origin, but is best known in the presentation of the Roman writer of the 2nd century AD - Apuleius. It is included as an insert novel in his famous novel The Golden Ass. The character of the novel, an old maid, before starting to tell this story, says: "I know many interesting tales of the good old time." Thus, Apuleius emphasizes the folklore, folk origins of the legend of Cupid and Psyche.

The gods Apuleius calls them by Roman names: Cupid, Venus, Jupiter, but the name Psyche is Greek and means "soul". In later times, the story of Cupid and Psyche was interpreted as an allegory of the wanderings of the human soul, seeking to merge with love.

In a certain country there lived a king and a queen. They had three beautiful daughters, and the youngest - Psyche - was so good that she surpassed Venus herself in charm.

The goddess was annoyed at the mortal beauty and decided to punish her severely. Venus called her son, the god of love, Cupid, and told him: "Make it so that Psyche falls in love with the most insignificant of people and would be unhappy with him all her life."

Cupid flew to fulfill his mother's orders, but everything did not turn out the way Venus wanted. Seeing Psyche, Cupid was struck by her beauty, and the beautiful princess, unaware of this, wounded the love of the god of love himself. Cupid decided that the beauty should become his wife, and began to ward off all suitors from her.

The king and queen were perplexed: the two eldest daughters had already successfully married, and Psyche, despite her beauty, still lived in her parents' house and not a single suitor wooed her.

The king turned to the oracle, and the oracle announced (of course, at the instigation of Cupid) that the princess was destined for an unusual fate, he ordered Psyche to be dressed in a wedding dress, taken to a high mountain and left there, waiting for her unknown spouse.

The king and queen grieved for a long time, but did not dare to disobey the will of the gods and did everything as the oracle ordered.

The unfortunate Psyche, in her wedding attire, found herself alone on the top of a mountain. She looked around in horror, expecting some kind of monster to appear at any moment.

But suddenly a light, gentle breeze, Zephyr, flew up, picked up Psyche, carried her from an unpleasant rock into a green valley and lowered her onto silky grass.

Nearby grew a shady grove, and among the trees stood a white marble palace. Seeing that so far nothing bad had happened to her, the princess cheered up and wanted to take a closer look at the palace. The doors of their own accord swung open before her, and the princess, timidly, went inside.

Never before had Psyche seen such luxury. The walls shone with gold and silver, the ceiling was made of ivory, and the floor, which she trampled underfoot, was made of precious stones.

Suddenly, a friendly voice was heard from somewhere: “Hello, princess! Be the host here."

The whole day Psyche walked around the palace, but she could not go around all its rooms. Invisible servants accompanied the princess, fulfilling her every desire, as soon as she had time to think about it, and in the evening, tired, Psyche went to bed, and under the cover of darkness, Cupid descended on her bed. Psyche did not see, but only felt her unknown husband, but, nevertheless, fell in love with him passionately. In the morning, before dawn, Cupid withdrew to come again when it got dark.

Psyche was happy in her luxurious palace, with her beloved, although unknown to her husband. Only one thing worried her: she knew that her parents and sisters were grieving, considering her dead.

One night, Psyche said to Cupid: “My beloved husband! I cannot be calm and happy when my family is in sorrow. Let me send them word that I am alive and well.”

But Cupid replied, “It’s better not to do this, so as not to bring on a big trouble.”

Psyche did not dare to insist, but from that day on she became sad and thoughtful, and wept, even indulging in her husband's caresses.

Cupid, unable to see his beloved wife in sorrow, said: “I will fulfill your desire. See your sisters, but be careful - they may give you bad advice."

He sent the Zephyrs for the sisters of Psyche, and they brought them on their wings to the palace.

When they came to their senses after traveling by air and saw that their younger sister was alive and well, the sisters were very happy. But when Psyche told them how happy she was, led them through the palace and showed them her riches, envy woke up in their hearts.

When the sisters began to question her about her husband, the simple-hearted Psyche replied that her husband was kind and affectionate, and, apparently, young and handsome, although she could not say for sure, because he visits her only under cover of darkness.

