Jupiter (mythology)

chief deity of Roman state religion

Jupiter (Latin: Iuppiter) is the king of the gods in Roman mythology.[1][2][3] He was the god of the sky and thunder.[1] His two brothers were Pluto and Neptune, and his sister was Ceres.

Jupiter
Member of the Archaic and Capitoline Triads
A marble statue of Jupiter from c. 100 AD[a]
Other namesJove
Venerated in
AbodeRome
SymbolLightning bolt, eagle, oak tree
Personal information
ConsortJuno
ChildrenMars, Vulcan, Bellona, Juventas, Hercules
ParentsSaturn and Ops[source?]
SiblingsRoman tradition: Juno, Ceres, Vesta
Greco-Roman: Pluto and Neptune
Greek equivalentZeus

Life of Jupiter

change

Saturn, who was the previous king of the gods,[1] began to swallow the children that he had with his wife Ops (Greek equivalent Rhea), when they were born.[1][3] This was because he had been warned that one of his children would overthrow him.[1][3] Saturn swallowed the children Neptune, Pluto, Ceres, Juno and Vesta.[3] When Ops realized that she was pregnant with Jupiter, she had the baby secretly and moved to Crete,[1][3] giving a stone wrapped in baby clothes to Saturn for him to eat.[3] Saturn believed he had eaten Jupiter.

Overthrowing Saturn

change

After Jupiter was raised by his mother, his destiny was to overthrow Saturn, as revenge for all he had done to his brothers and sisters in the past. When Jupiter grew up, he made Saturn vomit up all of the children he had swallowed.[3] All the brothers and sisters joined forces and overthrew Saturn.[1][2][3]

Battle of the Titans

change

Then, with the help of the Cyclopes and the Hundred-handed Giants, they declared war on Saturn and the other Titans.[1][3] Jupiter finally defeated the Titans and they were imprisoned in Tartarus.[1][3]

Dividing the universe

change

Jupiter and his brothers divided the universe into three parts, Jupiter obtaining the heavens, Neptune the sea and Pluto the underworld. This is how Jupiter became the king of the gods.[1]

change
  1. With 19th-century additions of drapery, scepter, eagle, and Victory

References

change
  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Harvey, Paul (1937). The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. London: Oxford University Press.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Pascal, Paul (1978). "Jupiter". World Book Encyclopedia. World Book-Childcraft International, Inc. p. 164.
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 Souli, Sophia (1998). Greek Mythology. Techni S.A. ISBN 9605402661.