domenica 7 gennaio 2018

Greek and Roman deities: Zeus and Jupiter

My good friend and editor J Gray suggested me a series of posts about ancient Italic deities as opposed to Greek. This is a very good idea.
Not everybody knows that Roman deities were originally distinct from Greek ones, with a different personal history, portfolio, and personality. As Rome was more and more influenced by the Greek culture, they began to assimilate Greek mythology, eventually identifying their pantheon with the Greek one. Nonetheless, some deities were unique in either culture, and even the main ones always retained some of their original characteristics.
Take Zeus. He was a strong sovereign who boasted his power and reigned by force, and a patron of soothsayers; he was more interested in defending his own honor and reputation, and not to mess with Fate or his brothers Hades and Poseidon, than in actual justice. He also was a great womanizer, fond of both beautiful girls and boys. The Roman Jupiter, on the other hand, was the defender of the Empire, the protector of kings, and the one who granted and enforced justice and peace. Here I tried to point out their differences.

Zeus (N)
Favored Weapon: Spear
Domains: Air, Knowledge, Magic, Strength, Weather
Subdomains: Arcane, Cloud, Divine, Lightning, Memory, Rites, Storms
Druidic Domains: Eagle
Inquisitions: Conversion, Fate, Justice, Order, Politics, Tactics, Valor
Mysteries/Spirits: Ancestors, Battle, Heavens, Lore, Wind
Witch Patron: Ancestors, Devotion, Enchantment, Fate, Light, Portents, Storms, Strength, Transformation, Trickery, Wisdom
Alternate Channeling: Air/Sky/Wind, Bravery/Valor, Contracts/Oaths, Fate, Knowledge, Magic, Rulership, Secrets, Weather
Clergy: clerics, oracles, inquisitors, warpriests, wizards

Jupiter (LG)
Favored Weapon: Spear
Domains: Air, Good, Nobility, Law, Weather
Subdomains: AristocracyCloud, Judgement, Leadership, Legislation, Lightning, Storms
Druidic Domains: Eagle
Inquisitions: Banishment, Conversion, Fate, Justice, Tactics
Mysteries/Spirits: Ancestors, Battle, Heavens, Lore, Streets, Wind
Witch Patron: Ancestors, Boundaries, Devotion, Fate, Light, Portents, Storms, Wisdom
Alternate Channeling: Air/Sky/Wind, Bravery/Valor, Contracts/Oaths, Fate, Knowledge, Rulership, Weather
Clergy: clerics, oracles, inquisitors, warpriests, wizards

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