Venus is the Goddess of love and beauty in Roman myth, though She likely had Her origins in an Italic Goddess of gardens, both of the ornamental and vegetable types. Her name comes from the neuter Latin venus meaning love, desire, beauty, or charm, which is related to the Latin verb venerari meaning to adore, honor, worship, or revere; the English word ‘venerate’ is also from that root. She was in time identified with the Greek Goddess Aphrodite, taking on Her mythology; and the Romans adopted the story of Her son, Aeneas, as a foundational myth of the city and empire of Rome. In the Iliad, Aeneas is a heroic Trojan prince and the son of Aphrodite; though in various tales he meets various ends (generally peaceful) the Romans seized on the idea that after the war he set out for Italy with the remaining Trojan people to found Rome. Accordingly Aphrodite (Venus) became the divine ancestress of Rome, and indeed the Julian family (starting with Julius Caesar) claimed direct descent from Her. As was habit with the Romans, they used this divine link as propaganda to build up Rome and the Empire, in effect claiming its policy of conquest and domination as destiny. As the divine guardian of Rome, Venus was given epithets of a political nature, implying Her approval; She was also conflated with several minor Goddesses such as Cloacina and Murcia. Here then are the various aspects and epithets of Venus. Cloacina, Libertina, Libitina, Murcia, Venus Acidalia, Venus Amica, Venus Armata, Venus Anadyomene, Venus Aurea, Venus Barbata, Venus Caelestis, Venus Calva, Venus Equestris, Venus Erycina, Venus Euploia, Venus Frutis, Venus Felix, Venus Genetrix, Venus Heliopolitana, Venus Kallipygos, Venus Militaris, Venus Obsequens, Venus Physica, Venus Physica Pompeiana, Venus Placida, Venus Pontia, Venus Postvorta, Venus Rhamnusia, Venus Urania, Venus Verticordia, Venus Victrix. |
