What it's All About:
One of the most popular forms of paganism is this. It is also somewhat difficult to discuss. Why? Most of the myths of ancient Rome are actually influenced by the myths of ancient Greece. The only difference is the names of the gods. There are added myths and rituals which I will discuss here. I know I will talk about their festivals, two of which are now modern holidays. Maybe we can talk about how Modern Roman Paganism is practiced today.
Songs Featured:
Links Mentioned:
Spirit Guide of the Week:
Image by Tanya Pro on Unsplash.
Venus
Dream Symbol: (There are three)
Inflatable Mattress
Inspection
Image by Pat Kwon on Unsplash.
Necklace
Transcript:
(05:20)
Welcome to another episode of the Music From the Goddess’ Vault Podcast. I am your host, Midnight Starr. We started out with Heidevolk and Het Verbond Met (I hope I pronounced that correctly). Please check out the blog goddess vault one dot Wix site dot com forward slash home if you haven't already. You can listen to the show from there. Please share this podcast on the blog, the Music From the Goddess' Vault Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter @ Goddess vault, and TikTok at Midnight Starr two. That's Midnight Starr (with two r's) and the number two. I now turn to the topic of Roman paganism. Roman paganism can be interpreted in many different ways. Often, the Roman gods are also associated with the Greek gods, since the Romans adopted many of the Greek myths as their own. This form of paganism is quite fluid, as you can see. This form of paganism is very popular. Some people believe in the Roman gods, while others interpret them as metaphors for real-life situations. This form of paganism can take many forms. In addition, I will discuss the ancient Roman festivals, as two of them are actually modern-day holidays. Furthermore, I may discuss how modern pagans follow this path. Let's get right to it. Here is a track called Augeries of Love by OMNIA.
(12:24)
You are all aware that the word "paganism" comes from the Romans after most of them converted to Christianity. The word, however, was used as a derogatory term at the time for those who still worshiped the old gods. Before Rome was Christianized, the Greeks influenced their belief system. This was thanks to Alexander the Great. Their gods even resembled those of the Greeks. Here are some examples:
Venus is Aphrodite's Roman counterpart.
The god Zeus becomes the god Apollo.
The goddess Hera is renamed Juno.
It is Athena who becomes Minerva.
Ares becomes Mars.
This is Artemis becoming Diana.
Dionysus becomes Bacchus.
And there are more.
Ancient Greek mythology influenced all of Roman mythology except for one. Romulus and Remus is the only myth that is truly original. Another difference is the festivals. And Rome had some pretty interesting ones. I will give you a few examples, beginning with Lupercalia. This festival took place in February and lasted for six days. Lupercalia honored the She-Wolf who raised Romulus and Remus. This festival involved animal sacrifice and was sexually charged with men running around naked whipping women with the skin of the sacrificed animal. Couples soon got together and later married. This is the origin of Valentine's Day as we know it today. A spring festival called Quinquatria took place from March 19th to 23rd. It was dedicated to Minerva, the goddess of wisdom. As part of this festival, Minerva's temple was consecrated on the first day. The rest of Quinquatria's days were like a circus that included women visiting fortune tellers. Volcanalia is a summer festival that took place on August 23rd. It was dedicated to the fire god Vulcan. The festival included games, bonfires, and small animals were sacrificed by being thrown into the fire. Then there is Saturnalia. This festival took place from December 17th to 23rd. It was held in honor of the god Saturn. Saturnalia was the most important festival in ancient Rome. Everyone stopped working during those days, so slaves were free. Role reversals occurred in which slaves became masters and masters became slaves. The streets were filled with singing, music, chariot races, and gambling. Pigs were sacrificed on the first day of Saturnalia. People decorated their homes with wreaths and received gifts. Historically, Saturnalia was one of the precursors to Christmas. Here’s Faun with Lupercalia.