Here the sisters were filled with even greater envy, since one of them had a husband as old and bald as a gourd, and the other was crouched with rheumatism and was constantly smeared with stinking ointment.

Returning home, the sisters did not even tell their parents that Psyche was alive, and made up an insidious plan to ruin her happiness.

Soon Psyche again wanted to see her sisters, and they, like last time, flew to visit her on the wings of Zephyrs.

Seeing Psyche, the sisters depicted feigned grief on their faces and exclaimed: “Oh, unfortunate! Your husband is a disgusting and vicious snake. The local farmers have often seen how he crawls on his belly across the river and hides in your palace. Watch out! One day he will sting you - and you will die a terrible death! And they both wept loudly.

Frightened and bewildered, Psyche asked, "What am I to do?" The sisters said: "Hide a sharp knife under the bed, and when your husband comes to you tonight, kill him."

The insidious sisters returned home, leaving Psyche in fear and sorrow.

On reflection, she doubted the words of the sisters and decided, before killing her husband, to look at him to make sure that he really was a snake. She filled the lamp with oil and hid it near the bed.

At night, Cupid, as usual, came to the bed of Psyche. When he fell asleep, Psyche slowly got up, lit a lamp and, trembling with horror, looked at her husband. What were her amazement and joy when, instead of a disgusting snake, she saw the golden-haired god of love.

Psyche's hand trembled, the lamp tilted, and a drop of hot oil fell on the sleeping man's shoulder. Cupid immediately woke up. Seeing Psyche with a lamp in her hands, he exclaimed in anger and grief: “You listened to the advice of your envious sisters and ruined our happiness. I could punish you severely, but I will punish you only by separation from me.

He flapped his wings and flew away.

The unfortunate Psyche was left alone, weeping bitterly and cursing her gullibility. Then she left the luxurious palace and went to roam the world in search of her husband.

Cupid, meanwhile, flew to the chamber of his mother Venus. His burned shoulder was in great pain, he moaned loudly and complained.

Venus was angry with her son, who, without her knowledge, dared to marry the one whom she wished harm, but the goddess was even more angry with Psyche. Venus strictly forbade the gods and people to help the unfortunate, to give her shelter and comfort.

Psyche wandered for a long time, rejected by everyone, and finally came to the hall of Venus.

The goddess met her with abuse and ridicule. She said that Psyche was worthy of being only a servant, and immediately gave her a job: she mixed millet, barley, poppy and lentils into one pile and ordered to separate one from the other.

Psyche began to cry, not even daring to start this endless work, but the ant took pity on her. He summoned his industrious people, and the ants quickly and well completed the task of Venus.

Then the goddess ordered Psyche to go to the grove where golden-fleeced sheep grazed and bring their wool. But the rams were angry and pugnacious and would not let anyone near them. Psyche stopped on the bank of a stream, not daring to approach the grazing herd.

But then the riverside reeds rustled and said: “Wait until noon. The sheep will fall asleep, and you will go through the grove and find many tufts of their wool, entangled in the branches of bushes and trees.

Psyche listened to the advice, and brought Venus a whole armful of golden wool.

But the goddess did not relent and ordered Psyche to bring water from a spring gushing on top of a sheer cliff.

When Psyche with a crystal vessel in her hands stood at the foot of the rock and looked with despair at the impregnable peak, an eagle flew by. He picked up a crystal vessel and, rising on his wings to the top of the rock, scooped up water from the source.

Annoyed, Venus came up with a new task: she ordered Psyche to go underground to the kingdom of death, ask his mistress Proserpina for a casket and, without opening it, bring it to Venus.

The miserable Psyche thought that it would be easier to die than to complete this task. She climbed a high tower to throw herself down from it and put an end to her torment. Her grief was so great that the cold stones from which the tower was built were imbued with pity for her. They spoke and showed Psyche the way to the underworld, teaching them to bribe the carrier across the river separating the world of the living from the world of the dead with two coins and appeasing the dog guarding the entrance to the underworld with two pieces of bread.

