The Romans to begin with stole most of the Greek gods and put them into their own society. Mostly all the Romans did was give them different names, some new gods, they took some of them out, and they changed some of the books that had Greek gods in them such as the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Aphrodite (Venus) | goddess of love and beauty
Apollo (Apollo) | god of the arts (esp. poetry and music), archery, and divination
Ares (Mars) | god of war
Artemis (Diana) | goddess of the hunt and protector of children
Athena (Minerva) | goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts; patron of Athens
Demeter (Ceres) | goddess of agriculture and fertility
Dionysos (Bacchus) | god of wine, mysteries, and the theatre
Hephaistos (Vulcan) | god of smiths and metal-workers
Hera (Juno) | goddess of marriage; consort of Zeus
Hermes (Mercury) | god of merchants; messenger of Zeus
Poseidon (Neptune) | god of the sea and earthquakes
Zeus (Jupiter) | god of the sky; ruler of Olympus
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Now that is a basic showing of the Greek and Roman main top dogs in mythology. This next part shows in greater detail the differences between the Greek and Roman gods, both the ones that each worshiped some that only the Greeks worshiped and the Romans excluded in their worship, and those that the Romans put in there for their own wants in their gods. It also shows their names and the way that the Romans changed most of the Greek god's name.
| Zeus | Jupiter, Jove | Lord of the Sky, Gods, and Thunder, also Rain-god, Cloud-gatherer |
| Hera | Juno | Protector of Marriage |
| Poseidon | Neptune | Ruler of the Sea |
| Hades, Polydectes | Pluto | God of the Underworld and Precious Metals |
| Libitina | Goddess of the Underworld | |
| Pallas Athena | Minerva | Goddess of the City, Education/Science, and War |
| Phoebus Apollo | Apollo | God of Sun, Truth, Music, Healing |
| Artemis, Orthia, Phoebe | Diana | Goddess of Wild Things, Hunter-in-Chief |
| Aphrodite, Anadyomene | Venus | Goddess of Love and Beauty |
| Hermes, Pyschopompus | Mercury | God of Commerce and Market, Zeus' Messenger |
| Ares | Mars | God of War |
| Enyo | Bellona | Lesser Goddess of War |
| Hephaestus | Vulcan, Mulciber | God of the Forge and Fire, Workman to the immortals |
| Hestia | Vesta | Goddess of the Hearth and Home; also Fertility(Greek only) |
| Priapus | God of Fertility | |
| Eros | Cupid, Amor | God of Love |
| Hymen | God of the Wedding Feast | |
| Hebe | Goddess of Youth | |
| Juventus | God of Youth | |
| Iris | Goddess of the Rainbow | |
| Persephone, Kora | Persipina, Libera | Goddess of Spring [Season], Underworld through Hades |
| Demeter | Ceres | Goddess of the Corn, Earth, Harvest |
| Dionysus, Lycaeus | Bacchus, Liber | God of the Vine, Wine, Merriment |
| Pan | Inuus,Faunus | God of Flocks, Sheep |
| Selene | Luna | Goddess of the Moon |
| Helios | Sol | God of the Sun |
| Terminus | Guardian of Boundaries | |
| Priapus | Cause of Fertility | |
| Pales | Strengthener of Cattle | |
| Sylvanus | Helper of Plowmen and Woodcutters | |
| Saturn | Protector of the Sowers and the Seed | |
| Janus | God of good beginnings | |
| Eileithyia, Ilithyia | Lucina | Goddess of Childbirth |
| Pomona & Vertumnus | Powers Protecting Orchards and Gardens | |
| Aether | God of Light | |
| Eos | Aurora, Mater Matuta | Goddess of the Dawn |
| Asklepios | Aesculapius | God of Health and Medicine |
| Hygea | Goddess of Health | |
| Aeolus | King of the Winds | |
| Boreas | Aquilo | North Wind |
| Zephyr | Favonius | West Wind |
| Notus | Auster | South Wind |
| Eurus | Eurus | East Wind |
| Pontus | God of the Deep Sea | |
| Nereus | "Old Man of the Sea" | |
| Triton | Trumpeter of the Sea | |
| Ate | Goddess of Mischief | |
| Eris | Discordia | Goddess of Discord |
| Maia | Fauna, Bono Dea | Goddess of Fields, "Good Goddess" |
| Flora | Goddess of Flowers | |
| Hypnos | Somnus | God of Sleep |
| Juturna | Goddess of Springs [Water] | |
| Nike | Victoria | Goddess of Victory |
| Peitha | Suadela | Goddess of Persuasion |
| Hecate | Trivia | Goddess of the Crossways, the Dark Side of the Moon, and Magic |
| Tyche | Fortuna | Goddess of Fortune |
| Voluptas | Goddess of Pleasure | |
| Poena | Goddess of Punishment | |
| Nemesis | Goddess of Revenge | |
| Hespera | Goddess of Dusk | |
| Morpheus | God of Dreams | |
| Phosphor | Lucifer | Light-bearer, Star that brings in the day |
| Fama | God of fame, rumor |
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As you can see the Romans really changed the gods up to reach the standards that they wanted, because htey thought they were the superior beings (which they were at that time), and also because they wanted to be different from everyone else. now think nowadays doesn't America want to be different then everyone else? Don't American's change things up to reach their standards to show that they are superior? Yes to both, we like the Romans want to be different it shows that we are superior.
This blog wen through the idea that Rome was superior at that time. Rome wanted to be different then the Greeks because they took over them and all of the Mediterranean which would make them the super power at the time. So the Romans decided to change the gods that everyone worshiped they changed names added new ones and took some of the gods out to show the world that they can do what they wanted. Some of the gods had completely different names then what they had when the Greeks were in control.
References:
Siren, "Greek Gods." http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/7371/greekgods.html.
Tulane University, "Priapus." http://homeport.tcs.tulane.edu/lester/text/Western.Architect/Pompeii/Pompeii65.html.
Parada, Carlos. Greek Mythology Link. http://www.hsa.brown.edu/~maicar/.
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1942
