Probably none of the greater of the Roman gods exemplifies better than Vesta the ever changing character of the Roman deities. Originally the Roman virgin goddess of the blazing hearth, she was worshipped along with the Penates, at every meal when the family assembled round the hearth, which was situ! ated in the centre of the room. Under the or ganized Roman state religion Vesta became symbolically the king's hearth, that is, the hearth of the nation, and as such she had a sumptuous temple near the king's palace. The vestal maidens belonging to this temple were known as the king's daughters, a title that was later on extended to the vestal maidens of all of Vesta's temples. According to the religious legend, dEneas was credited with having brought with him from Troy to Rome the sacred fire of the vestal temple on the Forum, where it was guarded with the most solicitous religious care by four (later six) virgins of the purest char acter, called vestals, who were dedicated to the service of Vesta from an early age (6 to 10 years) for 30 years, after which they were, by law, permitted to marry. Few, however, took advantage of this permission, even though it was considered a great honor to• marry a vestal, upon whom rested the special favor of the goddess of the hearth. This was because the office a vestal was considered one of special ecclesiastical dignity and honor and car ried with it a certain influence.
Naming the Deities.— In general the Ro man gods were named from their qualities, functions or actions. Often the primitive sense of the name is exemplified in the future actions of the deity. One of the best examples of this is Ceres (Greek Demeter from Gemeter, ge, the earth, and meter, mother), the goddess of the the bringer forth of fruit and the saal patroness of growing grain and other pknts. Though a Roman deity, she was said to have been the daughter of the Greek deity Kronos and his sister-wife, Rhea. The Romans early identified Kronos with their own agri cultural deity Saturn, an ancient Italian god of the culture hero type whom tradition represents as having made his appearance in the reign of Janus and to have taught the Roman people the arts of civilization and especially agriculture and gardening. He is said to have become cornier with Janus, and later poets sang of their rule as the Icgolden age.") His temple was in the state treasury, because he was represented to be the special patron of wealth. A female derivative of himself and his functions and attributes was his wife, Ops, the female di vinity of fertility and plenty and the protec tress of agriculture. Thus it will be seen that her functions largely overlapped those of Ceres. The latter, whose distinguishing symbols were full and flowing robes, poppies and ears of corn and who wore a corn measure for a headdress, was the mother of Proserpine, the queen of the under-earth regions, and of Bac chus, the god of the vine and of wine, its char acteristic product. The origin of most of the
other gods is as distinctly pictured in their names. The Lares, the spirits of deceased an cestors, were literally °the shining ones)°; Ops denoted the plentiful harvest; Pomona fruit; Saturn the sowing of the seed; Vesta the glow ing hearth; Ge the earth. Kronos, the oldest of the great gods, has come to signify time, if he did not originally do so; while the Penates, the gods of the interior of the houses, mean literally those within (Penaus, within).
Ceremonies.— The Roman religion was dis tinctly ceremonial, and in this it betrays its nature worship. origin. It possessed ceremonies for every event in life, and for almost every conscious movement of existence. Birth, in fancy, puberty, marriage and death were all celebrated with elaborate and significant cere monials. Each stage of the year, the days of the week, the progress of agricultural develop ment, the special occupations of the individual, the successive seasons of the year, the family meal, all had their individual and appropriate ceremonies at certain fixed times. These cere monies, taken as a whole, represent. the sum total of man's interests, faculties and powers, the whole inventory of which they covered, by anticipation, in the act of accomplishment or in fulfilment. The calendar year which began in March, for instance, was divided religiously into three seasons, spring, harvest and winter, to each of which was apportioned its ap propriate and individual ceremonies. In spring anticipatory prayers were offered for the suc cessful growth of the seed already planted; in the harvest season ceremonies . were held in connection with the gathering and storing of the harvest; while the winter ceremonies were directly related to the preparation of the ground for planting and the sowing of the seed. The elaborate ceremonies connected with these three seasons of the year grew into great national religious events famous in the life of the Roman people, both in the Imperial City and through out the towns of the empire. So strongly had they become a part of the lives of the people after the debacle of time had swept away the Roman faith, and after it the Roman Empire, that they remained standing forth from amidst the ruins, to influence largely the Christian festivals and calendar. There were scores of other characteristic Roman religious ceremonies covering the deference, devotion and offerings made to the great deities of the state religion and also those presented to the minor deities and personal and household guardian spirits. Most of these may be found described in any work on the subject under the name of each of the deities and spirits.