Proserpina gave Psyche a chest. Psyche remembered that she was not supposed to look into it, but she could not control her curiosity. As soon as she got out of the underworld into the light, she slightly opened the lid.

In the casket was a dream like death. He enveloped Psyche in a black mist, she fell to the ground and fell asleep.

In the meantime, Cupid's burned shoulder healed, and along with the pain, his anger at Psyche passed. He found her, immersed in an enchanted sleep, and woke her with a kiss. Psyche told her husband how cruelly Venus oppressed her, and Cupid promised that from now on this would end.

He flew to Jupiter himself and began to ask him to establish peace between his mother and wife.

Jupiter called Venus and said to her: “Oh, the most beautiful! Do not complain that your son chose not a goddess, but a mortal, as his wife. I will give her immortality, and she will equal the gods. He filled the goblet with ambrosia - the drink of the gods - and gave it to Psyche to drink.

Psyche became immortal, like her husband. The gods sang praises to her beauty and good disposition, Venus had to reconcile herself and recognize Psyche as her daughter-in-law.

Soon Cupid and Psyche had a daughter, whose name is Pleasure.

The love story of Cupid and Psyche served as the basis for many works of art - sculptures, paintings, poems and plays. In European literature, the most famous transcription of this plot is the poetic story of the French poet of the 17th century, J. La Fontaine. Russian poet of the XVIII century I.F. Bogdanovich also created a poem about Cupid and Psyche. He called his poem "Darling", literally and at the same time very figuratively translating the name "Psyche" into Russian.

Jupiter, shaking smart head, Amur gave the charter, By the force of the old rights, So that the age is captivated by spiritual beauty And Darling would always be his couple.

Ancient Roman mythology in its classical version is closely connected with ancient Greek. The Romans completely borrowed many mythological images and plots from the Greeks, the sculptural images of the gods were made according to Greek models. But Greek myths began to penetrate Rome only at the end of the 6th - beginning of the 5th century BC. e. And in more ancient times, the Romans had a different, original idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe gods.

Jupiter was the god of the sky, daylight and thunderstorms, Saturn was the god of the harvest, Juno was the goddess of marriage and motherhood, Mars was the god of war, Minerva was the goddess of crafts and art, Venus was the goddess of gardens and orchards, Cupid was the god love, Vulcan - fire, Diana - the goddess of vegetation.

The ancient Romans believed that every object and phenomenon - regardless of its significance - has a special patron god.

In the Roman pantheon, there was a god of sowing and a god of seed growth, a god of the birth of a child, a god of his first cry, a god of going out for a walk, a god of returning home, and so on.

The Christian writer Augustine the Blessed wrote about the Roman gods guarding the doors of the house: “They (the Romans) placed as many as three gods here: the doors were given under the care of Forculus, the loops were given to the goddess Cordea, and the threshold to the god Limekt. Apparently, this Forkul did not know how to guard the hinges and the threshold at the same time.

Unlike most ancient peoples, the Romans rarely depicted their gods and did not create myths about them - about their birth and family ties, relationships with each other and with people, quarrels and love affairs.

The Polish writer Jan Parandowski, author of the popular book Mythology, writes: “This absence of legends, in which we now see a certain lack of creative imagination, was considered by the ancients as the virtue of the Romans, who were reputed to be the most religious people. (…) This religion (…) had no myths discrediting the honor and dignity of the gods.

The Romans consciously refused to give their gods any appearance and character. Often even their gender and name were left undefined. In prayers, the deity was addressed as follows: “Are you a god or a goddess, are you a man or a woman,” and if they nevertheless called the god by name, they added: “or whatever other name you wish to be called.”

However, some scholars believe that such impersonal worship of the gods was cultivated by the priests, and traditional myths were widespread among the people, but they did not reach our time.

There is an assumption that once the Romans had a myth about the creation of the world by the god Janus. His name means "doors", "gates".

