Gods of Roman mythology. Roman mythology

Mars gained a foothold in Ancient Italy as the god of fertility, as well as the ancestor and guardian of Rome. And only later did he become the patron of war, similar to Greek mythology. The first month of the Roman year, March, was named in honor of the glorious character.

History of appearance

The ancient Romans especially revered the god of fertility and the ruler of vegetation. They feared him because he, being in a bad mood, could easily destroy crops or livestock. And they respected him - after all, if you cajole the deity, then misfortunes will pass by. “Good” Mars selflessly fought against colds and storms, fought against evil spirits that attacked the harvest, patronized shepherds, and looked after the household.

The deity was often called Gradiv. The word comes from the verb “to increase,” that is, the number of livestock and the volume of the harvest depended on his efforts. Researchers also believe that the word is a derivative of “to walk.” Later, when Mars became the god of war, this meant that he "walks (walks) ahead of the Roman army."

Gradually, Mars acquired new functions - it defended the city walls, helped the army on the battlefields with the enemy, together with the warlike goddess Bellona. Although he is identified with the Greek Ares, the Roman patron of warriors was revered more in his homeland, because these two deities had an important difference. Ares was responsible for a destructive war, with murders and robberies, and Mars was perceived as the creator of order. He not only helped to conquer lands, but after victories he was also responsible for the well-being of the territories under his control and protected them from treacherous neighbors. But Bellona just endowed wars with cruelty, personified devastation and death.

Before battles, Mars was presented with generous sacrificial gifts, and upon returning with victory, he was presented with the best horse from the quadriga.

The spear of Mars was kept in the royal palace, as well as the shield of the deity, which, according to legend, fell from the sky, becoming a harbinger of the military successes of the Romans. Later, the ruler Numa Pompilius ordered the creation of 11 similar shields so that thieves could not figure out the real one. According to other versions, the weapon rested in a temple built in honor of Mars. Before a military campaign, the commander picked up a spear with a shield and called: “Mars, don’t sleep!” Those whose relatives were unjustly killed also came to the sacred monastery. People believed that God would help take revenge.

One of the oldest temples was built in a deserted place, outside the city, where there used to be arable land. A large piece of land was called the Campus Martius. There is freedom for the military there, because armed people were forbidden to enter the city. The exception is the procession of the victorious army, which first gathered on this field.

Mars reached unprecedented heights: the image of God appeared on coins, he was glorified as a “winner”, “assistant in the expansion of the empire”.

Mars retained a dual nature, remaining for the Romans both the god of fertility and the patron saint of soldiers, so as many as three holidays were established in his honor. In February the military season opened, at the beginning of spring they asked for a fruitful summer, and in October they thanked for victories in battles and suspended military campaigns for the cold months.

Legends and myths

In Rome, Mars was placed higher than Ares in Greece, also because the “Italian” god is considered the father of the founder of the great city.

According to legend, Mars is the fruit of love and. God married Nereina, who personified courage. This minor goddess was also identified with Minerva. In Roman mythology, the patron saint of wars appeared on the battlefield accompanied by minor deities - Pavor and Pallor, who were responsible for fear and horror, and Virtus and Chonos, whose powers concerned valor and honor.

Mars has two twin sons, from a completely different heroine. Remus and Romulus, who founded Rome, were given birth to the Vestal Virgin (priestess of the goddess Vesta) Rhea Silvia.

The myths mention another heartfelt affection of the god of war. One day, Mars fell madly in love with Minerva and rushed for help to the old goddess Anna Perenna - in the hope that she would kindly introduce him to the object of his love. Anna brought good news: Minerva agreed to become the wife of Mars. The inspired god rushed to his beloved, and when he threw off the veil from her face, he saw with horror that instead of the beautiful bride, Perenna was in front of him. The gods then laughed for years at the elderly goddess’s successful joke.

