THE SUN HAS SET

Picture by/Imagen de Christina Balit Eris was the goddess or of strife, discord, contention and rivalry. She was often represented specifically as the demon of the strife of war, who haunted the battlefield and delighted in human bloodshed. She was the sister of Ares and usually attended wars with him. Eris' Roman counterpart was Discordia. Because of Eris' disagreeable and trouble-maker nature she was the only goddess not to be invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. Despite of that, she turned up anyway, and when she was refused admittance, she, in a rage, threw a golden apple amongst the goddesses inscribed "To the fairest." Three goddesses laid claim it, and in their rivalry brought about the events which led to the Trojan War. _____________________ Eris era la diosa  de la lucha, la discordia, la contención y la rivalidad. Se la representada a menudo específicamente como un demonio de la lucha y de la guerra, que hechizaba a los guerreros en el c...

Picture by/Imagen de Christina Balit In ancient Roman religion and myth, Luna is the divine embodiment of the Moon. She is often presented as the female complement of the Sun (Sol) conceived of as a god. Luna is also sometimes represented as an aspect of the Roman triple goddess (diva triformis), along with Proserpina and Hecate. Luna is not always a distinct goddess, but sometimes rather an epithet that specializes a goddess, since Diana and Hecate are  also identified as moon goddesses. Luna's Greek counterpart was Selene, and Diana's was Artemisa. The celestial character of Diana is reflected in her connection with moonlight, inaccessibility and her preference for dwelling on high mountains and in sacred woods. Diana therefore reflects the heavenly world in its sovereignty and supremacy but at the same time, she is seen as active in ensuring the succession of kings and in the preservation of humankind through the protection of childbirth. As a goddess of hunting, Di...

Picture by/Imagen de Christina Balit Sol was the solar deity in Ancient Roman religion. It has long been thought that Rome actually had three different, consecutive sun gods: Sol Indiges, Sol Invictus and Apollo. Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in classical Greek and Roman religion and Greek and Roman mythology. The ideal of the athletic youth is represented by Apollo. He was variously recognized not only as the god of light and the sun, but also the god of truth, prophecy, healing, plague, knowledge, medicine, music or poetry. In Roman mythology ha had a twin sister Diana (Luna) the goddess of the moon. Helios was another personification of the Sun in Greek mythology, brother of the goddess Selene. However, both gods (Helios and Apollo) co-existed as they were viewed as two distinct gods belonging to two generations; Helios was a Titan, whilst Apollo was an Olympian. Apollo, as god of music, fell in love with the lyre and he is usually r...

Picture by/Imagen de Christina Balit In ancient Roman religion and myth Terra Mater ("Mother Earth") was the goddess of the earth, one of the the twenty principal gods of Rome, and one of the twelve agricultural deities. She is regularly associated with Ceres in rituals pertaining to the earth and agricultural fertility. Her attributes were the cornucopia, bunches of flowers or fruit. She was typically depicted reclining. Her Greek counterpart was Gaia, the great mother of all: the primal Greek Mother Goddess; creator and giver of birth to the Earth and all the Universe; the heavenly gods, the Titans and the Giants. ___________________ En la antigua religión y mitología romana Terra Mater ("Madre Tierra") era la diosa de la tierra, uno de los veinte principales dioses de la antigua Roma y una de los doce deidades agrícolas. Se la asociaba regularmente con Ceres en ritos relacionados con la tierra y la fertilidad agrícola.Sus atributos son el cuerno de l...

Picture by/Imagen de Christina Balit Pluto was the ruler of the underworld in classical mythology. The earlier name for the god was Hades, which became more common as the name of the underworld as a place. Pluto presides over the afterlife. He is also a god of wealth, because mineral wealth was found underground, and ruled the deep earth that contained the seeds necessary for a bountiful harvest. Pluto's Roman equivalent were Dis Pater and Orcus, but a Latinized Pluto became the most common name for the classical ruler of the underworld in subsequent Latin literature and other art forms. Tributes of Pluto are his scepter, keys, throne, and horses, he also wears a cloak or helmet, which makes him go invisible. The best-known myth involving Pluto or Hades is the abduction of Persephone, also known as Kore or Proserpina (Latin). __________ Plutón era el gobernante del inframundo en la mitología clásica. Anteriormente era conocido con el nombre de Hades, pero el nombre de Plu...

Picture by/Imagen de Christina Balit Neptune was the Roman god of freshwater and the oceans in Roman religion. He is the counterpart of the Greek god Poseidon. Neptune was likely initially associated with fresh water springs and streams before the sea. He was worshiped by the Romans also as a god of horses, being the patron of horse-racing. The son of Saturn and Ops, is always represented bearing a trident for a scepter. In Roman mythology, the consort of Neptune, a comparatively minor figure, was Salacia, the goddess of saltwater. The Neptunalia was the festival of Neptune on July 23, at the height of summer. The date and the construction of tree-branch shelters suggest a primitive role for Neptune as god of water sources in the summer's drought and heat. The adjective neptunian in the geological sense, refers to actions of water opposed to volcanic. __________________ Neptuno era el dios romano del agua dulce y de los océanos en la religión romana. Es el equivalente del ...