He was the god of entry and exit, as well as any beginning, the new year, the beginning of the war, the first day of the month, the birth of the man Janus was depicted with keys, three hundred and sixty-five fingers (according to the number of days in a year) and with two faces, it meant that one face is turned to the past, the other to the future.

The Romans, like all ancient peoples, deified the forces of nature, worshiped trees and springs, animals and birds. Of the trees, they revered the oak and the fig tree most of all, among the animals - the wolf, among the birds - the eagle and the woodpecker.

Faun, whose cult was associated with the cult of the wolf, was considered the god of fields, forests and pastures, the patron saint of animals. At this festival, a goat was sacrificed to the Faun, and then the Luperk priests ran around the sanctuary, waving belts cut from the skin of the sacrificial goat and whipping women passing by, which was supposed to ensure their fertility. The faun was especially revered by the shepherds, as he helped protect the herd from wolves.

Faun was close to Silvanus, the god of the forest and wildlife. His name comes from the word "silva" - "forest". Silvanus had no official cult, but was very popular among the people, especially among peasants and slaves. He was thanked for healing from illness, for unexpected good luck, for liberation from slavery. Silvanus was depicted in peasant clothes, he was accompanied by a goat and a dog.

Fone was the god of water sources. On his holiday, the fountainal, wells were decorated with flowers, and flower garlands were thrown into the springs. Fone, like Silvanus, was a deity of the common people: his servants, according to tradition, were recruited from slaves. The goddess Pomona patronized the ripening tree fruits; a sacred grove was dedicated to her.

The god of all kinds of change - the change of seasons, the stages of fruit ripening, the mood swings of man - was Vertumn.

Among the gods that are directly related to the life and activities of man, the brothers Pilumn and Pikumn are known - the patrons of marriage and birth. In addition, it was believed that Pilumn invented the pestle for crushing grain, and Pikumn taught people to fertilize the fields with manure (his other name is Sterkulin, which means "dung").

Fortune was also originally the patroness of birth, later she was revered as the goddess of fate, happiness and good luck. Fortune was depicted standing on a ball or wheel - a symbol of the instability of happiness.

The Romans enjoyed special reverence for numerous deities who patronized the hearth. His main patroness was the goddess Vesta. The entrance to the house was dedicated to her (hence the “lobby”). In the temple of Vesta, a fire was constantly burning on the altar, which was extinguished on the first day of each year and immediately rekindled by rubbing the sacred wood. From this fire a fire was lit in the hearths of all the Roman curiae - associations of several patrician - privileged - clans.

The unquenchable fire in the temple was maintained by the priestesses of Vesta - the Vestal Virgins. They were chosen from young girls and had to serve the goddess for thirty years: the first decade they were trained in service, the second - they served, the third - they taught young vestals.

During these thirty years, the vestals had to observe chastity, violating the ban were walled up alive in the dungeon. At the end of the service, the priestess of Vesta could marry, but it was believed that the Vestal wife would bring misfortune to the house.

The hearth was also patronized by special deities - lares, they were in each house. Lares were asked for help at the most important events in the family: before marriage, during childbirth, in the event of the death of one of the household members. Lara monitored the observance of the correct relationships in the family, protected the slaves from the unjust wrath of the owners.

Lars also patronized good neighborly relations. Their sanctuaries were placed at the crossroads with as many entrances as there were dwellings located around this crossroads.

The worshipers of the Lares were slaves.

Lares are sometimes identified with penates. The Penates were also the guardians of the hearth, but they were mainly in charge of food supplies.

Just like Lares, each family had its penates. But, in addition, there were penates of the entire Roman people. According to legend, the image of these penates was brought from Troy by Aeneas, the founder of the Roman state. The image of the state penates was kept in the temple of Vesta, and only vestals and special priests could approach it. In addition to lares and penates, each person had his own patron spirit: men - genius, women - Juno. (Unlike the goddess Juno, the patroness of all women, the Juno spirit patronized only one) Geniuses and Junos of the dead people became mannas - benevolent deities, in which the souls of ancestors were revered. But if a person died a violent death or did not receive a proper burial, then his patron spirit could turn into an evil lemur (the prototype of later vampires).