(18:18)
It’s time for another spirit guide of the week. The dominant theme here is Roman Paganism, so I thought I might talk about the goddess Venus. Everyone knows her as the goddess of love, beauty, passion, sex, fertility, fortune, and success. Venus is also the goddess of prostitution. In fact, she is the most popular deity in the Roman pantheon. There is even a planet named after her. A native Italian fertility goddess, she had no myth of her own. Therefore, the ancient Romans had her take on the role of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Her most famous legend is that she was born in mature form in a sea foam from Caelus-Uranus' damaged genitals. This myth is depicted in Botticelli's masterpiece, The Birth of Venus. She is well known for her countless sexual conquests, of course. She was known by several epithets, including that of Venus Verticordia, who was tasked with protecting women's and girls' virginity. Venus can help you in your love life, gain prosperity and fertility. That is it for now. Stay tuned for another spirit guide of the week.
(22:54)
Venus and the Fly is by KIVA. I will now discuss modern Roman paganism. After the fall of ancient Rome, the idea of rebuilding it has been around since the Renaissance. But by the way, the modern day Roman Pagans also call themselves Religio Romana. This could also be described as “the Roman Way of the Gods.” Rome's pre-Christian religion was known as Religio Romana. They would be more reconstructionist in the pagan spectrum, because that is what they are attempting to achieve as nearly as possible, but with modern values in mind. As a result, I don't believe they would sacrifice animals. Among the most famous covens in Religio Romana are the Movimento Tradizionale Romano or MTR and the Nova Roma, which was founded in 1998 in the United States, and now has members all over the world. They are currently practicing their beliefs in private. They do so in order to establish a favorable relationship with their gods through communal devotion, rituals, oaths, and vows. However, practitioners of the Religio Romana would like to reinstate public religious ceremonies. The followers of the Roman Way of the Gods, on the other hand, are more than just religious and seek worldly dominion. They also follow mystery traditions, which we pagans all know are concerned with our own spiritual development. Religio Romana is also divided into two groups, the Re-enactors and the Reconstructionists. Re-enactors are the ones who study history and, as previously mentioned, they want to be as authentic to ancient beliefs as possible, but with a modern twist. The reconstructionists strive to reconstruct ancient Roman culture and adapt it to the modern world. I hope I didn't confuse you all. In any case, if you are interested in all things ancient Rome, you can certainly research it when you have time. Let’s listen to Danza Nova by Wolgemut.
(28:27)
Here's another dream symbol to interpret. In this week's dream symbols, there are three. They are Inflatable Mattress, Inspection, and Necklace. If you have a dream about inflating an air mattress, it implies you are investing too much effort into a one-sided relationship. If you have a dream about inflating an inflatable mattress in one breath, it indicates you are highly ambitious. In your dreams, seeing or sleeping on an inflatable bed indicates that you are in a short circumstance or partnership. A dream concerning a house inspection indicates that you are coping with self- and/or body criticism. In dreams, a car inspection indicates that it is time to reassess your goals and how you plan to achieve them. Dreaming of a food inspection indicates that you should reconsider your support network. In dreams, necklaces usually show unfulfilled wishes. If you lose or break your necklace in your dreams, it means your rationality is being pushed aside by your emotional reasoning. And dreaming that the necklace is cursed indicates that you are unsure about a partnership. If you want a dream symbol to interpret and maybe have a dream symbol featured, I will mention the contact information at the end of this show. So keep dreaming.
(34:40)
From worldoftales.com, here's another story. The story is called Parsley, and it comes from Italy.
(42:17)
Before the story started, you heard Tuatha Dea and Granny's Bedtime Tonic. This concludes the show. Again, I am your host, Midnight Starr. If you have any suggestions for a song, show topic, spirit guide, or dream symbol, or simply want to like, share, or comment, you can do so on the Music From the Goddess' Vault Facebook Page, goddess vault one dot Wix Site dot com forward slash home, on TikTok at Midnight Starr (with two r's) 2, and on Instagram and Twitter at Goddess Vault. I am going to leave you with Orbiting Jupiter by Three Weird Sisters. Blessed be.
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