Magna Graecia
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Interpretatio graeca is a Latin term for the common tendency of ancient Greek writers to equate foreign divinities to members of their own pantheon. Herodotus, for example, refers to the ancient Egyptian gods Amon, Osiris and Ptah as "Zeus", "Dionysus" and "Hephaestus", respectively.
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Roman version
The equivalent Roman practice was called interpretatio romana. The first use of this phrase was by Tacitus in his Germania (ch. 43), in which he reports on a sacred grove of the Naharvali, saying "Praesidet sacerdos muliebri ornatu, sed deos interpretatione Romana Castorem Pollucemque memorant" ('a priest presides in woman's dress, but in the interpretation of the Romans, they worship the gods Castor and Pollux'). Elsewhere (ch. 9) he says that the chief gods of the ancient Germans were Hercules and Mercury—referring to Thor and Odin respectively.
Rome assumes the Greek gods
Roman culture owed much to the ancient Greeks. The Etruscans had already incorporated some Greek gods and used a version of the Greek alphabet. The Greek colonies founded in southern Italy from the eighth century BCE contributed much to the young city, and later, when the Romans conquered the Hellenistic world, they adopted a new wave of Greek beliefs and practices. (See Romans and Greeks for details.) Where the two mythologies shared an origin, the interpretations came naturally; Zeus and Jupiter, for example, were both derived from Dyeus of the Proto-Indo-European pantheon. Elsewhere the fit was less precise, and the Roman god might add attributes borrowed from the Greek, but remain distinct: Mars retained his Latin association with agriculture and fertility alongside his warlike attributes and, quite unlike the fearsome Greek Ares, was a benevolent and widely-revered cult figure.
Some Di Indigetes (native Roman gods), such as Janus and Terminus, had no Greek equivalent and so retained an independent tradition; a few, like Bona Dea, did the same despite sharing attributes with a Greek figure (in this case Artemis). Others, like the twelve assistants of Ceres, became mere adjuncts to imported Greek deities (here Demeter).
Rome and the gods of the empire
The Romans interpreted Celtic and Near Eastern gods as Roman deities with equal facility. Cernunnos and Lugh were identified with Mercury, Nodens to Mars as healer and protector, Sulis to Minerva, and the Anatolian storm god with his double-headed axe became Jupiter Dolichenus, a favorite cult figure among soldiers.
Even the Jewish invocation of Yahweh Sabaoth may have been identified with Sabazius.
Where the Romans had no equivalent figure, they did not hesitate to add foreign deities to their pantheon. Sometimes they would change the name: when Cybele was adopted from the Phrygians (the Greeks had previously interpreted her as Rhea), she was called Magna Mater deorum Idaea. Sometimes they would not: Apollo was called Apollo in both Greek and Latin.
Greco-Roman equivalences
Roman mythology was strongly influenced by Greek mythology and Etruscan mythology. The following is a list of most credited cult equivalences between the respective systems. Note however that many mythographers dismiss both the equivalences made in ancient times and those proposed by modern scholars.
Greek | Greek (Romanized) | Roman | Roman (Anglicized) | Etruscan | Meaning | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Άδωνις | Adonis | Atunis | lord, master, or patron | |||
Αμφιτρίτη | Amphitrite | Salacia | The third surrounding [the sea] | |||
Aνάγκη | Ananke | Necessitas | force, constraint, necessity | |||
Άνεμοι | Anemoi | Venti | Winds | |||