A large place in the life of the ancient Romans was occupied by various divination and prophecy. Fortune-telling was done by special priests - augurs, who interpreted the will of the gods in numerous ways by the flight of birds, by the entrails of animals, by thunder and lightning, etc.

There is a legend about the prophetess Sibyl, who could predict a thousand years in advance. She wrote her prophecies on palm leaves and compiled them into nine books. The Sibyl offered to buy these books to the Roman king Tarquinius, but he refused, wanting the prophetess to reduce the price. Then the Sibyl burned six books in front of Tarquinius, and he, without haggling, bought the remaining three.

In Rome, in the temple of Jupiter, three books of prophecies were actually kept, which were called the Sibylline Books. They were used until the 5th century AD.

At the heart of the worldview of the ancient Romans lay the idea that the gods ordained Rome to rule over the world. This contributed to the emergence of the cult of Rome itself and the formation of the so-called "Roman myth", reflecting the legendary Roman history. The plots of the "Roman myth" are divided into three groups by researchers. The first is connected with the foundation of the Roman state by the legendary hero Aeneas, the second - with the emergence of Rome itself and the so-called "time of the kings."

The famous German historian Oskar Jaeger wrote: “Later Roman writers exaggerate in their stories about the “time of the kings” (753-510 BC) the significance of a tiny state to the extreme. (...) Much in these stories is bright and attractive. In fact, in relation to these first centuries of Rome, it is possible to establish only very few events, and the development of the political and social life of Rome can only be traced in the most general terms.

Tradition names the names of seven successive Roman kings. Although some of them may have had historical prototypes, they are mostly mythological figures, gods take part in the legends about them.

Romulus - the legendary founder of Rome and the first of the Roman kings - was the son of the god Mars, and after his death he himself began to be revered in the form of the god Quirinus. Another king, Numa Pompilius, was married to the nymph of the stream Egeria and, on her advice, introduced most of the religious institutions of Rome. The penultimate of the seven kings, Servius Tullius, to whom state reforms are attributed, uniting the patricians and plebeians into a single Roman people and aimed at giving every Roman the opportunity to advance due to personal merit, and not origin, was the son of Larus and the beloved of the goddess Fortuna.

The third group of plots of the "Roman myth" is connected with the establishment and early stage of the existence of the Roman Republic. These tales tell of heroes sacrificing themselves for the glory and prosperity of Rome. The Romans regarded such self-sacrifice not only as a manifestation of patriotism, but also as the fulfillment of the will of the gods, who destined Rome to dominate the world.

Therefore, most researchers classify the legends about the valiant Romans not as historical legends, but as myths. Over time, Greek culture began to penetrate into Rome, including Greek mythology.

Many primordially Roman deities were identified with the Greek Olympian gods: Jupiter - with Zeus, Juno - with Hera, Minerva - with Athena, Vulcan - with Hephaestus, Diana - with Artemis, Cupid - with Eros, Venus - - with Aphrodite.

Roman poets began to create works on the subjects of Greek mythology, sculptors to make copies of the famous Greek sculptures depicting the gods.

Jan Parandovsky writes: “In the end, all Greek mythology moved to Rome. (...) The clumsy Roman gods came to life, united in married couples, accepted as their own, all Greek legends. Greek mythology filled the void that blew from the harsh Roman religion.

At the end of the 1st century BC. e. in the political life of Rome there was a coup, the republic was replaced by an empire. Emperors began to identify themselves with gods, and empresses with goddesses. Soon emperors began to be deified officially. The first Roman god-emperor was Julius Caesar (100-44 BC). The "Roman myth", glorifying the republic, was pushed into the background at that time.

The Roman Empire fought numerous and usually victorious wars. Under her rule, she united a vast territory. But conquering and conquering various peoples, the Romans absorbed their culture, including religious beliefs and mythology.

