Thank you for visiting. This article is one part of a series explaining the “original texts” of the world’s mythologies and religions, and is an index page gathering the original texts of “Roman mythology.”
When one hears “Roman mythology,” many will think of gods just like Greek mythology’s — Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and others. That is indeed so, and the Romans borrowed many of the stories of the gods from Greece.
But Roman mythology has an originality of Rome alone, not in Greece. It is “a grand founding myth telling the very beginning of the state of Rome.” The Trojan refugee Aeneas crosses to Italy, and his descendant Romulus builds Rome. The true individuality of Roman mythology lies in telling, rather than the love dramas of the gods, the fate and mission of a city.
The comprehensive index of the world’s mythology and religion original texts, including others besides Roman mythology, can be seen on the following page.
Roman Mythology’s Original Texts — Rome as Depicted by Poets and Historians
The original texts conveying Roman mythology are somewhat different in character from the Greek epics. They are characterized by myth and history, literature and state propaganda, being inseparably joined.
Listing the main original texts gives the following.
| Original text | Content |
|---|---|
| Aeneid (Virgil) | Rome’s national epic. Depicts Aeneas’s journey and the prophecy of Rome’s founding |
| History of Rome (Livy) | A mythic “history” beginning with Romulus and Remus and regal Rome |
| Metamorphoses, Fasti (Ovid) | The transformation myths of the gods, and Rome’s festivals and calendar sung month by month |
| Records of the priests, the state cult | The system of Rome’s own gods and rites, such as Janus and Vesta |
An Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Myths and LegendsView on Amazon →
An Anatomical Illustrated Guide to the Myths That Make StoriesView on Amazon →
Article 1: The “Aeneid” — from Troy to Rome
In the first installment, I explain Rome’s national epic, the “Aeneid.”
I cover how the hero Aeneas, who escaped burning Troy carrying his father, through a tragic love with the Carthaginian queen Dido, a descent to the underworld, and battles in Italy, becomes the ancestor of the Romans.
Article 2: The Roman Founding Myth — Romulus and Regal Rome
In the second installment, I explain the founding myth that Livy’s “History of Rome” conveys.
I cover the twins Romulus and Remus, raised by a wolf, the founding in 753 BC and the brothers’ tragedy, the abduction of the Sabine women, and the age of the seven kings.
Article 3: Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” and “Fasti”
In the third installment, I explain the two original texts of the poet Ovid, the “Metamorphoses” and the “Fasti.”
I cover the roughly 250 myths connected by “transformation” from the creation to the deification of Caesar, and the “Fasti,” which sings the origins of Rome’s festivals and calendar month by month.
Article 4: The Roman Gods and the State Cult
In the fourth installment (the final one), I explain Rome’s own gods and the religion that supported the state.
I cover Janus of the two faces, Vesta who guards the sacred fire and her priestesses, the reinterpretation of the Greek gods, and Roman religion as a “covenant with the gods.”
The Relationship with Greek Mythology — Borrowed Gods, Their Own Story
The key to understanding Roman mythology lies in its relationship with Greek mythology. The Romans, in contact with the culturally advanced Greeks, came to identify their own simple gods with the Greek gods. This is called “interpretatio romana (Roman reinterpretation).”
| Roman | Greek | What they govern |
|---|---|---|
| Jupiter | Zeus | Sky, chief god |
| Juno | Hera | Marriage |
| Neptune | Poseidon | Sea |
| Minerva | Athena | Wisdom |
| Mars | Ares | War |
| Venus | Aphrodite | Love, beauty |
Thus, while inheriting the stories of the gods from Greece, the Romans built up by themselves only the founding myth of “how Rome was born, and why it bears the mission of ruling the world.” Reading it alongside the original texts of Greek mythology makes the difference of the two appear even more clearly.
To Learn More
Here are some related books. Reading them alongside this series lets you savor this world even more deeply.
Greek and Roman Mythology, Explained in MangaView on Amazon →
The Larousse Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman MythologyView on Amazon →
Conclusion
In this article, I introduced the whole picture of the original texts of Roman mythology and the content the 4 articles in the series cover. How was it?
Roman mythology, while borrowing the stories of the gods from Greece, produced an originality of Rome alone — the founding myth depicted in the “Aeneid” and the “History of Rome.” Myth telling the mission and fate of a single state — there lies the great individuality of Roman mythology.
I also explain the original texts of other mythologies and religions. For the full list, please see the Summary of the World’s Mythology and Religion Original Texts.
For the strength of the gods and heroes, please also refer to this ranking article.
I hope you’ll read the next article too.
📚 Series: The Original Texts of Roman Mythology (1/5)
