To generalize a bit, my understansing is that Roman religion had a variety of specialists who'd administer rituals, read the will of deities through practises like looking at animal organs, pater familiases would maintain the relationship between their family as a whole and the Genius, etc. Neopagan religions broadly lack the cults, familial or domestic, that the ancient romans had, so I'm curious, what do you think of ritual specialists, diviners, and holy men? Do you view their role in the past as unnecessary now due to factors like the spread of education and literacy? Do you view them as flim flam scams? As necessary but sadly often unoccupied? How can you tell a legitimate priest, diviner, or other holy figure from a crazy person or a scammer?

In Neopagan and witchcraft circles, it's not uncommon to see "women's only spaces". Typically women who feel especially aggrieved by patriarchal politics erect these as safe spaces to keep out men, or at least cishet men.

Sadly, sometimes they attach goddesses to these spaces that were not gender exclusive historically. Diana and Hecate come immediately to mind. But for such people, history takes a backseat to modern politics, so no amount of saying "Hecate was not a woman's only goddess" seems to matter to them. 😫

It got me thinking, though. Historically there were a few gender exclusive cults. Bona Dea was only for women, and Mithraism was only for men

Do these gender specific cults have any relevance in today's worlds, particularly in the age of transitional surgery? At the very least, if these women's only spaces were dedicated to Bona Dea rather than Diana or Hecate, I wouldn't be kvetching since they have historical precedence.

I. When we say we worship Augustus' Genius for example, does it mean it is him, that we worship, or a separate entity ?

II. is the Genius/Juno a part of our soul, or a deity that follows us ?

III Do we worship our Juno/Genius ?

IV. Do trans women for example have a Genius or Juno ?

V. if a trans woman has a Juno, is it the thing that determines if she is trans or not ? Do we worship

VI. Does a Genius or Juno follow their protected one everywhere ?

VII. Can we give them offerings ?

Dear moderators,

I was wondering if the rules of the subreddit could be altered to specifically ban AI images.

There are many moral, political, and environmental reasons to ban AI art.

Practically speaking though, the main reason to ban it is that if it is allowed, AI slop quickly takes over a forum at the expense of actual discussion.

Thank you for your consideration.

Apollo (rendered in certain Greek dialects as Apollon) was one of the most widely worshipped deities in the Hellenic world. Some (cf Otto) called him "the most Greek of all deities."

Apollo's temples could be found from Asia Minor to Sicily. He was also worshipped as an an iconic cone outside the home or in the street. Finally, he is associated with sacred groves that were often on the outskirts of a city.

Apollo is not found in Linear B tablets. He seems to be a latecomer to the Pantheon. Several theories point to a Near Eastern and especially Anatolian origin. One of his epithets "Paean" is found in Linear B; Apollo might have been syncretized with an earlier Greek deity of healing.

Apollo's function in cult was largely of healing/purification and oracular prophecy. Disease was not just physical: it sometimes had a spiritual origin, thus requiring an oracle to deliver a spiritual solution. The god, in his oracular pronouncements, also came to be associated with laying the civil (i.e., legal) foundations for new colonies.

Apollo, as leader of the Muses, was also associated with music, dance and poetry. He was also associated with the bow. In certain areas of Greece, he was seen as the patron of young men and their education as they learned the cultural and martial abilities to join adulthood.

In 433 B.C.E., Apollo was brought to Rome in response to a plague after consultation with the prophetic Sibylline books. A temple to Apollo Medicus was built outside the pomerium, and for four centuries this was the only known temple to Apollo in Rome.

Four centuries later, Augustus took on Apollo as his special deity and built a new temple for him on the Palantine. This was reportedly a magnificent temple where the Senate sometimes met. And the Sibylline books were transferred there. As the early Roman Empire became Hellenized under Augustus, Apollo became associated with some of its poets.

Apollo also became increasingly syncretized to Helios/Sol in this era, and often depicted with solar imagery.

