Venus Roman Goddess Facts: Learn All About Roman Mythological Figures!

Venus is not only the name of the second planet in our solar system but is also the name of the Roman goddess of love and fertility.

The planet Venus was actually named after the goddess of love. She was first only associated with the new plants and life but then she was considered the same as the Greek goddess of love, the Greek Aphrodite.

The Greek goddess of love has stories and myths of her own which sometimes contradict with the ones the Romans in ancient Rome talked about the goddess Venus in the Roman religion and Roman mythology.

According to Roman mythology, she emerged from the sea on a giant scallop shell. It is almost certain that Venus's recognition of Aphrodite occurred fairly early in her life.

She is found in many domestic murals all around Rome. One possible explanation is the timeline of the founding of her magnificent temple in Rome.

The Vinalia Rustica, a Jupiter carnival, takes place on August 19.

As a result, the god Jupiter, as well as the goddess Venus, became affiliated, which made possible their association as father and daughter with the Greek divinities Zeus and Aphrodite. The political aspirations of the gens Iulia in ancient times, Julius Caesar's Roman Empire dynasty, and, by adaptation, Augustus, elevated the effectiveness of Venus-Aphrodite devotion.

Julius Caesar was an important part of how the goddess Venus became so well known. He is the one who introduced Venus genetrix as the goddess of fatherhood and domesticity.

Did you know that Venus was the wife of the fire and volcano god Vulcan and was the mother of Cupid? Read on to learn much more!

After reading these interesting Venus Roman goddess facts, also check out ancient Roman clothes facts and ancient Roman baths facts here at Kidadl.

Art In The Classical Tradition

The Venus de Milo is an Ancient Greek sculpture portraying the Greek goddess, Venus. It is one of the most well-known ancient Greek statues of all time. It is commonly believed that the goddess portrayed in the Venus de Milo is Aphrodite.

The Venus Victrix is not actually a statue of Venus but of Pauline Bonaparte, who was a member of high-ranking society. The Venus Victrix is a realistic sculpture of a lady reclining on a long bed-like chair.

The Roman gods we know of today are only a small part of what the Roman religion had. The Roman deities now are only the ones that are well known and have Greek aspects or counterparts.

The Birth of Venus is a world-famous painting of Roman Venus from the classical era. The artist Sandro Botticelli is famous for his historical paintings, like another one of his paintings of the goddess of love, called ‘Mars and Venus’.

A Roman poet named Tubullus called Rome the Eternal City. Rome, thus, began to be known as eternal Rome.

Did you know that Julius Caesar used to claim that the goddess Venus had helped him become successful on the battlefield?

During ancient times, the people started holding Vinalia, which was a wine festival held in honor of the gods Jupiter and Venus.

Venus, as one of the vernacular Italian goddesses, had no fables of her own. As a result, she adopted Aphrodite's attributes and, through her, became recognized by a number of foreign goddesses.

The planet Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love and compassion, Venus. To the Greek people, this was Aphrodite, to the Egyptians, she was known as Isis, and to the Phoenicians, Astarte.

According to Roman mythology, Venus was the predecessor of the Romans through her child, Aeneas, who made it out alive after the fall of Troy and escaped to Italy.

Aphrodite, Venus's Greek equivalent, was primarily known as a goddess of love and procreation who reigned over marriage and ceremony.

Aphrodite worship persisted all through the Classical times. Venus, as she became recognized, came to represent Rome's imperialist power. Venus, like her Greek equivalent, Aphrodite, was deeply associated with beauty and love.

Mythology And Literature

The Goddess Venus has featured in many mythological stories, thereby becoming an extremely important character in ancient literature as well. Here are some interesting aspects of the goddess Venus related to literature and mythology.

The Sun, our natural satellite, the Moon, and the five brightest planetary systems were all known to the Romans as brilliant objects in the sky. It was decided that they would be named after their most revered deities. Venus, the nocturnal sky's brightest celestial body, was decided to be named after the Roman goddess of love and grace.

Venus, as the goddess of love, had the power to make mere humans and divine beings fall deeply in love with her. Venus' main weapons seem to have been her beauty and alluring attraction, and many ended up falling victim to them in her mythical legacy.

In ancient mythology, Psyche was a beautiful princess who triggered Venus' anger and resentment, and Cupid, Venus' son, fell madly in love with her.

The domains of Aphrodite are love as well as beauty. The dove, swan, and rose are Aphrodite's symbols.

In the third century BCE, Venus was officially incorporated and accepted into the Roman gods and goddesses. During the Punic Wars of the second and third centuries BCE, Venus was said to aid the Romans in their triumphs over the Carthaginians.

Venus and her significance as a religious image reached its peak briefly after the war, though she was deified until about the rise of Christianity in the fourth century CE.

Venus was highly regarded for having brought the Romans success, but she was also remembered as the mother of Aeneas, the forefather of Romulus, the founding member of Rome.

Cult History And Temples

The Temple of Roma and Venus is on a raised platform overlooking the Valley of the Colosseum. The temple, inaugurated by Emperor Hadrian, was devoted to the deity Roma as well as to the goddess Venus, mother of the city's founding father, Aeneas.

The Temple of Venus and Roma was Ancient Rome's largest temple. It was on the distant east side of the Forum Romanum, close to the Colosseum. It was decided to be dedicated to the goddess Venus Felix, which also translates roughly as Venus the Bearer of Great Fortune, and Roma Aeterna, which translates as Eternal Rome.

The Temple of Aphrodite at Acrocorinth was a place of refuge dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite in Old Greek Corinth.

The temple is believed to have been destroyed by a strong earthquake at the commencement of the ninth century. On the wreckage of the temple, Pope Leo IV requested the construction of a new church, Santa Maria Nova, around the year 850.

In Lebanon, there is a 4,000-year-old temple dedicated to the goddess Venus in Baalbek. Young kids in Lebanon's school systems learn that this was built with Indian labor, elephants, stonemasons, and gurus. It is a massive structure.

The temple of Venus primarily encircled the Velia hill, a comparatively tiny contiguous hillside adjoining the Palatine hill, and was dedicated in 135. It was, however, possibly not finished till 145 by Antoninus Pius, as per numismatic scientific proof portraying the temple.

Venus And Roman State Religion

Venus is the Roman goddess of marriage, love, beauty, abundance, fertility, and success. She was so revered by the Romans that they assumed she was their ancestor.

The Roman Empire was largely polytheistic, which meant that people recognized and worshipped numerous gods and goddesses. Despite the existence of monotheistic religions, including Judaism and early Christianity within the empire, the Romans worshipped numerous gods and goddesses.

The Venus Genetrix Temple was built within Rome's Forum of Caesar. Venus's adoration was centered on her significant temples and festivals, particularly during the two Vinalia cultural events that commemorated the abundant harvest. As we can see, a multitude of temples and festivals were devoted to Venus in her different roles.

April 1 has been holy to Venus because it was the day on which the Roman ladies worshipped her, along with Fortuna Virilis.

Venus was highly regarded in Roman religion under a variety of cult labels and was crucial to several holy days. The mythology and symbolism of her Greek equivalent, Aphrodite, were modified for Roman art as well as Latin literary works by the Romans.

As the goddess of beauty and love in Roman mythology, the goddess Venus could be regarded as the Roman version of the Greek Aphrodite and the Etruscan Turan. It is reported that her cult started in Lavinium and Ardea in Latium.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Venus Roman goddess facts, then why not take a look at ancient Roman art facts or ancient Roman culture facts?