Film adaptations

Mars in human form appeared before audiences in 1961. The film “The Rape of the Sabine Women,” directed by Richard Pottier, tells the story of how the brave and noble Romulus, the ruler of Rome, came up with a plan to replenish the city’s population with women - the men were suffering from a shortage of brides. The neighbors have plenty of girls, Sabines, and one is more beautiful than the other. Romulus announced the beginning of the Olympic Games, which started at the walls of Rome. Naturally, queues of women lined up wanting to admire the handsome guys. In this film adaptation, Mars is played by an actor.

The women of the world fell in love with the Roman deity in 1962 - the film “Mars, God of War”, directed by Marcello Baldi, was released, where the American Roger Brown shone. The actor with a courageous face and muscular torso won the hearts of the fair sex. The film unfolds in a battle between a ruthless black army led by the conqueror Afros and the army of King Kronos. The barbarians had already lost their strength, but a traitor came to the rescue and opened the gates of the city. Jupiter took pity on Kronos, sending reinforcements from heaven to earth in the guise of the son of Mars.

The handsome young god of war fell hopelessly in love with the king's youngest heir, Daphne (actress Jocelyn Lane). However, the hero plunged into a new struggle - the fate of a vestal virgin awaited his beloved, and in order to save her, Mars will have to fight his own sister Venus.

• The Romans endowed Mars with three lives, and the sacred animals of this deity were called the wolf, bull, horse and woodpecker.

• A scattering of statues is dedicated to Mars. The most famous statue adorns the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
• During the Renaissance, artists became so fascinated with Mars that the god became a frequent “model” for masterpieces of painting. Sometimes the masters of the brush mocked, depicting the god of war in humorous scenes. Such paintings include Padovanino’s (Alessandro Varotari) “Mars and Venus Playing Chess.”
• The planet Mars was already called “bloody” in ancient times. In 1877, American astronomer Asaph Hall recorded a pair of satellites of the celestial body, which were named Deimos and Phobos. However, the existence of satellites was “predicted” by a writer in the third chapter of the book “Gulliver’s Travels,” 150 years before the discovery of the American astronomer.

The Roman leader, going to battle, exclaimed: “Mars, watch.” This call seemed to bring legions under the command of the eternal warrior, the patron saint of all quarrels and strife. The Romans knew him well from the very beginning of their history. Mars was the common Italian god of war. Its original image was an idol that looked like a spear. The wolf was considered a sacred animal of Mars; since the she-wolf nursed the twins of Mars, Romulus and Remus, the wolf family was surrounded with almost religious honor: the wolf was depicted on military standards, and figurines of wolves cast in bronze often stood in temples. But even now, going up the Capitol, to the left of the large, wide stairs you can see a cage entwined with ivy, where a pair of wolves live, which the whole city feeds. Howling pitifully, the wolves pour out their longing for the cold mountains and dark forest.

Mars was the guardian of borders and at the same time the guardian of fields and harvests. Bringing him his svetav Riliya - a sacrifice of a pig, a sheep and a bull - the peasant prayed to him: “Father Mars, I beg and ask you, be always kind and merciful to me, to my house and my entire family. To prevent your caresses, I ordered your sacrificial animals - a pig, a sheep and a bull - to be circled around my field, my land, my lands. Protect us from all diseases, visible and invisible, from pestilence and hunger and from every disaster. All the fruits of the earth, the grains, the vines, and the gardens received a harvest. The shepherds’ cattle are protected, and health and happiness are sent to me, my home and my entire family.”