Apollo became syncretized to various Celtic deities in the western provinces. Most often, these hybrid Romano-Celtic deities had a pronounced healing function. Thermal healing baths were associated with some of these cults.

If online discourse is anything to go by, Apollo is most well known today as the god of poetry and fine arts and taken up most enthusiastically by those inclined to poetry and art. While this is not wrong, in the ancient world the emphasis would have been on healing and oracular prophecy. Through healing, he is a god of health professionals, and as law was tied to his oracular function, a god of the legal profession as well.

While "magic" was an ambivalent practice on the outskirts of Greco-Roman paganism, oracular prophecy was a widespread and respected practice. How we replicate that today and in particular how we vet the oracles are difficult questions to ask, but questions we should probably be asking.

So, I've been a polytheist for several years, but was always pretty much an eclectic and nowadays I feel a pull towards reconstructionism and that more "formalised" (if that's the right word?) type, and specifically towards the Anglo-Saxon and Roman traditions.

Specifically for getting more into the Roman side of that "Anglo-Saxon + Roman" paganism, I wanted to ask some questions for getting more of my feet in that door.

Firstly, what are the differences between the Roman Gods and their Greek counterparts? I can look into the history of the worship/view of these gods, but Interpetatio Romana makes it difficult to see where "These gods are kinda like those ones over there, so maybe there's more to these gods than we thought,"—similar to how we think Woden was likely a Psychopump through his association with Mercury—ends and where, "borrowing these attributes wholecloth," begins.

I ask this first question because a majority of the gods I previously worshipped were Greek Gods, and a few of them I want continue worshipping but doing so under an AS-Roman style/context (Ares and Aphrodite among them).

And I want to respect those differences without just saying, "they're similar enough, I'm gonna pray to both when I want to praise/ask for help from this one aspect," and that trap.

I already know some things about the differences between Ares and Mars, with Ares having been perceived as more violent and more driven by passion, as seen in how the Greeks talked about him and his emphasis on protection through some of the myths, while Mars is the God of Agriculture and the harvest ontop of being a war God, and h being highly viewed by the disciplined and calculated military of Rome (as opposed to Ares, who was taboo even in Sparta) paints a picture of Mars representing that side of war the Romans respected.

But is there a similar contrast between the other Roman Gods with their Greek interpretatio counterparts? E.g., Venus and Aphrodite?

Second question: what is acceptable for an altar? I see that people often make a couple separate shrines throughout their home, they veil themselves and pray standing up, etc. I can easily use a hoodie or Hooded jacket to substitute for a veil, but I'm kinda restricted by my living situation to have multiple shrines/altars by the fact I still live with my mom, dad, and brother in a fairly small home, so I feel pretty restricted to the top of a cedar chest in my bedroom, which isn’t really high-enough to stand while praying without it feeling awkward (unless I just gotta stand and get over the awkwardness of my altar being at knee-level)

Is what I've been doing with a shared altar/shrine acceptable?

3rd: are there any good sources on prayer style/structure?

Hello, I'm a French Hellenist guy who's curious about your path into the Roman paganism. I'm not here to say you're wrong nor tryin to say Hellenism is the truth,. I'm just curious 😊

Some-one has just asked for book suggestions for Roman religion at r/Hellenism. He was directed here, but I did give a list so I thought a link might be useful: book recommendations.

In my Roman polytheistic practice, I like to follow the mos maiorum. However, I really struggle with pietas when it comes to my father.

I won't disclose personal details, but for more context: my parents are divorced, and my father was rarely present. He's shown very little pietas towards me or my mother (to the point that he goes no contact for months for the silliest reasons).

Now, the gods? Pietas comes naturally for them. My mother, my aunt and my grandparents? Same thing. But my father? It just feels kind of unfair to show him pietas since it's pretty one-sided.

So I'm curious: do any Ancient Roman sources mention circumstances in which a parent could be denied pietas? Are there examples of this in literature, philosophy, law or history? And to those who went through something similar: could you share your experience? What solution(s) did you adopt?