Aφροδίτη | Aphrodite | Venus | Turan | love or sexual desire |
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Απόλλων (Apollōn) / Φοίβος (Phoibos) |
Apollo / Phoebus | Apollo / Phoebus | Aplu | Phoebus means shining one | ||
Άρης | Ares | Mars | Maris | |||
Άρτεμις | Artemis | Diana | Artume | Heavenly or Divine | ||
Ασκληπιός (Asklēpios) | Asclepius | Aesculapius / Vejovis | ||||
Αθηνά | Athena / Athene | Minerva | Menrva | |||
Άτροπος | Atropos | Morta | Leinth | without turn; Death | ||
Βορέας | Boreas | Aquilo / Aquilon | Andas | North Wind or Devouring One | ||
Χάριτες (Kharites) | Charites | Gratiae | Graces | |||
Χάρων (Kharōn) | Charon | Charon | Charun | fierce brightness | ||
Χλωρίς (Khlōris) | Chloris | Flora | Chloris means greenish-yellow, pale green, pale, pallid or fresh. Flora means "flower." | |||
Κλωθώ (Klōthō) | Clotho | Nona | Spin or Twiddle | |||
Κρόνος (Kronos) | Cronus | Saturnus | Saturn | |||
Κυβέλη (Kubelē) | Cybele | Magna Mater | Great Mother | |||
Δημήτηρ | Demeter | Ceres | Earth Mother | |||
Διόνυσος (Diōnusos) / Βάκχος (Bakkhos) |
Dionysus / Bacchus | Liber / Bacchus | Fufluns | |||
Ενυώ | Enyo | Bellona | Warlike | |||
Ηώς | Eos | Aurora / Matuta | Thesan | Dawn | ||
Ερινύες | Erinyes | Dirae / Furiae | Furies | |||
Έρις | Eris | Discordia | Strife | |||
Έρως | Eros | Cupido / Amor | Cupid | love | ||
Εύρος (Euros) | Eurus | Vulturnus | ||||
Γαία | Gaia / Gaea | Terra / Tellus | land or earth | |||
Γαλινθιάς | Galanthis / Galinthias | Galinthis | Weasel | |||
Άδης (Hadēs) / Πλούτων (Plouton) |
Hades / Pluto | Dis Pater / Pluto / Orcus | Aita | The Unseen; Wealth | ||
Ήβη | Hebe | Iuventas | Juventas | |||
Εκάτη (Hekatē) | Hecate | Trivia | she who has power far off | |||
Ήλιος | Helios | Sol | Aplu | Sun | ||
Ήφαιστος (Hḗphaistos) | Hephaestus | Vulcanus | Vulcan | Sethlans | ||
Ήρα | Hera | Iuno | Juno | Uni | ||
Ηρακλής (Hēraklē̂s) | Heracles | Hercules | Hercle | Glory of Hera | ||
Ερμής | Hermes | Mercurius | Mercury | Turms | ||
Έσπερος (Hesperos) | Hesperus | Vesper | evening, supper, evening star, west | |||
Εστία | Hestia | Vesta | hearth, fireplace | |||
Υγεία | Hygeia | Salus | Health | |||
Ύπνος | Hypnos | Somnus | Sleep | |||
Ειρήνη (Eirēnē) | Irene | Pax | Peace | |||
Ianus | Janus | Ani | Archway | |||
Λάχεσις (Lakhesis) | Lachesis | Decima | Disposer of Lots | |||
Λητώ | Leto | Latona | ||||
Μοίραι (Moirai) | Moirae / Moerae | Parcae / Fatae | Fates | Apportioners | ||
Μούσαι (Mousai) | Musae | Camenae | Muses | |||
Νίκη | Nike | Victoria | Victory | |||
Νότος (Notos) | Notus | Auster | ||||
Νυξ (Nuks) | Nyx | Nox | Night | |||
Οδυσσεύς | Odysseus | Ulixes / Ulysses | Uthuze | |||
Παλαίμων (Palaimōn) | Palaemon | Portunes | ||||
Πάν | Pan | Faunus | ||||
Silvanus | Selvans | of the woods | ||||
Περσεφόνη | Persephone | Proserpina | Proserpine | to emerge | ||
Φήμη | Pheme | Fama | Fame/Rumor | |||
Φωσφόρος (Phōsphoros) | Phosphorus | Vesper | Light Bearer | |||
Ποσειδών | Poseidon | Neptunus | Neptune | Nethuns | ||
Πρίαπος (Priapos) | Priapus | Mutinus Mutunus | ||||
Ρέα | Rhea | Magna Mater / Ops (See Cybele, above) |
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Σάτυροι (Saturoi) / Πάνες | Satyrs / Panes (See Pan, above) |
Fauni | Fauns | |||
Σελήνη | Selene | Luna | Moon | |||
Σεμέλη | Semele | Stimula | Semla | |||
Θάνατος | Thanatos | Mors | Leinth, Charun | Death | ||
Θέμις | Themis | Iustitia | Justice | law of nature | ||
Τύχη (Tukhe) | Tyche | Fortuna | Fortune | Nortia | Luck; Fortune | |
Ουρανός (Ouranos) | Uranus | Caelus | Sky | |||
Vertumnus | Voltumna | |||||
Ζέφυρος (Zephuros) | Zephyrus / Zephyr | Favonius | the West Wind; Favorable | |||
Ζεύς | Zeus | Iuppiter / Iovis | Jupiter / Jove | Tinia | Sky Father |