Picture by/Imagen de Christina Balit Uranus was the primal Greek god personifying the sky. His equivalent in Rome was Caelus. In Ancient Greek literature, he was the son and husband of Gaia, the Mother Earth. Uranus was conceived by Gaia alone, but both were the parents of the first generation of Titans, and so, the ancestors of most of the Greek gods. Nevertheless no cult addressed directly to Uranus survived into Classical times, and Uranus does not appear among the usual themes of Greek painted pottery. Nevertheless he is remembered for his role one important myth, the birth of Aphrodite. In the most famous version of the myth, her birth was the consequence of a castration: Cronus severed Uranus' genitals and threw them behind him into the sea. The foam from his genitals gave rise to Aphrodite. It is anomalous that, while the other planets take Roman names, Uranus is a name derived from Greek. In the 19th-century the term uranian was referred to a person with problems of...

Picture by/Imagen de Christina Balit Saturn was a god in ancient Roman religion. Saturn is a complex figure because of his multiple associations and long history. He was the first god of the Capitol, known since the most ancient times and was seen as a god of generation, dissolution, plenty, wealth, agriculture, periodical renewal and liberation. In later developments he came to be also a god of time. The Romans identified Saturn with the Greek Cronus, whose myths were adapted for Latin literature and Roman art. Saturn had two consorts who represented different aspects of the god. Ops, the equivalent of Greek Rhea that means "wealth, abundance, resources." and Lua that means "destruction, dissolution, loosening". Saturday is derived from Saturn as well as the adjective saturnine (gloomy) related to his role in mythology and astrology. ___________________ Saturno era un dios de la antigua religión romana. Es una figura compleja, debido a sus múltiples aso...

Picture by/Imagen de Christina Balit In ancient Rome, Jupiter was the king of the gods and the god of sky, lightning and thunder. He was the chief deity of Roman state religion throughout the Republican and Imperial eras, until Christianity became the dominant religion of the Empire. The Romans regarded Jupiter as the equivalent of the Greek Zeus, and after the fusion, became also the god of law, order and justice. He was the son of Saturn and Ops, and like in Greek mythology he defeated his father. The day of the week Jueves derives from him. He presided the realm of the sky. __________________ En la antigua Roma, Júpiter era el rey de los dioses y el dios del cielo, los relámpagos y los truenos. Era el principal deidad de la religión del estado romano a lo largo de las épocas republicanas e imperiales, hasta que el cristianismo se convirtió en la religión dominante del Imperio. Los romanos consideraban a Júpiter como el equivalente del Zeus griego, y después de la fusión, s...

Picture by/ Imagen de Christina Balit In ancient Roman religion, Ceres was a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, death, mystery, fertility, nourishment and motherly relationships. She was paired with her daughter Proserpina in what Romans described as "the Greek rites of Ceres", related to the comeback of the world of the death in wich Ceres was represented as the goddess of the fruitful earth and guardian of its underworld portals. She was also honoured at harvest-time, and during Roman marriages and funeral rites. Her Greek counterpart was Demeter. Words such as cereal come from the goddess. She was the daughter of Saturn and Ops and mother of the kidnapped Proserpina. _________________________ En la antigua religión romana, Ceres era la diosa de la agricultura, los cultivos de cereales, la muerte, el misterio, la fertilidad, la alimentación y las relaciones maternales. Ella fue emparejada con su hija Proserpina en lo que los romanos describieron como ...

Picture by/Imagen de Christina Balit Under the influence of Greek culture, Mars was identified with the Greek god Ares. In ancient Roman religion and myth, Mars was an agricultural god guardian that later developed war characteristics due to Greek influence. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods in the religion of the Roman army. Virility was another essential characteristic of Mars. Most of his festivals were held in March, the month named for him, the day of the week Martes, is also named after him. Contrary to his Greek counterpart, Mars was the son of Juno alone. The word martial for instance, derives from Mars. ______________ Bajo la influencia de la cultura griega, Marte fue identificado con el dios griego Ares. En la antigua religión romana y su mito, Marte era un dios guardián agrícola que posteriormente desarrolló características guerreras debido a la influencia griega. Era el segundo en importancia después d...

Picture by / Imagen de Christina Balit Venus is the Roman counterpart to the Greek Aphrodite. Venus embodies sex, love, beauty, enticement, seduction, and persuasive female charm among the community of immortal gods. In Roman mythology, she was the mother of the Roman people through her son, Aeneas, who survived the fall of Troy and fled to Italy. In myth, Venus was born of sea-foam. Roman theology presents Venus as the yielding, watery female principle, essential to the generation and equilibrium of life. The root of her name traces back to indoeuropean wen- ; to strive after, wish, desire, be satisfied. The Spanish day of the week Viernes is dedicated to her. Words like venerable or veneration come from the goddess. ______________ Venus es el equivalente romano de la diosa griega Afrodita. Venus representa el sexo, el amor, la belleza, el encanto, la seducción y la persuasión femenina en el panteón de dioses inmortales romanos. En la mitología romana, era la madre del pu...

Picture by/Imagen de Christina Balit. Mercury is the Roman version of the Greek Hermes. He is the patron god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, communication, travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery and thieves; furthermore he is also the guide of souls to the underworld. He was considered the son of Maia and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is related to the Latin word merx (merchandise, merchant, commerce, etc.). In Spanish the day of the week Miércoles, is dedicated to him. Mercury has influenced the name of many things in scientific fields, such as the planet Mercury, and the element mercury. The word mercurial is commonly used to refer to something or someone erratic, volatile or unstable, derived from Mercury's role both in mythology and astrology in ancient times. ___________________ Mercurio es la versión romana del Hermes griego. Es el dios de las ganancias financiera, el comercio, la elocuencia, la comunicación, los viajeros, las fronteras, la suerte, el ...