The Greeks and Romans were neighbors for centuries, as you may have learned in history class. Naturally, the Romans couldn’t resist and ultimately invaded Greece. However, unlike most invasions, the Romans adapted to Greek culture rather than the other way around. You will find that every Roman deity also has a Greek counterpart which is why the culture and mythology is often lumped together instead of being individually viewed. The Olympians of Greek culture will be covered separately.
THE GREEK
The Greek have been credited throughout history for such things as philosophy, geometry, comedic theater, and democracy. Their pantheon has also been adopted as one of the most influential with colorful deities and enthralling legends. Like Egypt, there are universally worshipped gods and goddesses as well as more localized patrons. The universally worshipped were known as The Olympians and lived on the tallest mountain in the country, Mount Olympus. Arguably the most popular of the Greek deities are Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, Gaia, Chronos, and Nix. Other commonly worshipped idols include Hercules, Pan, and the nine muses of creativity.
The Greek introduced the theory of the gods and goddesses having the familiar forms of humans. They even believed that the deities were capable of some of the same emotions such as jealousy, selfishness, and rash behavior. Narcissus is a prime example in his legend; he catches his reflection in a pool of water and cannot tear his gaze away in his vanity, He eventually wastes away to nothing. Fate was the ultimate judgment for humans and the Gods alike; no deity was all powerful. The gods often interacted with the mortal realm, sometimes even breeding with them. Demi-gods and goddesses were the result of these unions and add to the complexity of the pantheon. Nymphs are also part of the complexity and are parallel to some of the beliefs held by modern day Wiccans.
The Greek Goddesses of the moon (Selene, Artemis, and Hecate) had a great influence on how the moon is viewed in modern day Wicca. In Greece it was very clearly a feminine energy compared to Egypt where the deities for the moon were mostly male. The Goddess Selene is considered to be the literal personification of the moon.
Magic was also widely practiced in Greece. The word magic, itself, comes from the Greek word ‘Magikos’. Religious and non-religious practices were conducted country wide in the form of love spells, healing rituals, chants, and calling upon the gods and goddesses.
THE ROMANS
Roman, originally known as ‘the Latins’ in their earliest form of civilization, were a settlement along the coast of western Italy. It only took a few centuries for the small community to grow into a thriving metropolis, engulfing their neighbors Greece and the Etruscans. Thanks in particular to these neighbors, civilization was the height of sophistication of the time and incredibly complex. Slowly, they also expanded their borders to the south of present day Scotland, northern Africa, and Turkey. Their culture spread with them to these new lands with the exception of Greece, whose culture pre-dated the Romans by approximately 1000 years.
When the Romans invaded, it made more sense to adopt the greek cosmology since it’s beliefs were so widely practiced. They, instead, remanded several of the deities they adopted. Artemis became Diana, Dionysus became Bachus, Aphrodite became Venus. The legends also shifted to more closely match the Roman beliefs.
Though the two cultures seem similar, there were very stark contrasts. The Greeks were very artistic and sophisticated due to their concentrations in philosophy, the arts, and the overall celebration of ideas and theories. The Romans were very strict, relying on obedience and a sense of duty. They worked for the greater good of society rather than for the effort of their own pleasures. Romans were the most concerned about gaining new land and placed a good deal of expectation and glory on their soldiers. The Roman people were celebrated for accomplishments rather than a single person. Their individual praise and rewards were waiting for them in the afterlife, with a promise of god-like status for the most exemplary deeds and selfless acts.
With the merging of Gods and Goddesses, the largest contrast that can be distinguished is from the Roman myths depicting their gods as functional and practical rather than emotionally fickle Greek gods. The Romans held belief in strong, warrior, patriarchal deities, subdued and composed, to more closely match the militarism the empire so closely prized.
A good example of this is the difference between Mars and Ares. Mars is the Roman god of war, representing stability achieved by militaristic war and the order that was kept. Ares is the Greek god of chaos and destabilization. Athena (the Greek warrior goddess) was converted to Minerva in the Roman faith and was given an association with the arts, sports and wise strategy; things more suited to the feminine energy than war in the Roman eye.
Perhaps it is because the Roman gods and goddesses lack the wildly unpredictable myths and legends, the fickle emotional instability, and the humanity of the Greek gods, but the Roman gods are decidedly less popular.
Despite their rigid cosmological background, the romans kept religion and politics intertwined to the point where any decision, especially those related to the military, battle, and war, were made by invoking the gods beforehand. They used divination, dream interpretation, interpretation of animal behavior (particularly the flight patterns of birds) and scrying (preferably from the entrails of animal sacrifices). The deities were honored at every holiday and the calendar was full of holidays to honor specific gods and goddesses. Every invocation had a patron god or goddess and every household honored its spirits and ancestors daily.
Officially, magic was not condoned and the Roman government attempted to ban even the knowledge of magic, however this went largely ignored with a multitude of magicians working to meet the needs of all citizens. Love, luck, gambling, healing, protection from evil…Citizens sought magical assistance for everything. “Harm to none”, as it is practiced in Wicca, was not a formal concept in ancient Rome and this was evident in the curses people paid for involving amulets, cord spells, and graveyard invocations.
