He ruled as the dominant member of a triumvirate called the Capitoline Triad, which included his consort Juno and daughter Minerva. Jupiter bore many similarities to Zeus , the king of the Greek deities from whom he was adapted. Unlike Zeus, however, Jupiter was explicitly linked to a specific political entity—Rome. From the great temple erected in his honor on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, Jupiter presided over the state and its ever-expanding empire. As a result, the Romans emphasized the worship of Jupiter above all other gods.
Worship of Jupiter was formalized by the Roman state over the course of its existence. Like other figures in Roman mythology, Jupiter was believed to be a critical actor in Roman history. Accordingly, his nature and attributes transformed in order to keep up with broader historical changes in the Roman state. The name stemmed from two roots. Additionally, Zeus was called Zeu Pater in Greek, and Sanskrit speakers used the term Dyaus pitar father of heavens to refer to the sky god.
Jupiter was known by a number of epithets. As the god of the sky, Jupiter commanded lightning, thunder, and storms. Like Zeus, he wielded lightning bolts as weapons. Befitting his role as king of the gods, Jupiter was commonly depicted sitting on a throne and holding a royal scepter and staff.
Rather than taking an active part in battles, however, Jupiter was imagined to oversee and control them. More than any other deity, Jupiter held the fate of the Roman state in the balance. To appease him, Romans offered sacrifice and took sacred oaths in his honor. The Romans came to believe that the success of their Mediterranean empire could be attributed to their unique devotion to Jupiter. Omens divined through the behavior of eagles were considered to be the most revealing.
Jupiter was the son of Saturn—the god of the sky who preceded Jupiter—and Ops or Opis , goddess of the earth and growth. His brothers were Neptune , god of the sea, and Pluto , god of the underworld and wealth metals, the basis of Roman coinage and wealth, were found underground. His sisters included Ceres , a fertility goddess who controlled the growth of grains, Vesta , goddess of hearth and home, and Juno, a maternal goddess associated with marriage, family, domestic tranquility, and the moon.
Jupiter was married to his sister Juno, who served as the Roman counterpart to Hera. Among their children were Mars , the god of war that played a substantial role in the founding of Rome, and Bellona, a goddess of war. Additional children included Vulcan , the god of fire, metalworking, and the forge, and Juventus, a youthful goddess who oversaw the transition from childhood to adulthood and was associated with invigoration and rejuvenation.
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Table of Roman Equivalents of Greek Gods. The Greek Mythology of Clash of the Titans. Meet Hera, the Queen of the Greek Gods.
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But Jupiter is the main man, a la Zeus in Greek mythology. Mythology dominated religious culture in Rome up until the point in which Christianity took over. Until that happened, Jupiter was the main deity. He was the god of the sky and, along with the help of the kings of the time, established principles of the Roman religion. Jupiter was brother to two other gods: Neptune and Pluto.
Like the Greeks, each of these three gods controlled one realm of existence: the sky Jupiter , the sea Neptune , and the underworld Pluto , with Jupiter being the most powerful. They had a separate god for each and every task: a god of the harvest, a god of music, one of the hearth, one for wine and celebrations, etc. He was the god who the people prayed to and honored the most. He was the one they wanted to please and the one whose wrath they feared.
They named things after him, built relics and statues of him around their cities, and even swore oaths info office in his name. Temples were constructed in his honor where citizens could make sacrifices to Jupiter. One of the biggest and best was Capitoline Hill in Rome. Generals paraded through the city to this temple after major victories.
Libraries of important texts were kept inside. As many religions today believe in the existence of just one god, the Romans believed quite the opposite, yet Jupiter was the main entity regardless. At different points, competing sides claimed him as their source of justice and their reasoning for being right in pending conflicts.
As stated, he started out as king of the gods. Emperors came to power with the belief that they were living gods or even descendants of Jupiter himself. As Rome became a republic, though, a transition was made about the way folks thought about Jupiter as well. He thus represented competing factions. On the other hand, Jupiter began to stand for what the old kingship now stood for: something bad and forbidden; worthy of punishment and scorn; abhorred. The physical nature of Jupiter is one that folks often equate with Zeus or even the Christian god: a tall, white male with a flowing, white beard.
He carries a staff or scepter, sits on a majestic throne, and is often flanked by an eagle. Again similar to the god of the old testament, Jupiter could strike fear into his followers.
He often led through creating that fear. It helped that he always carried an endless supply of lightning bolts. The religious aspects of Jupiter died away as the old religions did.
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