The priests of Mars were called Salii, or Plyguna. The following legend was told about their origin. During the reign of Numa, an epidemic broke out in Rome. People were dying like flies. The pious King Numa went out in front of his house in the morning, raised his hands to the sky and asked God for mercy. One day, as he stood there, deep in prayer, a small bronze shield fell from the sky into his hands, and a voice was heard from above that said that the Roman state would continue to exist and strengthen its power as long as this shield was kept among the largest shrines. . King Numa, on the advice of the nymph Egeria, who was his adviser in all religious matters, ordered eleven more of the same round shields to be made. One skilled blacksmith made eleven shields so similar to the one that fell from the sky that Numa himself could not recognize where the real one was among them. The guardianship of the sacred shields was entrusted to a panel of twelve priests called Salia. During the festival of Mars, in the month of March, the Salii, under the leadership of the priest of Mars (Flamini Martialis), went to the house of the high priest, where these shields were kept. There they wore purple tunics and cloaks decorated with purple. Each had a helmet on his head, a sword on his side, one of the sacred shields in his left hand, and a spear in his right hand. In this attire, salii went out into the street, accompanied by flutists. In time with the music, they struck their shields with spears and performed an ancient war dance around the altar of the gods. Together they sang majestic songs to Janus, Mars, Jupiter and other gods. These songs were composed in such ancient Latin that the later Romans barely understood them.

The best temple of Mars, built in Rome by Augustus, is Mars Ultor (Avenger) - in memory of the punishment of the murderers of Caesar. The temple became a forum for Augustus. Not far from it stood the old temple of Bellona, ​​a warlike goddess akin to Mars.

Confidentiality - a custom diploma in Moscow is a very delicate matter that requires confidentiality, so we respect this.

In the alchemical tradition, the symbol of Mars is a graphic image of a circle with an arrow located at an angle of 45 degrees. The “symbol of Mars” meant iron, which in medieval esotericism was inextricably linked with the “red planet” and the element of Fire. At the same time, Mars originally embodied strength, aggression and belligerence (in fact, Mars is the name of the ancient Roman god of war), that is, purely “male” characteristics. That is why, over time, the symbol of Mars became a gender designation for the male sex (in a similar way, the symbol of Venus, which also came from medieval alchemy, and came into it from ancient mythology, began to be used to designate the female sex).

Thus, the symbols of Venus and Mars moved from the alchemical environment into the category of universal gender emblems, which, in fact, is not surprising, given the characteristic features attributed to the images of these planets. However, the mythological background of the symbols of Venus and Mars is much more significant than it might seem. In particular, the symbol of Mars in its statutory outline has its own characteristic name - “shield and spear of Mars.” And here we literally mean the legendary weapon of the ancient Roman god of war.

However, in the concept of “shield and spear of Mars” the mythological meaning is emphasized only by the concept of “shield”. That is, Mars (in the sense of god) was depicted with a spear (unlike, for example, the Greek Ares, who was sometimes armed with a sword). However, the spear here acted as an absolutely abstract male and military symbol, in which it is easy to see a phallic image. And there is no information that Mars had any special spear that could be classified as a magical artifact.

But the shield of Mars is a completely different image, which is sometimes called (with good reason) the symbol of Rome. The shield of Mars, called the ankylus, according to legend, fell from the sky and fell directly into the hands of King Numa Pompilius at a time when his people were suffering from a pestilence epidemic. Pompilius claimed that the fall of the ankylus was accompanied by a loud voice that told the king that Rome would rule the world as long as the shield of Mars was in the hands of a Roman. Actually, at the official level, the shield of Mars was never a symbol of Rome, however, this myth was widely known at all times, therefore in traditional Roman architecture there are often bas-reliefs and statues that include a characteristic element - the ankylos, the shield of Mars (its image given above).

There are two interesting points in this tradition associated with the shield of Mars. Firstly, the etymology of the word “ankil” itself is not known. Secondly, by order of Pompilius, 11 copies of the original shield were made and once a year, on the holiday of the god of war, servants of the cult of Mars carried these shields through the streets of Rome.

It is not known exactly when the formulation “spear and shield of Mars” appeared (although, for example, the origin of the concept “mirror of Venus”, denoting the female gender sign, is beyond doubt). At the same time, taking into account the courteous features of the image of the god Mars in the form of statues and bas-reliefs (with an ankylos and a spear), this combination looks quite logical. It is no less logical to correlate the desired symbol with the planet of the same name and the masculine principle as such.