Despite their magical usage and religion, eventually the Roman Empire reached the height of its power and began to eliminate paganism across Europe. Emperor Constantine discovered Christianity, making it the official religion of the Roman Empire and spreading it’s word throughout the land until it was the primary belief system in 400 AD. Naturally, not everyone converted which is how the ancient Greek and Roman belief systems were handed down through generations.
PAN
Pan seems to be one of the most influential forms of the male deities as a horned god, half-man and half-goat. He is associated with the forest and fertility.
He is known to have preferred the solitude and freedom of the forest over the recently civilized world of the other Greek deities. He is still known for his wild existing filled with music, food, wine, parties, and erotic nights. He is also the namesake of the Pan Flute having been considered as the God who is heard and not seen.
His origins are controversial; some believe that he is older than the pantheon, itself, and some believe he is little more than folklore rather than a deity. It is notable, however, that the knowledge of pan comes more from folklore than legend. He is believed to have assisted the Greek in wars; he would make noise at enemy camps making the soldiers believe they were under attack and decimating themselves. Pan is also the namesake of the word “Panic”. It is said that the panic he manufactured was also present at his parties where dancers suddenly found themselves dancing uncontrollably to Pan’s music.
Fittingly, Pan is most often worshipped with loud, wild parties with wine, music and festivities. Wiccans and others will honor him for his association with domestic livestock, wild goats, shepherds, hunters, nature spirits, music, and fertility and will often be honored at Beltane.
It is important to not that Pan is a God of LUST. He is not a deity of love and true passion. Because of this, he is often represented as the devil card in most modern tarot, including the Rider-Waite.
It is important to honor Pan with a musical or noisy approach; clapping, singing, chanting, and playing instruments are good ways to do this.He does not appreciate being startled, and a startled God is rarely a good omen, which is why the warning is necessary.
Wine for Pan and honey cakes for his entourage of nature spirits is an acceptable offering. You can honor him on your altar with images of wild goats, forest creatures, or a pan flute. It may, however, be more appropriate to commune with him outdoors.
No one quite knows where Hecate originated from. Though she is included in the Greek Pantheon, there are those who believe she may have emerged from the Egyptian Pantheon or the deities of Southwest Asia. Hecate’s name is thought to be the feminine version of Hekatos, the lesser known name for Apollo, meaning “Most Shining One.”
She was originally associated with childbirth and the female reproductive process as the mother goddess but later became the goddess of witchcraft, sorcery, ghosts, and the spirit world. It is believed that these darker associations emerged during a time when men began to fear women and the power they held. Hecate’s name is also considered to mean “she who works her will” and she has become a much beloved patron of many magic-practicing pagans.
She was adopted by the Olympians but never lived among them; she was always a powerful outsider. Despite this, Zeus granted her dominion over Earth, the seas, and the heavens and appears to be, in all aspects, his equal. Later myths show her as Zeus’ daughter and the goddess of the underworld. One legend says that Hecate was sent to rescue Persephone from Hades. Hades was unwilling to give Persephone to Hecate and an arrangement was made for Persephone to spend half the year in the Underworld and half the year on the earth.
It was said that the newly dead encountered crossroads in the underworld and, therefore, hecate became associated with crossroads. She would often take the form of a black dog said to guard the houses of the living and the guardian of the underworld. A snake is often shown with her image which is another symbol of the dead and a belt with the keys to the underworld. Some images portray her as having three heads; at times it is as a three headed dog, other times it is a creature with a snake head, a dog head and a lion head.
She is seen as the Queen of the Witches and a portrayal of the triple goddess, however, she is mainly considered a crone goddess due to her associations with magic and death. She is called upon for transformational magic during the dark time of year and her time starts as Samhain. Her opposite is the goddess of light, Brighid, a celtic goddess.
Hecate appreciates offerings of eggs, cheese, or garlic at crossroads and decorations of snakes, dogs, owls or ravens.
Venus is one of the few deities that survived the merge between Greece and Rome and is one of the Roman’s original goddesses. She was considered to be the divine mother goddess and part of the very foundation of the Roman people. She was associated with gardens, vegetation, blossoms, sensual love, beauty, prosperity, and victory. Though some of these associations speak to another influence, she was still always the picture of beauty and a strong feminine deity. She was the promise of new life to come.
She is almost always seen as a beautiful woman with plentiful curves and also often has symbols of roses, doves, trees, pine cones, and wild berries. She is often sought after in matters of love and relationships with friends and family, gardening, and prosperity. She is typically honored at one or many of the spring sabbats; Imbolc, the Vernal Equinox, and Beltane.
Keep an eye out for large stones next to trees in nature as these are the places in which she is present. On your altar you may use pinecones, spring blossoms, Greco-Roman images of her, and exotic plants and fruits like pineapple, mango, bay leaves and roses.
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