In the end, a myriad of gods of various origins entered the Roman pantheon, the religion of the ancient Romans lost its integrity and originality and after a while was replaced by Christianity. Rome became the first center of the Christian world.

Roman mythology is part of such an extensive topic as. And, about reading, about the meaning of books in those days among citizens, we talked in the article.

But back to .

First of all, it should be said that Roman religion and mythology were subordinated to politics, the moral principles of Rome and civic duty. Citizens should not have any doubts about the structure of their lives and the difference between the classes. All rulers are the chosen ones of the gods, and the sons of the gods. Therefore, they are closer to the celestials and they know better what life should be like. Many myths and legends of ancient Rome glorified heroism, were precisely epic. And, of course, there were mostly emperors.

It should be noted that if among the Greeks religion played a more divine meaning, then among the Romans the gods were an integral part of everyday life. They were necessary for plowing the land, sowing, successful seedlings, a rich harvest, etc. The gods each patronized a certain type of activity among people, certain natural phenomena and needed sacrifices. In other words, in the religion of the ancient Romans, rituals and cult occupied a central place. This could not but affect myths and legends.

In part, this situation was also due to the fact that religious scriptures were hidden from members of the Roman Senate. Only priests had access to them, who sometimes quoted scriptures as recommendations for senators.

Many emperors supported poets, artists and sculptors who created their works based on myths and legends of ancient Rome. This contributed to the strengthening of power.

At the end of the 6th - beginning of the 5th centuries. BC. the ancient Romans began to borrow, assigning Roman names to the Greek gods. So, the Romans got the Greek Zeus, whose name changed to Jupiter, the Greek goddess Aphrodite turned into Venus, Ares became Mars, etc. At the same time, the famous Roman myth about the twin brothers Romulus and Remus appeared.

The essence of the legend is that the uncle, the king of one of the Latin cities, tried to drown the boys in infancy, in fear of losing his power when the boys turn into young men and gain strength. The newborns were placed in a basket and thrown into the Tiber. But the basket caught on a tree branch and was found by a she-wolf. She nursed the children with her own milk. The boys were later found by a shepherd. He raised and raised them. The brothers became strong and powerful warriors. They rebelled against the king and killed him. Romulus and Reme decided to found a new city. But a dispute arose between them over the place of construction and who would be the ruler in the future. The result was a quarrel, during which Romulus killed Reme. At the place where the she-wolf once found the brothers, Romulus founded the city and named it in his honor, i.e. Rome.

This myth is of great importance for historians, because. the Romans counted from the legendary year of the founding of Rome, i.e. 753 BC Now in one of the Roman museums you can see the statue of the very she-wolf that once nursed two twin brothers. This statue stood for a long time on the Capitoline Hill in Rome. It should be added that the myth of Rome in Virgil appears as the idea of ​​the destiny of Rome to justly rule the world.

To the famous myths and legends of ancient Rome you can also add the myth of the hero of the Trojan War Enes, the legend of the battle of the Horatii and Curiatii, the myth of how the geese saved Rome.

Main sources myths and legends of ancient Rome are:

• "Aeneid"
• Livy, first history books
• Ovid "Fasty"
• Propertius, 4th book of elegies

In general, the Romans borrowed gods not only from the Greeks, but also from all the peoples they conquered. They worshiped foreign gods as well as their own. The culture of Ancient Rome was intertwined with the achievements of other peoples. It cannot be said that the Romans blindly copied other people's legends in their works. Much has been reworked, something has been brought to perfection and surpassed the original sources in its beauty.

Read myths and legends of ancient Rome no less interesting than fairy tales. Moreover, many of them are still pearls of literary art, on the creation of which many years of the greatest ancient Roman poets were spent. For example, "Aeneid"Wrote for a long 10 years. Subsequently, this work inspired many artists and poets to create their masterpieces. It should be remembered that all Western European culture was based on ancient art up to the 19th century.

Good reading for you!