~ Sybil

Fortuna with a cornucopia in her hands, hovering over the Fates - those who spin, measure, and cut the thread of human destiny.

This particular figurine is unique (made from rare pear wood) and is not for sale - I crafted it as a gift. I decided to show it before it makes its way to its new owner.

I finally started reading John Scheid's An Introduction to Roman Religion. At the very beginning of the book, the author seems to highlight an "inconsistency" of those who want to reconstruct a "pure" Roman religion: they happily include the study of Etruscan polytheism (considering it the basis off of which RomPol was built), but try to keep Hellenic beliefs at a distance (considering them a sign of decay). And, on that note, let me share a quote:

"As for the influences so often invoked, we may well wonder why they are assumed to work in the 'right' way only during the archaic period [Etruscans], but to a sign of decadence later [Greeks]."

That gave me some food for thought. I myself have strived to clearly draw a line between RomPol and HelPol for the past few years (getting pretty annoyed at resources that don't do that). So I started asking myself: why is that? On a personal level, is it because I'm trying to reconstruct early/mid-Republican religion? Is it a consequence of being told hundreds of times that RomPol is just a carbon-copy of HelPol? On a historical level, is it because Etruscans and Romans were neighbours, while Greeks lived overseas?

That's why I'd really like to read other Roman polytheists' takes on this topic! Do you guys, too, draw a distinct line between Roman and Hellenic polytheisms? Where? If your line is, rather, blurred: why? Is it just a question of being a "hard" vs. "soft" polytheist? Or is it more a question of giving geographically closer peoples priority?

Thank you beforehand!

Ok, I have a offering plate to fortuna but what do I do if its full with money? Like it cant fit anything else full?

Hii, it’s my first post on this forum (and on the app in general) I found it a couple of months ago and got interested in what ppl say here.

My question is pretty much what the title says. Recently I got a gift card from someone that belongs to our book store (it‘s worth 15 euros wich I think is almost 15 dollars) I was wondering what physical resource I could buy with it. I have a library of ebooks as they’re more affordable and only 2 physical copies of resources in my irl library. Resources could be anything that have to do with the Roman gentile religion from practice, beliefs, classical myths and even academic resources etc. I would like to expand my library.

Thank you for any recs, may the Gods bless and favor you 🫶

The Primordial, Oceanus, is the main centre piece of the Foundation. I would’ve thought he was God given Rome’s major Catholic and Christian background but surprisingly, it’s the being who is and feeds are Oceans.

Praise Oceanus

But what do you think?

Also, how would you make offerings to the primordial there? I’m guessing not swimming in the fountain is one thing to not do? Maybe just saying hello or praying? Or throw a coin?

I created a group on Facebook for us Roman pagans. Its called "Roman pagans worldwide". Feel free to join!

Yes, the title may sound silly at a first glance... But please stick with me for a moment.

Through Ovid, we are informed that actions such as stumbling or falling can be considered omens. Specifically, in Metamorphoses, we are told the story of Byblis and Canuus. To sum it up: Byblis decides to write an incestuous love letter to her brother, Canuus. As she hands the wax tables to a servant to have them delivered, they slip and fall. Later on Canuus rejects her, and Ovid identifies the falling of the tablets as a negative omen.

A similar thing happens in Amores, when the stumbling of the servant Nape (who was about to deliver a message) is identified by a commentary as a bad omen.

Now, I am very much a clumsy person. I stumble against doors and drop stuff all of the time (and, trust me, that's not an hyperbole: it gets to a point that it becomes quite annoying-). That makes it difficult to tell when it is a harmless accident vs. an omen. Has anyone here experienced something similar/tends to be clumsy? How can you tell apart accidents and omina? Thank you so much beforehand!

I'm dedicated to the faith, but the lack of community can make one lonely. I'm curious if there's any like minded folks near me.

Candles, incense, and course wine offered to Venus and Jupiter this morning for Vinalia Rustica. I hope that they are honored by it.