Thus, the symbol of Mars, which arose in deep antiquity, experienced a “rebirth” in the Middle Ages on the pages of alchemical treatises, and in the 20th century it became a generally accepted “male” sign. And it is very important that today we know well the true origin of this truly ancient and profound image. After all, if a culture uses emblems the essence of which it does not understand, then such a culture is worthless.

MARS(Mars) M A pile, M A rspiter(“Father Mars”), one of the most ancient gods of Italy and Rome, was part of the triad of gods that originally headed the Roman pantheon (Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus). March was dedicated to him - the first month of the ancient calendar, when the ritual of expelling winter (“old Mars”) was performed (Ovid. Fast. III 389 next). There are different opinions about the original nature of Mars: he is considered both the chthonic deity of fertility and vegetation, and the god of wild nature, everything unknown and dangerous, located outside the settlement, and the god of war. Animals were sacred to Mars: woodpecker, horse, bull, wolf (sometimes chthonic three-headed); these animals, according to legend, led the young men born in the spring, according to the custom of the “sacred spring”, dedicated to Mars, showing them places to settle. Mars accompanied the warriors going to war. According to some legends, he was endowed with three lives, which made him related to the son of the chthonic goddess Feronia Eril, who received three lives from his mother. Landowners, performing a ritual cleansing tour (lustration) of their estate, turned to Mars with a request to give fertility to their fields, health to their families, slaves, and livestock. The armed citizens who had gathered on the Campus Martius appealed to him during the rite of purification (Dion. Halic. IV 22); to Mars, as well as to laram, the Arval brothers addressed when they performed the rite of lustration of the territory of Rome. Like the god of the forests Sylvanas, A sacrifice was made to Mars in the forest - a bull. As the father of Romulus, Mars was the founder and guardian of Rome. At the same time, the temple of Mars as the god of war was built on the Field of Mars outside the city walls (pomerium), because armed troops were not supposed to enter the territory of the city. The symbol of Mars was a spear, kept in the king's dwelling - regia (Aul. Gell. IV 6, 2), where twelve shields were also placed, one of which, according to legend, fell from the sky as a guarantee of the invincibility of the Romans, and eleven of its copies by order of the king The numas were made by the skilled blacksmith Mamurri so that enemies could not recognize and steal the original (Plut. Numa, 13). The commander, going to war, set his spear and shields in motion, calling on Mars (Serv. Verg. Aen. VII 603; VIII 3). Their spontaneous movement was considered an omen of terrible troubles. The guardian of these shrines was the priestly college of the Salii, who carried out his shields on the holidays of Mars and performed military dances in his honor. The ceremonies for the purification of horses, weapons, and musical instruments that began and ended the season of military campaigns were dedicated to him. When hostilities ended, a horse from the quadriga that won the race was sacrificed to Mars. Two quarters fought for the horse's head, and depending on the outcome of the struggle, it, decorated with bread, was placed either in the regia or on the Mamilia tower in Suburra. The horse's blood, which had purifying powers, was kept in the region and temple of Vesta. Apparently, attempts to accurately record the ancient functions of Mars remain poorly founded, since at the corresponding stages of the development of religion, the guardian god of the community, which Mars was, had various aspects, helping both in war and in peacetime, giving victory, abundance, and well-being. However, Mars later became exclusively the god of war and as such was identified with the Greek Ares(although this identification played a role more in literature than in religion). The wife of Mars was considered to be Nerio or Neriene, identified with Venus and Minerva, originally “The Valor of Mars” (Aul. Gell. XIII 23). In 366 BC The temple at the Capena Gate was dedicated to Mars, from where the army went to war, and the horsemen to the annual parade (Liv. VII 23, 8; Dion. Halic. VI 13). In the center of the forum, Augustus dedicated a luxurious temple to the avenger Mars in gratitude for the victory over the assassins of Caesar. During the imperial era, Mars was often depicted on coins and was widely popular in the army, often together with Honor And Virtus; was endowed with the epithets “victor”, “fighter”, “expanding the empire”, “companion of Augustus”, “guardian”, “pacifier”. In the western provinces, the main gods of tribal and territorial communities were often identified with Mars and he was endowed with epithets derived from the names of tribes and settlements (for example, Mars Latobius - from the Latobikov tribe in Norica), as well as “king of light”, “wise” in Gaul , “king of the community” in Britain, Mars Things (i.e. god of the Thing - the people’s assembly) on the Rhine, etc. This suggests that early Roman ideas about Mars as the supreme god of the community continued to exist in popular beliefs.

