| “ | For, as above its circling wall, Montereggione boasts a crown of towers, so too above the bank that rings the well stood, towering here to half their body height, the dreadful giants, who are under threat from highest Jove whenever he wields thunder. | „ |
| ~ Dante Alighieri invoking Jupiter while seeing the Giants in Hell, Inferno Canto 31, lines 40 to 45 |
Jupiter, also known as Jove, is the Roman god of the sky and thunder as well as being the reincarnation of Zeus. He is king of the Roman gods and the leader of the Dii Consentes.
Description[]
He was most often portrayed with a long, white beard, and his symbol was the eagle atop a scepter which he carried as he sat upon his majestic throne. As with Zeus, his reputation for violence often caused men to tremble in fear for he could easily punish them with one of his thunderbolts. Of course, he would give them a fair warning before the final, destructive bolt, and punishment was usually carried out only with the consent of the other gods.
The poets describe him as standing amidst his rapid horses, or his horses that make the thunder; for as the ancients had a strange idea of the brazen vault of heaven, they seem to have attributed the noise in a thunder storm to the rattling of Jupiter's chariot and horses on that great arch of brass all over their heads, as they supposed that he himself flung the flames out of his hand, which dart at the same time out of the clouds, beneath this arch.
History[]
Background[]
Jupiter was the youngest son of Saturn and Ops, and the only one who was not devoured by his father and his mother send him to the island of Crete, where he would be raised in secret. He would eventually return as an adult, dethrone his father and release his devoured siblings.
As Saturn went into exile, Jupiter married his sister Juno, and shared dominion over the latin world with his two brothers: Neptune and Pluto. After pulling straws, Jupiter became the god of heavens, Neptune god of the sea and Pluto god of the underworld.
Jupiter also had countless children, with his wife, as well as with other goddesses and mortal women. The most notable ones included Mars, Vulcan, Diana, Apollo, Minerva, Mercury, Bellona, Juventas, Bacchus and Hercules.
Roman Republic[]
The Romans worshipped him especially as Iuppiter Optimus Maximus ("Jupiter the Best and the Greatest"). This name refers not only to his rule over the universe, but also to his function as the deity who distributes laws, controls the realm, and makes his will known through various oracles.
He had a temple on Rome's Capitoline Hill, sharing it with his wife Juno and daughter Minerva, but he was the most prominent of this Capitoline triad. His temple was not only the most important sanctuary in Rome, but was also the center of Roman political life; there official offerings were made, treaties were signed and wars were declared, and the triumphant generals of the Roman army came here to give their thanks.
Gallery[]
Links[]
- Jupiter - Mythology Wiki
- Jupiter - Gods & Goddess Wiki
- Jupiter - New World Encyclopedia