Saintly Deities

Around December every year neo-pagans delight in posting on social media that “Christmas is a pagan festival” derived from the Roman celebration of Saturnalia. For the record, it is not. Christmas is very definitely a Christian festival whose name literally means “a mass for Christ”. Yet, perhaps because of the proximity of the dates, the popularity of Saturnalia did survive into the third and fourth centuries AD, and then later as a secular celebration long after it was removed from the official calendar (Salzman, 2007, 121.). As the Roman Empire became Christianised, some of the “pagan” customs influenced the seasonal celebrations surrounding Christmas and the New Year (Beard, North and Price, 1998, 124). As William Warde Fowler [1] wrote: “[Saturnalia] has left its traces and found its parallels in great numbers of medieval and modern customs, occurring about the time of the winter solstice” (Fowler, 1908, 271). Indeed, many western European Christians continued the traditional Saturnalia customs such as feasting and gift-giving while also celebrating Christmas and its associated holidays. Afterall, midwinter was a time to eat, drink, and be merry.

The [superficial] similarities between Saturnalia customs and those that continued and still contribute to Christmas festivities today piqued Tastes Of History’s curiosity about other related connections. As the ancient pantheon of deities gave way to the One God of the “Abrahamic religions”, what happened to all those gods and goddesses? Did they wake one morning only to discover they were out of a job? Did they simply fade into obscurity as fewer people revered them or even remembered them? Or have they survived, albeit in a revised form, in much the same manner as our very ancient midwinter festivities have been absorbed or accepted as part of the modern Christmas?

It is fairly evident that Christianity, and especially the Catholic Church, has very deep roots in the ancient Roman world. This should not be surprising as the early church was undoubtedly influenced by the institutions around it and would have wanted to feel familiar to converts to the fledgling religion. Thus, the Catholic Church’s structure, traditions and even vestments have clear antecedents in Roman religion. If one needed an example, the term pontiff is still used to refer to the head of the Roman Catholic church. In ancient Rome, however, a pontiff (Latin: pontifex; “high priest” from a root meaning “bridge-maker”) was a member of the most illustrious college of priests in Roman religion, namely the College of Pontiffs. As Christianity was embraced in Rome, and later across its empire, “pontiff” was the title given to the bishops of the early Church. While it remains accurate to call any Catholic bishop a pontiff, most Catholics today reserve the word for the Bishop of Rome, otherwise known as the Pope [2]. Even with so many shared roots, Christianity is obviously distinct from the earlier “pagan”, polytheistic Roman beliefs.

Threesome

Principal amongst all the deities worshipped by the Romans was the Capitoline Triad. This trio consisted of Jupiter, the supreme god of the Roman pantheon and head of the triad, and two goddesses, namely Juno his consort and Minerva his daughter. Like many things Roman, the triad was probably adopted from the Etruscans whom the Romans had largely conquered by 264 BC; the last Etruscan cities being formally absorbed into Rome by 27 BC. The supreme triad of gods in the Etruscan pantheon consisted of Tinia, Uni, and Menrva, who clearly matched Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva (their Greek counterparts are Zeus, Hera, and Athena). The Capitoline Triad occupied an important place in the public religion of Rome, and temples dedicated to them were built in various parts of the Roman world. The grouping of three gods, usually by importance or similar roles, has parallels in many religious contexts. Triads of three closely associated deities are commonly found throughout history, especially in the religious traditions of ancient Greece and Egypt but also in Norse mythology (Odin, Thor and Freyr), Hinduism (for example Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva (Trimurti) in Puranic Hinduism or Mitra, Aryaman, and Varuna in early Vedic Hinduism), Buddhism (the Sahā Triad of Shakyamuni, Avalokitesvara and Ksitigarbha), and many more. In most cases a triad of gods were usually not considered to be one in the same being or different aspects of a single deity such as in a Trinity or Triple deity. The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (Latin: Trinitas, lit. ”triad”, from Latin: trinus “threefold”) differs in this respect defining God as one being existing in three co-equal, co-eternal, consubstantial persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit. For Christians these three distinct persons share one essence. Within Christianity, therefore, an omnipotent Trinity meant there was no need to retain the numerous gods and goddesses of earlier times.

Religion was an essential part of daily life in ancient Rome. It helped Romans make sense of things both good and bad. Natural disasters or lost battles were believed to be evidence that the gods were unhappy. When things went well, then the opposite was true and the gods clearly favoured Rome. So, what follows is a list of the most frequently encountered ancient Roman deities together with their realm(s) of influence. Some gods and goddesses may be familiar because the Romans appropriated them from Greek mythology, so their Greek counterparts are in parentheses. Certain deities, however, are peculiar to the Romans having no Greek equivalent. For example, Volturnus the Roman god of water is represented in Greek mythology by several gods and goddesses. In most cases the deity’s name was changed when rendered in Latin, Apollo being one exception, while some names vary slightly in spelling (Ouranos to Uranus, Herakles to Hercules). Furthermore, in the two mythologies the gods may possess or represent different traits. It is not an exhaustive list by any means as there were many more minor deities and spirits venerated or worshipped by the highly superstitious Romans. One example were the household lemures who were malevolent spirits the Romans believed to be the restless souls of the dead who had not receive proper burial rites and were feared for their potential to harm the living.

Alongside the Graeco-Roman deity’s name and sphere of influence is a third column suggesting a corresponding Catholic saint who, on the surface at least, seems to perpetuate a most ancient practice. It is notable that with six entries, Saint Francis of Assissi is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Others of mention are Saint George and Saint Michael the Archangel with four entries each, and Saints Ignatius of Loyola and Gerard Majella both with three. So, where one can no longer call on Fortuna to bring good luck, then perhaps an entreaty to Saint Cajetan might do the trick. Similarly, caring for or watching over children might be assisted with prayers to the man who inspired Santa Claus himself, Saint Nicholas of Myra, and every February Saint Valentine could be called upon to ensure love is in the air. All of which is not to belittle belief in the saints or make fun of someone’s religious convictions. It is, however, intriguing that human nature seems hard-wired not to forsake the old ways but rather to assimilate them into new beliefs and practices. Perhaps we do prefer continuity to change.

Hopefully this comparative exercise has been of some interest. We cannot stress enough that no offence is intended. We were simply intrigued by the apparent parallels, and what this might say about us and our enduring beliefs. Bon appétit!

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References:

Beard, M., North, J.A. and Price, S.R.F. (1998), “Religions of Rome: A Sourcebook” vol. 2, Cambridge University Press.

Fowler, W.W., (1908), “The Roman Festivals of the Period of the Republic”, London, p. 271.

Salzman, M.R., (2007), “Religious Koine and Religious Dissent”, in “A Companion to Roman Religion”, Blackwell, p. 121.

Endnotes:

1. William Warde Fowler (May 16th, 1847 - June 15th, 1921) was an English historian and ornithologist, and tutor at Lincoln College, Oxford. He was best known for his influential works on ancient Roman religion, specifically “The Roman Festivals of the Period of the Republic” (1899). ▲

2. The word pope derives from Ancient Greek πάππας (páppas) meaning “father”. In the early centuries of Christianity, the title was applied, especially in the East, to all bishops and other senior clergy. Later in the West, during the reign of Pope Leo I (AD 440 to AD 461), it became reserved for the Bishop of Rome. This distinction was made official in the 11th-century. ▲