Lit.: Dumézil G., Juppiter, Mars, Quirinus. ; Hermansen G., Studien über den italishen und den römischen Mars, Kbh., 1940 (Diss.); Thevenot E., Sur les traces des Mars céltique, Brugge, 1955.

E.M. Shtaerman

Myths of the peoples of the world. Encyclopedia. (In 2 volumes). Ch. ed. S.A. Tokarev.- M.: “Soviet Encyclopedia”, 1982. T. II, p. 119-120.

In the mythology of the ancient Greeks, Ares was the god of war. Unlike Pallas Athena, the goddess of fair and just war, Ares gave wars an insidious and treacherous character. The ancient Romans revered Mars as the god of war; he was unlike either Athena or Ares. He helped the Romans win victories, gave well-being and prosperity, so in Rome he, along with the god Jupiter, was highly valued, revered in every way, and dedicated a special month in the annual calendar - March. The ancient Romans considered this first month of spring the most favorable for the start of hostilities.

Initially, Mars was the god of fertility, all vegetation, the god of wild nature, everything unknown and dangerous, which was fraught with a threat. He could destroy the harvest or cause the death of livestock, but most often, on the contrary, he protected the livestock and prevented crop failure. So gradually Mars became the guardian, and then the god of war.

One day Mars fell in love with Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, similar in beauty to Venus, the goddess of love, but did not know how to approach her. He was forced to turn to the elderly Anna Perenna, the Roman goddess of the coming new year, and ask her to be a matchmaker. She agreed, but Minerva disagreed. She did not at all want to become the wife of the god of war. And then they decided to play a joke. Anna Perenna informed Mars that Minerva was pleased with this proposal and was ready to become his wife. He was given a secret meeting. Mars flew on the wings of love to the appointed place, where a woman sat covered with muslin. He was told that this was his bride. With his heart beating, he lifted her veil and saw the old woman with horror. Anna Perenna sat in Minerva's place. Having learned about the unsuccessful matchmaking of Mars, the gods laughed at him for a long time, and he eventually married the goddess Nerio, who was sometimes identified with Venus.

The Romans considered Mars to be the father of Romulus and Remus. But the Vestal Rhea Silvia gave birth to them. Therefore, Mars was revered as the ancestor of the city, its guardian, sacrifices were made in his honor, and the Field of Mars appeared near Rome, on which a sacred temple was also built in his honor. According to the beliefs of that time, in order not to expose the city to danger, armed Roman troops were forbidden to enter the city limits.

The servants of the sanctuary of the god Mars were priests called salii; there were 12 of them. They were all elected from noble families - patricians. According to legend, on March 1, a shield fell from the sky into the hands of the second king of Rome, Numu Pompilius. This was considered a sign from the gods. The shield became the guarantee of the invincibility of the Roman army. Based on his model, 11 more shields were created, which were called sacred and handed over to the Saliyas. They were kept on the Palatine Hill, where the Roman emperors later built their palaces.

Before the start of a military campaign, the commanders came to the temple of Mars, they worshiped the sacred shields. When autumn came and hostilities ceased, the sacred shields were removed, and only on March 1 they were put up again. On this day, salii in military armor led the solemn procession. She moved through Rome and stopped at the doors of the sanctuary of Mars.